Deep Sixer

Nice job Marc - KM is right - Detroit, as I have said, plays the regular season on cruise control - saves gas - then steps on it as the playoffs go on. More than any other team since the Bulls of the 90's and maybe the current Spurs - the Pistons seem to have multiple gears that they know how an when to use.

Another way to think about this - wouldn't Detroit be a good learning/development opportunity for us right now? I will argue that it will give Iggy, Lou, Young and Jason Smith a good look at how a good team, who relies primarily on execution, approaches the season and post-season. Also, the 7 seed will be a win/win in that it will get us a better 1st round pick - which I know we can use in two months.

In response to the guy who can help right away - please read my posts from the last few weeks - DJ White can help right away - I don' want guys with upside (i.e. Serge Ibaka). I want a polished POWER forward. I think White will go earlier than some mocks have him going. He is my guy - he would be a great fit - Love would be a good fit as well, but he will probably be gone. I do NOT want CDR, Rush or any other swing man.

Marc, we talk about matchups with the players but I!m curious to see how Mo handles the playoffs and the coaching matchups. Not a big F.Saunders fan but Van Gundy seems to get a lot out of his team.As far as Detroit putting us in a halfcourt game, we have to learn sometime and see what needs to be done to improve our 1/2 court offense. When Iggy is at the 2 we actually have 3 good postup players in Thad and Dre and Iggy.Orlando has 2 major advantages, H oward and Turkaglu but our bench is better and so is our backcourt. Wish we could take better advantage of our advantages.Cleveland hasn!t been healthy but when healthy they are going to be a tough out.

As far as an immediate impact player, I don!t think we are going to draft one. I think the good teams, and next year we will be one, bring their young players along slowly with Thad being an exception because of his maturity. A young backup point[ Weaver,Chalmers,Collison] or a player that can eventually play next to or behind Thad[ J.Alexander,B.Rush] will probably get spot time next year with Carney getting first dibs at Willies minutes if he is traded. Have a feeling E.S. is going to pull a rabbit out of his hat and get our p.f. with a trade or signing because with J.Smith and Thad an experienced big would be a good addition.

The Willie Green Problem

What the heck to do... Mo's gonna play him big minutes no matter how badly he plays, this ain't gonna change, so I was thinking, instead of dwelling on how much he's gonna hurt us, I started thinking of what Mo can do differently to get him better shots, or what Willie himself can do to get better shots and contribute more.

First, no threes. No spotting up in the corner and waiting for kick-outs. Step inside that line, buddy.

Someone mentioned this before (great observation!) - if Willie gets the ball late in the shot clock, the other Sixers tend to stand around, either waiting for the rebound or getting ready to sprint down the other end as soon as they hear that clang. So how about NEVER running isolation plays for Willie, or any plays where he has to take his guy. Make sure any offense with Willie involves Iggy or Miller in some way. He's purely a spot-up shooter with that clock under 8.

Keep him from shooting by letting him play some point guard. He is only 6'3". Despite his turnover numbers, his handle is decent and so are his passes. I'm betting that most of his turnovers are a result of him getting stripped while driving down the lane or getting blocked. There may be a playmaker in there somewhere, let's give that a shot.

He's about the same size as Andre Miller - maybe he can learn some post-up moves, for when he's being covered by the opposing point?

Just checked a couple of shot charts, he shoots just a little bit better from the top of the key and facing the backboard straight up than from the right or left side - how about focusing his shots from that area? No shots from the wing.

I think he takes too many shots while moving. Mo, can you run plays where you get him simple spot-up jumpers? And if that's not available, have him just pass the ball along. No catch-and-shoots, or trying to create enough space between him and his taller-by-4-inches defender to get that jumper off.

In his final year in college, he got to the line over 6 times per game (Iggy only averaged a little less than 4), I wonder what happened to that? One of his strong suits is FT shooting, let's take advantage of that by getting him to the line more. Cut the number of jumpers he takes in half, use those FGA for attacking the rim. But like I mentioned above, no attacking if it's an iso, shake your defender first then head for the hoop.

I guess I don't understand the concern about who the Sixers get matched up with in the first round. The goal is to win a championship. Sooner or later the road to an Eastern Conference title goes through both Motown and Beantown.

I think the only goal right now is to get better in these last five games; to close with a flourish and hope to finish fourth. At least there's a tangible benefit of finishing fourth - a home game if the series goes 7.

