Deep Sixer

We might need a sg way more then a PF. Wee Willie Green is the worst.

Marc, the team lost because of a lack of intensity? How about they lost against the worst team in the Western Conference because of a lack of talent?

I've been trying to tell you guys forever, this team doesn't have enough talent and needs to first upgrade the talent before it can begin to compete. Stefanski first has to do whatever he can to get a low post threat. The team with the low post threat won tonight, which happens most nights in the NBA. The more low post threats you have, the better team that you are.

Stefanski needs to either trade A. Miller and get the cap space and draft picks needed to upgrade the team or go and get Artest for this stretch run. If Stefanski believes the best route for him to get that low post threat is to keep Miller, then that's fine.

Keep Miller, but go and get Artest for the rest of this year and maybe for a few more. The day Artest becomes a 76er, he'd be the team's best and only low post threat and best basketball player.

The only bright spot I saw tonight was Thad SURE did look good spotting up from 16 to 18 feet. That's the shot he hit consistently in college and even out to the 3-point line. Kevin Ollie played harder than anybody on the 76ers tonight, and that is pitiful, folks.

A bad, bad loss, but it could be a good one if it helps convince Stefanski to blow this ship up. Man, think about it, this team just got beat down and blown out by the worst team in the West after talking about a playoff run.

What a Flop! Marc, can you take off the rose colored glasses and just admit this team doesn't have enough talent to compete and win right now. The best option to get more talent is to move Miller. It ain't rocket science.

When Sam plays like he played tonight, he's stealing money. Plain and simple.

Maybe Stefanski should threaten Dalembert and Jason Smith and tell them unless they learn a post game and a back to the basket move that they will be 76ers their whole career. That ought to scare them into spending some serious time in that area to improve.

Two days to trade day and I want: A. A. Miller moved for expiring contracts and 2 no. 1's or R. Artest in a 76ers uniform.
Anything else will be disappointing.

Your thoughts?

I must admit I thought my boy's were going to come out of the break on fire but I was wrong they were flat. No biggy, now let's go get it back, get the running shoe back on and let's put the fear back in teams like we did before the break. We had team dropping way below their scoring average because their minds were on stopping our fast break and limiting their turnovers. Come on Mo, let's get the mustang's up and ready to run, the break is over we gotta sprint to the finih line baby!

Marc, we all know Cleveland desperately wants A. Miller and that Stefanski has told them to see if they can get a 3rd team involved to make something happen. Well, how about this trade, that works out for both teams:

To Cavs:
Andre Miller ($9.3M)
Reggie Evans ($4.3M)
Willie Green ($3.09M)

To 76ers:
Drew Gooden ($6.4M)
Ira Newble ($3.4M)
S. Brown ($1.04M)
Donyell Marshall ($5.5M)
2 No. 1 picks (2008 & 2010)

All of the salaries work, Cavs $16.3M, 76ers $16.6M. With this trade, the 76ers will go into the offseason with $14.4M in salary cap room and 2 no. 1 draft picks.

And in the summer of 2009, it will go into that offseason with $13M in expiring contracts (Gooden at $7.1M, Marshall at $5.95M) and 2 no. 1 picks (Utah's pick and its own).

And in 2010, the 76ers will have 2 no. 1 picks as well (Cavs' 2nd no. 1 and the 76ers own).

The cap space and extra no. 1 pick would allow the 76ers to sign a backup shooting point guard that can hit the 3 (Roger Mason, Chris Duhon, Delonte West) and draft its PG of the future (Augustine, Collison, Lawson) with its 2nd no. 1 pick.

Your thoughts on this trade?

datruth- I don't like the idea of giving up Evans. I can't believe I just said that but I like what he brings off the bench and he really doesn't cost that much at $4 mill.

I think Ed should try and get Golden State involved in a 3 team deal with Cleveland. I can't believe Golden State isn't making a move. Both teams in their division have made moves. They could use a player like Gooden to help. Pietrus has said he wants out of GS and he has an expiring contract. Plus they have a $10 million trade exemption from the Richardson deal!

How about a deal something like this? This all works if GS uses part of that exemption.

