Deitch on the 76ers

Centers, anyone? Sixers on the search

2012-01-23T18:55:00.001-05:00

The Sixers started the season with more than they originally thought they had a center. Spencer Hawes, by and large a disappointment last season, came out of the gate like a cannon, averaging a double-double through the first eight games. Rookie Nic Vucevic, meanwhile, showed far more polish than anyone could rightfully hope to see from a guy taken 16th overall in a draft not considered terribly deep.

Monday night against the Wizards that depth was long gone. Hawes missed his fifth straight game with Achilles' heel and back problems, while Vucevic was held out after a hyperextension of his leg Saturday night against Miami left him with a tender quad that needs a rest.

The Sixers are doing the "day-to-day" thing with both players. However, it's more likely you'll see Vucevic back on the court this week. According to coach Doug Collins, Vucevic's panicked reaction to the injury Saturday night was a product of the 22-year-old never having experienced a significant injury of any kind in his life. While Vucevic reported that the leg was sore Sunday after the flight back to Philly, at shootaround Monday the USC product thought the leg felt far better.

Hawes is a different story. He has been noticeably out of sight during shootarounds, and Collins said in Miami that the veteran is unable to run using the ball of his foot because of the tendon soreness.

The most ominous sign of Hawes' status is that the Sixers are flying veteran journeyman Francisco Elson to town this week for a workout. Elson, who came to the Sixers with Jodie Meeks in a trade with the Bucks two years ago, played in 62 games last season with Utah, averaging just less than 10 minutes per game.

The problem with bringing in a new face this season is the lack of practice time to groom the newcomer. The Sixers don't have consecutive days off until the All-Star break next month, so they would have to use shootarounds and an occasional non-contact workout to familiarize any newbie with their system and playbook.

So, if Elson or someone else is signed/acquired, take that as a sign that Hawes might be out for a while.

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Turner good to go; Hawes probably not

2012-01-18T13:02:00.001-05:00

After missing Monday's win over Milwaukee, Evan Turner (bruised thigh) was spry at shootaround and will play against the Nuggets tonight. Center Spencer Hawes (back, Achilles' heel), however, is extremely doubtful and might need a couple of days to get his body in sync. The Sixers say he's a game-time decision, but I would be surprised if they try to let his body heal enough so he can go Saturday in Miami.

As for what the Sixers need to do tonight against the Nuggets ... I think this is a game where Elton Brand needs to rise to the occasion. The only team to really shut down Denver's high-octane offense this season was New Orleans, and in that game Carl Landry was a big factor. Brand is the closet thing the 76ers have to Landry, and he's needed to match up physically in the blocks with Nene, Al Harrington and Chris Andersen.

How good is Thad Young?

2012-01-10T11:53:00.001-05:00

The 76ers are 6-2 and have gotten there in impressive fashion. They are averaging 100.3 points per game, fifth-best in the league. They are giving up 85.6 points per game, tops in the NBA. The 14.7 point differential is easily the best of any team, Miami Heat (11.7) included. After Monday night's 10-point win over the Pacers, coach Doug Collins added an extra layer to his high praise of Thad Young, stating that Young's ability to disrupt the pick-and-roll at the defensive end has been so effective that he should get All-Defensive team consideration if he keeps it up.Young enters tonight's game against the Sacramento Kings with the best plus-minus rating on the team at +111, even though he is four on the team in minutes.If you do the math and figure out the 48-minute average with Young on the floor, the Sixers average a whopping 111.1 points per game and allow 88.4 points per game.You might notice that the points allowed total is 2.8 points more than the Sixers are allowing as a whole. But Young is a high-energy player, and the tempo of the game definitely picks up when he is out there. Besides, 88.4 ppg remains a very impressive defensive point total. But look at the differential: for every 48 minutes Young has been on the court this season, the Sixers are 22.7 points better than the opposition. Young is second in the NBA in plus-minus behind Miami's Mario Chalmers (+124), and three of the top six plus-minus performers play for the Sixers or Heat.When you look at the classic statistics, Young is the same player he was last season – he's averaging 12.6 points and 5.4 rebounds and shooting 55.6 percent from the floor, all numbers pretty much in line with his 2010-11 performance.It can be tricky to quantify defensive value. Collins likes to track passes deflected to give a numerical value to it (Young had five against the Pacers). He also took four charges, which when added to his two steals, it means Young was personally responsible for creating six of Indiana's 16 turnovers.One thing is certain: Thad has found religion at the defensive end. He was much better defensively last season, but nothing like this. And the Sixers can be thankful this blossoming is taking place after he signed a long-term deal with them. Because this Thad Young is going to be a bargain at $9 million per year.

Speights shipped to Memphis

2012-01-04T14:47:00.001-05:00

As soon as Marreese Speights showed up for an abbreviated training camp out of shape and unmotivated last month, his days with the 76ers were numbered.Wednesday the Sixers got a couple of second-round draft picks and some cap relief in a three-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Hornets. Speights goes to Memphis in the trade; the Grizzlies sent swingman Xavier Henry to New Orleans, while each team sent a pick to Philly.It ends a disappointing three-plus years in Philly with the Sixers for Speights, whom they thought would blossom into a scoring center when they drafted him in the first round out of Florida. He showed promise his rookie season, but he never could be cajoled into becoming a well-rounded player.If Speights wasn't scoring, then he wasn't doing much of anything. And since starting center Spencer Hawes showed up at camp in terrific condition and came flying out of the gate averaging a double-double in the first four games (12 ppg, 10 rpg), Speights went from being a lightly used backup to a bench ornament."I think coming in last year he was of a different mindset than this year," coach Doug Collins said. "I think this year it was almost he wasn't going to be a part of this. He never really did get in the swing of things. Hopefully going down to Memphis he's going to be engaged (with coaches and teammates) and happy."I like Mo a lot. I feel badly ... Michael Curry and I when we took this job, we were trying to embrace Mo and hoping to culture a terrific relationship with him, and for whatever reason that didn't happen. We weren't able to get the best from him."It remains to be seen what the best is for Speights. Although he has size (6-10, 265), there's a lack of defensive toughness that makes it tough to envision him as a center. The Grizzlies have a lot of size throughout their roster, so perhaps there will be better pairings for his skills.What the Sixers get out of this is a nice slice of cap relief -- a $2.72 million trade exception based on Speights' salary since they didn't receive a player in return. That will help expand options if (when) a trade rolls around that appeals to the team, be it over the course of this season or during the summer.For now, they will carry 13 players and Collins said that will be fine for as long as they stay healthy. "We're in a position now if something did shake loose (in a trade), we have some second-round picks, some money under the cap so we're not in a luxury (tax) situation," Collins said. "Those are all good things."

Sixers seek Palestra for open practice

2011-12-13T15:44:00.001-05:00

Although nothing is official yet, the Sixers have requested usage of the Palestra Sunday night 6-8 pm for a practice open to fans. The team has a preseason game Friday in D.C., and another Tuesday, Dec. 20 at the Wells Fargo Center, the only two preseason games before they open the regular season Dec. 26 in Portland.