Their will be plenty of players on the board that can help the 6ers. Chris Douglas-Roberts,Roy Hibbert, Nicolas Batum, Darrell Arthur,Hasheem Thabeet,Brandon Rush,Robin Lopez,Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough,Courtney Lee , dj white.....All these players are going to be on the board. Now who are you going to pick? If CDR can be that good with super scrub, over-hype, the next
lottery pick draft flop, derrick rose. I wonder how good he would be with Miller. Do you really want to pay IGGY 70 million dollars. Comcast has the money, but. At what cost?

"Maurice Cheeks said he has given Rodney Carney "free rein to shoot when he wants to shoot. But I've also said he's got to do those other things; he's got to mix it up inside a little bit, he can't be leaking out [on the fastbreak]; he's got to take passes away, he's got to do some other things. He can't be out there just shooting the ball."

Where the hell did all the bloggers go? Marc I think you scared them off dude, j/k. Hey Marc thanks for talking about Willie. He really does seem like a good guy but to us that don't know him personally he is just a mediocre 6'3 SG who shoots too much and does nothing else.

Statman,

Thanks for compliment; glad you enjoyed random musings.

As for Jason Smith's "Jumping Jacks" rotations (a good description), I'd call them fundamentally unsound. Any defensive player who becomes airborne, even if only by an inch or two, usually earns another name - toast. Maintaining ground force, along with lateral mobility, predicates strong defense. The idea is to stay between your man and the basket, to anticipate his next move, to stop penetration, not invite it most cordially like a bunny rabbit.

"Do not leave your feet until shooter pulls up to shoot." Of course, that's easier said than done, especially on NBA level where opponent athleticism and scoring mentalities abound, and 82 game concentration/intensity ebbs and flows. And perimeter defense is a tough task for a big guy. "Bigs" should endeavor to approximate Dave Cowens, not Mel Counts or Henry Finkel.

I still can't believe That Jason smith wasn't given a chance to start for a stretch. Morty, you have been saying the same thing all along. Smith's offense goes perfectly with Thad's game. Smith can spot up for open jumpers and thad could work his magic down low. I would say that behind willie g getting any minutes, this is my biggest gripe. I know that he needs to get stronger in the post but Let the kid play.

Of the players in the draft that I think can immediately help the sixers, I think of Joey Dorsey..16th maybe a lil early to grab him but i want him on this team. I've seen posters clamor for sean williams/chris wilcox/tyrus thomas, I believe joey can be the same type of player and they went in the 1st rd..Reggie Evans with ability to finish around the rim and shot blocking, I'll take that...could immediately start @ the 4 or back up Sam..IMO even though Joey isn't a back to the basket scorer or any type of scorer really, his impact (thru def,hustle,crashing off glass) on the game would greater than a DJ White.

The Greek:

Yep, I've gotten killed for it a few times, but I still would like to see Miller, Dre, Thad, Smith and Sammy as the starting 5. I think Sammy and Thad could compensate for Smith's lack of inside strength. That doesn't mean Smith has to play starters minutes if he is not effective.

I like Evans off the bench as the change of pace guy, and I don't like Willie at all, although Mo could probably pick some spots for him to be effective off the bench.

Of course at this point of the year it won't happen. But it would have been nice for Smith to have gotten experience like that earlier this year. We might know a little more about whether he can handle that role. We already know that Evans is not starter quality.

And I do agree with KM, that I would rather see Detroit than Orlando. It's debatable which team we have a better shot against, but why not measure yourself against the battle tested former champs?

Actually guys like Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansborough, Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur. Guys who all played in the final four this weekend, and all guys who might be around where the Sixers pick at 16-18.

My pick right now is either to trade up and get Love or Westbrook. Or stay where they're are and draft Darell Arthur.

My pick is Darrell Arthur he's 6'9 long arms, he has good footwork, he's quick, smart, very athlethic. He has a good 12-15 foot shot, he runs the break very well. He hustles on defense and gets his hands on alot of balls, and he's only 20 years old. Arthur would really fit well in on this Sixer team because his already mentioned skill set.

There was a blurb in the Gloucester County Times yesterday ("Bridge lights to turn orange") about orange lights being put on the Ben Franklin Bridge through April 11 "to honor the Philadelphia Flyers," (and the A.S.P.C.A.), and signify "the spirit of the region as the Philadelphia Flyers begin their playoff run." While I am all about supporting the Flyers, it's a shame that this whole "region" doesn't put the same support into another playoff bound Philly team - The Sixers.