Clev gets:
Miller (Phi)
Booth

Golden St gets:
Gooden (Cle)
Green (Phi)
Amundson
Utah's #1 pick

Philly gets:
Newble (Cle)
Azubuike (GS)
Pietrus
Wright
2 first round picks from Cle ('08,'10)
first round pick from GS ('08)

Cleveland gets their PG and only has to give up 2 players and the 2 first rounders are just the going rate(ask Dallas!). I make them take Booth because I don't want him taking up roster space next year(player option)!

Golden State gets a starting PF(not saying he would start in GS) in Gooden to help with LA(Gasol,Odom). They also get a SG in Green that can come off the bench and add a spark. And they might not mind his longer contract because they have a few players they are going to have to resign this year(Ellis,Biedrins) and the next couple. Plus they get a future pick!

Philly gets 2 young talents in Azubuike and Wright. Azubuike is a good young 6'5" SG that could help off the bench and Wright is a young PF that was named tournament MVP at last years NCAA's. Yes he's rail thin but he's only 20 and he's worth a shot. This trade saves about $4 million on this years salary(which is actually $8 million because of luxury tax!) and adds about $8 million in cap space this off season from the 3 expiring contracts of Pietrus, Newble and Azubuike. We also turn Utah's future first rounder into a first rounder this year when I think we could use it more(more holes to fill). This would give us 3 first rounders this year plus all that cap space! And still have 2 picks in 2010!

What do you think?

I hope the rumors of Mo's new contract are true. He deserves it! He might put some crazy line-ups out there sometimes but the team almost always seems to play hard for him and the young guys keep getting better.

I don't get it why trade to get a bunch of inconsistant ball players for players who at list play hard every night. Oh snap, I get it your getting ready for April fools right?

You know even if you free up all that cake (money) that don't mean big time talent is gona come to a sorry team with no players on it, but you could pick up a bunch of Chris Webber's.

I am amazed by such extreme opinions. I shouldn't be, but I am. I have been a Philadelphia fan my entire life and I am well aware of how, as fans, we have a tandancy to get way to high and way to low. Lets keep this simple. We knew what we had coming into this season. This is a work in progress, and a 5 game winning streak did not make us immediate contenders just as the 7 game losing streak in January didnt make Thad the wrong pick in the draft.
The truth is that even if they play .700 basketball the rest of the way, that experience wins in the NBA playoffs. That's not to say that getting in and getting some of that experience would be a bad thing. What it means is that this team is not ready to make a serious run yet. We dont know for sure exactly how big of a role L. williams can play. We dont the what the total upside of Thad is. We dont know what Iggy is thiking about his future as a Sixer. The fact is that the Sixers have upgraded themselves in the last year. They may not have Iverson, but they will have plenty of flexibility in the upcoming off-season. Sit back, enjoy watching Thad as he matures into a 20/ 10 player, and wait for the net piece or 2 to come our way this off season. After that, we can start to look for a top 4 seeding in the East, and a year or 2 of more playoff experience before drawing in a veteran to get us over the top.
This isnt the make or break season that it may seem like to those of us who have been waiting a championship in Philly since Nova won in 85'. No matter how much you want to read into a loss to a terrible Timberwolves team, that is all it is, a loss to the Timberwolves. It doesnt mean we should write off Thad and Iggy and Lou and Carney. It's a loss by a team that we accepted at the begining of the year, would be rebuilding for the next 2 or 3. So relax and watch them grow. Rome wasnt built at the trade deadline.

Road to the Playoffs: New York

Let me try to get over Willie Green looking like he was playing drunk...

The Knicks played well last night, but they have a hard time putting together two good games in a row. It'll be a close game, but the Sixers are at home and I can see them trying to redeem themselves after last night's slop. I can't believe they wasted one game like that. Their half-court game was awful!

But on paper, the Knicks look like they can take the Sixers; they've got defenders for Iggy, have a fast PG in Nate Robinson, and have forwards that can abuse Thad Young down low. I think it'll come down to the Sixers just wanting the game more, and pulling out a close win.

If they are gonna play a lot of half-court sets, I'd like to see Thad and Jason get more touches down low. Jason looks like he can draw fouls, and Thad just looks like he has a knack for putting the ball in the basket. And I hope a Drexel engineer can come up with some kind of device that runs an electric shock through Carney's body whenever he tries to to throw up a shot behind the 3-point line.

Well said Ray and Kevin.

