Sixers are going into the Rose Garden to face a team playing some of its best basketball right now. Portland has rallied around each other after devastating losses in their front court and are playing about as good as anyone in the NBA right now. Four wins in a row against:
- @Miami
- @Dallas
- @San Antonio
- Denver
That’s three strong road wins against playoff teams and a monster performance from Brandon Roy got them the home win against the Billup-less Nuggets.
Two teams going in completely opposite directions.
Andre Miller
First game against his old team and Miller had some things to say about the current state of the Sixers and why he is not with the team this season. I want to have some fun with it.
AM – “There wasn’t no money available to pay me. So that was the problem right there. [Did you want to stay?] Actually I did. Actually, that was the No. 1 priority because I felt the two times we made it to the playoffs we actually had opportunities to advance. So I just thought with a little bit more time to gel together you know we definitely had a chemistry when I was over there. I did want to stay if [Ed] Stefanski wanted to bring me back.
[About bringing A.I. back who is older than Miller] That’s their problem now. I showed durability in this league. My game hasn’t declined, you know, it’s gotten better over the years and I’m healthy. That’s just an excuse to say, ‘The reason we didn’t bring him back was because we felt his years were behind him,’ which is bull … it was just the money, that’s all.”
Translation - The Sixers didn’t value me enough and made B.S. excuses for not keeping me. They didn’t want to spend to keep a playoff team in tact who could have improved with a healthy Brand, Smith, draft pick and the addition of a shooter in Jason Kapono. Oh and by the way, I was the glue on that team. I was the reason we made late season runs, got into the playoffs and competed above our expectations. Look at those clowns now. No chemistry. In-fighting. Lots of losing. And they thought bringing A.I. back was a good idea? LOL!
AM – “I know they have problems; I know they’re struggling. I think it’s just they’re playing under a new system. I think that’s it. Those guys are athletes over there and they want to get up and down the court and fast break and force turnovers and I think right now they’re getting taught, basically, how to play college basketball. Passing and cutting and stuff like that. I don’t know. It’s hard, some guys over there didn’t go to college. That’s a system that’s going to take time. That’s a lot of athletes over there. It takes time and you have to be a thinker at the same time.
Translation – Those guys are not basketball players. They are runners and jumpers. They are dumb and don’t know how to play the game of basketball at a basic level. The system doesn’t fit the personnel and because those guys are dumb it’s going to take a very long time for them to get it – if at all. Major FAIL.
Are the translations just me having fun or do they really have some truth to them?
I fully expect the Sixers to get their ass kicked and for Andre Miller to bring his A-game to show the Sixers they made a mistake not resigning him.
What to Watch For
- Jerryd Bayless. They have been giving him minutes and the ball and he is scoring the way everyone thought he could coming out of college.
- Andre Iguodala vs. Brandon Roy. This is key. Dala needs to lock him up for us to have a chance to win. If Roy goes off drubbing is likely.
- Thad defending Aldridge or Howard in the post. This is less about Thad’s defense and more about whether Portland looks to take advantage of the size and strength over Thad in those match-ups. And if Howard and Aldridge settle for facing up and shooting jumpers against Thad or Speights.
- Can Iverson or Lou guard anyone? They will be matched up against the bigger Andre Miller, the explosive Bayless and the three point shooting Blake.
- Attacking the rim and free throw attempts. With no Oden or Pryzbilla the paint has become a freeway for attacking rim against Portland. Aldridge is weak defensively and doesn’t block shots at all. Juwan Howard – give me a break. He wasn’t a shot blocker when he was young let alone at 36. The Sixers can’t settle for outside jumpers and need to attack at every opportunity and even passing up open looks to force the ball inside. One of the biggest disappointments tactically for the Sixers is they don’t get to the line in relation to their FGA as much as they have in the past. What makes that even worse: they are a better free throw shooting team now. Just ass backwards this team is, so frustrating.
That’s all I got for now. Will be around all night for the game. 10pm start so it’s going to be a late one. Luckily, I am off from work until January 4th.
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{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
Lou and AI couldn’t guard Miller in free. They’ll shoot jumpers all night long and get applauded. They’ll give up 105 points and at the end of the game EJ will say “We just didn’t make enough shots.”
Willie is questionable with a sprained ankle. Iverson is probable and likely to start.
Does the Lou/Iverson debacle start tonight or will Jrue still get the nod?
Bayless is like a ticking timebomb ready to be unleashed. Dannie, do they stay pat or look to add a big. Houston and them are threats in the playoffs, does bringing in a new big screw things up?
From the previous post -
Dannie, those questions are yet another good way to look at the AI9 situation. A few quick answers:
Replace Pierce with Iguodala does Boston win? Replace Allen with Iguodala does Boston win? No. With Garnett, Iguodala, and Pierce/Allen, your defense would be better, but it wouldn’t be enough to offset how much offense you lose. I think Iguodala is more Kevin Garnett than Allen or Pierce.
