Help me out, when was the last time you watched the Sixers play and thought to yourself “they played great tonight?”. Without looking at the previous schedule of games I find myself drawing a blank. Sad.
Well it’s likely going to take a memorable performance from our Sixers tonight if they are going to beat a healthy New Orleans squad. I am driving down to the game now just as excited as I always am when the Sixers play a strong opponent. I just like watching them against good teams to see how they respond. I like watching how good teams approach and play the game. And tonight I get to watch my current favorite player in CP3.
Paul thoroughly destroyed the Sixers last game to the tune of 27 points, 15 dimes, 10 boards and 7 steals. That is beyond ridiculous. And all that was without David West or Tyson Chandler in the line up. The Hornets won by 15 easily. If Royal Ivey doesn’t play at least 20 minutes what is the point of having him?
The Hornets are methodical on offense with Paul surgically slicing up defenses. They play slow and are only opportunistic fast breakers. The Sixers need to force the pace every possession and make them match up with our speed and athleticism.
The other thing AS ALWAYS will be defending against the three. Last game Peja was left wide open way too much and he made the Sixers pay. They need to find him on the occasions the Hornets do run as Pail loves to find him spotting up.
Lastly two match ups I am looking forward to are Thad vs. West and Sammy vs. Chandler. There was a little debate about who the better center is. Regardless Thad and Sam need to defend the pick and roll well all night if the Sixers are going to have a chance.
Sixers vs. Hornets Game Notes
The Sixers continue to teeter on the .500 tightrope. Tonight they slipped back to the dark side. I only have three things some of which I will elaborate on more during some posts this week.
- Sixers bench was horrible. 13 points on 4-18 from the field. Check that everyone besides the Andre’s was horrible. We got 58 points on 23-34 from the field, 10 boards and 11 assists from Iguodala and Miller. No one else came to play.
- I am officially done with the Thaddeus Young at power forward routine. That isn’t his position and I don’t think he thrives at that position either. He gets abused on the boards inside and leaves the Sixers at a disadvantage when they face a team with two legit inside players. Dileo tried to hide him on defense by starting him out on Chandler. That didn’t work for two reasons. One West made Dalembert look like a damn fool. And two, Chandler got his hands on every Hornets missed shot (finished with 6 offensive rebounds). They then switched and West continued to dominate until the Sixers decided to double team on the catch. More on this in a post later this week.
- The Sixers had a 21-point advantage in fast break points shot 45% from the field (43% for the Hornets), made 1 more field goal and 83.3% from the line. All that wasn’t good enough to get a win at home for three reasons.
- 39-50 rebounding disadvantage and gave up 17 offensive boards. This is suppose to be a Sixers strength.
- Hornets hit 10 threes (62% by the way) vs. 4 for the Sixers. Same old story here. Poor perimeter rotations and poor three point shooting for the Sixers.
- Finally free throws. Not misses but attempts. The one thing the Sixers MUST DO every game is get to the line more than their opponent. Tonight they got there 4 times less for a 3-point difference. With their inability to shoot the three (shoot period some nights) the foul line can be their savior.
My customary comment: Lou Williams still stinks! Although he did have 5 assists and only 1 turnover. Now if he could just stop taking bad shots maybe we would be able to stand him being on the court 20-25 minutes.
No games until Saturday I will write some stuff to keep you going during the week.
Next Game: Saturday @ Memphis
Hey Ed, pick up Drew Gooden, please? With cherries on top? Give us fans SOMETHING NEW to talk about, please? Apparently, he ain’t the brightest bulb on the tree, so he oughta fit right in!
Dannie, I thought they played real well in the Orlando game till about 5 min. left. If Willie isn!t hitting early I hope they go to a A.Miller and Royal backcourt because if A.Miller and L.Will. are out there together one of them has to guard C.Paul.
Bad coaching tonight in my opinion. With 7 minutes left, down by 5, we sub out Iguodala and sub in Miller. Nobody else on the court besides Miller had double figures in scoring. We didn’t we have Miller and Iguodala on the court at the same time when we needed to make a run. Instead Miller is left trying to carry the Stinky Lou and Willie on his back until about 4 minutes left. Then to top it all off, we need a stop defensively which we got. Unfortunately Thaddeus Young couldnt keep anyone off the boards. They end up missing a tip shot and then coming down with the board. And speaking of Thad. How many times does he leave his guy in the corner to help out, and then his guy ends up draining a 3? We are playing ridiculously bad right now. And im getting tired of it. Does anyone else besides me want either Luther Head or Drew Gooden?
