No Iverson tonight again and he is expected to miss tomorrow’s game as well.
Kevin Love will be in action tonight for the Wolves. Last time we faced Minnesota they beat the Sixers without Love. That game might have been rock bottom for the Sixers and when many fans completely gave up on the team.
Tonight is a revenge game and one I expect the Sixers to take at home. Likely in front of only a few people that might brave the impending snow storm.
5 in a row. Who would have thunk it? Interesting enough 81% of you don’t want this team to keep winning. I have a post in the works to discuss that thought a bit more.
Until then this is the game thread for tonight.
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{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
I turned down good seats tonight, been out all week in this shit!!! I still think Minn. would be wise to deal for Iggy and Sam, they along with one shooter make them real good, just give us picks and expirings. Love has been coming off the bench, what a beast. Dannie, your boy Ellington has been playing well, he was a slow starter at N.C. also, wasn!t he ?
Minny has been playing really well lately going for 5 straight too. I saw Ellington hit a game winner the other game too.
He is starting to make shots similar to what happened with Curry in January.
I like the Flynn vs. Jrue match-up
Jefferson is so crafty offensively
Nice passing from Jrue to start. Showing some playmaking skills early. I’d really like to see him doing more of that in the half court.
Good all round quarter for Jrue; I get down once he leaves the court, would like Thad to have a good p.g. on 2nd unit with him [S.Collins, 2nd round?].
I think Collins is really underrated because of his size a lot like Ty Lawson.
Will we even pick in the second round?
do u guys think iverson will play in the allstar game?
Ramon Sessions the forgotten point guard. Remember all the buzz on that kid?
I don’t think he should but I am thinking if his daughter is doing better the league will make him. I think if you are not able to play for your team leading up to the all-star game that you shouldn’t play in the game.
wow jason smith for the and 1 … also any dudes nice in nba 2k10 holla at me…
i agree with u as well dannie he shouldnt be playing in the allstar game if he cant play for his team even though it would be nice to see some 1 repping for us at the allstar game
This first half is the best style of basketball I’ve seen the Sixers play in a really long time. It’s 100% running on makes and misses. Strong defense and rebounding. Attacking basket and lots of free throws.
They actually look like they should be whooping the Wolves. I figured they’d win this game given their recent run, but they are taking it to Minny. Kind of, sort of, not at all happy to see these guys playing well now.
I am writing a post on just that thought.
i would love to just take a nap right now but u know we could be up by 30 points and still lose no lead is safe with the sixers i dont care how much we up by.
lets go sixers
Dannie, thoughts on Thad!s bench attitude, know you were concerned; the 2nd unit is playing like it did a few years back.
These last 2 games really give me hope for Thad. The other night he showed a lot of good small forward things, tonjght he mixed in some rebounding and inside aggressiveness. And good defensive effort. It looks like a serious message is being sent to Marreese, I really wonder if he is dogging it in practice?
Suede – It’s good for now. It will become a question if this team ever builds a strong roster and his role as a bench player becomes permanent I wonder how he will respond.
I like Thad. I just don’t think he is a starter on a contending team right now. With that said he is still young and could have that break out epiphany in his game. Until then he is a very good bench player with a role of fast points and hustle.
You would think winning 5 games in a row would be a good thing but it’s not. That’s very very sad and frustrating.
The “problem” is that the Sixers were no where near as bad as their record indicates. They are playing for a coach who had no clue, who did not reward them for playing hard nosed defense, who instituted an offensive system that didn’t fit their strengths, who didn’t put them into positions where they could succeed, who played combinations on the court that could not defend. Now, I believe Stefanski has put his foot down and told Joran what to do so they appear to be much better. They are back to being the team they were last year, but with a legitimate post presence. They are back to being one quality SG away from being one of the top teams in the East. Now if Carney could handle the ball a little better…
I honestly tried to pull against this team for the sake of a pretty decent shot at Wall. But I think I care about the Sixers winning way too much for that to happen. They’ve won 5 in a row and I hope that they are starting to turn it around. For the better or for the worse, Good job Sixers.
Oh yeah… Don’t trade Iguodala. (Couldn’t help but to throw that one in there).
