I was at the Park tonight, and when the Marlins had the bases loaded in the first, I was trying to get Charlie’s attention and let him know it was time to cut the cord on Brett Myers. He was done. He was throwing 88mph straight fastballs, his ERA was about to go over 6.00. Send him to the bullpen, put Chad Durbin in the rotation and just end our suffering. 55-year old Luis Gonzalez backed me up with a 2-run basehit to right field. Surely Myers was done now. He had to be. He left the inning to a sarcastic cheer from the crowd, and I would have completely supported the manager if he didn’t return in the second. Then, somehow, this…
7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
I was sitting 8 rows off the field and let me tell you, Myers was absolutely unhittable. I’ve never seen a tranformation like that before. He went from a BP tosser in the first inning to Roger Clemens all juiced out on steroids for the next 7. If this is the start that turns around his year - we won’t just win the division, we’ll win it by a landslide. (Please note that if I could have made the word “if” in that last sentance 250-pt font, I would have).
But truth be told, Myers miraculous performance was almost moot after the 2nd inning. Why? Because our offense is absolutely, completely, off-the-charts ridiculous. 60 runs in 5 games, all wins. Leading the majors in HR, 5 players on pace for 80+ RBI, Howard on pace for 43 HR, 120 RBI and Utley on pace for 53 HR, 140 RBI, Burrell on pace for 40 HR, 100 RBI, Rollins hitting .310 in front of these guys, etc, etc, etc…
We keep watching the Phillies pile up runs and say ’save some for next game’ because the teams of the past so often would win 13-1 one day and lose 1-0 the next. Not this team. They are very consistent with their offense, and they very well could be like the Yankees teams of the past couple years that would just will themselves to the playoffs with fifty 8-7 victories.
So why is this game important?
- It put us solely into first place, and gives us a great chance to clinch the series victory with Hamels pitching tomorrow.
- It kept the Marlins reeling. They are playing over their head right now, and this is their 3rd straight loss and they are out of first for the first time all season. If Hamels shuts them down tomorrow (or if they lose Ramirez), they could hit a slide.
- It was the first real big game of the year for the Phillies, and they delivered in front of a sell-out crowd. Aside from the great run down the stretch, this was a game that the Phillies would often lose and kill their momentum in the past. I believe that their run last year gave them the confidence to win this type of game, especially after going down 3-0 (again) in the first.
- Each of our 4 non-Hamels starters have now had decent starts this week. With our offense, we only need them to be decent.
- Last year at this time we were 28-28. This year we are 32-24. We are a notorious warm-weather team and it hasn’t even warmed up yet.
- Philly baseball is back. This is not because of just tonight obviously, but I really realized it when I was down there. I worked at the Phillies in 2005 and 2006 and there is NO WAY we were selling out a Friday night game in May against the Marlins, no matter how good they are. This year we are 4th in the league in attendance (based on % of the stadium that is full) behind only the Red Sox, Cubs and Tigers.
Let’s win tomorrow and stay atop the division till we put another flag in our outfield.
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- I don’t think O.J. Mayo will be picked ahead of Michael Beasley, but I think that the Heat will trade down with the Wolves because they want Mayo anyway, so I put them on the teams I think they will finish with.
- The Grizzlies are the key to how to rest of the lottery will fall. Right now I have them going with Anthony Randolph because he is the type of player that will really impress in the individual workouts and he plays a position vacated by Pau Gasol. Randolph is an extremely fluid athlete for his size, but will need to bulk up to avoid getting pushed around down low.
- Word is Eric Gordon is healed from the injury that derailed the second half of his season. He is built like a house and can really shoot the ball and get to the line. I think his stock will rise as he works out and Knicks grab him at #6 after Mayo doesn’t drop to them.
- I’ve read that Kevin Love could go as high as #3 to the Wolves, but I think that would be a bit of a reach for him. If Brand opts out of his contract, or the Clippers know they won’t sign him next season, Love would be the perfect pick. He was dominant in the toughest conference in the league, hit big shots in the Tournament and has already dropped 15 pounds since the end the NCAA season.
- I have Joe Alexander going higher than most mock drafts. I also think he will be a workout wonder and Milwaukee really needs a SF. Alexander is a freak athlete (shown here headbutting the rim) and is a quick learner (started learning to play the post THIS season and was absolutely dominant by the end of the year). He can shoot, he has size and is a real sleeper in this draft.
