The Sixers will hope to continue their win one, lose one string tonight on the second night of a back-to-back in Portland. LMA, Lillard and Co. are the definition of mediocrity, the Sixers need a win.
Whenever someone talks about Portland, they start with LaMarcus Aldridge. He scores above the magical 20ppg plateau, ergo, he's a star. He's a dominant big man. He's the guy you need to key on to stop. The funny thing about LMA (or MLA, if you're a fan of The League) is he really isn't that good. The guy averages 8.2 long twos per game, his FTA/FGA rate is terrible. The key to stopping Aldridge is to just let him do what he wants to do: shoot long twos.
Stopping this team isn't going to be about stopping Aldridge, it's going to be about keeping Lillard out of the lane, covering up Batum, Lillard and Wes Matthews beyond the three point line, and keeping JJ Hickson away from the rim. Encourage Aldridge to take those jumpers he loves so much. Heck, cheat off him. Every possession that ends with an Aldridge long two is a win, and if he hits a couple early, that's perfect. He'll keep shooting them all night while his efficiency continually drops.
Thad needs to aggressively double every screen. Let them go with the pick-and-pop. Don't use the other big to rotate to Aldridge, stay at home on Hickson, and dare LMA to beat you. That's my strategy.
On the offensive end, it starts and ends with Jrue. Thad is pretty reliable. It's the other guys you have to worry about. Wright needs to take the open threes he gets, and he needs to hit a decent percentage (not sure if Richardson will rejoin the starting lineup tonight, or not). Turner...man, Turner has had two just terrible games in a row. Portland's best perimeter defender is Batum, but they've used him situationally in the past. Meaning, if he's not needed to guard the opposing three, sometimes he'll take the most important matchup. If Batum is on Jrue, Turner might have a size mismatch he can take advantage of. If Batum is on Turner, I'm afraid a third consecutive terrible game might be coming. Hawes followed up probably his best game of the season against Memphis with a complete dud last night in Oakland. They need more from him.
One thing I loved about last night's game was Lavoy Allen's play in the fourth quarter. His toughness really lifted the team up when he was out there with Kwame. In fact, I think Collins killed any hope of completing the comeback when he pulled Lavoy and left Kwame in late in the fourth. I'd love to see Lavoy wake up a bit and give them decent production with hustle.
It's tough to guess what we're going to see from this team in any game. They're more than capable of winning the game. Portland isn't good (13th in OFR, 24th in DFR), but neither are the Sixers, really. They're capable of playing great defense, but it's there only once in a while. They're capable of scoring, but it's a rarity. If you could count on hustle and aggression on the offensive end, they'd be more reliable, but those things are fleeting as well. I don't know what to expect, but I know what they need. Another win before this road trip gets tougher.
The tip is at 10pm. This is your game thread. I'll be here throughout, primed for another good matchup at PG and hopefully another win. Join me if you're snowed in on this glorious Saturday night.
not snowed in thankfully, Matthews is hurt probably wont play
the blazers bench is bad, need the sixers bench to show up tonight
Is Aldridge definitely playing? He left last night's game, apparently.
i think he is, probably could of returned if the score wasnt so lopsided
Reports of the mullet's demise on Twitter. Guess we'll have to wait and see.
? are you talking about something pertaining to Hawes?
haircut
What an extremely vague comment.
I think Aldridge is a pretty good post player when he wants to be. Which you'd think, against us, would be more often than usual.
In the past, he's been like clockwork against the Sixers. Hits a couple long twos early, falls in love with it. Shoots them out of the game on long twos. It's pitiful, really, that a guy with low-post skills takes 8.2 long twos/game.
and no one ever says a word about it. Just "OMG he scores 20+ PPG!"
To be fair, the 8.2 is way above what he's done historically. I think last year it was 5.5.
the inquirer dude says j-rich is starting
Portland feed. Which isn't a shock.
Come on, strong first half. Don't dig a hole for yourselves.
they just listed Thad as center and Lavoy as Forward. Are they freaking kidding me?
the Portland feed?
Aaaand we're off... Lavoy loses the tip.
40 minutes for Jrue, 37 for Thad last night. Keep an eye on them.
j-rich 3
JRich money!
Richardson three, Lavoy kick out after Jrue found him on the roll.
evan jumper
Batum kept backing off ET, giving him the jumper.
4PM here and heading out to see Skyfal. I guess I'll catch the game on delay.
Brian, you make LMA sound like the prototypical Sixer.
Two long twos for LMA, 1/2.
Shit, Jrue.
Bleh, grab the d-boards.
Aldridge 1/3 on long twos.
stop throwing it to the other team
Is Claver somebody they had stashed overseas or that they just drafted?
1st round pick in 09, came over this year
Drafted 2009.
Come on, clean this shit up.
Gotta stop the ball, Thad.
Who the hell was Thad passing that to? ugh
Jrue dribbles off his foot. Clean it up please.
two early turnovers. Ugh.
Damn, another turnover. sheesh
Richardson assuming one of our bigs would be going to the hoop instead of spotting up for a jumper. Silly Richardson.
Jrue, don't leave him to take a long two away from LMA.
They look rather lethargic at the start here. Travel catching up to them.
Annnnndddd Jrue doesn't handle a pass cleanly, TURNOVER.
No idea how that's Jrue's turnover, but whatever. This is ugly.
