Deep Sixer

Marc, I am completely and utterly surprised. I have been a fan for 40 years but the Webber-Iverson/Sixers were impossible for me to watch. As an ex-high school coach, ex-Drexel broadcaster, and a person who LOVES the game, I began to hate the pro game.

Then Andre Miller gave me my game back. Then Reggie Evans announced to me "we are not soft any more." Larry Brown called it "playing the right way." I thought maybe 34 wins this year, then lottery pick and maybe a shot next year. In my mind, Thad Young--total happy surprise, Lou Williams--more than expected, Sammy--still frustrating but more good than bad, The two Andre's--awesome Marc, I am so thrilled with this team and I will say it again----Mo Cheeks for Coach of the Year. If Mo's gets Celts, they still win 60 but if Doc Rivers gets Sixers, maybe we do not have 36 w's and counting.

Marc:

Ignore that "frank" comment. He couldn't read, that was his problem. Most everyone here, the regulars at least, love the blog and the way you handle it. Keep on keeping on.

Anyone who saw this coming was of the ultra-homer persuasion. We're all fans here, but we're also clear eyed non-homers. Meaning, like you, we didn't see this coming.

As recently as the trade deadline some people wanted to trade anyone and everyone. Even people, like myself, who saw potential still didn't see playoffs in the future unless it was a total back-in because the East is so bad.

I do remember back in the first month + of the season, and that team was awful, terrible. And boring to boot.

Anyone who saw 40+ wins back then should have been committed. Now I want them making investments for me.

I thought the Sixers would, like last year, hover around that 8-10 seed & maybe sneek into the playoffs. What they're doing now is a big & pleasant suprise to me. I am loving every minute of it!

Go Sixers!

sdm

I live in Western Massachusetts and bought the NBA package on DirecTV just to watch the Sixers. I was watching them play in mid-January, they were losing in front of no fans at home, but they still (except for a few quarters) played hard. I can't say that I thought they would make the playoffs, but watching them win has been great - you can't imaging what it's like to live with these Boston fans..

To be honest. Before this season I thought we had a chance to make the playoffs. With the success of the team in the second half of last season I thought we could carry that momentum into this season and maybe pull the 8 or 7 seed. After the first month or two of this season obviously that all went out the window and I just figured we were rebuilding so no big deal. I always thought we had potential but just never reached it. While I am very surprised with out recent surge, I can't say I'm blown away because we have very very good young talent. That 5 seed would be nice.. Let's Go Sixers!

Sixers ain't in yet. Don't count yer chickins... .

Let me be one of the first to say that I saw this coming!! I made no predictions on the record, but I saw no reason why they would not make the playoffs seeded anywhere from 5 to 8. I said that the only teams that scare me were Boston, Toronto, Detroit, and Cleveland. Not to toot my own horn, but you asked for it!!! Marc, you told me to slow down after they had beat NY in back to back games in convincing fashion.

Glad to see my boys making me look good (at least on this issue)

I live in Lake Charles,Louisiana and I can honestly say that I saw this coming.I stated several times before the season started that the Sixers would make the playoffs to my fellow cohorts who are fans of the Celtics,Lakers, and Cavaliers.I may not be from or live in the city of Philadelphia but I am the realest Sixers fan you will find.When Iverson requested the trade I felt bad but I knew then that no matter what team he was traded to, I was not going to give up on Iguodala,Korver (who I wish was still a Sixer),Green,Williams,Carney,and the rest of the crew.I didn't budge when Webber left, no real fan would've.I didn't think they would make the playoffs cuz the East is "weak" or "inferior to the West", but because I believed in the guys on the roster.Losing Korver was tough for me but the guys stepped and I moved on, and I still wish Korver nothing but the best.I'll be a Sixers fan until I leave this earth.I don't wanna be a fan of a team like the Celtics.I don't jump on bandwagons.I've been on this one since the NBA Finals in 2001, and didn't leave when they lost.Those guys have competed every night since the beginning of the season.The recent wins against Phoenix,Detroit, and the remarkable comebacks in Boston and Chicago didn't surprise and wouldn't surprise a true fan like myself.People say they love the "underdog", exactly what the Sixers have been since the day Iverson left but a team like Boston is formed and everyone jumps on the bandwagon not truly understanding what or who they're really cheering for and most importantly, WHY.

BB:

Can you call the bottom of the economic downturn?

In the midst of a flood of negativity from other posters, I first mentioned the possibility of the Sixers rising to the 6th seed in this very blog, under the Feb. 11 post 'Momentum Continues for Sixers.' At the time, they were 22-30 and probably around 10th in the conference, though they had just beaten the Mavs for their 4th straight win.

However, what is the difference between astute observation and foolhardy optimism? Only the results, really. I will say, though, that I was in the minority of those who (a) wanted to keep this team together and (b) wanted this team to do as well as possible. In February, opinions ran at least 3-to-1 (and maybe 4-to-1) to make a major trade and/or tank.

Statman:

I remember that. And you were nuts to mention the 6th seed.

I wasn't in the trade or tank camps, but I was nowhere near your camp!

Never fails how people can take such a great opportunity to say the dumbest things! If people are jumping on your bandwagon that means you have a bandwagon to jump on , and is't that a good thing. Fact is Sixers are rolling at the right time, just hope that they dont peak to soon. The pace they keep is ridiculous, I guess you can do that when half your roster is 25 and under.
DONT SLEEP ON THE SIXERS

Q
CHILLIN IN BMORE

I never proposed tanking, but I did view this team as rag-tag, a collection of useable but disposable parts, not playoff-bound. Even with surge and playoff probability, I haven't moved from that opinion much. Sixers are on the upswing but the next step up is considerable. Where do they go from here? Lots of decisions on table this summer. Professional teams in the free agency era change character, sometimes vastly, year to year. It's a great challenge for GMs to piece their respective puzzles. I have more faith in Stefanski than I did in King re roster building. Still, on the whole, the Seventy-Sixers are presently an average team with potential to climb. Could steal a 1st round series depending on match-up, will probably flatten out with half-court game pace prevailing.

PS

MISSING FREE THROWS IS A SIGN OF FATIGUE!!

Marc,

It is amazing...no one saw this coming, not even the players I bet!

Why haven't we seen more on the job MO CHEEKS and STAFF have done with this team.

MO deserves all good things...he is a quiet leader as a coach just as he was as our best PG.

He has to get serious COY consideration doesn't he?

John

Marc, I wanted a high lottery pick, but I didn!t want them to tank. See [CELTICS LAST YEAR]; i FELT WE HAD TO GET REAL BAD TO GET REAL GOOD!!! But maybe, just maybe the young guys are gonna be real good.Maybe its just our time, Toronto taking the stiff instead of Iggy; B.K. taking another wing at 12 and almost another [D.Cook] at 20.Yet Thad is the real deal[ By the way, at our draft party I wanted J.Smith at 12]; L.Will. in the 2nd round, we all thought another A.I.? Mo as the "popular" choice to coach; what a great job he is doing. A.Miller coming in with the right attitude, look at the J.Kidd fiasco in N.J., nuff said about that. It has been a great turnaround and hopefully it will continue.

