Dannie Evans (2-time MAC all-star, 2-time MAC all-academic team and 5th best 3-pt shooter in Kings College history), yes, that Dannie Evans, is at his Kings College alumni game right now, so he asked me to put up a discussion post for the Sixers/Spurs game. He should be able to catch some of it and write a post later tonight.
The Sixers have put together a nice streak here, and are starting to look a lot like the team that made a run last year. Tonight will be the toughest test since, well, their heartbreaking 2-point loss to these same Spurs right before this streak started.
It’s possible that Brand will be in action off the bench tonight, and I think that it will be critical, for tonight and for their season, that they make him adapt to their style of play, and not the other way around.
Hopefully Iggy and Miller keep up their inspired play (42.6 ppg in Jan), Mo-Speights continues to make a strong argument for more minutes (11.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg in Jan) and someone re-animates Sammy Dalembert’s corpse (3.4 ppg in January). Should be fun… (and if it’s not, ESPN has 2 fantastic games on tonight – Chris Paul vs. LeBron and Jameer vs. Kobe).
Sixers vs. Spurs Game Notes
The Sixers just beat the team with the 3rd best record in the Western Conference by 22 and the game was never in doubt. The Sixers came out in their second straight first quarter and flat out dominated with their defense, holding the Spurs to 18 points. This was the game I was waiting for. My excitement for this team was sky high at the start of the season, then reached the bottom when Cheeks was fired. It has been in hiding until tonight.
This is the game that makes you a really good team. Being on a 5-game winning streak with a top team coming into your building this is the game everyone outside the Sixers locker room look at as the end of that streak. But, really good teams win these games to go from just being hot, to a consistent winner. And it starts and ends on the defensive end.
What can you say about this game that the final score and boxscore doesn’t clearly say. The Sixers beat the crap out of the Spurs in every aspect. They made the old champ look VERY OLD and slow. They simply couldn’t keep up. And I am especially glad this game happened at home so the home fans can now see that their is something to get excited about. And hopefully that excitement will lead more of them to the Wachovia center to support this team the way they did at the end of last season.
Couple of random things…
- Dileo started the game going to Thad against Bonner and even after an 0-3 start keep going to him. That was something Mo NEVER did. End result: Career high 27 points. And he scored in a variety of ways. Spot up jumpers, jumpers off the dribble, post ups, drives, running the floor and as always on the offensive boards.
- 51-40 on the boards if they play defense the way they are and get back to dominating on the boards they will be extremely difficult to beat.
- 36.5% from the field for the Spurs. Smothering defense.
- Sammy had 12 boards and 8 points in only 19 minutes. That’s a rebounding rate of 30 boards per 48 minutes. You CAN win with Dalembert if he gives that level of effort and production every game. And lately, he has stopping thinking about scoring and just focusing on his rebounding and defense. That’s all he has to do to help this team win.
- Speights continues to play extremely well with with 13 points and more importantly 9 boards and 2 blocks in only 19 minutes. And his efficiency on offense is just ridiculous.
- 57.1% from three. The heater is still on.
- Sixers shot 78.9% from the line. This is something that has been lost in all the great three point shooting. In the last 5 games the Sixers are shooting 83.3% from the line. Their season average is 74.7%. Which is 27th in the NBA. Even if they revert back to shooting the three poorly this is one area they they must become more consistent. Their attacking style of play gets them to the line 25 times a game. They need to continue to convert.
- 3 straight quarters with a buzzer beater.
- I absolutely love the way Royal Ivey is playing right now. He is making shots, he is scrappy and he has really earned his minutes.
Finally I was trying to really watch Thaddeus Young’s positioning on the floor because when Brand returns he is likely to be in that spot offensively. Don’t mess with Sammy, he is doing exactly what he is suppose on offense, stay out of they and get in position for opportunistic lobs. When Thad wasn’t floating behind the three point line a lot of his time was spent elbow-to-elbow as well as a few mid-post and low-post opportunities. If I am accurate in that observation that bodes well for incorporating Brand because those are exactly where we want him anyway. So the toughest part may not be about positioning like I talked about in my last post. It really could just be not forcing the offensive through him.
