Willie Should Start at PG Over Lou Will

[RickyPryor]

You mean like that 3 point game winner he swished over Kobe's outstreched hand?

Ah, yes.  The Big Shot he hit in that one game that one time.  Yes, I do recall that isolated incident.

But as long as he and Lou are sharing that,

'Lou' and 'share' should not appear in the same sentence.

It's nice to have a tall guard who can see over and pass over shorter players, or did you forget about Magic Johnson?

Magic was 6'9"

And we have no all stars, let alone one of the best to ever lace them up.

Or did you forget.

[rickortreat]

You mean like that 3 point game winner he swished over Kobe's outstreched hand?

Ah, yes.  The Big Shot he hit in that one game that one time.  Yes, I do recall that isolated incident.

But as long as he and Lou are sharing that,

'Lou' and 'share' should not appear in the same sentence.

It's nice to have a tall guard who can see over and pass over shorter players, or did you forget about Magic Johnson?

Magic was 6'9"

And we have no all stars, let alone one of the best to ever lace them up.

Or did you forget.

No All Stars? What about Brand?  He has been one, and should be again. Iguodala will be one this year, and Thad will be within 3. We'll see about Lou, but this year he will have the opportunity to earn those minutes and become as All Star himself.

Andre is a very athletic 6'7" bigger than most guards and just as quick.  He will have an advantage over most 2 guards in the NBA and be able to pass over them. Lou is somewhat of a defensive liability, but he is quicker than any but the best, and he is just as fast as they are. Also unlike NO and Utah, we don't pad assist stats in Phila. This starting backcourt is above average for the NBA, most nights they will get the better of their opponents.

Also, Iguodala made a clear effort last year to take every last shot in each quarter. You may recall that he made 3 in one game, at the end of the first, the half and the end of the game. The stats at the end of last season showed that he was one of the leagues best percentage wise with those shots. He shoots the same percentage as Kobe, and both of them take it to the rack at the same rate, so their outside shooting is about equal. The difference is Kobe shoots 10 more shots a game, which demonstrates how unselfish Iguodala is!

[RickyPryor]

No All Stars? What about Brand?  He has been one, and should be again. Iguodala will be one this year, and Thad will be within 3. We'll see about Lou, but this year he will have the opportunity to earn those minutes and become as All Star himself.

Andre is a very athletic 6'7" bigger than most guards and just as quick.  He will have an advantage over most 2 guards in the NBA and be able to pass over them. Lou is somewhat of a defensive liability, but he is quicker than any but the best, and he is just as fast as they are. Also unlike NO and Utah, we don't pad assist stats in Phila. This starting backcourt is above average for the NBA, most nights they will get the better of their opponents.

Also, Iguodala made a clear effort last year to take every last shot in each quarter. You may recall that he made 3 in one game, at the end of the first, the half and the end of the game. The stats at the end of last season showed that he was one of the leagues best percentage wise with those shots. He shoots the same percentage as Kobe, and both of them take it to the rack at the same rate, so their outside shooting is about equal. The difference is Kobe shoots 10 more shots a game, which demonstrates how unselfish Iguodala is!

1.  Yes.  At the moment we have no All Stars.  And we won't until...well...we do.
2.  Iggy is 6'6".  Roughly the height of every other 2 guard in the National Basketball Association.
3.  Yes, he does take all the last second shots.  I already noted that.  And that's not a good thing, remotely.
4.  I think I'll just leave it at this, and move to another thread.  I cannot continue with this dialog if I am to have Kobe and Magic brought up in conversations involving our vastly inferior Andre Igoudala.  It's laughable.

[rickortreat]

The only thing laughable is your belief that Willie should start over Lou.  You just like to argue.

[RickyPryor]

The only thing laughable is your belief that Willie should start over Lou.  You just like to argue.

I already cited my reasons, and they are legitimate.  From size to decision-making to shooting percentage to defense.

Hardly laughable reasons.

[76STholder]

If Willie starts over Lou, I will be very tempted to sell my season ticket(s) for this year.  Most "informed" people consider Willie a good roll player if not a bench player.  If the arguement is Lou, based upon last year, I understand your reasoning but anyone but Willie if fine with me. 

[RickyPryor]

If Willie starts over Lou, I will be very tempted to sell my season ticket(s) for this year.  Most "informed" people consider Willie a good roll player if not a bench player.  If the arguement is Lou, based upon last year, I understand your reasoning but anyone but Willie if fine with me. 

Sell your season tickets because Lou wouldn't be starting?

You have very low standards.



This team has almost nothing BUT roll players; very few legitimate starters.  Lou is a better bench player than Willie...so leave him there.

[rickortreat]

The only thing laughable is your belief that Willie should start over Lou.  You just like to argue.

I already cited my reasons, and they are legitimate.  From size to decision-making to shooting percentage to defense.

Hardly laughable reasons.

Iguodala is an average sized small forward, and more athletic than most at that position, he will have a significant advantage over the average 2 guard. So that point is nonsense. Shooting percentage is equal to Kobe's and Iguodala has more assists and steals. And Andre is considered one of the top defensive players in the league.  No legitimacy to your points whatsoever.

And as for being All-stars, both Iguodala and Young were invited the the National teams summer session. They are highly regarded talents by people who should know. IF you are considered by them, you are all-star callibur.

[RickyPryor]

Iguodala is an average sized small forward, and more athletic than most at that position, he will have a significant advantage over the average 2 guard. So that point is nonsense. Shooting percentage is equal to Kobe's and Iguodala has more assists and steals. And Andre is considered one of the top defensive players in the league. 

Pssst.  The comparison is between Willie and Lou.