Jrue converts, finally.
thad
nice, evan to thad
LMA 1/4.
Thad +1. Nice.
Nick Young, gunning. Shocker.
Bad shot from Jrue, too early in clock.
evan jumper
Yep, mullet is now a crew cut.
Turner long two, good.
Jrue to the bench, deserved.
Spence has the buzzcut, still looking like a goon....
limp wristed fucker
Sissy hook.
dont double lma
Don't fucking double him way out there. Just stupid.
Why the hell are we doubling LMA when he has his back to the basket from 15 ft?
Don't think it's a "we" thing. Or at least I hope it isn't.
Sissy freebies.
nick young jumper
apart from his swaggy moments, i really hate watching nick young play basketball.
6 turns already. Bleh.
As was the pattern of a couple of games back, we shoot a good percentage for a quarter yet the opponent shoots it even better. POR at 60% now.
Stay in front of your man, Lavoy.
jrue at the buzzer
PHI 23, POR 30 after 1.
Gonna be a long night at this rate. Jrue gets one at the buzzer. A gimme.
Jrue at the buzzer J. Play some defense will ya? Find your legs.
Jrue w/ a nice take.
That's what happens when you press Jrue.
Wright at the four?
Have to take that three, Dorell.
sissy free throws
I thought that Nolan Smith would do OK on this level. Any reason Ronnie Price is playing backup over him? Is he injured?
nolan smith isnt good but neither is ronnie price
announcers just said "now that Nolan Smith is back healthy" so maybe he's not up to speed yet. I'd like to see him vs this competition before i say he isn't good though. Thought he'd do well with his IQ combined w/ his athleticism and shot.
Nice find by Jrue, if his center had a pulse that would be a dunk. Sissy to the line.
Stay with the fucking shooters.
jrue block
Our competition for the 8th seed, Milwaukee, is blowing out the Heat. The Bucks have a problematic roster, obviously, and they'd be way better with Bogut, but there are nights where their role players - Sanders, Dunleavy, Mbah a Moute, Udoh - look like role players on a championship team.
If only they didn't Monta with a 28% usage rate and .482 TS.
Yeah, I'm not sure what the thinking was there. There have been stories over the years about Bogut being a jerk, and he does have injury problems, but Monta was a pretty lousy return, especially when you have a player like Jennings already.
yup and three of the four role players you mention are in the frontcourt
nice jrue floater
jeez tough going for jrue so far turnover wise
Jrue against the clock.
what was that play, jrue bails them out
Wow, really tough shot by Jrue there. Surprised it fell.
nick young 3
NYoung 3/.
Jrue drive and kick to Nick Young for three. Come on, take this game over, Jrue.
I wasn't looking, was that another TO?
Yep. Jesus.
2-point game. Clean up the turns and you're up a bunch right now.
Jrue brick from three.
Great D on that p&r, nearly a turnover. Nearly doesn't count, of course. Ugh. Feel like they're a step slow on both ends tonight.
batum getting off with turner sitting...he has done a nice job defending thus far...we shall see if focus is maintained
Turner's guarding the frog who seems to lose him with ease on every play.
ha, he was on batum to start the game
Wonder what JRich's numbers are for his last 6 or so games? His shot is terrible of late.
Good work, Hawes. You fucking scrub.
thad, garbage to gold
Jrue to the line. He really hasn't gotten much resistance on his drives. If he could go a minute or two without coughing it up, he might be able to have a big game.
agreed!
jrue on the line
malik with GREAT nick young impersonation...'hey maaaan, how ya doinnnn today'
nick young been smokin only the best weed
what is with the csn promo where dei lynam points to the camera, mimes typing on her hand, then points to the camera again...i feel vaguely threatened!
Lavoy o-board, out to Jrue, back to Lavoy for the baby hook. Nice.
jrue
nice jrue!follows his own miss. very aggressive
Jrue to the hole, follows his miss. Nice power move. Need more of that.
turner two feet short...batum blocked it
et bricks a three at the buzzer...whats with all the long threes evan...shoot em from the corner
PHI 44, POR 49 at the half.
Turner's hero three at the buzzer doesn't fall. Second quarter was marginally better than the first, need to come out with some energy in the third quarter. Get the lead before the third is over, then bring it home.
he is shooting twenty five percent from three in the last five...turning point in my mind was that dallas game, he was 3/4 but finished 3/6, hes gone off the rails since
marshall harris: the first half "a strange story of two point guards." tell me more!
ps where is the DOUG HATES DORELL WRIGHT movement?come on people this is a victim here
I don't enjoy watching this sort of basketball, but if you want to maximize wins you should probably have Wright out there jacking up 6 threes a night.
Didn't you used to love the Warriors when Monta was there? That was their entire offense.
You're right, though. They need more threes since they can't get to the line and don't have a post presence. Wright and Richardson should just stand out there and wait for kicks.
I think I liked watching Monta's inefficient but creative/explosive scoring.
i dont much enjoy the way this team plays either but use what you got. wright contributions aren't going to be maximized with such inconsistency in his minutes. he should be starting over richardson imo although jrich actually contributed some in the first half
20 minutes+ for Jrue in the first half. Collins sat him earlyish in the first, then ran him the entire second Q. Wonder if he's got another 40 left in him tonight.
hes being run ragged. we need a backup pg. bucher said on csn the other day that we were gonna sign shaun livingston's corpse if it cleared waivers
Yeah, I heard that. Wish they would've gotten him.
