Deep Sixer

In regards your short article about playoof hopes the sixers to some extent have it within themselves to make the playoffs if they can do the folowing

Defeat Chicago and Atlantic in the 4 games they have remaining with them. Win 7 of the other 20 games games they have scheduled

This will give them a 37-45 record and will give them the tie breaker against both Chicago and Atlanta.

If we give 2 more losses to Chicago and Atlanta that the Sixers hopefully will impart upon them the 2 teams will have a hard time getting to 38 wins.

I am not saying this is going to be easy I looked at there schedule for the remainder of the season and I m not sure you can say there are 7 victories against all teams other than Chicago and Atlanta.

I am also not saying that winning 4 games against Chicago and Atlanta is a very certain thing. I'm just being my opomistic self annd looking for a way for the Sixers to make the playoffs.

The Suns lost at home before the Shaq trade, rested, to the Heat, who had played the night before, in Staples. Yeah, the awful Heat.

What works against the Sixers, in the eyes of other teams ( not the National media who still ignore their existence) they have gained noyice, and respect, as a team that MUST prepare against. Few team in the NBA have the ability as the Sixers to create the defensive havoc, and transitional offensive bursts, on a given nite.

So, anything is possible, assuming the Sixers are motivated, which would appear a given. And fresh young legs can shrug off a back to back much easier than older, veteran legs, usually preserved for close Q4s.

Kevin Love fans. Here's little known trivia. His father is a well known former NBA player.
But anybody know about one of his Uncle's greater claim to fame?

Yup, Uncle Love was one of the prominent Lead Singer for the....drum roll

BEACH BOYS. Yup. Think from Day 1.

And while I think it was one of the Wilson bros, if Love's uncle was the solo vocalist on "God Only Knows..", arguably one of the 10 greatest tunes of all-time, then ole Kevin likely aint in any rush to leave Westwood too quickly.

I know those boys threw alot of their fortune away to feed their drug habits, yet despite that, that extended family, one would think ( and Lake Oswego upbringimg would support it) the extended Love family is more than sufficiently comfortable financially.

Course, who knows. But if you have seen the UCLA campus, and environment of Westwood, its not a place you want to abandon quickly, unless necessary, regardless of ANYTHING ELSE/

GOOD VIBRATIONS, KEVIN.

Serious, Joshua? Never heard a mention of that. Thats something who'd a thunk that? Wild

I just wish I could have been a fly on the wall during Bill Waltons last minute recruitment of Love. Walton, ex-Blazer, flies up to Portland, spends the evening b;owing weed w Love telling stories of Beach Boy lore, UCLA experience, et al.

Love was signed, sealed, delivered to Oregon, until an abrupt switch to UCLA at the midnite hour.
And who would doubt that the last great rebounding outlet passer par excellence would be the one to recruit, 20 yrs later, from the City he won a Ring, the next "Potential" Great Rebounding Outlet Beast". Who just happened to have an Uncle from Hermosa that was beyond legend status first in SoCal, but quickly around the Globe. Bill, that sneaky dude.

Love and OJ Mayo apparently were roomates, very close friendly LA rivals, in some summer AAU Camp, where they were C0-MVPs. East v West teams. Yet, they were roommates, from a prior history, of earlier yrs play during AAU in HS.

Enuf, for the Love fans. Dude has karma, heretofore not well known.

Marc,

I am hopeful you have made this road trip. If you have, we will meet a have a laugh together. I will do all the research, and hopefully a brief Joshua/ Blogger Extraordinaire M Narducci encounter shall provide a few minutes more toward what I am sure will prove a pleasant week out West, regardless of all else. Where, you ask? Ah, that, my friend, will be the surprise.

Good nite, all.

Good, I see you, Marc, have indeed made it to the Bay Area. Indulge in the Cioppino, of course. Across the Bridge.

Thanks to all, most now asleep, for my excessive and now conclusion to overstepping my welcome here.

I gladly leave the floor to the daytime regulars, who are the true die-hards of SixerWorld.

Again, and last, a final, good nite to all.