Keep playing the open and fluid offense they are running now and whatever that “3-down” play (every time Miller called for the ball to reset the offense I heard him yelling that out to the rest of the guys on the floor) they seem to run often and we should have a relatively smooth transition.
Next Game: Tomorrow at the Knicks
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heading out to the game now. i hope to see the wachovia center a little more lively on a friday night with the boys playing well. we’ll probably have to wait until after the superbowl for that though.
Enjoy the game.
BTW, no Brand tonight.
Per CSN, no Brand tonight.
It would be fantastic to see the Sixers come out and put up another 1st quarter like they did against the Blazers. You know, flip it 180 degrees from what happened in San Antonio when we got blasted in the first.
I would also love to see us shoot the 3 the way we did against the Blazers for the same reason, turnabout. It would be nice to give Mason, Bonner, and the rest a healthy dose of their own medicine right back.
I can’t see this 3 pt shooting staying this hot for long. I’m glad they are shooting more freely, but relying on it for this team would be fool’s gold. I doubt they finish the season above 34% from 3 (they are up to 32% but have been over 40% their last 5 games.)
Its good that Brand is coming back soon. Gives them another weapon to go to on the nights when the 3 is not falling.
Agreed tk76. I’m certainly not relying on it, merely enjoying it while it lasts and hoping it will last just a bit longer.
As I said on a previous topic, I’m very anxious for Brand to get back and to see this whole thing finally come together.
I have to talk about our coach; Thad misses 2 shots early and he runs an iso at the top to get him a layup. Sam is busting his ass on defense so he runs a postup for him [a Caldwell Jones jumphook]. He sees Duncan constantly helping and goes to Sam 3 times in a row. He is pushing all the right buttons. Iggy seems to be finishing well without the caught in the air, what do I do with it move we used to see and Thad, well the shyness is leaving him and he is attacking whoever is in front of him. My brother said he looks like Dantly in the 10 ft. area but he is reminding me of Bernard King a little with a hook instead of a jumper. As you can see I am excited !!! 7 wins-4 losses against good teams over 11 games with only one clunker [Utah].
Can we believe what we are seeing now? We just played a very good team (15-4 in their previous 19 games) that is at full strength and we throttled them. We were very efficient (50% fg, 57% 3pt, only 13 turns, and something like 30 fast break points) against a good defensive team while pretty much shutting them down (36.5% fg, 33.3% 3pt) on the other end, grabbing 39 defensive rebounds (51 total) with 9 steals and 5 blocks in the process. Gotta like it. Let’s hope it gets even better starting tomorrow with the addition of Brand.
this team is so much fun to watch when they’re clicking on all cylinders. the knicks played tonight too so both teams will be on the end of a back-to-back tomorrow night. would love to get back to .500.
It shows you really can take advantage of Thad when he has a mismatch. Too many times early this year he would start hot and they would go away from him.
Either Thad is maturing and becoming more aggressive, or this team is finally willing to run plays for him and look to take advantage of his amazing athletic ability as compared to whatever PF tries to keep up with him.
I really think that when both Iguodala and Thad are on their game, the team can impose its will on other teams that are just physically/athletically overmatched.
Can you guys even imagine if we lose tommorow night. Oh man that would be disapointing. We better not get too full of ourselves and not come to play against the knicks. I think we have a chance to stretch this streak out to about 9 if we keep it up.
Part of the slowness that the Spurs showed tonight, was coming off the exhilerating win vs the Lakers. But most of it was our off ball pressure and quickness. We didnt let anyone get a lot of wide open looks, which is key against a great 3pt shooting team.
Its just exciting right now. All of our young players are playing great along side our older members (Iguodala, Miller, Sammy). One thing Ive noticed is that earlier in the season, I never felt comfortable even with a 15 point lead. Now if we have a 15 point lead in the second half, I am fully confident that we will come away with the W.
Dannie (im assuming the game notes were by you?)
You said something interesting.