Ugh, who ended up with him?
washington i think?
Cleveland.
right washington waived him
cavs, i think
me too. smart player even if he doesnt have knees
jrue
Jrue splits the double and hits.
Jrue w/ a tough contested shot.
bad shot evan
bad shot turner. take it right away or pass it off
Evan jacking one. Pass the ball please.
That's just fucking selfish shitty basketball Turner. No pass, can't penetrate, lazy long two. I'd fucking sit him for that.
I'd like to fucking trade him.
bad j-rich shot goes in
Come on. Nothing but jumpers this quarter. Get into the paint.
6 or 7 long twos this quarter?
malik says six
malik has resorted to a running tally of the long twos
JRUE penetrates and dishes to thad
Do that 10 more times, Jrue.
o-board kick out for a three. Fucking killers.
jrue bails them out
JRUE43
Jrue bailout 3.
Man, everyone just stood around once Jrue got the ball there. Bailed them out w/ a three.
jrue having another hot third let's ride him...so long as he takes care of the ball...got bailed out last poss by someone-was it LAVOY?-hitting the hardwood for the loose ball
Yeah, it was Lavoy. He's been playing well, working his ass off on the glass and hustling for loose balls. He did it last night, too. Still can't believe he got yanked and they went w/ Ivey/Nick/Kwame for the comeback attempt.
zumoff makes me want to buy a sixers family pack
lavoy, they ran a play!
I don't see why he doesn't put Dorell in for Turner. If he's going to sub Nick for JRich at that spot. Dorell can't be as bad as Turner.
Jrue to Lavoy for the easy one. Good job.
Lillard really can't do anything against Jrue.
jrue at the buzzer
JRUE gets a bad shot to go...got it going on
Finally over the hump. Get a stop. Yes, a turnover.
Jrue bails them out for the lead. Let's go.
jrue to lavoy
lavoy!
let's get this win
Jrue to Lavoy again. 9-0 run. Keep the fucking pressure on.
jrue from the post
YES JRUE MORE PLEASE
HA! No prayer of stopping Jrue down there. They finally went to it.
jrue again
JRUEJRUEJRUE
Good stop and pop by Jrue.
Come on, Turner. Jesus.
jrue to...shoulda gone to turner
jrich bricks transition three
Dammit Jrue!!! come on....
JRich shot still off. ugh
looking forward to his next injury at this point
Big fuckup there, Jrue. Got lucky on the other end.
Ugh, timeout. Clean this shit up, and maybe put Turner on the bench. Batum is killing him.
hes done nothing this quarter, agreed. dogshit road trip
Don't see why he won't put Dorell and his length in.
Instead he brings in hawes for lavoy and nick for JRich.
nicely done give and go by jrue, sissy spence can't finish
They've run this play about 5 straight times now. Thad on the elbow, then Jrue down to post with....fuck you Hawes!...Turner sort of screening to clear the area.
jrue again
JRUE
Atta boy, Jrue. Batum is going to switch onto Jrue now.
ugh evan
Turner, you are trash.
ugh turner brick. shoulda gone right up with it. no confidence right now
malik "i'm not going to anybody but jrue holiday right now"
jrue to the bench
Jrue to the bench. Down 2, 1:38 to go. Please find a way to get this lead back heading into the fourth.
jrue to the bench...career high and triple double in reach. let's hope he comes back better than he did last night
dorell misses a three by a mile
Dorell from deep ........B r i c k
thad jumper
Ugh. Doubling LMA past the three-point line leaves a wide open Batum.
We double LMA again, leads to an open Batum 3
jrue back to start the fourth?
Doubt it. He's already at 31 minutes. Doubt Collins will put him out there for 43. Probably rest him for 3 or 4 minutes if the Blazers don't go on a run, shorter if they do.
PHI 67, POR 70 after three.
Can't go for long with Jrue on the bench here. Come on bench, carry some fucking water to start this quarter.
Just don't understand the allure for Doug to keep Evan out there so much. Bring Jrue back in at the 10 min mark and keep Dorell out there in ET's spot. Please.
Another big hustle play by Lavoy, but POR gets the ball back. 5 on the clock, come on, get this stop.
Good D. Get a hoop now.
Nice work, Hawes. LMA long two on the other end.
Heh, Hawes gets a great pass rolling into the lane and he proceeds to drift out of the paint and fadeaway a jumper that was blocked. Pussy
put jrue in
Good job, Turner. Hoop here, gotta get Jrue back in.
Hey Doug!!!!!! Get Turner's ass over there on the bench!!!!!
evan to the bench, hopefully hes stays there
Jrue back.
THANK YOU DOUG
.........about damn time
bad shot jrue
Batum on Jrue now.
Up to 10 after these freebies. If you have a run in you, has to happen now.
nice lavoy
Lavoy!! great hustle! and-one.
Thank you, Lavoy. You fucking rock. Hit the freebie. Someone scrape Leonard off the floor so we can finish this game.
Mamas dont let your boys be centers for the portland trailblazers
Man, if our wings weren't just monumentally bad in this game...pitiful.
2/5
2/7
0/3
3/8
7/23, 16 points.
Ugh, bad turnover Jrue. sheesh
NYoung gets it back.
