Quick pre-game post from me and you guys will get a different perspective with Pete taking care of the post game tonight.
The Charlotte Bobcats are not very good and missing Jason Richardson. I guess we should expect the Sixers to win this game pretty easily on the road in the second part of a back-to-back. The Bobcats are starting two point guards so the Sixers have a huge size advantage which should lead to domination on the boards again. Expect to see Miller posting up D.J. Augustin and Iguodala on Felton (if he can’t score in the post on Raymond Felton he should never go down there again!). Will be interesting to see if Larry Brown goes to a zone even though it isn’t his style.
The Sixers are only a 3.5 favorite in this game according the line which seems really low to me. Do the oddsmakers know something we don? I doubt it. Considering the Sixers inability to hold big leads I guess that is what they are basing that on. I will be pretty disappointed if I come back from my basketball game and this is a close game in the 4th quarter.
Gotta be 8-6 at the end of the game going into the next few games against the league’s elite…
Post Game Notes:
- Looks like Dannie will be pretty pissed when he comes back from his game.
- In a long season, there isn’t always a deep underlying problem with every loss, and this was one of the them. The Bobcats had probably their best shooting game of the season, shooting 55% from the field and 57% from 3. On the other end, the Sixers shot 40% from the field and 3-16 from 3. Sure, we could have played slightly better D, but the fact of the matter tonight was, they made their open shots and we didn’t.
- That being said, this was another frustrating loss to a lesser opponent. With the Magic and Celtics looming, the Sixers really need to start finding a more consistent game. They played a lot more like a team against the Warriors, but couldn’t hold it tonight.
- Iggy played a lot better tonight. He played within himself, hit a couple jumpers, and made an impact on the defensive end with 5 steals.
- One thing that bothers me about this team is that we have a lot of trouble winning games when only a couple of players play poorly. I thought we would have enough depth for this to not be an issue, but apparently we need pretty much everyone in our rotation to play well for us to win. This is not a good sign.
- The most disappointing thing of this season has been seeing the team go away from the steal and break mentality that won them so many games last year. We saw it in the first half of tonight and then it completely dissapeared in the second half.
- How long do we wait before we wonder if these guys are going to pull it together? Where is the 20 ppg and 50% shooting we signed Brand for? Where is Iggy’s jumpshot? Where are Sammy’s putbacks? Where are the fastbreaks?
- The most maddening question of all: WHY ARE OUR TOP SIX PLAYERS ALL SHOOTING SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN LAST YEAR?? How is this possible? Did they forget how to shoot? Can anybody explain this?
- Brand: 43% (53% in 06-07)
- Iguodala: 39% (46% in 07-08)
- Miller: 45% (49% in 07-08)
- Young: 52% (54% in 07-08)
- Dalembert: 48% (51% in 07-08)
- Williams: 34% (42% in 07-08)
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!?WTF?! I cant take it anymore, why why why. How do you not win this game? I could see if it was a fluke, but this team is sooooo inconsistent.
This is what I feared:
”Everybody Loves Raymond. Raymond, Raymond, Raymond”
– Robert Barrone (the Sixers)
But “holy crap”, D. J Augustin and Raymond Felton were unbelievable!
Larry Brown is going to be with this team for more a than year, I think.
As for the Sixers:
-Thaddeus Young struggling hurts us tremendously.
-The difference in the game was three point shooting:
Where is Donyell Marshall & Kareem Rush? We needed that for sure.
-Where is Royal Ivey? He would have had some luck guarding one of those two guards.
-Why not implement the “Hack A Okafor” strategy?
If this inconsistency keeps occuring till mid December, expect Ed to make some kind of move. The last two Decembers have been big moves for the Sixers.
Ed- Put Eddie Jordan in your back pocket or break glass in case of emergency!
Look at how deep Charlotte went with their bench- 11 men deep.
The Sixers– 9 men deep (Mo, please go deeper!!)
Umm, what the hell? Thank God I didn’t see this or have to write anything about it. What the hell happened?
We saw what we need tonight, a quick p.g. that can shoot the ball [Augustine]. Mo, Ivey would have been a good option tonight, nobody could stay in front of him and Iggy and A.Miller didn!t take much advantage out of the size and strength they had on them. I was telling my brother ,S.F.W., that Charlotte screwed up on draft night, they could of had B.Lopez and Chalmers, but Augustine looked like a young S.Nash out there.
Suede - I was saying the same thing about Augustine. Where is Dave T? He was all about D.J. during the draft. I loved him in college but wasn’t sure it would translate. But apparently he has proved he can penetrate and score in the league at his size.
I am a Sixers fan living in Charlotte and I can’t tell you exactly what happened. Like the post said, I can’t point my finger to one reason why we lost. It was one of those Sixers games where we hang around, hang around until the fourth quarter in which we impose our will. Tonight, we did not impose our will to win the game.
I can tell you now seeing most of the Bobcats games, that this is the best shooting game they have played all season. The Sixers as you can probably guess, did not shoot well at all. 3-16 three pointers? I am confused by Mo Cheeks strategy on this game. Lou Williams played way too many minutes. Using Andre Miller’s size, we could have posted him up a lot more than we did, and although lou has a better chance of keeping up with DJ, he still didn’t. Horrible defense from whoever was gaurding DJ, led to open threes and jumpshots by Felton.
Thaddeus Young had his worst game by far. I saw poor shooting, bad ball security, and poor defense. Although it was not only him struggling, the Sixers NEED him to perform well in order to get a solid win.
One thing that struck me, was rebounding. We are the leading Rebounding team, and the leading Fastbreak team. How we get outrebounded by the Bobcats I will never know. I don’t have an answer for it. Less offensive boards I guess?
Some rough games coming up, but I’m going to keep my hopes high for this team, and hopefully they can turn it around.
Looks like Larry Brown has found something with the combination of Felton and Augustin. It will be interesting to see if they can continue playing well together, or if it was just us. If it keeps working for them, I wonder if that will impact how Brown will utilize Richardson when he comes back.