- I think the Bobcats will go against their past drafting techniques and take the upside of DeAndre Jordan over the safer pick of Brook Lopez.
- I think that Lopez and DaniloGallinari will drop because Lopez just flat out isn’t that good (as I mentioned in my first mock draft) and I think GMs are shying away from foreign players just a tad.
- Donte Green to the Suns is just wishful thinking at this point. I think they will take my man Brandon Rush and break my heart.
- I think the Spurs will stop taking foreign players to develop overseas and actually draft someone who can help them next year in Ty Lawson.
- Mario Chalmers would be awesome on the Hornets. I’ve loved that kid since H.S. and once teams see him play more, he could rise higher in the draft. Excellent defender and a lot more than one big shot.
- J.J. Hickson is another player who is raw but has tons of upside.
- Joey Dorsey being the next Ben Wallace for the Pistons? Is that too easy?
Just getting my 2 cents in on a variety of issues that I don’t feel like writing a whole post on.
- Jamie Moyer, 45, has not completely shut the door on returning to pitch next year, and considering he hasn’t counted on arm strength for awhile, it is certainly a possibility. If Moyer does return, and gets 15 more wins before he retires, he will be just the 8th Left-Handed pitcher ever to finish his career with 250 wins and 2,000 strikeouts. The others are Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, Tom Glavine, Warren Spahn, Tommy John, Jim Kaat, Lefty Grove and Eddie Plank.
- Pedro Feliz has a higher BA, OBP and SLG% than the Nationals Ryan Zimmerman.
- Considering how good our offense and bullpen are, all the Phillies need from their Pitching Staff is Cole Hamels and 4 guys with a 4.50 ERA. Right now the ERAs of our 5 starting pitchers are 3.18, 4.45, 4.71, 5.37, 5.79. Too bad cheap one-year options like Livan Hernandez (4.22), Kyle Lohse (4.26), Odalis Perez (4.13) and Mark Hendrickson (4.14) weren’t availiable. Except that they were. And everybody knew they needed one of them (not Kris Benson, who they knew wouldn’t be ready until mid-season).
- Chad Ford released his 2nd mock draft today. He once again has the Sixers taking Florida PF Marreese Speights. His comment is -
If they can’t get Elton Brand this summer, they’ll have to seriously consider Speights. Speights does a lot of the same things that Brand does; he just doesn’t have the conditioning or motivation.
Wow - so he is essentially Elton Brand. Except he sucks. Thanks Chad! Did you know that Eric Snow does the same things LeBron James does; he’s just 7 inches shorter, can’t shoot, can’t penetrate, has short arms and sits on the bench. Other than that, they are more or less the same player. I didn’t particularly want Speights before (raw, couldn’t lead his team to the NCAA in a weak SEC conference, and doesn’t strike me as anything more than a plain PF), but if there is ANY question about his motivation - cross him off my list.
I’ll be updating my Mock Draft this week - with a couple more comments this time.
- The least classy thing I’ve seen from fans this year? Utah fans booing Derek Fisher, who left the team to go to L.A. so that his daughter, who has a rare eye disease, could recieve better medical care. If that was Philly, media would have been all over it.
- The “Robert Horry to the Hall of Fame” debate is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. The man is 6′10” and has a career FG% lower than Allen Iverson’s. He has a nickname and made some big shots. He’s also a dirty player who underachieved at every other part of his game.
- If Lito Sheppard is still on the Eagles roster come training camp, it is NOT going to end well. It’s just not.
- Players I will be keeping an eye on for a variety of reasons once training camp comes around: Max Jean-Giles, DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek, Stewart Bradley, Victor Abiamiri and Broderick Bunkley.
That is the question two readers, Sixerzguy and Bski, brought up in a few comments on the blog. I think it is a good one and worth a post all its own. I will get things started with some of my thoughts then we can use this post as the place for open discussion on this topic.
First things first, who exactly are the Sixers’ core players?
Obviously this can be debated, but let’s give it a try.
Core: the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything. - Dictionary.com
I focus on the last part of that definition “most essential part of anything” to choose who the 76ers’ core guys are. In no particular order:
Andre Iguodala
Samuel Dalembert
Andre Miller
Those have been (past tense) the most important players on the team in my opinion. I would then add:
Thaddeus Young
With the thinking that Young has the greatest potential impact on this team in the near future. Therefore in the long-term view makes him a core player and nearly untouchable right now as we try to determine his ceiling.