7th turn for Jrue.
he's clearly going for the quad.
Jrue follows his own.
nick young 3, come on now
NYoung 3. Off Dorell penetrate and kick.
D-Wright to Nick for the three. Come on.
hawes, i have no words for that sequence but it ends in a dunk
Fuck you, Hawes.
Dorell dunk.
Hawes blows a bunny, then finds Wright for the jam. 4-point game. Come on.
Went from an 11 pt game to 4 just like that.
Thad for Hawes here?
Bunny blower: It fits Hawes...
why is ivey in?
Get Hawes out.
Fuck you, Hawes. You're such a wonderboy.
Thad should be on the line right now. He was pushed on that follow.
nice effort thad
Well I'll be damn, he's bringing Evan back in, he's at the scorer table.
Shit
now evan is in
Why is Hawes in there instead of Lavoy? Why?
jrue should of the shot 3, ugh evan
Yeah Fuck you too Turner. You suck!
Great job, Turner. You lazy bitch.
sissy free throws
Hawes to the line. No idea why he's in the game instead of Lavoy. No idea at all. Same thing Doug did last night, pulled the wrong big.
I realize Nick Young's a gunner, but you take him out to bring Evan back in, who's had a really poor game?
Yeah F me...
Turner sucks.
Without Jrue, there is no point.
That's game. F me.
Fuck you, Hawes.
thad!
58% chance I'll be excited.
I'm excited.
thad again
3 pt game ..... come on get a stop, one min left.
Timeout POR.
Probably going with a Lillard/LMA pick-and-roll, with LMA popping. Thad needs to double until Jrue can get through the screen. If LMA gets a long two, so be it. Don't give Lillard a clean look by abandoning the double early.
.....
Gotta foul.
Hawes, you are worthless.
Come on, go for a quick two here .....
Nope they hold it for a Jrue drive and kick to ......... SPencer ???? at the fucking three point line.
Great.
Ugh, didn't Batum walk/take steps there? When our two guys were trying to steal it?
How many timeouts?
Why did we sign Dorell Wright, Jason Richardson and Nick Young if we're gonna go to Hawes to take a 3 when we need it?
Cause Evan Turner sucks?
Go small with Thad at the five, all the shooters and Thad. Set a small-on-small pick-and-roll out high, let Jrue penetrate and kick to whoever's open or take the free deuce.
Of course, we inbound it to none other than Hawes.
Why is Hawes in the game?
game
Seriously. Why was Hawes on the floor? I just don't get it.
PHI 85, POR 89 Final.
Close but no cigar doesn't mean shit.
Jrue is POTG, despite the 7 turnovers. 29 pts, 9 boards, 9 assists.
Lillard w/ a vintage Willie Green line. 20 pts, 0 boards, 0 assists, 1 turn.
5 games in a row for Jrue against tough PG competition. 2-3 in those games.
The wings and Hawes killed them tonight. Can't win with that many guys unable to throw it in the ocean.
Turner was miserable awful
Jrue had a fantastic game. Some dubious decisions down the stretch-I think of the kick out to Hawes for three-and the turnover struggles in the first half, but all in all a superlative game. Runaway potg
Thad also terrific
Two of our three supposedly good players showed up. Really really bad trip from Turner thus far.
Jrue should light up Steve Nash right?
Should, yeah. We'll see. I'd have Jrue guarding Kobe, honestly. No one else has a prayer. Wonder if they'll actually press their advantage up front.
Turner's last three games:
14/41, 30 points.
18 assists, 12 turns.
This team needs a legit wing. Dorell can do it once in a while. Turner once in a while, but there's just no consistency. Richardson and Young both just seem worthless.
I think it's only 15 pts, 16 assists and 11 turns for his last 3.
Think you meant his last 4 games instead.
Yeah, meant 4.
Don't you think Turner's ankle injury has something to do with his bad stretch of games? They've all come since he turned it vs Houston. Didn't miss any significant time and I'm not making excuses for his poor play of late, but it has to have affected him.
No, not really. That would then mean that his ankle has been injured for about 90% of his whole career. But if we take what you say into consideration, and I realize you said you're not making excuses, what's your reasoning behind his rather decent game vs the Hawks the first game after that Houston game then?
Or, if this is the thinking as you say, why hasn't Jrue's foot injury affected him since he came back?
Turner's poor play of late is because he's a very weak limited offensive player that doesn't pose many threats to a defense, and a spotty near-below average defender individually and a very unsound team defender. Pit him against more talented and more athletic opponents and the last stretch of games is the norm for what you can expect. Even when the opponents aren't more talented or atheltic than him (see Alonzo Gee and Darius Morris as just a few examples), subpar inconsistent performances have become closer to the norm than what should be the outliers for him.
He's much better suited to be a bench rotational player, jack of all trades master of none backup at 3 spots. He's not an integral piece to a true contender, his warts tower over what few strengths he possesses.
I have no idea why he played well vs Atlanta. Injuries are unpredictable, and everyone deals with them differently. It's absurd to say two different people have two different injuries, so why did one guy play better than the other? Impossible to know. Why did Jrue play better? Because he's a better player.
What I do know is that your way of dealing with Evan Turner is to remain relatively silent about him when he plays well, and then strike like a viper when he doesn't. Almost as if you'd rather he played poorly so you can pound your chest and say "see...I've been right all along!!!"
