The Sixers continue their slide down Marc Stein's power rankings. They're at #17 now, behind the Bucks and the Bulls. Ugh. Here's his quote:
Going into All-Star Weekend, Philly could pretend to ignore how
Elton Brand's first season in town unfolded thanks to a 14-4 run. Road
losses to Indy and Miami since coming back to work have changed the
mood.
Bernand Fernandez has a piece on Willie Green's current shooting slump. Apparently Willie believes he'll snap out of this slump if he just keeps shooting and stays positive. I'm wondering if a six-year career of miserable shooting should be referred to as a slump. The money quote from this story came from Iguodala: "Willie is a very valuable asset to our team. As long as he plays with confidence, he's going to turn it around."
Miller is still hurting, but he plans to play tonight. I suppose I can live with a gimpy Miller dropping another 30.
Kate Fagan talks a little bit about the tough schedule the Sixers have faced since the break. Here's the paragraph that really stands out to me:
Of concern since the break has been the Sixers' fastbreak game, which leads the league in points but has been slowed considerably. On Saturday, the Heat limited the Sixers to four points in transition - about 14 below their average.
Get back into the transition game and the shooting percentages will rise.
Hopefully, that'll be enough to get you through your Monday until game time. I'll have my preview up in a couple of hours.
This losing streak has me in a terrible mood. I keep wondering what we'll do in the offseason to pick up a starting two-guard. Miracle scenario involves us making trades that don't involve Miller, Iggy, Brand, Thad, or Marreese. Can this be done? I mean, can we actually pick up a quality 2 guard by moving some combination of Lou, Sammy, Reggie, Willie, and Jason (and perhaps a draft pick)? Sigh...
Anyway, for the rest of this season, or at least the immediate future, I love your idea of moving Marreese into the starting lineup (and moving Willie out). Yeah, I prefer Iggy at the SF position, but not with this stinking roster. He needs to move to 2 guard so we can get Marreese extended minutes. Heck, if Iggy knocks down jumpers from that position (something you just noted he hasn't been doing lately), this lineup can be VERY effective.
In closing, I couldn't be more upset with Lou as a basketball player. He has a horribly inflated sense of self worth... or at least it appears that way. He's a total gunner, regardless of whether or not they're falling, with no defensive work ethic and a record of making bad on-court decisions. In sum, he's a complete train wreck. Please, Tony (and Ed)... let's see increased bench time for this guy and extended minutes for Marreese and Royal!!!
Right now, I'm thinking the best option is to sign Miller at a discount, if possible, and then use a portion of the MLE for Anthony Parker to play the 2. Not ideal, not a world-beating move, but he would help this team dramatically in it's biggest area of need. My two cents.
I agree 100% that they should raise the age of entry to 20 or 21. It might actually make college basketball watchable again, plus that would save a number of teams from giving stupid contracts to guys with raw potential and nothing more. Good read.
I'm not sure where I stand on age limits - but if a guy thinks the NBA is his career why make him go to college - the NBA shouldn't be concerned whether or not college basketball sucks (and since the NCAA basically uses the kids as slaves, I don't really care either) - i understand that they have a legal right as long as it's part of a negotiated CBA - but it's negotiated age discrimination plain and simple.
The NCAA needs to perhaps redo their DRACONIAN rules regarding eligibility so that kids who don't get drafted if they declare early aren't royally screwed - if they want us to take them seriously about 'academics' then don't screw over 19/20 year old kids who make a freaking mistake.
This is a problem that will not be fixed without the participation of the NCAA, but personally I think age limits are nonsense.
technically, they don't need anything from the ncaa to make it work. they can pass their own rule saying teams aren't allowed to draft anyone under 20/21. anyone can declare, they just won't get drafted :)
I also think the NBA game would be better if every player had a minimum of 3 years in college (or europe) to learn to play before the set foot on the floor in the nba.
Yes, I'm aware of what they can or can't do - espeically after the supreme court bitch slapped Maurice Clarette - I'm just saying that it would be better if the NBA worked with the NCAA in partnership to work out a way so guys who come out early and don't get drafted aren't royally screwed - agents as well - there are too many scum sucking bottom feeders in that group but still - it is what it is.
