Heard in the Cheap Seats

There is a rumor making the rounds today that the Philadelphia 76ers might be willing to consider a deal that would send Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green and a future pick to the Houston Rockets for Tracy McGrady.  

At this point, this is little more than a faint whisper in the rumor mill but it bears watching.  It is easy to see why the Sixers would want to make this deal.  Despite the fact that McGrady may miss half the season with microfracture surgery this deal would provide two huge benefits.  

First, McGrady brings with him a HUGE expiring contract that would greatly improve the Sixers cap position and put them in position to make a move in the much-heralded free agent class of 2010.  Second, and probably more importantly, this deal rids the Sixers of two of their favorite whipping boys—Samuel Dalembert and Willie Green.

It is less clear why the Rockets would consider this deal.  With Yao Ming out for an unspecified amount of time, they certainly need some help at the center position.  But do they really believe Dalembert is that help?  In addition, for an expiring contract the size of McGrady’s, I would imagine they would seek more than marginal players in return.

The speculation sounds like a baseless rumor to me but we will keep an eye on any developments. 

UPDATE: It’’s official: http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/evanspr_060909.html 

The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly landed three-point sharpshooter Jason Kapono from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Reggie Evans.  Andre Iguodala hinted at the deal on Twitter less than an hour ago and the Globe and Mail out of Toronto is now reporting it as well. 

As Brian over at Depressed Fan notes, the deal works from a financial standpoint and certainly fills the gaping hole the Sixers have for a long-range sniper.  Jason Kapono is a Kyle Korver type player but with a more consistent shot.  He has made a living knocking down shots from the perimeter and would be a very solid addition to the Sixers roster.

If this rumor turns out to hold water, Ed Stefanski is done an excellent job at addressing the biggest weakness on this roster.  Having Kapono on the floor will do more than add a three-point threat to the team.  It will open up the floor and provide room for Elton Brand on the block and for slashers like Thaddeus Young and Iguodala to get to the rim.

Good move for the Sixers.  I will let you know as soon as I see an official announcement.

The fine folks in the PR department over at the Philadelphia 76ers were kind enough to arrange a call for some of the Philadelphia sports bloggers to speak with new Sixers head coach Eddie Jordan.  So first off, thanks to both the Sixers and Coach Jordan for taking the time to chat with us today—much appreciated. 

Able to jump on the line for the call was Brian from Depressed Fan, Derek from RealGM and Philly Arena, Dannie from ReclinerGM, Ricky from Sixers 4 Guidos, Jeff from Philadunkia and my brother and I. 

As you can imagine, the line of questioning ran the gamut from the Princeton offense, to defensive philosophy, to what to do with Samuel Dalembert.  I will do my best to summarize here Coach Jordan’s answers in all departments and my take on those answers. 

On what to do with Samuel Dalembert:

It is clear to most observers that Samuel Dalembert is a colossal mismatch for the Princeton offense due to his limited offensive skill set in a scheme that demands versatility.  Though, it could be easily argued that Dalembert is ill suited for most any NBA offense other than one intent on throwing lob passes his way all game long.

Of course, Coach Jordan took a diplomatic approach when asked how Dalembert fits into the Princeton offense.  Jordan highlighted that Dalembert is an elite shotblocker that rebounds the ball well and can run the floor.  No arguments from me on that point.  But what was probably most telling was Coach Jordan’s take on Dalembert’s commitment to his teammates and his work ethic.  Jordan said: “He has to buy into being an unselfish player who cares about his teammates. That’’s always been the knock on him. If he can play unselfish basketball, and stop all the up and down stuff, the offense can either run through him, or around him, but he has to buy in.”

In my opinion, that is about as close to a public tongue lashing as you will see a coach give one of his players.  And personally, I like the approach.  Jordan is sending a clear message to Dalembert and any other player paying attention—the Sixers will play a team brand of basketball and if you can’t buy into the philosophy you will find yourself sitting at the end of the bench.

On the defensive philosophy:

Eddie Jordan is widely considered to be an offensive-minded coach.  Because of that, I was keen to hear what his philosophy was on the defensive end of the floor.  Essentially, Coach Jordan emphasized that a championship-quality team starts at the defensive end of the floor and must have a frontcourt capable of defending the basket.  When pressed on the weak perimeter defense of last year, Jordan stressed that the Sixers need to do a better job of containing the dribble penetration and rotate to the basketball better.

There is no doubt that the Sixers have the athletes needed to be a quality defensive team.  The question is: can coach Jordan motivate them to up their level of play?

