Here we go again. The Sixers are on the road against another strong opponent. Again their opponent has been hit rather severely by the injury bug.
Carlos Boozer is out and has been for the last 20 games (killing my fantasy team). Back up power forward Paul Millsap is also out for a week or so with an injured knee. He was playing extremely well before he got hurt in a starting roll. Mehmet Okur has missed the last three games with back spasms but has said he expects to play tonight. Even if he does you have to think he won’t be 100% coming back from a bad back.
Just like the Indiana game and the Denver game the Sixers get to play a battered opponent. The question remains can they take advantage?
Kosta Koufus has been playing well in extended minutes. If Okur plays and they put Koufus in the starting line up with him Thad will be asked to defend a 7-footer. Tough task defensively and on the boards. I’d feel more confident if I thought the Sixers would take advantage of the match up on the offensive end but we have know that rarely happens.
With all those guys out for Utah they key to the game will be containing Deron Williams. And I don’t mean his scoring. Andre Miller, Lou Williams, Willie Green and Royal Ivey need to keep him out of the lane and try and turn him into a jump shooter. If he is able to get to the hole he will create havoc with his facilitating ability and strength finishing around the rim. As in all games against Utah pick and roll defense is critical.
I doubt the Sixers shoot the ball the way they did against Denver who didn’t play a ton of defense. Utah will lock in on the defensive end and Iguodala will be faced with Kirilenko, Brewer and Miles all good defenders.
Hoping for less mental errors tonight and 4 quarters of solid ball – not just 3.
Sixers vs. Utah Game Notes
17-point loss to the Utah Jazz without their starting and back up power forward and a starting center suffering from back spasms. You have Kate Fagan and my friend Brian over at the Depressed Fan saying the Sixers should win this game.
That is laughable to me. Why exactly should the Sixers win this game? What has this team shown that would suggest they should win this game even against a depleted Utah Jazz team?
Again people falling pray to the “on paper” syndrome again with this team. On paper the Sixers had a good chance and possible should have won this game considering the injuries to key Utah players. But if we’ve learn anything from this season it’s that “on paper” doesn’t mean ish and certainly doesn’t translated to wins on the basketball court for the Sixers.
One very glaring and telling stat for me was this: Marreese Speights = 0 rebounds! Huh? How the hell do you play minutes as a front court player and end the game without a single board? I am certainly not a Sammy lover, but I am far from the Sammy hater that many Sixers fans are. But if you really think this team would be better off giving him away you are sadly mistaken. The two things he does when given ample playing time is rebound and contest shots. Speights has not consistently done either of those things in his young career. I like Speights a lot and think in time he will be a strong contributor but he isn’t quite ready to be an everyday starter at center as everyone is calling for. Not yet.
Another game where the Sixers actually shoot well from the field (48%) and lose. But they continue to be horrid from the three point line (1-9), mediocre to bad at the foul line (18-25) and are a lock to turn the ball over a minimum of 15 times per game. This completely negates their good shooting games and advantage in fastbreak points (25-12).
This is simply a losing team. They have proven to be incapable of playing 4 strong quarters of basketball. Incapable of taking care of the basketball. Incapable of shooting well from the three point line. Incapable of not killing themselves from the line. Incapable of sustaining a winning style of play on offense or defense. Add it all up and you have a 12-18 basketball team that continues to go in the wrong direction this season.
Frustrating that this team just continues to be mediocre.
Next Game: Wednesday at the Los Angeles Clippers
Loading ...
{ 79 comments… read them below or add one }
Improvement isn!t good enough tonight, need a “W”. Want to see how our former pick looks tonight [Fesenko]. Had a couple good outings lately. That Thad/ J.Smith draft could have possibly given us 4 future starters if Koponen and Fesenko weren!t traded away.
Agree. deepsixersuede, need a win. Not improvement. Accuscore has the sixers loosing by 10 still.
I am soooo frustrated I don’t know what to write. We can’t shoot to save our lives. I hope Stefanski realizes now that firing Mo wasn’t the answer. Dileos in there and the same thing is happening. Even if we had brand tonight it wouldn’t make that much of a difference. There has to be a personell change.
And that tech on Evans was a stupid call by the refs. They’ve been gunning for him all game.
Dannie, One thing you can see is Sammy isn!t going anywhere, since Deleo took over he seems to be learning what his offensive limitations are and even though we could get away without him against 2/3 of the teams in the league, the 1/3 we need him for are all the playoff teams.It is an uphill battle every night when we turn it over, miss foul shots and can!t make a three. Dannie, I don!t know how they can fix this.It will take 2 or 3 of OUR assets to get a top flight talent in here and teams don!t give them up lightly. We are spreading the floor better but what good is it when we don!t have a sniper to pass to. I liked Thad!s all around game tonight offensively and I guess we have to wait till one or possibly two of our 3 amigos [Thad,L.Will. and Marreese] can become a 20 ppg. scorer.
suede: good call bout the sammy thing. some teams we don’t need him, and then for some we do. perhaps you are now reconsidering the search for a star and throw everything you can at him approach. desperation’s a bitch.
seeing the box score. as expected d. williams ran all over miller (6 fouls – allowed 11-18 shooting). the difference in the game bar turnovers was 3-pt shooting. they basically won cos their shots had more value than ours. wow when does iggy need to learn to stop even trying 3s (0-3)
another game i’m glad i didnt watch. it’s sad cos watching a sixers game is becoming a mental beating on the average fan. is this how the lions feel every time they buy tickets to NFL games?
