Grace period is over for this team. They need to start playing at their pay grade and up to their full capabilities now. Mo Cheeks needs to start steering this club in the right direction – UP the Eastern Conference standings. The Sixers have been lucky through 21 games that only Boston, Cleveland and Orlando have really played well enough and been healthy enough to set themselves apart from the pack. That means the 4th spot is open to the rest of the bunch competing for playoff spots.
Elton Brand is expected to play tonight so the Sixers will be at full strength again. I am at the “no more excuses” point with this team. Cleveland is pretty good but not great. Daniel Gibson will not be playing. LeBron is unquestionably one of the most dominant players in the league and can win games by himself against average to weak teams. Right now the Sixers fall in that average to weak category but winning tonight at home is a step out of that kiddie sandbox.
The Sixers record against teams in the top 16 (playoff teams) is a horrendous 2-9. They are 1-8 against teams with a plus .500 record. They are 5-6 at home, and with all the lofty expectations it’s no surprise they are also 26th in average home attendance and 29th in home attendance percentage at a dismal 67.5%.
Ed Stefanski said he isn’t preaching patience to the fans, so that means we shouldn’t have any more patience with terrible play from this team. Win a big game against a good team, at home – NOW. And do it again tomorrow!
If anyone will be at the game Pete will be down on the floor under the basket on the end by the Sixers bench because he is a high roller. I will be in section 120, row 21 seats 11 & 12.
Sixers vs. Cleveland Game Notes
This Sixers didn’t get blown out, against good teams I guess that will be my expectation going into games now. So good for them. This will be pretty short because I am tired and most of the points deserve separate posts anyway.
- Elton Brand played like he should have still been in a suit tonight. 7 turnovers! Are you kidding me? Brand has never averaged more than 3 turnovers per game in his career actually only reached 3 one time as a 21 year old second year player. So I can’t understand what the hell is going on with him losing the ball all the time right now. He is only averaging 2.6 per game but he accumulates them in bunches at a time. I don’t know if his hamstring is still bothering him or if he just flat out sucks and we got the raw end of a shitting stick this summer when Stefanski signed him.
- Andre Iguodala looks to have found his game. Which is nice because I really don’t dislike him at all. I think he fits in a role and when he is playing well he fulfills it nicely. This was easily his best game of the season with 27 points on 11-16 shooting, 9 boards, 5 dimes and only 2 turnovers. That is what he is getting paid $80M to do every night. Let’s hope this continues.
- But for the people that think any of his recent success has anything to do with the two letters (SF) next to him name are kidding themselves. The difference is not the position, the difference is his overall play. He is getting and taking the exact same shots as he did in the beginning of the season he is just making them now. It’s actually that simple. Let’s not over think it. But if you really want to debate it we can and I will dedicate a post to my opinion on the matter.
- Lou Williams has also found his game. He is playing to his strengths now. The key to Lou William’s game is getting to the foul line. His shot attempts become significantly more productive when he is attacking which gives himself two ways to score; make the shot and/or go to the foul line. tonight he was 8-11 from the line and 7-15 from the field for 22 points. That is a perfect Lou Williams game.
- Andre Miller had a great floor game offensively, but is a complete liability defensively. Mo Williams had the best game of the season matched up with Miller. The way I see it, Miller doesn’t defend well and just figures he can get it back when he has the rock on offense.
- LeBron had a pretty quiet 29. The whack ass LeBron fans at the game were waiting for that explosive moment and it really didn’t happen at all.
What it comes down to with the Sixers is inconsistency. They played a fantastic 4th quarter, a great first part of the opening quarter and a dreadful third quarter that basically lost the game for them. This has been the trend all year. They just don’t play a complete game. Until they do they will continue to lose.
Next game: Friday at Cleveland
{ 88 comments… read them below or add one }
“Cleveland is pretty good but not great.”
They just won their NBA record ninth game in a row with a margin of victory of 12 points or more. Makes them look a bit better than “pretty good.”
The only thing that gives me hope is that this is Cleveland’s second game in a Back to Back, might be time for them to have a letdown.
yes – I am a high roller
Does anybody else think that Brand doesn’t fit into the fast-paced, defensive-oriented style that got the Sixers into the playoffs last year? I understand that, at some point, you need to be able to execute a half-court offense, but I’m starting to wonder if Brand was really the right fit. I’m not selling out Brand yet, or the Sixers, but I’m also preparing to accept that they may never quite live up to the preseason hype. Of course, that may also be because Iggy will probably never work at the 2…
J.Richardson is a Sun, R.Bell is a Bobcat, Kapono is on the block; 3 guys that wouldn!t look bad here.
Kapono would be great for us in my opionion. I live in Charlotte. Stupid trade for the Bobcats, but I would be estatic if we got Kapono.
Looking forward to seeing this game, just for the fact that, I want to see what exactly we can do against a premiere team, considering we have been playing better since the last time we played a Eastern Conference power house.
However, if the Sixers beat the Raptors by 8 or 10 points, we would be estatic. The Cavs just wiped the floor with them. Not a good sign for us, maybe it will be a wake up call.
Guest, Looks like L.Brown may use Diaw next to Okafor at the 4 and Bell does defend well, don!t think deal was too bad.
As soon as his base comp. period is over we should ship Iggy back to his college town and get richardson, a SG that can actually shoot. Imagine that!
In other news, Willie Green will start at SG and Thaddeus Young will come off the bench according to Sportsnite from CSN.
suede, The Bobcats are 30th in the league in total offense. There defense (besides three point shooting) has been their strong side. I agree Diaw will help tremendously in rebounding (which they are also 30th) and Raja is a lock down defender. The problem is, they already have depth at the point gaurd position. I like J Rich for his offense. It will be intresting to see how Brown coaches this team to score points.
As long as Thad gets the same minutes, I have no problem with it. We all yearn for last years team and putting everybody in last years roles with Brand added to it may get some of “it ” back to this group.
A Wallace/ Diaw tandem is intriguing because Wallace, though athletic, could use an intelligent player like Diaw next to him and L.Brown may be ready for an Augustine/R.Bell backcourt with Felton off the bench.
I guess I’ll be the one to tell Dave T. that his guy, Javaris Crittenton, was traded to the Wizards (as did Mike James from the Hornets).
Also, Check out this excerpt from today’s live chat with David Thorpe:
“December 10, 2008 7:02 PM
A few months ago, the Sixers were a happy story — the young team that almost slayed the Pistons, and then tacked on the best free agent of the bunch.
Now?
Well, I didn’t even go looking, and today I came across two suggestions that Maurice Cheeks won’t last long as head coach.
From David Thorpe’s chat earlier today:
Paul (Trenton, NJ): Mo Cheeks. Does he figure this out or is he one of the next coaches fired?
SportsNation David Thorpe: Let’s just say his realtor is happy.
E. James Beale of the Philadelphia City Paper, has just published a mini-essay on Cheeks’ shortcomings. It starts like this:
The 76ers, heading into Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, were 9-12, and at the bottom of the Atlantic division. Considering that they shelled out more than $160 million in signings this offseason, that’s a considerable disappointment. The team can’t decide on a style of play, doesn’t properly adjust to its opposition and makes bad mistakes at important moments. All this, I’m sorry to say, is the fault of head coach Maurice Cheeks, who has lost his team’s focus, confidence and attention. If the Sixers want to make noise in the playoffs, the team needs to lose him.
