After the jump a few highlights from the press conference introducing Eddie Jordan as the new Sixers head coach.
- Ed Stefanski said Jordan won the job during his second interview, which was a four-hour session focused on x's and o's.
- The first question to Jordon was how the P.O. would work with no shooters. Jordan said he started with Mitch Richmond when he couldn't shoot, he turned into a great shooter. He started with Richard Jefferson when he couldn't shoot, he turned into a great shooter. Both fair points.
- Stefanski isn't worried about any health issues with Elton Brand. He's working out now.
- Stefanski won't know about Andre Miller until after July 1st. He'd like to see Miller back, but really has no idea. They won't commit to taking a point (obviously).
- Good question to Eddie Jordan, "Could this team be better if Andre Miller doesn't come back?" His answer was basically, they need to replace him somehow, he said flat out you can't replace him with a rookie. Maybe through free agency.
- Jordan talked about the need for a point guard. This offense helps teams who don't have a traditional point guard. Two guards, two forwards and a center.
- Sign and trade is always a possibility with Andre Miller. They do have the MLE if they don't bring back Miller. (The words "luxury tax" haven't been uttered yet)
- Jordan said the P.O. is harder to coach than it is to learn. For the players it's all about reacting. "If you're a basketball player, with a basketball IQ, it's easy to learn."
- Q: Do you want Sam Dalembert back? How can you get him to play the way you want him to play? Jordan: "Everyone has to buy in...I have to make him better..If he's in the locker room we'll do our best to get the best out of him...If it doesn't happen, then he can't play within the core group. He may just be a spot player."
- Do you have guys who can become good three pointers? "I believe Willie Green can step out. I believe Andre Iguodala can step out. I've heard good things about Jason Smith. I believe Marreese Speights can step out. I have to make this roster a better shooting roster. I'm not going to go complain to Ed and say we need more three point shooters."
- The WIP cut the press conference off at this point.
Jordan sounds pretty confident that he can make a big difference. It worries me that he's apparently high on Willie Green.
I can honestly say right now that I have no idea where the team stands on Andre Miller, nor what will happen in that situation. Jordan seemed confident the team could get better even without him, he talked about Iguodala playing a bigger role in Miller's absence.
Notable questions that were never asked:
- Will Iguodala play the two or the three? The answer probably would've been both.
- Lou Williams' name was never mentioned. Not sure if that's meaningful.
- Will the team go over the luxury tax to get the needed piece(s)? I know the answer, but I like to hear that question asked at every opportunity.
- Any talk of trading up in the draft?
I'm not too worried about the Willie Green comment, sounded politic, but I'm more worried that he didn't mention Thaddeus Young, hopefully that was just a slip of the tongue. You know, make teams think you think more of willie green than you actually do, maybe someone falls for it.
If Williams not mention is meaningful is Youngs?
Completely missed the young omission. Considering he was the best shooter on the team under the age 45, I'm hoping it was just an oversight.
I'd go with oversights on lou and young, i have a concern about his comments on smith - i mean - jordan did coach in the league last year right? He had film on smith right? The sixers hav efilm on smith? Get to work dude :)
Maybe they're building up Smith as trade bait for moving up? That would be a pleasant turn of events.
probably just giving willie and smith some love since they were at the press conference to show support
I actually really like the fact that Iggy is in Philly working out right now. He was working out at Villanova the other day.
Yeah, I enjoy the idea that he is taking ownership. EB is working out in LA, but I would like to hope that maybe Dala & Thad can start working out together a la Jordan & Pippen. Jordan mentioned something about working the players out during the summer as well. Next year might be interesting...(pulls Optimist hat down on head much tighter)
I know it can't be mandatory - but some 'voluntary' OTAs for lack of a better term would be nice to see...see who shows up to learn the new system.
I also think you're expecting an awful lot from a guy who just got the job a couple days ago - he can't have all the answers yet - if he thinks he does I'd be concerned...Not going to get a lot oout of a 'meet and greet' PC anyway...now he has to get to work...we'll see what he thinks come training camp (and possibly off season moves)
"He started with Richard Jefferson when he couldn't shoot, he turned into a great shooter. Both fair points."
