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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
« on: March 08, 2010, 11:52:03 PM »
I'm totally ambivalent at this point. Maybe I'll pick em back up around the draft.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Ed, Ed, Ed.
« on: January 20, 2010, 02:45:16 PM »
Jordan. Stefanski. Jordan. I'm willing to give Stefanski a little more time, the other two can go. I mean, many of Stefanski's moves seemed good at the time, they've all just backfired stupendously. That's gotta change at some point, right?
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Eddie Jordan Stinks.
« on: January 13, 2010, 12:10:23 AM »QuoteThose are all things that won't be fixed without a few trades and/or a new coach.
That's incorrect, the sixers were much better defensively last year, and contrary to popular (mainstream) opinon, andre miller sucks defensively
Miller sucks defensively (you can't imagine how much shit I took from family and friends for having the gall to argue that Andre Miller wasn't the most important player on this team last year, and that he often wasn't helping very much because he was a sieve). AI is most likely worse. Lou is still running into screens like it's his job. Losing Evans actually hurt (I can't believe I actually typed that).
I was about to make a point that our lack of ability to rebound on the defensive end is what makes our defensive stats look worse, that it's not the defense but the fact that we don't rebound. However, I just looked up the stats, and we actually D-board very slightly better this year than we did last year. Go figure.
So, I was wrong. This defense is obviously capable of doing better than they are. Both the defense and the offense are very streaky, but after being presented with the stats, and looking up a few others, it does seem clear that the defense needs to step it up. Lesson learned.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Eddie Jordan Stinks.
« on: January 12, 2010, 08:54:47 PM »QuoteI agree that the Sixers' problems are all about offense right now.
The fact that they have one of the worst defensive paces in the league, bad defensive rebounding and bad 3 point defense are all things that will be fixed by offense?
Speights doesn't pass
Those are all things that won't be fixed without a few trades and/or a new coach.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Eddie Jordan Stinks.
« on: January 12, 2010, 07:51:30 PM »
Well, we agree on a few points and we disagree on a few points.
I agree that the Sixers' problems are all about offense right now. I highly disagree that Speights is the solution. You say yourself that the Sixers start falling behind when they stop working the ball and force up outside shots. Well, Mo Speights is a black hole and forces shots up from anywhere. So by your very definition of what makes the offense stall, Speights should never see the court. I'm not sure the solution is on this roster. Brand is the only guy who gets aggressive on the offensive end. AI definitely helps too, and I think is a big reason why the Sixers have at least somewhat righted the ship. And I definitely didn't think he'd be helping when we signed him. Iggy needs to slash more and stop settling for those 20 foot jumpers. And there always needs to be more movement on the offensive end off the ball.
Speights does rebound and block out, he just doesn't do either particularly well for a C, and he gets outmuscled by a lot of PFs as well. Speights needs to show more effort on defense and on the boards and stop trying to prove his worth by taking a shot every time the ball hits his hands. I disagree that he needs playing time. Practice only makes perfect if you're practicing right. And he's definitely doing things wrong that are correctable outside of game situations. I'm not advocating giving him no playing time, I just see no reason right now to give him more than the 5-10 minutes he's getting.
Thad is a rangy 4 on offense, Iggy is a 3. We disagree with their natural positions.
Sam is getting too many minutes now, but it's more due to lack of other options than anything else. He's doing well all things considered. Ride him while he's hot, because we know the Sam we all love to hate will be back soon enough.
And here's the main point where we really agree: the coaching sucks. It seems like they do the opposite of putting players in positions to succeed. Lou and Mo were amazing on the pick and roll last year, what happened to that? Thad's at his best iso'd on the low block. Yet he'll sometimes only get one or two touches a game there. Kapono's at his best running his man through screens, yet when he's in the game, nobody does anything to get him free. It's a big problem with this team.
I also would like to see those lineup pairings.