This is not an over-reaction to a slump; the Sixers’ problems are systemic. In a recent game against the Orlando Magic, the team fell behind twice in the last minute, both times on a short three-pointer from the left corner. Afterward, Cheeks explained that this had been the strategy: Thaddeus Young (the player covering the shooter) was supposed to help out on penetration. The corner three is “the hardest shot in the game,” Cheeks explained, apparently unaware that the Magic, as a team, shoot 40 percent from that spot — a better percentage than from almost anywhere else beyond the arc.
Just to underscore this last point: There is all kinds of evidence that the corner 3 in general is right there with the dunk as the most effecient shot in the game. It’s the closest 3-pointer, and over time 40% from there gets you the same number of points as 60% from inside the arc. And you simply don’t leave a 60% shooter unguarded ever (mostly because they don’t exist — nobody shoots that well for long).
I don’t know if Maurice Cheeks is a good coach or not. But this is one of several instances I’m aware of — there are more in Beale’s article, and in the memories of beat writers who have covered Cheeks’ teams — when he has said things that really make you scratch your head. Maybe they matter, maybe they don’t. But when his team is spending all that money, and losing all those games, you can bet we’ll be hearing more of those stories.
Which is bad news for Maurice Cheeks, whom everyone says is a nice guy. Maybe his realtor can help him see the silver lining.”
Here is the full article:
Nice Guys Finish Last
Fire Maurice Cheeks.
by E. James Beale
Published: December 10, 2008
The 76ers, heading into Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, were 9-12, and at the bottom of the Atlantic division. Considering that they shelled out more than $160 million in signings this offseason, that’s a considerable disappointment. The team can’t decide on a style of play, doesn’t properly adjust to its opposition and makes bad mistakes at important moments. All this, I’m sorry to say, is the fault of head coach Maurice Cheeks, who has lost his team’s focus, confidence and attention. If the Sixers want to make noise in the playoffs, the team needs to lose him.
This is not an over-reaction to a slump; the Sixers’ problems are systemic. In a recent game against the Orlando Magic, the team fell behind twice in the last minute, both times on a short three-pointer from the left corner. Afterward, Cheeks explained that this had been the strategy: Thaddeus Young (the player covering the shooter) was supposed to help out on penetration. The corner three is “the hardest shot in the game,” Cheeks explained, apparently unaware that the Magic, as a team, shoot 40 percent from that spot — a better percentage than from almost anywhere else beyond the arc.
Maybe worse, Cheeks doesn’t seem to have a clear understanding of his personnel. Repeatedly this season the coach has been asked if his team needs an identity. “No,” he replies, “get stops and get out and run, that’s our identity.” While that may have been the Sixers’ identity last year, it isn’t a style that fits the ‘09 edition — unless Cheeks wants to bench Elton Brand, his $80 million power forward. Being a running team is predicated on being faster than your opponent, something last year’s Sixers, with Andre Iguodala playing small forward, almost always were. This year, with Iguodala playing shooting guard and the bigger Young at his old position, they’re not.
Not that Cheeks has settled on a rotation long enough to let any style of play develop. Players need consistent minutes together to get their sea legs in game situations. Last Saturday, all 12 Sixers took the floor in the first half. This wasn’t an inspired product of set shifts, or even Cheeks punishing specific mistakes; the coach was simply motivated, it seemed, by whims. Think I’m exaggerating? Through Wednesday, here is a complete list of rookie Marreese Speights’ minutes per game: 0, 6, 0, 22, 17, 5, 10, 20, 1, 17, 12, 15, 12, 8, 14, 15, 19, 26, 6, 23, 16.
Maximillian Cohen could spend weeks looking at those numbers and not find a pattern. And players have noticed. Samuel Dalembert has complained that “Lou Williams last year [played] freely. We need to let him be free.” The subtext was obvious: Dalembert himself is getting more than seven minutes less per game, and his numbers are down across the board. Until Cheeks trims the rotation, the 5-13 guys will look over their shoulders after every dead ball.
On top of all this, the players are tuning out the coach’s advice. Next time you’re at a game, watch the huddle closely during a time-out: More often than not, the Sixers are glancing at the Jumbotron and leaning back in their chairs instead of focusing on their coach and his clipboard. It’s not that the guys don’t like Cheeks — they do — it’s that he’s become a fun uncle to them, someone they like but don’t see as a source of wisdom. The team continues to play hard, but effort only means so much when your opponent knows their plays and you don’t.
So, why aren’t more people asking about Cheeks’ job security? No less an authority than Sixers’ GM Ed Stefanski warned that the Sixers “have to start putting it all together,” yet the media hasn’t called for Cheeks’ head. Part of this is indifference — the Wachovia Center has been the second-emptiest stadium in the NBA this season, and Philadelphia’s dailies have shifted their focus almost entirely to football. But a bigger part is the coach’s personality: Cheeks is really personable. Unlike, say, Andy Reid, whose next good quote will be his first, Cheeks pals around with the press. He’s not being political, either — he’s just as friendly with the attendants outside the locker room. And let’s not forget that time when Cheeks (then the coach of the Portland Trailblazers) helped a struggling young singer through the national anthem. He’s a good guy.
Unfortunately, “good guy” isn’t a qualification for an NBA head coach. Competence is. The Sixers need to decide if they want the face of their team to be charismatic, intelligent and gracious — or if they want to win.
bski, pretty interesting article. It raised some good questions and thoughts. I actually like Mo Cheeks, and I think we should wait a little bit longer. However, If the Sixers are going to make any major trades, I think we have to first fire the coach, wait and see what happens, and then make a trade. So I want Mo fired before we make a trade.
Yikes! What kind of uniforms are the Cavs wearing? They look like a bunch of McDonald’s employees minus the paper hats!
“Stop it, stop it with the showtime, dunk it with 2 hands or use the glass- ” Hubie Brown after Iggy!s missed dunk to end the 1st quarter. Otherwise Iggy was fantastic !!!
I like moving Iggy back to SF, but I would have much rather seen Lou Williams start at the 2. Green has been good coming off the bench, and I want to see what Lou does with the minutes. That said, neither should have more minutes than Thad, and that’s where after 3 against the Cavs. And at this pt. in the game, Speights has played 5 minutes and Dalembert 17. On top of that, Brand’s first game back is very rough and that just compounds the weird choices our coach is making. This team is much better than this. I know it has the talent to stay with Cleveland, certainly in a home game. Mo, I love ya, but I am really getting frustrated.
Brand-6pts, 3-11 FG, 7 TOs, 35 MIN, 10 REB.
hmmmmmmm. Did he come back too soon?
The two Andre’s- 49pts, 18-27 FG, 3 combined TOs, 40 MIN each, 13 assists combined, 14 REB combined.
hmmmmmmm. Should Iggy be playing more at the two?
Mo, if you want to get out and run start this 5 ;[Brand,Young,Iggy,Williams and Miller]. They create mismatches and looked good at the end of the game.
When I saw the starting lineup just before tip-off today it was if Rick Mahorn blew a big fart in my face. I was in shock and disgusted by this in the first half, and that stank starting lineup finally did us in, in the 3rd. Cheeks is the absolute worst, there so freakin hard to watch man. Sitting Thad??????????????????wtfffffffffffffffffff
They either make some moves fast or make all tickets 1 dollar a piece, cuz that’s all there worth if that for this piece of shit product that there putting out there.