He's an okay shooter... sort of. Shot the ball well this year with Milwaukee, but never shot particularly well under Jordan. In 03-04 he shot 36.2%, but only made 48 threes.
To be fair, Jefferson went from putrid to league-average in three years when Jordan was there. This year, I'd say he was great. Almost 40% on 292 attempts.
I asked Jordan about Iguodala afterward. He said Iguodala will begin at forward and hopefully play some guard in December or thereabouts.
Asked how to win without any superstars, Jordan said, "I think we have two superstars already," apparently referring to Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand.
Also, the Sixers will have their first draft workout Friday. Among the scheduled participants are UNC PG Ty Lawson and Kentucky SG Jodie Meeks.
Back to transcribing all these quotes ...
I asked Jordan about Iguodala afterward. He said Iguodala will begin at forward and hopefully play some guard in December or thereabouts.
Damn, that's the lead right there. So the plan is to start Brand at center or move Thad to the bench? Also, what changes in December?
I heard that superstars quote, perhaps he'll be proven right on that one.
Thanks for the update on the workouts.
Wouldn't expect a great deal out of Smith in first year back after torn ACL. Usually takes at least one full season of playing to approach where a player was before injury.
As for Jordan, he made the playoffs four of five full seasons in Washington, but never won more than 45 games and only won one playoff series. Scored fewer points and shot lower percentage than opponents in four of the five years.
Jordan said he met with Andre Igoudala last night and had spoken with Elton Brand. Igoudala, Willie Green and Jason Smith attended the press conference.
So maybe he just noticed guys who were there unless specifically asked about him.
Seriusly - if people think Jason Smith can be a starting cneter, i don't see why speights can't be - smith is flabby and less athletic than speights.
I don't think Smith is flabby, where'd you get that?
I have no idea if either of those guys will eventually be a passable starting center in the league, I just think it's insane to think either will be there this season.
Sure. I think Jordan means it'll take a while to get to know your duties as a F, then you can move on to G. G handling the ball more in his system is the big difference between the two spots.
What's your gut feeling on Andre Miller?
I think Brand will be the starting C. Just a hunch. Jordan said Brand would play some at both positions.
Jordan: "If you’re a basketball player with a basketball IQ, (the Princeton offense is) easy to learn." Trouble for Sammy ...
The economy and all the teams gearing up for 2010 free agency would help the Sixers' chances, but I wouldn't give him more than two years at $8 million per. My guess is Miller won't be back, one way or the other.
A sign-and-trade is always a possibility. That could be the more likely scenario. Maybe they could get a shooter that way.
Sixers should really move on from Miller because they're not going anywhere the next two years with him, but I also don't want Williams as the lead guard. Jordan said, "You would have to replace an Andre Miller in some form. You can’t replace Andre Miller with a rookie, that’s for sure."
Yeah, I caught that. I have an unsettled feeling in my stomach, just no idea what the next month and a half is going to bring.
Jordan on Dalembert: "If he’s in the locker room, I have to make him better."
Good article by Chad Ford on the GM's opinions on the point guards in this draft class. Surprisingly Brandon Jennings might be there for us to take because GMs feel like they don't no much about him. I'd be thrilled if we could add him to the team he's a top 5 talent.
I haven't seen any mocks where he falls out of the top 10. Interesting that Curry has moved up to #2 on Ford's list, according to the GMs interviewed. I thought Holiday would've moved up more than he did.
Could Andre Miller go to the Blazers for Steve Blake plus. Did Blake play for Jordan? He's on the last year of his deal. Would provide a veteran guard with 3pt shooting as a stop gap until our young point(whoever) grows up.
Blake spent two years in WASH with Jordan. He didn't play a whole lot either season, but seemed to be fairly effective. Making that move, however, would mean the full MLE might put the Sixers over the cap. So you have to take that into consideration.
I don't understand why we can't just rely on a draft pick for a point guard. We are obviously taking a chance with it it isn't that the exact same thing as what chicago did with Derek Rose. And did they not almost take down the defending world champs in the first round. Plus if it doesn't work out this season we'll have a higher pick in next years draft and u
It will work out then.