If they are going to win they might as well make the playoffs. I’d rather see them there as opposed to having the #11 pick. Better yet would be a top 5 pick, but that is just not going to happen. EJ could only hold them down so long. They do not have bottom 5 talent.
guest: couldn’t agree with you more. i think a high draft pick could do wonders for this team but we cant tell them not to win. a situation we can’t control anyway. decided i’m just gonna enjoy the ride and see what happens.
tk76: They do not have bottom 5 talent – thats a pretty euphemism you got right there.
The Bulls didn’t have bottom 5 talent the year they won the lottery and drafted Derek Rose.
That may be true, but are we sure Rose is a “superstar” and whether he is or is just a good player, how many more years are they away from competing for a championship? There are few examples of teams drafting a #1 and then in 3-4 years winning a championship. If ‘Cleveland wins tis year, then you canuse that example. If Chicago wins you can use them as an example.
Maybe the best potential of a rags-to-riches improvement is the OKC Thunder. They got Durrant, not Oden and somehow had a second top pick and got Green, then Westbrook the next year. They could challenge for a championship in Durrants 4th year.
I looked this up a few wks back. If you look at superstar top 5 picks over the last 25 years their teams go from rags to riches quickly. They may not win championships, but they often get to the ECF in 2-3 years:
http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=970468&start=30#p21716210
It may have taken more than four years for many of the top 5 picks for 60+ loss teams to get to the finals… but most of those teams were very good and legit contenders within 4 years:
Shaq: 21 win team -> finals in 2 years
Howard: 21 win team -> 52 wins, conf finals 4 years, Finals 5 years
Ewing: 23 win team -> 52 wins, conf semi-finals 3 years
Jordan: 27 win team -> 50 wins win team -> conf finals in 4 years
Robinson: 21 win team -> 56 wins, conf semi-finals in 1 year!
Duncan: 20 win (tanking) team -> 56 wins, conf semi-finals in 1 year, Won Finals next year
Iverson: 18 win team -> 49 wins, conf semi-finals in 4 years, Finals 5 years
Lebron: 17 win team -> 50 wins, conf semi-finals in 3 year, finals 4 years
Wade: 25 win team -> 59 wins, conf finals in 2 years!, won finals in 3 years
Hakeem: 29 win team -> 51 wins, Finals in 1 year!
This list accounts for the majority of NBA champions in the past 20+ years. They had a 20-26 win season and were quickly in the hunt within 1-4 years (most cases 3 years.) Sure there were extenuating circumstances. Just like there are for the Sixers (they have much more talent than a typical 25 win team.)
And I realize lots of teams stay bad and go to the lottery year after year… But we are talking about the teams that have won- and these teams all were very bad and turned it around quickly after they bottomed out and got a top 5 pick.
The Sixers last top 5 pick was AI.
I’m glad they are winning. I don’t know to say Kudos to EJ or to say good job Sixers players minus EJ. I really don’t like him. But I’m thrilled this team is winning games. There are games when I can say ok its time Iggy can go. Then there are games like last night where I say wow, the kid has so much talent. Signs point to him being traded. Whoever they get better be an outstanding deal that will benefit this team for the next5 years. Or else keep him here and find another way to fix what they need.
You can added Houston with Hakeem to the teams tanking as well. I don’t think you can consider those teams “rags.” And I’d have to look at the other teams to see if major players were injured the season before they got the top player.
Were all the teams really in a “rags” state before they got their franchise player? I don’t know just asking.
I just made the list looking at the Finals teams superstars over the last 25 years. I don’t remember the circumstances for some of those teams, especially in the 80’s.
I do remember they used to make a big deal about how certain players like Robinson turned a team around their first year- but I’m sure there were extenuating circumstances.
The main interesting point is that picking a superstar can make you a winner quickly, and it is not always important to have talent in place. Look at the Sixers the year before AI. That entire roster was turned over in 2 years, both players and coaches.
That Houston team before Hakeem was very young. They were led by a 23 year old Ralph Sampson. their 5 leading scorers were ages:
23,24,26,28,22 (and then added the 22 year old Hakeem the next year and their top 5 scorers were all 25 or under.) Sounds like a young team that had talent but lost games because of lack of experience. And I was wrong, they actually made the Finals in Hakeem’s 2nd year and not his 1st.