Didn’t see the game so I wanted to ask how well did the second unit play tonight? Also, looks like the Sixers got killed on the glass.
guest– I also want Luther Head. And why are we not playing Kareem Rush or Donyell Marshall and giving them some minutes?
I never thought I say this, but Lou is not playing well at all! He is forgetting about slashing it to the hoop.
Rob - The one thing Lou isn’t doing poorly is slashing to the hoop. He got to the line 6 times tonight and free throws have been the primary source of points for him during this horrid shooting stretch. He gets to the line 6.9 times per 36 minutes, most on the team. Not a problem.
His problem is shot selection, shot making, overall decision making and distributing ability on offense. Defense is a whole other story.
Dannie,
Would you have liked to see the two Andre’s on the court at the same time more in the fourth quarter? That is what I kept noticing watching the game. On the boxscore I kept going down the list of who were playing and it would read:
-2
-6
-23
-0
-10
23 being one of the Andre’s. We can’t make a run to take the lead with only one player that is playing well, and the others can’t hit a shot. You said you wanting Royal Ivey to get 20 minutes. He got 12. That is why I point the finger to coaching in this loss. Now we have the 7th seed. Great!
I’m told Sixers aren’t pursuing Luther Head.
Should’ve worried more about the 3-pointer in the fourth. Hornets went 4-for-5 beyond the arc, 4-of-14 from inside the line in the quarter. West (2-of-11 in second half) had gone cold by then, so leaving Butler (2-for-2 on 3s in fourth) and Paul open from downtown shouldn’t have happened.
Guest – I’ve noticed in previous game where he substitutes Iguodala around midway through the fourth quarter.
It just speaks to his inexperience as a coach. He does a better job than Cheeks did getting the bench players in but he doesn’t do a good job managing his starters minutes, particularly Iguodala. For example tonight Iguodala played:
So going into the 4th quarter Iguodala played 33:02 of the first 36 minutes. Then Dileo kept him in for the first 4:20 in the fourth quarter. So he had played the first 37:22 of 40:20 in the game.
Dileo realizes this late and haphazardly subs him out.
One thing I like about Phil Jackson is he has a good, standard substitution routine with Kobe. He always sits him to start the 4th quarter regardless of game situation. He then brings him back for the last 8 or so minutes of the game. I like that.
Substituting one of your best players in the middle of the 4th makes no sense. You want them finishing the game in a rhythm (Iguodala is really a steak/rhythm player which makes this even more important) and the best way to do that is having them on the court for the last 7-8 minutes of the fourth.
Dileo needs to figure this out with Iguodala and Miller.
Dileo did it again with his poor line up. About five min. into the forth quarter Dileo had Lou in who had four points tonight to that point, Ivey who had two points and Evans who had zero points to that point also Thad and Iggy was out there. We were trailing by about five points for alot of the game we needed to keep scoring to stay in the game. How does he expect to win without scorers out there? At the game tonight after the half time show Miller came out before the rest of the team to pratice shooting his shot. You could tell he was taking his work seriously in the mean time the rest of the team came out and started shooting. Standing to the left of the foul line was, Thad, Lou, and Speights talking and laughing like they had a good joke to tell. Miller continued shooting . They finally realized were they were. This makes me wonder were there heads are. Best thing about tonight was fifty percent off all apparel at the The Fan Gear Store.
The sixers fan gear store is as pathetic as the team. On opening night I asked a lady who worked there if they had any Thad Jerseys and she looked at me like I was talking french.
This team really stinks right now, Eddie Jordon anyone?
Dannie, I couldn’t watch the game, blackouted in Italy, so thanks for the good recap, nice to have some first hand reports. I am also a huge fan pf Chris Paul, fantastica player.
I saw Kate Fagan’s good article about our inability to defend the three AND the paint, as West and Chandler destroyed us, as you explained. Pretty scaring combination…
As for the bench, I like what he brings to the table but Reggie Evans is playing too many minutes, I’d keep them to 15-17 max.
I don’t see any reason for NOT playing Speights 25 min per night CONSISTANTLY.
Don’t remember if you were for trading Miller or not (I wanted to keep him) but imagine what would this team look like WITHOUT him… especially in 4th quarters. Can you say awful?