“everyone outside the Sixers locker room look at as the end of that streak.”
This shows the level of confidence this group is playing with right now. This would be the perfect time to face a team like the Celtics or Lakers (or Cavs now I guess since they are the best in the East) because they were teams we played well against, but didnt quite win. It would be interesting to see what would happen against teams that we got beat by pretty easily.
Speights and Sam are rarely on the floor together. In their combined 40 minutes: 21 pts/21 boards/3 blks on 10 for 17 with zero TO’s. That is some amazing play from their two bigs.
Ivey should’ve been in the rotation all season. It’s funny because a few writers, myself included, kept asking Mo and then Tony why Ivey wasn’t playing because he defends, hustles and can knock down a shot.
Iguodala is still 24. He is a vet, but fortunately not an “older player” unless you are comparing him to Thad…
I totally missed the boat with Ivey. Early this year he looked to have an Evans-esque touch and was hustling but not an effective defender. Shows what consistent minutes and some confidence can do. he really has been an asset. With Thad playing so much PF and WG so pedestrian, there really is an opportunity for Ivey at cmbo guard.
tk76
If you were responding to me, I mean’t old as in an older member of the team. Not old as in age. Iguodala has been here pre-Iverson trade. Therefore making him an “older member” of the team.
“Ace of Speights”
Love it.
Great breakdown. Big win tonight. I agree completely on your points about Ivey and Sammy. DiLeo has really done a good job of defining everyone’s roles and rewarding guys like Ivey who are earning playing time.
Love Ivey’s game.
Speights has ATTITUDE. love how he lets out the inane shout after making a play.
Lou is quietly doing his own thing and TRYING to play D.
Willie is still perked up.
Ratliff is ole’ reliable. Sam did a brilliant job on Duncan but when in foul trouble Theo didnt miss a beat.
all in all, lost in this brilliant streak is our superb bench play. energy, hustle and production. it still hasnt gotten the credit it deserves.
by the way; LOVE how DiLeo actually utilizes a mismatch (Bonner on Thad) and kept going to it. he even changed our lineup to small when he noticed Bonner was a perimeter player with zero rebounding skills. 2 things Mo would probably have missed.
ok! i am officially nervous about Brand returing to the lineup now.
tk76, Theo had 6 reb. also. Dannie, I agree with you about Sam, I don!t know if he had issues with Mo [communication?] or what but he is moving out of the way quickly and doing what!s needed [C.Ray?] and with Marreese and Theo behind him foul trouble isn!t even an issue, go hard young man!!!
By the way, we are now officially the 8th seed in the PLAYOFFS. Dannie, we may have another L.Frank on our hands.
Dannie, thanks for concentrating on the offensive positioning of Thad. That as you say is the key to Brands adjustment when he returns. Next step after Brand returns is to move Thad in the starting lineup. Then Look out! Go Sixers!
A starting lineup of AMiller, Iggy, Thad, Brand & Sammy with Lou, Speights providing offense and Green, Ivey, Theo & Reggie off the bench. Not bad! Keep shooting the 3’s!
tk76 said “I really think that when both Iguodala and Thad are on their game, the team can impose its will on other teams that are just physically/athletically overmatched.”
I agree. Thad wasn’t just getting it done against Bonner. Popovich switched and put Bowen on him and Thad immediately backed him down into the post and scored at the rim right over him. (Time to go to plan C, right?) Then Iguodala does a quick spin to the baseline and throws down that reverse dunk when Bowen was on him. They both made the Spurs lockdown perimeter defender look old and slow.
Well lets give thanks to Sammy for actually trying, and after 7 years finally accepting his role. It’s just sad to know that he has been dogging it for so long this year up until about 5 games ago.
bski: I’ve been thinking that Igoudala has gotten better at, and more aggressive in, finishing at the rim in traffic. Last night’s reverse dunk on Bowen was one in a series of very impressive non-fastbreak dunks he has has recently. Did anyone read Dannie’s link the other day to an article where Igoudala says his improved play is coming from improved shot selection?
