The Sixers’ probably should be 4-1 right now, with a bad loss to a mediocre Jazz team, but I’m not going to complain coming home from an unprecedented 5-game road trip to start the season at 3-2.
5 games isn’t enough to make full blown proclamations about players, but it does give you a chance to see how players’ games might have changed from the prior year. Let’s take a look at the 9-man rotation, sorted by minutes played per game.
Jrue Holiday (35.8 min) – Was horrible in the opener but has improved since and capped it with an excellent performance last night against New Orleans. He’s showing improved shooting from the field, 3pt line and FT line. I think Jrue needs to become our “go-to” scorer in the 4th quarter and he did it last night. Assist numbers need to come up as well. It’s easy to forget he’s still only 21 years old – but games like last night (23 points, 8 assists, 0 TO, and a couple dagger 3′s) show why people are so excited about him. Early Return: Improved jumper and confidence
Andre Iguodala (33.2 min) - Tremendous in the first three games, horrible in the last two (on offense). We all know Dre by now. He is best when he plays to his strengths (defense, fast breaks, passing) and can be hard to watch when he doesn’t (jump shooting). I’m happy to still have him on the team. Gotta do something about the 13-22 start from the FT line though. Early Return: Same ‘ol, same ‘ol, for better and worse
Spencer Hawes (32.2 min) - OK, how much time do you have? I’d argue that there isn’t a player in the NBA who has had a more surprising start than Hawes. He’s 3rd in the NBA in rebounds at 11.2 and has averaged 2.2 blocks per game. The most rebounds he averaged over any 5-game stretch last year was 8.2 and he only had more than 2 blocks four times. He’s passing the ball (3.6 assists) the way Doug Collins has said he could. On the offensive end, he leads the NBA in FG% and has been automatic with his jumper and even good with a couple post moves. Whether it is health, coaching, motivation or what, he just looks more energetic and active out there. He’s not the best athlete, but he’s making up for it with effort right now. Part of me is thrilled that he is coming into his own, and part is terrified as he is in a contract year. If he can keep this up for the whole season (or even just be 75% as effective as he currently is) the Sixers will have an tough decision on their hands as 23-year old skilled 7′ 1” guys don’t come around very often. Early Return: Complete transformation
Elton Brand (27.8 min) - Collins says Brand needs to get his legs under him, and that might be the case. Our leading scorer last year (at only 15ppg), he’s currently 7th on the team, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. His minutes are down (good, in my opinion, we will need to keep him fresh) and he isn’t scoring with efficiency, but he is still busting it on the boards and on defense. Early Return: Not quite the same as last year, but still a quality player
Thaddeus Young (26.8 min) - Coming off his big contract, Thad has been disappointing for me. He’s been doing a ton of settling for bad jump shots (many of which are the fade-away variety) and not contributing much else. To earn his contract, he needs to improve on last year. It might take him a little to get in the swing of things since he missed most (all?) of training camp. Early Return: Needs to improve
Evan Turner (26.6 min) - Not the starter, but getting the most minutes at SG. In his three best games, Turner has been great (14.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, 59% from field) and in his two bad games, not so much (4.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3 apg, 15% FG%). Overall, he’s been a net positive, playing with a lot more confidence, showing some crafty moves around the basket and playing great defense. Early Return: Moving in the right direction
Lou Williams (26.4 min) - Currently our leading scorer at 18.2 ppg despite being 7th in minutes, Lou has been hot from everywhere (46 FG%, 47% 3-pt, 84% FT). He’s the best pure scorer on the team, and if he can continue to be more efficient than in year’s past – that would be a huge boost. He’s been around forever, but he’s only 25 years old and can still refine his game. Early Return: Scoring more efficiently
Jodie Meeks (21.8 min) - Ew. Easily the worst player on the team so far. His best attribute is shooting, and he’s not doing that. 33% from the field, 21% from 3. He can’t do much else (as he showed by getting TORCHED by Eric Gordon last night), so if he can’t shoot, he should be on the bench. Early Return: Worst rotation player thus far
Nikola Vucevic (12.3 min) – Has been decent in his couple appearances. Certainly an offensive-minded player, he’s shown touch around the basket, the ability to shoot, and a good passing skill set. I would prefer a defensive-minded center to back-up Hawes, but it looks like we’ve got Hawes Jr. Early Return: Skilled offensively, room to improve otherwise
So how would you rate the Sixers’ performance over the first 5 games?
I find myself wanting to be frustrated but I can only name a few very small beefs: two bad end-of-game possessions in Utah and Portland (and that’s still only two possessions) and Meeks playing like no one told him the lockout ended.
Starting the season with a four game trip out west was brutal but they came out of it with wins by 28 and 20 and two loses in what were ultimately one-possession games. Last night in New Orleans they let a team they should beat hang around to long and they let Jarrett Jack have a really good game but they hung in there and won in the end by locking down on defense and getting, taking and making open shots in the 4th quarter. It’s hard to be upset with a team that plays defense and hits open shots. Not much else a fan can ask for.
Every once in a while I’m irked by the ball stopping on offense and guys taking bad shots but that happens with every player on every team. Like I said, I find myself wanting to be frustrated but when I think about how they’re playing I just can’t get myself there. They’ve looked good.
Every once in a while I’m irked by the ball stopping on offense and guys taking bad shots but that happens with every player on every team.>>
I’ve watched some of the elite teams in the West and I’ve seen this a lot, even with the Clippers and Chris Paul, and Dallas and Jason Kidd. San Antonio tries to stay away from this, and when Rubio’s on the floor for the Wolves they don’t do this as much.
I think your evaluations are accurate but the sample size is too small to have any meaning. I’m bias but I think Evan is going to live up to his draft position, if not this year then next, he has skills. I too am amazed by Spencer Hawes, is this the same guy? The more I see Jrue, the more I believe he’a a 2. His passing is suspect, prior to last night he had more turnovers than assist. This team still needs a perimeter shooter. I’d like to see AI and Meeks be traded for a perimeter shooter, preferably a 3.
Brand is close to done. 12 and 12 notwithstanding, he’s still showing signs of older age. He appears to lumber up the floor and he’s no longer an option on the break. He can’t finish around the rim unless he’s wide open. I like his veteran presence and his ability to still hit that 15 ft jump shot. But that’s really about it. At his price tag this team needs more. He needs his legs under him, well he is a so called gym rat I guess he wasn’t in the gym during the lockout. Overall I’m glad basketball is back and loving my Sixers.
I think at this point whatever we get out of Brand is worth the money we’re paying him. He wasn’t given an $85M deal for the last two years of it, it was for the first three and unfortunately due to injuries and other managerial ineptitude it didn’t work out. I like him and it’s good to have a vet that can actually get out there and play with such a young team. That said, if he isn’t amnestied in the offseason someone needs to be committed.
