http://www.depressedfan.com/ All Sixers, all the time. en Copyright 2009 Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:33:27 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=4.23-en http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss
Yes, their winning streak was snapped at seven games today when Dirk Nowitzki sank the dagger jumper at the buzzer pictured above, but that's not really the streak I care about. This winning streak began after the Sixers battled the Spurs and lost on a last-second prayer by Tony Parker, and now it's been brought to a halt by the same from Dirk Nowitzki. Both shots sting, but neither takes away from the quality basketball the Sixers are playing.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/the-streak-ends-or-does-it.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/the-streak-ends-or-does-it.php Sixers Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:33:27 -0500
Elton or not to Elton, that is the question. Not for the long term, obviously, I'm just talking about today. Personally, I could go either way. If you play him, he then has a full four days to recover. Then again, if you hold him back, he's got another four days of rehab and recovery before he gets back out there. I think I'd lean toward the latter.

Much more on EB, "the streak," and today's match-up with Dallas after the jump.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/more-than-just-a-streak.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/more-than-just-a-streak.php Sixers Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:52:30 -0500
I missed this bit of news earlier in the season, mainly because he wasn't playing and had completely fallen off my radar, but here you go. The T-Wolves declined their team option on Rodney Carney back in October. Meaning, he's an unrestricted free agent after the season.

I felt a little bit bad when Carney was moved to make space for EB, but not that bad. He showed definite signs late in the season last year, and he's been putting on a show for the resurgent T-Wolves of late. Here's my early-Monday-morning question for you guys: Would you part with your bi-annual, or even some of your MLE to bring Carney back to this team as a free agent this Summer?

His three-point percentage is up to 38.6% this season, plus he delivered this sick facial to Dwyane Wade last season.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/give-rodney-another-chance.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/give-rodney-another-chance.php Sixers Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:38:23 -0500
It was a trap game. They got trapped. It didn't matter, they still won by 10 points, on the road. That says something about this team, possibly even more than a home win over the Spurs by 20+ points.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/lucky-number-seven.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/lucky-number-seven.php Sixers Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:55:52 -0500
Tonight's game against the New York Knicks is about one thing, and one thing only. Getting back to .500. Truthfully, this team should've never fallen below, certainly not 7 games below (their low-water mark, set with the Spurs loss). Tonight, they can even the ledger after 40 games they'll be back on level ground. Win this one and then you can worry about battling for playoff position, possibly even home-court advantage.

After the jump we'll take a look at the stats, and also the comparisons some have drawn between the Knicks' sophomore wing and our very own Thad Young.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/500-bottles-of-beer-on-the-wal.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/500-bottles-of-beer-on-the-wal.php Sixers Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:28:59 -0500
That calm, proud feeling you've been overcome with for the past hour or so doesn't happen often, so enjoy it. A feeling like this only comes from a perfect game from your beloved team, against a powerhouse, that results in a blowout.

The Spurs came into town riding a high after beating the Lakers the other night. They came in on the first game of their rodeo road trip. They came in knowing the Sixers should've beaten them on their own home court. They came in with full knowledge of what this Sixers team is capable of. The went out with their tail between their legs. This wasn't a case of the Sixers sneaking up on the big bad Spurs, this was a case the two teams standing toe-to-toe, and the Sixers repeatedly punching the Spurs in the face. They countered every move Popovich made until he finally threw in the towel with about 7 minutes to go in the fourth.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/soak-it-in-soak-it-in.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/soak-it-in-soak-it-in.php Sixers Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:00:39 -0500
Some people are calling the two-point loss in San Antonio the beginning of the Sixers' turnaround. It would be a shame to see it brought to a screeching halt when the Spurs come to the Wach tonight.