To address the people that didn’t like my “Cleveland is pretty good” comment…
There are two GREAT teams in the NBA right now the Celtics and the Lakers. Every one else is at least a tier below them in my opinion and I don’t throw the word “great” around as easily as most people do. So me saying Cleveland is pretty good isn’t a slight. Cleveland is good. They are the second best team in the East. But let’s look a little deeper. They won 10 in a row now and of those 10 only one team (Atlanta) has a winning record.
They’ve played 5 tough opponents in my opinion so far this season – Boston – Loss, New Orleans – Loss, Utah (without Deron Williams or Mehmet Okur) – Win, Denver (with Billups) – Win, Detroit (with AI) – Loss. They are 2-3.
They have done what they are suppose to do, beat the crap out of bad teams. But they haven’t even dipped into the toughest part of their schedule yet. Against good teams LeBron’s complimentary players will be tested to their limits and only then will we really know how good this team is.
Dannie, with Dec. 15th approaching I think it is time to move A.Miller. Players will become available at this date and I agree with your comments about him. His numbers LOOK good but the identity we are looking for can!t be achieved fully without a defensive one. And with Iggy and L.Will. starting to play like last year, actually better lately, I would like to see them, along with Thad and Elton getting some of A.Miller!s touches. Getting players back to me isn!t even the issue, I think if he is taken away this team will play hungrier and until that happens we will be nothing but a 500 team.
@dannie – watch out for orlando too. they are perfecting their style; howard plus 3 pt. shooters. turkoglu is their pt. forward and lewis can handle the ball too. nelson is effective guard and can shoot. add pietrus and they got sumthin sweet brewin. when boston ages out, thats the east for u. all they need is solid D. toronto tried to do the same but their game and shooters are too 1-dimensional, bosh cant bring them the moon every nite plus no D. they have peaked too soon in my opinion. which is why the sixers need to keep improving personnel or that may be our fate when we ACTUALLY get it together.
lets not mention the lakers k. to me they have the makings of a DYNASTY. why? glut of talent. but they may not keep em all or play to their potential so its 50-50.
deepsixersuede;agreed bout miller. but have u seen lou’s D? iverson-esque. plus he doesnt have the size too. so if he’s not the future strter pg, do we just wait and see? by the way ur naive optimism broils over: what makes you think williams has broken out of his quagmire? if this team has shown you anything is that they can turn it back again. lol.
Benching Thad is not the answer It screwed up Thad and Willie who has played a little better this year coming off the bench. Iggy at the 2/3 whats the difference. He had started to play better the last 2-3 games anyway. It like Mo screwed up 2 players to try and get one on track.
Brand already talked about but had to comment. I have given him a free pass but time is up he needs to get his ass in gear this type of game is unacceptable. He Looks weak, cannot hit his jump shot and gets stripped more than a street walker. 7 turnovers that is incredible.
Changes need to be made right away problem is I don’t really know what to do. If you want to put Iggy at the 3 than trade for a legit 2 guard who can shoot maybe deshawn stevenson somebody Willie G is def not the answer.
Mo needs to go he seems clueless. Hubie Brown had more insight on what was going on with the sixers than Mo. He always says the same thing. We need to push the ball early offense blah blah blah. I was all for giving him a chance, well Mo your chance is over your a nice guy but a terrible coach our offense lacks “imagination” as Hubie put it. That is a kind way of saying we look like a bunch of chickens with our heads cut off on offense.
I am disgusted with this team. I wanna go to a game just to boo tha crap outta these bums.
I was so excited this year, this game was a perfect example of this team. This game get blown out everyone expects you to lose, than at the end make a meaningless run at the end. This team last year first half of the year they sucked than make a meaningless run at the end. They are perfect at garbage time aby expectactions and the fold like a cheap suit.
I also depressed cause I don’t even know what they can do. We are gonna need a new Pt guard. It appears Iggy and Thad cannot co-exist on the court together. Iggy is signed long term but I would rather have Thad. Brand maybe washed up, and Sammy is still sux.
J.Kay, L.Will. has been pressuring the ball well lately, he will always have trouble in the 1/2 court defensively but that is why Sam and Elton are back there. 2one5, I agree with you that that move wasn!t necessary but personally, I think it was just for Cleveland because they wanted Iggy on Lebron and not Thad on Delonte. My blueprint; Move A.Miller and get a defense first coach in here and become what Boston is defensively. Thebideax,Vangundy, or somebody of their ilk and use the weapons we have on the defensive end. Get the PROPER p.g. in the draft [Collison,Curry,etc.] or a guy like Lowry and pressure the ball. With Thad, Elton and Iggy we just need our one to hit an open jumper and otherwise GET OUT OF THE WAY.
Well, it finally happened. Last night was the first time this season that I did not watch the entire game (Yes, I did watch the entire Celtics game). After we were carved up in the 3rd quarter, I had enough and switched over to “Law & Order”.
The honeymoon is over for Elton (heard the boos loud and clear in the 3rd quarter). Something has got to give with this team.
Last night’s key was Ben Wallace’s keeping Sammy Dalembert in the silo before Sam skyrocketed to offensive worlds only seen by Mercury 13 astronaut Chamberlain, Gemini 33 astronaut Alcindor-Jabbar and Apollo 32 astronaut Bill Walton. In this year 7 of launch plan, the countdown to lift-off continues … “Houston, we have a problem.”
My armchair analysis: Brand does not have confidence in his body. He may have been regaining it a bit before the hamstring thing, but he has lost it totally. That or his hamstring injury is worse than they are letting on. Lack of confidence is why he is fumbling the ball so much, and not looking for his shot as much.
Seeing as how he has rediscovered his game, if Mo wants to bring Thad off the bench, I would start Lou, or go totally small like suede mentioned and bring Sammy off the bench.
Offensively, got next-to-nothing from Brand, Dalembert, Green, Young and Speights. Wouldn’t happen if the team was well-coached.
Ramped up for another futile go against impressive 23 yr. old impressario Lebron James, wannabe (yet surelyrich) Iguodala got things started, then Miller did his thing for awhile, and finally Williams cleaned up – - that’s not a team, that’s a recital program unfolding.
Williams: All-NBA ”garbage time”; put him in a real game, he shrinks; stat padder.
jjg: It’s fine, of course, that you are not a fan, you’re ignoring last year when you call Lou “garbage time.”
Jumpin, I don!t consider Mo Williams much of a p.g., more of a jump shooting, look to score type player that works because of Lebron!s playmaking skills. The only way our team can succeed, in my opinion is for Iggy to fill that roll for us and a p.g. of similar description is here also. I wish L.Will. in a year or 2 could fill that role or a S.Curry is drafted to do it. I!m curious to hear what would you do to get us back on track.
@jjg: dead on bout williams, same goes for willie green. saw that in the Lakers game. Lou racks up points on 2nd unit defense. he’s still young anyway so cut some slack.
am officially beginning to worry bout Thad, nothing bad stat-wise so far but his game is gonna go stagnant if he dosnt get the ball more. if he came off the bench and was the man on the 2nd unit and played 35plus mins, we can justify the move. Miller needs to be moved to FORCE Mo to give him the ball. i dont buy that thad and iggy can’t co-exist; there has to be someway tto get two of our best players on the court at the same time, otherwise…
deepsixersuede: Miller and Cheeks gotta go but I dunno bout Sammy. something tells me he might be ok once both are traded. I have no logic to why, but I really think we can win with Sammy, with some luck and hard work. I dont wanna see Jason Smith starting EVER.
