First and foremost the Sixers still sucks. The players, the coaches, the GMs and ownership.
Now that we got that out of the way three things to talk about.
1. Iverson is Gone
It’s official, Allen Iverson is done for the season and his career as a 76er is over.
“After discussing the situation with Allen, we have come to the conclusion that he will not return to the Sixers for the remainder of the season, as he no longer wishes to be a distraction to the organization and teammates that he loves very deeply. It has been very difficult for Allen and the team to maintain any consistency as he tries to balance his career with his personal life.” ~ Ed Stefanski
The word is the Sixers wanted this to happen and might have gave A.I. a little gentle shove in this direction. Whatever. He wasn’t just outright released and is still getting paid.
Only thing that matters is that his daughter gets well and he gets a proper 76ers retirement when the time comes.
This is good for the Sixers scouting people, our future coach and future GM. One less veteran to take minutes from young players that need to be on the court for development and evaluation.
2. Elton Brand is Broke – AGAIN
Sore/strained calf? Nope, Achilles tendinitis!
So right now Elton Brand has the worst contract in the NBA and two busted up Achilles. Can it get any worse for this franchise right now? While tendinitis is far from a severe injury like the rupture he had in his left Achillies but damn!
Best case scenario for the Sixers with Brand, he continues to deteriorate to the point where he simply can’t play anymore and insurance pays for the remainder of his contract.
Yeah, it’s that bad for me with this dude now.
The good news: more minutes for Speights, Jason Smith and Thad for development and evaluation.
3. What the Sixers Should and Shouldn’t be Playing for
The word “playoffs” is officially banned from any Sixers discussion on this blog.
We are playing for a top 3 draft pick and the opportunity at a high level talent to start the rebuilding process.
After last night’s dismantling the Sixers are:
- 2 games out of the 4th through 6th lottery positions
- 4 and a half games out of the 3rd spot
- 9 out of 2nd
- 16 out of the top spot
We really need the Nets and Timberwolves to go on a massive run!
What are you looking for from the Sixers in the last 23 games?
Dannie, I want a Sam/ Spieghts combo the rest of the way along with some Lou/ Meeks courttime together as well. They should look for a young big from the “D” league [C.Hunter type] to add to the bench to free up Marreese to start.
Five bigs currently in “D” league; [R.Benson, C.Atchly, B.Butch, Alex Johnson and A. Aminu] . If their rights aren!t owned by other teams audition for next year and sit Willie, Kopono and anybody else not in this teams future. Play Thad at the 3 and give Marreese and J.Smith 24 minutes minimum a night, pppplease !!
lou/meeks? no thanks. maybe in small doses, but no more than 3 or 4 minutes at a time unless it’s working at the time. i’d much rather see jrue get at LEAST 35 mpg than anything else on this team. he’s getting better each game he plays.
One thing is indisputable: the 76ers play with greater energy and purpose when their President is willing to rappel from the Wachovia Center rafters and hang a banner from the atop the Walt Whitman Bridge.
Adam, as of now they will be our bench backcourt hopefully going forward, that is all I meant by it. I personally would move Lou for a def. backup p.g. but our g.m. seems to think he is still growing. Reading comments at the trade deadline that L.Will. was taken off the untouchable list scared me a bit, are they expecting Montae or Ben type production in the future?
For what it’s worth: Daily News writer Dick Jerardi opined yesterday on DNL that Evan Turner, not John Wall, is the best player in college basketball – and maybe the most pro ready.
Jumpin, if you haven!t seen him he is on tonight at 9 I believe, a special player.I respect Jerardi!s opinion but Wall is some athlete.
Thanks, suede. Have seen his impressive athleticism on highlight clips. Of course, shakin’ n bakin’ & climbin’ n dunkin’ is different than playin’ both ends & integratin’ w/teammates & winnin’. If he’s gonna perform like Derrick Rose in NBA though, gotta like that prospect. By the way, Dannie, I guess Rose wasn’t as dependent on sniper Gordon as I earlier thought … after slow start, has had a strong season.
Jumpin, I meant Turner is on tonight, sorry.
Bake, Jim, Ted or Kathleen?
Thanks, suede.
Oops, forgot Tina.
You forgot my favorite, Lana.
JJG – I agree with Jerardi. Turner is the best player in college basketball right now and the best prospect in terms of being NBA ready (think TY Lawson).
