Sixers pick up Lee Nailon

[Rickortreat]

Well, at least it's something.  The team was a little weak on rebounding last year, and while I'm sure Cheeks will change things around a bit, you really can't have enough depth on a team.

Nailon's bounced around from place to place, which sort of hurts him.  It's hard to develop any continuity if you keep moving to different teams, with coaches who use you differently.

It's good to have someone to back up Webber and add a little more inside rebounding strength than Korver can provide.

Cheeks has already said that he intends to place more emphasis on defense, using the AI's to pressure the ball and rely on Dalembert and Webber to protect the basket.  I don't think he'll be quite as rigid as Larry Brown was, but he knows that defense is what drove the last Sixers team to the finals.

It's a real shame that that team never made it to meet LA.  Ratliff did a much better job than Mutumbo in clogging the middle.  At one point during the season, the Sixers were a monster team then.  Their defense would naturally give them and extra bucket every three minutes, without even seeming to try.  I'd love to see them get back to that, while implimenting a running game.
 

[westkoast]

I really hope Cheeks doesnt expect Webber to cover the basket.  Right now id say 'hover around' is what he is going to do but to protect it from scorers, well not gonna happen.

What team was this guy on last year Rick?  I honestly have never heard of him before.  A solid rebounder is always good to have.  How good is he on the offensive glass?  Because I think that is really where he could benefit this team.  The year the Sixers were playing fantastic ball they were very good on the backboard.

[Joe Vancil]

I like Lee Nailon.  I don't understand at all why he's bounced around from place to place.  It seems he does reasonably well everywhere he goes.

As for Philly getting back to playing great defense?  I'm somewhat skeptical, BUT I like all the major pieces:  Dalembert, Iverson, and Iguodala.  The problem is that with the absence of Eric Snow, Iverson is left pressuring the point, but Iverson is more effective when he's OFF the ball defensively.  The reason Philly was so devastating was the combo of Snow pressuring the ball, Lynch in deny mode, and Iverson with the steals - leading to easy transition offense - with Ratliff/Mutombo to clean up the mistakes.  With Iverson now at the point, Philly is kind of caught in a catch-22.
 

[rickortreat]

Nailon was with the Hornets last year.  He's 30 now, and used to be with that team in Charlotte.

By the way, Joe.  Webber has been quoted as saying that is was the way that O'brien used him that caused his stats to go down.  He also claims he's not over the hill, is eager to be playing and wants to proove all the naysayers wrong.

We shall see.

[Guest_Randy]

Webber is right -- O'Brien turned him into a jumpshooter from the top of the key -- not CWebb's forte.  However, I would question what IS his forte?  Webber is a gifted passer and had (does he still have?  who knows -- a lot depends on the health of his knees) some decent post moves.  

The problem that I see is that you have TWO players whose games don't compliment each other in Webber and AI -- and BOTH need to ball to set up their game (and their teammates).  Webber excelled in a motion offense because it highlighted his passing abilities -- however, if Philly goes with that offense, AI is going to be a VERY unhappy player!  It should be interesting for Philly next year -- a while back, I thought Cheeks would be the perfect coach in Philly but after watching him in Portland, I'm not sure that's the case.  Cheeks really didn't do that good a job with the X's and O's and he fared a lot poorer with the player relationship aspect than I thought he would.

[Skandery]

Thanks to a rash of injuries along with a very poor decision making by Director of Player Personnel for Team SkY, I had the chance to have Nailon on my team for a huge portion of last year.  So I actually saw quite a bit of Nailon's game last year.

My first exposure to him was as a backup in Atlanta, he was a bruiser who served as energy guy off the bench.  If there was an offensive rebound or a hard foul that needed to happen, this guy was the guy to do it.  And he did very well at it.  

With New Orleans, last year, he broke the starting lineup with his scoring ability.  People don't realize this guy had a 22.8 ppg scoring average in college including 24 ppg his last two years at TCU (Kurt Thomas' school).  He is actually a very decent mid range (15-18 feet) shooter, a decent FT shooter (78% career), a solid rebounder (better offensive) fom the SF spot but less than average for a PF, and he shoots right around 47% from the field.  He'll put a body on somebody but his defensive mechanics leave much to be desired.  His STL/BLK numbers aren't inspiring and he doesn't rotate or switch particularly well.  He's the dreaded tweener whose a bit too slow for SFs but a bit too small for PFs, but his 6'9 frame along with a long wingspan lend him opportunities to make a play occasionally.  