Mo’s gotta go: catchy, isn’t it?
suede Fire Mo, insert real coach: preferably a veteran tactician who makes demands regarding discipline and execution on both ends of the court. Get some value for Miller and Dalembert (and any of their secondary pieces needed to move those two), including at least one shooter. That being said, I don’t like Brand’s, Iguodala’s or Williams’ games (or personas). I’d use them as trading chips, not building blocks – very difficult though with the ridiculous contracts they’ve been given. Maybe a broom is the prudent, though drastic, call. I like Young and Speights to build upon – the rest can go. Stefanski created this puzzle. From my fan vantage point, it’ll be a long awhile before it’s solved. Won’t happen without big changes taking place.
What’s your solution, suede? Or an easier question: Where do you start?
Morty Not ignoring, just discounting last season’s 2nd half push (and flashings of ability), which was based on uptempo, helter-skelter play, without big expectations, without the greatest of opponent readiness/resistance. By the way, I sent my #30 post before I’d read your #29; don’t mistake it for an attempt to brusquely counter or undermine your opinion.
Jumpin, I move Miller and Sammy for expiring contracts and a #1, Minn. has 3 of them; get our future p.g. in the draft and overpay slightly for Rasheed or Turkaglu next year. Sammy at 5 mill. is a good defensive third or half of a center tandem, but at 12 mill. you can!t add anybody to what we have.J.Kay, A Spieghts,J.Smith and Ratliff trio for 6 mill. would allow you to fortify other areas of need. But A.Miller is the first priority because the youngs need a little more responsibility, in my opinion.
This game summarizes the Sixers overall.
One word to describe this team: Frustrating
The Good:
-Great 1st and 4th quarters, and closing out the 2nd quarter. (2.5 qts)
-Andres (esp. Iggy at SF, looks extremely comfortable)
-Lou Williams got his groove back (just has to hit his FTs though)
-No Dunks for Lebron (Better keep it that way)
-Stopped bickering with officials in the 4th quarter and played their game. Started getting calls in favor of them as a result of the lack of bickering.
-Big Z hurt himself, which could be a factor for the next game.
The Bad:
-Everyone else on the Sixers team.
-Brand was rusty and forcing the issue. (Listen to Mo, be yourself!!)
-Too much bickering with the officials (esp. the 3rd quarter!!)
-Mo Williams
-Big Z made some big baskets
suede I like the idea of getting the #1 to fill a need. Rasheed & Turkoglu, both high quality players, both would bring plusses and help instill basketball sense. I don’t know if Wallace would pan out in his hometown though; elevates his game through “anti-hero” edge. As for Dalembert, he has to go – moving him would clear some stale air, symbolize seriousness of organization, create new possibilities.
I like Ilgauskas. He’s like the farmer down the road; nothin’ fancy, hard work and knowledge of his business, year after year brings in his crops (14.5 pts, 7.9 rbs, 1.8 blks). A steady pro.
Steve Kerr & J-Rich: Excellent move that could not be more perfect for that team…Grade: A. Trading two very good role players parts (one 3 point shooting and defense, one versatility and defense), for a borderline all star that is athletic, can score 20 ppg when needed, one of the best rebounding guards in the league, a great, confident 3 point shooter that plays well in both fast break and half court situations, and is anywhere from mediocre to solid defensively…great move.
Javaris Crittenton: Really, are you kidding me? I cannot believe the Wizards just pulled this deal off. Ernie Grunfeld is a savvy, savvy mother@!#$er. He just gave traded away their garbage of an injured player (Daniels) that had been more inconcistent that anyone else on the team (except, maybe Blatche) for the past three years due to lots of minor injuries, and a future 1st round conditional draft pick, for a guy that, like Thad, had he stayed in college another year would have been an automatic top 10 pick.
People are REALLY, REALLY undervaluing this kid’s talent. I’m not saying he will be a bonfa fide NBA starter…but he certainly has the talent to be, and has all the tools. He is tall, hustles his ass off, and can flat out ball. Crittenton can basically blow by anyone with his first step and get to the basket when he wants. He also has a great sense of keeping his defenders off balance, a SICK handle, and an interesting blend of looking to attack the basket as well as get his teammates involved and distribute the ball.
PLUS…he will be playing with more of a chip on his shoulder than most in the league…how many legit, young lottery type picks where the entire league is aware of the talent level, basically sit for two years straight getting between 5-10 mpg, and a hell of a lot of DNP’s? Not often. From a good, very deep team (Lakers) to a team logjammed at PG (Grizz)…this kid will now probably get a good 15-18 mpg at least from the start, and will do anything his power to earn the minutes to get out on court, and will have that mindset of “I need to make up for lost time and torch people…NOW!!!”
Ed Stefanski: For those of you that haven’t heard me babble about this before, I will say it again: Stefanski, while not having great assets, certainly should have at least been in discussion with the Grizz to try and land a young PG like that. Maybe he was, couldn’t come up with a good deal, and we’ll just never know. That said, he certainly could have gotten creative to get a third team involved, as Grunfeld did, and come up with some package of future picks and one other player to make salaries work. Not being a little more proactive about trying to land Crittenton, and not signing Matt Barnes for $1.2 million over K-Rush over the summer, are the only two slight knocks I will ever have on Stefanski (because I love the guy).
Mark my words: we will regret missing out on landing Crittenton as Andre Miller’s understudy as we slowly watch this kid blossom during his next two years with the Wizards.
Dave T Crittendon must have some shortcomings to not find many minutes on a bad team while in competition with Conley and Lowry, apprentices themselves. Change of scenery is sometimes the catalyst for better things though. Will be interesting to see how both trades of yesterday translate.
Great call by John Hollinger on Larry Brown, about the J-Rich trade:
“[Kerr] can thank Bobcats coach Larry Brown. This is the danger when you hire Larry — that he’ll almost immediately want to trade everyone on his roster and that the people in charge won’t have enough spine or clout to wave off his requests.”
I can’t stand number obsessed crunchers like Hollinger, but the above could not be more perfectly stated. Larry Brown, as usual, was frustrated with a real good offensive player that was mediocre on D…so he trades him for two top tier NBA defenders that will not bring nearly the same presence to the floor on the offensive end.
I’m sure, though, that LB is thrilled. He’d probably trade Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor to bring George Lynch and Derrick Mckey out of retirement. Despite my jabs…I have a feeling Diaw will really thrive under LB…he’ll respect his versatility, and know how to use it, far more than Porter.
Crittenton may turn out to be good. but who cares anymore?, basically we just need ANYONE, ANYONE, any guard that can shoot. (it has almost transcended positional play!!)
deepsixersuede: what kinds of teams would want Dalembert or Miller? Those looking to clear cap space or Playoff bound ones that have questions or injury? can’t think of much.
Dannie sorry bout the trade talk, the news caused it.
I love the whack ass Lebron fans line. There is nothing more I hate then when i go to a sixers game and some ass is cheering for someone on the other team. I have been asked to leave the Wachovia center once because it drives me so insane.
But on a even more negative note…when will more than just a few players have a good game. EB looked horrible last night, hopefully it will get better.