I can’t say anything more than Dannie. These are the losses that I have seen over and over again. But I do have one comment. With our turnovers, free throws, and 3 pt shots….Its going to be a MUST that we out rebound them, especially on the offensive end. When we don’t do that, you see games like this.
Haha…I just saw something looking at the boxscore. We only did one thing better than them, WE GOT ONE MORE STEAL!!!!! YES!
Wow we got completly out played in this game. We can come back strong against the Clippers…Right? Well maybe not.
Jkay
Iggy will never learn. Never. If he’s open…he’s got to shoot. I still say a lot of his shots are a result of a bad half court system. They always give it to him when the shot clock is winding down forcing him to take a shot.
I don’t think Iggy thinks he is a good shooter, but sometimes you are forced into shots. I’ve said this many many times. MORE OFF BALL MOVEMENT, BACK DOOR SCREENS, AND PICK AND ROLLS. Make the defense accountable for everybody at all times. Try to get some easier shots and use our athleticism.
guest: i’m glad someone else sees that too- the sixers hot-potato tossing anytime the shot clock is running down. its supremely comical to see the looks on their faces as they try to remain calm, each hoping the ball does not end up with them. the only ones undaunted and willing to take that shot are miller (serious grit on this guy) who is limited offensively anyway and sammy (elated!) bcos he actually gets a chance to shoot the ball. lol
ok this is my team, i seriously should not be making fun of em.
Dannie,
I’m glad to see I’m not the only completely puzzled why Speights didn’t have a rebound tonight. In fact, he only had one board last Friday against the Denver. Are we starting to see a disturbing trend or is Speights just a little off defensively right now?
Okay so we are 7 games into DiLeo’s tenure. How any games will it take for GM Ed to determine he isn’t finished making player moves?
The Jazz are the anti Sixers, meaning ball movement and crisp passing the only good thing about tonight was Thads fake behind the back pass and dunk, but the gave up a 3 point play about 3 secs later so it didn’t really matter.
Jerry Sloan is my favorite coach in the NBA the man is a great coach, and does not get enough respect.
Speights is clearly a 4, Dalambert is clearly a career fucking loser.
Greek – I am pretty sure everyone on the Sixers is a career loser at this point so why are you singling out Dalembert?
I said front court player in the post. Regardless whether Speights is a 4 or 5 one of, if not his primary roles are to defend the paint and rebound. Neither of which he has does on a consistent basis.
Let’s try to comment with a little less bias and unnecessary language.
2 games in a row where 3 point shooting difference was embarrassing; I have a low expectation level right now. Staff is probably going back to basics on ‘O’ & ‘D’ and more time is needed. That spurt at the end of the half just killed them. Team is really lacking confidence. Unfortunately, the 3 point shooting will not be resolved with the players in the current rotation. looking for bright spots. It is difficult but looking at games from a GM’s perspective right now. practicing patience. Highly, recommended.
SFW – Patience? Stefanski said no patience. Patience is a word often used for rebuilding teams. That isn’t what this team was supposed be. This was suppose to be a win right now team.
Guys, the player Spieghts was compared to by somebody,[Stoudemire] had 1 rebound in 21 mins. last night. Shaq was an animal last night and so was Reggie, effort is the only way you get a rebound when you are out there for the most part next to Reggie, plus Utah!s bigs do keep you away from the basket.Dannie, how does a team with turnover issues afford to move a p.g. that doesn!t turn the ball over much, that scares me a whole lot. S.F.W., patience is a virtue but I have never been considered virtuous. They did play Iggy at the 2 alot last night, Dannie, in your time off I would LOVE to see a “if I was E.S., what would I do at the trade deadline” kind of column.
Question, could J. Sloan get this group to play his way or would he start hitting his head against a wall ?
This Sixers team is a synthetic Christmas tree — some colored balls (running ability, Iggy tomahawks, Miller alley oops, Green ‘good Joe’ utility), some tinsel (flashes of defense, Evans mischief, the LW dribble-and-crank show, Young spurts, Dalembert & Speights moments), no natural scent of life or delighting cohesion.
What’s more, Santa Claus (Brand) is disabled and has suspended delivery. Mom & Dad (DiLeo & Stefanski) are dumbfounded and bound by circumstance (exorbitant contracts, salary cap). The once-expectant children (fans) are crestfallen as the floor under the tree is bare (of full game concerted efforts). Numerous ghosts of Christmas Past (Lynam, Malone, Ruland, McKie) linger and roam sideline. The weather outside (economy & attendance) is frightful.