Dannie, Worried about his size but he took a couple of good HITS by Reggie, who tried to slow him down some. He has a good feel for when to shoot and pass, unlike L.Will., I am getting frustrated watching the inconsistantsies this team constantly shows.I would trade some of our athletism for just basketball players. H.Turkaglu types that have a sense of making the proper plays.
bski, this is just a rare performance from DJ and Felton. They have been effective in the lineup together since Jrich went down, but normally they dont shoot the ball nearly as well. It wasn’t really our defense that was that bad I don’t think, they just hit their shots and made great plays. It will be intresting what Brown will do with them once JRich comes back though like you said.
Suede - Depending on how Ty Lawson plays this year even if the Sixers turn it around and have a early 20’s draft pick Lawson might be there for us. But if they keep playing like this I’d love to bring Stephen Curry in here. He is playing the point this season for the first time so he will have a full season at the position. Regardless he can flat out score and shoot with range.
I probably need to stop thinking about the 2009 draft, haha.
In response to “maddening question” about ‘top six’ relative bricklaying: 4 reasons:
1) opponents have another season of tape and game experience by which to construct a defensive game plan vs. Sixer “stalwarts”
2) ‘top six’ guaranteed minutes comfort level has been reduced with additional roster depth and Cheeks’ uncertain substitution rotations; thus, individuals’ shots are bearing more psychological weight (pressure!)
3) last season’s 2nd half run was a mirage, an inspired reputation bail-out, the result of opponent disinterest or lack of regard (flat varsity vs. hungry jv); layups and dunks tend to fatten percentages
4) individually and collectively, in a halfcourt game – surprise -they’re not good shooters (or decision-makers); basketball acumen lacking, though some could excel at running the 880 or quarter mile
Dannie, I have been thinking about the draft only because the p.g. spot is the logical upgrade position but A.Miller hitting a few threes has given me some encouragement.I still feel ball pressure is key for our defense and playing L.Will. and Willie together is not getting it done. This is just my opinion but I cut A.Millers minutes to 30 or so and play Ivey the rest and bring a little of that attitude we had last year for stretches with Ivey and Reggie and Marreese protecting the rim. Give teams 2 different looks rather than haqving to constantly outscore teams.
jjg, help me out with one less thing to be pondering on my I-80 or bust sojourn, like the Indiana Amish, traffic in Ohio and Illinois, hitchhikers, to back-road or not to back-road, biker gangs, biker bars, what’s it like to break down in the middle of nowhere, and what’s in Nebraska besides Buffett’s billions.
Can you give me some info on your “sports education”? I’ve never seen a writing style quite like yours, and I’m wondering how you developed it. Are you Canadian? I’ve met some of them on my travels, and they come closest to you in terms of attitude and the way you perceive things. Also, I don’t see how American culture and society can produce someone with your unique writing style.
Another thing – I’m a short story fiend (thanks for the Gary Smith recommendation), and have read a few Canadian authors, and again, it feels like there’s some sort of shared writing DNA there.
Zack Thanks for the compliment (I think). Any decent writer presents clear tone along with thoughts and perceptions. A fascination with sports began in late 50s in Philly area due to my father’s influence and the burgeoning professional cultures of each sport, and continues to this day. Big 3 – baseball, basketball & football – interest has dominated, though I’m a “charter member” of Flyers’ ‘67 fan contingent too (Hoo-rah, Andre LaCroix!). In competitive sporting days, I was an average-to-good ‘B-’ athlete who played flawed-but-emphatic baseball and basketball. I’m fully American, though I have nothing against association with our northern border brothers and sisters. Your guess as to that heritage is interesting; I wonder what aspect points you toward that culture. Have always loved the written word for its richness and complexity and its ability to bridge human beings. I take it that you have a similar bent with regard to writing. Glad ya liked Smith’s collection; he’s top-flight. I’m presently reading “Namath” by Mark Kriegel (who also wrote “Pistol”) – highly recommended; Joe Willie’s story is captivating. Here’s to smooth and enjoyable midwest navigations!
JJG - I agree on all four points above. Especially the the last one. Really starting to believe the playoff run last season was a one and done occurrence.
Dannie what up Bro, I appreciate you responding with class instead of anger in yesterdays post where I trashed Sammy. Were both die hards so we both have the best intentions of the sixers in mind so as you said a healthy debate is a good thing. I would love to know what everyone else thinks, CAN WE WIN WITH SAMMY?
Dannie while it is true that Sammy is killing it on the boards what good does it do if we don’t score on those 3.5 offensive boards that he rips a game? What good do those defensive rebounds do when he has trouble throwing outlet passes to ignite the break? We both watch the games, you see that Sam even has trouble throwing simple 5 foot outlet passes. The thing about Jason Smith and Speights is you could tell that basketball is there passion. These 2 had a superior basketball IQ as compared to Sammy from the first moment that they stepped onto the court for us.
And man is he soft. Hey Im 5?9 200 lb’s of rompin steel Brad childress style and when I get the rock down low I take one dribble and one huge step before I drop my Armon Gilliam baby hook. Why can’t sammy do this? Why does everything have to be a soft jumper, or worse a sammy fadeaway?
sammy as a starting center is not good enough to win. i think we can all agree that he makes way too many bad shots that hurt the team.
ive said before, i dont think he is a good rebounder. i know what his numbers say but i just dont see him get many high quality, tough boards. i define a good rebound as one that would go to the other team if we didnt grab it. the majority of Sam’s defensive boards are uncontested. the good, offensive rebounds he does get usually result in a wasted second shot anyway. so how valuable is that ?
on defense, in my opinion, he is a good weak side, help defender, but not a good 1-on 1. he got totally embarrassed by Al Jefferson a few games ago. not outplayed, just embarrassed on many 1-on-1 opportunities.
as the greek says, his IQ is low. ive seen him take bad angles on defense that result in easy fast break buckets that would otherwise force the offense to pull back and set at half court. this stuff cant be learned, its just instinct. most of Sammy stinkiness doesnt show up in the boxscore.
Zach – i dont know who think you are coming on here all snooty, bringing squid banter and insulting americans before getting on all fours for jjg. i think that sweater is tied around your neck a little too tight, buddy. you remind me of Phillip, who was the military advisor to the prince of England… just before Longshanks threw him out of the window.