I'm not going to lie here, I saw this coming after last season's late season surge. I saw them having a winning record by season's end but I was expecting them to either being an 8 seed or just missing out on the playoffs. I can honestly say I didn't expect them to be this close to the middle of the playoff pack They have a legitimate chance at being a number 5 team, heck if Cleveland keeps playing the way it is the Sixers (or Washington) could sneak up to number 4 seed. HOME COURT FOR THE SIXERS BABY!!!! I'm not ready to buy that one yet though...they still have to learn how to beat Atlanta although as I said last week in one of my comments, "A win against the Boston Three Party could go a long way for this team's confidence."

When I though about the late season run of last year and I saw the predictions for this year, it made me sick that we got no respect. What makes me even more sick is that on ESPN.com we get no love. How is this team not one of the top 10 stories of the year in the NBA? We got a blurb on the lower right hand side and even then Portland got more love then we did. Also, when Boston beat us last week it was a big headline with a big picture and everything. We beat Boston last night and we got a little link no picture, no big headline about us going on a 19-0 run to beat a great team. Not even any mention about how we've mowed down some giants lately. It's just frustrating and sickening. They didn't even put the link up that we beat Boston until almost an hour after the day ended.

Jumpin':

Well put. Are you seeing the recent run as more of a return to average, i.e. the team was under performing before?

Perhaps because I am drinking the Dre kool aid much more than you, and perhaps because I value Thad so much (and a little sip of the Carney and Lou kool aid) I am more optimistic about the current players. That they are on the upswing as young players.

That said, I could not agree more with the rest of your post. I still think winning a round would be a tremendous accomplishment for this team. And I still think at least 3 major moves need to be made before we become a true contender - PF, 3 point shooting and Miller. And that doesn't even begin to mention the improvement we need from our young players (including Dre.)

As I posted very early on at this blog, I am not at all surprised that the Sixers are in the position they currently find themselves. The ethos of this team did, at least as I saw it, a 180 once Mr. Iverson and Mr. Webber left town.

What has me scratching my head is why so many others are puzzled with this team's success...why so many did not see what I saw.

Goodness, folks, as I remarked a week or so ago, I think, if Sixer fans and the local sports media folks were solidly behind these guys from the beginning of the season...the Sixers could very well be in the fourth playoff position today.

You know, if you keep telling someone s/he is no good or can not do something...soon that someone may buy into what is being said.

Kudos to the Sixers for not listening to all the negative, low expectation talk that started in the preseason and continued until recently. Kudos to the Sixers for their dogged, neverending belief in themselves.

And...it's a new day, folks. Let's all get behind these guys and see how high they can fly.

I certainly did not see this coming. And , frankly I don't see how you could. First of all, how could you think that such a young team could play with this kind of cohesion? Not to mention, you are getting individual performances that are way better than you could have expected:

Miller-Career Year
Dalembert-Career Year
Green-Career Year
Williams, Young and Smith-Way more than expected.

I certainly did not see this coming. And , frankly I don't see how you could. First of all, how could you think that such a young team could play with this kind of cohesion? Not to mention, you are getting individual performances that are way better than you could have expected:

Miller-Career Year
Dalembert-Career Year
Green-Career Year
Williams, Young and Smith-Way more than expected.

I could see it coming because I knew how good of a player Miller is, he's like Jason Kidd with a shot. Iggy really had no where to go but up with his stats without Iverson taking all the shots. We've all seen Sammy play and even though sometimes it's maddening, he has to put it all together at some point. Green has always been able to score but Iverson was in his way and he wasn't able to grow, plus he had some injury issues. Williams was looking good in camp and I'll admit, I didn't know what to think of Young and Smith but I was pulling for more playing time to see what they had. I did know that Young was a good player at G-Tech but didn't really know too much about Smith. I knew Evans was good defensively but didn't realize how bad he was offensively. If you think about it though, every good team has got at least one guy that's a very good defender.

larry - good point. And don't forget Iggy. His stats are definately his best ever.
Last time sixers had a team with virtually everyone playing at a career-best level, they went to the finals. Am I saying that's going to happen this year. No. But it feels like 1999 when the Sixers took out the number 3 seed Magic. Living in Orlando at the time I just remember the Magic saying over and over again that year leading up to, and during, the playoffs that they were worried about the Sixers length and athleticism. Sound familiar?
Everybody now...
1-2-3,4,5 Six-ers
10-9-8 seventy-Sixers!

Listening to Bill Simmons and Marc Stein podcast. Simmons is a Philly believer, Marc Stein still needs to be educated. Seems like Simmons wants to talk about the Sixers, but Stein keeps changing the topic back to the West.

They mentioned a name, I think it'd be a great free agent for Philly, Willie Green's replacement: Sasha Vujacic.

24 years old, 6'7", 210 lbs.
FG%: 46.2
3PFG%: 43.5%
FT%: 82.1%

He's restricted, don't know how much it will take to get him from the Lake Show. I know 99% of the people here would rather have Turiaf, but I'd rather have Sasha and our current frontcourt rotation than Turiaf and our current backcourt rotation. Willie needs to take his 3-17 games elsewhere; it's gonna be a while before I forgive him for that atrocity, it almost cost us a game against the freakin' Nets...

I'll repeat what I've said a few times on this board: Thad Young has won a lot of games for us at PF, I don't think we should give up on that unless we hit some ceiling where that clearly doesn't work for us anymore. I'll repeat this, too: Stefansky saying Iggy's definitely gonna move to the 2 and Thad to the 3 is him messing around where he don't need to - leave it to Mo. Thad can rebound and can execute his filthy low post game against both 3's and 4's - what more does he need to do to show he can tackle the 4 spot? If the 4 isn't his natural position, then prove it before saying it isn't.

This name was mentioned a couple posts ago, and I've been a fan ever since I saw him play: Kyle Weaver from Washington State. 6'6" point guard, looks silky smooth, the Thad Young of guards. If we could pick him up (and if the Lakers don't, they love big PG's, e.g. Javaris Crittenton), then our future backcourt COULD be LouWill (6'2") and Weaver. Check this guy out - Washington State plays UNC on Thursday at 7:30. You can also check out Ty Lawson (UNC point guard), who some boards have had as the Sixers' pick with their 1st rounder.

Speaking of the draft, draftexpress.com has us taking Nicolas Batum of France now (they liken him to Rudy Gay). He's 19 now and has been playing professionally for around 4 years now. I wouldn't mind him and Iggy at the swing positions. I'd love to have a French player on this team, he might say something along the lines of what Boris Diaw said in ":07 Seconds or Less": "I don't date American women. I have them." And he'd give Sammy a buddy to speak French with...

And for the Sixer die-hards, you'll never guess who plays PF for his team (Le Mans) - Sam "2nd round" Clancy! Never thought I'd see that name again; now I know where to look for Herbert Hill in a couple of years.

Listening to Bill Simmons and Marc Stein podcast. Simmons is a Philly believer, Marc Stein still needs to be educated. Seems like Simmons wants to talk about the Sixers, but Stein keeps changing the topic back to the West.