Though unconfirmed, that sounds like a likely Pops Bill evening of slimey, last minute, Bruin recruiting tactic, described above. lmao

Part of the reason behind the Sixers success is the team's ability to get the ball out in the open court. We are averaging 23.8 fastbreak points, 27.3 in their last four games. Tonight should be a very intertaining game, we got to defend the perimiter and if we get a lead we gotta know that the Warriors won't stop coming. No relaxing on this one B Davis vs Andre Miller, captain Stephen Jackson vs Iggy. The team that comes in turnover happy
will lose.

It should be real interesting, and a good measuring stick of just how well their new brand of ball holds up against solid teams that play a similar style. I'll be looking for the active hands, the press defense, etc. If they can get that going and cause some havoc with GS's offense, who knows what could happen.

I'll also be looking at willie, since he's been a good barometer lately - if he comes out jacking up just any old shot, not looking to pass, etc., things might get out of hand quick. But if he can control himself and look to either drive for a high % shot or otherwise look to pass, then the rest of the team has to force their game less and things tend to go more smooothly...

I can see it now ... C Webb running up and down the court ... like it's 1997 ... on the blocks .. back to the basket ... above the rim
and Matt Barnes and Mo hugging at mid court before the game, talking about the old days and the great times they spent together ....
It should be a pretty special night in the Bay Area.

Sixers craziness the door is open for the 6th seed
http://reclinergm.wordpress.com/2008/02/28/sixers-craziness-the-door-is-open-for-the-6th-seed/

Golden State is not a team that scares me. They also have no inside presence, or post up game.

I think the Sixers can outrebound this team and outrun them. If they aren't hitting from the outside, the Sixers should win this game.

They should also have no problem dispatching the Clippers.

But the Suns will kill them.

Guys, if Ed Stefanski doesn't have the number of PF Ronny Turiaf's agent on speed dial when free agency starts, he's nuts. This guy would be a GREAT fit for the 76ers next year. He's young and would fit in with the athleticism, defense and energy of this team.

He's a better on the ball defender than Sam, has a developing low post game and can hit that elbow jumper. He's also a great passer. The Lakers can't afford him. Kobe, Pau, Odom all make big money and they still have to resign Bynum. Although Turiaf is restricted, anything that they sign him to would cost them double because of the luxury tax.

I think a $6M to $7M contract would land Turiaf and I'd give the other $3M to C.J. Miles from Utah, a 6'6'', 21-year-old guard that is shooting 43 percent from 3-point range.

I'd give both of them 5-year deals. Would you guys rather do this or just give the whole $10M to Antwan Jamison? That amount isn't enough to get the Elton Brands or Josh Smiths of the world.

Your thoughts?

I dont think Turiaf is a bad idea, but i havent really seen a whole lot of him either. Same goes for the other guy - have to say i dont really get to see alot of west games. But i like the line of thought. Given this team's current set up, i just think it makes more sense to go for less expensive guys with upside rather than try to break the bank on one big name. Add a couple guys with specific skill sets like that now, and if the cap is managed properly there's no reason why we can't come out of the 2009 season looking to make that big splash. It would make more sense then because (having made a couple solid additions this summer) we would be at that point where one true star could really make a big difference.

Datruelife, They may get Jamison or Brand in a trade where they take back more salary than they give [Miller, Delembert?] but I love Turiaf also especially the fact you don!t lose players unless its a sign and trade. [Carney or J.Smith or future #1?]

interesting matchup tonight; W.Green against M.Ellis; how far or close to being a starting calibur 2 guard is Willie, good test tonight !!!

I think getting Ronny Turiaf is a good idea. I`m just not sold on "C J Miles". Why would "Utah" let him walk?????

About Turiaf,

1. It's been shown that certain coaches tend to inflate a player's stats, and Phil Jackson is one of them.

2. What happens to the rotation if we do get Turiaf? If Cheeks stays with the 4 bigs he's using now, you're looking at

Young / Evans / Sammy / Turiaf

Jason Smith gets to wear a suit every game, in this case. The guard we get in the draft would take Ollie's minutes.

Or does Young get pushed into the swingman rotation, and with Mo's current number, it would look like this:

Miller/Williams at point
Iggy/Young/Carney/Green at SG/SF

In this case, the draft pick has to wear the suit.

