A few links and worksheet updates to get your Friday, game day started off on the right foot.
- The Four Factors worksheet has been updated. Take a look, it's pretty easy to see why the Sixers have been winning recently (and why they lost to the Suns)
- The Plus/Minus worksheet is also up-to-date. Iguoddala is leading the way with an average +3.47. Ivey is the worst on the team, at -4.13. His shooting has been beyond dismal for quite some time.
- Happy birthday, Andre (belated). [Liberty Ballers]
- The Suns had 80 points in the paint on Wednesday night. EIGHTY! [Sixers 4 Guidos]
- DiLeo laments not using Donyell in some of those close losses. [Tom Moore]
- Hollinger has something against the Sixers these days:
Mike (NC): Bobcats make the playoffs yes or no? and if they do what do they do with Felton try signing him to just a one year deal?
John Hollinger: Looks
unlikely for Charlotte -- their best bet is still probably to beat
Philly twice and hope the rest of the Sixers schedule hammers them.
They have games left against Detroit and Chicago too, which is helpful,
but there's a lot of ground to make up on Detroit and Philly and the
Bulls are playing really well.
So, the Bobcats are 5 games behind the Sixers, 6 in the loss column. They're 1.5 behind Chicago, 1 in the loss column, with a game left against the Bulls, but catching the Sixers is their best chance to make the playoffs? - Of the big three in the East, I'm going to choose the Celtics as the team I want to face (if the Sixers don't get the #5 seed). Here's one reason why. [Celtics Hub]
I'll leave you with some food for thought. This is the second time I've seen the Lakers this week, and a thought struck me. Lou Williams and Sasha Vujacic were both restricted free agents this past Summer, they both signed for roughly the same yearly salary (although Lou has an extra year on his contract, plus a player option). Both have grossly underperformed this season. And both would probably fill more of a need on the other team. So, would you trade Lou for Sasha, straight up, this Summer? Do you think there's any way the Lakers would do it, maybe with a sweetener from the Sixers?
Whether the Lakers would do it will probably depend on how Lou closes out the year. If he plays like he has lately, maybe. If he plays the way he was a few weeks ago, not a chance.
What do you have in mind for the sweetener? Cash? A second round pick? If cash, yes. If a second round pick, possibly. Sometimes you can get a good trey shooter in that round (since they'll be limited).
Re Charlotte, earlier in the month, Hollinger was not alone.
It's not Charlotte making the playoffs that bothered me, it was hollinger saying their best chance was to catch and pass the sixers.
Didn't the sixers at the time have the most difficult schedule of all the remaining teams?
by at the time you mean yesterday?
I guess - i didn't know it was yesterday - usually read all the chats on ESPN that are NBA related to try and find something interesting - So what was the SOS for the two teams as of yesterday?
Chicago has 13 games left. 9 home, 4 away. 5 against playoff teams, 8 against non-playoff teams.
Detroit has 15 games left. 7 home, 8 away. 7 against playoff teams, 8 against non-playoff teams.
Sixers have 16 games left. 7 home, 9 away. 8 vs. playoff teams, 8 vs. non-playoff teams.
Again, Charlotte is 6 games behind the Sixers in the loss column, 1 away from Chicago, 4 away from detroit.
Personally, I think Charlotte has zero chance of making the playoffs. They have 14 games left, 5 at home, 9 on the road. 8 against playoff teams, 6 against non-playoff teams.
Might be getting in a snit over nothing here, Bri. Fact is, for the balance of the season Charlotte has only 3 games against clear top-flight teams. The rest, excluding Philly, are against teams with losing or so-so records. They have two games vs Philly and only one each against Detroit and Chicago.
Philly has to displace somebody; Hollinger doesn't think it's going to be Detroit and Chicago's remaining schedule is nearly as soft as Charlotte's.
Really and truly, that is in fact Charlotte's best hope. But that's not saying a lot -- it doesn't mean he thinks it's going to happen.
I'm hoping it's obvious I really meant to say Charlotte has to displace somebody ;-)
Oh, I'm absolutely making something out of nothing. Still think it's ridiculous to say there's a better chance they make up 6 games in the loss column to the sixers than 1 game in the loss column to the bulls. especially when they play the bulls head to head.
Anyone watching ND State vs Kansas?