They mentioned a name, I think it'd be a great free agent for Philly, Willie Green's replacement: Sasha Vujacic.

24 years old, 6'7", 210 lbs.
FG%: 46.2
3PFG%: 43.5%
FT%: 82.1%

He's restricted, don't know how much it will take to get him from the Lake Show. I know 99% of the people here would rather have Turiaf, but I'd rather have Sasha and our current frontcourt rotation than Turiaf and our current backcourt rotation. Willie needs to take his 3-17 games elsewhere; it's gonna be a while before I forgive him for that atrocity, it almost cost us a game against the freakin' Nets...

I'll repeat what I've said a few times on this board: Thad Young has won a lot of games for us at PF, I don't think we should give up on that unless we hit some ceiling where that clearly doesn't work for us anymore. I'll repeat this, too: Stefansky saying Iggy's definitely gonna move to the 2 and Thad to the 3 is him messing around where he don't need to - leave it to Mo. Thad can rebound and can execute his filthy low post game against both 3's and 4's - what more does he need to do to show he can tackle the 4 spot? If the 4 isn't his natural position, then prove it before saying it isn't.

This name was mentioned a couple posts ago, and I've been a fan ever since I saw him play: Kyle Weaver from Washington State. 6'6" point guard, looks silky smooth, the Thad Young of guards. If we could pick him up (and if the Lakers don't, they love big PG's, e.g. Javaris Crittenton), then our future backcourt COULD be LouWill (6'2") and Weaver. Check this guy out - Washington State plays UNC on Thursday at 7:30. You can also check out Ty Lawson (UNC point guard), who some boards have had as the Sixers' pick with their 1st rounder.

Speaking of the draft, draftexpress.com has us taking Nicolas Batum of France now (they liken him to Rudy Gay). He's 19 now and has been playing professionally for around 4 years now. I wouldn't mind him and Iggy at the swing positions. I'd love to have a French player on this team, he might say something along the lines of what Boris Diaw said in ":07 Seconds or Less": "I don't date American women. I have them." And he'd give Sammy a buddy to speak French with...

And for the Sixer die-hards, you'll never guess who plays PF for his team (Le Mans) - Sam "2nd round" Clancy! Never thought I'd see that name again; now I know where to look for Herbert Hill in a couple of years.

I did not see this happening. At best I was hoping that maybe in '09 they could make the playoffs. I love a surprise, and this is one, for sure. I always follow the sixers, but don't really pay attention until they start playing team ball, and, of course, start winning. The last time I felt this type of energy around a sixers team was the year they went to the finals. I don't see that happening this year, but I am certainly willing to be surprised even more than I am. I hope the media (outside of philly) stays negative, or more accurately completely ignores this team. Keep hyping the Celtics, the Suns and LeBron. I'll just enjoy the feeling, cause I haven't had it for seven years. By the way great blog.

How frickin deep is the Lakers bench. The subs on that team challenge for the 8th playoff spot in the east.
I'm not kidding.

First time poster, long time reader. The Sixers are my favorite Philly team. My friends thought I was crazy to stick by this team in the darkest days after the Iverson trade, but I knew we were headed in the right direction. Coming into the season I thought there was a chance to sneak in the playoffs but never saw this coming. If you had told me before the season that the Sixers would have beaten Boston (on the road), Detroit, San Antonio, Phoenix (on the road), Denver and Dallas in a two month span, i thought you would have been crazy.

Seeing the chemistry, the heart, and the hard work coming together right now is absolutely thrilling to watch. I was lucky enough to be at the Denver game with my dad (whose love for the Sixers I inherited). I really believe that the win brought finality to the Iverson era. Sure we gave him the admiration he deserved for the memories, but the bottom line was that it is about the logo on the front of the jersey not the name on the back. This team is a true team and I hope Philly fans get back on this bandwagon to give them the support they deserve.

J.Smith,T.Young,R.Carney,L.Will., K.Ollie;6th man [Randolph] vs. Turiaf,Radmonavich,Ariza,Vucujic,Farmar; 6th man [Walton] Harvey, who would win?

I think last night's Boston win was somewhat of a fluke. Boston was coming off a draining road trip and the first game back is traditionally a tough one for the home team. The Sixers dropped one of those to a depleted Bucks team in January.

The score was tied and the Sixers took advantage of a missed layup and a ball bouncing off a ref to suddenly go up a couple. Then Boston went to their bread and butter - three pointers - and couldn't convert those. In fact, I bet if the Sixers had built up a ten point early fourth quarter lead, Boston would have focused and pulled out the game.

Why am I saying this? Because the Boston game pales in comparison to this recent thrill ride. A Win at Detroit, a win at Phoenix, a win against a desperate Nuggets team, an 18 point comeback against the Bulls, a win against the Spurs, and finally last nights win.
The Sixers haven't been this impressive since they went 10-0 in the championship year, 2001.

Now I do think the Sixers team of '03 with Iverson, Snow, McKie, Coleman, Ty Hill, and Van Horn was probably better talent wise. But did they have the athleticism, chemistry, point guard leadership of this version?

That's why I'm blown away. This team looks dead in the water night after night and they always pull through. It's having several options in clutch time, combined with pretty good team defense when it counts. I still don't believe what I'm seeing; I thought it would be 35 wins max.

I won't say I saw this coming, but in the 4th game of the year (a sixers win over the Bulls), the Bulls announcers sang the Sixers praises. (I heard them when I had a free preview of NBA League Pass on my cable.) As the Sixers were running up and down on the Bulls, they said (and I quote): "Mo Cheeks could have fun with this group." They had also seen Reggie Evans more than people in the East had, and knew what he brought to the table. Look, let's get real: the Sixers probably aren't going to win the championship this year. But what they showed Monday night is that the Celtics probably won't either. Like the Eagles did against the Patriots in the fall, the Sixers showed the league how to beat the C's. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, this was truly sweet.

Quite but very confident Fan! Marc,I can honestly say I was one of the few 76er fans that truly and honestly believed they were going to be better team this year. Marc,I have studied basketball and drafting for just a few years starting back in the mid 70's when the sixers had the great Dr. J. It's really not Rocket science. It's just more common since,patience and putting the right pieces together in the puzzle. Just think of what the old 80"s sixer team would have been if they hadnt added that final piece to the puzzle called Moses Malone. The puzzle looked real good but it wouldnt have been complete and wouldnt have won a championship.Any way enough of that.Lets just look real close at the last 4 years of the sixers drafting and that really tells most of the story here.Lets start with the drafting of A.Igduola then we drafted L.Williams then R.Carney then we Trade A.Iverson and get Andre Miller who has always has been a geat leader and two additional picks. Now we draft T.Young and with the other two picks,after some trading and swapping we get J.Smith and H.Hill who hasnt played this year.Marc,I could see the pieces comming together and believe it or not it really wasnt that hard because when you keep drafting and playing the numbers they will eventualy fall into your favor.Marc, I will admit this because I'm no Albert Einstein and I never thought they could be this good this fast.I did think they were going to be a least a 500 or better team next year.
Marc please remind all the Billy King haters he did a great job of building this fine team we now have and can be proud of.Please telland remind all the sixer fans to give the man some respect and his do credit.Because Mr Ed. from N.Jersey sure didnt do it.
Have a great day!
Go 76ers!
Aaron

Sixerzguy:

Do you have a link for the podcast?