Christmas ‘08: a spare time of reflection and taking of inventory. Resolutions will be soon be made.
Dannie, it obviously isn’t a team ready to win. His lack of patience was directed at his coach who he felt wasn’t getting through to his players. We’ll see how Tony makes out. If there is no improvement, there will probably be major personnel changes. Coming in, we felt Brand was going to be a major difference maker. He isn’t and probably won’t be. Also, the finish last year may have mislead us. Time to step back re-analyze and move forward. This is a long season. Hopefully, we improve, get into the playoffs and grow up along the way. Speights, Lou & Thad hold the key to how good we will be in the next year or 2; I hope management holds on to the 3 of them.
jjg, let it snow. let it snow. let it snow………………..
Hey autodraft gave me Gilbert Areans as one of my very high draft picks, so don’t even go near that injury thing.
Players have guaranteed contracts so teams can’t do diddly. Firing the coach is the only thing the team can do to make it look like they are “doing” something. This sometimes keeps the fans happy for awhile, but some of us realize what’s going on.
I am singling out Sammy just because he is the dumbest an worst of the losers, worse then Iggy who is just god awful. As far as the cussing, I am just frustrated full time with this team sort of like the what you were feeling when you penned your masterpiece ‘Andre Miller & Sixers F’ing Self-Destruct Against Denver”
Guys, one trade, if the right one, could accomplish getting us better in the 3 things needed;[foul shooting, turnovers [overdribbling], and 3 pt. shooting]. This is just to give us hope on a gloomy day and it works moneywise. Iggy,Jason,Donell and Kareem for Kopono and A.Parker. Getting less back in talent but addind a talent that is needed may be the way E.S. has to go. Toronto is looking for a three and has been playing Kopono at 2 guard because they are down on Parker. They have been disappointing also but Colangelo is no dummy, from Toronto!s perspective would they do it ? Parker is older and in the last year of his contract, does that play into it ? Thad gets back into the starting lineup and we get our Korver back [Kapono] and a spot up 2 guard.
Deepsixersuede
I don’t know if that trade makes us that much better. Remember, we aren’t looking to get slightly better, we are looking for a vast improvement to get into the playoff race. Parker and Kapono improve our turnovers and shooting (both 3pt and free throw), but looking at their stats…
http://www.nba.com/raptors/stats/
I don’t see anything that jumps out at me besides percentages. I would much rather have Calderon and include Miller in the deal.
My other point regarding that trade…that makes our bench extremly weaker. Think about the problems we were having at the beginning of the season. Our starting lineup would jump out to a lead and the bench would give it up within 5 minutes. Moving Thad to the bench fixed that problem immediatly. Unfortunetly, that just exposed all of our other problems.
Im not saying that trade doesn’t make us better, but I don’t know if it makes us enough better to make a serious playoff push this year, or in the upcoming years. I don’t know though, you maybe right and I maybe a dillusional Andre Iguodala fan, (sorry he’s my favorite player).
Sixers have given up over 100 points in 4/5 games since Brand’s injury.
Glad to see someone else make a comment about Speights. Guy has talent I wont deny that, but everyone needs to slow down on the he needs to be starting and he’s gonna be a star stuff. His idea of defense is to flop trying to take a charge (he picks up at least 1 foul a game due to that). And on top of that he rarely ever gets a charge called. I dont want my big out taking charges on nearly every play. He rarely is ever in position to contest shots. Very rarely does he score from the inside, most of his points come off of jump shots. And rebounding, dont even get me started on that, the only way he winds up with rebounds is if he is in the lane by himself. I would love to see the splits on the team rebounding when he is in the game, I guarentee that they go down. Look I am not a big Dalembert supporter, but no way does Speights deserve the minutes he is stealing from Dalembert this season. I think the big problem with Dalembert this year has been due to his lack of consistent minutes.
Guest, I like Iggy and feel he can be part of a winning team if surrounded by the right pieces. Offensively this team dribbles to much though and as I said in an earlier post, our p.g. doesn!t turn the ball over. I wonder how A.Miller feels when kicking the ball out to a player he knows probably won!t hit the shot. I think Iggy, shooting wise, is about where is is going to end up where as Thad seems to have more upside in this area. For this team to become the pass,cut and ball movement kind of team we have to replace some of our slashers [Iggy,A.Miller,L.Will. or Thad] with spot up shooters. Out of the 4 listed here Thad and L.Will. I believe have the best upside shooting wise , that is why moving either A.Miller or Iggy is the way to go.A.Miller, for all his defensive and perimeter shooting issues, I feel is harder to replace with a spot up shooter because of position. As far as our bench, if we made a deal like this, and used our #1 pick to draft [Buddinger] or acquire [Almond,Morrow] a 2 guard that can shoot than a 2nd unit of L.Will., [shooter],Willie, Kapono,Reggie,Spieghts,J.Smith and possibly Theo next year could be more than adequate, in my opinion.