That’s it!
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what about Lou Williams?” you might say. Sure, in terms of chemistry I would agree whole-heartedly that Sweet Lou would be a core chemistry player. But I am attempting to stay within the finite definition of “most essential part of anything,” and in my opinion Lou Williams as an under-sized tweener is both expendable and as hard as it is to say, pretty easy to replace.
So how good do I think the core 4 is?
Good, with the potential to be very good but not great. We have:
A top 10 point guard
A top 10 center in terms of defense and rebounding
One of only 8 players in the entire NBA who averages more than 19ppg, 5rpg and 4apg. When you factor in Iguodala’s 2spg he now becomes one of two players in the game who accomplished those numbers last season.
Among NBA rookies we had a guy with the 2nd best PER (17.60), best field goal percentage, 2nd in steals, 11th in scoring while playing 3-minutes less than the top ten and 11th in rebounding playing out of position.
That should be enough to get the discussion started. Oh and spread the word so we get as much diverse conversation on this topic as possible - GO.
Andre Miller hands-down was the team MVP in my book. He had career highs in shooting % and points per game. Committing only 2.5 turnovers per game was the second-best season of his career. He controlled the flow of the game and made big shots all year. The one thing he did especially well was stop opponents’ runs. Whenever the Sixers were on a scoring drought, he would come down, work his way into the short corner and nail that 15-footer.
Defensively Miller was at his strongest against the bigger point guards in the NBA. He completely forced Chauncey Billups out of his post offense by not allowing him to easily back Andre down. Many people have criticized his perimeter defense against quick guards like Tony Parker, Chris Paul, etc. Guess what, people, no one in the NBA has proven they can keep those types of point guards in front. I find myself yelling at the TV every time I watch a game for defenders to keep guys in front. So to judge him on the basis of keeping the fastest players in the league in front is a bit unfair. He knows his limitations and gives space to these guys and contests their shots when they pull up. Andre Miller is quite adequate at the point of the 76ers’ defense in my eyes.
Offensively what can you say about this guy? He understands how to get the shots he is comfortable with and capable of making. He is a poor three-point shooter, but he knows that evidenced by him taking only 34 all season. He has a solid post-up game when smaller guards play him and uses his herky jerky ball-handling to get by the bigger defenders. When your point guards shoots 49% (6th among NBA point guards), can you really complain that much?
Grade: A+
What Andre Miller Should Improve
Not exactly sure what more you can expect from a 32-year-old, nine year NBA veteran. But for the sake of being consistent with this series of posts, I came up with something.
Some may say improve his 3-point shooting, and sure that would be great. But I don’t think he has that shot in his game at all. His form and shot trajectory doesn’t lend itself at all for long-range shooting. At this stage of his career there is no sense messing with a 49% shooter.
Another statement I have heard a lot was that this was the best season of his career. I disagree. He increased his offensive numbers, but from a pure point guard standpoint the ‘01-’02 season was undeniably his best. And that is the Andre Miller I want to see for the remainder of his career.
A high assist, solid mid-range shooting point guard whose main purpose is to facilitate offense for the rest of his team. 6.9 assists per game is low for a guy I consider to have great court vision and pass-making ability. More on this in the “Ideal Role Section.”
Should Miller Be on the Roster Next Season?
If he isn’t, the Philadelphia 76ers will have regressed. I will continue to preach my assertion that the center then point guard positions are the most difficult to fill with a better than average player. And we have a top 10 NBA point guard right now. Not only that, but he fits perfect with the up-tempo style of play and inexperienced roster we currently have.
Now if you tell me we can move Miller for O.J. Mayo or Jarryd Bayless in the draft or Rajon Rondo as a player currently in the NBA then we are talking.
Ideal Role for Andre Miller on the 2008 Team
This one is easy because I don’t think Miller’s role changes all that much. He still should be the silent leader that he was last season. But I would like for him to be more of a passer than the scorer he was in ‘08. There is obviously a caveat to that statement. If the Sixers don’t do anything to upgrade the roster on the offensive end (i.e. a shooter and/or scoring post player) Andre Miller will have no choice but shoulder more of a scoring role.