Also, I like your thinking about Vujacic. He's got good size, good athleticism, he can run, and he's young and can shoot lights out. Having only seen him play a handful of times, how does he play D?

Morty, the problem is are you willing to give Carney for Vajucic, don!t think Green gets him.Any restricted free agent will have to be gotten through a sign and trade. I think Turiaf would cost us J.Smith or Carney, don!t think E.S. wants to mess with our core group. Azubuike has a player option, he may be a more realistic choice.

One last thing, sixerzguy. Thad as SF, and moving Dre to SG is as much about Dre as it is about Thad. Dre at shooting guard will create a lot of mismatches because of his size. I think Dre is actually on the smaller size for a SF, but he's a big SG, and thus able to overpower a lot of opposing SG's in the league on both ends of the court. Currently, I'm seeing him as a poor man's Dwayne Wade. Plus, I predict a much improved jumper from Thad next year

Suede:

Like with Wilcox, if we drive a hard bargain we could try to do it with Utah's #1 and the instant cap space. If pressed, I would consider parting with Smith.

If you look at Seattle!s situation, cap room and draft picks and getting rid of long contracts, I think Collison and Watson, 4 yrs. and 3 yrs. contracts are the players they may try to move. For the same reason we like Wilcox, they probably do also. The Lakers did lose picks in the Gasol trade, maybe a future #1 does get us something.

Morty:

I don't do economics friend! But if I did, I'd say sometime after we get a new president!

Like most fans, I didn't see this coming. I was aware of the great basketball we played in the second half of last year, but I felt that it had a lot to do with the somewhat post presence of Joe Smith. Though he's not a great post threat, he provided some scoring for us down there and expanded our game. Gave room for Iggy to operate. Coming into this year I felt the the Sixers would be better than most people though. Most critics and fans labeled us a a 20 win team and to be at the bottom of the east. Most guys on the team have been playing together for some time, and that is key. But I had no idea we would be talking about possibly getting into the 5th seed

Since preseason I've been telling every deluded New Yorker that I ran into that the Sixers could make the playoffs and that their poor exscuse for a team could not. HOWEVER, I thought they would sneak in with a below .500 record and get some valuable experience for the future when we could become a threat.
A part of me, a small part wanted the lottery but in my very first posting I called for them to stand pat and for them to win as many games as they possibly could. The difference between what I predicted and what they are doing is primarrily due to what the youngsters are giving us on a nightly basis. Iggy always had the ability as did AM, but Thad? LWill? Smith? Carney?
The fringe oldheads, RE, KO and even Booth have also exceeded expectations. In fact the whole team has progressed which is what has separated us from the rest of the back below the .500 mark. I never would have predicted we would be ahead of Toronto at this point. I always thought that the other teams below us should be there.
Oh by the way, the jaded NYK fans thought I was crazy and back in February I stopped looking in the mirror because I swear there actually was a crazy man staring back at me. Well who's crazy now? Cackling all the way to the playoffs. Of course living a block from Times Square I am hardly alone in that.
Barton

Am I talking to myself or is that a cell phone in my ear?

fhuck

Yes Marc I did, Ieven predicted several of the Sixers big wins. If you desire to go back over your early season blogs you will see. I'm not answering to get any pub or pats on the back I just would like to see this season end on a very speacil note and I think it will. My Younger son Michael loves the Lakers and we had a bet in preseason which team would do better this year and both teams have been a surprise but non more than the Sixers.

I been posting about this sixers team since the las vegas and rocky mountain draft camps. The young guns were beating teams then. I said, they were going to make the playoffs back then! US posters been criticizing Moe Cheecks about playing the young guns, way before Korver even got traded. It finally came from the top. "PLAY the young guns". Now the Sixers are winning! Did I think they was going to make the playoffs yes. Did I think it would be done in this fashion, maybe!

I have to say this...no puffing intended, but I have been reading his blog the whole season and I have to say his comments are NOT too negative and have been right on...and frankly the fact that he can actually mea cupla is a frigging coup for a sportswriter.

As for being surprised...yes but only slightly so. Last year with a "terrible" team the sixers did pretty well. Why not this year? Probably the most astounding thing is that Thad is one of the best rooks playing. I certainly didn't see that coming...nor did anyone else for that matter.

But hats off to mark...he mea culpa's with the best of em...Eskin would probably act like he knew it all the time...anyway...hope they keep winning...it is fun to watch from afar (philly boy in San Francisco)

What has happened to the Sixers over the last couple of months has been nothing short of miraculous. I don't think many have ever doubted the talent on the roster but it was all too obvious that it was a long, long way from realising it's potential. I still think it's only the tip of the iceberg with this young group of players and I fully expect a bit of tiredness to catch up with the squad before the end of the regular season. That said, the future hasn't looked this bright in years. Certainly made it a lot more worthwhile staying up half the night to watch the guys play!!

Morty,

Just go to ESPN.com, on of their links at the top of the page is "Podcasts", he's under there. Also there is Chad Ford and his "Daily Dish", which is also a good listen.

I think I know the NBA pretty well, but when they mentioned Vujacic possibly getting a big contract after the season, I was like, "WHAT?!?" Sasha's a grimy little 6-foot, overconfident backup guard and low-percentage Euro-gunner, right?

But then I checked his profile and game logs and was surprised that he was much taller and heavier than I thought and has had a lot more good games than Willie has, and he averages about the same number of minutes per game as Willie 3-17. I can't believe he slipped under my radar.

About Iggy at the 2 - I don't believe in messing with success. Iggy at the 3 works. If Iggy at the 2 works better, I'll be fully behind that, but the only sample we have of Iggy at that spot is from his rookie year, when he was the SG and Korver was the SF and Korver was getting burned on a regular basis by the faster swingmen of the league. You'd think that with Iggy as the SF and Willie at the SG, premier SG's of the league would just go off on us on a regular basis, but they haven't.

About what Iggy could do on offense against those SG's, I don't disagree that Iggy CAN do that, but as far as Iggy ACTUALLY doing that in games, it would require Iggy being willing to take advantage of that strength, and if you watch carefully, he doesn't really take advantage of that strength on offense. It's a great idea, but he actually doesn't do it. Kind of like how Garnett really never developed a great low post game despite being a skilled 7-footer. He played SF early in his career and that really shaped him. Although he's been at the PF spot a couple of years now, he still plays like a SF.