Love all these guys who want to get rid of our best player for a can of corn...expiring contracts and draft picks are good to have but you need a nucleus first. We have a nucleus and Miller is part of that nucleus.

We all know we need more talent to compete, but lets be patient. We have a team that is growing, that hustles beyond most NBA teams most every night (not last night though), and we have a coach who is a leader with great character.

I agree with Ray and Kevin...lets enjoy this team, watch them grow, and Ed will add some pieces.

P.S. Don't be surprised if Lou Williams is part of a trade sooner than later.

Kevin- I don't know if you were refering to my trade but I was just throwing out ideas. If you have a better one please feel free to share but please don't give me this crap about keeping Miller. John seems to think "Miller is part of that nucleus". Are you kidding me? When I think of nucleus, I think of players that are going to be around for many years. Miller will be gone after next year at the latest. I don't want hear about resigning him either. He is going to want a 5 year extension if not longer and the Sixers would be nuts to give it to him. He is already slowing down and is a liability on defense. Not to mention the fact that he might just decide to leave for a better opportunity even if the Sixers did offer him a contract. So trade him! I'd much rather bring in a young PG that will be around for the next 10 years.

John- I do agree with you about Lou Will. I wouldn't be surprised if he was dealt.

I have a compromise between the fans, me, who want a higher pick; and the fans who want the team to get playoff tested.What if in the last 10 games we have a shot at a playoff spot, wouldn!t that pressure show what our young players are made of. We don!t need the playoffs any more than meaningfull games at the end of the year; both agendas are accomplished. John, couldn!t agree more about L.Will.; I actually hoped he played real well against Minn., because I don!t think A.Miller is going anywhere, right now he is our C.Billups; who else would you rather have the ball at the end of the game!! W e need a big defensive backup point to go with A.Miller, [Westbrook, K.Weaver,etc. ], I think L.Will. is used on draft night to either move up, or get us a 1st rounder if E.S. sees a player on the board that fills a need.

Time for a quick rant:

Marc,

When a team plays as if in a fog, or as if in a deep freeze, its also on the Coaching Staff.

The Korver trade becomes more distressing every day

Who is the Shooting Coach? Which Coach is assigned to correct Iguodala's sudden free throw woes, which appear nechanical? Before he becomes the Bron of old at the Stripe?

This team needs Iguodala to go off in order to win most games. Yet, when Iguodala is aggressively calling for the rock from the perimeter, Andre Miller is NOT kicking him out the rock. Whats up with that?

Willie Green had no rebounds and no assists. Worse, dis he even throw a pass?

Somehow, the loss of Aaron McKie has left a Void that needs to be filled. How? God knows. But you can feel the void.

There's more, but whats the point.

Well, the trading deadline is counting down. Let the trade speculation begin!

Portland is fading. Wouldn't be a bad spot for A. Miller to guide that young team.

Rumored 3 way between Nets(carter), Knicks(center) & Miami(expiring contracts) sounds interesting.

Anything else??????

Guys, aren't we all glad we didn't trade up to get Corey Brewer...look at his 19 minute box score from last night!

Dear Ed Stefanski,

Please do not sign Maurice Cheeks' to a contract extension!!!!! No!!!

If Andre Miller gets traded this team turns into a disgusting train wreck the rest of the year. I'll be disgusted, you'll be disgusted, and the team will sink to lows we haven't seen since the John Lucas years.

My concern is that that trend will continue well into next year. The "talent" or "currency" we receive in return doesn't have anywhere close to the skillset Andre brings. I'm not saying he's Magic Johnson or anything but he makes this team better. Trade him for something that is a known quantity or we see a brand of basketball that alienates the team from its fans and the city more than ever before.

I seriously can't wait for the deadline to pass so I can stop looking at these insane trade proposals.

Also, Andre Iguodala has to be having the worst free throw shooting % of his entire life. Ben Wallace and Shaq are shooting better than him, and that is just awful.

I understand that they're trying to be a run n gun squad, but if they don't have the shooter and big men to score when they're not running, this team will always be playing from behind. Good fast break teams also can score when necessary from the half court set.

I am amazed at how many people are willing to overlook the team's deplorable record to point out that the East is weak this year. What is the point? You want to be a weak playoff team- for what? You are so starved for a a meal that you'll take rubber- it doesn't satisfy. You need talent. With the Eagles I'm never satisfied with a half decent squad that missed the playoffs. Why should I be satisfied with the Sixers when they are not talented enough.