On offensive philosophy:

There were no huge surprises on the offensive philosophy.  Coach Jordan said he firmly believes that any good coach adapts his system to the skill set of his players.  For this team, he acknowledged that meant a handful of players that essentially have the same skill set and lack a true outside threat.  Because of that, Coach Jordan said that each one of the players will be asked to be a chameleon and occupy different spots on the floor.  Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams will both be used as combo guards and Elton Brand will be moved around the floor in a variety of ways.

Most interestingly, Coach Jordan indicated that the Princeton offense thrives off of combo guards.  Does that mean a pure point guard like Andre Miller has no use for this team?  I think so.  Even more telling on this front is Jordan’s candid acknowledgement that players that can knock down the three are a huge priority.  It seems likely that Sixers will be shopping for a long-range threat at the expense of bringing back Andre Miller.   

My overall first impression of Coach Jordan was positive.  He did not shy away from questions and answered them candidly and in a matter of fact manner.  It is clear that he has a system in place and a plan in mind for this roster.  He is painfully aware of this roster has holes and admits it is a work in progress.

Will his plan work?  That remains to be seen.

Game 6 between the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers had all the makings of a trap game. Dwight Howard, the Orland Magic’s best player was suspended due to his flying elbow and Courtney Lee was sidelined with a fractured sinus—also a result of a wayward elbow from Howard. The game was on the home floor of the Sixers where the team was 24-17 during the regular season. All signs pointed to a probable Sixers victory, but as my brother pointed out yesterday, signs can be deceiving.

A team official should check the tarmac in Orlando for signs of the Philadelphia 76ers, because they sure as hell didn’t show up in Philadelphia. The 114-89 beat down they received at the hands of the Magic should be evidence of that. It was as if the Sixers failed to comprehend the task at hand—win or go home. They were facing a Magic team devoid of the best shot-blocker in the league yet seemed content to settle for jump shots. A team that shoots the ball as inconsistently as the Sixers should never rely on the perimeter game to win and especially not against a team lacking a real inside presence.

On the defensive end of the floor, the problems were worse. With Dwight Howard in the lineup, the philosophy was to deal with him one-on-one and not abandon the Magic’s plethora of outside shooters. But without him in the lineup, the Sixers find out wise to ignore the three-point line all together. J.J. Redick had a field day from beyond the arc and most of those opportunities came with nary a hand in his face. I realize that Redick is not the star he was in his Duke days, but surely the Sixers have seen some tape of him knocking down threes.

From the perspective of the Sixers, the one positive of Dwight Howard’s presence in the lineup was that it forced discipline. As mentioned above, the Sixers had it drilled into their heads that he was not to be double teamed. Without him in the lineup, the Sixer threw discipline to the wind. There was no constant reminder to stay at home. There was no low-post anchor that touches the ball 35 times a game to demand the defense remain rooted on their man. The Sixers displayed an entire lack of discipline on a night that demanded execution.

Outside of Andre Miller, every Philadelphia 76er needs to take a hard look in the mirror today and question why they failed to show up last night. Why was the prospect of a Game 7 in Orlando not enough incentive to turn in your best effort? These are professional athletes, but they are also humans. They fell victim to the mind games my brother warned of yesterday.

That does not make it any less disheartening or inexcusable.

With 12 games to play in the regular season the Philadelphia 76ers dropped two winnable games against the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Bobcats.  At the time, the losses were detrimental because they dropped the Sixers out of the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference. 

But after those two setbacks, Philadelphia rattled off three consecutive victories and appeared destined to fight its way back into the fifth spot.  The two poor losses were a distant memory—nothing more than a small misstep on the path to the playoffs.  As it turns out, those three wins were the aberration and not the two losses.  The Sixers were on the verge of a free fall that very few people saw coming (well except for me). 

It would be easy to point to the injury of Thaddeus Young as the catalyst for this free fall.  His injury did coincide with the sudden slide to playoff doom.  But the injury to Young is more of a convenient scapegoat for Philadelphia fans than a viable explanation.

The lack of effort on the defensive end cannot be explained by Young’s injury.  The complete and utter lack of rhythm on offense surely cannot be pinned all on the absence of Young.  The spike in dumb turnovers would not suddenly vanish had Young been in the lineup. 

The Sixers were playing bad basketball before Young was injured and his departure made it worse. 

But should we really be surprised by this rapid descent?  Why is it that a team can look so good against the Lakers and so bad against the Nets?  There are two reasons: the first has to do with effort and the second with the personnel of this team. 

