Well, eleven straight in heart-breaking fashion. Let's shift gears and play the blame game after the jump.
We'll start with the coach. Believe it or not, my list isn't too long for Jordan.
- Brand was a force in the first half, only got one shot the entire third quarter and really no looks on the blocks after halftime. The team was struggling to score and he didn't call a play to get EB the ball when the half-court offense was stalled for long stretches. Fail.
- I'm in favor of taking the three for the win in that situation (TK76 and I went through these numbers extensively during the playoffs last year, and he eventually swayed me), what I'm not in favor of is drawing up a play for Iguodala to take the three. You have two guys in your rotation shooting over 40% from three, one of whom has the best three-point percentage in the history of the league. Thad didn't get the look, and Kapono wasn't even on the floor. Fail.
- Small lineups. I don't have the energy to look it up right now, but I'm 99% confident the Pistons grabbed most of their O-boards against the small lineups. This is only a minor fail because he played Sammy and EB 77 combined minutes and his only other real option as a big, Jason Smith, is about as useful as tits on a bull when we're talking about rebounding.
Allen Iverson - Not fair to completely kill him since he obviously doesn't have his legs back, but.
- 6 turnovers. Fail
- 6 FTA in the first half. 0 in the second half. Fail
Andre Iguodala - Not going to kill him for the missed three at the buzzer. He's a 32% shooter from three, odds are pretty good he's going to miss that shot, but.
- I will kill him for the contested 18-footer he took with 3:32 left in the game. He hit a three (which was a bad shot) the previous time down the floor, but up 2 in that situation is no time for a heat check. There were 12 seconds left on the shot clock. Fail.
- He completely locked Stuckey down for two key possessions late in the game, one time stoning him and forcing a miss, the other time blocking his shot. The blame lies in the other 30 times Stuckey handled the ball. He didn't have much trouble getting by Iguodala, and he needs to figure out how to go under a friggin' screen, especially when his man isn't a threat from deep. If he bounces under screens we're talking about maybe a 35% jumper for Stuckey instead of a wide-open layup. Fail
Thad Young - A couple nice hustle plays and a trio of threes, but.
- Outplayed on both ends by Jonas Jerebko. Fail.
Elton Brand - A really good first half all around, but.
- Only one rebound in the second half. Fail.
- Needs to get in people's faces when he isn't getting the ball on offense. He was very effective early on, needed to demand the ball in the second half. The coach isn't going to do it for him, show some leadership. Fail.
Sam Dalembert - He was the best Sixer on the floor, but.
- He needs to actually set a screen when he goes out to the perimeter. Continually he went to the top of the key, got into position to set the screen, then left before even making contact with the guy he was supposed to pick. This gave no advantage to the ballhandler and effectively gave the Pistons a free double on the ball. Honestly, the roll doesn't even matter for Sammy, just make sure you set the screen before you dive to the hole. Fail.
The Bench - Nothing positive to say here.
- Kapono - 20 pushups every time you take a shot with your foot on the three-point line.
- Willie - You should be ashamed of yourself for that defensive effort. Fail.
- Jason Smith - Growing more useless by the day. GRAB. A. REBOUND. Fail.
- Royal Ivey - I've seen enough of you driving to the hole. Everyone knows it isn't going to end well. Fail.
On the positive side, Dalembert really was quite good in this game. 17 points on 7/8 from the floor. Two big free throws in crunch time. 11 boards, 2 assists, 1 block and zero turnovers. He and AI hooked up for a couple really nice lobs when Iverson was able to break down his man off the dribble. No bad decisions, plenty of hustle and very good numbers.
Brand looked very good in the first half, as I said above. Jordan needs to get him more involved and keep him more involved, short of that, Brand needs to get in Iverson and Iguodala's ears and tell them he needs the ball. Forget Dalembert, Brand needs to be the one to work the pick-and-pop/roll with the guards, he's actually a threat to do more than dive to teh front of the rim.
