Comments on: Suns Take Care of the Sixers in Second Half http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/ Philly sports blog for diehard Sixers & Phillies fans Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:33:42 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Chris McC http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23108 Chris McC Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:03:49 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23108 If they do decide to do shut it down and rebuild but view Iguodala has their long term star they need to start this year.  It's a process that'll take a couple seasons before it starts to come together and Andre's player option comes up in four years.  If we're still a mess then he'll bolt and we get nothing for it - aside from saving $16 million. If they do decide to do shut it down and rebuild but view Iguodala has their long term star they need to start this year.  It’s a process that’ll take a couple seasons before it starts to come together and Andre’s player option comes up in four years.  If we’re still a mess then he’ll bolt and we get nothing for it – aside from saving $16 million.

]]> By: Pete http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23088 Pete Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:54:01 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23088 <p>ChrisMcC-</p> <p>I'm in the same boat. I like a couple guys on this team (the same 3 as you, and I think Jason Smith can be a decent rotation guy, and I like Kapono, but he's not a long-term guy. Thad has been horrible, but I think he can turn it around) and I'd be all for blowing it up and sucking for a bit.</p> <p>Here's the problem. You can suck all you want, BUT you still need to get lucky. OKC got lucky in that they got a top-2 pick in a draft with 2 superstars (or so we thought). Getting a top-2 pick last year didn't get you a superstar in a 1 player draft.</p> <p>One thing I do like about Stefanski is I think he is a good talent evaluator, so if we got a high pick, I think we'd get the right guy.</p> ChrisMcC-

I’m in the same boat. I like a couple guys on this team (the same 3 as you, and I think Jason Smith can be a decent rotation guy, and I like Kapono, but he’s not a long-term guy. Thad has been horrible, but I think he can turn it around) and I’d be all for blowing it up and sucking for a bit.

Here’s the problem. You can suck all you want, BUT you still need to get lucky. OKC got lucky in that they got a top-2 pick in a draft with 2 superstars (or so we thought). Getting a top-2 pick last year didn’t get you a superstar in a 1 player draft.

One thing I do like about Stefanski is I think he is a good talent evaluator, so if we got a high pick, I think we’d get the right guy.

]]> By: Chris McC http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23085 Chris McC Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:03:48 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23085 Here's the deal: the Sixers don't appear to be much more than a 6th seed at best this year or next.   Chad Forde and John Hollinger did three-year predictions for where each franchise will be based on money, talent, management and  few other factors.  Heres the link to the <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-4-091110" rel="nofollow">Sixers section</a>.  They've got them ranked 19th and hanging around the back half of the East playoff picture.  Landing 6th in the east is worthless with teams like Boston, Orlando and Cleveland up there.   The 2010 free agent class is coming up and the Suxers aren't going to be able to sign a single one of the impact starters.  Stefanski needs to ask himself one question: Do I want to be 6th or 7th in the east for next 4 years or do I want to be 13th for a couple seasons and take a chance at a perennial contender in a few seasons?   If the answer is the latter than they should make whatever deal necessary to move Lou, Green, Dalembert and EB.  And, yes, maybe even Thad.  The core of this team really appears to be Iggy (duh), Jrue (god-willing) and, well, that's about it.  I really like Speights (not as much as Thad though) but do I consider him untouchable?  No.  Oh, and get some defensive coaching in here, even if it's just making Jordan hire an assistant.   Sometimes you have to tear it down to build it up.  Look at the Thunder.  They even moved to a new city and in that same list I linked above, they are ranked 4th.  Fourth!  Behind Portland, Orlando and LA.  They've got a mess of young talent.  I saw them take the Lakers the distance about a week ago and thought they looked great.   The Sixers could be that squad in a few years.  I know you want to go into every season with the intent to win nit all, but sometimes that's just impractical.  When I watch this team I don't see chemistry, I don't see toughness; well not enough of either to be happy.   A little cart before the horse, but maybe even Iguodala's touchable.  This team is hamstrung roster wise right now, you can't do anything with those contracts gumming up the works. Here’s the deal: the Sixers don’t appear to be much more than a 6th seed at best this year or next.
 