Replace Odom with Iguodala does LA win? Yes. Iguodala would know exactly how to play with Kobe and Gasol. If LA had Iguodala against Boston that series could’ve gone either way.
Replace Turkoglu with Iguodala does Orlando beat LA? Replace Lewis with Iguodala does Orlando beat LA? The problem is similar to the Boston one – because Dwight Howard is one of your Big 3, the other 2 amigos need to have superstar offense. Iguodala is a horrible fit for Orlando.
In the realm of financial reality, I think the best trio that you could get that would include Iguodala is: Iguodala, Nowitzki and Ben Gordon. Another trio I like is Iguodala, Deron Williams, and Andrew Bynum/Josh Smith.
Suede – I think Portland should really go after Marcus Camby if they want to make a serious run this year.
They have no chance in hell to compete in the playoffs without a defensive front court big.
Ed should look to move Brand or Sammy for T-mac’s $23M expiring contract.
Wouldn’t that be a perfect deal for this team? T-Mac is a player capable of bring some new fans to the building. If he is healthy and can play he could help the team go on a late season run. And at the end of the season they will have freed up a huge chunk of change.
I prefer them move Brand because his deal is longer and Sam’s value is actually increasing because his contract is nearing it’s end.
Would Houston actually pass up on Brand?
Dannie, they get more production from their underpaid power forwards(Scola & Landry). No room for undersized, overpaid(longterm) center(EB). Sammy would fit but don’t see him going their financially unless Iggy went along plus? for McGrady & Ariza.
No way would they do it, but I’d throw in Jrue if they would give us Lowry.
Iverson is dominating the paint right now. Getting in the lane whenever he wants.
Jason Smith is playing interesting. I guess Speights is hurt.
Dannie – Your comments on AMiller addressing the Sixer’s woes being due to playing the Princeton Offense are SPOT ON. I read the same thing on RealGM and was going to post the same type of “So what A-Miller is saying, is basically we have a bunch of douchebag ballers with zero bball IQ that never learned enough fundamentals to play a smartly run, intuitive offense that requires players to read situations and play off each other with real chemistry”. He’s definitely knocking our players as much as possible without actually saying so. And…he’s right.
Mismatch blunder by Portland – Dalembert made a switch on a pick and wound up covering Brandon Roy on the 3 point perimeter…one of the most blatant mismatches you could POSSIBLY have in the NBA. So instead of Brandon Roy taking Sammy to school off the dribble and burning by him straight to the hole…he stepped back and shot up an Iguodala-like-jumper? What was he thinking.
Elton Brand had a GREAT seal on his defender inside the paint…D-Bere dumps it to him, Brand finishes for an easy layup. Exactly the kind of poised, smart play a vet big man that has a high IQ knows how to make.
Dave T did you just say a vet with High IQ and Sammy in the same sentence? really? I can’t figure out what this team does on offense. They don’t have a set go to play within the offense. Its just moving around the perimeter with dribble hand-offs. This teams offense is worse now than it was with A Miller at the point. I haven’t seen a true set play run crisp and to perfection. Each time down it looks like a bunch of broken plays with hot potato passing.
RRose - I was referring to Brand in my post. I’d knaw my own arm off before using “basketball intelligence” and “Dalembert” in the same sentence.
Hey coach Jordan…look at that!!!…you put a former all star named Elton Brand, a 20 pt 10 rbd player that is a workhorse, has good IQ, plays defense, rotates properly, and can score from the high and mid post…and you take a defensive center with no offense but a guy that can alter shots, like Dalembert…and PLAY THEM TOGETHER…and it leads to success?!?!?!
How come the entire fan base recognizes this should be the starting combination but our own !@#$ing coach cannot.
In the 3rd quarter Elton Brand has played a great on ball defensive game against LeMarcus Aldridge, who has a good 3 inches on him. Not giving up ground on drives, forcing him to the right direction, using center of gravity so his weight is sunk like a tank, and is setting up properly when his man gets the ball with his back to the basket and is making him work. We are seeing glimpses of the player we expected to see when signing the absurdly huge contract.
Portland can’t score right now
No way they blow this one now.
Lots of Royal Ivey tonight.
hahahahaha
The Sixers played with rare intensity (like they did vs Boston.) Maybe they got up for facing Miller- you could see Lou was actually trying to play good defense against him.
Also a game led by the vets AI and Brand. Reminded me of when the Sixers were horrible the year AI was traded and they made a late run under the stabilizing influence of Miller and Joe Smith. Wonder if this year they make a run for 30 wins with Brand and AI leading them.