It's time to temper expectations a little bit. After the jump we'll take a look at the stats and talk a little bit about what went right and what went wrong in that game 13 days ago.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/we-meet-again.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/we-meet-again.php Sixers Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:49:41 -0500
It's human nature to focus on the short term when things are going well. I'm probably more guilty of this sin than most. With that in mind, after the jump we'll take a look at Chad Ford's latest column from ESPN.com, and the possibility of a long-term solution at the point.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/points-a-plenty.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/points-a-plenty.php Sixers Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:32:36 -0500
There's a deadline looming. Strike that. Instead, I'm going to look at this as a beginning. A fresh start to do this the right way. Of course, I'm talking about Elton Brand's return to the Sixers' lineup, which will probably happen either Friday or Saturday night. After the jump I'll give my plan for working him back into the rotation and back into the flow of the team.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/my-integration-plan.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/my-integration-plan.php Sixers Thu, 15 Jan 2009 11:22:16 -0500
Go ahead, say it out loud. The Sixers are back. We've all been waiting, holding our breath that the turnaround wasn't fool's gold. We tried to pick apart their wins with excuses like "They haven't played anyone good," "They were missing x player." Well, these past two wins have me convinced, the Sixers we saw in the second half of last season are back. In fact, the team we're watching right now is probably better than they were heading into the playoffs last season.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/all-aboard.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/all-aboard.php Sixers Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:56:04 -0500
Fresh off our debate in the comments, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge will march into the Wach tonight to face the Sixers. After finally putting a playoff team to sleep on the road, the Sixers will have to turn around an put down an up-and-coming team from the West on their own floor to keep the doubters at bay. A closer look after the jump.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/another-day-another-test.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/another-day-another-test.php Sixers Wed, 14 Jan 2009 15:51:36 -0500
Since last season, there's been one shooting guard who I thought would be an excellent fit for the Sixers. Mike Miller is the knock-down shooter the team has desperately needed. He has great size for the position, doesn't need to dominate the ball to get his numbers and crashes the boards. The problem, to this point, has been the competition the Sixers would face from other teams if Miller became available via trade. After looking at his recent numbers, I'm wondering if that's still the case.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/a-market-correction.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/a-market-correction.php Sixers Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:19:43 -0500
Marreese Speights has the physical tools to be a star in this league. Offensive skills like his are rarely seen in rookies. Under Mo Cheeks' guidance through the first 23 games Mo Cheeks had him motivated, and it looked like it was only a matter of time until he took over the starting center spot from Samuel Dalembert. Then Mo got fired and something happened to Speights' game. He wasn't hustling, he wasn't rebounding, he seemed to only care about getting his points when he got on the floor.

While extremely disconcerting, the drop-off in production isn't what we're going to talk about today. We're going to talk about how it was handled and how he responded.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/credit-is-due.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/credit-is-due.php Sixers Wed, 14 Jan 2009 09:13:59 -0500
In case you missed it, Andre Iguodala is back to being the player he was last season. It's no coincidence that the team is also on the rise, riding a four-game winning streak into their match-up with Portland tomorrow night. After the jump, we'll take a look at Iguodala's splits, see if there was a magic bullet that woke him up, and see if we can pick out a few subtleties in the numbers.
]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/iggy-splits.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/iggy-splits.php Sixers Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:26:29 -0500 It's been a slow news day, so I'll give you guys a few links to ponder this afternoon.

• Jordan takes a look at Andre Miller with and without Elton Brand. For the record, I think Miller's shooting woes were due to his typical slow start, rather than Brand.
• Dannie wonders if the Sixers have turned the corner.
• Hollinger's stat-based rating system has the Sixers at #15. Hard to argue with.
• Stein has the Sixers ranked #20, behind the Bucks who they just beat in Milwaukee, the Bobcats who they just beat and the 15-22 Raptors. Sounds logical.
• Kate Fagan says the Atlanta win finally gives us reason to hope. "Andre Iguodala. He was the best player on the floor tonight." Amen.
  
• Jasner thinks DiLeo has made a difference. Unbelievably, I agree.
• Is shooting more threes a good idea? My answer: Yes. You hope the percentage will go up, but the basic philosophy behind shooting threes when you're open is that eventually teams will have to cover us behind the line. Which will open up driving lanes and give guys room to work on the interior. It's been working so far, and the percentages have sky rocketed.

Here's a quick list of the players I've seen mentioned in trade rumors over the past several days, anyone interest you guys? (none of them have been linked to the Sixers)

• Mike Conley Jr.
• Raymond Felton
• David Lee
• Ramon Sessions
• Joe Alexander
• Nazr Mohammed
• Desagana Diop
• Earl Watson
• Jerry Stackhouse
• Brandon Bass
• Larry Hughes
• Chris Kaman
• Charlie Villaneuva
• Michael Redd

]]> http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/monday-afternoon-links.php http://www.depressedfan.com/basketball/sixers/monday-afternoon-links.php Sixers Mon, 12 Jan 2009 15:16:45 -0500