Got some studying to do for finals tomorrow and then off to Key West for the weekend, ill miss both games so hopefully I don’t come home to an 0-2 weekend showing. If they lose to the WIZ im gonna start rooting for the Thunder
Suede- I really don’t see much of a market for Miller or Dalembert. I doubt the Wolves would sacrifice expiring contracts and a #1 for two players that will probably not even elevate them to the playoffs.
Dave T- Barnes to Sixers was never going to happen, so you can let Stefanski off the hook for that one.
“He also developed what can best be described as an acrimonious relationship with Sixers head coach Maurice Cheeks. According to Barnes, Cheeks would frequently degrade him, resulting in his confidence sinking to an all-time low.
“He’s the biggest a—— in the world,” says Barnes. “He talked to me like I wasn’t a man. Other players saw it and would tell me, ‘Don’t let him talk to you like that.’ “
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/chris_mannix/05/10/barnes.warriors/
I would say that bridge is burnt.
I will put the trade machine to work in a little and see what I can come up with for Miller and Dalembert. It will be easier to move them later in the season when certain teams either realize they don’t have a shot at the playoffs and look to deal talent, or realize they need to gear up for a run at the playoffs and look to deal younger assets.
DaveT., The guy we missed out on also was R.Mason, but the past is the past. I would rather have a p.g. that can shoot from deep, not sure if Crittenden can become that, more of a slasher. Boomdizzle, it wouldn!t be easy but Sam next to either Jefferson or Love would work, but then again, next to Elton he should work also. Sam is secondary to me to A.Miller , and a McCants [on the block], J.Collins and the middle #1 they own for A.Miller may interest them. Foye is still trying to become a p.g. and they need some stability there. And guys, Okl. City has a lot of expiring contracts, can they possibly expect to sign a top level free agent. They have a #1 scorer [Durant] a good 2nd banana [Green] and a stud young p.g. [Westbrook]. Maybe they take a chance on Sam.
suede: once again you have an answer for everything. check out the Thunder meen, they have tons of expiring contracts, absolutely no frontcourt OR defense and its not like they’re gonna get Kobe or Boozer to play there. now all we need is for them to fall in love with Sammy.
once playoffs are in sight Miller should get VERY EASY to trade with his expiring contract. problem is i doubt if anyone will give us anything good in return.
JkAY, like Dannie had said, its probably water under the bridge anyway because a coaching change will probably be the first move. E.S. has given Mo a lot of different pieces to the puzzle and the answer may be there somewhere but Mo can!t seem to find it. Dannie, how was the atmosphere at the game. I heard on the radio that the crowd wasn!t that big.
jjg: Playground rules: no blood, no foul.
suede: I agree totally about needing 3 point shooting from the PG position. Miller, and his expiring contract, is obviously our best trade chip, assuming nothing changes over the next 20 games.
We should have trade for Richardson, or done something, anything. At this pace we’ll be talking about who were going to be picking in the lottery real soon. Start Thad for fuk sakes! This team, organization is a joke. Ed Stef. better do something because the honeymoon is over!
Suede – Atmosphere sucked as it has all season. More people there for LeBron James than the Sixers. I had a clown sitting next to me that got pissed because they didn’t replay the LeBron James goal tending play on Andre Miller again. Seriously! Every fastbreak they wanted James to do something you could hear people holding their breath waiting for it but the Sixers did a good job of not allowing him to be spectacular in the open floor. His most memorable play was the three pointer at the end of the 1st quarter.
Brand got booed pretty good in the 3rd quarter but when he hit a short jumper in the lane after missing seemingly ever shot he took the crowd did cheer extra loud as if to tell Brand play better and this is the type of reception you will get.
I will be at the game again on Saturday.
Depending on how Friday’s game goes, the Sixers “could” make a good run for a possible four of five or a five game winning streak. Don’t give up guys, even though things have been really cruddy.
Fri. @ Cleveland
12/13 v.s Washington
12/17 v.s Milwaukee
12/19 @ Washington
12/20 v.s Indiana
That could help us get a possible five game winning streak prior to facing the Boston Celtics again in Boston, the game the Celtics play before Christmas Day against the LA Lakers. Now “maybe” a little let down from the Celtics, we could get back in business!
Did you know that Dalembert is 2nd Among Centers in All-Star Votes? Wow, he better play like one if that’s the case.
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/sixerville/Dalembert_is_No_2.html
Boom: Wow! I had no clue Barnes had that kind of relationship about Cheeks, damn haha. I remember Barnes being a little miffed that his PT went down, but I didn’t realize the two had that beef in the past. Yeah, that would pretty much burn any bridge.
JJG: Crittenton definitely has weaknesses…that’s why I consider him much more as a project PG with a hell of a lot of upside. He’s got a pretty good midrange J, but his long ball is questionable…and he’s still got a lot of rawness to him as far as his decision making, and court vision. But he’s got all the tools, athleticism…and most importantly, has a fearless swagger about him, and is looks both to score and get others involved, and has nice height. Will be interesting to see how he does.
Jkay and Deepsixer: It’s true that OKC has lots of expiring contracts, and are trying to get rid of a lot of people…but why would we want that? Even with a little extra cap room for ‘09 we’re not going to be in any kind of market for a decent FA pickup. I certainly don’t want Thunder garbage on our team. Nor do I want “solid but not great” frontcourt guys like Collison or Wilcox…or their 80 project centers like Sene, Petro or R Swift. The only guys I like on OKC is Earl Watson as a stop gap backup PG that can get streaky from 3…and Damien Wilkins, an excellent swingman defender that can score when given minutes.
If we trade Dalembert, we won’t be upgrading our team because we will then have a whole at the C position. Think about it…say we trade him for our “scorer/shooter”…that then causes a logjam for Iggy and Thad, not exactly productive given our current chemistry. We can’t trade D-Bere for another talented offensive big, because we have Brand. If we traded D-Bear for another defensive C…honestly how much can you improve on a 10 pt, 9 rbd, 2 blk guy, even if his bball IQ is terrible? just don’t see how trading him makes any sense. And if we trade Andre Miller for piece X, do you really want Royal Ivey and Iguodala running the PG for our team full time?
I think our team is one of the most complex to trade with in the NBA…because NONE OF US KNOW what we truly want, need, or have…so much of our team’s failure is the lack of our current pieces actually playing together, not the fact that they aren’t talented. It’s very true that we might not have the right pieces together…but damn. I’d much rather improve our play from within then run around making knee jerk trades that would only fix short term, but not long term problems.
The atmosphere has sucked from the opening tip against the Raptors. I mean what team comes out flat, lacking energy on opening day? Hey, Eddie Jordon was known as the brains behind that Nets run in 2000-01
That net team ran a hellacious fast break and when in half court, get this… THEY PASSED AND MADE CUTS!!!! I know, I know your saying what’s that Greek. It’s what good teams do!!!! Or should I say well coached teams. Were making a B-line for the lottery boys. This sucks
Greek: I’m 100% with you man…I think if Mo started enforcing moving the ball, making the extra pass, and a far more motion oriented system than this ISO play standing around nonsense…strong pick setting, cutting without the ball, backdoors, curl around screens on the block…this would solve many of our problems.
Dave T, that is where Ed Stefanski can somehow make a trade out of mid air. He stole Vince Carter from the Nets for spare parts. He cleared salary space to get Elton Brand. Somewhere, somehow he has something brewing that it can catch the league by storm, generally in a great way!