The big lineup played 33 minutes, which is a very good sign.
A loss is a loss is a loss is a loss (x11). This one should've been a win, and I think it probably is a win if Lou and Speights are available. Of course if the Pistons have Gordon, Rip and Prince it's probably a much different story as well. You need to beat bad teams when you're at home, especially when they come limping into town.
Also, don't let the final score deceive you, the Sixers defensive efficiency rating was 114.1, 7 points above their season average. The Sixers offense was also more efficient than their season average. Both teams can attribute the good offense to work on the offensive glass (or poor work on the defense glass by their opponent). The pace of this game was extremely slow, thanks again to the o-boards.
Player of The Game: Samuel Dalembert
Team Record: 5-17
Up Next: Houston on Friday
I think we'll have plenty to talk about on
SixersBeat tomorrow night. Thoughts in the comments, as usual.
If we lost, say, 5 more to make it 16 in a row, think there's any chance EJ could get fired? Surely there's a breaking point, even for the GM's buddy.
I don't know. You'd think people would at least be talking about it by this point, right? I mean, a 5-17 start for a team that just about everyone thought was at least a borderline playoff team, I don't see how it isn't at least being discussed.
Agreed. More proof that the press is in the tank for the coach to ensure access to interviews. "Journalism."
I think it would be talked about more if the streak had not occurred in the shadow of a record-setting streak. 11 in a row sounds really bad, but when it happens right around the same time as 18 in a row by a nearby squad, can get overlooked.
I think the moment will be when the Nets pass us in the standings, especially if that occurs before the end of Dec. The fact that they could set a record, change coaches and still pass you within 2 months should be able to paint a stark picture
I somewhat disagree with the blame.
1. The crowd came to see AI. Why not give him the last shot, even if he misses, so what. Or atleast put 3 point shooters on the court if that is what you are shooting.
2. Thad is useless on defense. I believe Kapono plays better D than Thad (he stays w/ his guy).
3. They do not raise their hands, just put a lazy reach (like that is going to do something??) on defense most of the time.
4. I put this loss on the coach. Yes, one of his better coached games but just too many mistakes. Left Green in there way too long (he was not hot tonight) and can't defend worth, well, you know! If he had shooters on the court, we may have won.
5. AI9 played a horrible defensive game tonight. Right there w/ Thad.
What can we do?
1. Fire Eddie Jorden
2. see #1
3. Get the team to play as a team. I think possibly Eddie Jordan has lost the team already. There were many times Kapono was wide open but either AI9 or Green took off balance shots or turned it over rather than pass the ball.
1) Crowd. What crowd? 12k in paid attendance. I was at the game as well and it was pathetic. I was in section 120 8 rows from the court and there were emtpy seats everywhere.
2) I think Thad has some potential on defense. He's not terrible 1-1 IMO. He just has to work harder off the ball, not get lost, and do a better job of denying his man off the ball. I keep reminding myself he's only 21. He gives effort, IMO, which is a start.
3) Agreed. I have no idea why this happens. Sammy seems to do it the most.
4) Can't really blame the coach. This team has no bench depth right. I'm with Brian on this one.
5) Agreed. up until the last few minutes his defense was really bad. It's a KYP situation there. Stuckey's not going to shoot over that screen. Iguodala talked about playing smarter the other day then came out with that game. Real disappointing.
Thank you for taking the time w/ your thoughts. I appreciate honest feedback as I not as basketball literate (correct words??) than you. Thank you again for your thoughts.
I agree w/ putting the shooters on the floor, don't agree w/ giving AI3 the shot.
Iguodala is the only guy that always has a hand up when he's on the ball, and I seriously think it cuts down passing angles. I never understand why the other guys don't do that.
AI9 was definitely very, very bad on defense until the very end. I have no idea why he was bad earlier, I also have no idea how he had the energy left to D it up like that in his 46th minute on the final two possessions. Both worrisome and unbelievable.