Turner's had a couple of bad games lately. He's also had some really good ones this year as well. I just don't get how after the bad ones its immediately back to "I told you guys...he stinks and will never be any good!" Can't it just be a couple of bad games?
Oh, there you are!! Was wondering where you'd been. Such hyperbole though; see game threads for your manufactured fabrications of my silence.
You've been coming with this ridiculous, lame-ass, tired accusation of "I (me) want him to play bad so I can be correct" schtick for 2+ years now. Do you ever tire from the purported affronts to your own ego and love affair with the guy? Or tire from your obsessions with 'my' disappointments and frustrations with him? And my well-within-line expressions of it?
Let me answer for you - NO(!), you never will, because you're just as obsessed with me the poster as your false claims of my obsession with his suckness.
"Can't it just be a couple of bad games?"
Again, a couple of bad games has never equated with going-on a 3 year career of 85-90% bad games. That's not a couple, not even close.
And of course you have no idea why he played well vs ATL, yet you have an idea for his bad stretch. Sounds about par for the course when it comes to him.
Jesus dude... I've posted here like 10 times ever.
Heh, but you know how silent and how boisterous I am about one particular player?
And even further in my defense, and in tow with your extreme hyperbole, and more proof of your obsession with me - where did I even say "he stinks and he will never be any good" or "pound my chest and say, I'm right"?
Myself, along with others, was wanting him pulled from last night's game and I told Brian that instead of sitting him on the bench, I wish they'd trade him to somebody else's bench - same thing I've been saying since shortly after his arrival. Yet, you target me and reply with the same worn out bullshit, ignoring the other game thread participants' frustrations with the same player?
Ok, ten times ever.....
Seriously, I'm not sure who you think I am. I read the board regularly but don't post that often.
It can be a couple of bad games, but it's just a fact that 40% of the way through this season, Turner is once again failing to score the ball with any kind of efficiency, just as he's failed at that his whole career. And if you watch Turner, it's really easy to see why that's the case, and really hard to see why it would stop being the case two and a half seasons into his career unless he becomes a knock-down three-point shooter. If he were a great defender, you could live with his lousy offense, but right now his one and only value is exceptional rebounding from the wing, which is something this team needs, unfortunately, given the bigs, but generally speaking isn't that valuable a skill.
Win or lose, I don't really like watching this team. Everyone is streaky, in love with long jumpers and isolation, shies from contact and splits FT's. I guess watching Jrue generate offense for himself and others off of phantom picks is somewhat effective, but not really entertaining.
A whole lot of standing around waiting to shoot long two's... by guys who will (hopefully) not be Sixers after their 1 or 2 year deals are up. It was nice to see ET look to be breaking out, only to see that he isn't. And the Bynum story has been reduced to seeing if he returns enough to prove someone should role the dice.
Sorry to be all negative, but for a season of promise this year has really turned out to be borderline unwatchable.
i've felt that way all season so far. feels like there is no point in watching any of this.
This says it all for me. I thought this team would be good.
This team is so frustrating to watch. They just keeping doing the things that prevent them from winning. FREE THROWS, not rebounding, not running on every opportunity, etc. Keep going to the basket. Force the refs to make a call. And Turner is turning right back into the bust people thought he was. He's 1-4 on FTS in his last 5 games. Unacceptable.
76ers: annoyingly overcoached morass of mediocrity.
By the end of this road trip, fans' jones for the team will have loads of access to the Wells Fargo Treatment Center. Rehab site director Adam Aron may have to readjust pricing to $0.76 (valet parking included). An Easton-Nazareth "Jrive Jroolingly Like Jrue Down The Northeast Extension" Night promotion is now under consideration (tentatively, those presenting traffic tickets will be admitted free).
ha
ivey has received a flop warning
Based on his career I'm surprised he hasn't gotten one before
haha!
wow have to say quite warranted. he had one so blatant that i mentioned it in a game thread one of the last two nights. there was awkward silence from mark and malik while the replay ran.
Per Ft Worth paper:
" So far, only nine players have suffered the consequences from flopping. And a pair of Brooklyn Nets forwards -- Reggie Evans and Gerald Wallace -- are the only players with more than one flop. Evans and Wallace have each been charged with two flops, and have been fined $5,000 apiece. Also, Minnesota's J.J. Barea, Cleveland's Donald Sloan, Oklahoma City's Kevin Martin, Atlanta's Zaza Pachulia, Houston's Patrick Patterson and Omer Asik, and Chauncey Billups of the Los Angeles Clippers have each received one flopping warning infraction. "
Sort of a joke IMO if you are targeting mostly role players and ignoring the daily flopping of CP3, Deron, Manu and countless other high profile players. Sort of akin to enacting the "Iverson Ruke" and then calling it only on lesser names and not AI.
Paul Pierce...biggest flopper in the league, but his drives to the paint don't technically count as flops, right?
I always thought the 'flop focus' was defensive floppers? The offensive 'focus' (which doesn't really seem to be happening) is the initiation of contact and the leg kicks?
Has there been any news regarding Mr. Bynum since the 21st?
no
Doug needs to relax and wear a tie. If you recall, Don Nelson's coaching declined while wearing mock turtlenecks. And Stanley Van Gundy didn't avoid the noose with similar sartorial casualness last year. Don't think that Collins' overcompensation for high anxiety isn't noticed by his charges. Even a bolo tie would be an improvement. Get sharp, Doug. Connie Mack, George Halas, Red Auerbach and Punch Imlach meant business - and wore ties!