Let you know when the open practice is official.

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Thad Young, Sixers Come To Terms

2011-12-09T17:45:00.001-05:00

The 76ers and forward Thad Young have agreed to a contract that will take the restricted free agent off the market. Details are sketchy, but I'm hearing it's a four-year deal with a fifth-year option that will pay him $34 million for certain and about $43 million if the option is accepted.

Young was one of the more attractive restricted free agents out there, but the 23-year-old thrived under coach Doug Collins in his fourth season, finishing third in the NBA Sixth Man Award voting. He confirmed the agreement on Twitter and should be ready for the Sixers' first two-a-day practice session Saturday.

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Location:Philadelphia,United States

It's Over, It's Over, Thank Heaven It's Over

2011-11-26T08:31:00.001-05:00

The NBA Lockout ended early this morning when, after months of lackadaisical negotiating, stalling, immaturity and ogre-like commissionership, the sides ground through a 13-hour bargaining session with Thanksgiving leftovers as sustenance and came to a handshake agreement likely formed over consensus that canned cranberry sauce is the worst.

There remains details to bang out, but the buzz is a 66-game schedule will begin Christmas. The Sixers' first post-Christmas game on the original schedule was a Dec. 26 game at Sacramento. That likely will be their season-opener. Because Pixar/Disney characters ABSOLUTELY MUST SKATE at the FirstStates Fargovia Center for a couple weeks between Christmas & into the New Year, the Sixers probably will play 6 straight on the road before opening at home, with that Jan. 6 game against Detroit seeming likely to serve as the home opener under the new ownership group.

The handshake agreement is tentative. It needs to be ratified with a dap, finger shake, rump bump & point to the sky, plus some other nonsense like legal perusals and union votes. As more details come, I'll keep you posted. We can talk NBA again, which is nice.

LIVE BLOG OF NBA DRAFT

2011-06-23T19:38:00.001-04:00

Greetings from PCOM in a completely unreachable section of Philadelphia! So, anything been happening in the world of sports today?
If you can stop crying into the sleeve of your completely worthless Mike Richards sweater for a while, I'll be making live updates and comments on the draft here until it comes time to start writing about the Sixers' selection.

Keep refreshing this page and I'll keep typing away. Let's do this ...

1. Cleveland: Kyrie Irving, Duke. Well, the Cavs deserve to eternally stink for this. You can find 10-12 point guards like him in the league, and usually this type of guy goes in the 8-14 range. Much rather have Williams & then Knight at No. 4. Dummies.

2. Minnesota: Derrick Williams, Arizona. OMG THE WOLVES ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING RIGHT IN A DRAFT. Wes Unseld could've gotten that one right.

3 Utah: Enes Kanter, Turkey (Kentucky, kind of). Solid pick. Dude is a horse. Comparing him to Horford might be a little excessive, but then again the person who said that works for ESPN, so ...

4. Cleveland: Tristan Thompson, Texas. It's official: Cavs have butchered this draft. This dude's best offensive asset is that he gets to the line a lot, yet he is a TERRIBLE free-throw shooter. That is useless in my book. Sorry.

5. Toronto: Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania. That's proper. He's actually a center, unlike Bargnani.

6. Washington: Jan Vesely, Czech Republic. It isn't clear how talented a pro this guy will be. What is absolutely clear is his lady friend is perhaps the most attractive 6-6 woman in history.

7. Sacramento: Bismack Biyombo, Congo. Hey, the only thing working against him is that he has absolutely no offensive skills whatsoever. The Bobcats are actually getting this pick, proving Michael Jordan should've quot while he was the greatest player in history.

8. Detroit, Brandon Knight, Kentucky. He slipped a bit. Think the Pistons got nice value here. Certainly isn't this much distance between him and Irving when it comes to potential.

9. Charlotte: Kemba Walker, UConn. Undersized point guard. Hard worker, but he's going to have a hard time guarding in the NBA.

10. Milwaukee: Jimmer Fredette, BYU. This is actually the Kings' pick. Sac-town has a backcourt in Fredette and Tyreke Evans that will score a lot and give up even more points.

Still no Kahwi Leonard ...

11. Golden State: Klay Thompson, Wash St. This is setting up well for the Sixers ...

12. Utah: Alec Burks, Colorado. Now it is REALLY setting up well for the Sixers.

13. Phoenix: Markieff Morris, Kansas. Wow, the Morris brother everyone said would be taken later in the draft does first.

14. Houston: Marcus Morris, Kansas. That was the team thought to be the one which might snag a big man ahead of the Sixers. They are getting a big guy. Montiejunas?

THE SIXERS ARE TAKING VUCEVIC FROM USC.

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Making a Mockery of the Draft

2011-06-21T17:47:00.001-04:00

How the draft pans out from my point of view. (Note: there's no way in hell this is how it goes):