I read some nonsense a while ago in the Deep Sixer comments about Andre Miller not being a drive-and-kick type of passer and that Andre Iguodala is much better at that. That was one of the dumbest things I read. Look at that ‘01-’02 Cavs team Miller was on. He was surrounded by shooters, most notably Wesley Person (44% 3pt) and Lamond Murry (42% 3pt). Miller as a 25-year-old third year player went on to lead the league in assists on a 23-53 club. Makes you think what he is capable of in the drive-and-kick game when provided with adequate shooters!
Iguodala was easily the 76ers’ best all-around player. Up until the 83rd game of the season, he had pretty much proven all the critics and skeptics wrong regarding how much he was worth after he turned down the Sixers’ initial contract extension. He showed tremendous growth in one key area that I got to personally witness - leadership(5th bullet down).
Defensively I honestly thought this wasn’t that strong a year for Andre Iguodala. I often saw him taking plays off, not fighting around screens and was nowhere near the defensive player he was when he came into the league. If you believe that statement to be true here is my thought as to why. Typically when a player’s offensive responsibilities increase something has to give. In this case I think it was Iguodala’s overall defense. Also, he is not a small forward in size and doesn’t defend bigger or talented SFs well at all. Was he bad? Not by any means, but certainly not up to the standards we expect and the level he is capable of.
Offensively was clearly where he made the biggest improvement. Not in pure numbers (1.7ppg increase over the previous season) but in the type of offense he was able to generate. He added the step-back jumper as his pet move and was able to create a little more off the dribble. Iggy also showed he was willing and at times capable of hitting clutch shots at the end of games, especially at the free throw line (85.5% in clutch situations). The one thing that really worries me about Andre was his tendency to settle for the jump shot. Consider this, Iguodala’s shot attempts increased by 2.6 per game, but his free throw attempts decreased by 1.1 per game. That scares me. What’s worst his overall FT% dropped from 82% to 72%.
Grade: B (would have been an A had he not sucked in the playoffs)
What Andre Iguodala Should Improve
My entire mentality on Iguodala’s off-season is about developing his game as a shooting guard. With that said, the 3 main areas Iggy should focus on are (in order of importance):
3-point shooting. 32.9% is below average (league avg. is 36.2%). I don’t see any reason why Iguodala can’t be a 38% three-point shooter as he takes good shots. I don’t think he is a bad shooter so it is reasonable to expect improvement in this area with some work and better shot selection. This would make him more of a threat on the perimeter forcing his defender to play him closer which feeds right into his ability to drive to the cup. It also helps address one of Sixers biggest weaknesses in house!
Post game. Again thinking that Andre would thrive at the SG position this is an aspect of his game that 1. needs a lot of improvement and 2. could take his offensive game to the next level - and all-star level IMO. All I ever really saw him do was take fadeaways in the post. Sometimes when he had a big size advantage he would muscle his way closer to the basket for a high % shot. But, those situations were few and far between. I like the fadeaway (with good shot selection of course), but I’d like to see him develop another move in there. If he is consistently at the guard position he will be matched up with guys equal size or smaller more often where he can take advantage of his strength and athleticism in the post.
Ball-handling. I already think he controls the ball pretty well now. What I think he could work on is making his handle more of a scoring weapon. But as a guard myself I fully understand not everyone can develop the creativity necessary to become a threat with their ball-handling. With that said, he could add a nice little cross-over move and use the in-and-out move more often, that I’ve seen him do last season to go with the hesitate-and-go he already utilizes.
Should Iguodala Be on the Roster Next Season?
Hmmm, I’ve heard a lot of people calling for a sign and trade of Iguodala since the season has ended. I am not opposed to that if in exchange we get either an equally good PF or a better perimeter player. Otherwise Andre Iguodala needs to be locked up long-term for the 76ers. He is not Scottie Pippen, but he is of the same cloth. He has a versatile game which poses a triple-double threat every night. And he is young, having not even reached his prime year yet. Iguodala is vital piece of the Sixers’ championship puzzle.
Ideal Role for Andre Iguodala on the 2008 Team
I know I have been very critical of Iggy, but that is because I believe he has tremendous talent and potential to improve. If I thought he sucked I wouldn’t bother wasting my breath. He is clearly good enough to be a #2 option on most NBA teams but IMO not at all a go-to offensive player. In his short career he has only had 8 games over 30 points and his career high is an unimpressive 34. The Sixers are 7-1 in those games, but my question remains: is he capable of doing that on a more consistent basis? Right now I haven’t seen enough signs that suggest he can.
