Deep Sixer

To all the posters on Deep Sixer "hating" on hometown Kyle Lowry, Cardinal Dougherty's own:

When the overhyped Mike Conley was in at point for Memphis tonight, the Grizzlies were outscored by 20.

When Kyle Lowry was in, the Grizz outscored the 6ers by 6 pts.

15 pts on only 8 shots from the field and six boards. 3 for 5 from the arc. Lowry is tough and I'd take him anyday on the 6ers.

Big games for Sammy & Iggy tonight. Jason Smith seems to be hitting the rookie wll hard. Carney not getting much burn tonight for some unknown Mo reason. Team looked strong tonight. Oh yeah, Rudy Gay is an absolute keeper.

That Thad steal, lob ahead to Miller, toss up to Iggy and thunderous finish in the 4th is what's gonna start putting the fans back in the seats. Much more fun to watch than a grind-it-out Spurs/Pistons game or something like that. Liking these Sixers more and more every game.

This was a strange game. In the first three quarters, Iguodala was red hot and the Sixers scored easily against non-existent Memphis defense. (Memphis was playing defense like the Sixers were earlier this year.) In the fourth, the Grizzlies finally took out their non-defenders (neither Miller nor Gay played in the 4th that I can recall) and came back behind two guys, Lowry and Warrick (18 or their 20 points). Meanwhile, Iguodala missed all his jump shots (water seeks its own level), and Mo put Andre Miller back in at least 2 minutes too late. I know Kevin Ollie has the amazing 25-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio this year, but there's no way he should be playing in crunchtime. It was funny to see Andre Miller stand up on his own when the lead was down to 8, as if to remind Mo to put him back in. It was Andre M. who put the game away with his rebound basket and subsequent lob to Iguodala.

A couple other comments. Jason Smith seems more and more lost on defense every time I see him. It's probably why he doesn't get more than 10 minutes a game. Also, I happen to think Thad is a good on-the-ball defender (quick feet, quick hands -- 3 steals tonight, including a crucial one in the 4th), but he also gets lost on switches. Warrick scored most of his points in the 4th on Smith and Thad.

Finally, Rudy Gay has an impressive offensive arsenal, but he plays zero defense. It's no coincidence Iguodala has averaged 26 ppg against Memphis this year. I even heard the ESPN guys (Breen and Van Gundy) joking about Gay's defense later on.

Thad's production at the 4 spot, both on offense and defense, has made a world of difference to this team. They are finally getting production from that spot and has someone who can finish around the rim. Thad also makes the team much more lethal on the break.

It will be interesting to see how he fares in that spot against some of the West teams. He'll probably get taken to school, but it will be a good learning experience for him. I don't think many of us realize how great a job the kid is doing at that spot and he won't be 20 years old until July. That is crazy!

I think if Danny Ferry doesn't do something before the deadline, then Lebron James will go beserk. I think they could be in a position to overpay for Andre Miller.

Yep, I'm still of the camp that if Ed can get expiring deals, a young prospect and 2 no. 1's (the price has just went up after seeing what Dallas would be willing to give for Kidd) then I might pull the trigger. Otherwise, the $10M next year in Miller's expiring deal plus the player actually still being able to play should be attractive.

My teams that could make a move for Miller in the week, I think, are Cleveland, Orlando and possibly Miami. If we could somehow get Delonte West and Chris Wilcox from Seattle in a 3-team deal, then that would help this team going forward too.

Lowry played an unusually high # of minutes tonight - I wonder if he was being showcased to the 6ers? Also, what do you guys think of Young? I never get to see the games, but he seems to really be progressing. I had heard someone compare him to Josh Smith, but Young never blocks a shot - surprising for someone reputed to be so athletic. Do people think that he could be a star?

Thaddy will be a star in 2-3 years and a superstar before he's 24. That's whats up. Whos your daddy?, Thaddy's your daddy.
I think the Mavs are getting beat on that trade and I think they're really sick in the head for wanting Kidd that bad. Why don't we try to go after Harris, 2 first rounders, and cash while Devin George has this trade on pause. If this trade goes through, I think the Nets future looks better than the 76ers and that makes me sick. Prove me wrong Philly so I can love you again.

First time I've seen Kyle Lowry play in person since college (and I do not like Villanova in the least).

I'm extremely impressed - remember, he's basically a rookie. His handle is excellent, his defense is tenacious, and his outside jumper clearly has potential. He was 4-4 from the line (not one even touched the rim) and 3-5 from 3 pt. land (again, every make was a clean swish). How anyone here can say that he will only be a backup in this league is crazy.