And yeah, LW is deeply disapponting me, even if judging from the boxscore he had worse nights this year (sadly true).
Pretty depressing moment of the season (sorry Brian, lol).
Ricky, how do you watch the sixers games in Italy? Online? I am asking because I will be moving to Greece someday and would love to have the Sixers frustrate me 6.000 miles away
Takes at Milepost 59
Iguodala: needs to be surrounded with w/scoring talent, sent back to productive D-work shift (won’t happen w/superstar contract); great runner/physically gifted, weird mentality. Multi-faceted and multi-flawed. New behind-back pass penchant demonstrates his eyes & dexterity and essential ‘I’- focus (passing equivalent of tomahawk dunk – look at me!). A non-winning diva without better support.
Miller: focus on scoring may be fun for him, but it isn’t primary job of PG and can’t help his energy reservoir for already insufficient D-end assignment efforts; that said, best player this season.
Green: love his team attitude and sensible demeanor; usually comes to work, shows some poise but he’s not a starting 2 guard due to spotty outside shooting; ideal role – a 15-20 min contributer off the bench.
Young: fine runner and inconsistent shooter; outquicks himself sometimes … needs to slow pace, trust his game, get headier; gets destroyed inside; apparently a nice young man but development required – learning to dribble and see others would help.
Dalembert: Bye! Has moments and some tools, but if Malone & Ruland can’t reach him, who can? Change of scenery may help him; it will definitely help Sixers.
Williams: Smiles a lot as he tortures fans; livin’ the easy life too early –
(25 mil, Ed?); FG shooting, D and decision-making is wanting; attitude-adjustment needed, too casual/unprofessional. Don’t know if he’ll ever be a good pro.
Evans: resident galoot; a vagrant on offense; usually hustles/good double-teamer, I’ll give him that; 10-15 minutes AT MOST. On a good team, he takes a few fouls and sits.
Speights: Jury still out. Mobile for his size, nice J, alley-oop ready;
rebounding – weak to fair, defense – gets used, no clue … shows nasty streak on occasional hard fouls. Enthusiastic, but a long way from Springfield yet.
Ivey: admirable D intensity, energy and fearlessness; his hot 3 pt. shooting (after Dileo arrived) has cooled off; seems like a good teammate; a 4th guard, another 10-15 min guy due to size and offensive limitations.
@ Greek
yes, I watch the games online, I bought the official Int’l League Pass, for a ridiculous 67 euros. It works pretty well, the problems are two:
1) blackouts (I missed around Sixers 6-7 games this year)
2) replaying games remain online for 24 hrs only
It’s possible to catch almost every game online LIVE, even the ones blackouted on LP I mean, but the problem for me from Mon to Fri is that I have to go to work the day after, LOL
If you have any further question email me at sixers4guidos@gmail.com, I will be happy to contribute frustrating you for many years to come
Dalembert is unable to handle strong, brutish players. This is where Elton Brand would have been useful when healthy, defending David West, who gets easily irritated. Brand may not have the size, but he sure has the strength and is an underrated defender. Also, he is clearly better than Dalembert and Evans when scoring down low! He can really help us in these half-court games. Right now, we are not very good at the half-court and there are a lot of half-court opponents such as the Hornets. If Shaq can score a lot of points for the Suns, then anything is possible!
The other emphasis for next season, aside from encorporating Brand, would be three point shooting (both offensively and defensively). We need to get some guys that can shoot and start! (Anthony Parker, Mike James, Luther Head, etc). Hopefully, these three point issues can be solved now, but it is a work in progress.
Our next five games are important. They ALL seem winnable and it is important to get on a big win streak before going on another dreaded West Coast Trip. MENTAL TOUGHNESS, especially for the young guys!!
I just figured out Dileo’s rotation. He’s decided to play for Ping Pong balls instead of wins. Lottery here we come.
Rasual Butler: Nice to see he’s really carved out a nice niche for himself with the Hornets these last three years. Hit 100 3′s already this year with another 20+ games to go. La Salle hoops doesn’t have much to celebrate about these days (although they do have a monster recruit coming in next year), so I figure they need something to be proud of until then.
Luther Head: Rob, I’m with you. If only so we can have headlines on the Daily News like, “Sixers get Head.”