Sixerzguy, E.S. was quoted in a radio interview as saying next year Iggy was the 2 and Thad the 3; I felt Iggy was better suited for the 3 also but watching how he defended Hamilton and how he finally is getting to the hoop maybe they see things differently.Everything with this team seems to start down the defensive end and defensively at the 2 and3 we would be very good. I like Vujacic also but my feeling ojn the Lakers is they have too many stars when they get healthy and I could see them moving Odom and resigning all their role players with his money. Josh Smith is going to have a league wide effect this summer.Memphis would have a good backup plan in Odom if Smith resigns with Atlanta. Vujacic,Turiaf and Ariza[ a P.Jackson fav. ] all have to be resigned this summer. Jackson knows chemistry matters, there is only one ball.

After last seasons surprising finish, I felt that the Sixers could contend for a playoff spot because the East was so poor. 38-40 wins felt realistic to me. I too was offended when all the preseason publications dissed the sixers and had them at or near the bottom of the pack. Most, if not all of them, were even ranking the Knicks as a better team...I couldn't believe that!

I attended the 12/3 game against Atlanta (the one where BK was fired, but it wasn't announced yet) and I couldn't believe how bad the Sixers played. They were listless!! It was very disappointing to say the least. At that point, I thought there was no way the Sixers would sniff a playoff spot. That feeling grew stronger after the 7 game losing streak to start 2008. Some of those losses (Lakers, Por, Den) were brutal. Based on how the season has gone, I am shocked that we are talking about the Sixers possibly getting the #5 seed.

I am getting a little tired of all this BK talk. Yes, he made some good draft picks (perhaps luckily - Yi) and yes, the iverson trade worked out pretty well for us, but I really don't think we would be doing as well with him still around. I think ES has had an impact with our style of play and playing the young guys more. BK has his chance and made a lot of mistakes that nobody is talking about right now. Let's support the current team and forget about the past.

Go Sixers!!!

Suede:

Certainly that must be the Lakers' plan, but will they be able to execute it? Odom makes 14.5 mil, thats a big number to swap out, plus they have to take back salary. I would think their ability to keep both Vuacic and Turiaf depends on their willingness to pay luxury tax.

Sixerzguy:

Thanks for the podcast tip. However, I'm with suede in thinking Thad and Dre at the SG and SF spots is a great defensive foundation, plus offensive as well with all the steals they get. Thad does have a great inside game, but he can still go inside on offense, and he is just not big and strong enough, as of yet, to go against the bigger PF's on a consistent basis. He needs to be on the court more next year.

Morty, the funny part is 2 teams, us and Memphis could take Odom off the Lakers without the Lakers taking back much salary and both of us want to run[Odom at the 4]. If he didn!t get hurt so much I!d like him as much as Josh Smith.

Suede:

I tell you what, if LA takes back Green, I'll consider Odom. I don't think his contract is long term, so not the end of the world if he doesn't work out.

Morty, Green and picks, who knows?

He!s in the last year of his contract next year, Lakers may just pay tax this year to resign their young guys but you never know?

Interesting reading at this blog, from a season ticket holder at a fan forum yesterday. Here's the 2 most interesting quotes:

"However [Mo] was interesting in the Q&A portion. For starters, he said point blank, that he played Thaddeus Young because the GM told him to. He also said that Young doesn't have any one skill, and that he was so raw in practice, that they never really took much of a look at him in practice."

"was also apparent from both Cheeks and Stefanski, that they simply aren't sold on Jason Smith. They think he's skilled, but not strong or tough enough."

good point, suede, about Odom's contract ending, and the tax.

My reaction to the above quotes:

1. Anyone still want to argue this would be the same team if BK was still here?

2. Hard to argue about Smith, he does need to get stronger and tougher.

Thanks Morty, I wondered why J.Smith!s minutes haven!t gone up and maybe he will be used as a piece over the summer to get a 4. I hope not, I like what I !ve seen.

after the late season surge I saw the over under at 31.5 and put 2.5 units on it right away. although even i couldn't have predicted this, i figured a sneak into the 8 seed.

really enjoy the blog,i'm a pastor living in myrtle beach from strawberry mansion.started rooting for the sixers in 67 when my science teacher took the class to the game.being so far away has not dampened my spirit. i get every sports package so i can to keep up with all of our teams. i even drive home for an occasional game. i am elated to see the team work and young legs running the floor at every opportunity,always looking but can't say i saw this coming. came fome for the hornets in nov. and was offended by our play.really sad to hear lb and es getting the credit on occassion what about mo and king?

I guess I will toot my own horn...

I called for a playoff run back at the end of our 7 game losing streak in January. Marc criticized me at the time, and we exchanged a few emails about it.

But, I was not predicting they would follow through and start beating top teams like the Spurs, Celtics, Pistons and Suns. I thought we would make a run to get in playoff position, and then hit the rude wall of reality in March. Maybe I should have drank more of the Kool-Aid.

I am as shocked as anyone that the initial confidence gained from beating up the patsies early in our run has transformed us into a confident, never say die team that can go nose to nose against the leagues best.

Team ball. Adjustment to personnel. Team Defense, chemistry and improvement on shooting... primary reason Coaching. Mo Cheeks... COY.

wow, lots of posts since last night, already. I remember when one could leave this board for an evening, come back, and not have missed too much. That should be testament enough for you, Marc. One cannot be blamed for doubting the sixers this year, they played out and out horrible ball for the first couple months.

To answer your question, Marc: Like some others, I was impressed by the gumption these guys showed after the team was blown up last year, and excited by the potential the young'uns showed over the summer. Also like others thought they had a chance to limp into a weak eastern conf. playoffs, but certainly didnt think there was a chance to even sniff .500 ball... I was thinking 2009, and possibly even 2010 would be our arrival on the national radar.

as far as dre and thaddeus, its a real shame that thaddeus isnt a bit bigger (Maybe its not too late? he's only 19...) I'm with sixerzguy in thinking his game is ideally suited to the 4 spot. But, I'm bizzarly torn right now because moving dre over to 2 makes perfect sense. If we weren't in such a tight race, it'd be nice to tinker with the lineup a bit and see if we cant work in a different SF, letting Thad stay put and moving Dre to 2... I cant see how it would work on a team level, but on a purely individual level it makes the most sense to me.

At any rate, have the rest of the season to evaluate further - i guess the good news is we have options. Hopefully thad makes it easier by sprouting up an inch or two and he sure looks like he could add about 15-20lbs pretty comfortably...

Marc,

The big bad media is a non story. My brother and I are lifelong Sixers fans who also predicted 25 wins at best! Like my brother, with the Sixers decline in years past my interest in the NBA was gone in the same direction. But, much like the Democratic Party fight for the White House has captured many's interest so have the Sixers and to a larger extend the NBA this season. I have loved this transformation and isn't it wonderful how winning cures most things.

People, the truth is ESPN still isn't giving the Sixers any love. The Celtic game highlights were mostly Celtics highlights until the end. Who cares! I say enjoy the Sixers ride as long as it last. Lets hope this is just the beginning of a long ride.

KM,

How about Carney at the SF spot?

Thad is 6'8", 220lbs.

Chris Bosh is 6'10", 230lbs.
Josh Smith is 6'9", 235lbs.

Growing an inch and gaining 10-15 lbs of muscle puts him up there with those guys.

I like Iggy's skill set at the SF spot. If we move Iggy to the 2, the guy replacing him at the 3 should have a similar skill set, and Thad doesn't. So, Carney at the 3.