1. Cleveland (from L.A. Clippers): Kyrie Irving, PG, Duke. That's the prediction for the selection, not who the selection should be.
2. Minnesota: Derrick Williams, PF, Arizona. Strong, smart, tough, relentless, nice shooting touch ... what's not to like about this guy? Wolves might want to consider trading Kevin Love instead of this pick.
3. Utah (from New Jersey): Enes Kanter, C, Kentucky. He never got to play for the Wildcats, but those in the know have seen enough of the Turk to consider his talent All-Star quality someday.
4. Cleveland: Jonas Valanciunas, C, Lithuania. Cavs had a good experience with another Lithuanian center in Zdrunas Ilgauskas, and this kid has better feet and scoring touch.
5. Toronto: Brandon Knight, PG, Kentucky. Maybe the Raptors make a deal to move up and make sure they get Knight, but they could use an athletic floor leader like him.
6. Washington: Kawhi Leonard, SF, San Diego St. Wizards can team Leonard up with John Wall and Jordan Crawford for an extremely athletic trio.
7. Sacramento: Kemba Walker, PG, Connecticut. Smallish, but paired next to Tyreke Evans should balanced the size problem.
8. Detroit: Jan Vesely, PF, Czech Republic. Needs to fill out, but has a nose for the hoop down low.
9. Charlotte: Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU: Bobcats could keep him, but a few teams are itching to trade up for the Stormin' Mormon.
10. Milwaukee: Marcus Morris, PF, Kansas. The first of the Philly twins should go by this pick, but it might not be the Bucks. The late-lottery teams are itching to trade out of here.
11. Golden State: Donatas Motiejunas, PF/C, Lithuania. He has been dropping hard in many mock drafts, but I don't buy it. Way too much skill in this 7-footer to get him out of the lottery picks.
12. Utah: Chris Singleton, SF, Florida State. Jazz always seem to find some experienced college player who can step in and contribute, and Singleton has NBA-ready defensive skills.
13. Phoenix: Klay Thompson, SG, Washington State. Maybe the worst draft ever for shooting guards. This guy can be a slightly better version of Kyle Korver. And he's the first shooting guard selected.
14. Houston: Markieff Morris, PF, Kansas. Rockets always make a smart first-round pick. Always. Motiejunas won't get past them, but if he's gone the other Morris is a nice consolation prize.
15. Indiana: Alec Burks, SG, Colorado. He's young and showed poise as the go-to guy for a lousy program.
16. 76ERS: Nikola Vucevic, C, Southern Cal: If Motiejunas can't be had, this is the next-best option. Has Spencer Hawes' outside touch, but a stronger body and hits the boards.
17. New York: Bismack Biyombo, PF/C, Congo. Eh, let the Knicks take the Yinka Dare clone.
18. Washington (from Atlanta): Tristan Thompson, PF, Texas. His best asset is getting to the free-throw line. His worst asset is free-throw shooting. Who the hell wants that?
19. Charlotte (from New Orleans via Portland): Marshon Brooks, SG, Providence. He certainly isn't reluctant to shoot the rock. Bobcats could use a scorer.
20. Minnesota (from Memphis via Utah): Tobias Harris, SF, Tennessee. Smart player who put up nice numbers as a freshman in the SEC. He could be a surprise lottery guy.
21. Portland: Kenneth Faried, PF, Morehead State. He unquestionably can rebound. You accept that skill at this stage of the draft.
22. Denver: Trey Thompkins, PF, Georgia. The Nuggets want to move up. The last time they had a first-round pick they took Julius Hodge with the pick they received from Orlando for trading Jameer Nelson.
23. Houston (from Orlando via Phoenix): Iman Shumpert, SG, Georgia Tech. Impressive athlete who could work well alongside Kyle Lowry.
24. Oklahoma City: Nikola Mirotic, PF, Montenegro. Thunder can afford to draft and wait on this kid.
25. Boston: Nolan Smith, G, Duke. Celtics need to prepare for life without Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Smith can give quality minutes from the get-go.
26. Dallas: Jordan Hamilton, SF, Texas. Mavs go for a local guy with a nice spot-up shot.
27. New Jersey (from L.A. Lakers): Davis Bertans, Latvia. He's 18 and a long way from contributing, but the talent is there.
28. Chicago (from Miami via Toronto): Keith Benson, PF/C Oakland. Bulls like big men who can defend.
29. San Antonio: Darius Morris, PG, Michigan. The Spurs love finding late pearls, and Morris has a chance to be a nice insurance policy for the former Mr. Eva Longoria.
30. Chicago: JaJuan Johnson, PF, Purdue. Pretty polished guy you don't mind having under contract for four years.

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76ers Draft -- Is Motiejunas The Guy?

2011-06-21T09:35:00.001-04:00

The 76ers have worked out a lot of guys this month who have absolutely no shot of being their first-round choice in Thursday's draft.

Monday, however, was different.

The Sixers hosted Lithuanian 7-footer Donatas Motiejunas for a solo workout at PCOM, and when it comes to what the Sixers could use, no one in this draft might fit the bill better than this guy.

According to Sixers draft guru Courtney Witte, Motiejunas measured at more than 7'0" in his bare feet, and the 20-year-old isn't a beanpole. He has put on more than 20 pounds in the past year, and he is carrying his 240 pounds solidly.

He's left-handed. He has a Type-A personality. And while he has grown up as a perimeter big man, he told the Sixers he believes his destiny
is to play center and to develop a low-post game.

Motiejunas has fallen out of favor with some because of some inconsistent workouts. But he has shown his shooting touch at high levels of competition. The guy can shoot. So what if he was off-line with some shots in an empty gym, solo with a bunch of middle-aged dudes staring at him?

There are concerns about whether he has the capability to rebound. They say this about almost every Euro guy because rebounding is a different animal in the international game. He has length, size and good hands. I'll wager the guy can rebound when asked to do so.

That Motiejunas worked out for the Sixers tells you something. His stock has fallen a bit in recent months, and the Sixers might sense an opportunity. Teams in the Nos. 10-13 range are willing to listen to offers to trade down. If Motiejunas is still on the board as the draft gets in that range, it would not be a shock to see the Sixers try to package Marreese Speights and/or a future No. 1 to move up and take Motiejunas.

YouTube Video

Collins 2nd in Coach of the Year voting

2011-05-01T16:39:00.001-04:00

There was one coach who had a legitimate case to be named Coach of the Year over Doug Collins. And Tom Thibodeau got the nod.

The Bulls head coach and former Sixers assistant under Larry Brown got 76 first-place votes to easily outdistance Collins (18 firsts), Gregg Popoich (11) and George Karl (12).

2010-11 NBA COACH OF THE YEAR RESULTS

Coach, Team 1st 2nd 3rd Pts
Tom Thibodeau, Chicago 76 29 8 475
Doug Collins, Philadelphia 18 31 27 210
Gregg Popovich, San Antonio 11 31 29 177
George Karl, Denver 12 18 25 139
Nate McMillan, Portland 1 5 8 28
Lionel Hollins, Memphis -- 4 7 19
Monty Williams, New Orleans -- -- 10 10
Erik Spoelstra, Miami 1 -- 1 6
Phil Jackson, LA Lakers -- 1 -- 3
Rick Carlisle, Dallas -- -- 2 2
Doc Rivers, Boston -- -- 1 1
Frank Vogel, Indiana -- -- 1 1

Iguodala, Williams listed as gametime decisions

2011-05-01T16:35:00.001-04:00

Offcially, the Sixers have Andre Iguodala (knee tendinitis) and Lou Williams (strained hamstring) listed as gametime decisions for Game 1 against the Heat Saturday afternoon. However, Iguodala is certain to play, whereas Williams' availability might not be firmly decided until Saturday morning.

Collins on young backcourt 4/20

2011-04-20T13:20:00.003-04:00

Video

Williams talks pregame

2011-04-16T14:32:00.003-04:00

Lou Williams

Iguodala, Williams listed as gametime decisions

2011-04-14T15:33:00.001-04:00

Iguodala sitting tonight

2011-04-11T11:11:00.001-04:00

Andre Iguodala won't play against Orlando tonight, opting to rest his sore knee as it seems more apparent the Sixers are going to see Miami in the first round.

Daniels in Boston

2011-04-04T12:48:00.001-04:00

According to Doug Collins, veteran Antonio Daniels will meet the Sixers in Boston tonight, where he will sign a contract and be in uniform against the Celtics Tuesday. Daniels, 35, was playing in the NBA D-League for Texas in the hopes of making a comeback. He'll replace Lou Williams, who injured his right hamstring Saturday night in Milwaukee.

Li'l Wayne, Big Dougie

2011-03-28T19:42:00.003-04:00

So in case you haven't heard, a few of the Sixers spent the Saturday night before a noon game against the Kings at a Li'l Wayne concert. That probably would not have been a big deal if the Sixers beat the Kings ... but they didn't.

And so it became a pretty big deal.

Of the players at the concert, Lou Williams had the biggest clunker, shooting 1-for-12 from the floor, with the only make a 3-pointer that sent the game to OT. Thad Young also had an awful day, but he was not at the concert.