I’ll go one step further, I think for this team to take that next step, both Igoudala and Miller are going to have to be gone.
Kevin, your forgeting the biggest part of the equation, Elton. This team ,for whatever reason, looked horrible offensively with a Sam/ Elton combo on the floor although with our shooting [Iggy,L.Will.] improved lately that might change. I disagree about him scoring on all jumpshots, he has shown, to me to be as good as ,or better an offensive rebounder than Sam when Elton is out there with him because Sam just doesn!t know where to be sometimes. My biggest issue is can we win with Sam part of our offense and also can we win without Sam on our defense.
Suede - What does adequate mean in terms of wins?
About Sam: If you replace Oberto/Elson who split time as the starting center with Dalembert does San Antonio still win the chip in 2007? How about if you replaced Rasho Nesterovic does San Antonio still win in 2005?
Just food for thought.
Dannie, the idea is for your starters to get a lead and your bench to hold it, right. If we can improve our starting lineup at the risk of hurting our bench a bit, I would risk it. Dannie, what frustrates me is guys yanked in and out of their supposed roles. The other night L.Will. played opposite A.Miller and Ivey as a 2 the whole game. Last night he played point off the bench next to Willie because of A.Millers foul trouble, yet Ivey on Williams could of helped defensively, is that getting guys used to their roles ?
sfw makes a good point about Lou, Thad, & Speights being the key in a year or two. Not only does management need to keep them but they also need to demand that they play the right way. Hold Speights accountable for not rebounding if he’s not putting in the hustle and effort. Hold Thad accountable if he’s looking too shoot too often and not looking to rebound or pass the ball.
This team has a chance to develop young players for more than a year or two for the first time since before Larry Brown and Billy King arrived. Create a strategic blueprint and follow it. Get rid of guys who don’t want to rebound and defend and find guys who can shoot the ball from more than 10 feet.
Ed’s work with the roster isn’t done. I think if we don’t see results by next year that he’ll be on the hot seat.
Dannie, the guys you mention all do the little things, things that Sam are allergec to. If he could set good screens and give a good bounce pass while staying out of the way [ala B.Cartwright with the Bulls] he could really help this team but !!!!!
A big part of the team being so horrible to start the season had to do with how they were using Brand to start the season coupled with the horrible shooting as you mentioned. Dalembert will probably never “get it”. I wont argue that, he is maddening to watch on the court at times. But the effort that he brings on the boards and defensivly easily outway his offensive mistakes. Dalembert and Elton had little time to work together in training camp (due to injuries) and now are missing valuable time due to Elton’s injury; and with that being said, with more time on the court together, and with consistent minutes, Dalembert can still be a important piece to this team. Quite simply, Speights needs to earn his minutes, and not be handed them due to fan outcry. It is no wonder so many of these guys feel entitled to more money, fame, ect. Speights is gonna head down that path if they dont make him earn his way. Look at Igoudala as prime example, it is no wonder he thinks he is the man. The freaking sixers told him he was. They traded away AI, washed his image out of the arena, and handed the franchise to Igoudala. Not only was he not ready for it, but is obviously not able to carry a franchise. Now everyone is looking at each other wondering whose bad idea it was to give him so much money. It’s all the fools who thought he could be a lead scorer when he had a few nice dunks, or thought he was a lockdown defender when he had a few steals.
This team does have shooters, that is not the problem. The problem is that the people taking the shots are not shooters (Igoudala, Green), yet the people who should be shooting (Young, Rush, Marshall) arent getting enough shots/minutes.
Ken, unlike our young core of Sam,Korver and Willie that B.K. used to tout this group all ,I believe, have a chance to be starters down the road. Hopefully at least 2 of them fullfill the promise.
Ok Deepsixersuede…I see where your going with this.
But my questions are…How much better would we be replacing Andre Iguodala with Thad in the starting lineup. How much better would we be replacing Willie Green with Anthony Parker in the starting lineup. And how much worse would our bench be putting Jason Kapono in there instead of Thad.
1) Right now, Thad isn’t that much better than AI, if better at all.
2) Anthony Parker would be a slight upgrade from Willie. If you plan to start Parker. Im not sure if thats what we would want to do. I understand we aren’t planning to sign him back next year…Are we?
3) Jason Kapono is currently averaging around 8 points a game coming off the bench for Toronto. We will need Lou to score more so our problem at the beginning of the season, won’t re-occur. (bench giving up big leads was the problem)
Personally, I don’t see Thad becoming that much greater than Iggy, other than shooting. Im tired of seeing 2 rebounds 1 assist numbers from Thad. Is that a result of coaching? Maybe, but those numbers have to rise if im considering him better than Iggy.
