Throughout the week, basketball writers from the major sites have a number of chats and run rumor columns. Every once in a while, they actually talk about the Sixers. In this column, GoSixers has aggregated the relevant stuff from the chats. You'll see stuff in here that will make you scratch your head, but keep in mind, these guys are experts.
Hoopdworld.com Chats
Anthony in Ohio:Who has the higher ceiling, Manny Harris or Evan Turner?
Luke Byrnes:
Evan Turner. And it isn't very close.
Upset Sixers Fan in Philadelphia, PA: Jrue, Evan Turner, Kapono Expiring - isn't that a better package than what the nets are paying for Deron WIlliams?
Mark Nugent: Depends on what you think of Jrue and Turner vs. Harris and Favors. I think the Jazz did pretty good considering they decided to trade the franchise.
Will in Philadelphia: As the other team getting left in the dust in the Atlantic conference, do the Sixers and Raptors make drastic changes between now & the draft or bide our time?
Stephen Brotherston: Will, Best move is no move now - wait and see what the new CBA brings.
Don't give up on the Sixers - that team has talent, and now with Doug Collins, they have a coach who is getting something out of that talent.
Getting Collins was the best move the Sixers have made in years.
Will in Philly: Sixers go all-in and send Jrue Holiday, Speights, Kapono, Songaila, and unprotected first to PHX? Phoenix rebuilds, Philly prays Nash can spin gold before NJ & NY pull away
Stephen Brotherston: Will,
I'm not giving up Jrue or Speights for a chance to look better in the first round of the playoffs.
Peter in Vancouver: With players like D-will and melo going East and possibly CP3 and Nash this summer, do you think Iguodala and Granger should think about teaming up and go west? The East is too strong for Philly and Indiana to make the playoffs.
Yannis Koutroupis:
Logically Peter what you propose makes a lot of sense. The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers days are numbered in the Western Conference. They're aging teams with an expiration date. The only team really positioned to be a force for the next several years in the conference is the Oklahoma City Thunder, so it wouldn't surprise me at all to see some superstars start coming West because as you mentioned - the East is loaded.
ESPN.com Chats
Andrew (Denver) Mike big fan!!! Lost in all of this Melodrama no one has seemed to ask the question of if the Knicks would even be a good team or a good fit for Melo? Are we supposed to believe that Amare Melo and Raymond Felton and spare parts can contend? I have a hard time believe that a trade for Melo would still leave them as the 6th best team in the east!
Michael Wilbon if the Knicks have Melo/Amare/Billups I can't see them NOT finishing 6th in the East. I know the 76ers are getting better, which should come as zero surprise to people who've followed Doug Collins' career, which I have since he was a senior in college. Doug can coach, and he has enough parts in Philly to get the 76ers to the playoffs after that difficult start, and push somebody in the first round...Having said that, I think the Knicks with Melo would hold off Philly for 6th and play Chicago, Miami or Boston in the first round, which would be a HUGE TV hit for the NBA...Miami-Knicks in the first round would set records. That series could get more viewers than a conference finals...And it could happen, more likely in a 2 vs. 7 scenario...Anyway, the Knicks wouldn't have any kind of a bench but since Mike D'Antoni doesn't really go to the pen anyway, I'm not sure that matters...The starting five, if the Knicks keep Mozgov and Fields to go with Amare, Billups and Carmelo, would be pretty darn formidable.
Hoopshype.com - Rumors
Alex Kennedy: New York may release someone to sign free agent Earl Barron. If not, the center has garnered interest from Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
Rankings
NBCSports.com - Kurt Helin
13th (previously 15th)
They are 7-3 in their last 10 before the break. This is a playoff team that will show better against one of the East's three powers than most fans expect.
Articles
Original Old School: 100 Proof (Interview with Barkley)
Brackins meeting his childhood idols in the NBA
Enjoy your Sunday morning, I'll see you back here in the late afternoon. The Sixers tip off in Cleveland at 5pm, game thread will be up some time after three.
What's the status of Kapono? Any more rumors about us buying him out? If so, is that when we sign the great Earl Barron?
BTW: Check out my NBA comic page if you have the chance. I need to have something to do at work :)
http://nbacomics.wordpress.com/
I read somewhere that both Kapono and Songaila are unlikely to be bought out (why i have no idea).
Anyway, i doubt the Sixers will sign Barron. He's probably going to New York. Not that it will change anything.
Rod Thorn Saturday: Sixers 'not looking to buy anyone out'
Crazy stat of the day:
Lou Williams has 10 blocks in 11 games in February, after averaging 14 blocks total per season over the last 3 seasons.
Overall he has had 50 blocks in his first 361 games of his career and 10 in his last 11.
Talking about small sample sizes... :)
I do think part of it is that he is trying to defend more. He won't continue block shots at this rate, but if he continues to be aggressive he will block some shots given his athleticism.
I do think his effort on the defensive end is improved. He still has a very long way to go though. Actually despite our collective hate for him, i think he has improved his game every single season since coming to the league.
If only he started playing off the ball more, something he can do very well but is rarely used that way (it's partly his, partly Collins fault).