That blog Morty linked to regarding the forum with season ticket holders was interesting.

Was anyone else there who could report back from that? Marc even?

Hey Marc: Are you kidding me. Negative media. I retired that tag long ago. By the way, you have been a revelation since moving up. keep it up. Chuck Newman. I still don't know anything about basketball.

I!m here to audition for the p.f. spot next year.I here you need a big body to bang with Shaq,Dwight,Tim,Zadrunes,etc.; plus a low post threat that plays 10 ft. and in.;I had an ego when I came into the league, but realize now I just want to win. I won!t cost you any of your players to sign and 6 to 8 mill. per would probably get it done.I!m 26 years old with 7 years experience,some with a winning organization.My career numbers,[24 min.,7pts.,6reb.,1 block].My only year of averaging more than 30 min.per game I averaged 11 pts. and7 reb. and 1 block. I don!t require major minutes, I know you like Reggie and Jason. Please don!t hold where I was drafted against me, I am just what you need. Who am I?

You are ... Kwame Brown!

Am I right? What do I win?

Very good Morty, just another option.

Lol. That's funny, just threw a name out there. No way I want Kwame, especially at the number you threw out. He's a stiff, in my opinion. Horrible foot work, low desire, etc.

CWEB will no longer to be available! Gotta feel for him. At least he's still getting paid throughout this season. Maybe, he can get a coaching job to supplement his savings. He can be Sammy's big man coach.

that's one good reason to like ES. Telling Mo flat out "Play him" in regards to Thad. No more of the BK lovefest!

I think we should sign Keon Clark to a 10 day contract.

MARC,
YOU ARE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB COVERING THE SIXERS. Being a life long Sixers fan living in Los Angeles, the only regret I have this year is not purchasing the NBA pass. Hey nobody saw this coming, especially all of the experts that follow the game. Peter Vecsey did state on the NBA TV, when the Sixers were well under 500, that they were very athletic and a fun team to watch, after the Sixers blew out the Knicks at the Garden. Legler also gave them some love the other night on ESPN. Marc, don't respond to the fans on your blog that are too busy analyzing each others mood swings. Keep up the good work.
Jason- Los Angeles

S.F.W., your sarcasm is dripping all over my keyboard!! Sorry about the K.Brown thought, I!m painting my railing, it must be the fumes.

Marc, how soon we forget. I predicted to you long ago that they were going to win 38+ games. Now someone that dissed you gets the ink. Man! What's a brother gotta do? ;-)

Go Sixers!!!

I started following the Sixers in 1964 when "High Gear" Hal Greer, Billy C, Chet the Jet, Luke Jackson et al began torturing me with a series of near misses against the Celtics (except for 1967). Then I moved to Boston in 1979 and have been listening to those obnoxious jerks ever since. That 19-0 run the other night was unbelieveable. I barely moved during the whole thing, feeling certain that if I did, it would all come apart and we'd come up empty again. This has been the best NBA season ever. I just bought the last 1/4 season of NBA League Pass, and look forward to a deep run into the playoffs. It's great to see good guys, especially with the character of Mo Cheeks and Andre Miller, get their due, and inspire all of the youngsters to believe. Don't break up this team to go for a superstar! and don't even think about Ron Artest!

The collective posters on here will all be suffering from torn rotator cuffs tomorrow for all the patting themselves on the back they are doing today.

Sixerzguy - maybe, with so many swing guys on the team, the answer is just to let matchups dictate the starting lineup...I kinda thought about carney too, but im not sure i want to base any long term plans on him.

The more i think about it, though, everything i'm reading about what ed has been saying tells me they're bringing in a PF. in which case its a moot point - Thad is 3, Dre is 2. Unless you want to play thad behind the new PF - im not sure how i feel about that. Ask me again after the playoffs :), hopefully we'll have a better idea of what he's capable of by then.

I loved Stefanski's comments on Comcast yesterday when he was talking about the 'upsides' of this team. He's right, of course, and here they are:

-Free throw shooting: The Boston Game and many others wouldn't have been a contest if they had made free throws. They will only get better here.

-Three point shooting: What happens to this team when they go 4-9 instead of 1-9 from the arc. The upside is that they are blowing teams out.

-These 'Young' Guys: Thad and Lou are young but they are also very athletic and have a huge future. They are going to get better, hungrier and if they are developed, we could see huge futures. Thaddeus is unbelievable at 19! This guy's upside is sick and unimagineable. He can run the floor, get stops, shoot and rebound.

I'm still not sure we can keep Miller. A first round birth might help but he's a west coaster and he admitted that.

And there is no way to keep Iggy and Williams without paying them. You think the contenders don't know who these guys are now. Iguodala and Miller have personally dismantled 6 contenders this year. Some on the road. Good luck keeping either of them without spending a little of that $10 million. Ed you should've signed him when the stock was low but nothing you can do now.

I would not even consider looking at the Sixers games in Nov and Dec as I value my time. I see most of Philly fans felt the same way. I did however notice there were plenty of red seats looking back at me as I were channel surfing.

Lately I have caught myself tuning in on Directv since mid Jan. The team is playing hard and beating quality teams in March. The young kids are out running everybody on the floor and playing good defense.

Very suprised at the turn around, and very much glad for Mo Cheeks. I can now hang the Sixers flag in my Sports Bar.

iSpec:

Resigning your own players doesn't count towards cap space for acquiring other players. So that 10 mil is after signing Dre and Lou.

One other thing ES said was that he expects Dre to continue to improve from 3 point range.

Suede,

I wouldn't trade a whole lot to get Chris Wilcox. He's going to be a free agent in a year. I'm thinking a first round pick and a contract like Willie Green (just so the 76ers can keep some of that cap space).

However, my mind keeps going back to something that Stephen A. said during the trade deadline talks, that Stefanski really liked Ron Artest and that the 76ers were the leaders at one point to get him.

Now, we can sign him for nothing without giving up anything. We could add an all-star in his prime without giving up any draft picks or assets. The starting five would be Daly, Thad at 4, Artest at the 3, Iggy at the 2 and A. Miller at the 1.

We could use this year's no. 1 pick on the best available big -- Serge Ibaka, Ryan Anderson, Kevin Love -- and still have Reggie Evans, Jason Smith, Herbert Hill to compete for backup minutes at the 4.

Another option could be Charlie V., Turiaf and then getting a shooter. Of course, we'd have to trade this year's no. 1 pick to get Charlie V. and throw in some salary so we'd still have that $10M to $12M to spend.

A PF-SF-SG combination of Thad, Iggy and Artest would be the best defensive combo in the league, bar none. All 3 can post up, defend, hit a jumper and score. We'd lead the league in steals and be top 3 in field goal percentage.

We might not be able to get that 4 this offseason, but we have 3 no. 1 picks during the next two years and a valuable expiring $10M chip in Andre Miller to make sure that we do.

Am I missing something here? Your thoughts?

Suede,

I wouldn't trade a whole lot to get Chris Wilcox. He's going to be a free agent in a year. I'm thinking a first round pick and a contract like Willie Green (just so the 76ers can keep some of that cap space).