"After great pain a formal feeling comes" - Emily Dickinson, who starred at Amherst before Julius Erving
not that it has any impact on anything on-court at all, but i'll be thatguy who takes the bait - HOW OLD ARE YOU that wearing a tie makes one *more* relaxed?
Aye, this subject has previously been addressed: I'm older than Lionel Hollins, but younger than Lionel trains and partisan politics. In Seventy-Sixers terms, mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of guard Gerry Ward. But chronology is entirely beside the point, presumably younger man.
The disdain shown for a starched collar & coordinate vertical adornment may seem to be a trifling, however, it epitomizes a certain loosing arrogance and defiant noncompliance with a fundamental professional standard, characteristics that samely mark the effortful but ragged, ineffectual play of his young troops. The textile laxity of the leader is a deliberate choice that informs subtly on the matter of discipline and performance, in my opinion. Let me put it this way: Do you drink your water out of cupped hands from the bathroom sink? Or do you prefer chilled bottled water, enveloped in a white cotton napkin inside a silver bucket, served courteously and expressly? You may think this is one bushel and two pecks of bull manure; 'tis your privilege.
Respect for fellow posters and elders is a given; you erred in one regard, this is two bushels and three pecks of cow dung. Believe they were near a record or set a record last year for fewest turnovers in the league, Collins attire was analogous, all while making the 2nd round of playoffs and one hard fought game from the ECF; not too shabby on discipline and performance, neat and effectual play set forth.
Turnover numbers don't impress as he's Captain Ahab after the white whale zero TO gm, NEEDS control, wants to manipulate the gm like players are his pinball flippers. Low totals expected under his tight watch.
Offense remains freelancing and scattershot aka undisciplined and undependable. Bunch a jumpshooters, 2 dribblin' egotists and interior scrap.
The defensive dropoff is due to the absence of wing muffler Iguodala and "Sluggo" Brand lingering weak side. How many Sixers are priding themselves in D this yr? Ivey? Holiday, when he sees a perceived challenger in front of him and motors up? Most apply themselves to the border of their limitations, but only sometimes, erratically. This team has its moments but its not highly concentrated with defensive skill or will (Curry makes do though). Collins had a big hand in assembling it.
OFFENSE this yr 93.2/25th last yr 93.6/23rd -0.4
DEFENSE this yr 95.7/9th last yr 89.4/3rd -6.3
Don't disagree, all results stemming from what you describe here, not from any lack of a dapper Doug.
I do believe the way one dresses is a form of communication and carries effect.
Bill Belichick shakes his head in disagreement. As do I, when it comes to sports. As you'd say, it's overrated like Jrue.
As for last yr, '6 win-7 loss' playoffs had less to do with "neat" play of Sixers, more to do with 2 Bull injuries and a Celtics team that didn't take them all that seriously, and disposed of them when they had to.
Heh, the Celtics didn't take them seriously in game 6? They won that series on a couple of lucky threes by Rondo. They were just toying with the Sixers for 6.8 games because they knew Rondo could hit a couple 30-footers against the shot clock to finish it.
Generally speaking, not Game 6. Coming into the series old champs thought it'd be easier than it actually became due to their spotty intensity.
Hondo. Jo Jo. Rondo. The names change, the winning tradition continues.
They were taken from beyond his normal range but weren't lucky 3s; they were bull's-eyes, money. He honed in from deep, drilled 'em. I credit him.
kings are crushing the Celtics
and cousins just got a triple double
One of the funniest sequences of Cousins's career. Cousins had 10, 10 and 9 assists. At 1:14, he gets the ball from the point guard on the right wing, about at the three-point line, and starts playing what I'll charitably describe as point forward. Dribbling to the center of the court, he attempts a sort of no-look bounce pass to Francisco Garcia on the left wing. I'm not sure that Garcia was open. In any event, it certainly wasn't by any means a shot that he could count on Garcia making. He fails to complete the pass; the ball bounces off of someone's foot and, improbably, bounces back to Cousins. While everyone's watching this bizarre sequence of events, a cutting Tyler Honeycutt dives for the rim and Cousins alertly recognizes him, delivers the pass beautifully, collects his tenth assist, and then pounds his chest running back down the court.
Vintage Evan Turner, as quoted by John N. Mitchell in article of today: "I don't worry about defenders, I can get my shot off anytime I want, and I can score on anybody. I have to find opportunities to get going, and that's it. It doesn't matter about defenders. I'm too old to be worried about defenders." Words from a young man with personality and recent shooting woes.
yea, that is pretty awesome. i have a feeling he has a bright future in terms of sound-bites, especially if he winds up playing for a more prominently featured team.
Tony Allen would probably disagree with the sentiment about getting his shot off.
Most likely. Tony the Tiger was draped all over him most of the night, turned Evan into a distributor.
Rematch, Jan 28, WFC. "The Villain" will have somethin' up his sleeve. But will it matter? ET could use some flubber.
vintage dollar bill
"We are not a team that passes the ball and cuts hard," Collins said. "That's just not who we are. We have to do too much off the dribble and then we put too much pressure on Jrue. We're not a team that goes side-to-side with the ball. When we get chased off of our plays, we don't catch it in the right spots and then the ball ends up in the wrong hands and the [shot] clock rolls up on you."