Lastly, If Andre Iguodala scored just ONE more point per game…he would be leading the team. Think about how badly he has been struggling and yet he is almost the number one scorer. Can Thad replace his scoring at the 3 spot?
Again, my only arguement against this trade is how much better does it make us? I think this trade makes better, but not enough better. I think the only way we are going to get a great deal better, is if we move Miller. We just locked up Lou, Iggy, and Brand in the off season so we should keep those 3 with us. Soon Miller’s contract will expire and he will really want his money. Looking at who is not going to be a major part of our team in 3 or 4 years. Miller is the number one person. I really think we can win with Iggy, Lou, Thad, and Brand because they are all good players. I think if we keep those 4…then the rest is just finding shooters to play along side of them. I really like Almond Morrow though. He is a shooter and I would love to have him on our team.
Its intresting though. All the things a GM has to think about when making a trade. You never really think about it until you try proposing trades. Deepsixersuede, that is one of the few proposals ive seen that I think makes us better, but Im not convinced it makes us a playoff threat, which is what we wanted to be.
Kevin, it is a fine line between rewarding a guy being productive and, as you say, reeling him in at the right times. If L.B. was here Thad,L.Will. and Spieghts all may not have seen the light of day. I will come to Spieghts defense though, when drafted as a p.f. his strengths were down the offensive end. Now in his rookie year he is at the 5 position, for the most part and going against big MEN every night. I actually think he is playing his game for the most part and changing who you are as a rookie can!t be easy.
True at this point Thad is not better then Igoudala. But the problem remains that they play the same postion. And if you are going to keep Brand around, Thad complements Brand much better than Igoudala does. You may be able to get something for Miller due to his expiring contract. Maybe you can wait on Igoudala, but you are only delaying the inevitable, he is going to have to be moved at some point.
Suede – I don’t think the idea is for the starters to build a lead and the bench hold it. I have never heard that before in my time playing ball. For one, often times both teams have subs in at the same time shouldn’t our subs be able to either cut into to a lead, maintain a lead or grow a lead depending on the situation?
You need guys on the court that perform, starter or sub doesn’t matter. This team simply doesn’t have enough players that perform at a high level, starter, subs or coaches.
And Igoudala, Donyell, Rush and Jason is WAY too much to give up for only Anthony Parker and Kopono.
Guest, in a perfect world Iggy starts, Thad backs him up and we add a spot up shooter at the 2 guard, but. In 2 years does Thad still back him up ? As Kevin stated, our shooters aren!t getting shots; I feel we need a shooter as part of our starting lineup or the coach will have trouble getting him on the fl;oor, see Donyell and Kareem. Elton!s success is the #1 priority of E.S. , I believe, because as he goes, the team goes. And he needs catch and shoot guys to be successful. Guest , if you keep Thad and Iggy and add a shooter at the p.g., who is a candidate out of college now or the pro!s? Nash ,Calderon,D.Williams,etc. The tough part is getting THAT guy.
Suede - You do know screening take two right? And in my opinion screening is MORE about the player using the screen than the actual screener because, well he has to stand still in order to place a legal screen. And Sammy or anyone on our team doesn’t have the clout K.G. does to set moving screens all the time. Try watching the guys off the ball who are suppose to be using the screen over the next few games and then tell me what you see. I see a lot of guys just running around, not changing speeds, not reading defenses and not setting up their defender. But that’s just me.
Iguodala is good at one thing when it comes to screening and that is going back door. I rarely see guys effectively using the varations they have coming off screens. Willie has actually been doing a good job really rubbing shoulder to should with the screener which is why you often see him getting good mid range shots, whereas Iguodala or Lou are all ways come wide and simply catching the ball at the arc in a non shooting stance.
Dannie, I agree with your logic, but if I add a need that can play 28 to 32 minutes a night I think that should take preference. Drafting when we are it is easier to replenish our bench than address our starting lineup.Guest, Thad may never be as talented as Iggy but he will. I believe ,become more of a sniper and less of a dribbler than Iggy. Dannie, I think you disagree with me but I still feel a lateral trade of equal talent but different talent could really get this team on the right track. I have mentioned Spieghts for Augustine; Jason for Cook; Thad for the other Young. None of these could probably happen but these pieces just need rearranging, in my opinion to improve this team bigtime. The irony is our last 2 draft picks are backing up our 2 highest paid players.
Sit Thad for 2 more years…no way. Thad should not be on the bench now, much less two years from now. The team made a mistake resigning Igoudala (and especially for the money they gave him), that doesnt mean you stunt the growth of Thad until you are able to fix your mistake.
Suede, I would think about the other 2 but Thad for Young (Im assuming you mean Nick Young?) I wouldnt even consider. No way.