Really though, what is the downside? If we sign him, the contract would probably be in the 3 year, $6 million range…not exactly a huge dent in our cap situation. Aside from the fact he is a pretty good (not great, but still an improvement) three point shooter…he can pass, is unselfish, and a smart offensive player. And most importantly, he would give us trade flexibility…aka: we’d have a VERY cheap replacement/backup in our backcourt already in place if we decided to move Willie or Lou in a some kind of package trade with another Sixer this summer.
It comes down to our young guys and to get them to establish maturity, as well as a sense of urgency to improving our standings. They are in a unique position, where they have a chance to make the postseason and be exposed to playoff intensity. Some of our young guys, even Jason Smith, have had that taste and want more. But they must remember how they made the playoffs and why positioning is important? Speights is new to this, but he must understand how valuable possessions are. Certain possessions could have helped this team win a couple games. A lot of our losses (especially the close ones) are a result of the young guys and the lack of instinct. They need to capitalize on those opportunities (when Chris Paul rests or when Dwight Howard is in foul trouble). The great teams have that killer instinct to make that run and it is an avalanche for the opposing team. Our bench, especially our young guys, must capitalize!
Lou Williams is quite the barometer for this team. When he plays extremely well, generally the team does so and it fuels our bench production. He needs to slash to the hoop regularly and continue doing so, instead of settling for jump shots. Lou must be judicious with his offense and first start with taking it to the hoop. Then establish the jump shots once he is in rhythm.
A shooting consultant is a MUST for this team. Look at what Mark Price has done for the Hawks, as well as for Thad and Lou (somewhat). Just as Barkley has a shooting consultant for his golf swing, I’m sure there is one for the Sixers.
Aside from the Andres, the ball movement needs to better and not so stagnant. What makes the Lakers great is that all of those players are capable of handling the ball and make the right plays that lead to a basket or another assist resulting in a basket.
The Lakers have a set triangle offense. And some guy name Kobe who can drop 50 on your head at any given moment. Let’s see, what can we call the Sixers offense? Is there a name for it in the half court? NONE, how about CHALLENGED. No post player, No consistent jump shooters, and only a few capable of creating their own shots. All the “niche” type players who affect the game in some shape or form are bad offensive players. Ivey, Evans, Dalembum. Like the previous post Butler, Posey are “niche” players that bring offense, 3pt shooting to the game when they enter. I’m beginning to think this staff just doesn’t know how to put together a team.
Bring back Billy K. just kidding
DiLeo said after Tuesday’s practice that he and his staff have talked about changing the rotation or even the starting lineup, but I wouldn’t expect anything major.
Williams has the worst 3-point percentage (27.5) on the league’s worst 3-point shooting team and his 38.5 percent from the floor is a career low and third-worst on the team (ahead of only Rush and Ivey)
Ricky, thank you very much!
JJG, I love how you through a “weird mentality” in there for Iggy at the end. It’s so very wierd but true. I don’t know if its possible for this guy to lead anyone with his whining ways.
At least he doesn’t complain about EVERY foul call against him …
Dave, your sixers get head rant damn near made me spit out my coffee! Funny stuff.
Props to Dannie for keeping up with his post game summaries when it would be too easy for him to just say screw it.
The worst thing about this season me for is that I have have lost faith in Stefanski. He didn’t do a freakin thing, nodda just sat on his butt and now were free falling. Thanks Ed, Sammy asked for a trade and you couldn’t get it done? Yellow toothed George Falkowski might have been right about you.
The lack of D played by our pg’s makes me really appreciate Eric Snow. No way in hell do I re-sign Andre Miller. Yes I know that we will get worse in the short run, but we need to build this team for a championship run instead of maye taking 2 0r 3 games in a series. Yes Fred, I said we.
Right about now is the time when Elton would have been excelling, what a shame.
Tom it sure seems as if he does on tv! Can you talk to Stefanski and ask him to say something to the die hard fans who are getting increasingly disgruntled with what the hell is going on? I see Dalembeart on the bench covering his face with both of this hands and not even watching the game. Which is what I felt like doing after the first play in which Sammy got the ball at the top of the key. The result was a turnover ofcourse.
DAVE T….good one. We could enjoy lots of laugh-out-loud Luther Head-lines.
RROSE……“What can we call the Sixers offense?” …..How about the Bermuda-Triangle Offense? Sounds about right, doesn’t it?