So it becomes a question of how far apart do you believe Wall to be from Turner on draft day. And how likely Wall is to go beyond that based on his potential and likelihood to reach it.
Wall’s potential is crazy. He has all the physical tools to be a great player on both ends of the floor. If he improves his shot (just like Rose) he becomes virtually unstoppable offensively with his ability to get by people and finish and his willingness to pass.
Defensively is where his potential is the greatest in my opinion. Long arms, good lateral quickness, great help defense potential. He just needs to have that grit and toughness (showed this when he blocked that game winning shot attempt against Vandy) inside him to want to dominate that side of the ball. I think it’s definitely there just needs to bring the consistency with it.
Either Turner or Wall would immediately renew my excitement for the Sixers, but Wall has much more BAM!! potential than Turner I think.
I think Turner is going to be a real nice pro for a long time. Potential all-star for sure.
How good defensively could a Jrue and Wall backcourt be?
What about Ike!
I think its pretty amazing how overrated of a coach Callapri is. John Wall… is still clearly the number one pick… has the most potential.. and could be better then Evans or Rose.. but lets be clear here.. he has regressed since the beginning of the season.
After the first month of college basketball I was convinced he was the best prospect in a while with his absurd amount of athleticism and his shooting which was better then I expected and his decision making. Since then he is turning the ball over to much, he has been lacking aggression towards the basket that he displayed earlier in the season, his three point shooting has decreased, and the amount of flashy explosive plays by him has gone down a fairly large amount, and he was absolutely chewed up by South Carolina’s Devan Downey twice.. whose 5’9 on a very very good day. He has just flat out regressed under Coach Cal.. now again he is still my number 1 pick by a landslide.
I just find it humorous when these high school kids go play for coach Cal because of the NBA players he has made.. which is a joke since my high school coach could turn Rose and Evans into NBA stars. Before rose Marcus Camby.. who of course was paid in college or w/e was the only real NBA player coach cal made.
I don’t know if I like a Jrue and Wall back court.
Although if anyone has noticed lately Pop is running with two point guards in San Anontio right now. He has Parker starting with George Hill.
They could be really good defensively although undersized. Would need to be utilized properly on both sides of the floor.
Chuck – I think you are overstating Downey’s performances a lot.
First game he was 9-29 (30 points). Second game he was 9-25 (26 points). Scoring 56 points on 54 shots at a clip of 33.3% is not very good. In fact it’s quite horrible. Definition of an inefficient gunner.
Wall didn’t play well in those games and he hasn’t been as hot as he was to start the year. But hyping up Downey’s gunning as a knock on Wall doesn’t make sense to me.
I may be wrong but playing next to another stud p.g. has to have an effect on Wall, along with Cousins being a major offensive option now. If Bledsoe comes out he is probably a first rounder. Dannie, they are both 6! 4″ !s right?
First of all my post had far more to do with Wall then it did Downey.. I think its interesting you ignore all the other points I made about Wall and just brought this up…… but if you wanna go their and call him an inefficient gunslinger I will go their because thats just an absurd statement.
Downey is the only player on South Carolina that would start for a NCAA tournament team.. the rest of the squad minus Sam Muldrow is inept.. I mean flat out awful.. if they dont have Downey they are one of the worst Division one teams. He Singlehandedly lead SC over Kentucky the first time around.. think about that. Kentucky has 5 nba players on their roster atleast.. 3 lottery picks.. and obvisouly the number one pick in John Wall. SC had downey and 4 1 star and 2 star recruits. Downey shut Wall down both games…. he is 5th in College Basketball in total steals and averages 2.8 a game. Your point about his 9-29.. who would you like to shoot the ball for South Carolina. He has no choice… because he is the team… Did you watch the Kentucky South Carolina game… did you see the ridiculous clutch shots he made at the end of the game. He would also average far more assists per game if the other players on his team could make open 3 pointers and layups… in fact the second time they played was a perfect example of this. Game would have been far closer if guys could finish on Downey’s passes. He was far more into both games.. whereas wall was drifting in out of both games. Inefficient gunslinger.. more like one of the five best players in College bball and first team all american. Ill give you a pass cause I am assuming or atleast hopin your conclusion was based off the box score only.
Suede – Yeah 6-4. Be nice to have a bigger shooting guard. I worry that Wall or Jrue wouldn’t thrive off the ball. How do you balance that offensively?
I don’t understand the Bledsoe nba hype.. I am just not seeing it. As far as Demarcus Cousins is concerned he is the best big man in College bball without a doubt but he is also a punk with attitude issues.