At what point does the other shoe drop on Hawes? Seriously, what’s going on? It’s freaking me out.
My god… Did Malik Rose just say “Negrodamus?”
he totally did. that was hilarious.
Made. My. Year.
lol @ Malik Rose.
I really enjoy watching this Sixers squad. It seems like on any given night we have someone who can/will step up their game and lead us to victory. We don’t have to rely on certain players as heavily as some teams because of how deep our bench is. I REALLY don’t see how Hawes is doing what he is, but hell, I’ll take it.
Get Meeks going, hope Jrue starts being more consistent (GREAT 4th quarter the other night), and keep playing team basketball and we should be in pretty good shape. 16 of the next 20 at home- hopefully we make the most out of it.
Is there a clause in Lou’s contract that says that in the fourth quarter he never has to pass the ball?
I know it is early, but does it seem like the league has more teams playing with balanced scoring? So far, the successful teams have been the Sixers, Pacers, Hawks, Blazers, and Thunder. (I know, Miami and Chicago are great with solid D, but they rely heavily on their main cogs).
When Sixers fans were saying that this team could win the Atlantic this year, I thought they were really joking. However, if this team continues playing D like that aganist any team, maybe they really could in this shortened season.
I am looking forward to Monday’s game against the Pacers– the battle of playing team basketball. These two teams are flying under the radar, had great 2nd halves last season, both coaches coached well, and both nearly caused problems to Chicago and Miami. Great matchups galore: Collison/Holiday, Granger/Iguodala, West/Brand, Hibbert/Hawes and the battle of the benches. This could be close one where I think the Sixers will win, due to home field and the bench. Keep an eye on Hibbert and Hawes, great big men who are dealing with certain injuries right now– both left early on Saturday.
GO SIXERS!!
I found this on RealGM where fans found a parallel between the Pacers and the Sixers:
http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1149859
HERE’S TO TEAM BASKETBALL!!!
Man this blog fell off. This used to be my favorite read. Now a post every once in a while. What happened to Dannie? Left you by your lonesome Pete? This is unfortunate. Pen15.
Brain,
From what I understand, these guys make their living doing something else and have to find time to do this. It’s been one of the only blogs/sites I’ve found that’s provided a any real combination of quality and frequency. I think it’s only fair to expect and excuse some ebb and flow to the volume.
This team is playing some insane team defense: getting around picks, pushing rollers away form the rim, allowing nothing easy inside.
Of course, as I’m writing this: Sixers commit two sloppy turnover, give up a lazy offensive rebound and a horrendous shot from Lou Williams and now DC calling a TO to stop the run.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but i’ve been waiting to see a decent sampling of games before saying much about this team. For example, is Hawes really that good? Will igoudala’s outside shot keep falling? Jury still out on questions like that as far as I’m concerned, and I think one way or the other this team will still go through offensive lulls. But if they keep playing defense like this, they will make some noise. Very curious to see how we stack up against the Knicks. If the Sixera we’ve seen so far are for real, I’m not sure that the Knicks are a better overall team.
Two double-digit Sixer runs (10-0, 11-0), both answered by Pacers. Way too many turnovers tonight.
Something else I’ve liked tonight: The Sixers seem to be getting (and taking) more open looks than Indy. They’re not all going down but it’s says something positive about the team offense.
Totally unrelated to basketball:it doesn’t look like Jazz has aged a day since Uncle Phil last threw him out onto the lawn. That said, he looked almost 40 in 1996.
Meeks really has some quickness that I don’t think he often gets credit for or uses enough. His last two steps on that last transition play and there were a couple times in the Raptors game when he took his man off the dribble and really impressed me with his first step.
More like surprising quickness, because he’s usually not fleet footed. 2 spots in the Detroit game; when his man blew by him and he recovered to block the shot and defending the fast break when he stole that pass, left me with my mouth open. Every once in a while you see it.
Thaddeus Young is literally (yes, literally) everywhere. He’s sitting next to me right now.
This is suede with my new nickname; Pete, I have 2 disagreements with your player evaluations but this is after the 8th game with the Pacers. Thad and Vuce both seem like above average defenders to me with Thad becoming a R.Evans game changer at times.
Vucevic looks like a stael right now compared to the players available when we picked, except for M.Brooks but we didn’t need another s.g. . I heard the , getting another Hawes, on draft night comments and agreed at the time. I also heard the Krstic comparisons but so far Vuce’s defensive rotations and offensive rebounding remind me more of Splitter than Krstic, and I love Splitter’s game.
Suede,
That’s a semi outstanding new name. I say semi because if it’s based on anything other than the old ABC detective show starring Robert Urich and Avery Brooks, with an OUTSTANDING theme song, it’s spelled at your or the appropriate discretion.
But Joe SpenSer is the correct spelling if we’re referring to Urich’s role.
Outstanding name choice. And you can look it up. And any source offering different fact oughta be castrated. I am positively sure.
Thoughtfully,
Ken
Thanks Ken; it was a great show and my new name is a combo of that and our new center.
Thad looked like B. Jones last night, maybe they dined together when he was in town.
The Knicks in a couple days would be a good measuring stick, but I’m not sure what we can expect from our team on the 3rd game of a back-to-back-to-back. We started the season on a 5 game road trip and it didn’t seem to phase us, but if we start slow, who knows.
I’d like to see the ball in Jrue’s hands to close out games a little more often just to see what exactly he can do in those moments. He’s been big so far (needs to cut down on TOs though).
Thad is playing inspired defense, Hawes’ play hasn’t dropped off, and our depth isn’t going anywhere. I like the way we play the game and as long as people keep stepping up, we could be looking legit contender to win the Atlantic- something I thought would be a massive stretch before the season started. Am I jumping the gun?
I am an eternal optimist, just ask Dannie, so no I don’t think you are jumping the gun at all. It seems this team is showing a certain personality; solid aggressive defense everynight and inconsistant offense to go with it. Elton and Jody getting back to last years form may change the offensive issues.
The teams league wide rankings are off the charts.
this team’s defense is legit, if they can keep it up, they WILL win the Atlantic. there is good reason to be optimistic by what we have seen so far. But still more games to be played.
Knicks should be a good test. If our perimeter defense holds up, meaning Turner should probably play 30+ mins in that game, we win.
Sixers are number one in Hollinger’s power rankings. That’s nuckin futs.
