Deep Sixer

The 76ers played good ball for 3 quarters, but close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. When your two frontcourt rookies both outscore your starting center and PF, then you are going to have problems. No coulda, woulda, shouldas; they just got that behind waxed in the 4th quarter.

I will take nothing from Portland. That GM and organization have done a heck of a job turning things around so quickly. Brandon Roy is a STAR, and those six teams that drafted others ahead of him this past year have to be sick to their stomach, especially Minny, which drafted him and then traded him to Portland for Randy Foye. They have a lot of interchangeable pieces, athletic finishers (Outlaw, Aldridge), people who can score with their back to the basket (Aldridge) and a closer (Roy).

There will be some idiots who say Korver would have made a tremendous difference in this game. Well, he probably would have hit a couple of threes, but his defense, penchant for helping on all drives and being matched up at PF against Aldridge at the end of the game would have negated everything he would have done.

If you guys haven't noticed, Stefanski wants to build this team from the inside out. Meaning, he wants to clear up cap space and get the necessary draft picks to get one or two players who can score with their back to the basket. Philly has no one who can get them a bucket down low right now (I think Hill could, but Butt Cheeks might have to get fired before he gets any time). That just puts too much pressure on the rest of your offense to be perfect or to get out in transition to get your points.

Let's hope Miller can keep it up. The better he plays, the more Big Ed can get at the trade deadline. Miller uncharacteristically missed about 4 to 5 bunnies tonight. I do kind of feel for Miller and Iggy because they have no one to throw the ball inside to unless it is a lob to Dalembert. Sometimes when Iggy is double-teamed and Evans rolls to the basket, you can see that Iggy wants to throw him the ball but then has a Derrick Coleman moment, stops himself and says, "For who, for what?"

In other words, Evans is either going to fumble it out of bounds, throw it off the top of the backboard or get fouled and miss two foul shots. Carney still shoots too much, especially from 3 (he's only hit like 4 out of 26 the whole year).

The last point for me is still no Herbert Hill or Shavlik Randolph, especially on a night where they could have used ANYONE that could at least catch the ball inside and convert a layup. Boy, these two must be sucking to high heaven in practice for Amundson, Booth and Ollie to be active over them.

Sooner or later, I think Stefanski will demand that Cheeks play them, just so that he can evaluate what they are moving forward.

Any thoughts?

Aside from the tasteless "Butt" Cheeks, I think your remarks are on point. I suspect that Randolph is still hurting to the degree that he would be a hindrance rather than asset on the court. Ditto with Hill, although I do wonder where all this enthusiasm for him comes from? A few decent appearances in the summer and pre-season?? Probably wisest to scale back the expectations for him ... and Randolph for that matter.

Wow, one of the most ugly second halves I've seen in 30+ years of watching Sixers games. 21 pts in a row by the Blazers??? And there were many moments when Sweet Lou was absolutely clueless out there. The one positive was Carney had 9 pts. in the first few minutes of the game. Dude can jump out of the gym.

But again, Villanova would have played the Blazers much tougher in the second half.

CarpGuy, I do believe this is America so if you think Butt Cheeks is tasteless, that's cool. I just happen to think it fits his coaching sometime, especially the playing Korver at PF at the end of games. To me, that's tasteless.

According to Cheeks, both are healthy and practicing. I could see if Randolph is still recovering. I really don't expect him to play this season at all.

Some of us who have seen Hill play are high on him because he can't possibly be worse than what is in front of him. How skilled do you have to be to better, especially offensively, than Reggie Evans, Lou Amundson and Calvin Booth?

I really believe given time that Stefanski is going to turn this ship around. He'll have to strip it down a little bit more before he can build it back up, but I do believe he has a plan in place.

Loved your game story and blog. I am in Israel and have been for 10 days. Love it here. More fun than the Inky. Justlearned about Cohen. Did he get the job because he is Jewish? The Man passed over again.

I think what we are witnessing early in this season is what we will see until we become more balanced through trades, free agents & draft. That will probably take more time than we would all like BUT remember this team has been a bad team for a very long time. I love Lou but he is a "work in progress" and Carney may be able to jump out of the gym but I would settle for a better finisher on drives & his shot selection will drive him out of the league if he doesn't wake up soon. I would like to see him play better D, too. I agree he has athletic ability just not allot of game. He is long, lean but I would prefer production like 8-10 pts, 4-5 rebounds, 1 steal a game and better D & decisions. He may be a another 1st rd. bust of Billy's. Here's the bigger problem,,,when your team can only score in transition and "ONLY" if their jump shots r dropping is inviting mediocrity (based on field goal % in league, ability to run transition game means you need to play good D inside & out on perimeter then rebound & outlet then finish at the other end). Even w/a good team that is allot to ask every game but not possible from this team yet consistently. I finally got to it. We r consistently more bad than we r good and that means we will lose more often win.