Points on Turiaf well taken, sixerzguy. My thinking was based on the assumption that, for whatever reason, we didn't come out of the draft with a viable power forward. I was also sort of assuming we'd do some thinning out of the SG/SF position via one trade or another this summer.

I also think Thaddeus is a bit of a wildcard that makes projection difficult as well. At 19, its not outside the realm of possibility that he puts on a good couple pounds(or even grows an inch or so). if he can get solid enough in body to play at the 4, i think he certainly has the skill set to succeed there.

Ultimately, though, its not Turiaf himself that i like most, but the line of thinking that says "lets target a few guys with specific skill sets this summer, manage the cap well, and try to make a big splash next summer after solidifying the roster more." I just think one of our biggest problems now is we have too many similar players and it makes us one dimensional.

Turiaf would be the starting 4 with Evans and Young[ when they want to go small].J.Smith looks like a good energy backup 5 and 4 if we need to go big. Using Detroit as an example a rotation of Wallace, Mcdyess, Maxiel, A.Johnson at the 4 and 5 spots gives the coach plenty of options.As far as stats, I read an article that said Turiaf has had numerous games of 3 ass. and 3 blocks this season. He rarely gets more than 25 minutes so 2 good qualities we need on this team is passing out of the post and shotblocking because of guard penetration.

Hey guys, if your E.S. don!t you buy out Booth from his player option? And Ollie goes along with Randolph[ to many injuries at Duke and here] and I personelly would like to replace Carney with a defensive point guard [R.Ivey type]. Seems some games we need to lock down the opposing point. What do you guys think?

Giricek waived.

My world is crumbling.

Before it's all said and done, we're probably going to lose some guys on the current roster. The five guys I'd love to keep are Iguodala, Miller, Young, Evans, and Dalembert. That's the core right now (I'm still a holdout on Green, unless he finishes the season playing at his current high level). Everyone else can be traded without a significant impact on the team. That includes Carney, Jason Smith, Booth, and the aforementioned Green (maybe). I also have a hard time seeing LouWill on next year's roster since his contract expires at the end of this season and someone else will surely offer him more money than we'll be willing to pay him.

NO GIRICEK?!?

Whose name are we gonna chant out with derisive sarcasm the next time we're blowing out someone at home?

LOL

Suede:

I don't know. Would it be better to buy Booth out or keep him and package him in a trade?

I know one thing is for sure, sans the Toronto game that I attended in person this year, I am most looking forward to this game tonight. Good beers, good buds, and a good game only a week before I move to the basketball hell-hole that is South Beach, Miami.

This sixers team reminds of last years GS team that I feel in love with watching. These two teams may be the fastest and most athletic in the league, what's not to love? Tonight will be a great test for many reasons:

1. Can we hang with the West's "worst" team? (I use the term worse rather loosely).

2. Can we beat offense with offense?

3. An earlier poster mentioned the challenge Willie Green will have tonight. It will be interesting tonight to see how he does. Willie Green strikes me as the type of player that would thrive on a team like GS, so he may be able to do the same on the sixers.

Thoughts??

And by worse, I mean the Wests 8th seed...

...Also, did we just miss the boat on Matt Barnes? Is he just in the right system? Did we just overlook him?

That was me re: Willie. Earlier this year i was ready to unload him at the first hint of interest, but (speaking in a whisper lest i jinx it) he seems to be learning the whole game more. Maybe its the coaching, maybe its playing without iverson, maybe he's just maturing. But i have noticed a difference in his game and i hope the trend continues. If he finishes out the year strong then he's not a bad piece to have around.

Another point - with Gordan out of here, we have a open roster spot. perfect chance to take a flyer on calling someone up from the D-league. Someone yesterday mentioned Pittsnoggle, who was a pretty decent player in college if i remember - tall and a decent shot. And we've got a big man hurt right now and two others that havent seen the light of day from injuries all year... Not that im in love with anyone in the D-League, i just think that it's worth putting out the effort to develop guys in house when possible. Since its possible now, why not give it a shot? Again, im really not sure how the call up rules work, but its something i would really consider if i were Ed.

over the summer we made need to clear a roster spot, that!s when we may need to buy him out. What finishing stat line gives E.S. the thought of Green as a possible starter in the future? 16 pts., 3 ass., 4reb., 47%f.g.,37% 3pt. and 78% f.t.Looking at the options around the league [Redd, Crawford,M.Miller], none of which are very good defensively and all very expensive.