Can anyone lend their insight/opinion on this quote from Doug? I've been clamoring for more ball movement lately and can't seem to understand why we don't swing it forcing the defense to react and shift instead of sitting back and packing it in like they do against us due to our lack of bigs. In addition to the defense ganging up on Jrue with a double or potential trap waiting. When Doug says that bit about "get chased off our plays", do you think he's referring to actual plays that involve swinging the ball? Because very seldom do I see anymore than iso's and dribble handoffs at the key. Maybe he's talking about getting chased off the horns dribble handoffs. ?
I realize them not having sufficient ball-handlers plays into him saying they're not a pass and cut team because of it ending up in the wrong hands.
As for him referencing the ball ending up in the wrong hands and the clock creeping down, if we'd actually show some urgency and get into a set before there's 11 or 10 seconds left on the shot clock this may not be such a problem. They are extremely lackadaisical and lax at getting settled into their spots after transitioning into the front court to begin the initiation of a set. If they show a sense of urgency and get started earlier that should allow for the ball to have time to get back into the right guys' hands if the play has broken down to then resort to an off the dribble move.
Going earlier is one cure. Making sure the unit you have on the floor isn't 60% "wrong hands" is another.
i've never understood how Collins runs the offense. i understand he is somewhat limited by personnel, but he has to be one of the least creative coaches in the league in terms of offensive game plan. the plays he calls out of timeouts are usually maddening too, except when he uses that Celtics play to get Thad a backdoor alley oop.
amen!
Monta Ellis announcing that he's just as good as Wade and that "Monta Ellis has it all":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7G9yS2-x5sA
As we head into the new year, I'm curious if anyone sees a good direction forward for this team. Whatever happens with Bynum this season, it seems to me that we'd be crazy to sign him to a long-term deal; his injury problems are way too severe and persistent. We basically have two good players under contract for next season - Jrue, Thad - and one okay role player, Lavoy. Only Jrue and Thad have trade value. A huge splash in free agency seems to be out for next year thanks to Hawes and Richardson. There's 2014, and the allure to free agents of playing with someone who may by then be a top 5 point guard (after Paul, Rondo, Irving, and maybe some others), but query how often really good free agents line up just to play with someone who's a borderline All-Star. We have huge holes at every position but point and power forward, and it's going to be hard to build through the draft because we'll always win at least 35 games. It seems to me that our future's somewhere between eternal .500ness and, at best, becoming a cheaper version of the Nets - a team that blows its wad of cash on overrated faux-superstar free agents after the real superstars pass on it.
happy new year!
It's a good question, and for me at least, your description of the state of the team if they don't sign Bynum is the reason I think you have to take the chance and sign him. I think you're right, getting a big, meaningful piece as a free agent is highly unlikely, more unlikely than getting say 3 healthy years out of Bynum out of the five you'd sign him for. Something like that.
Is a questionable bird in the hand worth more than the extremely unlikely chance you'll get a healthier one in some manner in the future? To me, the answer is yes.
I also think Jrue + Thad + Bynum has a much higher ceiling than Jrue + Thad + Love. And I believe Love would be the best free agent two years from now. If they sign Bynum and it doesn't work out, so be it. You can use the stretch provision a couple years down the road. Better to take the shot at greatness in the short term than play it safe for mediocrity (or worse)
I have a tough time seeing how Jrue/Bynum/Thad would be a real contender without some legit wing production, or at least some legit wing defenders. I imagine we'd become a top ten offense with Bynum, but I don't think we'd become a really good one - Bynum can only use so many possessions - and I don't think he'd drastically improve our defense. A Jrue/Bynum/Thad team would be sort of like the Nash/Stoudemire/Marion Suns, except the Suns had a brilliant offensive coach, shooters (a young Joe Johnson was their fourth best player), Marion was a great defender, and Nash and Stoudemire were both more offensively potent than Jrue or Bynum. So to me it all sounds like about a 50-win team and not much more, which Bynum's career best 8 win shares last year kind of bear out. And that's assuming good health. That said, much worse things could happen to this team, like Monta Ellis or Tyreke Evans.
Yeah, a couple things I agree with wholeheartedly. First, they'd have to add at least one legit wing defender. Need a guy like Thabo or Tony Allen, someone like that. Doesn't have to give you anything on the offensive end, but needs to at least slow down the better wings. They don't have anyone who comes close to approaching that right now, but I also think that's something you can get in the draft if it's what you're looking for. You can get that kind of guy in the 20's, where they will should be drafting (when they actually have a draft pick again).
Comparison's to the Suns, while a bit misguided, don't really bother me. That Suns team should've been in at least one Finals. I say misguided, because that team featured disruptive offensive forces who were complete sieves on the defensive end. Nash and Stoudemire couldn't guard you and me, and they played heavy minutes at arguably the two most important defensive positions. Bynum, Thad and Jrue are all at least plus defenders, with Jrue above that level.
Bynum's best win shares came on a team where he was the third option and a usage rate of 23.8%. I'd expect his usage rate to be closer to 30 on the Sixers.