However, my mind keeps going back to something that Stephen A. said during the trade deadline talks, that Stefanski really liked Ron Artest and that the 76ers were the leaders at one point to get him.

Now, we can sign him for nothing without giving up anything. We could add an all-star in his prime without giving up any draft picks or assets. The starting five would be Daly, Thad at 4, Artest at the 3, Iggy at the 2 and A. Miller at the 1.

We could use this year's no. 1 pick on the best available big -- Serge Ibaka, Ryan Anderson, Kevin Love -- and still have Reggie Evans, Jason Smith, Herbert Hill to compete for backup minutes at the 4.

Another option could be Charlie V., Turiaf and then getting a shooter. Of course, we'd have to trade this year's no. 1 pick to get Charlie V. and throw in some salary so we'd still have that $10M to $12M to spend.

A PF-SF-SG combination of Thad, Iggy and Artest would be the best defensive combo in the league, bar none. All 3 can post up, defend, hit a jumper and score. We'd lead the league in steals and be top 3 in field goal percentage.

We might not be able to get that 4 this offseason, but we have 3 no. 1 picks during the next two years and a valuable expiring $10M chip in Andre Miller to make sure that we do.

Am I missing something here? Your thoughts?

"That 19-0 run the other night was unbelieveable. I barely moved during the whole thing, feeling certain that if I did, it would all come apart and we'd come up empty again. "

I thought I was the only one that did that kinda thing! It works exceptionally well during Phillies games.

DaTruth - have to love the on court potential of Thad(4), Artest(3), and Dre(2). Thats pretty sick. especially like how it would give thad more time to grow into the 4 spot from a physical standpoint. You do have to wonder what bringing in artest does to the team dynamic...its a real tough call, but the potential is enough that is something we definitely need to consider. Maybe he's just happy to play with other guys who give it their all and behaves, a la randy moss...

No more Billy King nostalgia, please. Yes, he was pretty good at drafting. Do you know who else is pretty good at drafting? ...Isiah Thomas. By that metric, he's done an incredible job with the Knicks.

The next time anyone starts feeling like they need to praise Billy King, just say to yourself, "Greg Buckner, 35 million for three years, Chris Webber trade, huge contract for Willie Green, Brian Skinner, blah blah blah," and repeat that until the urge goes away...

T.N.T. can open a vault for you, but it can also blow off your fingers. Big risk giving Artest 12 to 15 mill. for 5 years[ probably what it will take to sign him]. The potential is great, but not sure I would risk what we have going on here. But the Lord hates a coward!!!

Sorry to say, I didn't see this coming at all. I did manage to take my family to a bunch of games this season, starting in November, because these young Sixers play hard, but ...

Ok, to come totally clean: I actually thought we should trade Andre Miller back in January for Acie Law and some cap space. Yuck!! I am nothing if not an idiot!

Let's just say it's good I'm not running a mutual fund, Morty.

haha, good analogy suede. Just out of curiosity, how do you feel about the general idea of bringing in a 3 guy and letting thad stay at 4?

No way in the world I saw all of this coming. I will admit that I am the eternal optimist and that I thought that they could slide into the playoffs as a numer 8 or 7. And I thought that it would occur with them being under .500 and as a default due to the weakness of the east.

Now they are positioning themselves to finish above .500, at around the 6th spot and as a tough contender for any first round opponent. This far exceeds my imagination but it couldn't have happended to a more deserving group of players. They have shown class, focus, determination and unity. All of these are so tough to find on any one team that has been struggling the way that they have.

I bet my younger brother Dan UA (who runs Young Philly Politics) $20 that the Sixers would make the playoffs, which will be one of the best $20 I've gotten in a long time. The reasons that I thought the sixers would make the playoffs:

- They have one of the most athletic teams in the league.
- Sammy D had shown some real improvement over the past few seasons, and esp. at the end of the last one, on the defensive end, and I thought if he could learn to control his body and use his arms to block and rebound he'd be a force.
- They were horrendous in rebounding last year and Reggie Evans would help that.
- Igoudala had improved each and every year in the league, and with a chip on his shoulder I thought he'd be even better.
- They had a great floor leader in Miller who could bring together all the young talent.
- Williams looked ready to realize his potential as a scorer in the NBA.

Anyway, thanks for all of the great posts, but please, for the love of god, switch to a REAL blog platform. You sports writers could easily triple your collective traffic if you combined all of the sports blogs under one platform and allowed for user written diaries. It's called Drupal- it's open source and it's changing the world. ;-)

Marc, as a life long Sixer fan living in Palm City Florida, I am delighted at the success of this young team. I took the trek 2 hours north to Orlando to witness this team for myself on Friday. What a disaster. Did I see the same team you've been bragging on for the past month? They appeared disinterested and listless to say the least. The only guy trying was Reggie Evans. I watched vs. Boston, and it was a different team. I hope they can maintain their intensity since they have some serious flaws to make up (lack of perimeter defense, outside shooting, and low post presence). Hopefully they can continue their success and pick up a dominant 4 in the off season.

Suede,

No team in the NBA is going to give Artest a five year contract. He and his agent don't have that type of leverage because of his past. Also, no other team has the cap room to give him a big deal without doing a sign and trade than us.

If I'm Stefanski, I'd give him 3 years, $30M deal. Artest would be 31 years old after this deal and would still be able to get a last contract. This would also mean that the 76ers wouldn't be tied to him if he acts up and he'd still be movable.

For all of our celebrating, remember this team is still just at a .500 level right now. If you are talking about a championship caliber team, adding Artest while not having to lose any of your assets, young talent or draft picks, I think is something worth seriously thinking about it.

Remember, you'd still have 3 no. 1 picks and a pretty darn good bargain chip with Andre Miller's expiring $10M contract to get that championship caliber PF in the next 2 years.

How many teams in the East would want to see a starting 5 of Daly, Thad, Artest, Iggy and A. Miller? You add Artest's 20 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals (37 shooting percent from 3) a game to this team as it is now and you'd have a top 5 defensive and offensive team.

And yes, you are right, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Sometimes you got to reach down, grab'em and take a chance.

For an all-star entering his prime that could be a no. 1 scorer for you and the best one on one defender in the league, I'd take the chance.

And NNNOOOOO! on Kwame Brown. I'd rather sign Center Patrick O'Bryant and take a chance that he can develop rather than banking on Kwame to do anything other than give me 6 fouls.

Datruth:

No risk no reward, eh? Artest on a 3 year deal would be a reasonable risk, as long as ES makes it clear to him that it's not Ron Ron's team, that he is stepping into existing chemistry. In that case, perhaps Dre could keep him in line. And, I doubt this is possible, but maybe an out clause could be built into the deal.

Off court issues aside, the thought of Thad, Dre and Artest on the court at the same time as Sammy is formidable defensively.