I hope Lou Will stays and Willy and Carney go. Lou has talent. He is very good off the bench. We need to exchange people with skill sets that don't fit this team. Carney plays D, but he doesn't do much else. Willy's scores double digits and Carney still has some upside. Trade them for someone with a little of both for the bench. It saves you a contract, albeit small. ES has to figure out who would give you both.

I would only trade Miller in a package for a very good young PG that shoots well. Next year is a different story- his value peaks. Another thing, unless it's apparent that a very good young big becomes available, DO NOT trade Iguodala. He's got good value, and may make the all star squad next year. At least wait till his value peaks if you want to trade him! Remember that when you are the one pushing for a trade, your player's value just diminished in the eyes of the team you talk to. They want to give you less than you want to give. The only chance is if they're desperate- like Dallas was, like Memphis was. ES has to figure out which teams are most desperate and approach them. He needs to figure out which team's weakness he can attempt to exploit.

Ed also need to determine if Sammy's going to improve or if he remains the same. What do you guys think- has Sammy peaked out? I think what you see is what you get at this point. He's decent, not bad, but I don't believe he's the guy that will take us over the top. He can support a very good n healthy Brand or improved Josh Smith, etc. I don't think he'll ever change to become a solid offensive contributor. He plays some defense- blocking shots, but is a poor man defender. He has improved on his shot as of the past month or so. What do you think?

Congrats to Mo Cheeks if he gets the extention. I have bad mouthed him in the past, but he is a champion and he provides stability. As for the trading deadline, I was hoping we would make a play for one of Seattle's big men, specifically Collison or Sene. If Seattle wants to go with young guys, offer Giricek for Collison, if they want to keep Collison offer Carney for Sene (10th pick in 2006. Sixers looked lethargic last night. Brewer locked Iggy down in the first half.

Why was Willie Green given a contract extension? You could find better players in the D-League. Just another reminder of Billy King's incompetence. If Stefanski has to move Miller tomorrow, please put Willie in the deal.

Xing:

I'd tend to agree with you about Sammy, he may have small improvements left in him, but he's probably close to maxed out.

I've said for some time now, that I don't mind if they make the playoffs, missing the lottery, as long as they play the young guys. But what to make of last night when Jason Smith plays 12 minutes, Carney plays 10 minutes and Ollie plays 17?!! 17 minutes? Even 18 minutes from Green was too much. Mo needs to have a talk with ES again. I swear I saw Evans pay the C position last night, with Miller, Ollie, Lou and Green on the court. Crazy!
Morty and Moishe Recommend...

Snider's 76ers:

- 3 raw college-aged kids
- 1 second-tier SF parading as a superstar
- 1 slow offensively OK, defensively slack PG
- 1 C with poor grasp of game
- 1 PF with scant offensive power
- 1 SG who is not a deep shooter
- assorted bench flotsam
- retro coaching staff

While offering above product, Snider has a lot of gall to bemoan empty seats, especially at current ticket prices. Vendors on Broad St. hustle. How about assembling a viable team?

Last night's exhibition was pitiful but for one, Kevin Ollie.

Coach Mo and a contract extension? Say it ain't so. Exigencies of 2008 call. Perpetuation of clubbiness won't get organization to top. Croce knew that.

I still think we should keep miller around. I think if we draft a point guard like Darren Collison, I think he would be the perfect sucessor to Miller.With our current standing in the lottery, it looks like we'll be in perfect position to draft him. From what I hear about him he has incredible quickness, he is a lock down defender, he has a decent outside shot, and he is a pass first point guard that is great at running an offense. If we keep miller around for at least another year he will be able to tutor this young guard. If anybody needs to be traded off this team is players like Amudson, Ollie, Booth, Randolph, or Green. If get rid of these players for expiring contracts and draft picks, I think we'll free up some additional cap space and still go after a free agent like Josh Smith. I think we could have a lineup of PG Miller, SG Iggy, SF Thad, PF Josh Smith, C Dalembert, sixth man Lou Williams, with a bench of Carney, Evans, Jason Smith, Herbert Hill, Darren Collison, and any other draft picks.

It is nice to see you all echoing what I have been saying about Willie Green not passing and how Dalembert has peaked and has no basketball IQ. Where are all of the people who are saying what a genius BK was for drafting Green - he is terrible.

