10 Games in: Who are the Philadelphia 76ers?

Our Philadelphia 76ers have played 10 games in the 2008-2009 season.  Their record: 5-5.  Disappointing?  Expected?  Good?  Considering their schedule I personally think they should be 7-3.  So for me they have been disappointing.  Here is the recent history of Sixers teams through 10 games.

• 2008: 3-7
• 2007: 4-6
• 2006: 6-4
• 2005: 4-6
• 2004: 5-5
• 2003: 7-3
• 2002: 5-5
• 2001: 10-0
• 2000: 4-6

I said before and during the first few games that I am giving this team a 10-game grace period to show me something.  Show me whether they can mesh.  Show me whether they can play the same style that was successful at the end of last season with new personnel or play a new style that is as effective or more effective.  Show me you will be worth $80 million over 5 and 6 years. Show me you are capable of coaching better talent, coaching with higher expectations and coaching a winner.

Was giving them only 10 games fair?  Probably not.  Many people said 15 or 20 games.  And at the 20-game mark I will re-evaluate and do another one of these posts.  But what I needed to see was signs this group of players we have invested a large portion of our cap in are the right crew.

So let’s just take a quick look at a few things with this team through 10 games.

Coaching

One of my biggest question marks coming into the season was whether or not Mo is the right coach.  Prior to the playoffs, I would have been all for Cheeks taking this team forward.  But after watching him in the Detroit series, doubts began to creep in my mind.

Maurice “to cool for comfort” Cheeks

Mo is a players’ coach because he doesn’t publicly bash players.  He can relate to players, having been one (a pretty damn fine one) himself.  Players always speak favorably of him.  And he is typically always calm and cool.  But is that coaching style right for THIS team?  After 10 games I still don’t know.  Early on it certainly didn’t look like it.  The team didn’t mesh well.  The offense was stagnant and looked as though it lacked practice.  The defensive energy that was a staple last season was nonexistent.  And it looked like none of the players (except Thad) knew their role.

With those types of issues I always point the finger at the coach first.  I understand implementing change takes time, but what is training camp and the preseason for?  Just because it’s the early part of the season doesn’t mean those games should be discounted or treated as “more practice.”  That is why I don’t really agree with people suggesting we should give them 20 games.  It just doesn’t make sense to me.

But starting in the Toronto game, I saw a positive change that can also be attributed to Mo and the coaching staff.  They started to move Brand around, not only relying on him to score on the block.  They put him in better situations to take shots that played to his strength.  And they put him in a position to see the double-teams coming, which resulted in him turning the ball over less.

I really just need to see two things from Cheeks:

1. Keep the team motivated and playing hard every game, especially on the defensive end.
2. Become a better game manager by appropriately adjusting to the game plan of your opponent.

Quick Look at the Roster

I am not going to cover guys like Kareem Rush, Donyell Marshall, Royal Ivey or Theo Ratliff because they have barely played.  But I do want to take a quick look at who we have on this roster and how they’ve looked so far.

Andre “Someone buy me a jumper – PLEASE” Iguodala

Can’t be happy with the play of “$80mil.”  He got paid like a top second-tier player and right now he looks like a  terrible offensive-role-player/glue guy.  He is rebounding the ball well.  He is averaging 5 assists per game and 1 steal per game.  Those numbers are nice.  But this guy’s jumper is broke.  He is shooting worse than we have ever seen him shoot.  This after all the talk of jump shooting being his major focus in the off-season.

The problem: when you already can’t shoot, taking 500 jumpers a day shooting the same way you have been only builds muscle recognition for shooting poorly.  He needed to be with a shooting coach daily like Thad and Lou were at Mark Price’s camp.  You can work as hard as you want, but if you are practicing the wrong way, the results will not only be the same, they can become worse.

I don’t think Iguodala will ever be a good shooter, but he can still be a good offensive player if he would tighten up his shot selection and continue to drive to the basket looking to score, get fouled and look to be a facilitator.