Miscast: Dileo, earnest but ‘short’ Stefanski insertion. As quoted in this morning’s Inquirer by Kate Fagan, commenting on Lou Williams: “[has been] a little up and down … has the green light to shoot … I just want him to create havoc when he’s out there.” Huh?!? The kid’s shooting 38% – with 3.1 & 2.0 A/TO numbers - and he’s being given a green light? Flies in the face of strong coaching.
Delusion Dept./unintended joke-of-the-day: Also, from same source, “Williams insisted he has never been a guy that forces shots but if Dileo wishes him to be more aggressive he’ll ‘switch it up.’ “
jjg….I read that too and had the same reaction? The key for me would be that Lou needs to create more havoc for the other team than he does for his own. I’m not seeing that too much.
DiLeo’s quote confirms my thoughts that he (and Stefanski, I presume) want Lou to “play through” his struggles; to learn and grow, with the idea that he will come out the other side as a potent offensive force.
The fact that Lou insists he doesn’t force up shots is disturbing and I don’t even want to begin to think about what “switching it up” would entail. I mean, he only passes up a couple shots a night as it is.
First sentence of previous post is a statement (.) not a question (?) Sorry!
And why not give Rush more PT? Surely Kareem can equal or better Williams’ production at the 2 if given same 22 mpg. He failed first time at a brief opportunity but deserves another, more extended shot. Guess it’s about the wide disparity in contract numbers and ES trying to saving face, hoping Williams miraculously morphs into Dave Bing.
above should read ‘save face’ … “Mabel, more Maxwell House, please.”
bski As pledged earlier in season, further off-expressway dining options, same exit, turn L rather than R at top of hill:
- Casselli’s Restaurant – 7620 Ridge Ave. Andorra section of Roxborough – great neighborhood Italian restaurant (pass Roxborough HS, ShopRite supermarket, CVS; on your L)
- Tony A’s Pizzaria – same street, same direction; corner of Ridge & Domino Lane (across from CVS, before you reach Casselli’s) – they’ll cut pie into 4, 8 or 16 slices , depending on your hunger
- Bob’s Diner on Ridge (turning R towards Chubby’s) is a longstanding and respectable ‘greasy spoon’
Above list oughta get ya through the playoffs!
jjg…Thanks a lot!! I have two games left to attend. Sunday 3/15 against the Heat and Friday 4/10 against the Cavs. I also purchased a “six-pack” of Phillies tickets for the upcoming season, so these suggestions will give me more options.
jjg….I think the answer to your question in #30 is the second paragraph in my post #28.
Rush is a temporary stopgap, whereas Stefanski and DiLeo are committed long-term to Lou. I think in their eyes any minutes given to Rush only serves to take away the valuable floor time they feel Lou needs to develop.
bski You’re quite welcome.
You’re logging a lot of miles in support of these franchises. Hope you get a good return. I had a Phillies ”Ryan Howard MVP 6-pack” in ’07 but choice seating is harder to come by now; have opted out for the single game ‘fiat’ route.
bski Regarding Williams, let him go to the Development League again if he needs to “develop.” NBA games aren’t for incubating. It’s about results. Rush was signed to shoot, supposedly. He could do no worse than Williams in that respect AND on defensive end. And he could pleasantly surprise (live up to incoming billing) and pay dividends … but he can’t do it while mothballed. I like his outside shooting stroke better than LW’s. Needs minutes, needs to relax and not worry about every miss imo. Is only 28, regarding him as “stopgap” is a limiting perspective. Production is production. Sixers’ braintrust has to be creative and flexible with regard to roster deployment. If it’s broke, fix it - with tools at your disposal.
jjg.…Don’t get me wrong. I agree with you. I’m merely stating what I believe to be DiLeo’s, and by extension Stefanski’s, reasoning as to why Lou plays and Kareem doesn’t, that’s all. I just feel like they are willing to go through some short term pain in the hopes of reaping a long term gain with Lou. I doubt that there’s any long term thinking going on regarding Kareem. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me really.
A while back, DiLeo flat out said that Rush, and Marshall, do not get on the floor because they do not do what the Sixers need them to do on the defensive end. Going solely by that, Lou shouldn’t be on the floor either, as he might as well use a red matador’s cape while he’s on the defensive end.