Though I tend to think of the NCAA as one of the more evil and poorly run corporations in the world - but their slave labor is ok
How is going to school free of charge part of being a slave? These kids get to play a GAME and also get four years of school paid for. If the trade off is that I don't get to be at all the parties, have to study while on a road trip, or possibly even make an eventual living by continuing to play this GAME, then I'm all in.
They might not be getting a pay check, but trust me, even at my small school, the players get plenty of money to buy basically whatever their hearts desire. The problem is that most of them blow it on stupid stuff and then complain until they get their next monthly stipend.
As a matter of fact, these kids are getting paid more than about 90% of interns, who are actually working. My intern now gets a monthly stipend of $300. One of the girls on the basketball team said she gets just under $500...with no responsibility towards room or board...the only bills they have are the ones they create for themselves (credit card, cell phone, etc).
How many of those kids are responsible for MILLIONS of dollars of income into the schools.
The argument began because you felt kids should be forced to go to school by the CBA - my counter argument is that it's bull - no one forces tennis players or golfers who are ready to go to school - the NBA and NCAA should get together and work something out so kids who don't get drafted don't get screwed out of a college opportunity.
ANyone who doesn't think the NCAA doesn't take advantage of these kids is fooling themselves and probably would agree to buy ocean front properly in nevada.
Talk to the kid who blew out his knee so he lost his scholarship, couldn't afford to go to college on his own so he's pumping gas the rest of his life.
Please don't tell me the scholarships are the 'beneficence' of the colleges - they are bribes and inducements to get the kids to come to their school AS LONG AS THEY ARE USEFUL...
But whatever - believe the NCAA and NBA when they say they think they are doing their best.
It's asinine to tell a qualified 18 year old that they can't do the job of their choice when terrible basketball players collect million dollar paychecks.
You're saying the players are not the beneficiaries, but they're getting a free education. Whether they piss that opportunity away or not is up to them.
My contention is that the league should, irrespective of what the NCAA does, have a minimum age limit because these kids are not ready to play. With a few very rare exceptions, they come into the league and either languish on the bench, or they're thrown into a situation where they can't compete and they're overpaid to do it. I don't care if they go to europe or stay in college, I'm saying the NBA would produce a better product if they had an age limit, and you'd also have players getting to free agency for the first time when they were 26 instead of 23, so teams would have a better idea of what they are paying for, rather than giving $50M+ contracts based on potential.
I'm a little bit sick of the "poor me" college athlete line of reason. If a guy blows out his knee and loses his scholarship then he's in the same boat I was when I went to college. What a shame, now he has to get student loans and financial aid to get an education. Too fucking bad.
And not everyone is on scholarship on any sports team...people tend to ignore the college sports that aren't basketball or football but they are all regulated in the same way by the NCAA.
This losing streak has me in a terrible mood. I keep wondering what we'll do in the offseason to pick up a starting two-guard. Miracle scenario involves us making trades that don't involve Miller, Iggy, Brand, Thad, or Marreese. Can this be done? I mean, can we actually pick up a quality 2 guard by moving some combination of Lou, Sammy, Reggie, Willie, and Jason (and perhaps a draft pick)? Sigh...
Anyway, for the rest of this season, or at least the immediate future, I love your idea of moving Marreese into the starting lineup (and moving Willie out). Yeah, I prefer Iggy at the SF position, but not with this stinking roster. He needs to move to 2 guard so we can get Marreese extended minutes. Heck, if Iggy knocks down jumpers from that position (something you just noted he hasn't been doing lately), this lineup can be VERY effective.
In closing, I couldn't be more upset with Lou as a basketball player. He has a horribly inflated sense of self worth... or at least it appears that way. He's a total gunner, regardless of whether or not they're falling, with no defensive work ethic and a record of making bad on-court decisions. In sum, he's a complete train wreck. Please, Tony (and Ed)... let's see increased bench time for this guy and extended minutes for Marreese and Royal!!!
Right now, I'm thinking the best option is to sign Miller at a discount, if possible, and then use a portion of the MLE for Anthony Parker to play the 2. Not ideal, not a world-beating move, but he would help this team dramatically in it's biggest area of need. My two cents.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/sports/basketball/23falk.html?ref=sports
I agree 100% that they should raise the age of entry to 20 or 21. It might actually make college basketball watchable again, plus that would save a number of teams from giving stupid contracts to guys with raw potential and nothing more. Good read.