I can’t believe you posted this as recently as January 10. I just saw a Chicago Trib power poll dated 1/14 that has the 6ers 11th, which I’d guess is nuckin futs the other way. I get the meaningless quality of power polls,but it’s an interesting disparity. http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/bulls/sc-spt-0115-rankings-bolch-nba–20120115,0,4779270.story
Take advantage of the position of replying to your post to say your blog appears pretty cool. Seem to express yourself with an true feeling spirit, my kinda style. Kinda get the impression you are well respected around here, so maybe people aren’t aware they can check it out by clicking on your name. Good luck with it.
Hollinger uses facts but I don’t think strength of schedule is used but either way our team seems to get respect nationally now. I am going to the Denver game this week. It will be a good test for us. Chris, I didn’t know you had a blog till Ken mentioned it, kudos for the good read.
Thanks, Ken. I appreciate the kind words. Haven’t been able to keep up with it the last week or so but I hope get some new material up very soon.
Spence, thank you as well. From what I understand of the mathe-me-technical explanation of his method Hollinger uses a some strength of schedule formula based on recent opponents.
I really do feel this is a top-ten team league-wide. But I’m trying to move past my constant obsession with thinking about how far in the post season this group can go and trying to just enjoy watching them play nice team basketball. It’s been a while for that sort of thing.
The Night Shift nickname for the Sixers’ bench- Like it, or no?
Not really, but I think it could grow on me as long as Malik Rose stops calling Thad The Custodian.
That sounds like a joke but he really called him that; the absurdity of it’s realness is hilarious to me.
As long as they’re playing like they are, I really don’t care what we call them. I kinda like it though.
And Malik Rose makes me laugh. He sure does make some strange remarks.
People who can drive past Jimmer Fredette: Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Marc Zumoff, Bobby Flay, Yi Jianlian’s Chair, Winston Churchill’s corpse, The Hamburglar and Yo Yo Ma.
On a team with 2 supposedly offensive stars, Evans and Cousins, and another possible one, Thornton, the pick of Fredette was mindboggling. Guys like C.Hayes were needed here but I guess they thought he would help their attendence figures.
If attendance was their reason for picking the Jimmer, consider my mind further boggled since the Maloofs desperately want out of Sacramento. Westphal, the Cousins situation, the Maloofs – the franchise is a mess right now, I feel bad for those fans.
Sixers getting worked over by the Knicks defense. Not a great start.
Sixers own defense looks like shit as well. Late on rotations, Knicks getting too many clean looks.
Not ten seconds after I posted that, Brand replaced Nik and their last two defensive possessions were absolutely suffocating.
Knicks playing much better defense than I thought they would… Even so, Sixers playing some lazy, sloppy ball for most of the game
A lot of short jump shots. Coule be the tired legs.
I thought they outlawed the falling out of bounds time out call…
That was abhorrent.
Well, we had plenty of chances… Just too many early jumpers, not enough effort on the boards, too many sloppy turnovers, too much shying away from contact.
Sure, they won but the Knicks had their foot on the Sixers throat in the first half and they were in a 4 point game with 23 seconds left. That is a massive flaw in their game. Chandler brings a lot on the defensive end and the Knicks impressed me on that end but they play poor team offense. If you don’t buy the Sixers as a legit threat to Miami or Chicago there is no way NY is. I hate the way they play basketball.
If anything, I feel that this was a potential rivalry-builder. Can you imagine what a 4-5 first round playoff matchup this would be. Carmello Anthony is a bi-atch.
Amen to that. Melo hurt himself in the loss to the Grizzlies. Now, the Knicks will face the Thunder. That is karma right there for that act he pulled on Iguodala.
So Melo grabs the ball immediately after scoring a bucket, Andre goes to grab it for an inbounds pass, Melo fights him off, and uh….. a double technical? Hmmmmm.
A lot of iffy calls on both ends.
The only player who wasn’t visibly tired was Turner. Everyone else was taking too many jump shots and late rotating. I think we learned more about the Knicks and how they’re going to depend on contested jump shooting to win close games. Not that this was any kind of mystery, but we saw it first hand.
I’m still up on our team.
My question is can you get a call against the Knicks in the Garden. Man, I thought we got screwed on way too many calls last night, only in New York. But that wasn’t why we lost, we lost because they were the more physical team. That rookie, Iman Shumpert, seemed to be more than Jrue could handle, same with Melo vs AI, Elton vs Amare, and Nikola/Tony vs Tyson. They were just too big, and too strong, we need more size especially in the frontcourt. Unfortunatey, Lou Williams was a non-factor too. If he’s not on a hot streak he’s shows up bad in the plus/minus column. His shot selection, defense, and poise under pressure, disappears when pressured like tonight. We cannot set still with this roster we need more muscle/size and more perimeter shooting. Maybe Doug should give Lavoy Allen some burn, he looked pretty good against the Kings.
I was very disappointed in Jrue last night. With Hawes out our offense was a lot of one on one and no ball movement at all. We helped a bad defense by not making it work hard. I like Shumpert and Douglas defensively but if we cut and pass like we usually do they would be spinning in circles.
Loved Iggy’s toughness and felt, while watching, he can’t be moved with Melo, Lebron and Pierce waiting for us in the playoffs. L.A,Steve, it seems quickness is our teams main ingredient, but I feel Jrue, Iggy, Turner and Brand all bring a physicalness to their positions.
That Knicks game was a moral victory in a way. Although the Sixers had dead legs after playing back to back, Hawes out with a back, and some iffy MSG calls to break anyone’s back, they actually played hard and made the game relevant. Incredibly, they lost by 6 and the Knicks scored only 85 points. If they had their legs and Hawes back, the tables would surely have turned on the Knicks.
Anyway, the Knicks are horrible, just horrible– bad decisions, bad ball movement, questionable defense, and are just dirty. I hope they lose players and games.
Hopefully, Philadelphia and New York will have another intense rivalry and give the NBA fans an NBA Classic. (Right now, Flyers and Rangers are the best current Philly-New York rivalry.)
GO SIXERS, KEEP IT UP BABY!!
I don’t know if I would call Meeks the worst player on the team but he could have benefited by staying in college for his final season. That’s what happens. Players leave early and never fully develop and spend the rest of their career playing catch up.
I’m not convinced a fourth year of college ball would have made a huge difference for a shooter. If he was going to play under a coach that would develop his defensive intensity then there’d be a real benefit, but who knows how much he would have played under Calipari with all those freshmen guards he brought with him.
I don’t know if Meeks get enough credit for the hustle plays he makes. In most cases, even if his shot isn’t falling, he’ll generate at least a couple extra possessions that don’t get counted as steals by saving balls from goin out, getting deflections, etc. if he could somehow learn to finish through contact (tough to do as it is), he’d be a nice little player.
As far as he shot goes, he hasn’t looked very confident this year. I havent seen much catch and release – he does a lot of double clutching, taking a extra dribble inside the line, etc. he was a streaky shooter last year too though. Hopefully he finds it again soon.