Oh, and to someone who asked the question yesterday sarcastically....I'd trade Lou Williams for Kyle Lowry straight up in a second. There's no question that a starting PG with these attributes is more valuable to a team every time than a scorer off the bench - watching Lowry run the offense vs. watching Lou run the offense is like night and day. To go a bit further, I might even consider not trading Andre Miller this season; having Lowry exposed to Miller's craftiness at the position could accelerate his NBA learning curve greatly. Bottom line, he's clearly a starting NBA PG, and we should all want him in a Sixers uniform for years to come.

Great win again last night - Go Sixers!!

dermo,

I don't think he'd ever become one of the NBA's more easily recognizable, mass-consumption stars. He's athletic, but he doesn't use that athleticism for highlights. He's very old school in the way he plays. You ever seen those old grainy 35mm-like film of basketball, or old CBS footage? The players try to score... can't describe it too well... in a non-ESPN highlight type of way. Get in the post, do a little move, put up a little floater or a hook, or an up-and-under. He plays like that. He's almost like a little Hakeem Olajuwon in how he tries to score in a half-court set, it's beautiful. It's winning basketball. In 3 years, he's a 20+ ppg scorer, I don't see how it could not happen unless the coach just doesn't go to him, or he's too much of a turnstile on defense (which he can be quite often against quicker forwards).

A high-flying all star? No way. For some reason, he likes to stay low to the ground. An important piece to a future championship? Definitely! But he needs to work on his defense.

I grew up in Philly left after high school at Dobbins Tech, I'm now living in the warm and beautiful white sandy beaches of northwest Florida. I see that you all in Philly are packing heat right now also with the Sixers, my boys are smookin hot right now.

Thad's got game
Miller is a keeper
Iggy......well he's Iggy, he's gona do what Iggy's has to do.

Agreed! Lowry can run a team and does a lot of things well! Imagine him and Lou Williams as our PG combo 2-3 years from now. Lowry will control the tempo, and when he takes a rest, Lou comes in off the bench and ignites the offense in spurts... Lou Williams is the perfect 3rd guard off the bench.. him, Carney, and Smith should be our bench of the future. Get a legit 2 guard starter with an all around game and back to the backet PF to go along with Iggy, Thad and Samuel and our team is an elite team in the east in 2 years... If we can snag Lowry, we really only need those 2 pieces to make it out of the east in about 2 years... with 10 million in cap room this year, 10 million next year and 3 first round picks in 2 years, this should be no problem if Ed is making wise decisions...

Dev. George just saved Dallas!s season.Datruelife, Taking back Stackhouses contract; 2 or 3 more years at about 10 mill. is probably why N.J. GOT 2 NUMBER #1 PICKS. Don!t think E.S. would do that. If he took E.Snow or D.Marshall [2 yrs at 7 and 6 mill. each ] off Cleveland than he gets more in players and draft picks.Dean, he looked good, but still, for now, like him off the bench as a part of our trapping unit.

Dev. George just saved Dallas!s season.Datruelife, Taking back Stackhouses contract; 2 or 3 more years at about 10 mill. is probably why N.J. GOT 2 NUMBER #1 PICKS. Don!t think E.S. would do that. If he took E.Snow or D.Marshall [2 yrs at 7 and 6 mill. each ] off Cleveland than he gets more in players and draft picks.Dean, he looked good, but still, for now, like him off the bench as a part of our trapping unit.

The Thad-Miller-Iggy play was one of the better ones I saw this season. I alsdo liked the turnover to Thad/fast break in transition/ThunderDunk he had in the first half. He plays defense, he rebounds, he's has some vision and all three are clearly reflected in his PER. Thaddeus Young is something special, the more I see of him the more I'm impressed - get those #21 Jerseys ready people!

I don't understand how Memphis can have so many point guards on their squad. We were talking about Kyle Lowry trades BEFORE the Lakers trade that sent over Jarvis Critt. Lowry would be a nice fit here and certainly welcomed by Philadelphia with open arms, if we were to acquire him, it could let us place more offseason focus on other areas like the mythical starting PF we want. Memphis is to PG as Philadelphia is to swingmen...

Once again, ladies and gentlemen - SAVE MOE!!!