Offensively - we have no inside presence on offense (Sam does not play well w/back to basket, Evans is offensive on offense (love his rebounding & toughness though & having some positive influence w/Sam)
We need dribble penetration, slashing to the basket (Iggy has done some) but we don't have a guard or other player that dribble penetrates "consistently" & either finishes or dishes off inside. We play a perimeter game too often, we need to create some easy inside scoring opp's & get fouls off mismatches. Other wise we just don't stack up well versus other mid level teams in league let alone the elite teams.

As far as Mo, I loved Mo as a player but not as a coach. I will say this, though, I am impressed in how he has gotten this group to defend better and chemistry is not bad. He doesn't cut it as a good game strategist. Takes way to long to make changes during games & is often out-coached. Coach Lynam and Bibby seem to assist well yet we don't seem to make game adjustments. Intensity & loss of focus last night in the fourth and at several other points during the season have me very concerned about the players & coaches. On teams that are well-coached that does not happen often and we have seen it happen too often.

For what it is worth....

datruth4life-

Like CarpGuy, I agree with most everything you said. I've learned this season that Cheeks CAN be a good coach, but it looks like he's only able to do it with guys of a certain makeup, and that he tends to clash with some personalities. If you keep him, then as ridiculous as this is to say, but you'll need to build your team around him with "nice" personalities like Korver or Iggy or Miller. I think there's a chance he and Giricek might clash. BTW, did anyone notice that Mo had Lou on Outlaw several times in the 4th? I was pissed at the refs, so I didn't focus on why that was happening, but I know that it definitely shouldn't have happened more than once...

Trackboy1-

Bob Salmi was right on about him - he needs to let the game come to him, and not force stuff. When Carney does that, he can be good for 9-10 points a game. But that's thing, that seems to be his ceiling, 9-10 points a game, some good defense out of the guard position; in other words, "role player". The Sixers have way too many of those. BTW, I feel like I'm one of the few people in Philly who like Salmi over Mix. He's corny, but his basketball insights are terrific. I loved when he noticed that when Lou was called for that tech, Iggy turned to him with a look of disgust and said, "Why?", and praised Iggy's leadership. Mix was getting stale.

And Lou was terrible out there. I hope they're just growing pains, but he's been in the league a couple of years now, and Thaddeus plays so much smarter than he does. I noticed that he's at his best when he plays like Allen Iverson and hogs the ball, and he can't play with a small lineup. He needs the bigs for screens and to help him "hide" so that the defense can't track him so easily.

Nothing comes easy for mediocre teams, and the Sixers are still a mediocre team. Good teams play well consistently.

I think we are going to have to get used to the fact this is another throwaway season for the Sixers. And next year is going to be a rebuilding year.

And that's if everything goes right.

There are a few things that I want to address on the blog:

1) Mo Cheeks should be back next season. He's done a solid job getting less than average NBA talent to play hard for him every night. Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams, and Sam Dalembert have all developed nicely under his tutelage. Additionally, save the 4th qtr last night, the Sixers are remarkably improved on the defensive side of the ball. Finally, how do the players trust management when they see their leader axed after he's done well given the circumstances?

2) If Andre Miller is not traded, Ed Stefanski has done a terrible job. By trading Korver, you've basically thrown in the towel on the season. I'm somewhat OK with that, but Ed better follow through with this master plan of his. Freeing up an extra $4.5M by blowing out Korver is nothing compared to the $9.5M in cap space held by Miller. Additionally, Ed needs to get something back for Andre other than only expiring contracts. The trade he should be focusing on is Andre Miller and Rodney Carney to Denver for Eduardo Najera, JR Smith, and Steven Hunter. Najera expires at the end of the season, Smith is a youngster that can shoot and jump out the building (and also has an expiring deal), and Hunter gives you a viable backup C for the next 3 years. Anything less is a complete waste of time.