I'm not sure where I stand on age limits - but if a guy thinks the NBA is his career why make him go to college - the NBA shouldn't be concerned whether or not college basketball sucks (and since the NCAA basically uses the kids as slaves, I don't really care either) - i understand that they have a legal right as long as it's part of a negotiated CBA - but it's negotiated age discrimination plain and simple.
The NCAA needs to perhaps redo their DRACONIAN rules regarding eligibility so that kids who don't get drafted if they declare early aren't royally screwed - if they want us to take them seriously about 'academics' then don't screw over 19/20 year old kids who make a freaking mistake.
This is a problem that will not be fixed without the participation of the NCAA, but personally I think age limits are nonsense.
technically, they don't need anything from the ncaa to make it work. they can pass their own rule saying teams aren't allowed to draft anyone under 20/21. anyone can declare, they just won't get drafted :)
I also think the NBA game would be better if every player had a minimum of 3 years in college (or europe) to learn to play before the set foot on the floor in the nba.
Yes, I'm aware of what they can or can't do - espeically after the supreme court bitch slapped Maurice Clarette - I'm just saying that it would be better if the NBA worked with the NCAA in partnership to work out a way so guys who come out early and don't get drafted aren't royally screwed - agents as well - there are too many scum sucking bottom feeders in that group but still - it is what it is.
Though I tend to think of the NCAA as one of the more evil and poorly run corporations in the world - but their slave labor is ok
How is going to school free of charge part of being a slave? These kids get to play a GAME and also get four years of school paid for. If the trade off is that I don't get to be at all the parties, have to study while on a road trip, or possibly even make an eventual living by continuing to play this GAME, then I'm all in.
They might not be getting a pay check, but trust me, even at my small school, the players get plenty of money to buy basically whatever their hearts desire. The problem is that most of them blow it on stupid stuff and then complain until they get their next monthly stipend.
As a matter of fact, these kids are getting paid more than about 90% of interns, who are actually working. My intern now gets a monthly stipend of $300. One of the girls on the basketball team said she gets just under $500...with no responsibility towards room or board...the only bills they have are the ones they create for themselves (credit card, cell phone, etc).
As long as you keep your eyes closed, you are safe...
Well, as long as we all know that these kids aren't being forced by anyone to play, then the whole argument of slave labor is moot.
How many college kids, on scholarship or no aren't allowed to get jobs?
How many college kids, on scholarship or no, don't have to pay for tuition, room, board or tutors?
How many of those kids are responsible for MILLIONS of dollars of income into the schools.
The argument began because you felt kids should be forced to go to school by the CBA - my counter argument is that it's bull - no one forces tennis players or golfers who are ready to go to school - the NBA and NCAA should get together and work something out so kids who don't get drafted don't get screwed out of a college opportunity.
ANyone who doesn't think the NCAA doesn't take advantage of these kids is fooling themselves and probably would agree to buy ocean front properly in nevada.
Talk to the kid who blew out his knee so he lost his scholarship, couldn't afford to go to college on his own so he's pumping gas the rest of his life.
Please don't tell me the scholarships are the 'beneficence' of the colleges - they are bribes and inducements to get the kids to come to their school AS LONG AS THEY ARE USEFUL...
But whatever - believe the NCAA and NBA when they say they think they are doing their best.
It's asinine to tell a qualified 18 year old that they can't do the job of their choice when terrible basketball players collect million dollar paychecks.
You're saying the players are not the beneficiaries, but they're getting a free education. Whether they piss that opportunity away or not is up to them.
My contention is that the league should, irrespective of what the NCAA does, have a minimum age limit because these kids are not ready to play. With a few very rare exceptions, they come into the league and either languish on the bench, or they're thrown into a situation where they can't compete and they're overpaid to do it. I don't care if they go to europe or stay in college, I'm saying the NBA would produce a better product if they had an age limit, and you'd also have players getting to free agency for the first time when they were 26 instead of 23, so teams would have a better idea of what they are paying for, rather than giving $50M+ contracts based on potential.
I'm a little bit sick of the "poor me" college athlete line of reason. If a guy blows out his knee and loses his scholarship then he's in the same boat I was when I went to college. What a shame, now he has to get student loans and financial aid to get an education. Too fucking bad.
And not everyone is on scholarship on any sports team...people tend to ignore the college sports that aren't basketball or football but they are all regulated in the same way by the NCAA.