I said this in a comment, but I think his big contract skews our view of his ability.  If he was a a $6M a year player with a clearly defined role as a do-it-all glue guy I think we all would be happy with his play.  But big money means big expectations.  And he is the one that held out for the big money.  Now he needs to start earning his wage.  I almost think Raja Bell would be a better fit on this team.  John Salmons, anyone?  Haha.

Thaddeus “I’m a star now, not in-the-making” Young

You can tell this guy had the right people around him and the right work ethic this summer.  He came back with a much-improved three-point shot, a nice jab step and a nice pump fake, one-two dribble mid-range jumper.  That is great development for Thaddeus Young in one summer.

He always brought the intangibles in terms of hustle and energy.  He was always a good defender physically.  This year he is a better defender mentally.  You can tell he is learning the game on both ends at a high rate.  His handle is still suspect, but he is such a smart player that he minimizes it by focusing on his strengths.

He has an outside chance to be an East All-Star reserve because I gotta imagine coaches around the league love his game.

Elton “I’m not who you thought I was” Brand

Elton Brand is not Tim Duncan.  Elton Brand is not KG.  Elton Brand is not Amare Stoudamire.  Elton Brand does not have great leaping ability.  Elton Brand is not a dominant low-post scorer.  Elton Brand is not and has not been an extremely high-percentage shooter from the field (just 50.4% for his career).

Elton Brand is coming back from missing a year of basketball, and that can not be understated.  Elton Brand is an undersized power forward.  Elton Brand is a good 15-17 foot jump shooter.  Elton Brand is a very good all-around defender.  Elton Brand is a very strong rebounder.  Elton Brand is a good teammate and potential leader on this team.  Elton Brand, although not great, can score in the post.  Elton Brand can run the floor and finish.  Elton Brand is and has been a VERY GOOD all-around player in this league.

I hope to a degree that clears up some misconceptions.  Look, I think Brand will be better later on in the season.  If you never had a season-end injury, ask someone who has.  I know a ton of people who had the bad fortune of getting injured and missing a season.  So it’s hard to understand how long it takes not to get healthy but to regain your feel for the game and game endurance and body.  This is really impacting his offensive game much more than his play on defense.  This guy has been the model of consistency throughout his career so I give him a little more slack than Iguodala regarding the poor individual offense performance.

Andre “I look like Richard Pryor” Miller

What the hell happened to his mid-range jumper?  I didn’t expect him to shoot 49% again, but 42.8% certainly wasn’t expected either.  Miller shot 45.28% through 10 games last year so are we witnessing a bigger decline than we thought would happen?  I hope not because with Brand on the team he will continue to get those 17-foot shots. I don’t really blame him for shooting so much because he rarely is forcing those shots up.  He is usually wide open taking a shot we have all seem him make.  He has just been off.

And the more I look at his game and how it compliments (or not) the other players who are under contract for a while I think Stefanski should trade him at the trade deadline.  I say that not because I don’t like Miller but because I don’t want to resign him because I think he falls off HARD next season.  And I don’t think there is a high % chance he would even resign with the Sixers this summer anyway.  With that in mind I want to get as much value for him as we can get.  If he just comes off the books, the Sixers will be out a starting point guard and have no cap to go out and get one.

Honestly I just want the Sixers to win as many games as possible before the All-Star break, Andre Miller to show very well and Stefanski to move him.  It’s not like we would be moving a championship piece.

Samuel “If I only had a brain” Dalembert

Sammy has been inconsistent.  But when he’s played well he has been fantastic.  The problem: Sam’s just not all that smart of a basketball player.  So his inconsistency has much to do with his inability to recognize different game styles and adjust his play to be as effective as possible.  He has all the athletic and defensive ability to be a very good and consistent NBA center.  He just doesn’t always apply it well.

For the most part I really can’t complain about Sam.  He is giving the team 10 boards, a block and a half and 7 point per game on 49% shooting.  I just need him to shoot free throws better.

