2003–04 Philadelphia 76ers season
| Industry | Professional basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1946 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
| Products | Basketball team |
The 2003–04 Philadelphia 76ers season represented the 65th year of the franchise and its 55th competing in the NBA. In the offseason, Philadelphia bolstered its roster by acquiring All-Star forward Glenn Robinson from the Atlanta Hawks and rookie Kyle Korver, who was originally drafted by the New Jersey Nets. Following Larry Brown’s departure to coach the Detroit Pistons, Randy Ayers was appointed head coach but was dismissed midway through the season after a 21–31 start; assistant coach Chris Ford then took over for the remainder of the campaign. Star guard Allen Iverson encountered difficulties, including disputes with coaching staff and injuries that restricted him to just 48 games, although he was still selected as a starter for the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. Robinson contributed an average of 16.6 points per game but was limited to 42 appearances due to injury setbacks.
Philadelphia finished with a 33–49 record, placing fifth in the Atlantic Division and failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1998. Following the season, key roster changes included trading Eric Snow to the Cleveland Cavaliers, sending Derrick Coleman to the Detroit Pistons, and parting ways with head coach Chris Ford.
Key dates
- June 26: The 2003 NBA draft was held in New York City.
- July 1: Commencement of free agency.
- October 7: Preseason began with a matchup against the Miami Heat.
- October 28: Regular season opener facing the Miami Heat.
Draft picks
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 50 | Paccelis Morlende | PG | File:Flag of France.svg France | Dijon (France) |
Draft day transactions
With their 50th overall selection in the 2003 NBA draft, the Sixers chose French point guard Paccelis Morlende. On draft day, Philadelphia acquired Kyle Korver from the New Jersey Nets through purchase and then traded Morlende to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Willie Green, who would go on to spend seven seasons with Philadelphia.
July
On July 16, Philadelphia added Amal McCaskill, who ultimately appeared in more games for the Sixers than with all his previous NBA teams combined. Approximately one week later, the team participated in a four-team deal involving the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Minnesota Timberwolves. In this transaction, Philadelphia sent Keith Van Horn to New York and traded Randy Holcomb plus a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2007 (which was later converted to cash) to Atlanta. The Hawks responded by sending Glenn Robinson and a second-round pick in 2006 to Philadelphia, while Minnesota contributed Marc Jackson to the Sixers’ roster. Robinson started every game he played with Philadelphia during this period, whereas Jackson appeared in just 22 contests.
August to October
On August 8, the Philadelphia 76ers released Efthimios Rentzias, and later on October 11, they also waived William Avery.
Roster Notes
- Center Todd MacCulloch was sidelined for the entire season because of a foot injury.
Regular season
| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Sortname | 53 | 3 | 13.3 | .377 | .273 | .741 | 1.9 | .8 | .4 | .1 | 3.1 |
| Template:Sortname | 34 | 30 | 24.8 | .413 | .222 | .754 | 5.6 | 1.4 | .7 | .8 | 8.0 |
| Template:Sortname | 82 | 53 | 26.8 | .541 | .000 | .644 | 7.6 | .3 | .5 | 2.3 | 8.0 |
| Template:Sortname | 53 | 0 | 14.5 | .401 | .311 | .728 | 1.2 | 1.0 | .5 | .1 | 6.9 |
| Template:Sortname | 46 | 0 | 10.3 | .537 | — | .698 | 3.2 | .3 | .2 | .2 | 3.7 |
| Template:Sortname | 48 | 47 | 42.5 | .387 | .286 | .745 | 3.7 | 6.8 | 2.4 | .1 | 26.4 |
| Template:Sortname | 22 | 13 | 27.2 | .415 | .000 | .790 | 5.7 | .8 | .5 | .3 | 9.4 |
| Template:Sortname | 74 | 0 | 11.9 | .352 | .391 | .792 | 1.5 | .5 | .3 | .1 | 4.5 |
| Template:Sortname | 59 | 3 | 10.8 | .402 | .000 | .704 | 2.3 | .3 | .2 | .3 | 1.9 |
| Template:Sortname | 75 | 41 | 28.2 | .459 | .436 | .757 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.1 | .3 | 9.2 |
| Template:Sortname | 42 | 42 | 31.8 | .448 | .340 | .832 | 4.5 | 1.4 | 1.0 | .2 | 16.6 |
| Template:Sortname | 77 | 24 | 20.8 | .387 | .340 | .772 | 2.5 | 1.7 | .8 | .2 | 5.8 |
| Template:Sortname | 82 | 82 | 36.2 | .413 | .111 | .797 | 3.4 | 6.9 | 1.2 | .1 | 10.3 |
| Template:Sortname | 74 | 72 | 36.5 | .469 | .200 | .752 | 10.1 | 1,5 | 1,1 | 0,4 | 13,6 |