Dannie, I always taught the kids I coached to ball fake or cut away from the screener to give him time to set up along with rubbing shoulders when coming through but again, other than J.Sloan, who spends time on this at the pro level?
kevin
If keeping Iguodala now is delaying the inevitable…Than was signing him to an 80 million dollar contract also delaying the inevitable. Like I said, ONE MORE POINT AND HE WOULD BE THE LEADING SCORER. His production hasn’t drastically changed since we signed him. We knew he numbers would drop a little when we signed Elton. Iguodala is not the lone reason we are struggling. NOBODY can shoot.
My question is this…Didn’t E.S. say he has a championship formula? Or am I dreaming he said that? If he did…than I don’t think signing Theo, Marshall, and Rush and playing them 5 seconds per game is part of that “championship” formula. Why the hell did we sign them if we aren’t going to use them?
Suede
Kevin, it actually was Thad for Young and McGuire, but as I said than I don!t WANT to tade Thad.
Guest, the best intentions or whatever; With E.S. now coaching the team through Deleo and Rush and Marshall hardly playing it tells me they are seeing in practice A] no defensive effort B] they need minutes to be effective or something else. Rush may be a rythm shooter. If E.S. believes his way can work than guys like Parker and Kapono aren!t coming here. We need athletes that can shoot for that to work.
SORRY GUYS I DIDNT MEAN TO POST THAT YET. HAHA OOPS!
As I was saying…
Suede
I think we can sit Thad on the bench for two years. If Thad will become a “sniper” than he should be able to play the 2. But for now…Why can’t we bring him in off the bench? His production at the 3 wasn’t as good as Iggy’s has been especially in the last 2 weeks or so. I don’t know. I guess I just don’t trust Thad yet. In my eyes he hasn’t accomplished anything to make him a replacement of Iggy. He did great for the first 10 games or so. But other than that…what has he done?
Guest, DaveT. mentioned M.Barnes as a guy that can defend and run the court and shoot. That is as good as an example of what I stated above as you can get.
Guest, I said it was a mistake when he signed him. Since the beginning I wanted a sign and trade with Igoudala. Let Don Nelson have him out in GS, he fits his type of player. I dont care if he is one point away from being the leading scorer, he is still proving to be not worth that contract. And dont tell me that nobody can shoot on this team. There are proven NBA shooters (Rush and Marshall) and developing shooters (LWill and Thad) that arent getting the shots. This team doesnt suck because they dont have shooters, but because the wrong people are taking the wrong shots and that the half court offense is bogged down by WAY too much dribbling.
Suede, Young and McGuire does sound better, but I agree I still wouldnt do it. Why give up a starting quality player for 2 bench players?
Guest, you answered your own question. As Iggy got better, Thad regressed. I discussed with Dannie how I felt Thad off the bench would be able to work on his mid to post games but as a starter became a spot up shooter out of necessity [who else?] I still feel that way and thought his offensive repitiore against Utah was more Thadlike, if you will.
Kevin,
Way too much dribbling is a result of a bad offensive system. Thats not on Iggy. Iggy is not the problem. We wouldn’t have won with him for the past year and a half if he was. And I don’t consider Lou to be a developing shooter. His 3pt % is 3rd on a very very bad shooting team. Thad’s is 1st on a very very bad shooting team. (Im excluding Marshall and Rush because they only get 8 damn minutes per game)
Neither Thad or Lou have 3pt %’s above the opponents average. I know they can go up, but again we don’t have good shooters right now. And I don’t think trading our ALMOST leading scorer for just one shooter is going to help that.
Suede,
Barnes is a good player. Can we get him without giving up Iggy, Lou, Brand, or Thad?
I’ll say it again. I think we can win with those 4 players if we surround them with shooters.
Suede,
Yes you are exactly right. He became more of a post scorer off the bench. Willie Green’s 3pt % is actually better than Thad’s so I don’t think Thad as a shooter in the starting lineup improves us that much. I think Thad off the bench is a good move. He can be a more dominant player and can get more oppurtunities if he isn’t on the court with Iggy and Brand right?
suede, do you like Thad off the bench, or in the starting lineup?
Kevin – What constitutes a “proven NBA shooter?”
Dannie, I would like your opinion on this. My recipe for an N.B.A. team; Alow post threat, a slasher that defends well at a wing, a sniper at a wing, a facillitator that can hit an open 15 footer and finally, a role player that does a few things well and off the bench a guy that can score in bunches quickly and an energy guy. This team I believe is lacking in 2 ingredients, [role player ,sniper] Look at the champions past and present and I believe this is true.
Kevin,
“Proven NBA shooters don’t help our team averaging 7.4 pts per game. (Rush and Marshall’s combined ppg). Athletic slashers like Iggy averaging 15.3 pts per game can’t be the problem. Like you said. More shots from Rush and Marshall and less shots from Iggy. That will help but trading Iggy won’t.
Suede – You will be very interested in what I am about to post right now.
Guest, it really isnt that much of a stretch that Thad can do what Igoudala is doing. Igoudala is averaging 15.3 pts and 6.4 rpg in 37.6 min while shooting 43% from field and 23% from 3. Thad is averaging 12.9 pts and 4.8 rpg in 32 min while shooting 47% from field and 33% from 3. So I dont get where you are getting that Thad has done nothing besides the first 10 games.