3) Earn the trust of Andre Iguodala. I hate to tell everyone this, but don't ignore the fact that Iggy is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. If he sees Andre Miller go for cap relief only, Iggy will be out of here (unless the Sixers match). Why would he stay when 2 of the 3 top offensive weapons have been traded (and he's 1 of those 3 players)? If Iggy leaves and the Sixers get nothing but cap relief for Miller, Stefanski has done a HORRIBLE job and should be fired immediately because the Sixers will be in basketball purgatory for the next 10 years. Doesn't matter how much cap space you have - ask Chicago.

Watching Portland dismantle the Sixers in the Second Half makes me realize how far off the Sixers are.When Portland gets Gred Oden,they will not only be the youngest,but they will be one of the top three teams in the NBA,period.It's just sad for the NBA,and for the rest of the Contry that one of the best up and coming teams will be stuck in the Pacific Northwest.And with them exposing the Sixers for what they are,a lottery team,now will Coach Cheeks finally give some playing time to Shavlik Randolph,or Herbert Hill.

It always amazes me when people dis teams based on their geographical locations within the country. Last I heard the NBA is more than just Boston, NY and LA right? You probably haven't even been to the northwest, right. You're just repeating what Stephen A. Smith and the rest of the ignorant sports media complex spout daily. If the future best team in the NBA happens to be outside your time zone, get a satellite dish or head to the sports bar and get ready to stay up later than you're used to.

Cap relief is fine, but you have to attract a free agent, and that guy must be a player...alot of free agents are busts (Kenyon Martin). If we get rid of Andre Miller, we need a point guard. Anyone who sees Lou Williams trying to play point knows he is a long way (maybe never) from b a PG. If you trade Miller you need to get an all star caliber player otherwise you are no better...that player can play any position, but they must be a difference maker. You need 3 all star caliber players in this league to win...they may not make the all star team very year but they need to be able to make one. Iguadala is one...that is it...that is all the Sixers have. So the focus needs to be getting one legitimate all star caliber player and to hope to develop Iguadala and one other to get your 3 that you need. Quality not quantity.

I agree with Dean in that if Miller is not traded for something in value, then Stefanski should be axed. However, with the trade he just proposed, we still have no low post presence. Yes, we need a back-up center (especially since Dalembert is always in foul trouble), but not in the form of Hunter. We need someone that can score inside with his back to the basket, an Aaron Gray type of player, who won't cost the team much in money but fix a hole in the offense. Every good team does those little things. Look at San Antonio. When Brent Barry and Manu Ginobili went down, they tried to trade for Kyle Korver, and even though they were unsuccessful, if they had received him, that hole would have been patched.

This team (Sixers) is built terribly, with a core of players of similar skills sets and stature. We also have a power forward in Evans who simply cannot score in addition to Dalembert, who is not offensive minded. Both of these men would be back-ups on a quality team.

Mo Cheeks is to rigid in his rotation. Rodney Carney can play and has a tremendous upside, he just does not get enough playing time.

We had three first round draft picks, and effectively squandered them all. When I saw that we had the chance to take Al Thornton or Julien Wright and passed, I knew we were done. Let's just hope that Ed does not draft all 6'7" "tweeners" like King did.

We need to get something good in return for Andre Miller. Cap room is not enough because this years unrestricted free agent group is very poor. The highlight player is Shawn Marion, and what are the odds that he would want to come here?

There was a great article on ESPN.com about this 6'11" PF named Jason Thompson,who plays for rider,and is labeled one of the best players nobody has ever heard of.They said he outplayed Michael Beasley,and outplayed the whole NC State team,and the reason he did not go to a big time school is because he had already committed to Rider.They also said he had a major growth spurt,which is the reason he has developed into a legitimate PF.If all the Sixers plans fail at landing a PF,should they consider drafting this kid?

No one should be fooled into thinking the Sixers are a great team. They are a team with a few good pieces and a couple of mediocre ones. They are also young, which implies potential- or at least leaves room for hope.

Igoudala and Miller are the Sixer's best players. Korver wasn't playing well enough to be worth keeping; that trade was a good one, even better if Giricek gives us anything.

Lou Williams has a lot of potential, but playing the point is one of the toughest in the NBA. He has a lot to learn, but he has a lot of physical skills and speed. Eventually, he will learn how to use his teamates to get himself easy shots at the basket, but it's clear that he's not steady enough right now to depend on as a point.

That means you can't trade Andre Miller now. Besides needing a good point, the Sixers won't get anyone in free agency that will solve their problems.