I have one question:
WHY WOULD OUR TEAM EVER SHOOT SIXTEEN THREE POINTERS?!?!?!?!?!?! WE HAVE NO THREE POINT SHOOTERS! WE SHOULD NOT BE SHOOTING THIS MANY THREES!!!
Whew, had to get that off my chest.
Not so Sweet Lou: His shot selection against the Bobcats was absolutely atrocious. What on earth is he shooting eight (EIGHT!!!) three pointers for? !@#$ing Korver never shot eight threes for us, and he is one of the best pure shooters in the league. Some of Lou’s shots did come within the flow of the offense, but I am just extremely pissed at how often he is settling for jumpshots.
Lou’s biggest strength is that he is lightning quick, has great handle, a great first step, and a knack for finishing creatively around the rim when the other team’s bigs rotate over to help. Hmm, what do all these things have in common? Umm…perhaps, Lou, we might want to be DRIVING THE BASKETBALL to the basket, and not launching up ill advised jumpshots so much, just maybe?
I still see Lou as one of the best potential 6th men in the NBA for years to come…but I hope by now that some others agree with me that Lou is not a true PG, and someone we do not want leading our team from that position once A-Miller starts aging.
DJ Augustin: As Dannie noted, I really, really wanted us to pursue Augustin in last summer’s draft. I felt that by coming up with some kind of package of a future 1st round pick, an expiring contract, or a talented role player could have landed us a pick in the 9-12 spots to be able to draft both Speights and Augustin. The reason I liked him so much in college was for exactly how he played this game against us:
-He’s a true PG that can lead a team, and looks to get others involved.
-He has a very, very good handle, and almost never loses the ball when driving the lane in traffic.
-He’s a talented 3 point shooter and has a nice 18-20 foot jumpshot.
-He has the “fearless” gene, loves the big moments, and loves being the guy to win a game.
-Compensates for his height disadvantage with a great ability to find angles around big men when attacking the basket, and is an excellent passer when defensive pressure collapses on him.
He would look awfully nice as the PG in waiting while Andre is still our starter. Ugh.
Three role player we should be pursuing:
-Luther Head (Rockets) – Very effective versatile wing man. Creative scorer off the drive, great three point shot, moves well without the ball.
-Morris Almond (Jazz) – Severely underrated college player caught in a logjam of SG/SF’s in Utah. Gorgeous 3 point stroke, great bball IQ, polished scorer.
(both of the above have far more well rounded games then Kareem Rush offers).
-Javaris Crittenton (Grizzlies) – Talented PG caught in the Conley/Lowry logjam. I’ve heard many people suggest pursuing Lowry…I disagree, seeing Lowry as more of a very good backup whose strength is defense aggressively attacking the basket. I’m not saying Crittenton is a bonafide future NBA starter, but I think his potential of being a starting PG is far better then Lowry’s. Interesting player at G-Tech…good balance of scoring/passing, great at catching defenders off guard, very athletic with a nice handle.
Why I want to smack Ed Stefanski:
Matt Barnes, Matt Barnes, Matt Barnes. I still don’t understand why we were not in the mix to sign him. He is a 6′6 SF that is athletic, plays great defense, and is a good three point shooter. He has been instant offense for Phoenix all season, and been an amazing weapon in their half court as well as transition offense. He cost $1.2 million dollars. He woulda/coulda/shoulda been the perfect SF to bring in off the bench to tag team with Lou for a scoring punch.
20 game mark: Despite how frustrating our Sixers are to watch, and as crappy as we sometimes look, we have slowly (very slowly) improved in areas, and at times our defense has shown (for quarters) what it is capable of. I’m going to hold to my mantra of “things will improve with time to gel” mantra. Chemistry doesn’t happen overnight, a quarter of a season is needed just to start to get glimpses of what can happen. I think Brand will look to be more aggressive as he gets comfortable playing with our other guys.
p.s: Sam Dalembert:
I think people are being way too harsh on him, and I’ve always considered Sammy one of the most indispensable Sixers. We all might be pissed at him for taking some idiot shots…but I think he’s always provided a good rebounding and especially shot blocking presence that is essential to our wing players. Without him, they couldn’t even think about gambling for steals leading to open court breaks.
Also…who would you possibly want to replace Sammy with? There aren’t many athletic centers in their late 20’s that can get you 10 rebounds and 2 blocks a game. He is a great compliment to Brand on defense, and I believe if Mo starts utilizing Dalembert better (and teaching him where to move without the ball when Brand has it), Sammy can be a great offensive compliment to Brand as well.
aka: his ass on the weakside block so that Brand can make dump passes to him from the high post or when he attacks the basket from the other block. I just don’t understand the griping about his play. Sammy D is what Sammy D is…he’s just not going to improve in certain areas, but let’s appreciate what he gives us, which is far better than what others would.
Maybe this stretch of the next 10 games is just what we need, for the players, the coach, management, and even the fans to get a sense of knowing who the 76ers are. This could be a blessing in disguise. The team knows they are disappointed at being 7-7, really in our minds and their minds, they could have been 10-4, actually competing with Orlando and Cleveland.
Mo will perhaps, HOPEFULLY, go deeper to his bench with the new role players we signed, other than Speights. Those teams we will be facing go 10, 11, and even 12 deep and play with tremendous energy. The Sixers need to match that energy. Overall, the team as a whole needs to play with that energy on the defensive end and then translate that defense to baskets. I still think we have the POTENTIAL to keep up with those teams and make things very interesting. With chemistry and time, this team will EXCEL (what Boston did last year was INCREDIBLE- their chemistry and development in one year was incredible and seemed like an incredible fairy tale, that will not likely happen again in a long, long time)
Who Still Has Faith In This Team? I Still Do.
For the Sixers, its not just X’s and O’s, it’s also about being mentally sharp and ready as well.
Dave T – How confident will you be with the Sixers if they are say 9-11 (which is a real possibility considering their next 6 opponents) at the 20-game mark?
Where did I insult Americans Aaron? I’ll go the high road here and just say don’t ever f*cking question my patriotism.