For Philadelphia, he should become one of the top two scoring options for the second unit while hopefully providing a spark off the bench.  His efficiency will dwindle with increased playing time, so I don't see him getting much more than 20 minutes a game while providing an adequate backup for Webber and Iguodala.  His calm demeanor should help provide a sober locker room environment (God knows Cheeks will appreciate that).                    

[Derek Bodner]

Not a terrible signing for a backup forward, something we didn't have much of.  And with Salmons and Hunter being our primary backups, we needed a scorer.

A lot like a poor man's glenn robinson.  Best part of his offense is his midrange game, not much putting the ball on the floor, thinks defense is 24 seconds to rest for his next offensive move.

[rickortreat]

The problem that I see is that you have TWO players whose games don't compliment each other in Webber and AI -- and BOTH need to ball to set up their game (and their teammates). Webber excelled in a motion offense because it highlighted his passing abilities -- however, if Philly goes with that offense, AI is going to be a VERY unhappy player! It should be interesting for Philly next year -- a while back, I thought Cheeks would be the perfect coach in Philly but after watching him in Portland, I'm not sure that's the case. Cheeks really didn't do that good a job with the X's and O's and he fared a lot poorer with the player relationship aspect than I thought he would.

I don't think it's as much of a problem as you make it out to be.  First off, Iverson needs someone to give the ball to, and a player who can get the ball back to him off of screens is something AI needs.  AI could care less about stats, as he's gotten every award possible with the exception of a ring.  Cheeks told him he wants to see him lead the league in assists. Webber giving him 20 and 10 would be a huge step in the right direction.

IF his knees are ok, and Cwebb says they are, the Sixers now have an inside presence with Webber and Dalembert, a shooter who can spread the floor in Korver, two slashers in AI and Igoudala, and apart from Webber some exceptional floor speed.

Cheeks had to 50 game seasons in Portland, and had some pretty uncooperative players on the roster.  He's not a disciplinarian, and he expects his players to respect him and the game.  He was only an all-star guard with an NBA ring, with adequate credentials to command respect.  I think upper management had more to do with Portland's failures, but it was easy for them to blame Cheeks for not doing more with a roster loaded with big ego's and a little short of talent to really compete.

Philly has two big-time players who want rings, and a few young players who should be ready to break out.  If it wasn't for Miami being so loaded, I'd say they would compete for a title.  Well see what happens this year, it might be that Dalembert, Iggy and Korver will need another year of experience before they're really ready, and I also think loosing Green hurt them in the backcourt.

[Derek Bodner]

Webber won't enhance Iverson's game, but Iverson can get his at any point in the game so that shouldn't be an issue.  We obviously can't go to a motion offense at all points in the game, because that would detract from our best player, but we should be able to go to that kind of an offense for portions of the game to keep opposing defenses off balance and to enhance Korver (great catch and shoot 3 pt shooter) and Iguodala (great cutter).

[rickortreat]

I think Webber helps Iverson by demanding some attention on the defensive end himself.  No one can stay with AI one on one, and if you double him, someone is going to be open.  If they collapse on Webber, that leaves AI free and Korver all alone on the outside.

In addition, AI shouldn't have to work so hard to get open, or take so many forced shots.   Last year, Cwebb wasn't effective enough on offense to make this work.  If it is going to work, we should see some evidence of that early in the season.  

As long as Webber is successful on the offensive end of the floor, he takes a lot of pressure off of the Sixers and puts it on the other team to keep up.  With the defensive quickness they have, provided they stay disciplined, it gives them a good chance most nights.  

[JoMal]

Webber is at his best if the offense occasionally goes through him. In Philly, this will not happen even if Webber was as spry as he was when he first came into the NBA. A.I. keeps the ball 80 to 90% of the time and frankly, Webber does not play off the ball all that well now because his mobility is down.