What he can do is dominate a game in multiple ways: defense, passing, rebounding and, I believe in time, leadership. What I really would like to see next season is him reestablish his lock-down defensive effort. Again this is if he plays the shooting guard where he doesn’t face big size disadvantages every night.
The cumulative impact of those factors are enough for me to feel comfortable with Andre Iguodala as the leader of the 76ers and second option on offense going forward.
The Sixers’ diamond in the rough surprised everyone, not with his skills but with the impact he had in his rookie season. Most people knew he had a smooth lefty jumper and was super athletic, but expectations were focused on long-term development not immediate contributions, let alone being the starter at the end of the season. I was most impressed by his hustle. He got on the floor, he used his quickness and thin frame to steal rebounds and his athletic ability to come out of nowhere on the offensive boards. Last season he proved to me he has the intangibles you look for in a quality starter. When you combine that with his potential to be an inside/outside threat on offense Thaddeus Young could be on his way to all-star status.
Defensively Young started slow. He often found himself out of position and schooled by veteran players. As the season progressed and he gained more playing time, he became a much better perimeter defender. Very good at shooting passing lanes and handling switches in pick-and-roll situations where he was matched up with guards. His weakness was really just size and strength. He admittedly said he was overwhelmed by the size he was up against and was pushed around.
Offensively Thad showed signs of being the most well-rounded player we have on offensive. At times he was able to take bigger, slower defenders off the dribble, post up the smaller players and knocked down the open 17-foot jump shot. Best of all he was able to score without the ball by attacking the offensive boards and running the floor like a thoroughbred race horse.
Grade: A
What Thaddeus Young Should Improve
The 3 main areas Thad should focus on are (in order of importance):
Ball-handling. Young didn’t turn the ball over much this season, but of his sixty-four total turnovers 61% were ball-handling miscues. Besides improving his overall control of the rock Thaddeus Young needs to develop his handle into a scoring and facilitating weapon. This is especially important if he will be the 76ers’ long-term answer at small forward. Which he has said he wants to be.
Strength and ability to finish after contact. My biggest frustration with Young was he often avoided contact and didn’t complete shots in close after contact. 1.4 free throw attempts per game is indicative of Young avoiding contact and actually using his athleticism to his detriment. I’d like to see him go at people and get fouled. I am sure the weight room will be Young’s second home. If it is, it will help his rebounding, ability to finish around the rim, post game and post defense.
3-point shot. This is an area I really think Thaddeus Young has tremendous potential to improve and help the 76ers’ lackluster long-range shooting. He shot almost 42% from three in college, and if he works on his strength I think that will help the range on his shot. I mean we are talking 3-4 inches depending on where you are shooting from. For a guy that already has a nice stroke this should be doable if the time is put in.
Should Young Be on the Roster Next Season?
Of course. I almost think he is the only untouchable player on the roster. At 19-years-old with his current skill, potential, work ethic and great personality, do we even need to consider him not being on the team in ‘08? The real question remains is he already penciled in as a starter and at what position?
Ideal Role for Thaddeus Young on the 2008 Team
This is a tough call because I think his role will depend on how the off-season moves shake out. If we re-sign Iguodala, keep Andre Miller, and bring in an impact player at either the PF or SG I think Thaddues Young might be relegated to a minimal role. That is, if he doesn’t make tremendous strides this summer improving his game to the point where it would be a mistake not to start and give him considerable minutes. I actually don’t think that possibility is that far of a reach either.
If the core team stays intact and the Sixers are unable to bring in a big-time player I would like to see Young be developed and utilized as the Sixers #2 option on offense. Meaning, he gets some damn plays run for him at various areas of the court. Defensively, he needs to be a better rebounder, and I think he has the potential to be as good as Tayshaun Prince is on defense. They have pretty much the same body, and I would contend Young is quicker and more athletic.
Regardless of what happens I expect to see Thaddeus Young take on a bigger role so long as he strengthens his body and continues to polish his offense game.
Below you will find my initial crack at a mock draft. I did this based on team need, and also how I think players will rise and fall as the draft process goes on (for instance: people will find out Brook Lopez just isn’t all that good).