By the way, great blog, Marc

Thanks, Marc for this column!

Who of you thought we'd even be discussing a 5 seed possibility in the East? Many of us viewed making the playoffs as a long-shot. It is not out of the realm of possibility that this team could run the table and end up the Eastern Conference finals. Yeah, I know, long shot but so was this young group of guys winning like this and beating every single top team in the East and many in the West.
Will it happen? Probably not this year but who knows, really, after enduring so much change in the last year or so.
One thing I do know is that they'd better sign Maurice to a longer contract if their gonna keep this group. The Iverson and Korver moves have proved to be good decisions but Cheeks really runs this show through the Andre's and they'd better get that talented trio locked down immediately.

Sixerzguy:

Willie needs some guidance and a leash. Basically, he needs the Carney treatment.

There will be quite a few guys that will be able to contribute at the 16-18 pick, anyone that say otherwise is wrong. Carl Landy wasn't even a 1st rounder and look at his impact.

my bad carl landry

Marc, Absolutely take your point about the pistons being masters of controling the tempo. As i mentioned in my post yesterday, before we took them down a few weeks ago, i never would have though it was possible for us to even win one against them. But that was their game we beat them at(lower scoring, controled tempo), and there can be no argument that they were on cruise control, either. That was a hotly contested game and we held them to 15 in the 4th to close the game out.

As to your point about their bigger guards, I should have been clear that i would expect the Dre's to be our guards against Detroit. This formula was proven last time. Starting the dres and thaddeus at 1-3 gives us great size all around, plus great defense out of at least 2 of those positions. I thought Miller actually did much better than he did against the smaller, quicker guards. Carney also needs significant PT(and needs to have a good game) Pistons dont have that killer post player we cant deal with, and as a result we did pretty well locking them down on the perimeter. But having said all that, its not like im saying we WILL beat them, just that i think we'd have a good shot.

Which sort of leads me to the other point i was making yesterday regarding willie. If you were refering to me as someone urging you to bash willie, that is not the case. You are welcome you your opinion on that. I actually feel kinda bad for him, the fact that he came back from those knee problems is a serious testament to his guts, and he seems to be a real high character guy as you mention. But that doesn't change my opinion that he hurts us far more than helps us on the court. As i said, a more domineering coach might be able to to better harness his gifts, but he's just a poor fit here. Again, its not personal, its just business.

Oh, and yeah, I still think we could get a real bargain instant contributer in DJ White IF, say again, IF, he is truly at least 6'8" and we are able to move up in round 2 to grab him. Otherwise, D. Padgett would probably be more of a project in round 2 but i think would polish up really well and be a real shot in the arm to our halfcourt offense. Otherwise, lets just stock up on shooters who can play some defense and may the best man make the team.

Morty, 2 more for the broadcast annals: "here come the blackshirts" & "double vision."

As for Young, Smith and Dalembert as a starting combo - where's the beef, the resistance? Need to get ball off rim or backboard, not out of net, before your trio's running ability can be put to advantage. An infusion of frontcourt bulk is a Sixer need; playoffs will probably highlight it.

Mo & staff had been coaching with tenuous hold on jobs until 1-yr. extension. He didn't have room to experiment. Needed to scratch out wins.

Marc,
Good points about Willie Green. This guy has impressed everyone in the Sixers organization through his work ethic, and dedication while rehabbing from career ending knee problems. He has been a great example to the young players, and has certainly never quit on himself. His minutes are dropping and he has never complained. I like Chase Budinger from Arizona at 16, an athletic scorer who can hit the three, and jump out of the gym.
Jason- Los Angeles

Jumpin':

Sammy is a phenomenal rebounder, though your experiences may differ. Thad is also good on the boards, Smith is inconsistent. Both Smith and Sammy have above average shot blocking ability. Miller and Dre are also above average at rebounding for PG and SG. All told, that lineup seems adequate to me from a defensive and rebounding perspective. Of course there is no way to prove it since it will not happen.

As for Mo, he was told when ES took the job that he would not be judged on wins and losses.

How about "turning garbage into gold"?

Long, quick, often reaching arms of Miller, Williams, Iguodala, Evans & Young have helped make up for lack of interior strength. Can't hold or dribble ball loosely or make lazy passes against Sixer crew!

Here's one Zumoffism that im tired of hearing "(Insert name of sixer of choice)Thiiiinking threeeee....and missing everything". Luckily that one hasn't been heard as much recently....

