Link to Sunday column:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/sixers/trading-for-ellis-or-kaman-isn-t-sensible/article_8d1fef65-44ce-503e-8db7-a19c6d2fad55.html
Here is a portion of the column:
So, shouldn't the Sixers aggressively try to acquire Ellis or Kaman before the March 15 trade deadline? The answer is probably not.
First of all, the price would likely be too steep.
Acquiring Ellis would probably cost Andre Iguodala. Despite his difficulties at the free-throw line, the Sixers' all-star forward is more valuable to the Sixers than Ellis would be. Ellis is small (6-foot-3) and lean. Already a physically small team, the Sixers would become smaller.
Link to game story (with Iguodala video):
Here is a portion of the story:
The last time an NBA player scored as many or more points than an opposing team in a half was Nov. 10, 2009, when the Heat's Dwyane Wade had 29 points in the second half against the Wizards (27).
The Sixers shot a dismal 9-for-42 (21.4 percent) in the second half. The five starters missed all 14 of their shots after the break.
Wow. 8 points in the third quarter? Really? 23 points in the entire second half? This is a serious team? While I admit it was nice to see them play a good half of basketball, it's alarming how fast it all fell apart.
At this point, considering they're having trouble beating the Bobcats, and are losing to good teams left and right, you are going to have a very difficult time convincing me that this is more than the average team we thought they were at the beginning of the season, and that they rode a hot streak to a decent record out of the gate.
Right now, I can't envision this team doing anything in the playoffs, if they can't start beating playoff-class teams. They'll probably make it, by riding their hot start, but this is not a team that's winning a round in the playoffs.
I don't know what's wrong at this point, and I'm not sure how to fix it, but Spencer Hawes isn't the savior.
OK. Rant over...now get off my lawn, you kids!!
Link to Sixers' story::
Had a 15-minute chat with Rod Thorn today and wrote a story off of it (Sixers' practice was optional and there was no media availability).
My twitter handle is: @tmoorepburbs
Here is a portion of the story:
"We have several guys we play at center," said Thorn, referring primarily to rookies Nikola Vucevic, Lavoy Allen from Temple and starting power forward Elton Brand.
"Anybody we can possibly get, are they going to be better than guys we have? I don't think so unless we give up one of our top players. I don't see anything happening right now. That may change."
A dose of reality is the toughest pill to swallow. Unfortunately, that pill has finally been prescribed in the realities facing this Sixer team. It's been a refreshing season, seeing a team that actually has aspirations and one that has come together to play team basketball. However, as the season has worn on, I think the "new car smell" about this team is starting to wear off, not only for the team and immediate fandom, but to opposing teams. While this could seem like an in-the-moment criticism, acknowledging the flaws and weaknesses (both short and long term) of this team relative to the sudden rise in competition, the brimming confidence that I had has tempered. Bottom line, I believe that this Sixers team has reached its ceiling.
Meanwhile, up the New Jersey turnpike...
I don't know if you've heard but there's some guy playing some good ball and causing a lot of buzz. The hype train of Jeremy Lin is at an all-time high. With each game, the bar is set higher and higher for both him and the Knicks. While I'm thoroughly enjoying the spectacle from the NBA fan perspective, I'm not getting caught up enough to say that the Knicks are automatic title contenders or that Lin is the new Steve Nash to D'Antoni's system. However, Lin's story is remarkable. By now we've all heard his tale from the major media outlets. He's an underdog story, which is half the reason he's captivated the nation. He's a humble and, by all accounts, a good guy that's made him so likable. None of this is new. However, his story presents 2 lessons (among other things) that I think are important for both the NBA, as a whole, and this Sixers team/regime. Below, I explore the first of the two lessons.
Apparently it is a moral and quasi-legal requirement for every sports blog to dedicate an article to all things Linsanity... so I figured why not compare Lin's incredibly small sample size but huge usage rate to our own resident Boss of Philly. If eligible, Lin would have the 5th highest usage rate in the NBA- right between Mellow and DWade, so who better to compare him to on the Sixers than the Boss who uses more than any man in Philly?
More importantly, I wanted a post where people can go on the record with their projections for Lin so that we can look back and praise (mock) them for their prescience. So I am simply going to present the numbers an you all can share your wisdom and eye for the future where the Knicks are suddenly relevant and Lingit contenders ...
Home sick today, so I've been surfing the internets and I came across this Sixers piece by Ben Detrick over at Grantland.
We all obviously love the success the Sixers have had this season, but reading this begged a question to me - Can this talented-but-unspectacular, entirely-team-first approach build a contender, or should they have tanked the season they traded Iverson and perhaps the next, drafting solidly with better overall picks? We know where we are now with 'continuity', we're damn good, but not quite a contender (IMO). Could we have been better by 'tanking' '06 and/or '07?
Lou Williams aka BOSS has player option at the end of the season for about 6.4mil. I think it's a pretty safe bet that he'll opt of that deal. I would say that he'll be asking for something in Thad Young range 5 for 40mil. Does anyone wanna pay him that kind of money? Would it make sense to try and trade him? (a package with & Noci could acquire a pretty high salary player, albeit not a star) I'm not sure what kind of value he has league wide plus the fact he'll most likely opt out. We need him if we don't acquire anyone else who can score and I don't really wanna commit big time to him this off season but I also would rather not lose him for nothing.
I nearly pissed my pants for the first time since an infant. Okay, a toddler. Okay, a pre-teen. It's none of your business. But you would too if you heard what I heard this morning. Dwight Howard said that "He wants to be a closer..."
I know, I felt the same way. All year, the hot debate about the Sixers amongst famous dimwits has been about the lack of a go-to guy in the waning moments of games that has reared it's ugly head again.
A few nights ago, the 76ers lost by one point to the Clippers with an opportunity to win it but failed to even get a shot attempt. Tom Sunnergan over at Philadunkia has his take on what might have been said in the locker room after that tough loss that delayed the entry of the media for almost 30 minutes following the game.
But just to seduce the Dwight Hype, how awesome is it that Dwight is seeking the position that the Sixers have available? Devil's advocate: Is the Sixers lack of a closer a strength because of the defenses inability to focus in on one guy? If so, does Dwight to Philly sacrifice that?
Reality TV BS aside, they're actually two pretty interesting moves that the Sixers could make without giving up a ton and might help solve some of their size issues.
Humphries is an unrestricted free agent so he'd be a strict rental for the rest of the season (and is tradeable on March 1st).
Odom has a team option for next year at 8.2 million which I would assume the Sixers would probably decline unless he blew up so he could be a rental.
Humphries is averaging 13 and 10 and would be a good of the bench replacement for Brand or Hawes to grab boards. Odom is having a terrible year by his standards (8 and 5), but a lot of that is they just haven't figured out where he fits in Dallas. The way Collins has been able to maxmize the abilities of his role players, I have to think he could find a way to utilize Odom.
Because both would be rentals, what would we really be talking about giving up to get either of these guys? Nocioni's expiring and picks (the Speights trade picks)? Nocioni's expiring, Allen (who is actually a restricted free agent this offseason because the Sixers screwed up his rookie contract so he won't be nearly as cheap as he should be if they keep him) and picks?
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