There are going to be people on both sides of this issue -- those who feel the players have the right to socialize, provided it doesn't mess with their work performance, and others who are going to think it is irresponsible and reprehensible.

As for the coach ... he is somewhere in between. Collins didn't tear into his players for going to the concert, but he wasn't really siding with them, either.

Collins: “I spoke to them and said, ‘You guys need to get together, talk about it and decide what you feel about it, and go from there.’ I turned it over to the team.
“I said, ‘You guys decide. We have 10 more games to go. You decide what we should be doing at this time of year. They’re men, so I let them make the decision.’
“My feeling is that any time you choose to go to a public setting like that, you’re going to put yourself in a situation where there could be some consequences. If we have noon game, and you lose it or don’t play well, you’re going to be under the microscope. I think it’s like anything else. If you choose to do something, there’s probably going to be some kind of ramification, either good or bad."

Collins played this game, and he played with some of the, uh, more socially interesting guys of the day -- World Free, Darryl Dawkins -- so he knows a little something about the need to socialize.

But one of the points of pride Collins has in his players is their commitment to a system that requires selflessness and sacrifice. I got the sense from Collins' response that the players attending the concert did disappoint him. But if it's an anomaly and not a trend, the matter can be closed quickly and without any lingering angst.

Collins Named Coach of the Month

2011-03-01T15:22:00.001-05:00

No surprise here: Doug Collins was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for February. Sixers were 8-2 for the month, and Collins will be tough to beat for Coach of the Year if the Sixers can keep up this pace and finish with 44-46 wins.

What the Knicks, Nets Trades Mean

2011-02-23T14:17:00.004-05:00

Both the Knicks and the Nets have turned huge deals this week, with New York getting Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups for basically everyone on the roster not named Amaury Stoudemire and Landry Fields, and New Jersey getting Deron Williams for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and two No. 1 picks (including what could be a cherry in June).

When you try to assess these deals, there's the short-term and long-term. Let's start with the short-term for both.

Let's be blunt: anyone who thinks that the Knicks or Nets are going to be instantly better from these deals for the final six weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs, should get a grip. The Knicks have upended their roster so significantly that it likely will take a month just to get any level of cohesion. And not only will it take time for Anthony and Stoudemire to adjust to the other's style of play, I wonder how well they can mesh at all. So, no, I don't think the Knicks are going to immediately surge. I still think the Sixers will pass them for the sixth seed in the East and even the Pacers could catch them for the No. 7 spot.

As for the Nets, I saw a Tweet from someone at HoopsHype saying this deal could get the Nets to 30-plus wins and make the draft pick they sent the Jazz a weak lottery selection. That's absurd. Again, Williams is going to need time to adapt to what the Nets do - and let's just say his issues with Jerry Sloan don't lead one to believe he's very easy to coach. To reach 30 wins, the Nets would have to be an above-.500 team the rest of the way. There is NO WAY that is happening. None. The Nets are an awful team, and plopping Deron Williams on the court with that sad collection of players won't do a bit of good this season.

OK, for the long-term ... the Knicks are taking a HUGE gamble that Anthony and Stoudemire are going to work well together. What might help them out is having Billups, who has a $14.2 million option for next season that I can't imagine they could turn down. The trade has decimated the roster. They have three big players and a nice potential in Fields and NOTHING after that. And before you start comparing this trio to what the Heat and Lakers have, stop. Stoudemire and Anthony play lackluster defense at best. Bottom line: How good this makes the Knicks depends on chemistry and the front office spending very smartly for tough defenders to put around these guys.

I have a feeling this is going to blow up in New York's face, basically.

The Nets? Hey, they got a truly gifted player in Williams, and that should help them in the future. But they have other big concerns: Brook Lopez has gone from a guy who looked like a potential 20-10 center in this league to someone who looks disinterested in doing any dirty work, particularly on the boards. And the roster beyond that is pretty pathetic. Deron Williams is good, but he isn't THAT good. The Nets need a lot more than that to become even a .500 team.

As for the Sixers ... neither of these players could (or should) have been on their radar. They need a center, and if Andrew Bynum isn't going anywhere, then there wasn't a star out there worth dumping half the roster to acquire.

Hollinger's Darlings

2011-02-14T19:40:00.003-05:00

If you don't know who John Hollinger is, the best way to sum up the ESPN contributor is to call him the Bill James of the NBA. If you don't know who Bill James is, he's considered the Godfather of SABRmetric stats in baseball. If you don't know what SABR is, you're going to crawl from under the rock and do a Wiki search. If you don't know what Wiki is ...

Anyway, Hollinger has devised some mathematical equations that process the value of individual players and the effectiveness of a team. While I've always had some questions about leaning too heavily on some of the SABR stats in baseball, I find that Hollinger's basketball ratings seem to be far more telling of a player's assets to the team. (And let's make something clear here: Basketball is far more of a team-oriented game than baseball, which is largely a series of man vs. man matchups - pitcher vs. batter.)

You can go here for an explanation of the team rankings, but one thing I like about them is that Hollinger accounts for how a team is playing lately. In other words, a team like the Sixers, who started 3-13 under their fourth coach in the last three years, are penalized for the slow start. The last 16 games speak far more about the way they are playing.

As of Tuesday afternoon prior to the game with the Grizzlies, the Sixers were sitting in eighth in the ratings, just behind the Dallas Mavericks (38-16) and just ahead of the New Orleans Hornets (33-23).

Eighth. It speaks to how deceiving the team's 26-28 record is at this point. According to this, the Sixers as they are playing right now are probably at the level of a 50-win team. This is a franchise that won 50-plus games once during Allen Iverson's tenure, won 50-plus games once in the past 20 years.

While there is no way they can get to 50 games this season - a 24-4 finish is asking a bit much - there can be an expectation that they will play like a 50-win team in the playoffs. And there can be an expectation that, with a year of Doug Collins under their belt and no real reason to believe there will be a great deal of personnel change, they can be a 50-win team next season.

As for Collins' reaction to Hollinger's rating, he said that he has more of an old-school statistical formula he follows (although if you hear his parameters, it actually takes into consideration a lot of Hollinger's factors), but that "I'd much rather be considered the eight-best team than 28th."

Brand vs. Stoudemire

2011-02-03T17:55:00.005-05:00

For teams that are in close proximity and play each other a lot, the Knicks and Sixers haven't had what one would characterize as a heated rivalry. When the Sixers have been good, the Knicks have been lousy, and vice versa. The last time the teams met in a playoff series was 1978, and that was a snoozer of a four-game sweep by the Sixers.

However, when the Knicks and Sixers play two games in 40 hours this weekend, there will be a little intrigue behind the games. Granted, a battle for sixth place in the Eastern Conference isn't exactly a vision quest, but remember: The Knicks have had nine straight losing seasons and have been DYING to make themselves relevant in Manhattan again. The Sixers, meanwhile, have been among the 10-best teams in the NBA since a 3-13 start and quietly believe they have a shot to upset a first-round opponent if they can steer clear of the Celtics and Heat, who likely will be the top two seeds in the East.