Because this is a young team, they have peaks and valleys in their effort level.  This is not to say they are mailing it in when they lose—but like all young players, have difficulty sustaining max effort for an entire season.  The best teams are able to maintain an energy level throughout the grueling NBA season.  The Sixers found that energy level against the Lakers but left in the locker room against the Nets.

Consistent effort is paramount in the NBA, but it is not the biggest problem plaguing the Sixers right now.  Want to know what is?  They simply are not that good.  The reason this team is so streaky is because its best players are not consistently good at the fundamentals of basketball.  On any given night, Andre Iguodala can put up 35 points, 10 boards, and 6 assists.  But he can also easily throw in an 8 point effort that is highlighted by 10 turnovers.  When athletic ability is your only gift—you will hit cold streaks.  And therein lays the problem. 

The Philadelphia Sixers are comprised of a bunch of players that are excellent athletes and only average basketball players.  On some nights, their athletic ability allows them to masquerade as great basketball players.  But in a long NBA season, the truth almost always reveals itself and it has been rearing its ugly head as the Sixers stumble into the playoffs.

The Philadelphia 76ers continue their stretch run into the Eastern Conference playoffs tonight with a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.  More importantly, tonight marks the first game the Sixers will play without the services of Thaddeus Young.  

The loss of Young could not have come at a worse point in the season.  The Sixers are currently locked in a dogfight with the Miami Heat for the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference and every game is crucial.  Making matters worse is the fact that Young seemed to be just finding his grove on the offensive end of the floor—having scored at least 20 points in 6 straight games.  He was rounding into form as a second reliable offensive threat for the Sixers and possibly the most consistent offensive force.  Young’s services will be sorely missed.  Thad created matchup problems for opposing teams with his ability to run the floor, operate in space and knock down the open look from outside.  From an offensive standpoint, the Sixers will be hard pressed to replace his production.

But at this juncture of the season, there is no sympathy for depleted teams.  Every team has dealt with their fair share of bumps and bruises.  The Sixers need to move past their fallen teammate and ensure that winnable games like tonight’s contest are not squandered.  For this to happen, someone is going to have to step up and replace Young’s production.  Who will it be?

Of course, no one player is going to fully replace Thad on the offensive end of the floor.  Rather, the production will have to be spread amongst the entire team.  However, it will be interesting to see what starting lineup DiLeo puts on the floor.  If the second half of the Hawks games is any indication, we may see Reggie Evans start out the game at the power forward spot.  I think that is a mistake.  As has been written on this blog many times before, Evans brings a spastic level of energy to the game.  He commits poor fouls, is often out of position on the glass and is basically a waste of a player on the offensive end.  He is a player that needs to be used based on the situation—not as a starter.

The obvious answer here is Maresse Speights.  Speights is able to provide some semblance of consistency on the offensive end of the floor and has the ability to alter shots when he is in the right spot.  Granted, he has his deficiencies on the defensive end of the floor and as a rebounder.  But remember, Young was not exactly a lock down low post defender and he too was suspect on the glass.  In short: the offensive production of Young needs to be replicated more than what he brings on defense.  Speights is the only viable option in that regard.  Any other option makes the Sixers too vulnerable and one-dimensional on offense.  

The problem with this scenario is it eliminates one of the Sixers offensive sparkplugs off the bench and diminishes their defensive prowess.  To combat this, we will see a healthy dose of Donyell Marshall and Theo Ratliff respectively.  Marshall can provide the needed spark offensively off the bench and Ratliff brings a measure of defensive stability. 

The loss of Young at an integral point in the season was devastating to the Sixers’ playoff positioning and chances of advancing past the first round.  That is the level-headed, pragmatic view.  But they still have to show up and compete.  We need to continue to gauge the mental makeup of this team and this test will be a solid way to judge them in that capacity.  Will they all step up on the defensive end of the floor and hold each other accountable?  Will the make solid decisions with the ball and not settle for jumpers?  Will they refuse to be outrebounded and outhustled? 

The answers to these questions will tell us a lot about this team.  Those answers will begin to be formulated tonight against the Bucks.    

41-23.  That’s the stat that tells you all you need to know about last night’s Sixers versus Bobcats game.  41-23.  That is the startling rebound edge held by the Charlotte Bobcats over the Philadelphia 76ers last night at the Wachovia Center in a 100-95 victory over the Sixers. 

As a team, there will always be nights when your shot is not falling but there should never be nights when you stop working.  The Sixers stopped working last night.  In most circumstances, rebounding gives you a pretty clear indication of effort.  The 18-rebound margin held by the Bobcats tells you that they were simply playing with a greater sense of desperation than the Sixers.