Chad Forde and John Hollinger did three-year predictions for where each franchise will be based on money, talent, management and  few other factors.  Heres the link to the Sixers section.  They’ve got them ranked 19th and hanging around the back half of the East playoff picture.  Landing 6th in the east is worthless with teams like Boston, Orlando and Cleveland up there.
 
The 2010 free agent class is coming up and the Suxers aren’t going to be able to sign a single one of the impact starters.  Stefanski needs to ask himself one question: Do I want to be 6th or 7th in the east for next 4 years or do I want to be 13th for a couple seasons and take a chance at a perennial contender in a few seasons?
 
If the answer is the latter than they should make whatever deal necessary to move Lou, Green, Dalembert and EB.  And, yes, maybe even Thad.  The core of this team really appears to be Iggy (duh), Jrue (god-willing) and, well, that’s about it.  I really like Speights (not as much as Thad though) but do I consider him untouchable?  No.  Oh, and get some defensive coaching in here, even if it’s just making Jordan hire an assistant.
 
Sometimes you have to tear it down to build it up.  Look at the Thunder.  They even moved to a new city and in that same list I linked above, they are ranked 4th.  Fourth!  Behind Portland, Orlando and LA.  They’ve got a mess of young talent.  I saw them take the Lakers the distance about a week ago and thought they looked great.
 
The Sixers could be that squad in a few years.  I know you want to go into every season with the intent to win nit all, but sometimes that’s just impractical.  When I watch this team I don’t see chemistry, I don’t see toughness; well not enough of either to be happy.
 
A little cart before the horse, but maybe even Iguodala’s touchable.  This team is hamstrung roster wise right now, you can’t do anything with those contracts gumming up the works.

]]> By: jkay http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23079 jkay Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:19:15 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23079 if I'm Ed Stefanski, right now I'm hitting the Scotch real hard and thinking one thing; <strong>radical change!</strong> if I’m Ed Stefanski, right now I’m hitting the Scotch real hard and thinking one thing; radical change!

]]> By: jkay http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23078 jkay Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:17:20 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23078 brian: to put your fears at ease; i think any reasonable investor will understand that Philadelphia is a major sports city, albeit sold out to the wishy-washy Eagles already, but there is no better market for a basketball team. all you have to do is get them to win and attendance will rise. moving the franchise elsewhere will definitely be a bad decision. brian: to put your fears at ease; i think any reasonable investor will understand that Philadelphia is a major sports city, albeit sold out to the wishy-washy Eagles already, but there is no better market for a basketball team. all you have to do is get them to win and attendance will rise. moving the franchise elsewhere will definitely be a bad decision.

]]> By: jkay http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23077 jkay Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:09:30 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23077 jjg: wrt to Brand, i think you nailed it. Dannie: 'We can’t defend the three.  In fact I actually think our defense invites it and somehow helps teams shoot it well. '  -   i think thats a brainwave. something about it, i cant put my hand on, but it seems so. every time i see games against teams like the Knicks where you can see we obviously retreat to protect the paint and leave the arc free and hope that they miss. too much help on penetration. and its been that way for a long time. what kind of defense do we even play? who taught 'em that? cant they even learn a zone to switch it up? we tried a zone on one Sun possession, it looked really poor. zero rotation. even when they learned some kind of new zone D, under O'Brien, was it? they still got torched from beyond. i remember that was the year Donyell Marshall (on Raptors then) went Karreem Abdul Jabar from 3pt land and broke the single game record. jjg: wrt to Brand, i think you nailed it.

Dannie: ‘We can’t defend the three.  In fact I actually think our defense invites it and somehow helps teams shoot it well. ‘  -   i think thats a brainwave. something about it, i cant put my hand on, but it seems so. every time i see games against teams like the Knicks where you can see we obviously retreat to protect the paint and leave the arc free and hope that they miss. too much help on penetration. and its been that way for a long time.
what kind of defense do we even play? who taught ‘em that? cant they even learn a zone to switch it up? we tried a zone on one Sun possession, it looked really poor. zero rotation.
even when they learned some kind of new zone D, under O’Brien, was it? they still got torched from beyond. i remember that was the year Donyell Marshall (on Raptors then) went Karreem Abdul Jabar from 3pt land and broke the single game record.