Also, what is this love affair with Miller. He is playing very well, but does anyone realize his limitations and age and contract status. He is trade bait all the way. I would move him if the right deal came along, but I don't want any long contracts/talent, because we are not going to get anything like that for him. It will be picks/expiring contracts and that is what we need to rebuild right now. I hate to say this, because I love Mo as a person, but he is not a very good head coach. He is a great assistant, but not a good head coach. I am ok with him for one more year, but by that time it will be time to make a change. I say bring back LB as a coach but give him no say over personnel a la Detroit.

I think Mo deserves the extension, hopefully two years max. He has somehow kept this team ( last night withstanding ) competitive every night with a lack of talent. They have busted it every night and the players seem to like playing for him and respect him.
Now 2 years from now when they are in contention for a conference title ( wishful thinking ) they may need a coach with a stronger grasp of the x and o's of the game. But until then .. give him the extension.

Its one thing to lose a game.

But after a 5 day layoff, if a team lays an egg and doesnt compete, regardless of opponent, thats a COACHING RED FLAG.

Look around the league Boxscores last nite. Each game has a winner and loser, but note the teams that laid eggs. Note the Coaches.

Philly,Charlotte, Atl, and Det laid eggs.

If you are high qualitty Coach, you disallow your team, after 5 days off, to lay an egg.
Its quite revealing, and note how the top Coaches all provided necessary motivation to ensure their squads came out and competed hard, mostly victoriously.

MAJOR RED FLAG on Cheeks, and staff.

Morty, why was Ollie on the floor? To remind the young guys how to play hard, to play "D".

Mo is trying to build a winning atmosphere as well as teach the kids. One of the first rules...you EARN minutes!

Hay-Zeus, "major red flag"...are you kidding...give me a break. Mo has kept this team together and hustling all season, and you are going to red flag him for last night?

Get real!

Sam Vincent, Mike Woodson, Cheeks, even Flip.

Major Red Flags. Yup. We disagree. So be it

John:

I hear you, but 17 minutes worth of life lessons from a guy that won't be here next year?

You also don't learn sitting on the bench watching your team get run out the gym by the worst team in the league. I'll give you ten minutes max for Ollie's life lessons.

And would you or another of Mo's advocates please explain his Miller, Ollie, Lou Dre Evans lineup? What was the lesson behind 2 PGS, an undersized combo guard, a SF/SG hybrid and an undersized PF?

I'm wondering if Mo was given the "tank" order...

I hope so - tank all the way. If the game gets close, I want to see Ollie and Evans on the court with Sam.

If the nets could trade Jason Collins and his god awful contract, then why cant we trade willie green? Why the F does Willie Green get playing time? I respect Mo, but stuff like this makes me think that he needs to go.

Yet Another Mystery Of The 21st Century:

Why does Reggie Evans insist on going coast-to-coast with a rebound when he's shooting 44.4% from the line?

Who's in charge of THAT?

The 76ers and coach Maurice Cheeks are near a contract extension, according to Philadelphia-area media reports.

Morty:

I guess we should get used to Mo and his line 2 PGS, an undersized combo guard, a SF/SG hybrid and an undersized PF.

If I have to sit through 3 more seasons of willie green starting I am going to crap myself.

Good for Mo. Wish it was Jay Wright to be honest, but Mo's done a great job with a group of really young players.

Here's a trade idea. Portland has far out-performed this year and is contention for the playoffs. You could say they are a point guard and big man away from being true contenders in the West. So here's my idea.

Portland gets:
Andre Miller
Sam Dalembert

Sixers get:
Greg Oden
Raef LaFrenz
Jarret Jack/Rudy Fernandez

The trade works cap wise and LaFrenz' contract expires next year. Portland gets a proven and steady point guard and a double double Center to allow Aldridge to run at the 4 spot.

We get a young guard prospect and our center for the next 10 years. I would do this in a heartbeat and if Portland wants to compete this year they might do the same. Any thoughts?

PORT gonna trade Greg Oden? lol . May as well add in Brandon Roy while you are dreaming. Think you need to drink some stronger coffee, son.

Theo: Put the pipe down. You just wasted your time with that post.

Greg Oden????

Marc, I'm sorry you have to read some of the comments on this blog.