Dude, I had a similar thought above regarding his quickness. His rep as a shooter overshadows his quickness and hustle but those are present in his game. He really does have the tools to be an above average role type guy somewhere less productive than Lou Williams but more productive than an Eddie House.
Agreed.
Love how they were still playing defense and fouling to prevent layups with 30 seconds left and up 30 points.
Missed most of tonight’s game but just saw the score and frankly, as long as nobody broke an arm I don’t even care what happened. Blew the Wiz out by 31 at home, that’s what is supposed to happen. Well played.
It seems like the Sixers are learning to execute and put away teams they are supposed to beat. Wow, 9-3. Hopefully Sheed will take note and join his hometown team for the minimum! GO SIXERS!!
Seven double figure scorers with one to go, Meeks. I would much rather have a consistant shooter than the hot to cold, up and down Jody. Interesting that Mayo is available again but it seems Memphis wants talent and caproom, and we don’t have a capable package do to salary’s/pieces that fit them.
Koby seems to be sending a message to either his management or the writers who seem to be thinking of him as an afterthought to Lebron, D.Rose and Durant. Is he openly campaigning for D.Howard?
Dannie and Pete, what are your thoughts on J.Wall? After reading how mature he was at the combine during interviews and such I thought he would shine even in the bad situation he is in. Shouldn’t Washington find a coach, is Cassel this guy, who relates to him and gets the most out of him. He and Magee seem like ideal complimentary building blocks and Singleton and Vesely could be nice complimentary pieces in an uptempo trap and run style.
I always had one concern with Iggy, him not understanding his role, partly the teams fault, and him thinking he is what he isn’t. Well he is winning me over this season and I think he should get defensive player of the year votes if we end up top 5 in defensive team rankings.
He seems to put the “peddle to the metal” when this team needs it and also to back off and let others do it at times, like taking 3 shots in a 20 point win recently. He has won me over and is earning his money to me this year as the best player on a winning team.’
Going to the game tonight and looking forward to the p.g. matchup. Jrue has been consistant defensively and Lawson’s 3 pt. shooting is down but Lawson is playing real well this season.
Interesting game tonight. Denver has a very similar team. Lawson vs. Jrue. I remember a good portion of us expected to take Lawson.
This is a bad time for Hawes to be on the shelf. Next three games: Nuggets, Hawks, @Heat. I hope they decide to just rest him till he’s back to 100% – can’t heal on the court.
DC sits Nik on Monday and starts him tonight. Interesting.
TWO HANDS!!!!!
I take back what I said about Vucevic sucking – despite his limitations he’s really hustling out there as a starter, can’t ask for more than that.
I agree with you, I love his hustle. It’s kind of funny that he hasn’t played since you posted this because that hustle got him into foul trouble.
Something to take note of on the play that gave the Sixers an 83-82 lead. Iguodala (with the ball) directed Turner to a spot on the floor essentially telling him to take Miller one-on-one. After the pass Iggy dove to the far side of the rim and was there for the putback. Loved watching that play unfold.
Down by one with 7 seconds to play, coming out of a time out (aka, last possession situation) and Lou was on the bench. Very curious.
Oh Andre and his FT shooting. Overtime should be fun.
Silver lining: Sixers yet to get blown out. They were down as many as ten, getting thoroughly out played and came back. Get focused on Atlanta.
Huge night by Evan Turner. Loved seeing him get and justify serious late game burn.
Hawes’ back injury is going to be a constant problem. If Rasheed Wallace is serious about coming back and is in good shape, the Sixers should take a chance on him for the minimum.
Violet Palmer SUCKS! Let me say that. Having said that, our frontcourt FTs shooting is very inconsistent. Hopefully, the Sixers will bounce back and rebound. I think they will. GO SIXERS!
Tough loss.
The one regret that sticks out was when we were up 1 coming out of a timeout with 50 seconds left. Andre settled for a jump shot when they were in the penalty. I would have liked to see us drive the basketball and try to get to the line. Who knows how it would have played out after that, but Andre could have been shooting 2 FTs at the end of the game, only having to make one for the lead.
The lingering Hawes injury is what worries me most going forward. Turner looked great out there though.
Watching Thad try to box out Chris Bosh is unbearable.
I’m surprised at how halftime crew are regarding Chris Bosh, they’re borderline surprised he’s playing well. I’m not the guy’s biggest fan but he’s Chris Effing Bosh.
Vucevic and Turner in the 1st half: 11-17, 25/9/3. Keeping the 7-6 in the game. Got to step up the D, Heat shooting 55%.
Something that struck me, the Heat run almost no set plays. When they’re forced to play in the half court things just happen and points seem to score themselves. It’s bananas.
Not a fan of moral victories but after watching a “Wadeless” heat blow out the spurs and lakers this week I am not bothered as much by this. We are in the hunt for homecourt in the playoffs and that is a good thing.
Turner and Vucevic are keepers and if Lou opts out and is replaced with a good defender/scorer things will get even better.
If you want to watch our future pick this year check out Vanderbilt, who has three guys that would look good here; Jenkins, a 6’3″ shooter; Taylor, an Ariza type defender and shooter at 6’7″; and F.Ezeli, a defensive big.
Should Rod Thorn go after Paul Pierce for Andre Iguodala? Just a thought to play around.
Nice to see young
Nice to see young Lavoy Allen mixing it up in there. He may have the best rebounding fundamentals of any big on our team from the little i’ve seen so far… Meaning he actually tries to establish postition
Seen a lot of Knicks fans talking about how the Sixers have been looking into Amare.
Any details?
CSN Philly talked about the Sixers inquire about Amare, but to the point of due dilligence. Conversations are not very deep, but this does sound interesting.
Rod Thorn would REALLY have to think it over. Amare has had his share of positives and question marks.
Cons:
-attitude (techs and frustration)
-knee issues in his career.
-huge contract
-very few post up moves
Pros:
-6 Time All Star
-Would play with 2nd best point guard in his career since Nash
-Doug Collins could be his coach. Collins has a home in Arizona and probably saw a lot of Suns games,
-Could fit in this tempo
-Could play fewer minutes thanks to team basketball.
-Played like an MVP a couple of years, including part of last year before Melo RUINED it.
-Before Melo, that Knicks team was A TEAM.
-Could develop a pick and roll/ inside-outside game.
Again, these are things Thorn has to really think about. If I had to make a deal, it would be for Brand and a pick. However, I would REALLY think about it.
GO SIXERS!! LET’S SHOW FOLKS WHAT WE’RE MADE OF!!
Yeah, I agree with everything you said.
The Knicks would essentially be giving up on the season- probably amnestying Brand and using the money to go after a PG.
It would be a tough decision to make for the Sixers.