As far as Jason Smith, I really like him out there with thaddeus, dre and reggie. I feel like him and sammy get in each other's way. But those guys do the little things, like setting picks, deflecting passes, etc. Definitely a case of the whole being more than the sum of its parts - and a great "energy" type group. I think we've only seen that combination a few times, but what i've seen, i've liked. By the way, the more i see Jason, the more i feel like he's a better backup C than PF. Not too concerned about him starting, because i dont think there's much chance of him doing so long term - we're bringing in a starting PF(presumably) and Sammy seems like he's entrenched... Just my two cents. thats all for now.

Apparently, Sam is a phenomenal computer repairman. As a rebounder, that qualifier is a reach. He's above average but no Dennis Rodman. Thad's a fine athlete but I wouldn't want to pit him against a strong offensive power forward. Smith is relative peachfuzz as an individual defender, though he gives good effort, especially from weakside.

To cap Stefanski's implied message: "... as long as you do it my way."

Your slippin', Morty, "garbage..." was on yesterday's list.

Jumpin':

You're right, should have realized that would have been among the first called. How about being "on the see-saw"?

Sammy is also an extraordinary stock trader. In fact, he is the brains behind Lenny Dykstra.

Reflexive guffaw (old-fashioned laughing sound) on Dykstra comment. Now THAT was funny.

"See-saw" goes down in the books.

I forget who it was, but someone was saying how we should get a new Sixers dj/announcer. I agree. I don't know if he's the one that plays the music during the basketball games, but everything sounds so outdated when we have a fresh young team, and those hot sixer dancers.

I dont think it fits out team or our city.

Do they still play that awful Kriss Kross song everytime they call for a jump ball?

Along with "Thiiiinking Threeeee." Thanks, KM.

Note: I hereby resign as 'announcer lingo' documentarian in order to spend more time with my family.

Did anyone say "a healthy 3, and down it goes"?

"Unfinished business for Willie Green"

"alllll cotton! for (insert name)"

hugh: "and DOWN it goes..." in a very depressed fashion when an opposing player hits a shot during crunch time.

"as they RIIIIIIIIIIISE here at the First Union Center!"

"Hey Steve...sip it..it's hot."

"...for the LEAAAAAAAAAAAAD/WIIIIIIIIIIIIIN/TIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.....YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS"

Willie Green...to the lane...YES!!!
And the Celtics call time! Ohhhh, brother.
Do you believe it? The Wachovia Center is
bedlam tonight! Hold onto your hat, fans.
This one's goin' down to the wire, partner.

Quick! Act like you're talking about how great the Sixers' run is and how excited you are about the playoffs, before someone comes in and raps you on the knuckles.

"and we're runnin' here at the wachovia center tonite..."

"and ______ will continue his walk to the line"

"and _______ can't buy one tonite"

"and _______ picks up the loose change"

probably starting to get repetitive at this point. Have to say, i prefer all the crazy cliches to the boring nat'l tv announces who dont even get peoples' names right...

Someone's gotta offset and strike up the WG band. Don't mind doin' it.

KM:

Not a Zumoff hater. He's nerdy and hokey, no doubt, but not bad at all. Ol' Marv is still the best, and Bill Walton is still the worst.

Zumoffisms in context:

- “Nothing doing!”
(During a late 4th quarter situation when a superstar on the opposing team misses a key shot)

- “And...down it goes.”
(When an opponent hits a wide-open 3)

- “The bump-and-run”
(When the opponent plays man-to-man defense or press)

- “Playing amongst the trees”
(More Iverson-era, rarely used now, when our PG or SG drives into the lane when it is crowded with taller defenders)

- “Whistles are silent”
(Refs either missed the call or are allowing for a more physical game)

- “All cotton for [fill in Sixer player]”
(Self-explanatory)

- “Bustin’ a move”
(One-on-one situation where a Sixers player is attempting to break his man down, usually with a crossover)

- “Picking up some loose change”
(Grabbing a rebound off a brick from a Sixers shooter)

- “Locking all windows and doors”
(Sixers playing excellent defense and opponent can't get a shot up, usually says this with :05 or less on the shotclock)

And my #1 Mark Zumoffism is…
“For the win……YESSSSSS @#*&%^?#%$^&#$#!!!!”
(Hopefully we'll hear this during Game 7 in the ECF when Iguodala hits the shot. Heh.)