I'm with you on firing Jordan, as for losing the team, I think we've already crossed that bridge. One play stuck in my mind where Iguodala had the ball on the break with Kapono trailing right behind him, wide open for a three. Instead he tried to go to the hole one-on-three, and I don't think he scored. He has to make that pass in that situation, that's pretty much Kapono's only value, have to maximize it to make up for the phantom defense. That being said, Kapono probably would've had a foot on the line anyway.
i remember that play. Iguodala drove to the hole, got triple-teamed and kicked it out to AI who drove back into the paint and drew the foul.
Good breakdown Brian.
...just watched Wall's 7th steal...
I think the lousy coach and the loss of Andre Miller's stabilizing influence has really unmasked this team's weaknesses. Fact is Iguodala and Brand just don't give you enough as your go to guys. Maybe in a couple of years Speights/Thad/Lou/Holiday will take enough of the load off of Brand/Iguodala to be a good team- but this year they are just a lousy NBA team.
EJ and injuries has really brought out their inner dog, but even under a good coach and healthy they are still weak. I honestly believe that without Miller they would have been a
agree.
Could you imagine a back court of John Wall and Jrue in a few years?? Sweet!!!
I'm with you tk, I miss Miller, see the blowout game six against orlando to see how Miller was really a leader for this team, even if he was dead weight defensively.
"He needs to actually set a screen when he goes out to the perimeter. Continually he went to the top of the key, got into position to set the screen, then left before even making contact with the guy he was supposed to pick. This gave no advantage to the ballhandler and effectively gave the Pistons a free double on the ball. Honestly, the roll doesn't even matter for Sammy, just make sure you set the screen before you dive to the hole. Fail."
He's been doing that his whole career. I honestly don't think he understands the purpose of setting a screen.
may as well put it up:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/standings?season=2010&group=league&column=losses&order=false&seasontype=2
Hey guys, good comments. A few thoughts:
- Agreed that Iguodala really struggled on defense. It was his 2nd-worst defensive effort of the year, after the Phoenix game (where he kept leaving J.Richardson wide open). He's not as fast as Stuckey, but he's definitely capable of a better effort at keeping Stuckey out of the lane, as the last two possessions showed (and as previous efforts against Wade last season showed). Iguodala needed to be more physical on D. Ironically, Thad had the best possession against Stuckey, stepping in front of him for the charge. Last season, Joe Johnson dominated Iguodala once, but Iguodala did much better the next three times; hopefully, the same thing will happen with Stuckey.
- I don't have a problem with the play run for Iguodala at the end. He had been 13 of his last 29 in 3's and 2 for 5 in this game, and it was a wide-open look. I do have a problem with the idea that Iguodala had to take every shot at the end of the game. On the possession before the 3, where he took a running 4-footer in traffic, it would have been great (and totally unexpected) if they had run the play as a penetration followed by an alley-oop to Dalembert, with a high chance of success. As it is, Sixer end-of-game possessions are kind of like sending McNabb out of the pocket on 3rd-and-goal but always having him run; the play is much more dangerous if both run and pass are options. (Has anyone besides Iguodala taken an end-of-game shot this year?)
- Iverson still looked slow, esp. on offense, and some of his moves were painful to watch. When he scored, it seemed to be on "muscle memory." I'm hoping basketball isn't like boxing, because he really looked most like an older boxer whose reflexes are gone (Roy Jones Jr. anyone?).
- Seriously, why can't Brand grab more defensive rebounds? This was a game where his defensive boardwork was much needed (and absent).
- Not sure who they're going to beat if they can't beat the Pistons without Hamilton, Gordon, and Prince. Then again, I would never have expected Thad to be outplayed by Jonas Jerebko!
good thoughts, as usual. Iverson won't be this bad, he definitely won't be what we was, but he won't be this bad. One thing I think he's definitely doing is slowing the pace of the game down. Fewer shots with 16-18 seconds left on the shot clock. Not necessarily better shots later in the clock, but there haven't been as many of those 20-foot jumpers for absolutely no reason right after a dribble handoff or two. I take that as a positive, actually. The Sixers are better when the overall pace of the game is slower, with the caveat that the pace is slowed down because they're pressuring the ball on defense and working the ball on offense when they're forced into the half court, and grabbing offensive boards of their own. Their running game (which is still based on defense), doesn't necessarily speed the pace up greatly.