At this point of the season, teams are more familiar with other teams. Perhaps we need to freshen things up by using the other parts of our roster! Sure, Rush and Marshall may have some defensive issues, but we’re not expecting them to play heavy minutes. Other teams are willing to play their shooters because of their ability to shoot the ball, despite their lack of defense. The Spurs have Matt Bonner starting and he is asked to keep shooting. Eddie House is not a good defender for the Celtics, he is asked to shoot. We need to put Rush and Marshall for certain minutes, let’s say close to the end of the second quarter and depending on the situation in the fourth quarter, get them set for diagrammed three or to be decoys necessary for Iguodala and Miller to do their thing.
Tom Moore, were there any discussions about Rush and Marshall getting some minutes? They are certainly needed. This stretch is critical, which includes the 5 game West Coast Trip. Thanks!
jjg….Yeah, it’s a commitment to trek to all these games, but I think it’s worth it. The tickets take care of birthday and Christmas presents for the family for the entire year. I’d rather spend the money on that rather than get my kids another video game or my wife another pair of earrings, you know? We all enjoy going to them and it makes for a nice family day. My boys are in 9th and 7th grades now. It won’t be too long before they are too busy with friends, girlfriends, jobs, college, etc…to be bothered to do anything with their parents, so I’m taking advantage of the opportunity before it’s gone.
It doesn’t sound like Rush and Marshall are options unless the Sixers are desperate. Think they’ve essentially given up on Rush.
Dalembert finally talked Wednesday (wouldn’t Tuesday) and said he was “very frustrated on the bench” for the final 19:36 in a game in which the Sixers were beaten on the boards, 50-39.
“It’s very upsetting watching that out there,” Dalembert said. “What can I do? I cannot go out there and sub myself.”
Guess he forgot about West scoring the Hornets’ first 12 points on him …
Was funny Dalembert worked on his 3-point shooting after practice (he’s 0-for-2 from downtown in 2008-9). Perhaps he’d be better served spending time on shots from 10 feet and in.
Greek, I was just kidding yesterday after Iguodala not complaining every time he gets called for a foul. He does so without fail, which does not endear him to the officials. Following Jim Boeheim’s lead in this department (forgive me, I went to Syracuse) is not the way to go.
Tom Going 2-6 coming down the homestretch is fairly desperate. And utilizing a 28% & 38% no-D 2 guard is a fairly dire strait for an organization with winning on its mind, ostensibly. If they’ve quit on Rush, that’s their problem, especially given present circumstances. What’s your take on his perpetual DNPCD status? Is he showing that poorly in practice? Bad attitude? Doesn’t make sense to me, other than LWs lavish contract and resultant favored status/loads of leeway.
Rush shot the ball well in training camp. I expected every 3-pointer he took at Penn State to go in. But he wasn’t effective in short regular-season stints on the court, so Cheeks and then DiLeo opted to go with Ivey for his defense. I don”t understand why Rush didn’t play more with Brand, who needs jump shooters to be effective. Now that Brand is out, Rush is the forgotten man. He complained a bit about his role about a month into the season, but has been quiet ever since.
FYI: Speights ran with the first group at practice today (Green out with right foot tendon strain), with Iguodala at the 2 and Young at the 3. DiLeo said Green should be back at practice tomorrow and “anticipates” Green starting Saturday vs. Memphis, but would like to take a longer look at Iguodala and Young on the wings.
Tom Thanks for reply. The Ivey D asset is clear. But the O is in need of the momentum & morale boosts (and stretching of D) that unstraining/natural Js provide (instead of every bucket, an ordeal). Yes, Rush played poorly early but was on a short leash. It’s hard for a shooter to find a groove when he’s being yo-yoed. Interesting, that you witnessed his (now latent) skill practiced at a high level at PSU. ’Waste not, want not’ would seem to apply.
Related Trivia: Div. I FG shooting accuracy record, season: 57.2 %, the ’79-’80 Missouri Tigers, included future NBA-ers Larry Drew, Jon Sundvold and Steve Stepanovich. Inform or remind Kareem; could probably use a little encouragement.
Tom sometimes blessings come in the form of foot injuries. Maybe the slight strain in WG’s foot will show Speights is the right man for the 4 spot. Or we’ll all know that he is languishing on the bench because he’s just not ready for major playing time. I hope its more the blessing side then the not ready side.
jjg, regarding LOU!!! follow the money. He makes a lot more than Rush, the money usually leads to the right answer.
Get this, the Sixers brought in a shooting coach!!
Why didn’t we do this earlier? Look at the Hawks’ shooting when they hired Mark Price– it is improved!