Hubie, brought up an interesting point. Teams nowadays have a Big 3. The Celtics have the PGA (Pierce, Garnett, Allen) and the Magic have (Lewis, Turkoglu, Howard), who is our Big 3? The answer should be Miller, Iggy, and Brand. They have to be our consistent guys scoring in order for this team to win and be consistent. It might sound selfish to revolve the scoring around three players, but it results in consistency and hopefully give others the opportunity baskets needed!!
Dave
If we trade Sammy Shit for Brains for a used pair of socks that will make us better. Were not going anywhere with that moron this year or any year on planet earth. Morons like that hurt the spirit of the team. Remember what happened last year after we won our 7th consecutive game? Shit brained Sammy complained about his role. We need a Point guard who can hit three’s, go bring back carlos navarro. Go get a euro pg, there’s a ton out there. Ive said it before, You cant win with sammy dalembert. Ever, can’t do it!
Dave T., With all the dribble first guys we have and a center that can!t screen or get out of the way we will never become a great extra pass and cutting team, something I would love by the way. Sammy has been good 8 games this year, for whatever reason. If him and Elton don!t work Elton isn!t going anywhere. Watching Theo do the little things makes me miss J.Smith and his screening and jump shot. A whole at center, I don!t feel that way at all. For 7 years we have asked Sammy to do 2 things offensively, screen and stay on the weekside and I!m sorry to say he still doesn!t get it. Was he good against Bynum, yes. But a once a week defensive factor isn!t worth 12 mill. per season.If I could move him and get D.Mason and J.Smith [10.3 mill.] in expiring contracts than I do it in a heartbeat. Offensively we would be better at center and defensively a Spieghts, Theo and say,Voskuhl [min. salary deal] would not be as bad as you think and next year Jason, hopefully, will be back. Dave T., Picture S.Curry and Spieghts or J.Smith at center with Thad, Elton and Iggy. That 5 is more likely to be able to play the way you and most of us would like to see our team play, cutting and screening.
Guys, I’m less defending Dalembert here, and more suggesting that the current make up of our team makes it VERY hard to move people.
For instance, I have yet to hear specific examples of WHAT you want to get in return for Sammy? A SG?…meaning we’d have to then move Iguodala’s $12 million a year contract, who Ed JUST handed $70+ million to. A PG?…meaning we’d then have to get in return a replacement PG right away, or one to groom. A Center?…meaning we’d be trading Dalembert for a player of roughly equal talent, or older talent. Two players?…meaning we’d have logjams everywhere on a team where Mo already has no idea what rotations to use.
This is more what I’m getting at. This team is a confused mess, up and down, to what people’s roles are, to the team playing with cohesiveness and energy since Brand has arrived, to Mo Cheeks instilling a system, vision, and stamp of authority on this team…bench players whose time changes game to game, underachieving players up and down the roster, a total lack of effort.
I’m not questioning some of the negative play from individuals…just looking ahead to what people want in return, might not dramatically help us. I mean, damn…say we DID miraculously land a Michael Redd, Kevin Martin, Ben Gordon, J-Rich before the trade…any big shake up means we’d have to shift around at least two other players plus draft picks just to get minutes ironed out for the roster, namely because we are paying our SG long term 2nd banana franchise player money…and we seem committed to the fact our SF is a potential future All Star.
Tough situation…and I personally think we need to grow from within now, Mo needs to step it the hell up as a coach, and that A-Miller’s contract will be most desirable as the trade deadline nears, and after New Year’s is the time to start having real conversations to see what’s out there.
“Confused mess” … there’s a bull’s-eye! And it’s directly attributable to player management. Shake-up’s gotta happen. Being a former All-Star level player, reservedly personable, and ready to laugh and get along does not qualify one as a championship-caliber NBA head coach. Mo’s been the organization’s pet for a long while. Now Sixers’ are in the unenviable position of having to consider releasing a favorite son. But that’s the business of pro basketball. And Mo signed on, fully aware that it’s a bottom line arrangement.
DaveT., In defence of Sam, he came in hurt this year and as we have seen with Utley, sometimes we don!t know the whole story. But his man to man and help defense has not been as good as last year. As far as the team as it is constituted, in the last 4 games L.Will. is scoring 16 ppg. on close to 50 % shooting and Iggy is avg. 20 ppg. and 8 reb. on 50 % shooting so they are rounding into form although it seems when Iggy flourishes Thad seems to struggle.
suede If so, why does Thad struggle when Iggy flourishes? An 80 mil player is supposed to support and enhance the games of
teammates around him. Could it be AI2s head is down, and more into “The Iggy Show” than a Sixer’s win? Might his “versatile” label be code for ‘not exceptionally good at anything’? Just asking.
Jumpin, as Dave T. so fittingly said, all their roles are screwed up. We seem to be moving the ball better but everytime we kick it to a corner there isn!t a shooter receiving it but a slasher. I think Iggy is playing real well lately in getting to the rim and hitting his jumper and his turnovers are down. I think the last month of last year Iggy played up to what we are paying him now and we were winning [22-14] I don!t know what Thad is going to be yet and I still don!t know if they can work side by side. J. Mac today was proposing a Thad for R.Foye trade on the radio, you should of heard the backlash, it was pretty hilarious.
Sixer advantages for tomorrow:
- Brand will play better, if he plays (can’t play worse, can he?)
- Ilgauskas won’t play due to ankle injury
- familiarity breeds opportunity to outwit, adjust
- their motor should be revved following home loss; high-octane
performance is overdue
JJG: Could not agree with you more…well said. Now, I’m a little bias here, because I have been ant-Mo Cheeks as a head coach for YEARS, dating back to when we mistakenly canned Obie after one year to hire Mo from Portland, thinking Mo’s oh-so-friendly personality was going to flip flop into a personality that could become a legitimate NBA coach after his “learning curve” of being thrown to the fire in Portland. Whoops! His makeup didn’t change…shocking!
Rudderless ships need one thing: a rudder. This can come in two forms:
1. one or two players that are so respected, so alpha dog-ish, and so emphatic and passionate that they can literally change the entire culture of a team through sheer will power, passion, and proper leadership (see: KG, pre-Dallas Kidd, Cassell, Kobe of the last two years, etc. Also can be found under: opposite of Webber, Chris, and Randolph, Zach).
2. A coach that has a drill sergeant mindset, that knows how to instill a system, will discipline any player, be it a hall of famer or the 15th man when they are out of line…that sticks to their game plan, understands psychology and leadership, understands personnel and team roles. i.e: The big three of Phil, Pops, Sloan. Hubie Brown if he weren’t giving amazing analysis on tv. And then the newer generation of: Van Gundy, Nate McMillan, Byron Scott, Lawrence Frank, Scott Skiles, Avery Johnson (not saying I love everyone in the latter group, but they still fit the mold I’m talking about).
Let’s take check list look at some coaching abilities you want to generall have on any team, let alone a team with our personnal, where we have NO dominant player, and a system where you’d want scoring to be spread out evenly predicated on lots of ball movement:
1. Does Mo exert his authority over players, and discipline them with an iron fist when necessary, to where the message is received, respect is still there, and they will not rebel? No.