IN MY OPINION, there’s a lot of American writing that’s awesome, and I’m not talking about the “snooty” crap. Here are some of my favorite American sportswriters: Jayson Stark, Bill Simmons, Jason Whitlock, off the top of my head. IN MY OPINION, the best coverage of the Phillies’ WS run came from Jayson Stark. The Inquirer’s Bob Ford and Bill Lyon are also really good, IN MY OPINION. And without knowing a lot about them personally, IN MY OPINION, their writing comes off as American-developed. fyi, jjg likes Bill Conlin, but I don’t get him.
There’s a few things about Canadians that I don’t like. For some reason, some are extremely proud that they’re NOT American, and if you get into it with one of those, you’re probably gonna end up in a fistfight. I’ve also had my share of exchanges with losers from England, Ireland and Australia. You would to if you heard comments like, “9/11 was a horrible thing, but I understand it”, or “the colleges in the UK are way better than the diploma mills of the U.S.” New Zealanders have been pretty cool (and they better stay that way).
As far as your other crude comment goes, jjg really does have a unique but really good writing style. IN MY OPINION, bski and Dave T also write well. The Greek can be pretty funny, and I have to admit, your comment about Philip was pretty funny, also. Dannie is very, very thorough – this is what sets him apart from all the other Sixer blogs (Dannie, good call on Anthony Morrow – I still remember). ReclinerGM is your one-stop shop for all things Sixers. So, to me, writing matters just as much as content. There’s nothing snooty about wanting to read quality writing and good content, instead of one or the other.
One last thing, and I’m just making sure I’m clear about this – I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, so don’t you ever f*cking question my patriotism.
Dannie:
For me, it’s got less to do with confidence, and more about my philosophy about giving individuals and teams a legit chance to maximize their potential. I think my biggest pet peeve in pro sports is a GM or coach’s quick, knee-jerk reactions to things, as opposed to preaching patience. I think the majority of the time when action is taken place, the result is a short term fix, that often times can be positive, but that don’t solve the long term problem.
With our team, I wouldn’t say I’m “confident” in us, period. This is mainly because before the season started I considered the goal of this first year not to be a stud team ready for a deep playoff run, but rather as a year to get chemistry right on offense, and cohesive team defense, so that in 09-10 and 10-11 we could make a deep run.
Answering your actual question, the record wouldn’t matter to me. 8-12, 9-11, 10-10, even 13-7 (the last of which ain’t happening)…the only thing I personally care about this year, is to see improvement. Not in statistical categories, not with the record, but in watching the team play.
If we started this season 4-10, for instance, but I saw everyone leaving it all out on the floor every possession, the losses were only by several points, that our passing was nice, floor spacing effective, leadership out on the floor, accountability from the coaches, etc…I’d be frustrated at the record, but very optimistic in our chances moving forward. Likewise, if we were 10-4, but many of those wins were “fluke-y”, or we had to eek out on last second shots, and we were outscoring more opponents rather than stopping them on defense, I’d be worried.
So…right now, the first 14 games are interesting for me because I think we’re getting a lot of mixed messages to what we are seeing to make accurate predictions. And as far as I’m concerned, not knowing is not the time to, say, look into trading Iguodala or anyone else. This is the time, IMO, to sit back, let us hit the 20 game mark (25 even), and then evaluate what we’ve seen and had. When teams invest a lot of money into the product, I think we owe it to our own investments to at least give everyone time to work their problems out and see what kind of chemistry can develop. Now is the time to have a hand’s off approach, and see what Mo does to work this thing out.
One thing I see again and again in the NBA, is every year the media swarm buzzes all over teams that are off to quick starts, average starts, bad starts or whatever, and starts making proclomations of this and that happening…only to watch as the season go on, a “bad team” turn into a legit 3-5 seed, or a “great team” drop out of the hunt. All I’m saying is…chemistry is the single hardest thing to teach and have in basketball. We just spent $175 million dollars. Let’s see what we’ve got before collectively banging our heads against the wall (which I’ve already done out of frustration plenty this season!).
IMO, the #1 thing that will keep us from being successful is Mo Cheeks. I didn’t like the hiring of Mo after we canned Obie. I didn’t like Mo during the AI-Webber year. I didn’t like Mo the first post-AI half season. I didn’t like Mo last year, even when we were playing hard. I love him as a player, and person, and as an assistant, but the man is not ever going to make a quality head coach, and I’ll be shocked if he brings this team together.
I think, this year, we are a maximum 47-49 win team with the talent we have, and I do have full, 100% confidence in us reaching the 45-46 win mark, even if we are 9-11. If we’re to achieve more then that, I need to see a better collective defensive effort and ball movement. That starts with Mo being a more active leader and drill sergeant type, or other players stepping up as leaders…and unfortunately, right now we clearly lack that leadership.
Fellas lets forget about who waves the flag for what. The point here is that we have serious issues with our beloved Sixers.
The real problem might be our favorite former PG Mo Cheeks. Players will play hard for him, thats for certain but why doesn’t he put our team in the best position to suceed? Him bragging about not calling any plays for Thad Is pathetic, he should be embarrassed instead of bragging about it. So in the end of games, when we come out of a timeout I am guessing that Thad will never be involved because they dont run anything for him. And thinking back in those situations its always iggy with the ball in his hands driving recklessly with his neck high dribble through traffic. Yeah its great that he doesn’t need plays called for him to get points but on days like yesterday when his outside shot wasnt going down how about calling a post up for him? Or on days when he drops 17 in the firs half and then goes 7 minutes into the 3ed quarter without a shot, how about running some plays for him. Or how about Speights, the dude has a low post game but I guess because he is a rookie in a cheeks system he must pay his dues while sammy and reggie post up about 8 times combined each game. I love Cheeks but we need someone with no connection to these guys in order for us to get to the next level. Imagine what kind of plays a coach like eddie jordan can draw up for Thad and Brand? It sure beats watching us post up reggie and sammy.
Zack: Right on, pal. Dumb comment, McKie.
Greek, totally agreed about Thad. He has a pretty good post game from the low block using that hook shot – why not call his number down there 3-4 times a game? He and Igoudala could play a 2 man game like that quite easily.
Whoa, whoa whoa.
We don’t censor people because comments are the best thing on the blog. Like I said to The Greek in a previous comment, please disagree it’s good for discussion. BUT keep it civil. No personal attacks of any kind or overly explicit and attacking language (saying the Eagles f’ing suck is fine and appropriate).