An early second half possession for the Sixers: Dwight Howard is in the backcourt complaining about a call he didn’t get, Sixers in a 5-on-4, lane wide open. Jrue doesn’t even pass the ball. He waits for Howard to get back and then shoots (and misses) a three over Hedo. Have to take advantage of those situations.
With as well as the Sixers are playing, my complaints are bordering on nit-picking but I wonder if DC has a quota for interior shots like he counts deflections. This team’s biggest strength is the knack that so many of these guys have for getting to the rim (Jrue, Iggy, Thad, Turner). I don’t think they do that enough.
This Magic offense is absolutely abhorrent.
Great start and YES the Sixers are real defensively!! Now, this team can beat playoff teams (Indiana, Atlanta, Orlando). Now, can they handle contenders? I predict the Sixers will beat the Bulls (see last season).
GO SIXERS!!
Hugely concerned with how they let the Magic bench back into that game last night. Should have been a 20 point win. Sixers had their foot on their throat and didn’t finish it.
That’s what Doug Collins was disappointed with. He and the team certainly made note of that postgame. Doug had an earful with Turner, but hopefully they patched things up when it is all said and done. Having said that, their defense is REAL!!! Bring on Da Bulls. GO SIXERS!!!
I skipped all the post-game coverage out of disgust but I did catch DC shouting something along the lines of “This is BULSHIT!” at Turner towards the end of the game. I was glad to see it, knew he’d get on them about it.
Yeah seeing DC’s reaction throughout the last 3 minutes gave me some comfort because that’s probably the most frustrated I’ve seen him since he’s been here. He was not happy AT ALL and I’m sure he let the team know it.
Hopefully we won’t make a trend out of it.
I look forward to tonight’s matchup with the Bulls. This COULD be a potential second round preview and a great way to perhaps make as high as the Conference Finals against Miami. The Sixers match up really well against the Bulls, not so with the Heat though.
Both the Sixers and Bulls play solid defense and they are high in the rankings with the numbers being eerily similar. Expect another low scoring game.
For the Sixers, keep Rose away from the free throw line as much as possible, have him settle for tough jumpers, crash the boards, and keep Rose’s teammates out of the game completely.
The Sixers have balanced scoring and the Bulls have had trouble this year beating uptempo balanced teams. (Warriors, Hawks, Grizzlies, Pacers, Heat– the 5 losses for the Bulls this year).
Also the Sixers played the Bulls extremely well following that 45 point loss to them last year.
GO SIXERS!! DEFEND YOUR HOUSE!!!
boxscore at least suggests mission accomplished on keeping Rose away from the line. Bet you are one happy camper. Way I figure it, this was interesting, as is Miami, but if they can sustain, and do the job in ATL to wrap the 3 some, the lack of respect card might be tough to live off of. But this, in and of itself is a huge win. Congrats!
If you were Rod Thorn for a day and the trade dealine is March 15, what kind of trade(s) would you making involving Andre Iguodala?
If I had to trade Iguodala, it would be for a go-to guy down the stretch and still provide you some D.
1. Rudy Gay
2. Danny Granger
3. Paul Pierce (I would really consider this one, if Danny Ainge is serious about breaking up the Big 3. In fact the Sixers should have drafted him in the first place.)
I meant to say, would you MAKE involving Andre Iguodala.
Rudy Gay has always been, and remains, the only player we could realistically get straight up for Andre that I want any part of.
Even then, I’d have to think on it. I still don’t think we should trade him.
I can’t behind any trades right now and here’s why:
This team is playing to well right now not to give them an opportunity to play out the season. This is the first time EB and Dre have been healthy and had a good roster around them. If nothing else, the organization owes it to the fans to see what two $80M contracts can do with a good coach and complete roster.
Should they still want to blow it up they can do so very easily in the offseason. EB can be amnestied, Nocioni can be optioned into FA and Iggy can be traded on or around the draft for a 1st round pick and a player thus giving the Sixers a shit-ton of cap space and flexibility going into 2012/13. I think it’s the best move at this point.
Author’s Note: This is at least the 13th time I’ve changed my mind about trading Iguodala in the last four years.
Correction: I can’t get* behind any trades right now and here’s why:
Way to close it out against chi. This is a fun team to watch. Reminds me of the Billios era Dertoit teams in a lot of ways.
Exactly and Michael Curry is the defensive coordinator of our team!!
Ugh, Autocorrect. Meant to type Billups..
A few random reactions to last night’s game (that I just watched on demand):
Lou Williams led the Sixers in assists in a 16-point win.
As a team, they were pretty good from the line (14-19)
For the second straight game, the Sixers defense made it hard for the other team’s superstar to take over. They made it about Sixers v. Bulls and it worked
Thibodeau played every healthy guy on his bench, Sixers played only nine guys. At the season’s onset I would not have figured the Sixers could beat good teams like that.
Plus/Minus. Usually overlooked in the NBA but here’s something interesting: Every Bulls starter had a double digit negative rating, every Sixer that played was in positive territory (five guys in double-digits).
Finally, a negative. I was really disappointed that they didn’t make an effort to go for 100 points. over 18K at the game, maybe the first time that’s happened in the regular season since 1983. Those fans deserved something for showing up, at least a respectable effort for Free Big Macs would have been nice. The game was over and out of reach, what do you have to lose?
I thought the Jrue Holiday pump fake was a good way to make light of the situation.
I was so pumped after the win last night, I can’t even imagine what it was like in the stadium, especially in the 3rd quarter. I guess what I’m trying to say is, I get what you’re saying, but I think the fans got their money’s worth.
Bring on the pesky Miami Heat!
You’re right. I don’t want to make it seem like I value a repulsive free cheeseburger more than a 16 point win over the East’s best squad. Of course, the 18K were treated to a great game. Just saying, would have been nice to throw the fans a bone there and at least jack up the wide open 32 footer there at the end. Place would have exploded.
I hope Hawes will return as soon as possible, especially for NEXT week against the Lakers, Spurs, and Clippers. His mismatches and ball handling definitely make our team BETTER!! GO SIXERS!!
I was thinking last nite that this team has looked real sharp even without a true starting center (and how about Lavoy Allen, by the way?). If Hawes can get healthy(and play the way he had been) things could get real interesting.
Either way, my whole thing for this season was to have low expectations and hope to see some real development. So it’s all gravy as it is already…
Here’s a little inspiration for this team:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peAHXxedo2w
This will be the toughest of the “tough” stretch. I think the Sixers could win at least 3 of next 4 games. Tough game, but go SIXERS!!
If the Sixers slow down one of the Big 3, gang rebound, limit the Heat’s fastbreak points, limit the free throw attempts for each of the Big 3, come out strong on both ends, and continue their brilliance out of halftime, they will make things REALLY interesting tonight. (Take a page from the shorthanded Bucks!)