2. Is Mo a good tactical, X & O’s type coach? No.
3. Is Mo identified with any kind of philosophy or general coaching system whatsoever? No.
4. Does Mo have set ideas about what playing rotations should generally look like, and keep them consistent game to game? No.
5. When things don’t work, does Mo come up with an iron clad plan to put into place to change the culture? No.
6. Does Mo inspire his players on an emotional level? No.
7. Can Mo reach his players through angry verbal tirades / outbursts of anger, when necessary? No.
8. Has Mo shown any ability to teach offensive chemistry? No.
9. Does Mo carry that intangible “air” of a man in charge of other people, a leader, a head coach? No.
10. Does Mo make proper in game, situational changes when the team is losing? No.
11. Does Mo know how to take full advantage of mismatches, and exploit other team’s defenses? No.
12. Does Mo have the spine to chew people out and bark at them during games? No.
13. Does Mo set up certain expectations for the performance energy from his teams night in and night out, and hold them accountable? No.
14. Do we see any signs of passion, hope, encouragement, ANYTHING during games in his demeanor, other then an “Isaiah” look of total and utter hopelessness of his current situation, not knowing what the hell he can do about it? No.
People, this is Mo’s SEVENTH YEAR (eighth?) OF COACHING AN NBA TEAM. I am sick of his overly friendly demeanor, and seemingly total lack of ability to effectively show leadership and hold his team accountable for playing basketball properly. ESPECIALLY, since he intuitively knows the game so well as a PG. He is THE classic example of a player’s coach, in the negative way, and is not a right fit for this team.
I am very glass if half full in people’s ability to show growth, improvement, change, etc…and Ed has clearly come to bat for Mo so far, and it seems he will continue to do so. So if that’s the case…then:
Mo Cheeks, grow a mother@!#$ing spine, set a freaking tone in practice, stick with it, and start showing some cajones around the lockeroom. Win your players respect and make them play the way you know how this game can be played.
Period.
suede I like Jody Mac but on the basis of that proposal, he should stick to his daddy’s sport, baseball. Jay Wright must have his ear. Foye for Young is the near equivalent of Williams for Love.
On Iggy: played well last night, but with an individual bent imo.
Dave T Great checklist! Astute. Especially liked your 2 forms of rudders and exampIes given. I hope Stefanski (or a cohort) reads this blog. I’m real tired of Mo’s dubious leadership too.
Dave T., agree with almost all of your points, sometimes I find it hard to believe that Mo was an assistant under L.B. . I have an issue with E.S. in that he must attend the practices, isn!t he seeing what you are describing and if he sees it differently than are these players not receptive to coaching. Dave T. and Jumpin, give me some names that you would consider, assuming they are available, to coach this group.
Dave T - Just curious how you know what goes on in the locker room, at practice and that the players don’t respect Cheeks? Just curious how you know Cheeks hasn’t preached everything he knows about the game and these players simply don’t get it? Personally I think the Sixers have a pretty dumb basketball team that lacks killer instinct or an imposing will to win.
Let me be clear, I don’t think Cheeks is the right coach or even a good head coach at this point. I think his playing experiences would be better served as an assistant the players respect and learn from through persuasive basketball story telling to support his point and teachings. But I can’t sit here and act like I know what goes on behind close doors and I am not sure anyone else outside of that locker room can.
Maybe if/when he is let go we will see what often happens after a coach is fired. Players come out and air out their displeasure with the axed coach. But I doubt it. Aside from the Barnes comments (which actually are anti-Cheeks to us) not many players have openely said he sucks and most players praise him on the current roster.
I think Cheeks should probably go but let’s not kid ourselves and act like we know what is going on, on the inside. Just keep it at what it is. The team has underachieved and the lofty (unattainable) expectations make this look even worse. His in-game decision making can be questioned for sure. His rotations and line ups, his adjustments or lack thereof, his out of timeout plays or lack thereof etc.
Stefanski’s largest investment is in the players he committed to so his first decision and move will be determining if he has the right coach for his players.
Also a point on Phil. He doesn’t fit the whole drill sergeant coaching style and iron fist tactics you described. In fact I’d argue he is the opposite. Phils is the epitome of a macro manager with tremendous “soft skills” in theory and applied. He does have that air of confidence and prestige amplified in large part through the benefit of coaching 4 of the greatest players in the history of the game. To his credit he got the most out of them when other coaches could not. His pyshology and “zen” tactics most effective on upper echelon players which has a major trickle down effect on the glue guys and role players.
And “his system” is actually Tex Winters system which is why he is always on Jackson’s side quietly dissecting defenses. Which begs the question…
What the hell are the Sixers assistants doing?
Dannie, I read a book on Jackson years ago and read how he would give Shaq a book to read on some type of philosophy. I wonder how he would reach this group.
where’s flip saunders?
I know it is two completely different sports, but the Flyers are beginning to resurge and look like the team we saw last year in their amazing NHL run. Hopefully, the Sixers can make that same push that they made last year, but earlier!! So come on Sixers, let’s get a much higher seed if we want to improve! The next couple of games look pretty promising for the Sixers!! The key consistency starts in that five game stretch!
make hubie an offer
Tuna - I actually read Flip was a legit name on the list for the Sixers job if it became available. Because they will likely have to hires someone since I am and I hope Stefanski is not comfortable turning the team over to one of the assistants. Which makes the firing decision tougher to execute if you want to salvage this season.
I guess I should just write my should Mo Cheeks be fired post, huh? It’s been in as a draft for two weeks now – haha.
Tuna, where have ya been, I don!t want the flipster, I think he has coached some underachieving teams and after watching Garnett!s affect on the Celts, how could some of those Wolve teams not win one playoff series.
hey suede, no pierce, no allen on those teams
Suede - The same reason Kobe didn’t get to the playoffs the first year without Shaq and lost in the first round the next two years – his supporting cast as a whole were not very good in a very strong conference.
People say that the problem with Flip is that he doesn’t get along with his players. Players tune him out.
Dannie: C’mon, did I claim in my post that I knew every nuance and behind the scenes details of the Sixers organization? None of us here (as far as I know anyway) have inside connections, so doesn’t it go without saying that I’m basing these things on the same things everyone else here has: our observation as fans?
I will say that, as a fan, you can tell an awful lot about the state of a team’s psychology from a lot of observation of games, and close watch on what others say about certain players, coaches, attitudes, etc, from the 10 zillion sources in the media. So, in my opinion from the only information I have to go on, yes, I would say everyone of the above points is true.
Also, the people that have those kind of Jekyl-Hyde personalities where the fans/media see one thing, and the team sees another, usually becomes regular news after a while in the media. I really don’t see Mo falling in this category. From watching him as our PG, as LB’s assistant, his four years in Portland, and back here…I think it’s pretty safe to say we all have an idea of his personality and what he’s about.
It might also be true that I have a very inflated expectation of what I want in a coach. Saying we don’t have a smart basketball team, or we have such and such deficiencies, are excuses to me. A REALLY good coach knows how to overcome these deficiencies by getting the team to play TOGETHER and be on the same page. While it is true that this occurs more often at the high school, college, and European levels than the NBA, I see it as a total cop out when people throw out the “the NBA is a player’s league” thing (not that you did, just me babbling now!).
