I think I rather have the older legs of McDyess and hope he has on a mask that could very well bother his shooting during the adjustment period.

That said…Maxiel is the one guy, Rip and Prince aside, for Detroit right now that plays with his heart on his sleeve and can kill us on the offensive boards. I think the Sheed/Maxiel combo is VERY effective, and am not looking forward to that duo logging big minutes together.

Until now, even in the games the Pistons lost, the games were played at the Pistons’s pace. They were the ones controlling the tempo of the game. In game three, the Sixers defense forced multiple turnovers, steals and shot-clock violations. There is no defense or adjustment that you can make when you are getting outworked.

The Sixers are younger, more athletic, and faster. Their lack of experience is made up for with extra energy and hustle. They do the little things well. Reggie Evans works harder than anyone and he was the reason Rasheed Wallace was so ineffective.

I expected the Sixers to win the series in 6 games, and they are on track to do so. I am anxious to see if the Pistons do anything different. They were so focused on stopping Igoudala, that it left everyone else open.

I think some of the posters here don’t understand basketball when they rip Andre. He is a great player, but any player can be stopped when an entire team is focused on him. The Sixers had to adjust to that in their game plan, and use Andre more as a decoy than the primary option.

The Sixers can get better at this as well, as the player who’s defender leaves to help on Andre should run to where he can get an open look and Iggy can pass the ball to him.

There is nothing anyone can do, when they beat their defender and are met by two others as soon as he gets by the first. Andre still managed to get to the free throw line, set up other players, rebound and get steals. He isn’t as big as LeBron and can’t force his way to the basket, and he doesn’t shoot crazy off-balanced shots like Kobe. That doesn’t mean he isn’t worth close to max money. He is playing out of position at the three spot because the Sixers are lacking in big men.

When the Sixer play Andre as a two and he doesn’t get defended by a long forward like Prince, he’ll get plenty of shots.

Speaking of which, the Sixers should be playing Young at the three, and Igoudala at the two, with either Williams or Miller, and then Evans or Smith and Dalembert up front. This way they can match up much better with the Pistons and create mismatches at the guard spots. See how Chauncey does, guarding Iggy!

Since Miller and Williams are each too good to be on the bench, the Sixers have a problem- too many small players and not enough big men. Cheeks tendency is to go small and play them anyway. But when he does that to excess the Sixers start to loose on the boards.

a couple of good things connected with his disappointing playoffs games so far: 1) Sixers still win, 2) Sixers will save some money when they will re-sign him

It was bad to read that the Wachovia wasn’t sold out, but the crowd was loud and hot when it counted (I’ve watched the game live with no commentators so you could hear all the sounds)

Pistons are strating to fear us, you could read their faces last night, and now you can read their sites/blogs… LOL

He turned down the 5 year 50 million (or was it 5 year 55 million?) at the beginning of the year to earn more money. Did his plan (until this playoff series) work? I think it did…from an agent’s point of view, Iggy is one of the few 20-5-5 guys in the league, is athletic, great for highlights, hustles his butt off and plays great defense. That’s going to command a good salary, no matter how crappy he plays in this series.

I sincerely doubt Iguodala would ever ask for the max, that’s a bit ridiculous. I think this situation is much more similar to what the Wizards faced in 03-04…Larry Hughes busted out for a monster season: 22 ppg, 6 rbs, 5 asts, played great D, shot well from the field, and helped lead the Wiz to the 2nd round. He asked a pricetag around the 12-13 million a year range…Abe Pollin loved Hughes but knew that was too high, and let him walk.

I think Iguodala will be asking for a contract in the 13-14 million range. If he hardballs and really wants something in the 14-15 million range, I think we have to let him go, or sign-trade him. But if we can net Iggy in the 11-13 range…I’m all for it. Like Dalembert making 10 million a year…we would be overpaying, but only slightly so, for one of the most versatile young players in the game.

Iggy, Josh Smith and Gerald Wallace are all in the same boat. Super athletic freaks that have amazing all-around games that are stat box stuffers. None of them should be the go-to-guy…but all would be the ideal #2 option next to a go to guy. Iguodala is playing OUT OF POSITION and his game right now, in the sense the Sixers are asking him to be something he’s not, “The Man”. If we wind up getting “The Man”…there couldn’t be a better both-ends-of-the-court compliment to him then Iguodala.

He’s having one bad series against one of the strongest defensive teams in the league people, be patient.

1. the crowd was quiet except for my section last night. 216A… there was an awesome group of guys who kept things loud….i would like to start reggie chants from the tipoff on sunday….

2. with andre, its true. he isn’t a superstar max contract player and he’s probably losing money with each game, but detroit is one of the best defensive teams in the league as they regularly hold teams under 90 points. tayshaun in particular has defended iverson really well and other max superstars… so i fully expect andre to bounce back once he doesnt have to play against tayshaun anymore… but i agree… that he is overrated and would entertain the idea of trading him for a true shooting guard rather than giving him a max contract. this would let us play thad at the 3….. the turnovers are even worse than the shot selection….