GO SIXERS!!
After the CP3 deal a lot of people still felt they needed a big man. They went out a got Reggie Evans. Now it looks like they’re adding K-Mart. Look out in the west.
Just watched the Heat game. That’s about as frustrated as I’ve been watching a game yet this season. Sixers just could not execute on the offensive end. I can’t wait to do something fun today and forget that happened.
Is this not a Sixers blog anymore?
Got to love Jodie’s hustle getting after that loose ball, going to the floor to wrap it up and you’ve got to love that his coach is the first guy out to pick him up off the court after the timeout. My favorite play on the week.
On the other hand, getting absolutely slaughtered on the offensive glass. Really highlights the Sixers’ lack of toughness up front.
Kobe was on his back OUT OF BOUNDS and he still beat everyone to the floor board.
A few things the Sixers could do pretty easily that would make them a lot better:
1. Box out
2. Box out
3. Box out
4. Play someone other than Lou Williams in the 4th quarter.
5. Go for the dunk, not the lay in.
Ok, so Lou is making me eat #4 a little bit, but in the long run I’d probably still rather have Turner out there for defense and to get him some seasoning.
And then he dribbles out the clock and jacks one from like 5 feet behind the line…
Ok, after this I’m done talking to myself… Lou closed it out, gotta give it to him. I’ll just let it go there for now.
Lou at about 38 feet with the ball, one-on-one w/ Kobe and about 50 seconds left. He dribbled in place for 21 seconds and jacked up a shot from Camden. Perhaps the single worst possession I’ve ever witnessed.
Our Irrational Confidence Guy.
Great defense by Turner on Kobe there.
Anybody know why Lavoy Allen didn’t get any minutes down the stretch? From what I’ve seen so far this season, he’s a better rebounder than Nick. For a moment there, it looked like defensive rebounding was going to be the reason we lost. We got dominated on the glass… maybe DC wanted to give Nick an opportunity?
Great win though.
Also, I’m surprised at the lack of Sixers related posts. Creating a running feed on this thread works, but I always loved the interactions between Dannie/Pete and the readers.
Actually I just checked and Nick is the better rebounder stat wise. I guess I was swayed by a couple of really impressive performances from Lavoy.
I did notice that last night as well. Lavoy has yet to look bad in a game regardless of who he’s going up against. He really might be the second best passer on the team. His vision and ability to get the ball to the open man is impressive for a rook.
Lavoy and Hawes both seem to pass to each other well, could that be our future 4/5 starting combo? Lavoy wasn’t signed beyond this season though so we could lose him.
I don’t know man, I doubt Lavoy would leave.
He’s a hometown favorite- it seems like this would be the place for him.
Probably won’t take much to lock him up. He’s just a rookie and while he’s exceeding expectations he’s still not among the 15 best rookies in the league. Today. We’ll see come season’s end.
Thorn might even be able to use Lavoy as leverage in the Hawes negotiations. After reading that sentence, I realize it may be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever thought/written. Going to leave it there though in the interest of honesty.
Lavoy probably has the best big man fundementals on the team – he gets good position, boxes out has a decent mid range shot, passes well, has a couple decent post moves, and i’ve yet to see anyone back him down into the paint. But he is slow and and tends to get into foul trouble. I think he’ll learn to control the fouls, but I think his ceiling will hang on whether he’s able to keep up with the pace of an NBA game for long stretches
Great win and love the BEAT LA chants!! Here comes Part 2 on Friday!!
If you haven’t yet, check out Bill Simmons’ podcost from today with Larry Bird. Listening to Larry talking about basketball in the 80′s is too awesome for words.
We didn’t have it tonight.
We REALLY missed Hawes. Nick and Lavoy were both awful.
Nick in the first half got 2 straight charges on 2 straight possessions trying the same move. In the second half, he gave them 2 straight And 1′s on 2 straight possessions against the same move.
Ugh. Hopefully we get back to playing good basketball Friday. Thad played great tonight though- worth mentioning I guess.
I thought the two Vucevic charges were more to the credit of Blair than on Nik. It was the same play, it’s a nice play and obviously they were trying to get Nik going early in that game when he was going to be spending most of the night on the hip of Duncan, Blair and Splitter – and he was playing pretty good defense on Duncan very early on in that game. Unfortunately both times Blair positioned himself almost perfectly and it hung over Nik for the rest of the game.
As for Lavoy, his trouble was, I think, more in luck. He was getting generally OK shots off and they just weren’t dropping, that’ll mess with a rookie when Tim Duncan and Co are burning your defense on the other end. He got on the offensive glass and pulled down 9 total boards, 3 blocks and a steal in 19 minutes.
Thad did play well. I expect him to play like that more often than not.
I get that Lou is on his game right now but I can’t get behind him taking 20 shots a game. 22 points on 8-for-20. If we’re going to put the ball in his hands that often he’s got to get to take more than 4 free throws.
The same goes for Iguodala. I’m not going to complain about 17/7/4 on 7-for-12 shooting in 36 minutes but he only took 2 FTs. Lou and Dre (in addition to Jrue, Thad and Turner) have a great knack for getting to the rim (Dre can do it against anyone in the league). They need to exploit that more and draw more fouls.
Finally, I think the loss came down to shots just not falling. Part of that is luck, part of that is the fact that the ball didn’t move too well last night. Anyway, nothing to stew about in that game.
Sidebar: is there no one in this league that could use Nocioni on an expiring deal (team option)? They should be able to find a way to turn him into something in the way of front line depth/toughness that will actually make it onto the floor here.
I read somewhere recently that Lou was third, to Durant and Koby, for 4th quarter points this year, damn impressive. I always wonder if he and M.Ellis swapped roles, what numbers he would put up because he gets to the line and doesn’t turn it over.
Chris, I think until Dwight ‘s destiny is clearly defined the sixers, like all teams, will for go any moves that use up capspace. Thank god Vuce and Allen can contribute right away.
I happened to catch Evan Turner on NBC Sportstalk and when the anchor asked him which vets were “taking him under their wing” he nicely credited all of them together and then mentioned that he and Nocioni are playing one-on-one every almost day before. Now, I don’t know if you can say that’s got anything to do with Turner’s improvement (and even if you said, I’m not sure I’d buy it) but I found it at the very least interesting.
By the way, congrats to Dre making his first all-star game. For all his struggles and for all the flack the man catches from the fans and press he’s on his fourth coach in 7 years and has been without a doubt the best player on this team since Iverson was traded. He’s never been given much in the way of roster help or coaching stability and has still put up 15.5 PPG / 5.8 RPG / 4.8 APG / 1.8 SPG. That’s pretty good. It might even still be in the team’s best interest to trade him in the offseason but I’ll always root for that guy (as long as never ever does that shivering/chill thing after he hits a three again).