I agree that the Sixers' problems are all about offense right now. I highly disagree that Speights is the solution. You say yourself that the Sixers start falling behind when they stop working the ball and force up outside shots. Well, Mo Speights is a black hole and forces shots up from anywhere. So by your very definition of what makes the offense stall, Speights should never see the court. I'm not sure the solution is on this roster. Brand is the only guy who gets aggressive on the offensive end. AI definitely helps too, and I think is a big reason why the Sixers have at least somewhat righted the ship. And I definitely didn't think he'd be helping when we signed him. Iggy needs to slash more and stop settling for those 20 foot jumpers. And there always needs to be more movement on the offensive end off the ball.
Speights does rebound and block out, he just doesn't do either particularly well for a C, and he gets outmuscled by a lot of PFs as well. Speights needs to show more effort on defense and on the boards and stop trying to prove his worth by taking a shot every time the ball hits his hands. I disagree that he needs playing time. Practice only makes perfect if you're practicing right. And he's definitely doing things wrong that are correctable outside of game situations. I'm not advocating giving him no playing time, I just see no reason right now to give him more than the 5-10 minutes he's getting.
Thad is a rangy 4 on offense, Iggy is a 3. We disagree with their natural positions.
Sam is getting too many minutes now, but it's more due to lack of other options than anything else. He's doing well all things considered. Ride him while he's hot, because we know the Sam we all love to hate will be back soon enough.
And here's the main point where we really agree: the coaching sucks. It seems like they do the opposite of putting players in positions to succeed. Lou and Mo were amazing on the pick and roll last year, what happened to that? Thad's at his best iso'd on the low block. Yet he'll sometimes only get one or two touches a game there. Kapono's at his best running his man through screens, yet when he's in the game, nobody does anything to get him free. It's a big problem with this team.
I also would like to see those lineup pairings.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Eddie Jordan Stinks.
« on: January 12, 2010, 06:20:02 PM »
Please spare me the namecalling, I get enough of that at PhilaPhans for daring to say that Andre Iguodala is worth his contract.
Speights has shot 47.4% since coming back from injury. In the exact same time span, Elton Brand has shot 55.2%. So yes, while Speights has the best % on the team over the course of the season, he's cooled off a whole lot since his hot start. He also plays worse defense on PFs than Thad does, and he's often comically bad at defending the pick and roll, something that Thad is actually getting to be quite good at. Speights gets more rebounds than Thad, but he also never plays with Dalembert, and as much as we all pile on Dalembert, he boards well. He's getting 3.5 more boards per 40 this year than Speights so far.
Speaking of Thad and Brand, I'm gonna hafta disagree with you here Ricky. Brand is undeniably better than Thad. However, if we started Dalembert and Brand, there'd inevitably be stretches of time where our frontcourt is Speights and Thad, and I don't think any of us want to see that if we can avoid it. It's more lacking faith in EJ to properly manage it than thinking it shouldn't happen. We're really just lacking a 3rd big man (and no, Reggie Evans wasn't the answer either). We all hope that Speights develops into that, but right now, he's just too soft, too inept defensively, and too much of a ballhog on offense. I think twice last night he got the ball at the top of the floor and drove all the way to the basket, once getting stripped and once missing the shot.
As for the rest of your points:
-Speights may be the best post scorer, but it seems like I haven't seen him there in ages. He's fallen in love too much with the mid-range jumper and the out of control drive to the basket. Not sure the best post scorer isn't Thad though, at least when he's on.
-I would like to see them try to go big at the end of games with Jrue-Iggy-Thad-Brand-Sammy if they have a lead. Just seems like it would be a good defensive lineup.
-Iggy is a 3 who can defend 2s. Thad is a 4 who can't really defend anybody very well. They really need to fix that somehow.
Speights has shot 47.4% since coming back from injury. In the exact same time span, Elton Brand has shot 55.2%. So yes, while Speights has the best % on the team over the course of the season, he's cooled off a whole lot since his hot start. He also plays worse defense on PFs than Thad does, and he's often comically bad at defending the pick and roll, something that Thad is actually getting to be quite good at. Speights gets more rebounds than Thad, but he also never plays with Dalembert, and as much as we all pile on Dalembert, he boards well. He's getting 3.5 more boards per 40 this year than Speights so far.