I said before the game I felt this was a dangerous matchup.  Now you can see why.  Larry Brown surely had his team focused on sneaking into the final playoff spot and coming off of two tough losses, they possessed an extra source of motivation.  But it’s not like the Sixers should have had to search for their motivation.  They are locked in a dogfight with the Miami Heat for the fifth spot in the Eastern conference and the right to avoid a first round mathcup with the Celtics, Cavs or Magic.  Last night, they couldn’t seem to muster the desire to bury the Bobcats.  And once they did find it, it was too little, too late.

As in many nights prior to this one, the team lost its ability to knock down shots in the first half.  But that is no excuse for the stinker they continued to put out on the floor.  They did not defend, they did not rebound—they simply did not hustle.  It’s a shame too, because lost in all of this is Thaddeus Young’s continued solid play.  Young was again quietly efficient going 10/14 from the floor for 21 points and filling up the rest of the stat sheet.  It seemed like Young was the only player on the floor most of the time that realized what was at stake.

It’s a sad commentary on your basketball team when a second-year player that is 20-years old seems to be the only one not dogging it. 

If the Eastern Conference playoffs started today, the Sixers would be sitting pretty in the fifth spot.  But the team is locked in a battle with the Miami Heat and has to continue winning games against teams it should beat.  That means there is no time for a letdown tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats.  With the Pistons on a sharp slide and the Bobcats remarkably only 3 games out of a playoff spot, you can bet that Larry Brown will have his team ready to go tonight.

This is a dangerous game for the Sixers and one that will provide an indication of where this team’s maturity level stands.  They showed their evolution by shaking off the rust and jet lag of a five game road trip by beating the Timberwolves.  Tonight they will need to continue that evolution by dispatching of the Bobcats.  The Sixers and Bobcats have been going in opposite directions.  The Sixers come into tonight’s game winners of 7 of their last 9 while the Bobcats are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Wizards and a drubbing at the hands of the Pacers.

These Bobcats are not as bad as their record indicates.  They have a lot of high-energy players in the likes of Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton that give them the ability to get out and run with the Sixers.  However, the Bobcats are prone to prolonged shooting droughts and turning the ball over—providing the Sixers with ample opportunity to get out in run.  In addition, the Bobcats are a terrible free throw shooting team so the Sixers should not allow any easy buckets around the hoop and make them earn those points at the line.

The best indication of how this game will play out will be the defensive intensity of the Sixers from the opening tap.  As we have chronicled before, this team has a nasty habit of letting defense fall by the wayside against teams that do not slow the game down.  We saw it against the Suns and we saw it against the Warriors.  The Bobcats will look to get out on the break and the Sixers need to ensure they don’t have any lapses in defensive intensity and commitment.

The last few games have showed us that the Sixers are on the verge of turning the corner from a young, immature team, to one that understands what it takes to win in this league on a nightly basis.  If the Sixers continue to play the brand of basketball that has propelled them to this string of success, that transformation will continue.

The Sixers capped off what turned out to be a successful road trip with a 114-108 overtime victory over the Portland Trailblazers.  As I am a bit late to the game here, I won”t rehash the details of the game.  For a breakdown of how and why the Sixers won, head on over to Depressed Fan where Brian does a good job with the analysis.

Suffice it to say you should not underestimate the magnitude of this win.  The Trailblazers have been nearly unbeatable at home and had the Sixers on the ropes in the waning minutes of the game.  But this Sixers team fought back and was able to secure a much-needed victory to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

When this five-game West Cost road swing began, it was widely believed that a 3-2 road trip would be considered a huge success.  It wasn”t supposed to happen this way though.  If anyone tells you they believed two of those three wins would come against the Lakers and Blazers don”t be surprised if their nose begins to grow because they are almost certainly lying. 

In order to get to three wins, the general school of thought was the Sixers needed victories over the Warriors and Kings with the third win coming against either the Suns or Blazers.  Instead, the Sixers went the unconventional route and beat the two best teams it played in the Lakers and Blazers.  Whatever the path it took, it is tough to argue with the results.

So what do you make of this successful road swing?  Is it a harbinger of things to come?  This team walked into the buildings of two teams that rarely lose on their home floor and pulled out very hard-fought wins.  That is not an accomplishment that should be taken lightly.  Surely that says something about the mettle of this team. 

On the same token, the Sixers turned in two clunkers against the Suns and Warriors.  In each of those games, the team failed to play any semblance of defense and lacked the effort needed to win any NBA game—let alone a game on the road.