TK - Read the book Tip-Off to learn more about the 1984 draft and what teams did that season to land top picks (when tanking was still a guaranteed payoff)
TK76,
Excellent analysis. It supports both sides of the argument. For those 10 players, success was relatively quick, if you take getting to the finals as success. Those who encourage tanking can point to those examples. However, those players covered over 20 years. During that time there were around 100 top 5 picks. While many of the others went on to be quality NBA players, most did not become super stars and lead their teams to the finals. There is a lot of luck involved. The right player has to be available in the draft that year and you have to pick him. There are many more Joe Smiths than Michael Jordans.
BTW Keith VanHorn was the Sixers last top 5 pick #2 in 1997
I really can’t think of a strong argument in favor of a playoff push this season. It isn’t the job of the players or coaches to tank, it’s the GM’s job. Trading any combination of Igoudala, Dalembert and Brand would ensure a horrendous finish.
Duracorr, have you read:
http://www.82games.com/nbadraft2.htm
I’ve linked it before. It lists your odds of landing a superstar or bust at every pick. Top 5 picks give you a good chance, but there are lots of busts. Non top 5 picks are rarely stars:
Over 20 seasons
Pick 1: 8/20 are superstars…. 3/20 are busts
Picks 2-5: 11/80 are superstars…. 30/80 are busts
Picks 6-10: 4/100 are superstars…. 40/100 are busts
Picks 11-14: 3/80 are superstars…. 37/80 are busts
Very few players lead teams to the Finals. The goal should be to acquire one of those players, because none are on the roster. So you can either trade for one or draft one.
Neither way easy or a sure thing- but right now they have a legit shot at a top 5 pick, which they have not had in over 10 years (since AI.) It’s not a coincidence that they also have not made it past the 2nd round for 8 years.
KVH was not their last top 5 pick, because they traded out of that pick (he was picked by NJ.) they took the #7 pick that season. It would be like saying the Sixers drafted Brad Daugherty when they had traded away their pick for Roy Hinson.
Their last top 5 pick was AI.
OK. I thought they drafted him, then traded him for Tim Thomas. Anyway, neither was worth a #2 pick. Given that the Sixers had a #3 in 95, a #1 in 96and a #2 in 97 they should have been better. I’d hate to tank and have the same results from that time.
“Given that the Sixers had a #3 in 95, a #1 in 96and a #2 in 97 they should have been better. I’d hate to tank and have the same results from that time.”
Sure, they should have built a more lasting winner, but they made the 2nd round of the playoffs as early as 98/9 and were in the Finals 2 years later.
I’d take 3 bad years (2010-12) if it mean playoff success and the Finals over the next 5+ years. Certainly better than what I’m expecting with a Brand/Iguodala core (3 more years of 35-25 wins and then blowing it up.)
I reread the article. I think I read it a while back when you previously highlighted it. It is depressing. Three years of top 5 picks are likely to give us an all star and two starters. I’m not sure I can stomach 3-5 more years of really bad basketball to see how that works out. I’d rather get rid of EJ and continue on our present course. A decent coach could have won 45-50 games with this roster.
This is my optimistic take:
They have more talent then their record indicates. If somehow they can land a star in this draft then maybe the rest of the roster is good enough to build a contender in a few years (sort of like the Hakeem analogy.) Either way, it would be a fun ride.
My pessimistic view is that one of these things happen:
-bad trade that dumps Iguodala without getting value or usable cap space back . If Iguodala is gone then it makes having Brand even more of an issue.
-More wins this year and 3 more years of mediocrity and EJ… and then they blow it up.
I fear the bad trade the most. Brian’s analysis showed that the amount of cap relief is not enough to bring in a star player. We would have only the mid-level either way.
Well I’ve just spent quality time with my snowblower with more yet to come at the rate it’s coming down.
We only got a foot in Chicago. You guys have gotten buried this year.
The best thing… my neighbor’s New Year’s resolution was to get in better shape by shoveling his and my driveway.