Sixers lost for the first time to a sub .500 team. They once again struggled against a team missing key players.
We are only 6 games in and 3-3. Not panicking at all. This type of start was expected on two fronts.
- New coach, new offense, new players
- Sixers aren’t that good to begin with
But some trends are starting to develop.
Defense is not good at all. I honestly don’t even think I’ve seen any good team defense from this group yet in 6 games.
Today Detroit didn’t shoot all that well. BUT that doesn’t mean the Sixers defense had anything to do with it. As a team they did an okay job on Gordon. They helped and doubled him on all pick and rolls and did a decent job helping on screens. BUT, he was lost and left open as well. That can’t happen. Besides that other guys had a host of wide open looks all night such as Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko. Had those guys made a just a couple of the open looks from deep this game wouldn’t have been close at all.
We still don’t shoot the three well as a team. Coming into the Detroit game we ranked 20th in the NBA shooting 32.9% from deep. That number will drop after the 3-18 performance they put up this afternoon. Kapono is doing his job. He was shooting 50% from three before today’s game. The rest of the team is shooting 27.6% collectively.
Elton Brand is marginally productive but has no clear role on this team right now. Before the season, check that… Before last season all the talk was about how the Sixers would incorporate Brand into the offense. Well last season was a mess to start then it became a moot point after Brand was out for the season. To start this season the same questions were there. After 6 games I have a partial answer. He has no role. He has no place. He is barely being utilized offensively.
He is playing less than 30 mpg. He isn’t getting plays run for him offensively. He has been suspiciously missing in the line-up late in games. And he has made no impact whatsoever in 6 games. Plus, he clearly can not score inside while guarded. He can make face up jumpers and against weaker, smaller defenders he can sometimes back a guy in close for a little fadeaway. But that’s about the extent of his offensively repertoire. AND he is only averaging 7.7 boards and 1 block per 36 minutes. Conversely, Speights has been the teams best rebounder so far this season and blocking more shots than Brand.
The question is why doesn’t Brand have a bigger role on this team? Why isn’t he being given a chance to make a bigger impact?
Only Eddie Jordan can answer that. But do know this. If he continues to be under utilized and having little impact on the success of the Sixers Stefanski MUST find a way to cut the team’s losses and move him. He has shown no signs of being a highly productive player again – and Jordan has shown no signs of doing much with him on court.
Rotations? Line-ups? Does Jordan have a clue? Jordan has opening said his first big man off the bench is Speights. His first wing is Kapono. But has not had anyone step up to be his top reserve guard. That’s been pretty clear as Willie, Ivey and Jrue have all been given a chance with none doing much with the opportunities. That’s all fine. I don’t mind that too much. In my opinion the bench guard must be a guy that doesn’t hurt you offensively and really locks up defensively. That is where the team needs the most help.
Where I am at a lost is Jordan’s weird line-ups at different points in the game. He often has no impact starter on the floor with the reserves which has lead to lost leads and deeper holes. His end game line-up has been nebulous. Not including Brand, Kapono or no Kapono, Speights or Dalembert. I think he is still trying to figure out who he can trust and waiting for the contenders and pretenders to separate themselves on this team. Sooner rather than later he needs to find his go-to line-up though.
Sammy may still be on the block. That article says he was offered to Golden State back in the summer. Hopefully for one of their young bigs and/or Anthony Morrow and some crap not named Stephen Jackson to make up the rest of the salary difference. That would be okay with me if we got a nice young player for same. Aside from that, moving Sam would make this team considerably worse in the short term and depending what they got back could actually hurt them long-term as well.
Only Sam and Iguodala are playing any substantive defense for this team and that’s still isn’t much. Ivey pitches in when given a chance but that’s about it. You move him and your front court is softer and weaker than cotton candy. We would get decimated inside, on the boards and by penetrating wing players. Combine that with the porus perimeter defense and terrible defensive rotations and you see what could be without someone to put up a little fight at the rim.
On top of that I am of the belief that the true value in Sam for this team is his number FULLY coming off the books in summer of 2011. I don’t want to take back contracts that prolong that money coming off the Sixers’ cap.
To be clear those aren’t all the issues we have either.
I can only sum this up by saying the Sixers are NOT a good basketball team right now and have shown NO signs of becoming one. I do not see their defense getting any better. I see them getting out worked and beat up inside. I see their offensive rating and overally FG% not staying as high as it is now. And I see them scratching and clawing just to make the playoffs.
Now of course this is based on a small sample size of games this season, I know that. I usually do not commit one way or the other until I see a good 20 games. But right now the signs are nothing to be optimistic about.
I offer anyone a challenge. If you feel differently about the team and their prospects leave a comment below as to why we should all be optimistic about this team THIS season. And if you have something substantive shoot me an email and I’ll get you up as a guest poster.
I like to keep things balanced but right now I am personally finding very little in the form of good news regarding our Sixers.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Dannie, has Jordan ever had a dominent low post player, and does he know how to incorporate one into this offense? Elton seems to have an effect defensively, yet he gets taken out and forgotten, similar to Sam last year. Is it time to put all the blame on the players [defensive intensity]? Could all these coaches be wrong ? We have to find out 2 things this year; can Elton be a threat and can Holliday play ? Hopefully by years end we!ll know one or the other.
I don’t think we need to find out if Holiday can play this year. He is still a baby like Lou was when he first came into the year. If he was a 24 year old rookie I would agree.
I don’t like our coaches at all. didn’t like the hire at all. Don’t like the retread with the assistants at all. Same ole coaches, same ole results.
I do not think this offense as run by Jordan fits with how Elton plays. He had Jamison at the four who was more perimeter oriented which helped keep open spacing for cutting.