The biggest game within the games, however, will involve Elton Brand and Amare Stoudemire. There has been a long history between these veterans. They had tough head-to-head battles when Brand was a Clipper and Stoudemire a Sun, and if there is any player Brand can point to as a guy who cost him All-Star appearances, it's Stoudemire. (Brand was named to the team in '02 and '06, while Stoudemire's only omission since 2005 was in '06, when he missed nearly the entire season due to injury.)

When you look at the head-to-head numbers (courtesy of basketball-reference.com), the showdowns have been pretty even. In 16 games, Stoudemire's teams have won 10 of them - although he clearly played on a higher quality team in Phoenix. Otherwise, Brand has outscored (19.8 to 19.3) and outrebounded (8.4 to 7.9) Stoudemire and has had a better field-goal percentage (54.2 percent to 50 percent). When the Sixers and Knicks played at Madison Square Garden earlier this season, Stoudemire had 21 points and 15 rebounds to Brand's 20 points and seven boards, but Stoudemire needed 18 field-goal attempts for his total compared to 11 shots by Brand, and the Sixers got Doug Collins his first win as head coach.

Collins needed Brand to bounce back physically this season after he was lead-footed and lacking hops in 2009-10, and he has been an unsung hero during the Sixers' reemergence as a playoff-quality team. While Brand probably won't be the 20-point, 10-rebound guy he was in his prime, he has been a 15-9 player for the Sixers, and that is exactly what they need from him.

If the Sixers can sweep the weekend, they will be a game behind the Knicks. And if they are to accomplish that goal, Brand will need to show that he can still go nose-to-nose with Stoudemire.

Here come the Sixers ...

2011-01-25T08:47:00.000-05:00

Three weeks ago it seemed crazy to think that the Sixers could aim for the Knicks and the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. But even when the national hoops media were fawning over New York and Amar'e Stoudemire at that time, a closer peek at the numbers — offensive and defensive efficiency, strength of schedule — said that the Knicks weren't nearly as impressive as their record indicated.
How quickly things changed. They had to struggle past the Wizards at home last night to end a six-game losing streak and maintain a four-game lead over the Sixers.
Don't be surprised if the Sixers enter a home-and-home with the Knicks in two weekends with a chance to draw even in the standings, and considering the Knicks play a style similar to the Suns — a style the Sixers enjoy — don't be surprised if the Sixers are ahead of the Knicks when the All-Star break arrives.

Pacers 57, Sixers 49, Iguodala minus-12

2011-01-11T20:05:00.003-05:00

It's halftime, and this much is certain: Andre Iguodala isn't helping the Sixers. They have looked awful when he has been on the court, and he is showing the frustration. In the 13 minutes he has been on the court, the Sixers have been outscored by 12 points. In the 11 minutes he was on the bench, they outscored the Pacers by four points. And it isn't tough to see how his rust is causing a domino effect with his teammates. He has never been a very productive halfcourt offense guy, and when he's rusting and limited with his quickness he's practically worthless. And even his defense has been pretty shoddy. He's just not ready.

If Collins wants to win this game, he needs to tell Iguodala to take a seat.

Iguodala Update

2011-01-11T11:07:00.000-05:00

Although he is listed as a gametime decision, after shootaround Iguodala spoke as if he fully expected to play tonight.

Are the Sixers better with or without Iguodala?

2011-01-06T16:43:00.004-05:00

Whether you were or weren't an Andre Iguodala fan during his first six years in the NBA, all had to acknowledge this much: The guy was durable. Iggy missed just six games in six years, all of which came in 2006-07, his third season.
While showing up for work everyday deserves admiration, it did leave this mystery unsolved: How important is Iguodala to the success of the team?
This season, Iguodala has missed 10 of the first 35 games with a Achilles' tendinitis. And so, for the first time in his career, there are some numbers that can be crunched and analyzed to get at least a feel for his importance. It isn't a huge cross-section, but as long as the 10 games are put into context, it can serve a purpose.
First, let's start with the simple breakdowns: The Sixers are 14-21 this season. They are 10-15 with Iguodala, 4-6 without him. A .400 winning percentage with him, .400 without him. Doesn't get much more neutral than that.
Of those 10 games without Iggy, seven were on the road; however, his 25 games were pretty much split down the middle (12 home, 13 road). So, that gives the No Iggy Sixers a slight edge over the Iggy Sixers when it comes to degree of difficulty.

Now let's analyze some of the numbers, courtesy of assistance from basketball-reference.com

There is a system used on the site that provides an offensive and defensive rating for each team. It's based on points scored, but uses the pace of play to weigh the numbers to account for efficiency. For the season the Sixers have a 104.9 Offensive Rating, which ranks 20th in the 30-team league. However, in the 10 games Iguodala missed, the team's O-Rating was 107.03, which is slightly above the league average of 106.4.
On the flip side, the Sixers' Defensive Rating for the season is 105.6, which is 13th in the NBA and slightly better than that 106.4 midpoint. However, in the 10 games Iguodala missed, their average was 107.3. So, as one might expect, the Sixers are a better defensive team when Iguodala is in the lineup than when he's out. But what might be of a surprise is that the Sixers are not only a better offensive team without Iguodala, but that improvement has been more significant than the defensive drop-off.
(It should be noted that the 10 teams the Sixers played without Iguodala have average Offensive and Defensive Ratings almost dead-on the league average, so there's no major deviation from the norm at play.)

I also investigated another possible factor: The Jeckyll & Hyde Sixers between the first 16 games, when they were 3-13, and in the last 19, during which they are 11-8. Iguodala happened to miss five games each during those two disparate stretches, and the differentials are largely the same, albeit the Sixers have become a far more offensively driven team during their stretch of success.

Read that one more time: They have been a better team when they are a more efficient offensive team, as opposed to a team that leans on its defense.

In that sentence might reside the answer to the question at the top of this entry.

Jason Kapono drives himself to games just like anyone else

2010-12-17T18:18:00.001-05:00

Collins on Blake Griffin

2010-12-15T18:29:00.002-05:00

Blake Griffin is putting up huge numbers in Take 2 of his rookie season with the Clippers, but the top overall pick of the 2009 draft is playing for a team that entered Wednesday night 5-20 with no road wins.

Doug Collins was the top overall pick in a draft, had an early injury issue like Griffin (who missed all of last season with a shredded knee) and was drafted by a team that had the worst record in NBA history. So he can relate to Griffin in a lot of ways. However, when it comes to the notion that it's a curse when a top pick puts up big numbers for a terrible team, Collins doesn't buy it.

"I didn't put up huge numbers like he is (as a rookie)," Collins said, "but three, four years after I got here we were in the NBA Finals. So I think that curse stuff can be overrated. What you have to do is put some good seasons together. Blake is a terrific player, and (the Clippers) have some talent. They've just been snake-bitten by some injuries. (Chris) Kaman has been hurt, Baron Davis has been out ..."