Anyway, this is all just guesswork, and it's a tough conversation the powers that be need to be having. This is how I'm looking at it. What's the percent chance that Bynum will be healthy enough to (a) get this team into the playoffs over the length of the contract and (b) be healthy enough to contribute throughout the playoffs? How many times in five years will he be able to do those two things? Even if the odds are he'll only be able to do i once or twice over the five year contract, that's one or two more times than any other avenue is probably going to afford you.
Build the best possible team you can around him. Cross your fingers. Hope that they can at least compete when he's out and do everything you can to have him healthy going into the playoffs every year. Meaning, when he does come back, you don't play him on back-to-backs. You maybe schedule in "light" games for him. You keep him as healthy as you can so he's on the floor when it matters most.
That's the best course of action, because I don't see another avenue to get a guy of his caliber in here, and if you can't get another, then what are you doing? Jrue has been very good in this role, better than I expected and better than most guys thrust into this position, but this isn't a winning formula. He isn't efficient enough to carry the team with a high usage rate and he doesn't really have a single weapon around him in the half court to dish to.
I just think you're expecting a lot from a combo of Jrue and someone who's about a top 15 or 20 player in the league. A team like that could conceivably win the East, especially if Miami breaks up, but it's going to be tough to get into the same echelon as the Thunder and Clippers. I don't know how you go about tanking with our roster, but I wish we could.
When healthy, Bynum is better than top 15-20. More importantly, he's a weapon most teams don't have an answer for.
When healthy Bynum is the best offensive center in the league right now probably, probably the 2nd best center in the league overall (behind a healthy Howard who isn't healthy either)...but your belief on when / if he gets to be healthy is much higher than mine.
Vucevic has 16 rebounds at the half
27 and counting.
Wow. 20 and 29 in a close game against the best team in the league (although the Heat lack interior presence.)
I've been a supporter of Vuce since he was drafted, but this is the first game that really impresses me in terms of seeing him more than just a decent rotation big. I saw that as a reasonable outcome for a #15 pick, but this particular box score really jumps of the page in terms of suggesting he could become more of an impact player in the right setting.
Also, I think O-Boards are way more valuable then D-boards (as long as you are not a terrible d-boarder) and 11 from Vuce again speaks to a motor and skill set that is undervalued.
Still have bo problem trading him away for Bynum, but nice to see the guy applying himself.
yeah i understand the risk being taken to get bynum. But man has vucevic been playing out of his mind since "big baby" davis has been injured. This kind of game from him impresses the heck out of me too.
The grass is always greeener - if voose was still here he wouldn't be playing probably - and it was worth the risk to get Bynum, even if that's not going to pan out - it was worth the risk to get a player like Bynum (when he's healthy)
I'm not expecting the Bynum thing to work out well in the end, much like the Vick thing
If it's true that Collins wouldn't be playing him over Hawes and Kwame, what does that say about Collins? Even going into tonight, Vucevic had a defensive rebounding percentage of 25% and a rebounding percentage of 18.5%. Both numbers are about 15th best in the league - not just among centers, but among all players. He isn't much of an offensive player - not too accurate from the field, never gets to the line - but he doesn't use too many possessions, and he is getting better.
I believe it says things about Collins I've already said...if dude isn't benching hawes every time he takes a three, I don't know what the hell he's doing.
The Magic still suck though - right?
If people are lamenting the Bynum deal right now, it shouldn't be because Vucevic would be making them so great, it should be that if they had Iguodala, wings wouldn't be absolutely torching them, and someone other than Jrue could create a shot in the offense.
I'm not lamenting the deal either way, keeping Iguodala wouldn't have elevated them past a healthy Chicago or Miami, though I must admit that Jrue's elevation this year was unexpected (maybe it wouldn't have happened if Iguodala was still here?)
I think whether Bynum ever steps on the floor for the sixers or not it was a good risk and a deal that needed to be made.
It's like the Eagles today, I don't think Reid is a bad coach, I think he'll win somewhere else again - but the time had come...
Just wish the Nuggets were doing better
I think with Iguodala here and Lou gone, we would've seen strides from Jrue, but probably not like this. Problem is, this isn't a winning formula. There might be a PG who can be counted on as his team's only legit scoring option and the distributor, but I can't think of one case where it leads to team success. It's good to know Jrue can do this for stretches, but his efficiency would have to be much higher for it to be a winning formula, and I don't see that happening, especially not with the team that's around him. I mean, at no point do teams have to pay any attention to anyone else. There are times when there are two players on the floor who they don't even have to cover.
What I'm envisioning if/when Bynum gets back is essentially Jrue and Bynum playing a two-man game almost exclusively and the rest of the team either spotting up or cleaning up the dregs. I mean, it looks like that's what Collins envisions. Only it's a one-man game without Bynum, which isn't very effective.
Who knows. They shouldn't have 14 wins. They really shouldn't even be close in a lot of these games on talent alone, which was the case last season as well, so I think the bar is set a little higher if/when they have some legit talent out there. Guess we'll see, or we won't, depending on if Bynum gets back, and whether it's too late by the time he does.
Wow, those are huge numbers. Very, very impressive.
So are we going "no news is good news" on Bynum?
He's been running on his fancy anti gravity machine for over almost 2 weeks now, no news of a setback yet.
Pretty much, yeah. Figure we'll hear something vague once in a while as long as there's no setback. The next major news would be cleared for contact/practice.