It would be a bizzaro world having great perimeter defenders and Sam gone instead of what we are used to . Chuck, individual players aside, it seems Calipari teams don!t underachieve and play hard. Read a book a few years ago about his secondary break strategy, it was an interesting read, though he is a used car salesman kind of guy to me but it is all about results, right.
Chuck – I didn’t ignore you points. Read my post again. Is acknowledged that he didn’t play well in the two SC games and that he hasn’t been as hot as he was in the beginning of the year when his shooting/scoring efficiency was through the roof.
Even after he’s cooled off he is scoring nearly 17ppg, 4 boards, and 6 assist per game and nearly 2 steals per game, while still shooting 45% from the field, 31% from three and 79% from the line. His turnovers are a problem. He tends to be careless with the ball (and by the way his turnovers have been consistently high since day one, this is not a recent thing with him). I think that is due in part to Calipari’s wide open style offense and the fact that while he is a super talent he is still a 19-year-old freshman.
About Wall regressing. Pretty much expected. Most freshman/rookies, if not all, hit a rough patch. I disagree about him not being aggressive though. Over the last 6 games he has gotten to the line over 8 times per game. He’s just not making threes and perimeter shots lately.
What also is worth stating is that he is still passing. Still finding teammates for scoring opportunities and still impacting the game even though his shooting has fell off. That’s important.
Players go play for coach Cal because they like him. They like his personalty. He will put them in position to win on the college level. And he will put them in a free flowing, fast pace, open offense that allows them to show off their talent. And whether you or anyone likes it or not the #1 skill for college coaches is recruiting and Calipari does it well, on top of that I don’t at all think he is a great coach nor do I think he is a bad coach either. But he is a great recruiter and that makes up for any weakness you or anyone perceives he has as a coach.
LOL at the Devan Downey hype train. You are actually now the 2nd person I’ve gotten into a conversation about this dude. That conversation was with a SC alumnus.
I watched the games. And no matter how you want to hype Downey up or make excuses for him, he is a gunner and an inefficient one at that.
Now he may jack up 19 shots a game because that’s what his coach tells him to do and what his team needs him to do, but facts are facts – he is a gunner and one that misses a lot.
Dude shoots just under 40% from the field and 33% from three. Both numbers are sub par and that sub par shooting/scoring efficiency is amplified when you shoot 19 times a game.
And I find it funny that you ignore the facts – 56 points, 54 shots, 33.3% field goal shooting in two games. How is that a good thing?
Why again is he one of the 5 best players in college basketball? Because he scores 22 ppg on 19 shots? So does Luke Harangody (24ppg to be exact) and he also shoots 48% and pulls down 10 boards per game. Is he also in your top 5?
I think Downey is a decent player, but he is what he is. And undersized shooter that either has poor shot selection or his shot making isn’t commensurate with the # of shots he takes. There is a reason he misses (shoots 40%), pick one.
Chuck – Don’t worry. You aren’t the first Devan Downey fan I’ve pissed off and probably won’t be the last.
I just think he is overrated because he scores 22 ppg and most ppl don’t pay attention to shooting efficiency at all.
Dannie, I don’t disagree with one thing you said about Wall, including the turnover thing because that is true.. except for the lack of aggression. I have a feeling that maybe coach cal has told him to slow down the offense a little bit lately and pick his spots because their is no reason given his talent he shouldn’t be able to take over every game.
When it comes to Downey I strongly disagree with everything you said to the point where its not even worth debating about because were so far opposite on this. no one in college basketball is better at changing speeds faster and more deceptively then devan downey. Not only can he knock down threes with hands on his face he has a great ability to drive to the hoop and has the best floater in college basketball. Then you bring up the fact that I ignored his shooting stats.. I did? I thought I addressed them… it is a result of him having to take the majority of the team shots.. that is a fact.. and what also is a fact is that if he had teamates who could make wide open shots he would have far more assists. Thats a fact.. lets also not forget they lost their 2nd and 3rd best player dominuqie archie who is a great player and mike holmes a pretty legit player and got off to a 9-1 start before this happened… if he had these guys his assists numbers would be up the team record would be up… in fact def a tournament team.. and he wouldn’t have to take all these shots.. thats a fact. The Harangody comparison is idiotic because Notre Dame is tearing it up without him because his high number of shots hurt the team.. thats the definition of an inefficient gunslinger.. if SC looses Downey.. not only do they not win one SEC game their not even competitive… ask any person who knows college basketball and they will agree with this.
