Look – if Carney can do it, this team can do it!  Come on, Sixers!

jjg…Since there are several reasons for our “struggles”, I don’t need poor shooting to be at the top of the list.  You pointed out a couple good ones, so I could live with poor shooting being in the top 3.

Of course, there’s zero chance of my hypothetical occuring, given braintrust’s caution and timidity towards upsetting “stars” sensibilities and emotional balance/psychological comfort, along with business concerns for customer expectations.  Another L, right this way.  “Remember the Alamo!” 

Disagree with you bski:  Sixers’ poor record is more the result of highly-sporadic defensive play and sloppy ball management than shooting inaccuracy, though the latter factor is certainly contributive.  Bob Cousy, K.C. Jones and Bill Russell couldn’t shoot – but their Celtic squads won due to great team play and defensive diligence when it mattered.  Sixers are emotionally immature and mentally soft, not up to strong challenges.  Yes, watch these athletes fly often – out of position, and off the handle!

To close on an upbeat note:  After the Sixers canned their nepotistically-inserted head coach, Cheeks, for losing the team’s ear through basic incompetence, their replacement head coach, DiLeo 
(who learned defensive concepts from Paul Westhead – egad!), has  
instilled staunch West Germanic dual gender championship ideas that pre-date Live Aid at JFK , and he’s steered the team to the 19th best record in the NBA!  “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!”    
 

Assistant coach Jim Lynam, who has been an NBA head coach and general manager, suggested that eight games “is not a good sample” to make any judgments on DiLeo as a head coach, but he described DiLeo as “very organized and very thorough, and I think those are two different things.”
“I think he has tried to present things to the players in a fashion where they appreciate the importance of those two things, where they understand exactly what they’re trying to do with offensive or defensive concepts, and at the offensive end understanding second and even third options on a play, that it doesn’t have to evolve into a one-on-one play all the time,” Lynam said.

Sam isn’t the damn problem on offense.

The Sixers play pick up basketball on offense.  They have no structure when their talent level dictates structure is necessary/mandatory to have consistent success.  I would be fine with an open style offense where the mentality is “take em” if the had really good individual offensive players there were actually good at “taking em.”  They don’t.  Lou is probably the best and he isn’t even all that great or consistent with it. 

Coaching has all the impact on offensive system and that is were a lot of blame should be directed. 

It’s not Sam’s fault guys can’t shoot from the perimeter, have limited offensive games and make bad decisions when the game is close and the Sixers need the guys with the ball to make plays.  He does exactly what he is suppose to do most of the time.  Get out of the way. 

People say he is floating on the perimeter like that is a bad thing.  Yes, he is because he shouldn’t be attempted to establish post position (do you want him doing that?) OR clogging driving lanes (would you rather him do that?). 

Sam would be maximized offensively as a short corner and elbow shooter as a release if nothing is there on drives to the basket and when his man naturally helps protect the rim. Keep it simple.  Catch and shoot if you are open. That’s it.  That is were I would position Sam offensively.  Those shots I think he can make consistently when open (not when he catches with his back to the basket then faces up and shoots it like he does now) and would be best served focusing his individual development time on offensively – not low post work.  I would feel much more comfortable with him taking those open shots than him catching with his back to the basket or trying to squeeze passes to him in traffic.

Now I have now clue what the Sixers coaching staff works on but that’s what I would do with Sam.  Turn him into a short corner and elbow shooting big.  That way he isn’t clogging the lane or taking post position from someone better suited to be down there.  Also when he is in the short corner he is in perfect position to continue to receive the lobs when guys penetrate and his man helps.  At the elbow he is in good position to follow up misses diving down the lane for offensive boards.  Then keep it simple. Rebound, defend and screen.  Period.  Pipe dream?  Maybe, maybe not.  He isn’t a post player never has been and never will be, he’s just not.  Very rarely do bigs who come to the game late develop the footwork and moves necessary to be successful in the post.  I think the Sixers early on and maybe even still try to develop his post game. I personally just never think that is going to happen.  But I do believe he could make shots at the foul line and short corner when open and no pressure.

As for everyone else, I think the coaching staff asks themselves what gives us the best chance to win now and we are watching their answer on a daily basis.  That’s why Willie starts, why Iguodala is the go to guy, etc…they figure it’s the best shot we have with what we’ve got.  Not easy to take, I know.

Is starting Willie Greene a move for the present or future?  Because for the life of me I just can’t figure it out.  Is the true answer that your team just flat out sucks when you have to start Willie Greene?

Dannie, what’s the trade bro?  I am dying in anticipation!

I’m also dying slowly watching this team, year after freakin year just dissapoint me.   Why wasn’t Speights playing yesterday?  I don’t have the energy to bash Sammy anymore, at least not this weekend. 

Like I said before, if somebody has an advantage (an actual, not a perceived, advantage) and it’s working for us then you definitely keep going back to it.  That was not the case last night.  We (mostly Miller) had a really tough time just getting the ball to Iguodala (it had to be forced in more often than not).  On top of that, Iguodala couldn’t do much with it when he finally got it.  I could see trying it but, after we got nothing out of it the first couple times, we should have stopped trying to force it and gone to something else.