What A Shame My only deep thought about tonight's game focused on the tragic demise of a great team name. Is it ironic that a city whose football team is still named the Redskins folded to PC pressure and changed their name from the Bullets to the Wizards? Anyway, the Wiz are currently 27 games under .500 and sinking fast. After the jump we'll take a super-quick look at the stats, talk about what I want to see from EB and, of course, our in-game discussion.  One quick note, anyone who considers the Elton Brand signing the biggest mistake of the season, obviously has never heard of a guy named Gilbert Arenas. If that contract didn't have Allan Houston written all over it, I don't know what did. Back to the game. The Sixers take every category above except offensive turnover rate. I have a feeling that stat will take a hit for the Wiz tonight, though. I'm not going to spend a ton of time talking about what a win or a loss would mean. They have to win. They will win. I'm going to be watching to see if we get the same Elton Brand tonight that we've seen since he came back from his injury. In case you missed it, this Elton Brand could care less about touches on the offensive end. He's out there to play top-notch, game-changing defense, rebound the ball and get this team out on the break. I think we may see his minutes dialed back a bit from the 26 he played the other night. The Sixers have a back-to-back with the Nets coming to town tomorrow. If he plays 30 tonight, I'm not sure he'd even be available tomorrow night. I'm expecting about 20-22 minutes of intesne effort. Pretty much the same thing I'm expecting from Speights. One thing I'd like to see the Sixers turn around is their three-point shooting. Over the past two games they're shooting 3/26 from three. That's 11%, folks. The Wiz have allowed their opponents to shoot 38% from three and they've actually been outscored from deep by a larger margin than the Sixers (the differential is only 1 more three, though.). I'd like to see a demonstrative win that's settled early, solid play from EB, Speights and Lou. Give me those three things and I'll be a happy man heading into the weekend. Tip is at 7pm. I'll be right here, so if you're watching, join the discussion in the comments. Oh, and this is B.S., just in case you come across it. 43 Comments | Leave a commentLeave a commentLatest Posts• At A Loss For Words • Nets Look To Continue Slide at The Wach • EB @ C • Iggy Leads the Way • What A Shame • DiLeo Won't Commit • Chad Ford Is At It Again • Wh-Wha-What? • Baby ... Bathwater ... Elton Brand Trade • Party At Sam's House • A Statement Game In Houston • An Uneasy FeelingSearchBlogs in The NetworkSixers BlogsPassion and Pride Sixers 4 Guidos Liberty Ballers Recliner GM PhillyArena Heard In The Cheap Seats | ||||||||||||||||
Very few native americans live in DC
Quite a few people die - if i recall it was the murder capital of the US at the time.
Remember:
And did you know if you were cought and you were smokin crack
And McDonald's wouldnt even wanna take you back
You could always just run for mayor of D.C.
I always thought it was ironic that a team from the nation's capital would have such a militaristic name.
Why not the Washington Atom Bombs?
The Washington Ethnic Cleansers?
The Washington WMDs?
Washington:
Insiders
Lawyers
Lobbyists
Commuters
I lived in the Detroit area for 10 years. I'd say Detroit can challenge DC as both the murder capital and for most criminal mayors (Detroit's last one is in jail.) And there are no Lions in the Detroit area (or Tigers for that matter.)
Facts are facts - at the time - for many years running DC was the murder capital of the US and that's when the wizards changed their name - there are some people who wonder about the outcome as there was some sort of 'fan voting' involved but the results of the vote were never made public so conspiracy theories abound.
Of course - all ghettos are shameful but it's particular shameful when one is so close to the seat of governmental power in your country - if i were president i'd send my kids to the most dangerous school in DC - cause at that point - that becomes the SAFEST school in DC
Detroit is the most danerous major city and in fact the 2nd most dangerous when you take into account minor cities... like Camden.
Detroit is BAD and isn't getting better, in fact, it is getting much much worse by the day.
Forgot the link
Philly and DC are 5 and 4, so yeah... DC is basically Philly.
yea so anyway, sixers have the opportunity to work out a few kinks tonight. no game is an automatic win in the nba, but this is as close as they come. i'm not even sure teams should be credited with a W when beating these zards.
Brand should be able to get some good work against such a weak team
I was just looking through Bullets' game logs, check this out, against Portland Caron Butler shot 9/15 from the floor, 3/4 from three, 10/11 from the line grabbed 10 boards and had five assists. Awesome game, right? He also turned the ball over 9 times. How does that happen?