The Thad and Igoudala show we’ve seen the past couple games is exactly what I’ve been dreaming about since Thad’s emergence last year.
This is so great– that even the stars come out to see us!!!! We told the Spurs to “Hit The Road Jack”!!! Philly Fever and Obama was in town!! What a year or season to be a Philly fan!!! GO SIXERS!!! Get Lucky 7!!
Morty…I think he has too.
It sure seems like things have clicked into place, doesn’t it? It’s fun to watch the positive cycle we are in: better performance begets confidence which begets better performance.
I’ve been trying to figure out if it is better shot selection or the greater availability of better shots. I’m thinking it’s the latter because Iguodala isn’t the only one taking better shots. We continue to have fewer and fewer forced shots or possessions where someone pounds the ball for 18 seconds and then jacks one up. It seems like almost every shot is in rhythm and coming within the flow of the play. Guys seem to have quicker recognition of what is happening on the floor. If they have a shot (or a drive), they take it without hesitation. If not, they are moving the ball more quickly and giving someone else a good opportunity.
It’s unfortunate that it took until halfway through the season for us to get to where we thought we already were coming into this season. In a way I feel like our season just started with this winning streak. Anyway, at least we are here now and hopefully we will see what we expected to see with the (re)addition of Brand.
bski, I agree its good to spread the scoring around. Iguodala, Brand, Lou, Thad and Speights all have the makings of 15ppg+ scorers (let alone Miller, if he stays.) That said, Iguodala has really been ‘the man’ during this stretch. he has found his game, and the rest of the team has followed.
No one thinks Iguodala will ever be a true “#1″, but his style and the team’s style are mirror images, and he really is stepping it up and reasserted himself as the leader since Brand went down.
Very true tk76. Iguodala is now very aggressive, decisive, confident, and efficient and he certainly is leading the way. This is the guy we are paying $80 mil for. I only hope that this is the guy we continue to get. He is obviously capable of it and we obviously need it.
Greetings from MSG, where Willie Green is the only Sixers player on the court shooting around 2 1/2 hours before tip-off. Will find out if Brand is going to play within the next hour.
BTW: I was told the Sixers offered Dalembert to the Clippers for Kaman, but L.A. wasn’t interested.
Thanks for the scoop. That sounds like a strange deal for both teams. Kaman does not fit athletically with what this team wants to do and has an even longer deal than Sam’s. Did Kamen and Brand click well in Clipperland?
I guess Same is a better fit next to Zach then Kaman, but still seems like a strange deal for both sides. Not really surprised they were shot down. Sam has no trade value and Kaman should at least have some.
Same is supposed to be Sam. Is there a way to edit posts?
One more thing… Tom, is it O.K. to cite you and pass along something you write here in another forum?
Sure, tk, go ahead. It’ll be in my Sunday column that appears tomorrow.
Blski, in Jasner!s article today Iggy focused on everybody making the extra pass, that is a big reason for the shot selection improving.
Tom, that deal really surprises me also. Kaman looks to me like he would strictly be a role player against larger/slower centers. Not many of those around. Maybe the sixers feel his low post game fits well with Brand.
Maybe it was more of the Sixers just trying to move Dalembert, as opposed to what they would get in return …
I hope Elton read that column. He certainly didn’t do that in his earlier stint on the court. He will hopefully blend going forward and share the rock.
Sammy, Sammy, Sammy! He seems to be giving it all lately. He’s really making his presence felt. Tonight may be different though against the gunning Knicks!
S.F.W., your theory on using Theo to push Sammy seems to have worked. Tom, can we revise that deal and get Camby, just kiddin.
Well. Suede. Things are looking up!
I don’t know if Brand can fit into this system, and looking at Detroit it seems they have a problem of too many guards. So how bout a trade of Brand for Rip Hamilton and Walter Hermann. The salaries work, and this would allow use to go small with rip at the 2, and iggy and thad at the 3 and 4. It also works for Detroit as they can move away from their small ball rotation that has not been working. What do others think?
No Elton tonight, according to DiLeo. He said the medical staff wanted Elton to wait. Elton will practice Sunday and then they’ll determine his status for the Mavs on Monday afternoon.