I wouldn't mind having Lowry on the team but I wouldn't give up a whole lot to get him. If Memphis wanted an expiring contract like Ollie/Giricek/Randolph and the Utah pick we got in the Korver deal, then I would do it. But I wouldn't give up any of our good young players like Carney or J. Smith.

Well, maybe Carney!

Dan.C., they consider Crittenden as much a 2 as a 1 , according to an E.S.P.N. article I read.Nets are trying to get M.Miller if Kidd trade goes through; Magliore, Nachbar, plus; I hope Kidd TRADE DOESN!T HAPPEN.

Dan.C., they consider Crittenden as much a 2 as a 1 , according to an E.S.P.N. article I read.Nets are trying to get M.Miller if Kidd trade goes through; Magliore, Nachbar, plus; I hope Kidd TRADE DOESN!T HAPPEN.

I think for the memphis trade to work, Memphis would have to give up Lowry, Miller, and Warrick.

How tempting would that be? Ship out Green, A Miller, and Carney

I think Ed Stefanski should call Dallas since this Kidd trade got blocked. They could work out a deal for Miller. Something like:

Dallas gets:
Miller
Booth/Amundson

Philly gets:
Harris
Diop
Jones
and the 2 first round picks

Dallas gets their PG. Gets to keep 2 of their players(Stack,Ager). And can keep the $3 million. I know Eddie Jones said he won't take a trade but if you tell him they'll buy him out and he can then go resign with Dallas.(similiar to what they were going to do with Stack) He might go for it.
Philly gets a young good PG. 2 first round picks and more cap space.

Read that Cleveland is interested in lowry or JJack. JJack would be a great fit for less than it would take for A. Miller.

Lowry? I don't see him as an NBA starter. Spark off bench, similar to louWill role with different game. I still prefer LouWill.

I love the value NJNets will get for Kidd. I think agent will convince George to go. The Nets will be deeper and younger after the trade and could go further in the playoffs then Dallas.

Kidd trade makes you wonder what A. Miller is worth? Good Young player(D.Harris) & 1st round pick?

Joe Doc, Dallas prefers to keep Diop to battle those western big guys.

They're giving him up for Kidd. And hey they get to keep Stack and $3 MILL!

Stack supposedly will be going back. I think Harris & no.1 with Stack(released) is a more realistic trade. Harris could be our point guard going forward but I don't think they want A. Miller because of his defense. Kidd gives them a BIG point guard who will play nicely with their other scoring point guard. I don't think A. Miller fits as well.

we can throw in Booth if they want a big guy! LOL!

Best looking guy in the NBA.....

sfw,
you might be right. Kidd probably does fit better. I was just throwing out ideas. I hope the deal for Kidd does go thru. And I hope it causes another team to offer a great package for Miller. I would take a good young player and a pair of 1st round picks for Miller. And thats what it would take to get him too. Because any team trading for him now is in the hunt so their picks will be mid to late 20's. So I would definitly want 2 1st round picks. Or 2 good young players that have a possiblity of being starters here and a 1st rounder.

Lowry was a revelation last night as I'd read his stock had dropped. Looked like the keys to an engine for someone. Would play him over Conley, who takes forever to crank up a bad lefty J and is not as aggressive overall. As in college, Lowry handled, attacked, D-ed it up--even shot it pretty well. A lot of spirit shown as in 'Nova days. If Sixers could pry him away, he'd help.

Grizz was set back by atrocious 1st half Gay defense on Iguodala, who found comfort zone and set the stage. As an offensive player though, Gay can do it - great stroke.

Green's defense on Miller was pretty effective overall, as was the help. Miller wilted as game went along.

Up by only 6 with 3 left, A. Miller pulled it out with 2 clutch, veteran plays on consecutive possessions. He's earned big credit lately. But all-star? Seems many have forgotten 1st 10 games of season in the assessment, when he couldn't hit broad side of barn (from field or charity stripe) and had a poor TO/A ratio.

I'm sure Gay drove his college coach(UCONN) crazy. He was probably happy when Gay entered the draft.

After watching the Sixers win their 5th in a row and going 9-6 since January 15th I turned on the Warriors Suns matchup

Ellis, Bedernes(sp),Davis, and Pietrus are all Fa at the end of this year.The 1st three are going to cost the Warriors big bcks and they may not have much left for Pietrus.

I think Pietrus would look good as a Sixer As a warrior running the floor is a given as is atheletism He came from nowhere to block 3 shots last night that shows he knows something about defense

From Pietrus point of view besides the extra money the Sixers could give him he would be getting 30 to 40 minutes a game here instead of his 15 to 20 minutes in Golden State.