We all want Jrue to close games with the ball in his hands but if our coach calls Lou's number the best we can ask for is him to improve at it. He seems to be a willing passer of late with Evan and Thad the players benefiting. I think Lou does keep getting better and hopefully he gets his shooting numbers up to 45% f.g. and 36% 3pt. for his career when all is said and done and his decision making gets better.
Lou has impressed me with his clear improvement in "work rate" (love that term from soccer/football) on defense.
I wish that Speights would get the memo.
See we don't need to trade for a defensive center
Column: Sixers still need to find a star:
http://ow.ly/44ezY
Jrue can't be that 20ppg scorer and big shot taker? I'd say he has much more of a chance to be that star than Evan Turner, as suggested.
I think any one of the young trio of Turner, Holiday and Young can become that go to guy. But it's not a given that any of them will. Time will tell.
Collins is wary of the 11-win Cavaliers:
http://ow.ly/44fjC
Lapinski putting some work in:
http://philaphans.com/sixers/2011/02/27/young-coming-of-age/
http://philaphans.com/sixers/2011/02/27/baddeus-young-video-evidence/
The very last video is great. He looks like he was shot out of a cannon.
Tk, Could you list the top 5 things a star does for a team, in preference of most important on down? I keep thinking end of game scoring but would like your opinion. I am trying to validate that a starless team can compete basically, and know I am in the minority.
By the way, has B.King's luck changed. If his Oden trade went through D.Williams wouldn't be there.
I sort of there with ya....except we have about three guys who could develop into stars in this league....
The biggest thing (I know I' not tk) is get the calls from the refs. Samuel Dalembert does the crap Howard does and he would foul out in a quarter.
It is something I have notice over the decades is that the league is catering to their marketing darlings snd some of the big market teams more...hopefully they consider Philadelphia a big market.
I thought it was a shame that Amare got the benefit of all the doubts in MSG to get his 41 points. If Oscar Robertson played today, he wouldn't get the calls playing for the Cincinnati Royals...
All good points, and I hope Turner gets to the, earn some calls, level.
Thanks, I didn't seee you posted this..I tried but everything I do needs an approval...what did I do?
I apologize for the briefness of this, my computer must have hiccuped (drop box and open office sometimes do weird things I've found) - I had a file that was much long but some things seem to be missing, there was nothing really that interesting this week due to the sixers not participating in the deadline
Peter Vescey admits to getting something wrong while not fully admitting he makes stuff up all the time
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/roller_kuester_nvNsMsv5FPR5hqwrY4ttQM
Does anyone else find him unreadable? Oh, btw, I called someone a drunk and they were a teetotaler, my bad.
He's awful - just awful
No one wants him as a guest or commentator for anything to do with the NBA. I have not heard him on radio or tv for about 5-6 years it seems, no ESPN, no FOxSports, No TNT, No ABC....its nice!
Indiana up 1 on Phoenix with a minute left. Total choke job on the offensive end by Phoenix in the last couple minutes.
Bad, bad game.
Ugh, come on, Suns.
Shot-clock violation? Nash is better than that.
Granger is so un-clutch.
What a cluster-eff this game has been down the stretch.
Phoenix's last 5 minutes-
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/playbyplay?gameId=310227011
Good start to OT.
7-0 run for the Suns.
BOOM! Great quick hitter on the inbounds. Frye for 3.
Granger's been awful down the stretch. Grant Hill put the shackles on him, then he gets a wide open easy look on OT- clank.
Jinxed it a little, stupid foul by Gortat up 3. Just challenge and make him make a tough one.
Nash for the win at the buzzer?
I'm giving it to Grant Hill. He's been their best player.
Nope, it was Frye instead. I'll take it.
Un fucking real. McRoberts 3 point play on a terrible, soft, foul by Channing Frye. I hate Phoenix.
They have a chance to win it with a last shot and the game tied.
CHANNING!
Wow, Phoenix tried to give that one away. Their offensive execution with a lead was Sixer-esque. Just some real low percentage basketball. Alas, they run a play for Frye at the end, and he makes a tough, contested shot.
Two articles up on Thaddeus Young....
First looking at his recent play and how it is reminiscent of the 10 of 12 twenty point games he had in March 2009 before he was injured. A series of interviews are displayed.
http://philaphans.com/sixers/?p=10854
The second has a lot of eye popping videos displaying his athletic prowess and scoring ability.
http://philaphans.com/sixers/?p=10897
This was caught by the filter because it had multiple links.
Hey, if you're the guy who runs PhilaFans.com, can you please put an end to this crap. http://philaphans.com/sixers/category/disgruntled_fan/
I'm not a big fan of having my content stolen on a daily basis.
Odd. It does eventually link back to you when you click "read more", but no one would post stuff without proper attribution (and permission if they are going to include huge blocks of text.)
BTW, this group is scary: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas_Review-Journal#Copyright_trolling
They are leaches on society, suing blog sites for what posters quote, and giving a cut to the original source.
the guy who runs philaphans would - he's a notorious douche