Misunderstandings happen, let’s try and handle them appropriately please.
Dave T, first off your boy Childress is playing great for Olympiacos last I heard.
Secondly, I’m not saying get rid of him this year although if they do I wouldn’t be too upset. Next season, start Speights and back him up with Smith. Resign Theo and have him be the 3rd center. Both Smith and Speights offer hustle, athletic talent, basketball IQ, and a passion for basketball that soccer loving sammy will never reach. By next year there is no reason to think that Speights wont be as good on D as sammy is right now. Basketball IQ is a huge part of playing D and if it doesnt involve soccer or speaking 20 languages then Sammy is shit out of luck in the IQ category.
Seriously, you cant win a title with this guy. Can’t do it, and the same might be said about cheeks. And sadly the same can be said of a starting backcourt of miller and Iggy. Can anyone name a worse shooting backcourt then those 2 who have won a title?
Lou W isnt off the hook, i figure to wait until tommorow to blast him.
Morty I am going to take it one step further, Thad Young doesn’t have a good low post game he has a great low post game. That baby hook is money and he has some crazy range on it. I guarantee you that the second we get a new coach that dude is going to squeeze all that he could out of Thad and Speights as any good coach should do. Also I was heart broken when i was in Greece and found out that our boy Jason Smith got hurt. That was an underated set back for our squad.
you guys make it sound like im crazy. after Zach complemented jjg’s writing this is what he wrote,
“Also, I don’t see how American culture and society can produce someone with your unique writing style.” oh, i love your writng, you are too smart and cultured to be amercian.
this is a flat insult to americans, not sure what you guys interpret from this…..
anyway, i dont want to get banned so ill keep it to sixers from here on. lambasting Iguodala is what ive always done best anyway
The Greek: Good to hear about the Olympiacos, I’ve fallen off the map this year with following the Euroleague. How’s Papoloukas and Lynn Greer doing? I’m also going to go out on a limb and assume your stay in Greece is over, and that you’re back in the States (or had you already been back for a while?). Also just want to clear up…in no way shape or form is Josh Childress “my guy”. I just root for Oly.
I thought your comment of, “I love Cheeks but we need someone with no connection to these guys in order for us to get to the next level” was interesting. By that, did you mean calling for any new coach without ties to the team, or did you mean a guy that’s specifically not a player’s coach, that is more demanding?
About your thought on Eddie Jordan drawing up plays for us…living in DC for waaay too long now, I’ve seen a lot of Eddie Jordan. He’s a great offensive coach, but it’s less X’s and O’s with individual plays, and far more his overall offensive philosophy that has success. He would be a great fit here because he’s get us moving the ball around more, specifically getting guys to cut without the ball. But if we got him, our defense would be non-existent.
Also…got to take issue with your Speights = great bball IQ and defense comment. I don’t see that at all…and I was a huge pro-Speights guy around draft time. His biggest strength is his mix of a legit post game on the block, with the ability to hit a 15 footer, and his athleticism. He might be surprising people with his effort on defense, but if we right now replaced Dalembert’s weak side shot blocking with Speights for 35 minutes a game…we would be a far worse defensive team. Speights is a raw rookie that is just a baby learning to play the game. He has a lot to learn about defense and BBall IQ IMO.
Also, I’m all about not waiting another second to bash Lou Williams. He has played HORRIBLY. His shot selection has been a total joke, he has shown no ability whatsoever to restrain himself from taking long jumpers with hands in his faces, and his “distributing” skills he talked so much about before the season…well, as far as I’m concerned, they dont exist this year. We need him to get his butt in gear NOW, because we need a reliable scoring threat off the bench. And despite Willie Green’s good play, he’s not consistent nor reliable.
Lou is a perfect example of why sometimes only listening to what a player is saying to the media should only be taken with a grain of salt. It’s one thing to say, “I’ll do whatever coach asks…I can be a scorer or distributer, whatever they need,” and another thing to then actually do it. Again, I will always see him as a potential top three 6th man in the NBA…but his play so far has been god-awful.
A.Mckie, I actually think Iggy is playing very well in the last couple of weeks but THESE pieces just may not fit. What is your opinion of him as a player, because I actually think he has value around the league, even with the money he is getting. Sacramento and Lakers are 2 teams he fits with and if for some reason we attempt to move him I think there will be takers. P.S., I was all for a B.Gordon move if available and still think a shooter at the 2 would take pressure off of Thad and let him play closer to the basket, his strength last year.
Random note:
The following is not meant to spur a whole “let’s trade Iguodala” discussion. But…it is clear that this team would be best suited with a more classic SG that can, you know, shoot and put up a consistent 20 ppg every night.
That said…speaking of those Bobcats…how good with Jason Richardson look in a Sixers uniform? I think the most ideal SG’s in the league to plug into our system right now would be Michael Redd, Kevin Martin, and J-Rich. Out of those three, I like J-Rich by far the best because he’s a pretty good defender when he wants to be, and also has a far better slashing game than K-Mart the 2nd or Redd. He’s also one of the best rebounding guards in the league, and has been for a while. Plus he’s got nice height (6′6), and has become a more complete player able to play within the offense more as the years have gone by.
Last year I thought Richardson had an extremely underappreciated season. If you look closely at his numbers, the first half of the season he was very mediocre and playing below his talent level…this I cough up to being introduced to a new team (with a rookie coach… a horrible rookie coach). But the second half of the season, when the Bobcats started hustling and giving good effort, he absolutely erupted offensively and scored 22 – 24 ppg each month, and would have spurts of games where he’d be hitting two to four 3 pointers a game.
Not saying we could, would or should trade for him…but I’m just throwing this out there in a, “Damn, it would be nice to have a player like Jason Richardson on our team,” kinda way.
Since that probably won’t happen, I think our best long term future bet is to hope and pray that in another year or two Thad Young can turn into a legit 18-20 ppg scorer that can shoot the three ball at a 38-40% clip. If that happens, then he can be our primary scoring/3 point option of the wing players, allowing Iguodala to be more of the do-it-all, all around type player, letting him concentrate on defense more.