Matt Barnes used his time in Philly to develop his game and especially his 3 point shooting. He is a key piece in Phoenix’s system. I can’t see them trading him. Grant Hill is only starting ahead of Barnes because they believe Barnes plays with more energy off the bench. The other issue is Barnes has a bad attitude about Philly because of how LB dogged him for 2 seasons.
In’t it interesting how we never seem to have shooters and yet former players like Barnes, Raja Bell, and even Larry Hughes can be counted on to knock down a three.
As far as having Thad and Iggy, I don’t see why they both can’t have a long future in Philly. Don’t get me wrong, if the right trade came along I’d trade Iggy today but they may not happen. While this roster still needs upgrading I beleive we have enough interchangable players at the 2 and 3 to get Thad is minutes. The fact that Thad can split a few minutes at the 4 also helps.
The thing with Iggy is he shouldn’t be taking shots with the game on the line. I believe Thad, Lou, Miller, Donnell/Rush, and perhaps Green need to be out there instead of Iggy.
Scoured trade machine. How does this trade sound? It appears to work financially. Don’t know if Miami would do it. They’ve been playing well.
Sammy & Rush to Miami for Daquan Cook, J Anthony(starting center) & M Blount(1 more year on 8 mul contract).
S.F.W., on a team lacking a true center Blount can!t get court time, I have a feeling he is more of a head case than Sammy. Ken, Iagree Thad along with Iggy makes us deep but when Thad matures [2 years ?] can they both start, that is the big questuion. Guest, Thad hasn!t proven he is at Iggy!s level yet but if choosing one or the other ,that is a tough call.
So we have won with Igouadala the past year and half huh? Guess my definition of winning and your are much different. I see a below 500 team during that time. And a playoff berth in a weaker confrence.
How can Lou Will not be a developing shooter? The cat is only 22 and gettting better every year. I didnt say he was Reggie Miller but the kid can shoot.
Proven NBA shooters have nothing to do with the minutes they are getting. I would have them playing more, but they are not. Kareem Rush shot almost 40% last year and Donyell is a career 35% shooter in a 18 year career. Both were brought here to shoot, seems like proven shooters to me.
Suede, that is a good blueprint to winning, but championships come one way in the NBA. You have to have at least one surefire hall of famer. One exception was Detroit one time, certainly not a trend there.
Suede, Blount is cap filler with one less year on contract then Sammy…….
Long future for Igoudala and Thad? That’s crazy talk. Two guys that play the same position cant stay on the same team. It’s not like we have Thad locked up forever, he is not going to stay to be Igoudala’s sidekick. Trade Igoudala before too many people around the league realize how bad that contract is.
Kevin, talent level is also key but what I mean is as a starting point you need all those ingredients and you have to NOT try to make a guy what he isn!t. To me Thad is the slasher and not the sniper, along with Iggy. If we can add a starting 2 guard sniper without giving up on one of them than that is the answer. L.Will., I believe can be a twenty a game score but if you put him in that role his strength, dribble driving, is not being used. Sammy, good old Sammy, could be our role player if he could be convinced he is a role player. Again, a backcourt of A.Miller and L.Will. I believe could work if your 3 is a sniper because your 2 is now the slasher, just my opinion.
Kevin, Prince is a good example of a guy that isn!t the guy but stays where he is because they win. Winning keeps everybody happy. I think when Thad fills out, [his father was a 6!11" N.B.A. player] he could be the ultimate hybrid p.f./small forward that J.Smith is now. I still think B.K. had that in the back of his mind when drafting him. If we start winning and Thad is getting 32 minutes off the bench at both positions [15 ppg.,7 reb.?] than it could work.
Kevin,
I didn’t mean Thad hasnt accomplished anything. I said that meaning, he hasnt proven he can be better than Iggy, Especially on the defensive end. Like it or not, Iggy still is not the problem. Still, nobody has said why Thad can’t come off the bench.
“So we have won with Igouadala the past year and half huh? Guess my definition of winning and your are much different. I see a below 500 team during that time. And a playoff berth in a weaker confrence.”
Well I see a player who was Allen Iverson’s sidekick his whole career and decided, hey, I can score almost 20 points a game and become the leader. And thats exactly what he did until this year. Thats a winner to me. He took a team a made them better than everyone thought. Thats winning to me. Scoring 32 against the Suns and 28 (i think thats right) against the Celtics both resulting in W’s. Thats winning to me.
Playing the blame game isn’t going to work. The only way we are going to win is if we keep our 4 core guys, which I have mentioned above, and surrounding them with shooters. The way of doing that I dont know.