]]> By: tk76 http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23076 tk76 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:11:20 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23076 Las Vegas (insert new name here) Las Vegas (insert new name here)

]]> By: brian http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23075 brian Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:57:49 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23075 If you punch in NBA attendance and go to the ESPN attendance page it is alarming where the 76ers stand (last by quite a bit).    They are putting a poor product out on the court and probably will for some time in the future.  Could we lose this team some day (soon?) because of lack of interest?? 4 more years of watching Brand try to jump is surely not going  to help. If you punch in NBA attendance and go to the ESPN attendance page it is alarming where the 76ers stand (last by quite a bit).    They are putting a poor product out on the court and probably will for some time in the future.  Could we lose this team some day (soon?) because of lack of interest?? 4 more years of watching Brand try to jump is surely not going  to help.

]]> By: tk76 http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23073 tk76 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 03:12:40 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23073 Positive/fixable -Getting most of his touches near the 3 pt line -Getting limited minutes and post chances -Not getting passed the ball on pick&roll plays -has been effective in the low block against lesser defenders -overall shooting 62% on inside shots (career is better but still decent.) -team net + (+/-) while on the floor   Worrisome: -22% of his inside attempts have been blocked! -Really struggling to finish "easy" looks deep in the paint (plays Sam or Speights would dunk) -Struggles to score in the post against good defenders (Sheed, Wallace and even Amare) -Looks lost on offense when he is not in the lane -Not rebounding or blocking shots as well as last year or earlier in career (Speights has been better than him this year on the boards.) -PF/C's shooting over him in the lane without fear of being blocked -7asst/14 TO's -per 36 min stats all down: 13pts/7reb/1blk... career 19/9.6/2 yet above ave in TO's/36 min. -Rebounding rate way down from career averages (even from last year) -looks to have zero lift and plodding.  Can only dunk with a running start or if wide open (needs to bend down and then jump, can dunk from a standing position- scary given 9'2" reach)   Hopefully a lot of the "worrisome" areas are rust and not permanent.  Regardless, he is a hard worker and can bring positives if used correctly- which is not happening.  But looks miles away from bing a star, far from an impact player, and not even an average big at this point. Positive/fixable
-Getting most of his touches near the 3 pt line
-Getting limited minutes and post chances
-Not getting passed the ball on pick&roll plays
-has been effective in the low block against lesser defenders
-overall shooting 62% on inside shots (career is better but still decent.)
-team net + (+/-) while on the floor
 
Worrisome:
-22% of his inside attempts have been blocked!
-Really struggling to finish ”easy” looks deep in the paint (plays Sam or Speights would dunk)
-Struggles to score in the post against good defenders (Sheed, Wallace and even Amare)
-Looks lost on offense when he is not in the lane
-Not rebounding or blocking shots as well as last year or earlier in career (Speights has been better than him this year on the boards.)
-PF/C’s shooting over him in the lane without fear of being blocked
-7asst/14 TO’s
-per 36 min stats all down: 13pts/7reb/1blk… career 19/9.6/2 yet above ave in TO’s/36 min.
-Rebounding rate way down from career averages (even from last year)
-looks to have zero lift and plodding.  Can only dunk with a running start or if wide open (needs to bend down and then jump, can dunk from a standing position- scary given 9′2″ reach)
 
Hopefully a lot of the “worrisome” areas are rust and not permanent.  Regardless, he is a hard worker and can bring positives if used correctly- which is not happening.  But looks miles away from bing a star, far from an impact player, and not even an average big at this point.

]]> By: jjg http://www.reclinergm.com/suns-take-care-of-the-sixers-in-second-half/#comment-23072 jjg Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:39:25 +0000 http://www.reclinergm.com/?p=7937#comment-23072 ruptured achilles tendon + aging process + game was always somewhat overrated. is in shape.  dominant psyche is gone.  riddled by doubt, diminished physical capacities, some unaccomodating teammates, poor fitting offensive system, seat-of-pants head coach.    ruptured achilles tendon + aging process + game was always somewhat overrated.
is in shape.  dominant psyche is gone.  riddled by doubt, diminished physical capacities, some unaccomodating teammates, poor fitting offensive system, seat-of-pants head coach.   

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