Chris needs a good point guard to pick and roll with. His stats in SacTown were decent after he returned from his knee injury precisely because he and Mike Bibby could do this play so effectively. But he won't be a factor on defense with his problematic knee, and Nailon, who is more of a small forward type then a power forward, is not defensive-minded at all.

Chris' best playing time on offense is when he can run the plays himself and his teammates do the cutting, not him. If Iverson thought about it, this type of action would be unstopable to opponents because of his ability to race past defenders at will, and without the ball, he could do that till he breaks his man completely. Chris is such a great passer, Iverson would get the ball exactly where he could score and his shooting average, which ain't that great, would benefit.

But that would require two things that just are not going to happen.

First, Iverson would have to practice this offense with Webber, and A.I. never has, and never will, be interested in practice.

Second, it would require an above average three point shooter to keep the defenses back, and while Korver can shoot the three, he also can be kept under wraps fairly easily with one good defender because he is not all that atheletic and  can't create his own shot.
   

[Derek Bodner]

First, Iverson would have to practice this offense with Webber, and A.I. never has, and never will, be interested in practice.

Well, AI's practice problems have never (reportedly) shown up during training camp.  So, if they're not on the same page after training camp and the first quarter of the season (at the latest, because even if Iverson's attending practices, one of the two won't be participating completely because of injuries), they won't get on the same page.

[JoMal]

First, Iverson would have to practice this offense with Webber, and A.I. never has, and never will, be interested in practice.

Well, AI's practice problems have never (reportedly) shown up during training camp.  So, if they're not on the same page after training camp and the first quarter of the season (at the latest, because even if Iverson's attending practices, one of the two won't be participating completely because of injuries), they won't get on the same page.

Yeah, and this is what I really do not get. The point I am making is that Iverson really needs to let Webber have the ball more often to let him get comfortable with it, especially with passing the ball. Without a doubt, the strength of Webber's game is his ability to pass so effectively from the power forward position. Any other kind of offense is just not playing into Chris' best attribute.

[rickortreat]

The whole point of getting Webber was to take pressure off of Iverson.  Everyone, including AI knows this, and you can bet Cheeks knows it too.

I fully expect to see the Sixers designing offensive plays around Chris's capabilities.  If Webber can shoot adequately, teams will be hard pressed to cover him, contain AI and keep Igoudala and Dalembert from embarrasing the other team with easy baskets.  

It shouldn't take much convincing, as once the players see how much easier it is to score- particularly AI, the team will come together nicely.

Until Webber came along, AI didn't have a reliable option on offense.  No one who was really an automatic 2 or a bucket and a trip to the line. Dalembert would get the easy ones, but they still had no one to dump it into.

O'Brien insisted on using him at the top of the key, instead of in the post.  This was just stupid.  Webber can pass out of the post if he's guarded, and will force the other teams to keep a man on him.  With Dalembert near by, other teams will have to respect his ability to score as well.  Keeping the big men in the post occupied, makes them a step slower in intercepting AI and AI comming down the lane.  If they leave too early it's an easy score for Sam or Chris.  If they clog the lane, Korver should be open.

At this point in their careers, these guys want rings.  Even if they play their best the odds are against them with Miami, Indiana and Detroit, even Washington has enough decent players.  If they're going to have any chance at success, they're going to have to work very hard in the games and at practice.

I'd say that this gives AI the incentive, plus he's not the petulant child he was when he first came to Philly. He really has cleaned up his act and made great progress as a human being.  Cheeks is probably the one he could relate to best out of all the coaches he's had.  

The proof will be in what happens as they start to work together.  The Sixers have a chance to be a decent team this year, and even better next year. Last year was a real dissapointment, and the trade disrupted any continuity they had.  This year should be different.  

[Joe Vancil]

rickortreat,

Please stop talking about Dalembert as if he's an offensive option.  The guy is Mutombo-Lite.  He'll get the ones that ANYONE can get and a few of the ones that almost anyone can get.  But if his defense isn't stellar, the guy is a waste of a roster space.

I'm a Dalembert supporter, but let's be realistic - if he's beyond "drop it in" range, he's not going to draw a man.  Dalembert's contributions will be on the defensive end, and hopefully, in rebounding as well.  If he does well there, then you've got the steal in the guy that I think you've got.  Any offensive production is pure bonus.