I do not want to see Najera here, he isn't the back to the basket player the team needs.

We just have to be patient and watch the younger players develop to see what the team has and doesn't have. I don't see why we need Carney when we have Thad Young and Andre Igoudala. Once Willie comes back you won't see much of Carney unless he gets it together fast.

The real weakness of the team is at the 4 and 5 spot. Sam isn't consistent enough to be a starter. He should be more competitive given his physical skills, but he often gets beaten - mostly be getting into foul trouble.

It would be OK to have a role player like Evans at the 4, if you had a scoring center, but since you don't, he's also a back-up.

I like what I've seen of Jason Smith, and I'm glad that he's getting time.

Like the other's here, I really want to see Randolph and Hill play. It's obvious that the Sixer's need good big men, and we should find out if these guys can play or develop into players.

This team is on the bubble playoff wise- probably capable of just making them and not getting anywhere as they are now. Either Hill and Shavlik push them up, or we need to worry about a better draft pick.

We need what every team that lacks a big post up player needs. That makes that player very hard to get.

Its fun to read out of town newspapers when one of our local Pacific Northwest teams manages to win. I agree with "CL"s take on the Mr. "T" comment regarding the Trailblazers' ill fortune to be sequestered in remote Portland, Oh-ree-gone. Here we are, on the distant, verdant shores of, (per Phil Jasner today), "Lake Willamette", which anyone living west of the Appalachian Hillocks knows as the Willamette River. But ignorance goes both ways considering the fact that we naturally think of Philadelphia first as a sandwich. Mr. "T" cannot spell, but he is most likely correct when he says that Portland will be improved next year with the addition of Mr. Oden. He may not realize though that we'll also be adding a guy named Rudy Fernandez. (Google that name and see what I mean.) This may result next year in some opportunities for the Sixers, or others, to trade for some more of the Blazers' excess baggage. (Similar to the Knicks' "stealing" of Zach Randolph from us in a trade last year!) Copious was the weeping in the Willamette Valley over that transaction! (um-hmm) And your own signing a few years ago of our coach Mo Cheeks,....truly a fine player and a distinguished gentleman, but not yet one of the greatest coaches of all time. We were actually forced to hire Nate McMillan to fill that void. Boy oh boy, the things we have to do to stay competitive out here in the hinterlands! May your eastern, urbane sophisticates long continue their fortuitous support of our pursuits out yonder.

Roderick, your Trailblazers are the perfect example of why not to tank games. They didn't last year, still won the lottery, and because they played the right way, it has carried over to this season. After the Oden injury they could have went in the tank and went for another high pick, but instead they are a rising team with one All Star caliber player in Roy, another potential one in Aldridge and Oden set to come back next year. Enjoy being good for the next decade. Oh, and the Knicks can't rob anybody, except for their fans.

I think the Sixers should continue to play hard and try to win games, but I think it will be very difficult to do that now that Ed has started his trade rampage. I think the boys will be on edge and they may start to try and do too much. Miller is gone along with Carney and everyone else stays. I really like Miller but he does not stand a chance in staying here.

I think we will be surprised by Giricek. He is an older Korver who can play some solid D. His shot is not as good as his, but comparing their numbers for this year he is the same or better. I would not be surprised if they resign him as a good bench player. I remember one game last year when he had to guard Korver the whole game and completely frustrated him. He was all in Korver's face. I don't think he will get as many minutes early on though because Ed wants to see what the other guys can do with the extra minutes.

Dean - you have to get past your ignorant prejudice. The rest of the country is having fun with this. Afterall, what's more fun than great play coming from anywhere in the NBA? If we subscribed to your view of the world, then we would only have good teams in Boston, NY, LA. Now that would be a true disaster for the sport. T - I agree with you.

"...now that Ed has started his trade rampage."

Trading one guy qualifies as a rampage???

I don't think we should trade Miller. Who will be the point guard? Who's as good as him? He's too good.

Further, until we get this scoring low post player, wouldn't it make sense to use what we have? Try Iggy or Young in the post against whomever is guarding them. Worth a try.

To the people that think that that a big Free Agent would not want to come to Philadelphia because we are not a great team.. please don't be so moronic. A few years ago Joe Johnson left one of the best teams in the NBA in the Suns and one the best point guard in the game in Steve Nash so he could come over to god awful Atlanta and be "the man". What makes you think some free agent would not take a big pay day to come to one of the biggest markets in the country?