Datruth,If its a 3 year deal than figure 12 to 15 mill. He is gonna want more in a shorter deal.Wish behavior clauses could be added but if your gonna take a risk, I!d rather fill the 4 spot with Randolph or Brand[Injury risk].K.M., I would prefer to add a 3 and 4 and have Thad come off the bench at both positions. Don!t want to put too much on a 20 yr.old next year if we expect to challenge for the conference.Datruth, if we got Artest I would start J.Smith or our #1[Hendrix,D.J.White] at the 4 and Artest at the 3 and still have our RED BULL unit off the bench.

KWAME BROWN? I'd rather have Charlie Brown or the late James Brown.
Sixers by 10 early and Chicago 1 for 10. At this rate we win by about 125. I think we all could use an easy game. Hanging on every basket has aged me lately and at 53 I can't use the constant abuse. By the time they get in the playoffs I'll look 100 with white dredlocks. Good look for a reggae singer but not for me.
I am almost at the point where I think they should not tinker with the current roster too much over the off season. If you can pick up a PF without giving up more than Willie Green, a secondary draft pick and one of the bench players that are not in the rotation then YES do it. I believe that our youngsters have as much upside as any of the people who they could pick up in the summer. The kids need the PT, which is why they let Kyle Korver go and see how that has worked out.
As to Billy King, I almost hope he goes to the NYK's in some capacity so we can burn that bridge and all start hating him regardless of how well he did at the end.
GO SIXERS!
SUEDE, find us that PF.
Barton

Just got back in town. Missed all the wins from the last ten days. Amazing reading the newspapers for details. Damn, this is fun.

That said, I'd bring in Artest next year in a heartbeat. He would fit really well. I'd risk the disruptive potential.

really good ball being played, but c'mon willie. whaddya think this is the globe trotters?

Definately don't want any part of Randolph. He plays no D at all and has yet to pass or block a shot this year. His one-on-five game is not too pretty. He is also as bad or worse off the court as Artest. RonRon's problems are usually on the court for all to see. ZR is at home smoking a spliff. Did you see when he threw a glass of water in Nate 'thinks he's great' Robinson' face during a timeout. His act is so tired that he gets benched for it even with the sorriest team this side of Miami.
Barton

I'll take Artest in a heartbeat. Let's do it. No guts, no glory.

Abbiamo vinto 121-99 siamo fortissimi!!!

Abbiamo vinto 121-99 siamo fortissimi!!!

Am I crazy for thinking don't worry about brining in players, given how what we have has developed and performed, but worry about keeping together what we have.

Great win. 3 pt. shooter, we don!t need no stinkin 3 pt. shooter!!! Jason looked good tonight. E.S., draft best player available and save cap room for Boozer or Turkoglu in 2009. We may not even need them!!

Seems like most everybody is getting on board with the idea that we dont do too much to the roster outside of the draft. You dont trade simply to trade. You trade out of need and those are becoming less and less.
Andre get practicing those free throws.
Looks like everyone who we want to lose won tonight but we can only hope with Washington.
Barton

"Seems like most everybody is getting on board with the idea that we dont do too much to the roster outside of the draft."

Count me in on this thinking.

Great win, tonight!

Keep pushing hard, fellows.

Brand will likely play the last few games of the regular season...obviously he's auditioning for us :D

It's going to be amazing that the Sixers will get into the playoffs and that will be their first time on national TV all year. I live in California and want to see my team, but I have to settle for the gamecast things on espn and nba.com.

After that Boston comeback I don't know what the ceiling on this team is. You can't say that it was a one-game fluke, or that they're sneaking up on anyone at this point. Or maybe you can. When ESPN presents the Sixers beating the Celtics as an afterthought to the showing of the game highlights, maybe people don't realize.

As for the offseason acquisitions, remember that basketball is not like baseball or football in that you can have one or two enigmatic or just plain difficult characters in the locker room and still get by. Ron Artest would be one of twelve, Zack Randolph would be one of twelve, and one of those two would be terrible for the chemistry of this team.

The Blazers traded Randoplh for Steve Francis, whom they immediately bought out. They wanted him off their team so badly they were willing to get essentially nothing in return for him. Now he's a starter on one of the worst teams in the league, in a weak conference.

Half the reason the Suns made the Shaq trade was to get Shawn Marion out of their lives. The Sixers don't need to go crazy right now and bring in someone whose talents don't match his character.

If what George Karl said about Andre Miller in one of the three excellent Sixers articles today is true-- namely, that big personalities can draw off his focus-- then the last thing the Sixers need is someone like Artest. Let Andre Miller continue leading this club.

Suede,

Adding Artest gives you so many options. If Thad isn't ready to be your full-time 4 next year, then you still could start the Regulator, Jason Smith, our no. 1 pick this year or even Herbert Hill.

Adding a no. 1 scorer like Artest, who can post on the block, takes pressure off of Iggy, Thad, Sam and even makes Andre Miller more of the assist man that he likes to be rather than a scorer. Artest also shot 37 percent from 3 this year.

When you have Andre Miller and Thaddeus Young as your no. 3 and no. 4 scoring options on your team, now you are talking about a team capable of winning the Eastern Conference finals.

Artest's scoring would also allow Stefanski to go with true upside at the 4 spot, like a Serge Ibaka or one of his 7-foot Euros, because you might not need your no. 1 pick to come in and start, just be part of the rotation.

We can use another shooter or shooters, but tonight's game showed that our primary 3-point shooters could already be on our team, they'd just have to continue to work on their shots.

Willie Green is really stinking it up right now. I'm getting to the point where I'd really rather have Carney, Thad or Lou Will in the game than Willie. His shooting has been horrendous since his injury.

I guess the great thing is that Stefanski does have options.

Your thoughts?

Hey Barton, I!m watching the game thinking Noah could be our Rasheed defensively [cover 3 positions] and we would finally be a complete team , but Chicago won!t give him up so I go to Draftexpress and find him. With the 17th pick the Sixers take Robin to go with Batman[ Iggy]. Lopez that is. Watching him about 6 times this year he is raw offensively but a 7ft. athlete that plays "hard" and should be there when we pick.

Datrue4life, I want to add young players to the mix and let the 2 Dre!s be the leaders. Artest is a great player and the best defender in basketball but he goes off the cuff too much and we can!t take that risk. Young guys that can fit in that are in the league or in the draft are what I hope we add. This team is playing like the 2001 team when Theo was healthy but it is a young group.Don!t know if you saw Jamont Gordon in the tournament but if we trade the Utah pick for a late first rounder and come out of the draft with R.Lopez and Jamont Gordon I would be happy to use some cap space on an extra first round pick.

Will somebody please tell me about Herbert Hill. I have never seen him play but his name keeps on resurfacing in this blog. I know he had a good summer but now is hurt but is his game all that? I just can't get psyched about somone I have not seen. I ask because there have been quite a few bloggers saying that he is a potential starter. I hope is as good as some seem to think and they definately know more about him than I do.
Barton

Barton, he was a late bloomer who averaged about 16 and 9 in his senoir year in the big east. He is going to be 24 next year so don!t know how much improvement can be expected from what he showed in the draft camps. Questions about his defense in man to man situations dropped him to the 2nd round. Good low post skills.

Go Sixers!