Speaking of Thad and Brand, I'm gonna hafta disagree with you here Ricky. Brand is undeniably better than Thad. However, if we started Dalembert and Brand, there'd inevitably be stretches of time where our frontcourt is Speights and Thad, and I don't think any of us want to see that if we can avoid it. It's more lacking faith in EJ to properly manage it than thinking it shouldn't happen. We're really just lacking a 3rd big man (and no, Reggie Evans wasn't the answer either). We all hope that Speights develops into that, but right now, he's just too soft, too inept defensively, and too much of a ballhog on offense. I think twice last night he got the ball at the top of the floor and drove all the way to the basket, once getting stripped and once missing the shot.
As for the rest of your points:
-Speights may be the best post scorer, but it seems like I haven't seen him there in ages. He's fallen in love too much with the mid-range jumper and the out of control drive to the basket. Not sure the best post scorer isn't Thad though, at least when he's on.
-I would like to see them try to go big at the end of games with Jrue-Iggy-Thad-Brand-Sammy if they have a lead. Just seems like it would be a good defensive lineup.
-Iggy is a 3 who can defend 2s. Thad is a 4 who can't really defend anybody very well. They really need to fix that somehow.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Eddie Jordan Stinks.
« on: January 11, 2010, 11:00:00 PM »
There's definitely some visible changes. I like the shortened rotation, 7 or 8 guys with 1 or 2 others playing situationally. I'm pretty sure Lou hurt his ankle late in the third quarter, which got Jrue on the court when he should be. Didn't like that they were leaving him on a complete island 1v1 against Chris Paul, and he pretty much got abused, but that's what you get when you put a rookie on Chris Paul with absolutely nobody to help. Thought that Thad should've played over Willie in the 4th quarter, especially considering he started to find his stroke in the 3rd. Thad is also noticeably better popping out to help defend the pick and roll. Glad to see Speights nailed to the bench. Didn't think I'd say that, but until he learns to pass the ball, he should stay on the bench.
All that being said, there's a lot of positives the last two games. Maybe we can make a run at this after all.
All that being said, there's a lot of positives the last two games. Maybe we can make a run at this after all.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: SixersBeat tonight
« on: January 08, 2010, 05:23:04 PM »
I can't hear the second guy at all.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Al Jefferson on the block?
« on: January 08, 2010, 05:22:46 PM »
From ESPN's Rumor Central:
Normally, I wouldn't jump out at any rumor, but it did get me thinking: would you trade Iggy for Jefferson? A second deal would almost hafta be made for a SG/SF type (Speights would become a spare piece that could be used as bait), but you would have a starting lineup of AI-Lou-Thad-Jeff-Brand with Dalembert getting his 24ish minutes off the bench, Thad getting to play his position and his position only, and it would open a lot of minutes for Holiday (and Green, but I'm trying to think positive here). I'm not sure I would do it or who would say first, really just a thought experiment.
Quote
With Minnesota floundering along at a 7-29 record, there's word Al Jefferson may be on the trading block, as there are questions about where he fits into new coach Kurt Rambis' triangle offense and with fellow big-man Kevin Love.
But ESPN's Marc Stein isn't getting the impression the Wolves are interested in trading Jefferson.
Yet, if Jefferson were to become available at all, a couple teams needing frontline help, including the Bulls and Trail Blazers, could come calling.
Normally, I wouldn't jump out at any rumor, but it did get me thinking: would you trade Iggy for Jefferson? A second deal would almost hafta be made for a SG/SF type (Speights would become a spare piece that could be used as bait), but you would have a starting lineup of AI-Lou-Thad-Jeff-Brand with Dalembert getting his 24ish minutes off the bench, Thad getting to play his position and his position only, and it would open a lot of minutes for Holiday (and Green, but I'm trying to think positive here). I'm not sure I would do it or who would say first, really just a thought experiment.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: SixersBeat tonight
« on: January 07, 2010, 06:15:22 PM »
Not gonna be able to listen in at 8 (national championship game takes precedence), but it looks like I'll be able to listen to it later, so I'll probably give it a listen tomorrow.
