Speights is a dud?

Former first-round pick Marreese Speights didn’t have a very good year for the Philadelphia 76ers, but it’s tough to single him out because the whole team was garbage. But beat writer Kate Fagan really lambastes him in her review of the team on Philly.com.

“Consider Speights the anti-Holiday of the team,” Fagan writes. “No player on this roster has gone from promising to a liability faster than Speights. Coming out of college, Speights carried the knock that he was lazy. Last year, the coaching staff kept him in check. This season, he’s gained weight and lolled through workouts. And you can see the results – or lack thereof – during his minutes.”

Ouch.

It’s tough to know how much was Speights’ doing and how much was a result of playing on a terrible team of mismatched players and a coach whose system makes zero sense. The team as a whole has been terrible and guys who were thought to be talented, have just turned to dust.

Photo Caption: Speights’ upside has dwindled ever since this photo was taken.

Remember when everyone was high on Thaddeus Young? Remember when Lou Williams looked like he could have a promising future with adjustments to his game? Remember when people thought Iguodala would develop into something more than just an insane athlete who could dunk?

We’ll have to see on Speights, just like everyone else. But Fagan knows that team as well as anyone and it tends to be tough to fix a work ethic issue and that’s what it sounds like his problem is.