It's not that silly. Besides have a knee injury what has Oden done? Dalambert is 26 with a double double and 4th in blocks. They have no point guard. It's not as far-fetched as it sounds. Utah's pick would be involved, but there is basis in reality, nephew.

Theo, Oden from Portland? Why not get Duncan from Spurs? Same probability.

Theo.

Take a LONG Nap. Please. NOW.

Maybe we can move Sam for fun size kit kat.....

A few observations about last night.

Dalembert took a few steps back. he was not only a non factor as far as contributing, but he went back to being "goofy-D" again instead of being "sammy-D". several times i saw him stick his arms into a teammate's rebound and knock the ball away from both of them, and make other plays that just looked out of synch and hurt the team. Maybe, as Salmi said early in the game, it was because he was sick from not bringing a coat to freakin minnesota...

Willie took a few steps back. Jacking up bad shots again, no attempt to pass or play D.

What happened to the 3/4 court "tempo" trap they were running so effectively with Carney, Evans, and others during the win streak? failed to show its head last night. And I was going to get on Carney for not D ing it up, but then i saw that he only got 10 minutes, so i geuss that's not really on him.

which leads to my next point - as Morty and others observed the lineups were totally crazy. I generally support mo, but i really question the coaching that went into last night. Maybe the deal they're dangling for him is to bring him on board with tanking? i dont know, but there was something rotten going on with the lineups last night.

Bright spot - Thaddeus cannot miss the basket. Needs to learn defensive rotations, but i like this kid more every time i see him.

And what's up with lou amundson's 4 points in 1 minute? trivia question - who has the best shooting % on this team? yes, that would be lou amundson at exactly 2/3. obviously the sample size is too small to make anything serious of that(and it exclusively garbage time), but if we're going to put out crazy lineups anyway he may as well figure in more.

Theo, why dont you go to a Portland board and try out your suggestion. I can't believe taht I am even wasting my time responding to this.

Mo Cheeks cannot be ripped for last night's performance. Is it his fault that the players were reading their own press clippings? Give me a break...it's one game. Mo has done a stellar job since AI left of keeping this team together and developing the young guys. He deserves his contract extension.

The future of this franchise is on Mr. Stefanski. If he can't pull a deal off (either to bring in a young PG like Lowry - easily available), bring in a top notch shooter (Mike Miller) or Ron Artest (both available for expiring contracts and a draft pick), or move Andre Miller to free up cap space, then he shouldn't be running this team. There are clearly BIG deals to be made, as the past month in the NBA has shown. I'll repeat it...staying the course would be A DISASTER and would only impede the progress of this young group. Ed, you have the three paths that I described above. I'm sure you've dissected every possible scenario; choose 1 of them, put your neck out there, and MAKE A MOVE.

KM:

I feel the same way about Thad, every time I see him he looks better. Did you see the spin move down the lane he ended with a banked hook? The kid really knows how to use the glass and is not shy about it. Sixerzguy nailed it by calling him old school.

Hows this lineup up? Amundson, Evans, Smith, Sammy and Miller. Its got height, a great PG, height, shot blocking and rebounding, height and... ?

Yes, Ed, if you don't make a move right now you've proven to myself and others that you are not qualified to run an NBA team! Forget about the free agency, forget about the draft, forget about all of that. It's do or die, baby! Free Billy King!

Aside from "laying the pipe down" and "taking a nap" no one has bothered even thinking about that trade idea as a possibility. Not one argument? Sad.

But honestly, tell me what Oden has done so far besides have a serious knee injury. And now tell me he doesn't have the potential of being as good but not better than Dalembert. Does he have the potential to be better? Sure. But he's a year behind now and Portland looks ready to win this year.

p.s.
I have no problem getting called out, but use an argument when you do it as opposed to pro wrestling style cat calls. It demeans us both.

Theo, you suck. You, as well as ES, are not qualified to run an NBA team!

(kidding, kidding)

You are wasting everyone's time Theo. Why do you think he was Drafted #1 ?
Once you can answer that question, you will realize the level of lunacy of your post.

Now if you CANT answer it, then please go to Sixers forum. You dont belong here, son. OK?

"Denver and the Los Angeles Clippers, who the Griz face tonight in the Staples Center, are the teams reportedly making a serious push for Miller and Lowry's services.