Also, only 48 combined minutes for Jrue, Thad and Speieghts. When you bench the youngest players you execute better- but there is a cost.
dalembert on the perimetre is the biggest mismatch he is long and quick for a centre and would probably block roy 1 on 1 the basket. Roy is crafty but not explosive. i wouldn’t be getting my hopes up dannie. the sixers did what i expected them to do if they had any chance of winning which was feed it down low to our bigs ( dalembert at the start of the game then brand later one) as portland was without their two best interior defenders. Good to see brand dominate and ai come back looking good.
a win is a win though and i will take it. hopefully we can really rally and get a string of wins out west, we are only a couple games out of the playoffs and once we are in there anything can happen. We have talent on this roster we just need the players to figure out how to use it best and gel together, god knows this useless coach never will!
Great win and some interesting dancing from Dalembert. I love that air guitar bit there. But, I think Iverson and Brand will be our closers for this season. They looked great yesterday! Now, for this team it is about consistency and making a stand– do they want to make the playoffs or get a quality player from the draft? The team is not too far from making either choice.
GO SIXERS!
I think that was the biggest win so far this season. Better than the Boston win. That may have been the best this team has played all season. Welcome back Ai
Great day in the morning! Sixers win through strong, concerted effort. Anytime you got Iguodala (9), Dalembert, Brand & Ivey racking up 14 assists in composite with zero turnovers (!), a win is likely. Kudos to Brand, who earned his pay, albeit against a thin frontline (shark & blood). Dalembert, ditto (7-9 … like a Wilt 1st Q). AI attacked, helped to set stage and lead; nice game. Gatling gunner Speights, right on target (7-8). A phrisky bunch of Philly phellas – finally. An exception? Or the beginning of some sustained respectable play? Congratulations, beleaguered General Jordan, troops were full-throttled and unusually precise. Northwest mission accomplished.
Someone remind me again why Thad is starting, and Brand is not?
Sam’s dancing looked like he was audition to be our Mark Madson.
tk76, here we go again; although getting Elton and Sam playing well may allow some trade movement, did Sam win Portland over? You have mentioned before that Sam probably will be just let off the books, my question is if you got some expiring contract back for him along with something of value, doubtful I know, would they do it. Ex., K.Thomas [about 8.7 mill. ex.] plus something of value.
Alright, I have to ask; can a lineup of A.I., Iggy, Thad, Elton, and Sam win a playoff series if Elton continues his strong play and A.I. continues his unselfish, run the p-r good, making good decisions type of play?
E.Snow interviewing A.I. for N.B.A. TV : what do you think of the young guys? ” the sky!s the limit, I just want to bring energy and show them how to win late in the games.” Why are S.Dalembert!s numbers so much better with you out there? “Sam knows I want to win and play hard, he will run through a wall for me, he has been that way since he has been in the league.” How does it feel listening to A.McKie as your coach? ” It is just like when you [E.Snow] worked me out over the summer, [with a sly smile] of course I listen to him.”
Suede – No.
On T-MAC -
The Rockets want a good, young player for T-Mac’s $23 million expiring deal. So Brand or Sammy wouldn’t really fit.
Would you guys trade Iggy or Thad? Personally, I’d trade either, tank the season, hope for a good draft pick and spend the new found cap space smartly next year. McGrady’s salary makes it tough – here are trades that work in the trade machine…
Iguodala and Dalembert for McGrady
Iguodala and Kapono for McGrady
there is really no way to make it work for Thad unless they take Brand and Green/Williams as well.
Anybody interested?
Pete, I wouldn!t give up Iggy unless McGrady might resign but Thad, Sam, Kapono works but doubt Houston does that. I am watching a developmental league game and wonder if Jrue gets phased out when Willie comes back if it pays to have him run a team for 35 minutes a game down there. L. Hudson and Ajinca are getting major minutes , along with R.Ayers when no minutes are available with their teams [Ajinca/Hudson] . What do you guys think?
I would not mind sending Holiday to the D League. Then he can develop away from the Princeton offense/defense and his coach’s offense only priorities.
suede, good find with the Iverson/Snow interview. I really like what Iverson has brought to the team, both tangible and intangible; for intangibles, I hope Iguodala leaves the faces and the theatrics up to him. Did the Ivey-Iverson-Iguodala backcourt remind you of the Snow-Iverson-McKie trio? Also, I really like the Ivey-Iverson-Iggy-Brand-Speights lineup, I think it’s a great mixture of offense and defense, youth and age.
Also, if they send Jrue down to Erie, more people might watch a Bayhawks game than a 6ers game; it’s a bloody great idea, but Stefanski’s not doing this.
Dave T, did you notice how great Iguodala’s passing was? It’s like it made some sort of leap in this game, I wonder where it came from. Has he been working on it all this time, fine-tuning and making adjustments after every game? Is he trusting his teammates more, getting more comfortable with them? Did he wanna show off what he’d learned from Uncle Andre (Miller)? In any case, I hope it stays this good or better for the rest of his career. Also, you know how there are players who play much better when “they let the game come to them”? Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone who’s better than Iguodala when he plays this way. Maybe Kirilenko?