After watching the Sixers win their 5th in a row and going 9-6 since January 15th I turned on the Warriors Suns matchup

Ellis, Bedernes(sp),Davis, and Pietrus are all Fa at the end of this year.The 1st three are going to cost the Warriors big bcks and they may not have much left for Pietrus.

I think Pietrus would look good as a Sixer As a warrior running the floor is a given as is atheletism He came from nowhere to block 3 shots last night that shows he knows something about defense

From Pietrus point of view besides the extra money the Sixers could give him he would be getting 30 to 40 minutes a game here instead of his 15 to 20 minutes in Golden State.

Pietrus has already said he wanted to be traded. I haven't seen enough of him to make an evaluation but hey if you say he looks good.

Terry - Pietrus did look good last night. The guy takes defense seriously. However I wouldn't overpay for him and don't think he fits on this team now. He's a 40% shooter and he can't beat out Matt Barnes though he did just demand a trade. Even if we picked him up cheap, he would need to displace either Thad, Reggie or JSmith. I don't think he is an upgrade on Reggie and it would only hurt the development of the young guys.

He's a SG/SF though. Does he really fit on this team? Just more of what we have isn't he?

Only issue is that he plays same spot(2/3) as AI, TYoung, LouWill, WGreen........

Joe Doc, I guess great minds think alike......

I wouldn't mind having Biedrins though. He looks good. I think he averages 10-10. And he's only 21yrs old.

Boy. We keep going round and round. Probably every conceivable trade or player has been suggested on this blog.
Notice no more W. Green trades coming up lately.
Hopefully Ed S thinks out of the box and can come up with a creative upgrade(Young player and/or Draft pick) by the NBA draft.

No more Willy Green trades because nobody will take Willy Green! LOL! Just kidding! He's a good player, its just he belongs coming off the bench.

agree completely.......

Was at the game last night, and it was a very entertaining one. Gay's dunk was monstrous, and the Thad to Miller to Dre dunk was awesome as well.

Thad just does so much, with so little of his skills utilized, and no plays called for him. Wow, this kid is a star in the making. He just knows how to finish when he gets near the hoop, whether it's on the break, or half court. And it doesn't matter if some one is in his face or not.

Lowry made a good impression. If he can consistently hit the 3 ball like he did last night, as opposed to his 23% mark on the season, he'll have a lot brighter future in the league. He also could have had 1 or 2 more assists if he wasn't passing to Navarro, who flat out stinks. Still wouldn't trade him straight up for Lou, not a chance. You'd have to give me more back.

Mike Miller didn't make much of an impression, other than he can shoot the ball real nice. He got taken very badly by Miller on a nice spin move at one point.

A couple last observations. Andre Miller is playing incredible ball, really phenomenal. And Sammy is excellent at hanging around the basket and finishing dunks - he can pile up points that way fast. This is a skill set that will only be more valuble with more offensive weapons.
Morty and Moishe Recommend...

No surprises, you knew before the game the Sixers were going to win, and even when they got close in the fourth, you knew that it was just Memphis' time to make a run.

You also knew that Memphis would run out of gas and the Sixers would finish them off easily.

I think we need to keep Andre Miller around so Lou Williams can learn from him. Sixers are on a roll and Andre is a big part of that.

I figure we get another 2 easy wins after the all star break before the quality of the teams gets tougher.

Some of the posters here have no idea how to evaluate talent- these are rookies on the Sixers, of course they're going to make mistakes. They also are learning how to play in the NBA and are capable of making good plays.

If we could only pick up a stud PF in free agency, we'd be in very good shape. Should make a run at Josh Smith for next season.

I think Lowry would fit in perfect with this team. His gritty hard nosed defense fits the Sixers style of play. He is one of the quickest players in the league and a great on the ball defended. His buzzard beating layup shows how quick he is, I thought that he wasn't going to able to even get a shot off, but he made a heads up play by seeing the clock and getting the shot off early enough. He also rebounds extremely well for a player under 6 feet tall. I just feel his style of play matches perfectly with the style of which the Sixers are now playing with. Hes a player that always plays with a ton of energy and he never gives up and those are the type of players that I want to on the Sixers.