Sixers didn’t bring Bruce Kreutzer in — he came to work with Williams and Young, just as he did earlier this season and last summer in Atlanta.
Ivey (32.2 percent) is the only Sixer shooting worse than Rush (34.7) and Williams (38.5) from the field. But he’s clearly the best defender of the three — and best ball-handler.
Williams 602 shots in 1,323 min, 1 every 2.19
Rush 49 shots in 170 min, 1 every 3.47
Ivey 146 shots in 586 min, 1 every 4.01
shooting percentage comparison validity is questionable due to wide disparity in attempts, minutes and varying licenses (and roles) granted by coach
p.s. somebody in the group is a chucker
Tom – Pointing out simple field goal percentage doesn’t tell the story.
From Three:
EFG%:
Ivey is on par with Williams overall as a shooter from the floor, better from three and on defense and will turn the ball over less. Their minutes should be reversed at the very least. Lou is getting a free pass right now and that is unacceptable.
After a hot start Willie has returned to form. Below average shooter, decent defender, great effort and a good teammate that knows his role.
Kareem Rush only has 49 shot attempts, hasn’t been given enough chances to make shots especially since Lou has played so terribly so I don’t even think he is worth talking about at this point.
By the way I played pick up ball with Aaron Mckie last night. He could come in and make shots right now and probably still play better defense than Lou. And I also just got back from a Sixers season ticket holders event at the Franklin Institute where we got a chance to see the players and coaches.
These next 10 games are critical if they want to improve in the standings:
3/7 @ Memphis 8PM
3/8 @ Oklahoma City 7PM
3/11 v.s Toronto 7PM
3/13 v.s Chicago (Spectrum Game) 7PM
3/15 v.s Miami 1 PM
3/17 @ LA Lakers 10:30PM
3/18 @Phoenix 10PM
3/20 @Golden State 10:30PM
3/22 @Sacramento 9PM
3/23 @ Portland 10PM
With consistency, determination, & energy, they could go 8-2 (with losses to LA and Portland most likely). The Phoenix game will be a Wild Card based on the Suns fatigue during games.
8-2 or 7-3 would be the goal for this 10 game stretch. Anything better of course is always encouraged!!
“Consistency, determination and energy” … found in only one stretch all season - the “Firing Squad” (14-4). Other than that starched-up-by-contact-with-reality spell, Sixers have been totally inconsistent and unpredictable. 8-2? I’m all in on the under. Rob, your outlook is as sunny as Miami or Phoenix. They could just as easily go 4-6, but 5-5 or 6-4 looks about right to me.
This team could go 8-2… and then 2-8 the following 10. They are streaky but settle out around .500. Its been the case for nearly 3 years.
The thing is, you can’t be sold on their win streaks. When you lack consistent shooting and post scoring, and have lots of young players in your rotation you are going to be streaky (at best.) Unfortunately, they seem to be in win now mode with the Brand signing and the possible extension of Miller. They also are up against the tax in the next 2 years.
Hopefully the post scoring will be addressed by Brand and Speights next year. But the shooting won’t improve internally (it would have been great to replace Miller’s 10M with a PG who can shoot.). They will likely have to trade away young talent for lower upside players who can shoot. Not exactly a recipe for high level success.
I agree, Dannie, that Ivey and Williams’ minutes should be reversed, based on performance.
BTW: No Reggie Evans at practice today — he was excused for personal reasons. Green was back running with the first team.
can’t believe i’m saying this but I miss Jason Smith. albeit just for the fact that he can actually shoot the ball…but then Speights seems to have a better, more consistent stroke so I dunno how far that will take us.
like the fact that everyone is showing Willie G. some love. just love his attitude and demeanor. he is what he is, but at least he’s giving 90% out there.
after seeing the look on Andre Miller’s face in that New Orleans game, I wonder if he will be back for the price we will offer. he just looked mad and disgusted. even when he was calling for the double team on Paul at the end of the game, think before West hit a deuce, and he didnt get it, his body language was just like “WTF, who cares anymore, I’m done trying”. Am I reading too much into this? who knows but meen somebody’s gotta be pissed if you’re watching that game.
well go sixers!
jkay, you brought up the biggest problem with this team, the body language of Miller, showing his disgust of alot of his teamates not coming to play totally prepare. Dileo, and his assistent coaches needs to make this team work it is up too them to light a fire under there butts and motivate them or sit them. Dileo need to change what he is doing