Draft Night Live Bloggin'

2010-06-24T18:57:00.005-04:00

6:59 p.m.: Greetings from the media room at the Wells Fargovia FirstStates Center! It's almost time to light the candle and see what goes down with the Sixers in the NBA Draft. As we get down to the final minutes before the Sixers are on the clock with the No. 2 selection, it has become very unlikely that there will be any maneuvering. That means Evan Turner should be in the starting backcourt with Jrue Holiday opening night.

7:04 p.m.: Mike Missanelli, Bob Ford and Terry Toohey are here commiserating. It's like we took a ride in a deLorean to 1985 and a softball game broke out.
Should we recount how the Sixers have done with top-3 picks in the draft over the years and upset everyone? Of course we should.

NO. 1: Allen Iverson (1996), Doug Collins (1973)
NO. 2: Keith Van Horn (1997), Shawn Bradley (1993), Marvin Barnes (1974)
NO. 3: Jerry Stackhouse (1995), Charles Smith (1988).

Take those seven players, put them on the court in their NBA primes, and you have a 40-win team.

8:10 p.m.: Well, the Sixers didn't get cute and didn't opt to use the pick as a trade chip. They took Evan Turner, and they are pleased. And they should be. The kid might not do one thing great, but he does everything well. And that means he won't need time to develop a particular aspect of his game.

Guess what?

2010-04-15T09:25:00.001-04:00

Sixers fired Eddie Jordan, aka Rutgers' next coach. Literally on a plane about to leave Orlando, so more to come in a bit.

Bickering to the Finish Line

2010-04-07T12:06:00.003-04:00

This has been a pretty hideous season for the Sixers. Everyone knows. And while there were small leaks of venom that hinted to some tension between Eddie Jordan and the players, the postgame pissing match last night was easily the biggest breach of the levee.

Elton Brand isn't a fan of Jordan's decisions or his strategy. And in a weird way that assessment probably makes Brand slightly less of a disappointment in the public's eyes, because there doesn't seem to be a soul out there who believes Jordan deserves another year as coach. But here's the catch: Every player can get a pass for not getting along with a coach. But you only get one. When you bitch about more than one, then you are the problem. So Brand has used up that chip. Whoever the coach is next season, he had better form a good relationship with the guy and deliver more than he has this season. Otherwise this could be an ugly couple of years in Philly for him.

This blog has moved

2010-03-24T13:12:00.001-04:00

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The Unspoken Factor

2010-03-05T13:39:00.002-05:00

OK, so now we have a little more insight into the Iverson saga -- and not just over the past few months, but ever since he left Denver, really.

Marital strife has been an unseen killer of a lot of athletic careers. How many, and how much? Well, that is pretty much impossible to quantify. I'm a sportswriter, not Dr. Phil.

I'm not doubting that Iverson's daughter was ill. Not in the least. But when you combine that with a houseful of kids and a wife who, let's face it, didn't go from hopelessly devoted to filing for a divorce over the weekend ... well, Allen's personal problems didn't just crop up after the holidays.

The funny thing is that I think the divorce filing bumps Iverson's odds of playing another NBA game from absolutely zero to extremely improbable. How? Well, let's say that actual proceeding with the dissolution of his marriage lifts a weight off his back -- the one that clearly helped end his stints in Memphis and Philly, and quite possibly were involved in his being traded by Denver and being a disaster in Detroit.

Maybe (well, not even maybe -- theoretically) this will let him focus on his true love -- basketball. That doesn't change the fact that he isn't a superstar any longer. But theoretically, he might love basketball enough to change the way he approaches his court existence to make a final, more focused attempt to play somewhere (Europe?) next year.

The NBA? It's most likely too late for that.

It's official

2010-03-02T11:02:00.002-05:00

The Sixers officially announced that Allen Iverson won't return this season -- note that it doesn't say released. Because he hasn't been. And even if he was, he wouldn't be able to join a playoff-bound team and participate in the postseason because only players signed by yesterday would be.

This isn't shocking news. There were numerous reports, including in the Daily Times, that made it abundantly clear that this was going to occur. But, you know ... some media members get a little excited about the formality of it all.

Your Morning Moment of Den -- CONSPIRACY EDITION!!

2010-02-28T10:56:00.003-05:00

Say what?!? A conspiracy on a Sunday morning?

Well, it started Saturday night. That's when there was a curious throwaway line in a couple of stories coming out of Charlotte, where the CIAA -- a Division II league made up of historically black colleges -- was holding its tournament.

Guess who was there to announce his partnership in the start of a scholarship for league athletes? Allen Iverson.

Iverson, you might recall, missed last week's West Coast trip, ostensibly to continue a month-long vigil concerning the health of his 4-year-old daughter and the stability of his family in Atlanta. However, the Sixers quietly confided last week that, while they empathized with his personal issue, they couldn't continue to run a basketball organization with one of their starting players coming and going and chronically attempting to shake off rust.

But there is an interesting deadline coming up Monday. It is the last day that a player can be released to be signed by another team and be eligible for the playoff roster.

So, let's go over the details of Iverson's public appearance last night:

- He was in Charlotte, home of the Bobcats, who are ninth in the Eastern Conference, battling for a playoff spot.

- Charlotte is 240 miles from Atlanta, a mere four-hour drive away -- OK, for an NBA player it's a 2 1/2-hour drive.

- The Bobcats are coached by Larry Brown, who might be the only man left on the planet who would dare consider adding Iverson to his team.

You smellin' the conspiracy now?

Well ... unless Ed Stefanski is a brilliant liar -- and I don't think he is -- this is just a little uncomfortable coincidence. I gave Ed a call this morning about this, and he said that there has been no discussion about releasing Iverson before the March 1 deadline. He said that the Sixers expect to have a sit-down with Iverson "in the middle of the week" to make formal what has become clear: Iverson isn't going to play another game with the Sixers -- and that most likely means the end of his career.

No, he won't be going to Charlotte to play ball. Sorry, conspiracy theorists. I tried to tickle your fancy. Guess the tinfoil hats didn't work.

Podcast Alert!

2010-02-16T11:38:00.002-05:00

I'll be on John Finger's CSNPhilly.com Podcast this afternoon at 4 pm to discuss Sixers news and rumors, and I'm certain there will be some Phillies chat and general verbal abuse taking place.

Your Morning Moment of Zen -- Hostage of Houston Edition

2010-02-08T10:30:00.002-05:00

Good morning, Philly! Well, I love a snowstorm, but when it keeps me stranded in Houston, a.k.a. Baghdad of the West ... well, not so much.

But let's talk basketball, shall we? It will take my mind off the meth heads and tear streaks that have dug levees onto my cheeks.

The Sixers have won four in a row. This will make some people angry, because there are those of you who wanted them to go in the tank and pray for a lottery win in the John Wall Sweepstakes. If this is you, you're an ass. We don't tank in Philly -- period. That's for North Jersey sucks and other losers.

Now for the more pressing question: How does Allen Iverson make his way back into this lineup, considering the three best wins of the streak came while he was at home in Atlanta? (We're just going to not talk about that Nets game, OK?)