I forgot about "Locking all windows and doors" that's hilarious.

ya, I'd like to get rid of Matt Cord. I'd rather see DJ Richie Rich in there.

Marc, you're right on this one, there is not a good chance of the Sixers finding an "immediate impact" player where they are drafting. Some of the guys who have been mentioned on this blog as potential picks may not ever get to play more than a few minutes a game on their Rookie contract before going overseas to try to imprve their game there. I'd guess only half the players taken each year in the actually have real careers. That's why we all praise Billy King for finding guys like Willie Green, Kyle Korver and Lou Williams in the second round.
Last year the Sixers took Jason Smith with the 20th pick. That's the type of player I think we can expect this summer... and Hugh, there are reasons DJ White is not at the top of all the mock drafts out there... he's small for a PF and isn't a great defender. If he ever makes an All-Star team, you can have my hat.
All that said... I still love talking draft, FA, etc... it's called HOPE. Hope for the a future title, because a title is a real long shot this year.
B Frank

Time_out, I can't stand Matt Cord. Just call the game. Emphasize but don't add syllables. Iguadaladaladala! He's trying to imitate the guy who I think is in Detroit. I think he's really good. Although, I've only heard him a couple of times.

"Up against the trees" is my favorite Zumoffism. "_____ walks to the charity stipe" is another...

We know that Detroit will be resting most of their starters tonight. However, do you think maybe they want us to win so that they don't have to play us in round one? Kind of like what the Pens did on Sunday, so they wouldn't have to face the Flyers. Just a thought. I'm sure they'd rather face the Raptors than us at this point...

That's a possiblity. I heard Detroit's starters did not play a lot last night, perhaps to save some energy to make a statement with the Sixers. Knowing there is a possibility of facing the Sixers in the First round, I would think that they are either going to rest starters or try to make a statement. I guess we'll probably know by half-time.

Big game for the Sixers tonight, because we are in it neck and neck with Washington.

It's not inconceivable that Washington and Phila. could both pass Cleveland, and put the Cavaliers in 6th.

I would prefer that we not play Washington in the first round. I think it would be better for the NBA for the Wizards to be in a spot to play Orlando or Detroit, as they could be very dangerous with all their players healthy.

Tonight Washington plays Boston, so a win by us could put us back ahead of the Wizards, and if New Jersey stays alive by beating Cleveland we could be only 2 games out of fourth.

Every game is becoming critical now because of the potential seedings. In order of preference, I'd rather the Sixers face Cleveland, and if not them, then Detroit. I think we match up much better against Detroit than Orlando.

If you watch the game tonight watch how our guards match up well with theirs, particularly when the Andre's are in. Also, Thad Young enables us to match up well with Tayshaun Prince, and he does a very good job on him as well.

Detroit's front line is a bit better than ours, but we're certainly competitive rebounding.

The problem with a line-up of Dalembert, Smith Young, Iggy and Miller is that it leaves the bench too thin. Also when Dalembert is out, Smith plays Center better than Evans can.

Willie Green is most effective when he's slashing to the basket. He has been given shots, they're just not falling. We need Willie at his best to win.

The truth is the Sixers are short one 20 pt, scorer. They have the two Andre's and need at least a third to step up. What has been happening is that either Williams, Young, Green or Carney has been able to step up and give us that third 20 pt. scorer, or two of them together have combined to give us 30.

As long as that third player steps up, we can play with anyone.

Willie will play good tonight. The game will be televised back to his home town.

Marc,

Gotta disagree on 2 points, which are related. You say we don't match up well against Detroit. I think we matched up great when Willie was hurt. Iggy can shut down Hamilton and Thad can shut down Prince. Sammy and Reggie can cover their bigs , so where is the matchup problem? Oops, it all falls apart when Mo stays with his small lineup. The key is clearly to keep Willie out of the starting lineup.

More to the point about Willie-- when he is shooting well he is only a small liability on the court. When he is shooting poorly, he is a Katrina-sized disaster. He does not pass, dribble well or finish strong at the basket. His defense is sub-par.Why, oh, why is he getting any minutes at all is beyond me. He may be inspirational for coming back from injury, and may also be a good locker room presence, but so are Booth and Ollie. He should be getting minutes like they do-- outside the rotation, in case of foul trouble or injury.

sfw:

You called it, man. We need a shrink to convince Willie every game is televised in Detroit.

Abbiamo vinto contro Detroit 101-94... go sixers