Dave T., I have been very down on L.Will. this year but my brother brought up something that I didn!t think about; last year L.Will. was the first guy off the bench and the guy, off the bench, that finished the games. Last night was the first time this year I believe that he was the first guy off the bench and I don!t know if he has finished any this year. Just wondering if this has something to do with his selfish play.
i think Iguodala is a good player but only under the following circumstances :
1) plays the 3
2) is the 4th scoring option on the team
3) scores primarily on fast breaks
4) makes $8-9mm a year
5) doesnt ever take a jumper in the 4th quarter
i think his biggest problem is that he really wants to score 20ppg and be the number 1 guy. so he continues to take too many jump shots. i hate guys that take bad shots and we happen to have a few in Philly.
i would love to trade him, unfortunately i dont think it will happen because we just signed him to big contract. other teams would definitely be interested
i always thought he was a bad fit in Philly based on the make up of the rest of our team. over the summer, i thought it would have been very smart to make a play for Ben Gordon, who is having an outstanding year by the way. We have needed an outside scorer for some time. and i think if you get a guy who you can swing the ball to ,hit 3s, and improve our 1/2 court offense, good things can happen for this team.
Dave T and suede
Dave unfortunately I have been back in NJ for about 2 months now. Greer will most probably be gone next season because the greeks are sizing up on getting another “name player ” from america to join childress.
About Cheeks, I am calling for a new coach without ties to the team.
About Eddie Jordon yes i wish we had him as an assistant coach in charge of the offense. Living in jersey i know what he meant for the nets with that princeton offense, I think that we all agree that we need some sort of structure on offense.
About Speights, I know he isn’t ready this year. But with his passion and his underated work ethic there is no reason that he couldnt blossom in the middle next season. His 2 weaknesses that he needs to work on are personal fouls and turnovers.
Suede, you hit the nail on the head bro. Iggy is a good player but he is just a wrong piece for us. Like I said before combining Iggy and Miller in the same backcourt just murderous to your half court spacing and scoring from the perimeter.
Dave, Jason Richardson would be a dream.
McKie, I’d like to explain myself some more – I’ve never seen American writing similar to how jjg writes. Therefore, “…I don’t see how American culture and society can produce someone with your [jjg] unique writing style.” I myself am not a particularly good writer, so I apologize for not coming across more clearly. I am NOT insulting Americans (like myself), and if anyone out there does feel insulted, I apologize for this.
But I can see where what I was implying could be insulting. For example, just because (in my lifetime) America has never produced a top-echelon (male) soccer star doesn’t mean we’re incapable of it. I have no doubt that if an American child ever became really determined to become the next Ronaldo, he could.
Zack, i understand now. apologies for stirring up trouble with my misinterpretation.
I would love to have JRich or one of the other SGs mentioned. but i cant see us making another big move. like someone else said earlier, we just spent $150mm and i think they will try to make the pieces fit first.
there hasnt been much talk about Brand. i think we are letting him off easy. i was a huge proponent of getting Brand this summer and i must admit, he is not meeting my expectations. i love the fact that he can hit a mid range jumper and adds a lot of tough rebounding to our line. unfortuantely, the 16.6 ppg isnt working for me. he really needs to score 5 more points a game to live up to his billing. i hate to say it, but he looks like he lost a step . he was a lot more dominating on the Clip.
what are your thoughts here ? is this just rustiness from the injury? do you think Brand will score more and get better? are his numbers a function of our stank offense ?
A.Mckie, 17 ppg.,10 reb, and 2 blocks are fine by me if he shoots 50% and cuts down his turnovers. I!m resigned to the fact he is a piece to the puzzle and not a franchise player. My recipe for this team to win a title? A]Thad becomes a star; B] A borderline all-star level p.g. arrives via draft or trade; C] The proper coach is brought in, if Mo is not the one. Sam and Iggy, for all their faults, are probably in the top third in the league at their positions so if they are the 4th and 5th best starters than we should be in the mix.
I have always wondered, what is a Mo Cheeks’ type of team? What is his style? I couldn’t get a proper grasp of it when he was in Portland or here in Philly, is it based on what the rosters he has to work with?
Attitude wise, we are better, younger, and more athletic than the Trailblazers of 01-02 (50-32 record),but not so talent wise. There is “potential” in this team, but we do have to be patient.
Now for the game against the Magic, Jameer Nelson and Keith Bogans will not be playing tonight. That is a form of great news. Nelson loves playing against us. Anthony Johnson will most likely play more minutes, a proven veteran, but he’s not as quick as he used to be. He is well tested though.
Here is the box score for the previous meeting nearly three weeks ago:
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=281106019
Jameer Nelson: 35 min 16 pts 9 ast 2 st (6/12 FG, 1/4 3pt% )
Keith Bogans: 31 min 8 pts 6 reb (2/5 FG , 2/5 3pt%)
To the Sixers credit, they do a great job on Dwight Howard. In the last game for 29 min, he was in foul trouble and managed to score 14pts 8 reb 3 blks (6/11 FG, 2/8 FTs). When Tony Battie checked in for him, especially in the 1st quarter, that is when the Magic made that huge run and dominated that quarter in Orlando. We have to acknowledge Battie. Plus, down the stretch the Sixers should use “Hack A Howard”. They don’t have to commit dirty fouls, but good, clean, hard fouls that are not close to the basket. Howard lacks post up moves and a jump shot. Theo Ratliff and Reggie Evans would be perfect in playing the hard nosed, hard hat plays against Howard. Now, the Sixers need answers to slowing down Hedo and Rashard. They have given the Sixers fits with their size, length, and their overall scoring display. Our frontcourt has to punish them and force them to play honest defense. I am not the person who pulls the strings for the team, but Mo needs to put Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall in to counteract their shooting. Plus, Marshall could create a mismatch for Howard on the offensive end by shooting threes from his usual spots. The team has to get some plays set for the shooters because they are not getting them involved at all. Real coaches have a plethora of plays set. Royal Ivey should play, especially as a backup PG and he represents that raw, defensive energy that is contagious. Since the loss to the Jazz, the Sixers, with the exception of the Bobcats game, have done a better job defending the three pointers. They need to do so once more!!