Anyway, my question is: What to do about Thad Young? He either can't guard 3s or doesn't know how (I'd bank more on the latter, but that's a discussion for another day). He doesn't rebound enough to guard 4s. He's great on offense when he's on, but that seems to be not often enough. He seems to have made no real progress since his rookie season. Who's to blame for Thad's lack of development, what position should he be playing, should he be getting the minutes he's getting, and what needs to happen for him to take the next step that everybody's expecting?
Anyway, my question is: What to do about Thad Young? He either can't guard 3s or doesn't know how (I'd bank more on the latter, but that's a discussion for another day). He doesn't rebound enough to guard 4s. He's great on offense when he's on, but that seems to be not often enough. He seems to have made no real progress since his rookie season. Who's to blame for Thad's lack of development, what position should he be playing, should he be getting the minutes he's getting, and what needs to happen for him to take the next step that everybody's expecting?
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Eddie Jordan Stinks.
« on: January 06, 2010, 06:28:30 PM »
Unfortunately for the Royals, they had two of the best sportswriters in the country covering them (Rany and JoePos). Rany got blackballed for his negativity (no, really, the Royals banned him from their stadium and told the radio stations he appeared on that they would lose all access if they let Rany on the air). Rany quit writing indefinitely at the end of the season. JoePos just wrote a 9000 word article on how much the Royals suck. I know more about the Royals than any team other than the Phillies, and I'm sure I'm not the only person who can say that (with insert local team instead of the Phillies).
Also, just read that depressedfan article. He forgot to mention the fact that about 1/4 of the Sixers' games can't even be seen by a large chunk of their fanbase, and especially college students, the very people they keep trying to reach. I'm sorry that my college does not provide me with a digital box to get channel 8. And my school actually has Comcast. But yeah, this is getting ugly. For every step we take (or could take) forward, we take two steps back.
Also, just read that depressedfan article. He forgot to mention the fact that about 1/4 of the Sixers' games can't even be seen by a large chunk of their fanbase, and especially college students, the very people they keep trying to reach. I'm sorry that my college does not provide me with a digital box to get channel 8. And my school actually has Comcast. But yeah, this is getting ugly. For every step we take (or could take) forward, we take two steps back.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Eddie Jordan Stinks.
« on: January 06, 2010, 06:18:45 PM »
I don't really know how much access she has to begin with beyond basic media credentials. That being said, I wonder if the Sixers are aware what happened when the Royals blackballed Rany. If they are, I highly doubt they would be willing to risk that much negative PR.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Eddie Jordan Stinks.
« on: January 06, 2010, 06:05:00 PM »
Dammit Jem, I came on here just to post that. Kate Fagan is quickly establishing herself as the best sportswriter in this city. She has identified the core problem with this team and has just written two spot-on articles that confirms what everybody else has been suspecting. And she has a great writing style too.
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Philadelphia 76ers / Re: Eddie Jordan Stinks.
« on: January 06, 2010, 12:51:47 AM »
As bad as not changing the lineup was, something happened in the second quarter that proved to me that the problem right now is at least some part a lack of effort.
Holiday was guarding Boykins. A big man sets a pick (I wasn't paying attention to who their big men were, sorry). Our big man (Speights and Brand were our big men) just stands there as Boykins runs one way and Holiday goes under the screen, then Boykins goes back the other way, with our big man still just standing there as Boykins gets past Holiday. This happens again the next two times down the floor, with Boykins using a screen 2-3 times with absolutely no help. That's not a failure to defend a pick and roll, that's a pure lack of effort, and it was disgusting to watch. Holiday was working his ass off while the rest of the team just stood around watching. Brutal.
Holiday was guarding Boykins. A big man sets a pick (I wasn't paying attention to who their big men were, sorry). Our big man (Speights and Brand were our big men) just stands there as Boykins runs one way and Holiday goes under the screen, then Boykins goes back the other way, with our big man still just standing there as Boykins gets past Holiday. This happens again the next two times down the floor, with Boykins using a screen 2-3 times with absolutely no help. That's not a failure to defend a pick and roll, that's a pure lack of effort, and it was disgusting to watch. Holiday was working his ass off while the rest of the team just stood around watching. Brutal.