Willie Green. On court shooting early. Last year’s blog scapegoat. This year’s ’sometimes taken for granted’ solid contributor. Has surmounted serious knee surgery. Will never be a standout. One of my favorites though. I hope the ghosts of Dick Barnett, Earl Monroe and Bernard King inhabit him tonight, shootingwise. Go, Willie, singe those nets!
I thought Elton coming back was a bit ambitious. Rather wait then risk re-agravating that.
Violator, I’d rather groom Thad at 3 and play Iggy at the 2. Brand hopefully will blend. Have to find that out.
JJG, maybe a little Bill Bradley also. Too bad they didn’t have the 3 pointer. Love that Dick Barnett!
I think the knickerbockers played only 7 players last night. Looking for burnout tonight. Let’s jump on them early.
Elton’s recent comments on rough teammate treatment in practice, though offered light-heartedly, raise questions about his mental readiness as much as the physical end of things. If he needs more time, I say let him have it.
Since they have 4 days off after Mondays, sounds like maybe they will just hold out Brand until next Friday.
The only downside is that the team needs to get some games with Miller and Brand together to decide whether to deal away or Miller or to try and extend him a couple of years… but maybe the team has made that decision already?
sfw “Fall back, baby!” - Barnett’s post-shot words.
tk, that makes sense with Brand. Love how Andre plays. Hope they can him sign for a 3yr 10mil deal. I guess he’ll probably want more??? I have a feeling under the bright lights tonight, Andre is really going to shine. Let’s chase Spike outta there early tonight.
JJG, Suede used to shoot like Barnett; Although, he wasn’t too kind to the backboards and he didn’t get good results.
Funny locker room scene pregame: Sixers players cracking up that the Knicks in-house announcer (a woman) has the female version of a designer bag of which Brand has the male one … Brand was nowhere to be found at the time, but his teammates seemed to really enjoy it.
Tom, between that bag and his reaction to the physical practices maybe we signed the wrong guy……………….. Reggie, must be loving this. Thanks for these real time updates.
Apparently, next Friday will be the full 6 weeks from Brand’s injury, so why not let him get the full rest while the team is playing well without him? He will get a full week of practice under his belt before re-integrating. This is a big moment for the Sixers, and I agree that it’s best chance for success will be if Brand feels confident and strong.
jjg: That was a fantastic block by Willie last night! Of course it saved his errant pass, but hey…
Thanks for the inside dish, Tom! Please keep it coming!
sfw Funny. I shoulda known suede would have pinache in his game.
It’s funny that during this streak, opponents have had a tough time determining whether the Sixers are for real or not from beyond the arc. They actually dare the Sixers to take the threes, esp the Spurs.
I think we will win this game against the Knicks! Sixers by 8. This should be a fun fastpaced game!!
Brand, take your time. We don’t want you to reaggravate the shoulder. Plus, next week, the Sixers have those four days off. But Monday against the Mavericks would be great. We need another body to urk Dirk.
GO SIXERS!!!
Next Saturday, when the Sixers host the Knicks, will be five weeks and three days since Brand suffered the shoulder injury (Dec. 17). My guess is he won’t play again Monday, then will have 3-4 days of practice before returning. DiLeo did say Brand will definitely come off the bench when he comes back and play in 4- to 6-minute spurts.
Sure. I don’t have to write notes for tomorrow’s paper and I already filed my Sunday column (on trying to incorporate Elton back into the lineup), so why not?!
Morty Whenever I type Willie’s name, I think of you … and brace for the turnabout.
Funny, the team has finally recaptured last season’s 2nd half mojo, and now gets a “do-over” for adding their big ticket PF.
jjg: Ditto – that’s why I’ve gone mostly cold turkey with Willie commentary. Couldn’t help myself there, however…
JJG, Suede was a better distributer. You can tell be his trade suggestions. Wait til he reads these posts. I may be getting a call…… I may have to blog during. Enjoying this.