Take a look at the game flow of that game. If you trace the line graph, it will show you the ebbs and flows of both teams:
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/shotchart?gameId=281106019
GO SIXERS!!!
can everyone do me a HUGE favor. go to the link under this sentence and vote to see the 76ers play the Bulls on NBA TV, next Tuesday. Do it for all the Sixers fans that dont get the game locally!
http://www.nba.com/FanNight/
Thank You so much if you vote!
I personally don’t think Elton is living up to our standards, but i’d say a couple more points and cutting down the turnovers would do wonders for this team. If everyone cuts down the turnovers, thats when we will turn the season around. A couple comeback wins and a little momentum obviously isn’t helping us. With a bad shooting team like ourselves, wasted possesions can really hurt us. And so far this year, that is apparent.
Great conversation, guys. I didn’t check in until later in the day and I wasn’t sure where to jump in, so I decided to sit back and follow along.
Reading the Daily News today, I saw a couple quotes from Cheeks that lead me to believe that our frustration may continue.
About Lou Williams:
“He had some wide-open looks; he missed them,” Cheeks said. “If he’s got a wide-open look, I want him to continue shooting the ball. I don’t want him to worry about not making them. Shooting is a confidence thing. If you make one, and you get a layup here, you get a layup there, it opens up the outside a little more. His game is coming around. At some point, his shot’s going to come around.”
About the lineup and substitutions:
“I have not thought about making any lineup changes,” Cheeks said. “That never even crossed my mind.”
Cheeks, though, acknowledged that he considered using backup guard Royal Ivey – who has strong credentials as a hard-nosed defender – against Charlotte guards Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin, who combined for 48 points Monday night.
Either Lou straightens out and the lineup comes together and starts clicking very soon, or I’m going to need to employ all kinds of stress reducing techniques while watching us play.
Sixers: 95.1 pg Opponents: 93.0 pg
Brand 3 turnovers pg = lost potential of 9 pts
43% shooting, 16.6 pg, only 4.5 FT attempted pg
He’s gotta pick it up if team is to make headway.
It’s not necessarily Elton’s fault for his slow start. It is the players around him that need to hit shots when double teamed and we need to put our real shooters in the game and give them touches by swing the ball around the perimeter like other teams and make the extra,crisp, timely passes. Then Elton will be able to respond and perhaps reach that 20 pt average. Everything else by Brand has been great! On TNT, Doug Collins mentioned spacing being a key issue. We have to improve the spacing on our floor, offensively and defensively. People have a tendency to watch Brand and not help him out. But on a bright note, the Sixer are 5-2 at home, could have been undefeated had they not lost opening night to Toronto and had they put the starters in on the 4th quarter against Utah. So home can certainly help this team, but the Magic are road tested. We need the fans because a sold out Wachovia is a beauty and it really makes it difficult for opponents to win in our house!!
Rob Your clemency for Brand is noted. A premier player, while affected by teammates’ movements (or their lack), can’t shirk the responsibilty of leading though, of making something happen – if he’s worth his salt. His post-game quotes (after 2 different games) pointing to 2nd team not holding leads is hardly the admirable high road. So far, I’m not impressed.
Rob – It’s almost entirely Elton Brand’s fault. He is responsible for his own individual performance – period. He has nothing to do with guys hitting shots when he passes. The problem is when he has the ball.
I am saving my Elton Brand rant for a future post.
GUEST…I voted for Sixers vs Bulls.
Although we have had a couple high turnover games, I don’t know that turnovers are the major issue with us lately. We only had 12 turnovers against Charlotte. We had 12 steals and forced 20 turnovers from them. As a result, we out shot them 81 to 62.
The biggest issue for me is what we are not doing with all of these extra possessions and shots that we are getting. Overall, the offense still seems forced and out of sync to me.
If Sixers get Howard in foul trouble, thereby limiting his unfettered court time, they’ve got a chance. If he’s able to play friskily throughout, close to 40 – hard to envision a win based on recent competitive history. Magic has some nice complements around him. Should prove to be an entertaining game either way. I think Sixers will tip-off before home crowd with post-Charlotte embarrassment “fuel”; should be ready to get after it at least. Stable of big men – Brand, Dalembert, Evans, Ratliff and/or Marshall -will factor big tonight, one way or the other.
guest Ya got my vote. Early returns don’t look good. With 1% of vote in, Olbermann is about to declare Lakers-Pacers the winner in a landslide.
Yeah, the dang Lakers get the vote every week. If they win the vote this time, it will be 5 out of the last 7 fan nights that they have played. It’s ridiculous.
About tonights game, Sammy has done a fairly nice job in the past on Howard so I don’t think he will be the one to beat us. I think its going to come down to our perimeter defense which hasnt been very good thus far. Look for adjustments to be made from the other night. Andre Miller has to post up jameer nelson more than he did against DJ Augustin. I think perimeter defense and Andre Miller will be the reason we win this game, or lose this game.
Jameer gave Miller fits last game. He’s small but shrewd on D, does a nice job compensating with quick hands and awareness. Tends to play pretty well against hometowners. I say that matchup is a draw. Never know though.
Battle of boards & Magic outside shooting temperature, of which perimeter defense factors, will decide in my opinion. If Sixers take a lot of 3s, they’re cooked.
Jameer Nelson is injured, so we won’t have to worry about his penetration. Anthony Johnson will probably be the starter, whose always been a great, rock solid veteran PG. He plays great defense and is taller than Jameer, so hopefully this won’t give A-Miller a huge problem in running our offense.
Guest: I agree with you. I’m not worried about Howard. He’s going to get his 12+ rebounds and 15+ points. I actually don’t think it matters whether he scores 14, 18, or 22. We need to worry about guarding the three…last game Hedo Turkoglu absolutely killed us. I’m fine with letting Dwight Howard get his, as long as we are actively defending the perimeter so Rashard and Hedo don’t hit a combined 15 threes on us. They’ve been torching other teams of late from the outside.
What I remember most from the last game was our horrendous lack of any type of help rotations on defense. Play after play Jameer Nelson and Hedo Turkoglu would burn their defender, and were able to pop numerous jumpers from the 15-18 foot range uncontested because Iggy, Brand and Sammy weren’t nearly quick enough in helping out.