The Iverson situation has me confounded, because he has been 1) a model teammate; 2) one of the few guys in that clubhouse willing to frankly speak the truth about the team's issues. And I'll say this about the win over the Rockets: If Kyle Lowry doesn't get hurt in the third quarter, the Sixers aren't winning that game. No way, no how. Regardless, they got a break and capitalized on it. Kudos.

So, what should they do? First off, Eddie Jordan needs to accept that his second unit -- Lou Williams, Thad Young, Rodney Carney and Marreese Speights -- is very athletic, and that he needs to let that unit press opponents more often, just as he did in New Orleans.

Here's my thought on Iverson: start him with Willie Green. Then get Holiday in the game about midway through the first quarter for Iverson, and when the second unit comes in at the start of the second quarter, send Iverson back out with them. Let him be part of that pressing, athletic group. It plays to his skills and to the guys with whom he'll share the court. And that ought to make bringing him into this winning fold a more smooth transition.

Morning Moment of Den -- WOW.

2010-02-01T12:33:00.003-05:00

Wow. Just wow.

I covered the Sixers during the god-awful last season under John Lucas. I covered them during the Johnny Davis debacle. But I honestly can't remember any game that was as awful to watch as Sunday night's pseudo-win over the Nets, who are going to be hard-pressed to get to 10 wins.

There was one game that I vaguely recall in 1996, a game against the Heat. OK, thanks to basketball-reference.com I found it -- a 66-57 loss by the Sixers. That was horrendous, too. Among the shameful stats from that one: The Sixers shot 1-for-19 from 3-point land, each team had 19 turnovers, and Sean Higgins played 29 minutes.

Sean Higgins ... holy moly. That name makes my head hurt.

So, maybe the fog of time just made it seem like Sunday night's game was the worst. But trust me -- this was a once-in-a-decade display. There were at least five shots that hit off the side or bottom of the backboard. (I'm still trying to figure out where the hell Willie Green was aiming that fourth-quarter shot.) The general sloppiness and disorder was brutal to watch, and the fact that both teams saved their worst play for the fourth quarter -- you know, when you're supposed to put your best foot forward -- made it a form of torture to watch. Send the video to Abu Ghraib.

The Sixers aren't practicing today. I guess they really earned the respite with that one (/sarcasm). But thanks to a timely reminder from a friend, I'll leave you with this movie clip as a form of therapy for what went down in North Jersey.

New Theme Song For the Sixers...

2010-01-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

Three Is A Magic Number - Blin...

Three is a magic number ... the Sixers can't seem to reach.

2010-01-26T15:29:00.002-05:00

In honor of the Sixers' inability to win three -- three! -- straight games, let's remember what Schoolhouse Rock once told us. (FYI: Blind Melon does a great version of this song.)

Your Morning... Noon... Mid-Afternoon... Late Afternoon Moment of Den

2010-01-26T14:49:00.005-05:00

That took long enough. Sorry, but a combination of ailing wife/chiropractor visit/no WiFi at the 76ers practice facility meant I didn't have a cup of joe in front of me until 2:45 -- 2:45! Who the hell is supposed to function this way.

After hearing Allen Iverson chide his teammates for being "lackadaisical" in the second half of games like Monday night's loss to the Pacers, you get the sense that after having a couple of months to be with the team that he has generated some opinions on which players (or coaches) should stay and which should go.

Iverson isn't g0ing to specifically name these people ... but it might behoove general manager Ed Stefanski to bring Iverson upstairs for a sit-down and try to get an assessment of things from the veteran. Because if Stefanski wants to be the one in charge of righting a ship that he has had a hand in damaging, then he needs to get some unbiased opinions from s0meone who knows a little something about the inner workings of players -- and Iverson certainly knows something about playing with heart. The man has made a career out of it.

There has been a rise in the chatter about Andre Iguodala being a prime trade suspect. Some people insist it has to happen. I'm not quite there yet. However, what Iguodala does need to understand is that he is a part of this team's dip from mediocrity to brutality. He entered the season shooting nearly 47 percent from the floor for his career; this season he is at 42.4 percent. He tried to sell this story about last-second heaves at the end of quarters perhaps skewing the number. Come on, man. You're dealing with a math guy here. You would have had to have throw up 60-plus prayers more this season than you typically would have through a half-season in the past for that to bring your field-goal percentage down that far. Sell that somewhere else.

This isn't to suggest that Iguodala suddenly has become a mediocre player. But the arrival of Eddie Jordan and departure of Andre Miller have coincided with his being a less efficient offensive player. Is it the offense? Is it not having a well-heeled point guard putting him in better scoring positions? It could be some of both. But the real problem with Iguodala is that he seems to be in mourning out there for the leadership role that he basically has lost to Iverson, Elton Brand -- even to Lou Williams for a while. The problem is that Iguodala isn't the best leader. It isn't about intensity or effort. Few players are as focused and try as hard as he does at ends of the court. But there is a poisonous pessimist in the guy. He is that player who shows more disgust in other players making poor decisions than he does in his own (and he makes some real clunkers at times). And once a team starts having the raised expectations that the Sixers had built over the previous two seasons, that trait starts to come into play more often. And it can wreck team confidence.

That is what Iverson is seeing. I know he tried to say that the confidence is there, and I know where he's coming from. But that confidence has been lost because many of the players on this team have detached their emotions as a survival instinct -- be it from Iguodala's eye-rolls, Eddie Jordan's randomness when it comes to playing time (how in the hell was Dalembert not on the court when Dahntay Jones was backing his way into the lane against Lou Williams?), or the air of disappointment this first half has caused to permeate the locker room.

Iverson sees guys trying to survive challenges, not take them on. He knows there is no way the Sixers should be this deep in the tank. Andre Miller is missed ... but for crying out loud, he isn't THAT missed.

BTW

2010-01-23T10:41:00.002-05:00

.... if you want to follow me on Twitter, it's dd_onthenba.

A few things:

1) If you're looking for consistent, in-depth, breaking Tweets, don't follow me. It's Twitter. If I thought I could tell you something worthwhile in 140 characters or less, I'd work at the Metro. I'm a writer.

2) While I'm a writer, I'm a wannabe comedian. I'm not saying I'm funny, but I wish I was funny enough to make a living from being funny. My Tweets are often out to get a laugh out of what's happening, be it an NBA game or life in general. If this is not what you're after, then don't follow me.

3) If you are still interested in following my Tweets, then I encourage interaction. The best Tweets come from conversations.

Your morning moment of Den.

2010-01-23T09:53:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I like to sleep on things. I'm not sure if it's because somewhere in my subconscious things speak to me (I very rarely have any recollection of my dreams), or if it's the Yang of deliberation trying to balance the Yin of impulse that usually dominates my personality. Regardless of the reason, I'm going to make a "morning after" post a staple of this blog the day following games I cover.

Let's go over a couple of things that stick in my mind following last night's -- shocking? stunning? where-the-hell-has-that-been? -- victory over the Mavericks.