I like the idea for a Miller for Harris trade with Dallas, but what else would we have to take with it?
Would George fit in Philly? Would he come here?

sixerzguy:

Nice analysis of Thad's game.

trackboy1:

No one was hating on Lowry, simply noting that his stats showed a PG with a mere 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, and was shooting 39% from the field and 23%(!) from three.

He certainly played better than that last night as I noted. However, in extended playing time this year, last night is not the norm. His PER is 12.75 for the season, below average. Lou is at 16 by way of comparison.

Lowry would be a great story coming home to lead the Sixers, and he obviously has potential, but you're just projecting at this point.

Dalembert's lost in space too much for my taste; many non-effective "spurts." Hanging around basket and dunking off Miller & Iguodala lobs - a skill set? On a good team, he's a part-time, contributing frontline player who BK paid a king's ransome to keep.

Gola Gola:

In the NBA, being 7' and in the right position is a skill set.

And I didn't say that skill set makes him a star, just a valuable contributing part of a potentially winning team.

Had a thought while watching the game last night. Remember when Dalembert was at his best during his career? Playing against McDyess in the playoffs against the Pistons? What do you all think of possibly drafting Thabeet and moving Sammy over to the 4 spot? His skill set is getting better in that he's developing a jump shot. And he's always been a good finisher. It's an idea. And just think of the defensive possibilities with those two guarding the basket.

As for Lowry, he played well for the home crowd. But his point guard skills are more drive and dish than directing a team. Miller is really spoiling us with his point guard play. Who ever takes his place is going to have big shoes to fill.

Morty,

Agreed; it does take some positioning and timing. My impatience with Dalembert as a player is in his often being less than imposing on the D-end (despite favorable pub he's generated) due to concentration and/or wiles lack, and in his failure to develop any reliable individual post-up moves. He's an asset but I consider him tradeable.

Theo, No way Sammy DDDDDDDD at the power forward. However, if KLove comes this way. Sammy might cover some of the PF's in the league with Love covering some centers.

I saw Thabeet. very raw. a project. On offence, he & Sammy don't work. Neither has offensive skills and both have difficulty covering out on the floor. They just cover the basket.

They should try and trade to get Kwame Brown, he looked great last night. He has really exceeded his expectations and plays with such passion.

Well, I'd rather have Sammy playing against some of the so-called power forwards in this league than the legit centers. Just look at what Bynum has done to him this year. Made him look awful. Against Gasol though, who is a true power forward, Sammy looked good. I wouldn't be adverse to Dalembert moving or at least taking minutes at the 4.

Kevin Love is a hype machine. Don't think he's going be anything in the pros. He's barely 6'8, unathletic, can't run the floor and can't defend.

Kwame Brown is the best worst #1 pick of all time I think. Can anyone think of a more averagely average #1 overall pick? Even Barngagni has potential.

How about Shawn Bradley?

Kwame Brown! ahahahaha. he is sooo bad.

Gola Gola:

Agreed about Sammy's frustrating losses of concentration. It's enough to make me wonder if he over does it on the glaucoma medicine. However, we count on him too much at the moment, and with some more ballers on the team he drops down in importance, conversely making him a more valuable player.

Morty,

Thanks. Thad is quite an anomaly, isn't he?

Trackboy1,

On paper, the Hawks seem like they should be right up there with Toronto and Washington as one of the Eastern Conference's 2nd-tier teams, and they have what's seemingly a great core:

Horford
Josh Smith
Josh Childress
Joe Johnson

So why haven't they won more games? That gives me pause. And he's looked great against the Sixers, but what about other teams? And you hear something here, then something there about him being a headcase sometimes - you never want to hear that, because if you hear it once, you usually hear it again. And Seiko Smith bases his argument for Josh Smith over Marcus Camby for defensive player of the year based on his blocking ability only - he's a good writer, but he clearly didn't do his homework.

In terms of minutes, Camby's played about 1 more game than Josh. To equal Camby's output for the season, in Josh's next game, Josh has to get 340 more rebounds and 40 more blocks. Also, take a look at what Josh Smith takes OFF the table compared to Camby: In one less game than Camby, Josh has 85+ more turnovers, and 30 more fouls. Turnovers negate rebounds, so that makes it about 425 more rebounds that Camby has over Josh. Maybe there's something about Josh Smith's team defense that I don't know about, but in terms of numbers, Camby is well above Josh.

Franky, Chris Wilcox would be a better option than Josh. He doesn't block as many shots, but he turns the ball over at half the rate as Josh, rebounds more, and shoots well over 50% (vs. 45% for Josh) from the field. And would be much cheaper.