Bottom line, the players that the team planned on being 3 of their top 4 best offensive players, Brand, Igoudala and Lou are seriously under performing. Igoudala has shown signs of coming around, but he will never be a dominant offensive player, Lou is lost in the weeds and Brand does not have his touch.
Another 14 games of the 43% FG Brand, and I will move from concerned to scared. He has got to start hitting shots that clearly are the type of shots he has made over the course of his career. His FTA are down and his TO’s are up. Now the comforting thing is that his FTA were in line with his career averages when he came back at the end of last year, and his rebounds are actually above his career averages this year, so hopefully, it is not that he has lost a step, and it is merely making a transition that is the problem.
Basically, make 1 more shot and 1 or 2 more FT per game and Brand will be where he should. That and turn the ball over a touch less.
Elton Brand:
I’m both concerned and not concerned about him. I’m not concerned because I cough up his lack of offensive output to the fact that it’s only the first 15 games of a season in a completely new environment, with new teammates, and there is zilch chemistry between these guys offensively yet.
There is no possible way Brand’s FG% is going to stay this low. It will go up. Why? Because 43% is a fluky stat and no where near his talent level. Brand has not been aggressive enough…he will be, because he’s shown more times then not he expects himself to average 18+ ppg. I’d be absolutely shocked if his ppg remains where it is now. This is bad for him…very bad, and also not the norm. This I have faith will go up, and that he’ll be getting us a good 18 ppg soon.
Why I worry: He’s ignoring his low post game. I blame this partly on him and his seemingly low confidence levels with the Sixers. That’s all on him, he has to earn that paycheck, and bring not just professionalism (which he’s been great with so far) but hunger and leadership as well. I remember in the second or third game of the season, Mo told him, “Elton…get hungry, attack the basket and do your thing,” resulting in Brand putting up a 24-12. This is the Brand we need.
And that is going to involve him getting his butt on the low post more and actually scoring with his back to the basket game. While what some have said is very true…that much of his game relies on those 15-18 foot jumpshots and pick-pops…let’s not forget the fact that just because so far he has not had a tendency to do well on the block, does not in fact mean he has a bad back to the basket game.
Brand has incredible knowledge of how to score around the basket, very good footwork, and is adept at reading how individual defenders cover him. So far, we haven’t seen this because he’s been a total puss and just throws up shots, or has been rushing things and turning the ball over too much, or not able to handle quick double teams that come.
I would argue this is not the usual Brand that he has established over his career. We will see this Brand, and he will give us 18 pts, 11 rbs, and 2 blks a game while shooting 48%. For that, we just need patience, and to let him regain his shot confidence and get some reps with the low post moves again. But for now…yeah, it’s frightening to see how subpar he’s played on the offensive end.
Ty Lawson: Forget who it was, but I remember someone mentioning him as a possible future backup PG we could draft in the mid – late 1st round to develop. I want to go on record and say that Ty Lawson, right now, is the most overrated PG in the country, and will not be a top 10 PG in the NBA. Ever.
This actually doesn’t mean I don’t like him though…I consider him to be one of the top 3-4 on the ball defenders in college basketball. He’s great slashing to the hoop, and his speed, quickness and athleticism are all off the charts. He’s a very good PG for Roy’s system, and will help UNC win a national championship.
Why don’t I like him then? Simple. His outside shot blows, I don’t see it improving a lot with his form. And by far most importantly: he’s not a real PG. Lawson is much more an incredible athlete, but I don’t see any part of his game that suggests to me he truly understands the PG position at a high level.
He seems to be a worker and has a great attitude, and because he was injured last year and is regaining his timing I am giving him the benefit of the doubt, and would like nothing more then for him to prove me wrong. But every game I watch hear and remember the hype around him and watch his athletic ability…and am stunned at his utter lack of knowing the game at a high level. I just don’t have a gut feeling he’ll make it…even though I’ll readily admit he has all the athletic talent in the world to do so.
Who should be considered the top NBA PG prospect in college right now?
Johnny Flynn.
-I’m also curious to see how Devan Downey at South Carolina keeps developing, he could be a top 5 guy in the country, and AJ Price looks like he has a bit of Chauncy Billups in him. Nick Calathes is really turning himself into a more confident, versatile player, and has great court vision and a great shot…Greivis Vasquez shows an awful lot of promise and has a shockingly well rounded game (as well as huge height)…Chris Warren at Ole Miss shot way too much last year, but if he can balance scoring/distributing might be something in the future. Tory Jackson from N-Dame is real underrated as a floor leader. But besides them, and most of the above are not dominant players yet, overall I feel this is one of the more crappy years in recent memory for college PGs that will be able to become NBA starting PGs.
Darren Collison is good but overrated, Dominic James is a poor man’s Jameer Nelson, no one knows yet whether Eric Maynor and Stephon Curry have it in them to be true PGs to lead a team, or whether they are just scorers (although with Curry position doesn’t matter…just get him on a court and he’ll succeed at any level). Daniel Hacket is good but not amazing. Levance Fields and Jeremy Pargo are very good college PG’s that I don’t see translating well to the pros. Sheron Collins needs to prove he’s more then just quickness and speed, and to improve his 3 point shot. Tyrese Rice is a shooting guard in a PG’s body…although he might be able to pull an Aaron Brooks. Kalin Lucas at Mich St. should have a great sophomore year and turn into a nice college PG, but he doesn’t appear to be NBA caliber.
After Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn…’09 is not the best year to be hunting for a PG this draft. It’s a deep pool, but not an amazingly talented one for NBA purposes.
Dave T., You mentioned Crittenden the other day, my problem with him is he is a slasher type and we are full of them on this team. Curry, to me, is the perfect guy if he is available on draft night but that is way off.
A few things about the Sixers heading into the Pistons game:
* Detroit is the only team in the NBA with more than 30 wins and a losing home record (18-19).
* Andre Miller has inexplicably accumulated eight assists and 13 turnovers in the last three games.
* The Sixers have given up 100-plus points in 10 of the past 15 games after doing so 10 times the 29 games prior. Philly is 9-18 when allowing 100+ points this season and 3-12 when opponents shoot at least 50 percent.