Louis “I’m a scorer; I want to be Allen Iverson” Williams

Lou has pissed me off beyond belief.  He has no clue what it means to be a facilitator.  He is taking 10 shots per game and 19 shots per 36 minutes.  That is crazy!  What the hell are the coaches saying to this kid?  All he seems to say in the media is “I’m a scorer.”  UMM NO. To be a scorer you actually have to put the ball in the hole at a decent rate.  35.7% from the field, 26.1% from three and 68% from the line isn’t a scorer.  It’s a wannabe-Allen Iverson with not even half the ability.

It boggles my mind that this isn’t being addressed.  What?  Are we just going to wait it out?  Let him shoot the team out of games?  Cheeks needs to put the reins on this dude quick before he gets further out of control.  Because clearly he thinks it’s OK to dribble around for 15 seconds, not pass to anyone then shoot an off-balanced jumper with a hand in his face.

Let me ask you guys this: If Andre Miller got hurt, what would you do? Who would you start at the point?

Willie “How you like me now?” Green

Been extremely happy with Willie’s play.  Sure, he is shooting the ball great.  But his defense has been much better.  His intensity off the bench has been infusing the team.  And, guys, he is averaging only 0.7 turnovers per game in 20 MPG. That is phenomenal. The role everyone thought Lou was supposed to play has been assumed by Willie Green.

Can he keep this up?  Maybe not 48.5% from the field and 52.6% from three.  But I believe his energy will be there, he seems to be playing within himself which is why his turnovers are nonexistent.  And there is no reason to believe he won’t keep busting it on defense.

If you asked me right now who I would start if Andre Miller got hurt, Willie Green would be my answer.  I would have Iguodala play some point forward just to get Willie off the ball for scoring opportunities, especially when he was hot.

Marreese “Did you really think I was lazy?” Speights

How many people actually thought Marreese Speights would be the back-up center this early in the season?  He goes from being on the inactive list to playing 12 productive minutes a game.  He potential is immeasurable.  He already is doing a great job on the boards, averaging 11.4 per 36 minutes.  He is extremely active on the offensive glass. He has a great touch from 15-17 feet.  We really haven’t seen what he is capable of in the post, but he likes to bang and has a soft touch.  That is a great combination.

It’s very easy to see a Thaddeus Young-type progression over the course of the season with Speights.  He is a big reason Dalembert is only playing 27 minutes per game.  And you know what?  That could be a tremendous benefit for Sam and the Sixers late in games.  When Dalembert is fresh, not in foul trouble and motivated, he has proven he can defend just about any big man in this league.  If I was Mo I would keep Dalembert’s minutes down, not only because he is still bothered by his knee but because having a fresh Dalembert on defense at the end of close games is great asset.

Reggie “I don’t know I’m not a guard” Evans

We all knew with the addition of Brand that Reggie’s minutes would be decreased. But with Speights playing so well, also Reggie has become the odd man out from last year’s core.  He is only playing 11.7 mpg, by far the lowest in his entire career.

So now Mo needs to find more minutes for Evans.  He is the emotion of this team.  He gives everything he has when he is out there and guess what, he probably isn’t going to complain about not playing as much either.  He is a great teammate, one that should be on the court more, especially when the starters play like they just woke up in the morning.

Can The Sixers Live Up to the High Expectations?

50 wins was the high water mark for this team.  They certainly don’t look that good right now.  But it’s only 10 games.  They can very easily go on a monster run like the Portland Trailblazers did last season.  Portland started 5-12 before going on a 13-game winning streak.  The Sixers certainly have the talent to go on a serious run.  But they have to play the right way, play to their strengths and most importantly play hard from beginning to end of games to get it done.

Let me finish this post with this question:  Say the Sixers go 45-37.  A 5-game improvement and good for 4th or 5th in the Eastern Conference, would you consider that regular season a success?  Would that regular season have met your expectations for this team?  Is 45 wins good enough, considering the Sixers have over $40 million wrapped up between Brand, Iguodala, Dalembert and Williams this season and escalating over the next 3 seasons?

November 18, 2008