As for the Sixers - I have them taking Brandon Rush here, who I have said before, I would love on the team. If the draft played out this way, they would probably take a look at Chase Budinger and maybe one of the big-man projects like Kosta Koufos or JaVale McGee.
Huh!, you say. Well according to Peter Vescy Cheeks and Randolph didn’t have the horrible relationship it was made out to be in Portland. And if that is the case Randolph does kind of, sort of fill the low post scoring need for the Sixers.
“If Cheeks stays put, look for him to pester Philly’s president to acquire Zach Randolph Zach Randolph , who has the goods to provide everything the ahead-of-schedule Sixers are offensively lacking in the low docks. Contrary to common belief, Cheeks and Randolph had great respect for each other in Portland.” - New York Post
But I hate the idea of bringing this clown to Philly. Why? Take a look at this video Pete showed me and ask yourself do you want to watch that for 82+ games?
We don’t need that kind of nonsense in Philly, do we?
I was happy (not satisfied) with Sammy’s production at center this season. He played all 82 games for the second straight season while logging the most minutes per game of his career. Can you say durable? He also fouled out less (3) and had 26 double doubles, both career bests.
Defensively Dalembert did a good job of controlling the paint and even had some game-changing/winning moments with his shot blocking and altering ability.
Offensively did you know Sam led the team in points per shot (1.31)? Only Thaddeus Young was a more efficient scorer than Sammy this season. Yet Sammy was only 4th on the team in shot attempts, and I wonder what would have happened if our 51% shooting center took more than 8 shots per game. Do we think he would maintain the same level of efficiency?
Grade: C+
What Samuel Dalembert Should Improve
3 main areas I think Sam should focus on in the off-season (in order of importance):
Go-to low post move. I don’t care what it is (hook is preferable), but he needs to develop a move that he feels 100% confident taking every time he is in the post. What I see when Dalembert posts up is a man lost and confused. He has no idea what to do when he gets the rock inside and often he takes one dribble nowhere and passes. Or he will make a host of ineffective fakes or spins and take a contested, off-balanced shot. When you watch good low-post players you can quickly and easily point out their signature moves. I think we all agree we don’t want or think Dalembert is good enough to improvise in the post, therefore he should be more robotic and go with his trusted move until someone learns to stop it. With his length a hook shot with both hands would be nearly indefensible.
Mid-range jump shot. I took a trip over to 82games.com to research Sammy’s detailed shooting stats. What I found was 42% of his shots are 2-pt jumpers, and he is only shooting 35.5%. Whereas he is shooting 62.8% on his inside shots. The number that should stand out the most is the high % of jumpers he is taking. I’d like to see his shooting % in this area around 45% or better. This would make him a much bigger threat in the pick-and-pop game that killed the Sixers during the Detroit series. It isn’t like these shots are tough, or highly contested either. Most of the time he is wide open in four locations: the elbows and short corners. If we get a post scorer that can command a double team, Dalembert’s short jumpers will be even more important to the offensive success of the 76ers.
Passing. This one is tough because passing is more mental than skill practice and repetition and we all know Dalembert’s basketball IQ isn’t the highest. But if we get a scoring PF we will desperately need Dalembert to be capable of making solid high-low passes. He is rarely double-teamed so I am less concerned with his passing out of the post. With that said, he could still improve his passing to cutters when he is on the block.
Should Dalembert Be on the Roster Next Season?
Without question. I don’t know what Sixers fans think, but you can’t easily replace a top 10 rebounder and top 5 shot blocker in the NBA and that is exactly what we get from Dalembert. Oh, not to mention he is ONLY 26-years-old! Feel free to disagree, but I stand firm on this point.
Ideal Role for Samuel Dalembert on the 2008 Team
Let’s keep it simple for Samuel so he doesn’t get confused at any point during the season. Play solid post defense, it will help the team if they don’t have to double your guy in the post. Block shots in help defense situations, keep doing what you’re doing here. Make your free throws and open 15-17 jump shots. If you improve just those two areas you go from a 10 PPG scorer to a 15-16 PPG scorer. Finally, don’t be a distraction with ridiculous comments in the media!
I am looking for continued improvement with Dalembert next season on the offensive end and in his decision making. I don’t see why he can’t play the role that say a Tyson Chandler does for the 50+ win Hornets.