I don’t think Eddie Jordan was serious with his last two end-of-game lineups: first Ivey, Iverson, LouWill, Iguodala and Sam; then Ivey, LouWill, Holiday, Carney and Sam. I think he was just fucking with all the Sixer bloggers and commenters out there.
Zack, Look at Ariza trying to be what he is not, jacking shots up at a low %; Iggy was the #3 scorer last night and played more relaxed with less of a need to score. Elton and A.I. really allow him to be more succesfull, in that respect.
tk76, McMillan was quoted as saying ;” they made us play at their pace, slowing the game down and running the Princeton”, did it look that way to you? It looked like simple pick and roll and get it in the post to me.
dss -
why would you want mcgrady to resign!?
you use the money to get someone like Joe Johnson, get lucky in the lottery and get John Wall, and parade out this line-up next year…
PG- John Wall
SG- Joe Johnson
SF- Thaddeus Young
PF- Elton Brand
C- Marreesse Speights
a man can dream, right?
Pete, with this organizations love affair with their young players I just don!t see them giving one of them up without that thought in their heads.
Pete, I can!t believe they won!t screw up the Wall sweepstakes somehow, I still expect a 5 to 10 pick but your right, a man can hope!!
Thought this was interesting and worth posting….
Most underrated players of the decade accoring to John Hollinger…
1. Elton Brand: Although he’s ending the decade on a down note, he’s the most unappreciated star of the past 10 years as a whole. His unspectacular style won him few fans and fewer sponsors, but Brand nonetheless had eight All-Star-caliber seasons, even though he made the team only twice — once as a sub after he being passed over in the original voting for Wally Szczerbiak. His shared rookie of the year award with Steve Francis was another unconscionable oversight.
2. Shawn Marion: The prototypical underrated player because he rarely had the ball in his hands except when finishing and shot a high percentage with few turnovers. In 2006, Marion led the Suns in games, minutes, points, rebounds, shooting percentage, blocks and steals, and was by acclimation the team’s best defender. His teammate won the MVP, while Marion got one fifth-place vote.
3. Andre Miller: Never quite good enough to be an All-Star, Miller was nonetheless one of the 10 best point guards of the past decade and probably will go down as the best alley-oop passer ever. Splitting his time among various mediocre teams, he never stayed long enough to generate the kind of appreciation that a Richard Hamilton gets in Detroit or a Derek Fisher gets in L.A., and that’s hurt his renown, too.
You guys see John Hollinger had Elton Brand as the most underrated player of the decade
Many of the “good young players” are still on rookie contracts OR base year compensation players. Meaning the Rockets understand they will have to take a bad contract in the form of a older player back in order to get a good young player.
Iguodala makes the least sense to me because they just invested in Trevor Ariza and still really like Battier.
Sam makes some sense because his contract is only one year longer than T-macs and he can fill a defense, rebounding and size void for that team this season while Yao is out and as a capable back-up next season when Yao returns (if he returns).
Brand makes sense because while he is undersized he still brings defense and rebounding and you can play him with Scola in the starting line-up. Landry is still your super sub and Hayes is your back-up defensive big. They actually are thin in the front court as a whole without Yao.
Remember also, Yao’s contract is up at the end of the 2010 season just like Sammy. I don’t think it’s wise to invest in another big contract for Yao so they would be in position to have a ridiculous amount of cap space if they took Sam as the big contract.
you really think the Rockets would take Brand? Especially knowing he’s only going to get worse as his contract gets older?
Whoever they get would have to be better than who they could sign with the money from McGrady’s contract next year.
I don’t think they would do a Carl Landry / Elton Brand swap if they were making the same amount of money.
I don’t think they are going to have enough money to sign a better player than Brand in the offseason.
They have to make a decision on Scola this offseason and to a much lesser degree Lowry.
If they resign Scola they won’t have enough money to pry a really good free agent away from their existing team who can pay them the most.
The other question is this: What does Houston feel they need to get better?
Any talent regardless of position? Or do they have a specific positional need in mind? (PG, SG?)
Unlike us they seem better than the sum of their parts; with young pieces like Brooks, Taylor, Ariza , Budinger and Lowry is a center their biggest need? What would you rather have at the 4? [Brand/Spieghts] or [Scola/Landry] ? What amazes me is they continue to defend for an offensive coach; I hope Jordan!s affect on our group doesn!t last like Van Gundy!s affect on theirs.
I wouldn’t part with Thad just to dump Sammy. Sammy only has one year left on his contact and will be a valuable trade piece next year. If a team is willing to take Brand’s contract, then Thad definitely gets thrown in.