[Joe Vancil]

My question is, "Why isn't Philadelphia making some sort of overture to Charlotte for Ray Felton?"

Felton is the perfect fit for Philadelphia - a point guard that can run the Princeton offense, can carry his share of the offensive burden, isn't going to be overly expensive, and has the potential to break out in Eddie Jordan's system.  Felton needs a change of scenery, and Charlotte isn't a team that's willing to pay much for him.  Here's the chance to swipe a young point guard - an accelerator - who will fit exacly what it will do to get Philly to the next level.

With Felton, you get a player who can equally take advantage of an Iguodala, who you want to run with, and Kapono, who you have to set up.  And he's played with big guys like Brand before and is willing to defer to them.

It's a perfect fit.  And no one is talking about doing it.

[bebopdeluxe]

Joe:

Nobody is talking about Felton because 1) he probably won't sign a 1-year deal; 2) Comcast/the Roberts boys/Ed Snider are cheap f*cks; and 3) we supposedly have our PG of the future in Holiday.

While I absolutely DETEST that Stefanski's horrific handling of this roster has put us in this position (i.e. going into this season with the "Lou and Jrue Show" as our PG options), at this point I am with those who say we should just throw Lou to the wolves and see what happens.

[Thad_Young_FTW]

Long time, long time.  Now I vastly disagree with you here: Willie Green should not only NOT start at PG. I'd perfer him not starting at all period.  Willie Green has 3 things I hate about him

1)He's a TERRIBLE defender and I mean terrible.  When your losing games, it's because of a combination of two things: Your offense ain't good enough and your allowing more points then you can score.  I remember the Dallas and Denver games in particular. In both instances, when Lou came in we got back in the game.

Lou may not have been consistent offensively last year, but he was far better then Willie Green defensively. Green was and is just putrid.

2)He brings NOTHING else to the table.

Yes, those isolation shots at the end of games aren't good shots Ricky. But you've got to love the fact that Iguodala can rebound the ball, he can create plays for others.   Willie Green brings NONE of that. Maybe he did, once upon a time(The 04-05 season) but such a time has obviously passed us.  He can't pass,  he can't defend, he's not a ball hawk, he doesn't grab those floor boards.


3)He's a low level FG percentage shooter.

This is what I hate the MOST about Willie Green.  If Willie's hot, he's decent.(Barely, the ball will go through him like Zach Randolph), if he's not. He misses shots, he puts us behind. It's like Andre Miller and his shot happy self.

For all the above reasons. HELL NO to Willie Green. 

[Joe Vancil]

Joe:

Nobody is talking about Felton because 1) he probably won't sign a 1-year deal; 2) Comcast/the Roberts boys/Ed Snider are cheap f*cks; and 3) we supposedly have our PG of the future in Holiday.

While I absolutely DETEST that Stefanski's horrific handling of this roster has put us in this position (i.e. going into this season with the "Lou and Jrue Show" as our PG options), at this point I am with those who say we should just throw Lou to the wolves and see what happens.

Ah, the lose now to lose later mentality, because someday, by standing pat, we'll be good enough to win.

You are correct:  you're not going to get Felton to go for a one-year deal.  Then again, Philadelphia isn't in a position to stand pat and hope one of next year's free agents picks them.  That's a loser's mentality (which is why, as you'll note, that New York has adopted it).  You don't see the LA's and San Antonio's waiting for the cream-of-the-crop free agent class.  Let's look how Orlando fared after their big wait-for-free-agency attempt:  Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill *STILL* haven't made it out of the first round of the playoffs as a member of the active roster.

The solution is to go after Felton with the idea that he's your "future" at point guard, and a missing piece of the puzzle.  Portland could have gone after him instead of Miller (and he's a better fit for Portland), which is another thing I don't understand.

The solutions to the problems are out there in proven players, yet when they carry that "restricted free agent" tag, no one wants to move on them.  I don't get it.

[tk76-]

Joe, like Bebop said, Felton was looking for a multi-year deal on a tema where he starts,  he already is getting 5M for 1 year by signing the QO with the Bobcats.

Do you really want to give Felton a 3yr deal?

FTW, I agree Green is a bum.  He probably should be making the min instead of 3M.  But I think he is a decent defender and can hit a 2pt jumper as well or better than the other guards on the team.  Green also did a better job of playing within himself last year and not forcing things.  I'm fine with him getting 10 min a game off the bench.

[rickortreat]

As bad as Green is, none of the players the Sixers brought in last season could beat him out, which is why he got the minutes he did. He was #3 on the depth chart behind Andre and Lou, but started because Lou is too short to be a 2 guard. 

I do like the idea of bringing Felton in, but the Sixers are at the salary cap and I don't think he would automatically vault the Sixers into a position to compete with Boston, Orlando or Cleveland anyway.  I don't see anyone else thinking that either!

It makes financial sense to see what Lou and Jrue can do this season. Next season Dalembert and Green's contracts expire, and the team will be in a better situation to decide how to improve, and more players will come available.

There is no solid evidence that Lou can't handle the job or grow into it. Nor is there any that Jrue can't play at a high level in the NBA. The team has had great luck in getting players through the draft who in retrospect should have been picked higher. If Iguodala's class was drafted today, with what we know, he would have been the #3 pick, according to an SI article I read. I suspect that Thad Young will also be considered a steal at the spot the Sixers got him. Given that, It's not unreasonable to give Jrue a shot. And it's also clear that Lou Williams has above average physical skills and speed.

Bottom line is that Willie hasn't demonstrated that he can do more for the team than he has, and he was given the opportunity.  Lou deserves his shot.