As far as im concerned with Cal your right that he is likeable to high school kids but he pretends that he invented the “dribble drive offense” which is a farce.. and both memphis and umass went underground and lost their final 4 appearances after he left.. a coincidence.. I think not.. and I don’t care if technically he was never named by the NCAA he was the coach of the teams.. and everything that went under operation was under his watch period.. where their is smoke their is fire.
I am looking for a lot of losses at this point, but hopefully we will see some bright spots with Jrue Holliday and I would like to see what he could do playing somewhat with Jodie Meeks
suede, Sixers ’09-’10 commemorative DVD will share name of a good Lana movie, “Imitation Of Life.”
Sixers were zombies defensively last night, including Andre “Floatingale” Iguodala & Jrue “Buttered Toast” Holiday, supposed stoppers. Zing, went the strings of the Magic’s net throughout the evening. 15-23 from deep. 48 paint points. That’s not just a comfort zone, that’s a home team lay down. Was first game back from West Coast swing, but they got into Philly Sat. a.m. Had time to gear up, furnish fans with effort. Showed no heart. The Phila Nice Guys were beat like a drum for 3rd time in 5 games. Like him (and his deflective stances) or not, Jordan’s postgame comments re players had merit.
Dannie or anyone else – Who is the Sixers D-League affiliate? I dont understand why the dont seem to utilize it. Jason Smith to me would be a prime candidate to get send down, get some PT and improve his game as well as conditioning. Or why not when even a guy like EB comes off IR. Let him get his confidence up trashing(hopefully) the D-League and bring him up after 2 or 3 games.
As we all know baseballs minor league system is top notch and even the NBA’s will never be on that level, look at teams like GS who play with an active roster in which half of the guys spent time in the D-League. Some may be mediocre(Tolliver,C. Hunter), or you may find an overlooked gem (Morrow, & Watson to a lesser extent) It just seems to me as a team going nowhere the D-League could net you a nice CHEAP role player
for the future. Instead of pounding your face against the wall sending Bill Green out every night.
Garvey, I believe they don!t have one, just like they couldn!t have their own summer league team and seem to lack in the scouting department in Europe, you get what you pay for.
Garvey – The D League team in Springfield is the Sixers affiliate.
The problem right now for the Sixers is they have too much of a blended roster and no clear strategy for what they are doing. If they went the 100% young players play and develop we would have a lot more young players, would have stockpiled draft picks and would have more use for the D league. You keep a few select vets on the roster for the kids to pick their brain and to help with development.
Also, I am not sure how much Ed Stefanski believes in sending players to the D league.
When was the last time the Sixers had a player playing in the D League?
Got to love the reverse standings. There is nothing satisfying about having no chance to compete for the league’s best or worst record. Mired in mediocrity this team floats through the ooze like an injured bird in the swamp. No chance for survival, waiting for a death too slow to come that it assuages none of the agony.
33 Days, 2 Hours, 45 Minutes, 29, 28, 27 Seconds until the first pitch of Opening Day.
A little hope never hurts: Sam Cooke: A Change is Gonna Come. Oh, yes it will. And, it’ll be wearing pinstripes.
Minor correction: Sixers are affiliated with the No-D league: 111 opponent ppg in last 5.
Team’s latest promotion idea: ‘red, white & blue plaid hairshirt’ givaway for fans guilty of entering Wachovia Center on game night
in financial support of organizational insanity and resultant malaise.
I found it interesting that the last time I heard Ed S., interviewed he talked about how much better their perimeter defense had become against the 3 point shot. Yet in the past few games they are getting crushed by not only inside scoring but outside 3 point shots like always. I really don’t think he has a handle on this team or what these players can actually do. How can you be a GM and really not understand the make up of your own team. If you can’t defend inside and can’t defend outside and your best defender can’t stay on the court long enough, what do you do? They say Amare can’t defend or doesn’t want too. Well I would have taken what he can do well over what these players can’t do now. This is disgraceful.
ES has a gift for vacuous public gab.
So the Springfield squads parent teams are the Sixers, Knicks & Nets. Interesting.
And then there is the encompassing, under-the-radar matter of Comcast ownership and its intentions, expectations, dictates and restrictions (?). Except for promotion of product and rare Snider interviews, ”the power” is quieter than snow regarding Sixers. But money talks in both directions.