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/11/sports/basketball/eddie-jordan-goes-from-nba-to-high-school.html
Just check it out.
I like that we’re paying him $3M to subtly undermine the confidence of teenagers in Washington.
Great piece about the 7-6 over at Grantland by Ben Detrick. Pull quote for the rook: “Lavoy Allen brings the ruckus.”
Pulling Dirk off your bench when the guys on the floor aren’t hustling on the defensive end must be a pretty helpless feeling.
Totally vanished in the 2nd half. Inexplicable. I have no words.
Weird game indeed, but it says that the young Sixers still have a lot to learn. Love their defensive energy, but offense needs to be consistent and not too panicky. The Sixers played their best 1st half, but their worst 2nd half in one game. Anyway,the Mavericks have been there, done that and can play only 2 quarters to win games.
For the Sixers, it would be nice if they could get that center with a double double that is not injury prone. Also, Thorn may want to consider looking for a go to guy down the stretch in close games or when the team is in a rut offensively.
If Ainge is serious, maybe one of the Celtic Big 3 could be useful for this team. Iguodala for Pierce or replace Meeks with Allen. Had our guards scored yesterday, the game would have changed.
Anyway, as long as the Sixers handle the East, win that Atlantic, beat playoff teams in the East, and try to avoid the Heat until the ECF, this team should be fine. However, they must get to the FT more.
GO SIXERS!!
In a season that has showcased some really horrendous play all around the league, that may just be the worst second half any team has played all year. Especially bizarre for a Sixers squad that has been owning third quarters.
Pierce has certainly improved since the beginning of the season when he looked like he (narrowly) lost the First Annual NBA Lockout Pie Eating Contest to Boris Diaw but I still wouldn’t give up Iguodala for Pierce. Iggy’s a better defender and I’m beginning to think that the best time to trade him (if at all) would be the offseason when he might have a 1st round playoff win and a Defensive POY award on his resume. We could get much more for him than two and a half very expensive years of Paul Pierce at the ages of 35, 36 and 37. I’d swap Meeks for Allen in a heartbeat but if trade offers really start to materialize for Ray the Sixers would be outbid in a heartbeat unless they’re willing to offer Evan Turner and a pick.
I don’t feel like the offensive struggles are as much a personell problem as they are scheme/execution. I think their biggest problem is still front line size, strength and rebounding. A returning Hawes improves the former very much but he’s not Kevin Garnett. I’m going to spend a good deal of time trying to talk myself into trading for Chris Kaman or Birdman (both are supposedly available).
I used “in a heartbeat” twice in one sentence. I’m not even particularly proud of using just the once.
I never thought I’d say it, but Spencer Hawes really does make a huge difference for this team, not only in points and rebounds. The Sixers miss his playmaking the most. He is a matchup problem for the opposition. That was the case even last year.
Hopefully, his injury will mean this. Hawes will not get a major contract and that the number of suitors will be less than it was before. A small contract at the least. However, they need more at the C position. I hope Rod Thorn and ownership can tighten up the C position as well as the SG position.
With that said, I still think the Sixers will win the Atlantic this year because so far they have beaten the teams they are supposed to beat, with the exception of the Nets and life was tough without Hawes and Vucevic. The Knicks have lost to the Warriors, Grizzlies, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Raptors, Suns, and Hornets. Their schedule gets tougher in March and April with a couple road trips and some games against the Sixers in March. Linsanity will be tested. The Celtics lost to the Knicks, Hornets, Suns, Cavaliers, Raptors, and the Pistons, which is surprising for an experienced veteran contending team that has been there, done that. In March, the Celtics have an 8 game road trip that starts out West (and ends in Philly) and take on the Sixers twice at Philly that month.
Again, it will come down to beating teams they are supposed to beat and the head to head matchups with the Knicks and Celtics for the Sixers to win the division.
GO SIXERS!!
I’ll be at one of those Celtics games in Philly. Can’t wait. First game since seeing back-to-back games (OKC/BOS) in February of last year.
What a bullshit call. Sucks to lose a game like that.
After the 76ers finish erasing this Q1 20 point deficit and win tonight’s game, they will be able to stack the achievement up with the fact that in The Finals, a horse of a different breed, of course, not team hads ever erased more than a 15 point Q1 deficit. Memphis isn’t Finals material, but hey.
Course this thought presumes a 6ers win. Presumptuous as that might well be.
Lost in the historic shuffle, and completely unique dominance of the 50th annivesary of Wilt’s 100 point game Friday is another 50th anniversary 2 days later. We’ll call it the next time the 2 teams met. Any time a player plays exceptionally well (or poorly, for that matter) against an opponent, it’s a high anticipation that greets the next encounter against said opponent. Certainly with a portion of those off the playing surface, and probably the athletes themselves. A recent example would be Jon Gruden’s ESPN platformmed Super Bowl prediction that the Patriots would beat the New York Football Giants because “you don’t beat Tom Brady twice in a row.” Never mind that 4 years or so had elapsed since an unbeaten Patriots squad gave up that category to a right place right momentum Giants squad. It was the memory of a memorable game that was the foundation of comparison.
On March 4, 1962, 2 days had passed since Wilt scored more points than Hershey had candy bars against the Knicks. This time, the Knicks had homecourt advantage, as opposed to the seemingly neutral court that had been the scene of Wilt’s historic game. Defense was a largely foreign language to the NBA back then, but at least the Knicks had options of being completely scared of Wilt, or motivated to make his life difficult. If it was that big a deal to them. The 100 point game had drawn great attention in it’s time, but great attention in it’s time was defined differently than in today’s beyond media and fan accessed world. A crowd of better than 9000 showed up at the old MSG for the rematch, half capacity, but still a good 40% better than the usual Knick number that year, when despite a 29 win club, they led the Association in attendance with over 6k patrons per.
The Knicks were more competitive this time. They finished 20 some games behined the Warriors in the standings that year, but led by 9 at intermission. Both teams were shorthanded, playing only 8 players, but Wilt scored 58 points to lead the Warriors to a 1 point win. 58 points in a game sounds dominantly historic in and of itself, but when you realize that 9 times in his career, he scored exactly that amount, and averaged 50.4 for the year, it was like routine, which is ridiculous.