And Lou is not an up and coming shooter. That is just my opinion. I can’t see him being the guy in the future to hit the big three when we need it. Sorry, I just don’t.
guest, I am in the minority but I think L.Will. will be the best of the 3 players we are discussing only because Ithink he can be a #1 scorer which as we can see is hard to find. I think he can be a good shooter as his 36% from 3 showed me in glimpses last year but we all have varying opinions which make this blog great.
fellows theirs a new post from Dannie. Gotta go……….
Suede,
Even if his % is best on our team, it doesn’t make his % good. Like I said, being the best on a bad team doesn’t make you good. Right now he is
3rd behing Willie and Thad. I’ll trust Thad before Lou in 3pt shots but your right, Lou can be the number 1 scorer, because thats what he is…a scorer. We can’t try to make scorers into shooters. We have to either play our shooters (rush and marshall) or go find some others.
I can’t stand this team I can’t stand this team I can’t stand this team!!!!! I need a completely different way to think about this team, or I’m going to lose my mind. And where is Stefansky now? Why doesn’t he come out and show his face and be a little more accountable for what he’s done? By the way, your pick from last year, Sean Williams, was sent to the D-League. Looks like he’s gonna be a bust, HA!
So where is this team? Are they rebuilding? Does anyone remember last year’s motto, something along the lines of “we play hard every night”? It seems like that’s not there anymore, either. Is this team fractured in some way? Sammy wants to show he has some offense, Iggy’s trying to be a go-to guy, Thad is trying to show he’s a small forward, Theo, Donyell, and Kareem have no clue what their purpose is.
Goodness, I wish they would just block out everything, forget what they wanna be, or think they should be, and just FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS – what is within my abilities to help this team win?
Stefansky, if you’re not making any trades, at the very least go into that locker room and try and snuff out any negative energy that’s swirling around in there, any vibes that have nothing to do with winning games. That’ll help, it really will! This team needs to get”hot” like they did last year, they can do it!
Guest, so upping your scoring average makes you a winner huh. So by your thinking Tracy McGrady is a winner huh, how about Vince Carter. Please Igoudala is not a winner, he does not act like the leader of this team on the court.
Suede, why do we need two slashers that are not snipers? I agree with the rest of your idea, but the 2 slashers thing. One slasher and one sniper, like a Mike Miller teamed with Thad.
Kevin, I never said upping your scoring average makes you a winner. So to answer all your questions…No, No, No, and No.
But you can’t tell me you expected Iguodala or the Sixers team to be anywhere near the playoffs last year. So stepping up and proving everybody wrong is winning. Don’t tell me Iguodala wasnt the leader last year because he was. He was the one taking the shots down the stretch of basketball games. He was the focus of the pistons defense in the playoffs.
I can tell you probably are too big of a fan of Andre, and you probably can tell that I am. But give me a reason why trading him would be smart. He’s a good player in my opinion so I don’t want to see him go if we can’t replace him. And don’t tell me Thad is the replacement.
First I think Lou will be the best player out of iggy, thad, speights. He has unleashed talent. I really think he is a true bball player. A guy you want as your first pick when playing pick up ball. Haha.. Always seems to be the best player on the court. I read or heard that iggy never worked out over the summer in fear of getting injured since he hadn’t signed a major deal yet.. ala Willie Green. Guys like Kobe, LBJ they just seem like they work harder in the off season than the average ball player in order to be great. I don’t see anyone on this team that has the potential to be great. Championships are won with greatness, team chemistry and coaching. Sixers to me have none of those qualities. ES job is to find it. Hopefully soon. Phillies are off and running like the Sixers should be.
JJG post 17 is the post of the year.
Iggy is not a winner, but I wouldn’t say he’s a loser either. He just isn’t what the Sixers have built him up to be. Yes this team made the playoffs but they had no pressure on them at all last year with that team people were excited that they were close to 500. Last year once they clinched the playoff spot, and the pressure was on to move up in playoff ranking they sucked and lost most of their remaining games.
Iggy’s numbers this year may be similar to what he did last year but his impact on the floor has been much lower. I haven’t looked at his numbers but he seems to be pressing he is turning the ball over way too much. The teams terrible play is not all his fault but he is a major part of this team and therefor needs to be looked at.
I just think that we have a bunch of players Elton Brand included who have little winning basketball history, I think we need a coach with some clout and a winning history to change the mindset on this team.
Guest, you are wrong, Igoudala was not the leader of this team last year or the reason that they made the playoffs. Andre Miller was the reason that they made the playoffs. He took most big shots, made the plays when the team was struggling (namely when Igoudala was struggling).
Well I see a player who was Allen Iverson’s sidekick his whole career and decided, hey, I can score almost 20 points a game and become the leader. And thats exactly what he did until this year. Thats a winner to me. He took a team a made them better than everyone thought. Thats winning to me. Scoring 32 against the Suns and 28 (i think thats right) against the Celtics both resulting in W’s. Thats winning to me.
So guest you did say that by upping his scoring average, he became the “leader” of the team, and is thus a winner. The leader scrorer on a bad team is not a winner.