1) Eddie Jordan's starting switch: I know there were a few writers that were irritated by Jordan's masking his shifting of Elton Brand and Jrue Holiday to starting roles and Thad Young and Lou Williams to reserve status. Here's how I feel about it: It wasn't about us. It was an attempt at gamesmanship, and I kind of like when coaches use that in the right amounts.

m Jordan is a desperate coach right now. He should be. If the Sixers win 14 games in the second half, I can almost guarantee he will not be the coach in 2010-11. If he thought that springing a 40-percent shift in his starting five at the last minute on a team like Dallas might offer the Sixers some intangible, then why not try it. I know that in this world of Twitter and Facebook there are reporters who feel this need to offer immediate information, and if they tweeted the starting five at 6 pm (first of all, it would have been the same-ol', same-ol' ... so that would have been a snoozer of a tweet) they would have been wrong by 7 pm.

Big deal. It's a tweet. Let's not get neurotic about this stuff.

As for the lineup switch itself, Jordan got it half-right. Brand should start, and Thad Young should come off the bench. Young has been very discombobulated this season. But when you run him out there late in the first quarter or in the second quarter against an opponent's reserves, he will be the best player on the court. And when he's the best player on the court, he is very, very explosive, as he showed in the second quarter last night.

But Williams should go back in the starting lineup tonight. Holiday is a little too green for the assignment; his skills play up far better when he comes off the bench. Yes, a Williams-Iverson backcourt is very undersized and defensively overmatched some nights. But the Sixers have been a pretty good first-quarter team this season. If Williams or Iverson isn't a good fit some night, just shorten their time on the court by subbing in for them. There's no law that says a sub has to play fewer minutes than a starter.

2) The WNJC guy: This is more of a behind-the-scenes thing, but it was too humorous to not mention. There was a guy from the radio station WNJC -- don't know who he was, and I don't feel a need to point him out by name for ridicule -- credentialed for the game and he was VERY excited about the Sixers win.

Every now and then you get a non-sports media member who finagles a credential to the game. But usually they lay low and keep any excitement about being in this element to themselves. Well, the WNJC guy wasn't about to keep his mouth shut. The result was hilarity.

As the postgame presser with Eddie Jordan was winding down, WNJC guy suddenly raised his voice: "Your bench outscored them by 22 points in this game! Great effort!"

That was his question. Jordan responded with an "Uhhh, thanks" that was just precious. It was beautiful.

Oh, but WNJC guy saved his best for Allen Iverson. (Thanks to AP's Dan Gelston for the tape of this.):

"Allen, you're an All-Star, and i think you've been an All-Star your whole career, you deserve this more than anybody on the Philadelphia 76ers. You're an icon and Philadelphia loves you, as well as I do from WNJC."

Yeah, he said that.

Personally, I want that dude at every game. He was like the crazy uncle at the Thanksgiving table. I even suggested to the other writers that we have a WNJC Guy Night where we all approach the postgame interviews with that style. It would be like a Twilight Zone episode. It would be beautiful.

OK, the coffee cup is empty. I have an Iverson analysis that I thought about writing here, but I would like to write it for the paper. In the midst of his All-Star selection discussion, Allen wandered into the Tiger Woods territory, and it gave me an interesting idea for a column.

And ... we're back.

2010-01-22T18:46:00.002-05:00

Apparently a Y2K glitch had caused the blog to deep-six just before the Sixers started to deep-six themselves.

Well, they are hoping for a fresh start to the second half beginning tonight against the Mavericks, so we'll do the same with the blog.

Things to watch: The Sixers are a good offensive rebounding team, while the Mavs are solid on the defensive glass. At the other end, the Mavs aren't much for the offensive boards, but the Sixers are 25th out of 30 teams in defensive rebounding pct.

As for guarding Nowitzki, the Sixers largely will go with Iguodala against him, but Dalembert will switch off Dampier and try to offer some size against Nowitzki if he decides to post the smaller Iguodala.

Iverson, Sixers meet

2009-11-30T16:50:00.001-05:00

Allen Iverson, his agent and his manager sat down with four 76ers reps in Dallas this afternoon to discuss a potential return to Philly for the aging star -- perhaps the only place where the aging star with the sullied rep could possibly play at this point.

It wasn't a surprise to hear that GM Ed Stefanski, coach Eddie Jordan and assistant GM Tony DiLeo were at the meeting. The name that was interesting is assistant coach Aaron McKie, who had his crumbling NBA career revived when Larry Brown acquired the Temple product and found a way for him to thrive playing alongside The Answer.

Now it is McKie who is playing a significant voice in whether the Sixers sign Iverson. If they do, McKie would serve as an incredibly crucial conduit between AI and Jordan, who doesn't have any rapport with Iverson.

If Iverson returns to Philly and can perform well and fit in well, much of the credit for making it work almost certainly would go to McKie, and that could give a big boost to his coaching reputation.

Stay tuned.

Speights lost for rest of 2009

2009-11-15T18:01:00.000-05:00

Marreese Speights has an MCL tear that won't require surgery, but will sideline him for 6-8 weeks, which means we'll see you in 2010, kid.

At least the injury will answer this: What does Elton Brand have left in him? There will be no more fourth-quarter benchings, no more looking over his shoulder to see if Speights is going to glean minutes away from him. The Sixers need their $80 million man to start earning his checks, and this is his time to prove he isn't washed up.

G.M. Ed Stefanski has no plans to pick anyone from the scrap heap, so Jason Smith probably will get 15-20 minutes per night, and you might even see Primoz Brezec in a game or three.

76ers- Bucks pregame

2009-10-30T18:39:00.000-04:00

Since the Bucks don't have the most gifted frontcourt in the world, the Sixers will have rookie Jrue Holiday active and available to make his first NBA appearance. Center Primos Brezec will be in streets.

Asked Eddie Jordan if, since Marreese Speights is clearly not a center and is substandard defensively at every position, he ever would pair Speights and Sam Dalembert. That would seem to be the best frontcourt pairing for Speights, since Dalembert can guard a center and at least has a shot of offering some weakside help if Speights is backed to the rim by a power forward. Jordan said he did have them on the court together a couple of times this preseason (not that I ever recall seeing) and that .... well, he could do that.

That didn't exactly sound like a promise. Which means Speights likely will play more center, and if that continues to happen, it's going to be a long season.

Welcome to the Terrordome

2009-10-30T12:15:00.000-04:00

... and by that I mean the Sixers blog with that snazzy name (not my idea ... about to see if I can use my powers to blow up that name).

Just a quick hello post. I'm back on the Sixers beat after a 7 1/2-year exile on the Phillies beat. The first season I was off the Sixers beat they went to the NBA Finals. The first season I was off the Phillies beat, they won the World Series. So, basically, I'm the Grim Reaper. And it makes that Public Enemy song title kind of fitting.

As for the Sixers ... I predicted 48 wins from them. One game in, I am not feeling great about it. I have some major reservations about the leadership on the team that I will detail a little more in columns and on this blog.

First little scoop: Lou Williams is illin'. Missed shootaround this morning, although he insists he'll be OK to start tonight. Have to see if he got his H1N1 shot. You'd think seven figures would buy you some of that.