Somewhat amazingly, Bill Russell won the MVP that year. The year fit in line with the Celtics run back then, and it’s not to take credit away from Russell for the honor, but even by then, his age 25 season, Wilt was probably getting criticized for scoring, but finishing 2nd to the Celtics. It’s hard to guess, but I wonder if today’s psychology, applied to Wilt’s performance that year would have resulted differently, or maybe even more convincingly in Russell’s favor. It’d be fun to live through that year with greater understanding, and access to the season. A 58 point follow up, and crazily enough, a few totals in the 60s in the 3-4 games before getting lost in the 100 shuffle is powerful stuff. Even “powerful stuff” isn’t doing it proper justice.
what happened to this blog??? It used to be my favorite now its useless.
As I understand it, the guys who write it (for free) have lives.
Danny ditched us without a word… or maybe he ditched the Sixers with revulsion.
I havent watched an entire 76ers game in well over 5 years (maybe the 2001 run), but I watched the last playoff game. I dont have comcast so the flyers were not shown.
Maybe a more loyal follower could help me out here……but they looked great. I know it was just one game. Ive randomly saw bits and pieces of games. Jrue looked pretty good…Turner looked good….Brand too, and even Hawes
Are they literally one great draft pick away from being a top flight team?? I have followed their roster over the years, and it seems like this is the best its been since 2001
C=Hawes, below average NBA starter?
PF=Brand, above average NBA starter
SF=Iguadola, borderline all star
SG/PG= Holiday, average NBA starter
PG/SG= Turner, average- above average NBA starter
6th man= Williams good 6th man
7th man= Young, above average 7th man
backup C= Vucevic ???
That looks like a team that could be a great team if they nail the next draft.
I’ve always hoped they traded Brand and Iguadala to bring in more picks and young players.
You caught ‘em cresting in Gm 2. Believe me they have wipeouts. Some talent, need more. NBA isn’t what it was. Sound bigs are scarce and are the key to climbing. This year’s Sixers hustle for the most part, but many, being young, are apprentices. Plusses: they don’t know what they don’t know and Collins directs their energies fairly well. Came out of the gate like Secretariat, slumped to finish, have eaten oats, have dark horse chance to upset Rose-less Bulls. Holiday & Turner rising, one hope.
I figured I may have saw them at their peak. I was really impressed with Turner. He looked much different last year, although like I said I am a very very casual fan.
I do wish theyd send Iggy and Brand out for picks and prospects (not salary cap space-I rarely see free agent money spent wisely).
Brand only has one year after this one, right?? He is playing well, but hed really help a team trying to win it all but need a starting PF
He does. An $18M year. I don’t see any way he plays it here. They have to cut him. And I agree, I think he’ll go somewhere like Boston or maybe the Lakers and have a great season playing 20-23 minutes a night putting up 15 & 7. He’ll be a get in the amnesty market.
I dont mean to talk about next yr while the sixers are trying to beat the bulls…but if you dont mind being interrupted while cheering, what do you think the sixers could get for brand?? do you think a mid to late 1st rounder, 2nd rounder and decent role playing prospect is way to much??
I don’t think they can get anything for him because I think a lot of teams are going to just assume he’ll be amnestied and then could be got for $2-3M on the auction block. A .500 team with the need the Sixers have can’t afford to pay a guy like Brand the kind of money he is owed and I think the new ownership will be willing to eat his salary in order to clear the cap space and improve the team.
Maybe, and that’s a big maybe, if a contender that’s really high on him and is in need of an experienced rotation frontliner with a take-nothing-for-granted attitude (an attitude which I assume missing the better part of two seasons will inspire) who can do what I mentioned above I think Brand can do the Sixers might be able to swing a trade as a way for said hypothetical team to avoid any possible competition on the open market. But that salary is going to be a huge hurdle to that. I think a 2nd rounder would be the best they could get in that highly unlikely scenario. If I was a GM I wouldn’t trade for EB, I’d just hope he got amnestied and then take my chances bidding for him.
Oh wow…so it appears like the new contract situation may have took away all of his trade value (the backwards but unexplicable expiring contract value).
what happened to the shooter they had for like 5 millions I forget his name…they traded for him last year and he barely played nukovic?? If you dont know who Im talking about Ill look up their team roster. I heard the sixers talking about using amnesty on him
By almost all visual accounts Spencer Hawes played like shit last night yet still put up 21 and 9. I’ve seen him have games like this at least a half a dozen times since coming to Philly. Whatever you would call this habit or style or whatever Hawes is a master of it.
They’re chanting REG-GIE REG-GIE REG-GIE at Staples Center when Reggie Evans entered the game for the first time. Trying to decide if we underrated him or if Clippers fans overrated him. I personally loved Reggie Evans.
I liked evans…..maybe he was underrated here but is overrated there ‘)
I always liked him too. Kind of a punk, kind of a thug, tons of effort and crushes it on the offensive glass. His basketball IQ might not be much higher than his jersey number but that guy’ll always have a spot on somebody’s roster.
I think he knew his role….which ups his basketball iq. But I see what youre saying….He couldnt do much more than bump into people
Hey Memphis, didn’t you notice how Speights couldn’t crack the rotation for a .500 team that was thin in the frontcourt? Well, he didn’t sniff the floor in Philly and that’s because he’s kind of a shitty basketball player (see 20 seconds ago).
Magic and Wilbon breaking down that play right now. Magic refers to Speights as “the inbound passer.” He doesn’t even know Mareese Speights is a person.
If this was the only thing on the internet the internet would still be the greatest invention of the last 100 years.
Clap Your Hands, Everybody!
Much as is the Sixer way the halfcourt offense looks positively sclerotic at times but they’re staying with the Bulls by getting out in transition and taking advantage of the Chicago mistakes. A bunch of their buckets in the second half were immediately followed by Bulls players and Thibs looking around frustrated at each other.
Bad Shot Lou just dropped his shorts and took big steaming dump on the Sixers last possession. Who jacks up a 30 footer in a one point game?
This is a good game…..
Those calls and lost balls at the end couldve went a few different ways
Yeah, almost all of them could’ve sunk the Sixers and some of them (the calls) probably should have. I’ll take it though.
Great win. At once ugly and smart. Minimized dumb mistakes down the stretch, found their way to open looks and hit more of them than they missed.
Keys to the victory:
- 22 of 31 from the line. Took 17 more free throws than the Bulls (11-14).
- 8 turnovers to Chicago’s 14.
Both teams shot poorly from three and only about 40% overall from the field and the Bulls only out-rebounded the Sixers by 2, they ought to dominate that part of the game.
Sixers aren’t the best team but they’ve been sticking (for the most part) to what they do well and doing a good job of not letting their weaknesses eat them alive. Mucho credit to Coach Doug.
Nobody is giving the Sixers any chance at all at making real noise in the playoffs and for good reason but it would be nice to see this young squad bring the ruckus tonight and show up for a closeout game on the road. That’d be a huge endorsement for what Collins has done with this team.
They played well tonight….it was closer than the score……
one more game at home to see what they can do