I was ripped — I think it was in this blog, as a matter of fact — for saying not to forget about Willie Green when discussing the possible wing starters opposite Iguodala prior to this season. I know Green’s not popular and is a bit of a streak shooter, but he defends well and seems to fit this system.
Baby brother dislocated his shoulder and had a complex fracture of his humeris one week before Eltons. He was in a sling until last Monday and then began therapy. Out of work til march(Lifts packages). Elton can take his time.
Tom Regarding your positive regard for Willie, you’ve got one friend in this Pennsylvanian. Keep your blog distance from Morty though. He’s downright ascerbic, filled to the brim with vitriolic criticism for the good-natured shooting guard from Detroit Mercy. I don’t understand why. He may be holding a grudge from growing up in an orphanage in Kalamazoo, but that hasn’t been confirmed.
sfw Sorry to hear that about suede. I hope his recovery is smoother than his trade proposals.
JJg, Not Suede! youngest brother. There are a lot of us. Thanks though! I’m sure trade proposals will begin at the first sign of a slide.
Not the best half by the Sixers, but they’re ahead by one despite not being able to run much at all. … another buzzer-beater by Iguodala!
Tom, seemed like we were playing Knicks game on D & O. Nice adjustments in 3rd qtr. Playing our game. Rebounding/running like crazy!
Lou Will’s gotta stop this contest with robinson.
Game over. Another nice win. Played a bit down to competition but good road win. Andre Miller takes over in the 4th after Iggy carried us in the 1st half. Please 1 more win before break! feeling good!
I can confirm that fact about Kalamazoo. True story.
Morty A laugh to end the day – thanks for good humor. Hot peas porridge for tomorrow’s pre-game meal.
Just finished watching the game (on the DVR). I was concerned throughout the entire first half. Then I realized that the Knicks shot 55%, yet we were winning by 2.
I was counting on our defense stepping up, or at least that the Knicks’ shooting would come back down to earth. It worked that way in the 3rd quarter at least. In the 4th we just made more plays than they did.
Seemed to me there was much more standing around and pounding the ball than there has been which gave us a lot of stagnant offense and numerous forced shots. That combined with horrible free throw shooting almost did us in. Thankfully the two Andres were solid all night.
Hopefully this was just a hiccup. You’re not going to play your best every night and we still got the win.
About Brand, I’m thinking that, at this point, waiting until Friday to bring him back sounds like the way to go.
Back in Central Bucks after taking train home from MSG. Think it’s a sign of progress that the Sixers didn’t play particularly well, missed 12 free throws and still won by 10 on the road.
The Sixers did get some stops in the third quarter, allowing them to get out and run and pull ahead by double digits. Miller was excellent in the second half, with Iguodala carrying the first-half load. Speights again played well down the stretch.
Asked Iguodala if he was surprised he missed the 60-footer at the end of the third quarter, after making his last three quarter-ending 3-pointers, and he insisted Nate Robinson fouled him on the play.
I am pissed off this morning, game isn!t ONDEMAND and I didn!t D.V.R. it, shit. Jumpin, my game was more K.Lowry type.[p.g. with no outside shot].
Sounds like we won without our A game, a good sign.
Jumpin, my feelings on Willie; yes an upgrade at the 2 guard spot makes us a contender, I believe but: our 2 guard tandem [Willie/L.Will.] is giving us 18 to 22 p.p.g. along with 4 to 8 ass. and Willie started on a team that went 22-14 during last year and just won 7 in a row so he must be doing something right.
Tom you were ripped because your plan had Thad coming off the bench which did actually happen, but it was and is a terrible idea. Willie G is god awful, he stinks. He smells so bad that we can’t even give him away. Tom let us know in your opinion what kind of trade value Willie Greene has.
Wow. Don’t pull any punches — what do you really think about Willie Green? Sounds like he’s a cross between Jeffrey Dahmer and David Hinckley. There’s obviously no way he could possibly have any value, so why ask the question?
An update: Elton Brand went through Sunday’s walk-through and is again listed as a game-time decision for Monday’s home meeting with the Mavericks.