If the Sixers have shown us anything this season, it is that they are a classic case of Jekyll and Hyde.  On any given night, they can turn in a performance like last night where they play solid team defense, are clicking offensively and limit their mental mistakes.  When they do all of that, they are a tough team to beat.  On other nights, they play like the young but gifted team that they are.  I”m not ready to get too high on this team just yet despite the two big wins and successful road trip.  Good teams are not prone to spells where lack of effort costs them victories.  The Sixers have not shown me consistently enough that they can turn in the same energy level night in and night out.

That being said, this West Coast swing was a sign of progress.  Early in the season, the Sixers were routinely losing games that came down to the wire on buzzer beaters and poor defense down the stretch.  On this trip, the exact opposite was true against the Blazers and Lakers.  In order to cement their place as the #5 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers need use this road trip as the catalyst for a solid stretch run. 

What do you think?  Will this West Coast trip propel the Sixers to a strong finish?

By all accounts, this is a game the Sixers should win.  The Sacramento Kings have been awful all season long—amassing only 15 wins to go along with 54 losses.  As bad as that stat sounds, the Kings have managed to win only one contest against the Eastern Conference all season long, finally getting off the snide on Friday night against the Knicks.

By any statistical measure, the Sixers have a decided advantage against the Kings.  Sacramento allows opponents to pour in 108 points per game, is routinely out rebounded and gives teams an abundance of extra possesions by turning the ball over 16 times per game.

But if history has taught us anything this year, it’’s that the Sixers rarely capitalize on games where they have a huge edge.  This is a team that has lost to the Timberwolves, Bobcats, Nets (x2), Thunder and Warriors.  It is also a team that has beat the Lakers, Spurs, Rockets and Trailblazers. 

So which team will show up tonight?  The one that scratched and clawed their way to victory against the Lakers or the one that let the Warriors walk all over them? 

Their Sixers are a young team and clearly are prone to periods of poor play followed by spurts of solid play.  Part of this is the nature of their greatest offensive deficiency—a lack of outside shooting.  A team like the Sixers that is full of streaky shooters is naturally going to see its offensive production follow suit.  Some nights they will knock down open looks from outside, some nights they won”t.  I can live with that.  What I can”t live with is their lack of commitment on the defensive end of the floor.  Regardless of whether or not your shot is falling, you can always commit to playing solid defense.  This team refuses to do that on a regular basis. 

What makes it even more puzzling and frustrating is they absolutely have the personnel to be a solid defensive team.  In Samuel Dalembert, the Sixers have an elite shot blocker and above average rebounder.  With Iguodala and Young, they have two young, athletic players that should be able to play consistently tough on-the-ball defense.  Across the board, the Sixers are an athletic team that should be able to commit to solid team defense.  Yet they continue to make mental mistakes that cost their team points.  Instead of playing disciplined defense, they gamble for steals and abandon the perimeter in favor of clogging the lane.  And while help defense is important, the Sixers sometimes over commit with a complete and utter lack of awareness for who they abandoned.  When you are guarding Ray Allen, you don”t leave him to help out on Rajon Rondo—especially when you have a guy like Dalembert to defend the rim.  The Sixers to a man fail to grasp that concept.

And on that note, the keys to the game:

# 1: Defend the Perimeter: While the Kings are not an elite team when it comes to shooting the three, they do have a few players that can knock it down from outside in Kevin Martin, John Salmons and Andres Nocioni.  The Sixers need to force the Kings into difficult shots from the perimeter. 

#2: Own the Glass: It is no secret that the Sixers struggle when it comes to shooting the ball.  As such, there is sure to be ample opportunity for them to hit the offensive glass.  Fortunately, the Kinds are a terrible rebounding team.  The Sixers must crash the offensive glass and capitalize on the additional possessions.

# 3: Iggy Need to Snap Out of It: Despite the game-winning shot against the Lakers, Andre Iguodala has been struggling mightily from the field in the last three games.  When Iggy gets a few easy buckets in transition early in the game his jump shot seems to follow.  It will be important for the Sixers to get out and run early and get the ball to Iggy in spots where he can score.  This should be an opportunity for him to have a big game.

Despite the fact Kings are an awful team and the Sixers have an edge in nearly every statistical category, I don”t think this game will be a cakewalk.  Because the Sixers come into this game losers of two straight, one would hope they don”t take this team for granted.  With every game critical in the race for the 5^th spot in the Eastern Conference, this is one the Sixers must win.