However, no deals were imminent. The Griz have officially rejected at least five sane offers for Miller and they were not close to consummating anything with the 14 squads interested in Lowry, according to a team insider."

Sounds like they seriously want to unload a bad contract along with Miller and/or Lowry. Sorry, Deano.

Theo, so sorry your feeling were hurt that no one, and I mean NO ONE, took your trade proposal seriously. But alas one needs to advance a credible scenario to be taken seriously.

I will give you one thing though...you provided a really good laugh for us all!

Morty, the small lineup was just Mo's way of trying to get the team running...nothing was working, he was just trying to get ENERGY!

Amazing thing is that if he went with the standard rotation, Theo or a Theo-like would be screaming because he didn't try anything new!

One more thing Theo, how about if we throw Her (I'M ODEN-LIKE) Hill into the deal or would that be giving away too much?!

Good to laugh Theo, no harm meant!

"Several league sources reiterated that the Nuggets had offered the expiring contract of forward Eduardo Najera and a first-round draft pick for Artest. The holdup, though, remained third-year small forward Linas Kleiza, a player who could certainly help the Kings in the present tense and without whom Geoff Petrie is not expected to do the deal. -- Sacramento Bee"

Doesn't sound like an expring contract and a pick is the price for Artest. Sorry, Deano.

"With Thursday afternoon's trade deadline looming, Ed Stefanski is enjoying his role as president and general manager of the Sixers.

“It's always exciting that you're talking to teams,” Stefanski said in a telephone conversation late Tuesday afternoon. “There's a lot of action and activity.”

However, Stefanski, who succeeded Billy King on Dec. 4, said nothing was on the verge of happening for the Sixers.

“There's nothing I would say is a strong deal out there for us right now,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, we're calling everyone and talking.”
"Stefanski also said the Sixers, who are projected to be $10 million below the salary cap this summer, would be more likely to make a trade for a player to help them this year and beyond rather than trying to clear more cap space."

I can understand trying to get energy, but if that's the case why only 10 minutes to carney? How about amundson if you want some energy, he's only had about 10 minutes all season so he should be pretty fresh...

On an unrelated note, i cant wait until 4pm tomorrow either...barring any crazy moves i think I'll wait till then to check in here again. Or maybe until friday when everyone has already gotten their "fire ed" posts out of the way.

If I was Ed, I'd have an itch to make a deal too, knowing that he likely jumped the gun by dealing Korver too quick, and likely for too little in return. And arguably, without sufficient reason.

John:

Well that certainly was a "creative" lineup, but that's the best I can say about it.

In the NBA, Mo will only ever be as good as the players he has to work with. He is a decent locker room guy who will be fine if you give him superstar players to work with, and thus limit his decisions. Doc Rivers is a perfect comparable. Larry Brown, Phil Jackson and Pat Reilly he is not.

KM:

Free Billy King!

Don't even entertain such comments about Oden - a joke - waste of time to even type this.

A trade won't be made until the draft, because we have to wait until we see how it shakes out with our draft position and if we can get a decent PG - maybe we can steal Rose. I would seriously look to move Sammy, but if the NBA GMs are worth anything, they will not take him off our hands for anything - I wonder if Indiana would like to move Jermaine O'neal for Sammy and something - he doesn't appear to be happy there and he is a leigitmate post player (one of few) when he is healthy. I fear that Larry Bird (one of the smartest NBA players of all time) will not be dumb enough to take on Sammy's contract given his basketball IQ.

Carney
Dalembert
Ollie
Smith

for

O'neal

The obvious problem is that O'neal only has one more year after this on his deal and Sammy has 3. Ollie is expiring and Carney and Smith are young talent with only one more year. I know it's wishful thinking.

Sammy and OBrien? Nope. Thats Oil and Water, my friend. No shot.

Dean, It's not 1 game. It's 54 and 2 previous seasons! Stellar, Cheeks ain't. I'm sure you know the record, here and in Portland.

A demanding coach, not one who nurses overpaid "learners" and leans to empathic commiseration with charges, would better fit the bill. Cheeks, a positive person and one wise to NBA, nevertheless retains an ass't coach's personality and shows like capacities.

'Young club going places' is PR smoke, leading nowhere. No one on this team, even wunderkind Young, should be considered unavailable if right offer comes along.