I feel bad for Butler, that guy rocks, plays hard every night, defends. Too bad he's stuck on that team.
How does it happen? You're a good to very good player stuk on a very bad team and the only way to really compete is for you to play amazing every night so you try to do too much and end up with a stat line like that...
Good explanation. I buy it.
Quick question for you guys. Anyone think Jamison would've been a better fit than Brand?
God no
I would have mutineed
Jamison is a fine player. I tend to like rbeounding and posting up from time to time though, so my personal preference for any team would be Brand, no offense to Jamison who I think is a very fine player and was probably deserving of all star consideration this season.(at least over Rashard)
Keep an eye on Dom McGuire... I think he is a fine player.
3 turnovers for Butler in the early going.
Nice steal by Thad there, and a nice handle taking it the distance for a layup.
Good start. Don't let up, huh?
Willie is up to the DeShawn Stevenson challenge. 14 points already.
Willie is trying hard to keep his PT. Willie only knows 1 way to try to be more productive... shoot more. Forget even thinking about rebounds or assists.
10 shots in 11 minutes... Iverson, in his prime, would be impressed.
You know, as bad as Willie has always been, he used get hot like this more often. There would be nights where he would just torch teams in the first, then he'd get full of himself and throw up like 5 bricks. I can't remember him having a really hot game like this yet this season.
Iverson in his prime got to the free throw line and passed the damn ball and got 5-6 assists per game
Get some jumpers up at half Kareem... you may see some extended PT tonight.
dude, willie is gunning tonight.
What if Willie is the first Sixer to 30?
Well this doesn't look good.
Hey look - bad rebounding so far - PLEASE GET ON THE DEFENSIVE GLASS _ SOMEONE
With Daly out, it's going to get worse. That looks like a pretty serious injury to me.
Didn't know he got hurt - no one mentioned in ths thread and i'm still at work.
Crap - there goes his trade value
Looked like he landed on someone's foot, but seemed more serious than a twisted ankle. He couldn't put any weight on it, he's in the locker room now.
I've always thought he was kind of a pussy too - so we'll see
was it the 200+ consecutive game streak that made you think he was a pussy?
It was the way he whines and pisses and moans when things don't go his way - or hearing how while the rest of the team was warming up before games sam was practicing the ever so important shot from his seat on the bench...
13 shots for Thad in the first half. That's out of character.
Left ankle sprain, x-rays negative.
Who is the starting Center if Sam misses some games? I haven't a clue.
Brand, I think. Miller, Green, Iggy, Thad, EB. That's what I'd go with.
I'm all about going to the hot hand and all that normally, but please no Willie Green in the 4th... Please.
Is Reggie seeing extended minutes at the 5 next to Thad at the 4? Pretty surprising.
Just got in from a high school game with 7 min. left in the 4th, you think you may have the wrap posted tonight, Brian?
Just saw the graphic about the 3's...who hit all those for us?
Yes, absolutely, Sam's a big baby,(as mentioned by other bloggers) 2 hundred plus consecutive games played, through knee, toe, finger and thigh injuries, many of which were never even publicized. One of the worst teams in the NBA(because of injuries) sliced through our interior defense tonight with alarming ease after Sam went down. Maybe it's a case of you don't know what you have until it's gone. Speights ( I never met a shot I didn't like) is a very good offensive player, but right now he is terrible defensively, Elton Brand can block shots and is ok on the defensive end, but he cannot alter or intimidate like Sam can. For some unexplained reason it's ok for Lou Williams, Andre Igoudala, Andre Miller, Willie Green and Thad Young to turn the ball over with walks, palming violations, errant passes etc... Sam has his faults, not perfect by any means, but this team is in deep trouble defensively if Sam is out for an extended period of time. I am just so done with the Dalembert bashing!
Many of which have never been publicized?
So how do you know?
Brian:
As a few others have pointed out, Wizards owner Abe Pollin changed the name because of the gun violence going on in DC at the time. Definitely justifiable, and more than just "political correctness" in my mind. Esp. given the popularity of the team with the shooters and shootees.
Plus the finger-rollin' wizard logo is kinda cool. Lemons > lemonade, my friend.
Love the site,
Jake
A transplanted Sixers fan in DC