More specifically I am not sure this offense as Jordan runs it is best executed with two low post players. Particularly two lumbering low post players.
Also as I’ve said this team lacks a true point guard, floor general and proficient passers. I honestly don’t think we have one good passer on the roster. In my opinion Iguodala is NOT a good passer. He is a willing passer, but I would not at all consider him proficient at executing passes. Jrue – TBD.
In fact we have bad passers on this roster: Brand, Sam and Thad are all starters and all poor passers. How can an offense predicated on precision cuts and passing work with no passers?
I just don’t understand paying a guy $80 mil and not playing him more than 30 mins a game. I just can’t believe that Elton is not the player he was a couple years ago. I think he is not being used properly.
Elton is finger-lickin’ bad. I said on 1/28/09 post that he was a shot player, wouldn’t recover from achilles injury. Can’t believe Stefanski, with his history of being around basketball, elected to sign damaged goods and then trumpet it as a sea change for the team. It was a turning point alright. Dumb.
Jumpin, as of now you look correct, but I agree with Dannies point that he needs a chance to fail by getting the ball more and getting more minutes. I believe it was said at our coaches hiring that he would flourish in this offense, but the fact that Marreese seems to be flourishing tells me Elton!s shortcomings may be the reason.
suede, Even in full health and bloom of youth, Elton was basically a bull in a china shop player with a mid-range J. Now he’s a lame bull with limited options on court. As Dannie asserted, is not a good passer. Yells well (and theatrically) on D; guess “the rat” taught him that.
Mareese “flourishing”? Shoots it nicely. What else does he do? Put him in the starting line-up and see 38 minutes production. Juice/emotion that he depends on won’t last; he’ll be exposed by the better bigs over time.
specific statement reference point: January 2009, 27; post 31.
It really says something that the 19 year old rookie, knows more about playing defense than the head coach and his veteran players. Holiday said the other day that the Sixers help on D too much. So true, and all those offensive rebounds were the result of out of position big men.
Morty – Very true and I actually have some thoughts and a post coming on that. Might wait until we play 10 games before releasing it though.
General point of it is that the mistake made for this season happened when we hired Eddie Jordan.
Holiday looks like he’s got some nice ability. Too bad these kids have money on the table at 19 and choose (understandably) to discontinue court and personal
development on a campus. I like what I see in his length, quickness and fundamentals on D for a guard, but babes, by general rule, don’t cut it in the NBA for awhile.
Sixers were simply out-toughed yesterday. “Generic” Brand, Dummy#1, “Goober” Smith and “Gimmetherock” Speights fell short on basic duty: REBOUNDING, over and over, repeatedly, and again.
Dannie, You were fairly quiet and neutral on head coaching choice at time of hire, perhaps out of politeness or a sense of fairness. Did you always think it was a mistake or has your mind been changed by the jumble that you now see?
Meant to include Thad Young in rebounding neglect.
JJG – I thought it was pretty clear who my (and Pete’s) choice was back when the discussion was hot. I really wanted Tom Thibedou from Boston. I wanted someone who could teach defense and develop talent over time. I didn’t want another mediocre coach who has had ample chance to prove his mettle, but didn’t.
I preferred a fresh face and a new person to the NBA head coaching field for a team that clearly wasn’t in position to win much of anything right now. A guy that could grow as the team grew.
My opinion before was that the next great coach was likely to come from someone who isn’t currently a head coach and I like the assistant coaching experience TT had.
IF, we had more talent and a better chance to compete with the big boys I would have been cool with a guy like Avery Johnson to lead a “move-in ready” ball club.
Also JJG you are correct. Once the hire was made I committed to giving the man a chance. So far, no good. Very underwhelming and his public comments thus far about the performance of the team and his approach to coaching has soured me.
Thanks, Dannie. Made things perfectly clear. Jordan ain’t John Lucas (yet) but he ain’t John McClendon either.
Correction: John McLendon. A Hall Of Famer deserves name to be spelled right.
Was impressed by Pistons’ rookies Jerebko and Daye yesterday. They look like they have a clue and a future, not frustrated or bewildered like many Sixers’ expressions. Come to think of it, maybe Sixers are thinking too much. Suns tonight may let ‘em run and play a little … “let it flow”, like the late Grover Washington Jr. famously sounded for his friend, Dr. J.
Dannie, enjoyed reading your comments on the team, I agree completely. The team is not looking good at all! They’re lazy on defense, and the Princeton offense, what Princeton offense? It looks like the same-old same-old to me, a bunch of one-on-one stuff, and a lot of turnovers. Plus the fact that nobody on this team can shoot.
My question is when is the honeymoon ending for Eddie Jordan: 10, 15, 20 games; I have this feeling that it will be sooner rather than later. As you mentioned, his in-game strategy is a real head scratcher? Yesterday we were getting killed on the boards, yet our best rebounder played 14 minutes. The obvious conclusion is that Sam wasn’t hitting the boards, but the fact is, he had 5 rebounds. If you project those numbers out, that’s 10 rebounds in 28 minutes, that’s good rebounding production.
Realistically speaking, It’s too early to draw any conclusions on our new coach, but, the early returns aren’t looking too good. Especially if you’re one of those fans who wasn’t too keen on him in the first place.
All I know is, if I was Ed Stefanski I would be on the phone with Memphis seeing if there is any way we could work something out for Rudy Gay. We all know Thad is a local Memphis product and he has a bright future too. So they might be interested. Another consideration is that he might be able to help them at the gate, something that’s a major problem for them. He (Rudy Gay) recently went on record saying that he will not resign with them, so they might be looking to move him. I know Thad has potential and all, but we really need somebody who can make a jump shot consistently, we need a scorer!!