If Larry Brown can take a Clippers team to the playoffs with inferior talent, maximize the mid 90’s Pacers talent, take our rag-tag Sixers crew (one of the worst offensive starting lineups in the last 20 years) to the 2nd round and beyond for FOUR straight years, and get a bunch of talented guys in Detroit with no stars to play together damn near telepathically…and if Bo Ryan can take lesser players and churn out 20 win seasons year in and out…I hold this expectation for any coach of a Philadelphia team. Mo does not have this gene. He’s an AMAZING assistant. Not a boss.
Also, Dannie…to your point of “it’s possible Mo has tried to teach/tell/yell instill everything he knows about bball to these guys”. You’re probably 100% right. And that’s EXACTLY my point…he’s a guy that knows basketball inside and out, that seems like he’s good with working with individual players one on one, and a great right hand man…but a HEAD COACH requires you to have the knowledge, AND communication skills, AND to be very firm, and gentle, when the time calls for it. This mix is not in his genes.
Phil Jackson: Done a lot of reading about him, and youre completely right, he’s not a “drill sergeant” type. I more meant he is a coach that has a specific vision, holds true to it, and the way he teaches basketball is at one with his life philosophy. He certainly holds players accountable (although he was a whole lot more emphatic during his Bulls years than now), and demands certain expectations from them. Mo, to me, has shown he does NOT do these things.
It’s not in Mo’s character to take over a situation and assert his authority with an iron fist. I’m not saying that’s necessary for every coaching gig…but it sure as hell is necessary with the makeup of our team. I feel we desperately need a guy that has a strong will, perhaps even overly strong, and is willing to sit a player if he pouts or doesn’t do what the coach wants, screams when necessary, has a better mastery of when to be gentle vs. firm, and will beat his system into the personell we have.
We don’t have the luxury of having a single alpha dog player, that is a true veteran star with nuts of steel. Our PG is a quiet leader. Our starting C whines and can be inconsistent. Our PF is an amazing professional, good presence, and lockeroom leader…but not someone that will change the culture. Our SF is too young. Our SG does not command the respect. If that’s true, then what does this mean? We need a coach that is an alpha type to get guys in line and change this culture.
And Dannie, you are one of the best I know at explaining points clearly…so I for one cannot wait to see your “fire Mo” post if that’s in the works!!!
There’s only one answer to substandard coaching: create standards, communicate standards, enforce standards through means of consistency, PT allotments and fines, if necessary. Of course, all is predicated on coaching competence of incumbent. A leader has to be true to self and own personality but fearless in confronting
insubordination, be it subtle or direct, on or off court. The horse is outta the barn, I’m afraid. Wayward play is a direct corrolary to player respect for coach. In addition to that, a confused team is a reflection of a confused or conflicted coach.
Based on early season evidence, Cheeks and staff might be the dance band on the Titanic now. “Player’s coach” - a euphemism - hit iceberg of player personnel and player “status” changes, along with demanding realities of next-level requirements.
“…We don’t have the luxury of having a single alpha dog player, that is a true veteran star with nuts of steel…We need a coach that is an alpha type to get guys in line and change this culture…”
Great point!
JJG: I agree with every single word you just typed…right on. And that little Titanic analogy just made my day haha.
(I’m going to stop typing…if I were to make a third lengthy post in one day, I think I’d have officially crossed the line from “sane” to “need help”. Bski, carry the torch for me!)
Dave T: You’ve made a bunch of good points, but to my eyes the best one has been that there is no alpha dog player on this team, so there needs to be an alpha dog coach to compensate. For the life of me, and I believe I said this at the time, the worst off season move ES did was to add a year to Mo’s contract. Of course, as long as Comcast doesn’t mind eating it, what do I care.
Dave T….I can’t leave a friend in need hanging, so I’ll do what I can for you.
I have been reading everything here (as usual), but I just haven’t been posting much (very unusual) because I’m not sure what I think or what solutions to the Sixers problems I can come up with.
I am going to stick with what Dannie said and avoid talking trades. I agree that talking trades is too open-ended. We could talk forever about what this guy might do for us or what problem that guy solves, but we do not have this guy or that guy. Plus, we would be moving someone in order to get someone which would probably create a problem for us in some other area. Besides, all that talk is about possibilities—and need I remind anyone about all of the possibilities we discussed when visions of Elton Brand were dancing in our heads back in June and how those have yet to materialize—-and none of them will help the Sixers as they exist right now.
I have thought a lot about what combos/lineups to put out on the floor and how to better our rotations and substitutions so that everyone gets regular minutes and finds their niche, but my “answers” are no better than anyone else’s. For example, even though most of us would likely concede that Miller-Iguodala-Young-Brand-Dalembert is our best 5, maybe they shouldn’t all be on the floor together for long stretches. They can’t all play 48 minutes, so they then end up on the bench together for long stretches. This necessitates playing too many bench guys together for too long. I’ve thought that a starting lineup of Miller-Green-Iguodala-Brand-Speights is worth an extended trial period. Then we would have Williams-Young-Dalembert coming off the bench (they can still play a lot of minutes) with, let’s say, Ivey and Marshall. That second unit could work pretty well without causing too much damage to the starting 5, IMO. The scariest part of all this is that my “answers” are no worse than Cheek’s and I don’t like what that says about our chances of turning this thing around.
Saying we just need to play better (both individually and as a team) sounds like a cop out, but it’s true. Every offense looks a heck of a lot better when it is making shots. To be kind, we don’t have the greatest shooters to begin with, nor do we run the best offensive sets. That said, we have had our share of open shots, we just haven’t made enough of them.
I don’t know where to go with this. Iguodala and Williams are both playing better after getting off to horrible starts. This should help. Will it be enough? I doubt it because even if some of our individual players improve their game, all of those improvements need to be integrated in order for them to translate to improved team play.
This is where Cheeks, and his staff, come in. I am no longer confident that they can get these players and this team playing up to it’s potential. I’m certainly not suggesting that we are a championship caliber ballclub, but I do believe that we have the talent to play a lot better basketball than we are. Also, we are almost 1/3 of the way through the season and I can’t shake the feeling that Cheeks is still throwing things against the wall hoping that something will stick, much like the suggestions we throw around here. We need more than that at this point. By the time Cheeks happens to come across the magical combination—if he ever does find it—there is a good chance that this season will be already lost.
I am going to take jjg’s titanic analogy one step further. If the captain is maintaining a direct, collision course with the iceberg, everything else is nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship.
How about having Kareem Rush at SG in the starting lineup? Hopefully, that will get him in rhythm offensively and it gives us a perimeter shooter in the starting lineup. Really, I prefer Willie and Lou coming off the bench as energy guys. On the flip side, Rush is not great defensively, but if he can avoid major foul trouble and make a huge impact offensively, that could help us overcome his defensive woes. It is a Risk-Return result. The guy needs his confidence back as a shooter!
Rob, first thing for Rush is he needs to get in uniform. He is so far down on Cheek’s list that he was in street clothes on Wednesday. It doesn’t seem like he’ll be seeing regular minutes anytime soon, let alone start. Looks like our “shooter’s” minutes, however few there are, will be going to Marshall (who spent a good amount of time in street clothes himself this season) for the foreseeable future.
bski, I know Cheeks is a major obstacle, and if the coach is an obstacle, heaven help us!! But the Sixers have the chance to redeem themselves. If they win this game, they have the chance to go on a possible five game winning streak prior to facing the Celtics in Boston again 12/23!! This could help get our team’s confidence going before they face the Champs and before their “Disney On Ice” West Coast Trip!