Are we getting closer to Boston, and by next year can we overtake them?
MATCHUPS:
Perkins/Sam- 9,8,60%,56% / 6,8,48%,74%
Garnett/Elton- 16,9,52%,85% / 16,10,45%,68%
Pierce/Iggy- 19,6,4,44%,41%,85% / 18,6,5,47%,30%,75%
R.Allen/Thad- 18,3,3,49%,39%,93% / 13,5,1,49%,36%,73%
Rondo/A.Miller- 11,5,8,50%,31%,64% / 16,4,6,48%,36%,82%
Powe/Spieghts – 7,4,54%,68% / 8,4,52%,77%
T.Allen/W.Green- 8,2,1,47%,15%,73% / 8,2,2,43%,34%,68%
E.House/L.Will.- 8,2,1,40%,37%,88% / 12,2,3,40%,29%,76%
G.Davis/R.Evans- 4,3,37%,78% / 2,3,40%,63%
Scalabrini/Theo- 3,1,43%,37%,82% / 2,2,1,46%,50%
Adding a shooter and becoming a better team through familiarity plus the declining age factor of the Celts big three may allow us to be a challenger for the Atl. Div. Title next year.
Suede, very blurry eyed. Didn’t sleep well after the eagles. You just made it worse trying to read your entry.
Suede – We gotta work on your formatting buddy. I went and and made your last post a little more readable.
Back from reliving my college hoops (and partying) days. Back on the Sixers run.
ThanKs Dannie! Sure you had fun. How’s Kings college football program and the school in general? I think a co-worker’s son is going for a visit.
Suede, Don’t see a stat for the experience factor of Allen, Pierce & Garnett.
Dannie, I!m a one finger typer, or as my daughters say, a computer illiterate. How did you hittem, did you play the current varsity?
Lol, no disrespect Tom I just get sensitive whenever theres any talk of putting my man Thad on the bench. I know that Willie is a nice guy, just from the fact that all the beat reporters love the dude going back to Narducci who waited 55 games last year for Willie G to finally play a good game to which he immediately wrote a See willie G is good stlyle article.
I tend to go a little overboard when people blame Green for everything. He is not Ray Allen, but he has some value. Green seems to get an overly large share of blame from the fans/bloggers. They’ve won seven in a row with him starting — and he’s better starting than coming off the bench.
As for Thad, he’s young yet mature enough to handle coming off the bench and will still be out there in the fourth quarter. The writers are split 50-50 as to if Green or Thad will start once Brand is fully implemented. The question is if Iguodala will be the same at the 2 vs. the 3 and with Brand back in the middle of the offense.
An update: Brand is being held out again today vs. the Mavericks. He’ll have all week to practice before the next game (Saturday against the Knicks).
Tom, if we didn!t learn from Iavaroni/B.Jones we will never learn. I keep pushing for L.Will. to start but it is working fine now as it is. Look at Odom/Ariza, Villanuava/Moute-Moute, D.Jones/J.R. Smith, and B.Wallace/ Variejo, to an extent, the coaches through out the league tend to have a better talent on the bench for that boost along with a lesser talent starting that fills a role, it happened in the past [McHale?] and it will happen in the future.
Tom – I personally don’t think (AT ALL) the Sixers 2 and 3 positions have any distinct differences offensively so that that isn’t the issue for me. I don’t subscribe to the thought that Iguodala can’t play the two, because I think in the Sixers offense the two is exactly the same as the three – a wing position in general. It’s not a traditional shooter slot like it is on other teams.
The issue deals with something you just said…
Right now the Sixers are excelling with a more free and open style of offense. Miller, Dala and Lou are free flowing right now as the dominant offensive players with Thad mixed in to a lesser degree.
I see no reason to change that. Meaning Brand SHOULD NOT be “in the middle of the offense.” Maybe you meant something different with that choice of words (in the middle, aka center logistically not strategically) but I think that is how people would read it – least that is how I did.
We will see what Dileo has planned. Is Brand scrimmaging with the first team in practice? Where is Dileo positioning him? How is he using him?