Once our new starting power forward gets here (and barring any other changes), Willie and Thad will be fighting over a starting spot. Personally, I'd feel better about starting Thad than Willie... though my perfect vision is both guys playing significant minutes off the bench (along with Reggie Evans). Of course, this vision obviously requires us to find a diamond in the rough... a solid, up-and-coming shooting guard who we wouldn't have to pay the big bucks. We'll see what Ed can do... if he doesn't overpay the power forward, he'll have some money left over for the shooter.

Package Booth in a trade??????? for who for what?

could that shooting guard already be on the team [L.Will.]. Look at the rule changes in the league and how they benefit the small, quick guards.A.I. is shooting the highest percentage he ever has, G.Carl stated it when Denver played us last.He doesn!t get knocked down as much either.We all get scared of L.Will. becoming another A.I., as far as shooting too much, but A.I. was that way when he got here, with Mo and A.Mill. in Lou!s ear and A.Mill. capable of guarding 2 guards than he may be the answer.

did I say the ""THE ANSWER" , NO PUN INTENDED.

pittsnogle last three games--61 pts, 11 threes, 22 boards, 100% from line; plus he's got sweet tats. call him up ed.

Jusy my hunch, but the Suns are on the verge of possible diarray.

Sixers are xatching them at the right time as they struggle thru this major comfusion that will last for another week or two at a minimum.I think.

looks like Hill can!t pick upMarion!s slack at the defensive end. If we traded Iggy, we would also have those defensive issues.

Andre Iguodala is an overrated defensive player. Good speed. Good quicks. Good wingspan. Good springs. Overall, better than average, but not great. Overanxious. Overplays. Overpowered sometimes. Loves the reach. Not board ravenous. Generally effective, a positive utility, but don't believe the "special" hype on that end of the court. Observe for yourself tonight.

board ravenous? he!s not a termite.Just kidding. Don!t think he!s great but above average. I like the fact he can guard 3 positions.

3 positions?? Name 'em. 2 & 3 only in his capacity, imo.

This is a little off topic but I'm pissed about it so here it is:

A team like Denver, a team that will finish the season with about a dozen more wins then the Sixers, will have a higher draft pick then the Sixers! Its not just Denver either. Teams like Houston and Portland have more wins and will still pick in front of us!

I thought the draft was supposed to help the weaker teams?

The NBA changed the way they slotted teams in the playoffs because they had teams trying to fall to #6 so they could take on a weaker division winner(#3) instead of the better #4 seed. They should change the way they slot the draft too! The lottery only draws the first 3 slots anyway and then slots the remaining teams by reverse order of finish. All teams that don't make the playoffs would still be in the lottery but the slotting by record would extend to include the first round losers in the playoffs. This way teams like Philly, NJ, or Atlanta (who ever the 6-8 seeds in the East are) aren't penalized for being in a clearly weaker conference.

Ok. I'm done ranting now!

I know everybody already knew this about Denver picking higher and I was just stating the obvious but I was bored and waiting for the game to start. So I had some time to kill. But what do you think about changing to include the first round losers? I think its fair.

I will never diss willie green ever again

Count,

This team rarely plays man to man defense, so unclear what your point is.
The only guy Iguodala mans up on for 30 plus mins a game is LeBron.

Doesnt the gut do enough for this team, on a game by game basis, without having fans cracking on who he is defending, when in a game, and why? How many guys you want him to defend?

Becoming an all NBA defender takes years. Iguodala has accepted, along with all the offensive roles asked, to guard all types of guards/forwards, and switch in game.

Man, can u grasp that? While ALWAYS being defended by ea teams top, or top 2, defenders. Other than Kobe, in his own league, who else does ALL that, every game?
Dude just turned 24. '

Stop Whining.

Booth obviously wouldn't be the key to the trade (duh!), nor would he be the only player involved, which is why people use the term "package". Read more carefully, sfw.