Not sure what Brand's deal is. If I'm in a kind mood, he's challenging every shot when he's in there, and there are a ton of shots in the lane. He goes for the block, then he's out of position for the rebound to follow. He doesn't have the athleticism to recover. He's working his ass off on the offensive glass, though.
That charge Thad drew on Stuckey was pretty because he set the play up by being smart. He wasn't right on top of Stuckey, he gave him a five-foot cushion, basically daring him to take the jumper, then he had plenty of room to slide and cut off the lane when he tried to drive anyway. Iguodala should've been doing that, would've made it easier to minimize the damage of the P&R also, plenty of room to get over when you're off your man.
Lou Williams has taken a few shots in end-game situations.
I'm amazed that Chicago has lost 9 or 10 and media is questioning Vinny's job security.
We've lost 11 in a row and no one calls Eddie Jordan out but us????
Yup, it's shocking. Chicago got rid of Ben Gordon and basically replaced him with Pargo. The sixers essentially swapped Andre miller for Elton Brand, yet VDN is on the got seat for his team taking a step back while Jordan gets a free pass for turning us into a joke
4 guaranteed years.
IN fact today via hoopshype rumors page there's articles talking about Del Negro's position in the franchise.
Keep in mind that one reason for less talk about Del Negro (and I don't believe there is within Chicago) is that this is his first coaching job - he has no history to fall back on - Jordan is more 'known' as a coach
Except that people ARE questoining del negros job security, in chicago at least, read something just last week that he could be in trouble if they do poorly on the 'circus' trip or whatever the hell it is.
Expectations are much higher in Chicago than in Philadelphia and Del Negro is ont he hot seat in his city - more so than Jordan in Philadlephia where Kate Fagan will call guys out in the twitters but not within her articles
Hollinger wrote a story last night about how VDN is on the hot seat in Chicago. He has a chat today at noon. Let's see if we can get him to answer why he hasn't written the same thing about Eddie Jordan.
Cause more people care about and pay attention to the bulls than the sixers...'stars' or not, the bulls also have 'bigger names' just because of where guys were drafted...plus higher expectations this year
Did anybody else notice, in the huddle while our coach was addressing our team, Elton was in conversation with Lynum, who was right next to our fearless leader.Thad mixed it up a few times, a good sign, and his rebounding has improved lately.Jerebko is the anti-A.Daye, he is a bundle of energy and would look good off our bench next to Marreese.You have to have your shooters on the court on that last play, just to spread the court at least.I am happy so far with HOW he is playing and deferring to others ,A.I., and his comments after the game were good to hear. After watching Wall, E.J. is becoming my favorite coach. If A. Miller's savy is missing we have a player that can supply some of it right here in Jrue, but because he is a rook he won!t get to show it probably. I really think the pieces are here to win, plus this year's pick, and whoever becomes our next coach will be walking into a good situation.
1) Crowd. What crowd? 12k in paid attendance. I was at the game as well and it was pathetic. I was in section 120 8 rows from the court and there were emtpy seats everywhere.
So the Iverson bump - one game?
Strong
There was a bump there, about 2K fans, maybe more. Probably about 10K would've shown up to see the 11th consecutive loss, maybe even less.
Last night marked a low point for me, and the depression is still lingering. It was the first time I've ever rooted for the 6ers to lose. There were times when I thought it might be in There is no way this team improves until Jordan is gone, and the only way I see that happening is for them to lose games until that is the only option.
Brian, feel free to use these images for you next post...
http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=942773&p=21559214#p21559214