PLEASE EXPLAINE!!!!
Because Derrick rose was the first overall pick in the draft and was projected to be a superstar point guard. At #17 your hoping to get a solid starter in the future and if you get lucky maybe he develops into a star.
Well, for one thing, the Bulls had a fallback at the point in Hinrich if Rose didn't pan out. Two, Rose is more talented than any of the points available in this draft. Three, the Sixers most likely aren't going to get one of the top 5 PGs in this draft. Four, what the Bulls did with a rookie PG is the exception, the rule is usually a year of struggle or a year or two watching from the bench. Five, I don't necessarily disagree that going with a rookie point is a bad idea, if that rookie point's name is Stephen Curry I think it's a good idea.
I liked that EJ, talking of guards, stated in order:
1. AI
2. Lou
3. Willie
Hopefully that is his real mindset.
I really liked many of his philosophies. Seemed like he is the type of guy to maximize his talents, but also seems aware of the abilities of his team.
One thing that jumped out to me that he said was how the team takes on the personality of the best players, referencing how in NJ, Kidd and Martin as the leaders made for a great defensive team. Here, with the 2 superstars of Dala and Brand both being unselfish two-way players, that helps me believe the team will be good defensively.
He had a CSN interview yesterday where he repeatedly lauded the Big 3 of Thad, Dala and Brand, while also tossing Smith and M16 into the convo. Overall, he made a good impression on me. Can't wait until November!
I asked Stefanski if re-signing Miller or doing a sign-and-trade with Miller for close to his current money and using the full mid-level exception would put the Sixers in luxury-tax territory and he said it'd "butt them right up against it."
Don't get too excited -- my half-joking line at today's news conference was: What do DiLeo, Chris Ford and Cheeks have in common? A: All have better winning percentages than Jordan.
Also, another one from Jordan: "This team has a good core group, future stars in waiting and playoff experience for two years. Now it’s time to go uptown. We think we can take another step forward."
We get it - jordan had a losing record - you don't like him as a hire...I think everyone gets it by now, hopefully you'll give him a chance before writing him off...
I hope I'm wrong. Guess it's that he had a losing record both places he went. He's good with the media, which I'm looking forward to. His teams tended to score a lot of points in Sac and Wash, but gave up more in five of his six full seasons.
Well, it is hard to be critical of his record in Sac, considering he inherited white hot garbage. The only criticism of his time in Wash could be that he never got them over the top(at least 50 wins), but there were obvious extenuating issues that prevented that(lack of defensive personnel for one, major injuries). Then when you consider where they were when he got there, what he did actually deserves some serious merit.
I mean, if you compare his roster to someone like Collins or Avery, who both had actual MVPs on talented rosters, it looks "bad." But, most people can make the argument that he maxed out that Wash roster.
Updated list of Friday's tentative potential draft picks working out for Sixers at PCOM:
UNC's Ty Lawson, Kentucky's Jodie Meeks, Florida State's Toney Douglas, UTEP's Stefon Jackson and Louisville's Terrence Williams.
I'm sorry, not very active with the Sixers over the last month(need a break), ummm, I'm going to try to attribute %s to chances of them starting game 1.
PG: Miller(40%), free agent/rookie(40%), Lou(20%)
SG: Willie(70%), Lou(25%), Iguodala(5%)
SF: Iguodala(95%), Thad(5%)
PF: Thad(80%), Brand(20%)
C: Brand(80%), Sammy(20%)
Is this what we are looking at or am I off here?
Hmmn. I think there's a chance they draft a SG who could start at the two, so I'd add the rook/free agent in there at maybe 10%, I'd also drop Brand's percentage at the 5 by 10% and put Speights and Smith each in there w/ a 5% chance.
Another year of WG as you starting SG? That has to make you feel sick.
My guess is that Anthony Parker will be our starting SG.
T.K.76, It sounds like Toronto wants to resign Parker and possibly Delfino after drafting Blair. But I don!t know their money situation.
Toronto is one of those teams that could have a very interesting summer if they accept the reality of Chris Bosh leaving...