"... [Lowry's] stats showed a PG with a mere 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, and was shooting 39% from the field and 23%(!) from three."

Wow... not very impressive. However, he could probably benefit a lot from a year of tutoring from an established veteran like Andre Miller. If we can get him in a straight up trade where we give up somebody totally expendable (e.g. Carney), I say go for it.

sign and trade iggy for kirelenko and sign josh smith....

pg miller
sg 1st round pick...gordon?
sf smith
pf kirelenko
c dalembert
sixth man young

not bad huh? or just one big dream? leaning towards dream.

theo, Your right about Klove's athleticism. He is fundamentally sound in the post,can pass out of it and will probably hit the jumper. All qualities missing in most NBA players. Worst case, I think he can contribute for 18-24 minutes(similar to korver) in an area of need to the sixers(post offense). He also throws a great outlet for our break. I had my doubts initially but I think he will cut it. At 6'8" in college, he will be 6'9 1/2" in the pro's.

Moses, Sammy, JoshS & Kirilenko. One thing they have in common is no offensive post game. By the way: FO FO FO!

Anon:

If we wanted to do a deal, Carney is not a bad straight up match for Lowry. Both have potential, but have yet to demonstrate it over prolonged periods.

Dean's Lou for Lowry deal is extremely lopsided. If Memphis wanted to throw in their 1st round pick this year or next, then we're talking.

Sixerzguy:

I think the difference has to be attributed to PG play.

Another terrible high draft choice was/is Milici (sp). He looked really bad last night. Was he a Larry Brown selection when he was at Detroit? I know Larry, true to form with young guys, almost never played him.

sixersguy is a fraud and a liar

he has no credibility here anymore

yesterday he wrote that he looked up andre millers stats from his rookie year and besides feildgoal % they are almost exactly the same as kyle lowry's.

you can look them up for yourselves but i'm old enough to have watched dre in college and remember him being much better than kyle lowry. so i checked it out-------

hmmmmmmmmmmm those don't look like the exact same stats to me, not even sure those are in the same ballpark

dude why the hell would you lie, for what. and furthermore don't you have more respect for the others on this board than to b.s. us like that. as far as i'm concerned your a piece of garbage that has no business posting here.

Milicic and Bradley were and are awful. But they are #2 picks. That's Sam Bowie country. I'm thinking about #1 overall picks.

Here's my top 5 worst #1 overall picks...

1.Kandi Man
2.Kwame Brown
3.Pervis Ellison
4.Bargnani
5.Joe Smith

Kevin Love is going to be out worked on the board at the NBA level. His basketball skills are great in college. He's out working guys now, much like Tyler Hansborough, but with a softer touch. It won't translate I don't think in the league.

Didn't the Kandi man have one decent season in a contract year?

I would call Kwame the worst of those five.

I have an issue that's been bugging me all season. and I hate to bring it up cause I really like Mo Cheeks. But it's really infuriating to see his substitutions at times. For every great move he makes, like giving Olie some run last night at a crucial spot, he makes just a silly move. Like sitting Dala when he's got a serious hot hand. I know we were up 20 at the time, but let the kid play.

People have mentioned Dala has never had that WOW game. I'll argue he's not put in the position to even though he's shown flashes in halves and quarters. No reason to sit Dala midway through the 2nd quarter last night when he's just flat out killing it. He's done the same throughout the year with Thadd Young and Lou Williams. And it bothers me.

I saw something last night that I hadn't seen in two years of watching the 76ers -- Carney used his left hand to shoot after a drive to the basket. I actually had to rewind the play to make sure that he finished with his left hand and he did.

With Carney beginning to use his left hand and now concentrating on his defense, rebounding, and steals, the only thing he has to do now to get more minutes is to stop jacking those threes. Cheeks still yanks him when he gets 3-happy in a game, which is a good thing to see.

The price for A. Miller is sky high right now. If J. Kidd doesn't go through, they can have Miller for D. Harris and two no. 1's. Or give me D. Harris, Diop and a no. 1 pick, and I'll take that. Still, I think some team is going to panic and give in to Big Ed's trade demands next week.

Theo - That bothers me too. I've noticed several times that guys get yanked as soon as they get hot.

Also, Mo needs to start penalizing guys for missing the next play while they're arguing a call. Nothing burns me more than to see guys (cough, Dre) standing around talking to the ref while the game is still going on. So there was a bad call, deal with it and keep playing.