MVN - Most Valuable Network

Sixers take the day off, check out divisional previews, root on Phillies and Eagles

The Sixers wrapped up camp at Penn State a day early because they accomplished what they set out to do and are now waiting for the preseason games. It starts with Boston on Wednesday. The Sixers will be back in practice on Monday at PCOM.

Looking around the Atlantic Division, the verdicts are in from my fellow bloggers. The season preview I did yesterday was part of the project being conducted by Jeff Clark of Celticsblog. Dannie & Pete from ReclinerGM also previewed the Sixers and came up with 52 wins. So, between my prediction of 53 and ReclinerGM’s of 52, we’re at 52.5.

As for those Celtics, five bloggers weighed in on the defending champs. Jeff Clark from Celticsblog, Jim Weeks from Green Bandwagon, FLCeltsFan from LOY’s Place, John Karelis from Red’s Army, and Dustin Chapman from Celtics 24/7 chimed in and all agreed that the team would finish between 58-60 wins. They are still the team to beat in the East.

Don’t forget about the divisional champs from two seasons ago. Three bloggers previewed the Raptors. Cuzzy at Cuzoogle, RaptorsHQ, and Ryan McNeill of Hoopsaddict ranged from 48 wins to 52. The average is just below 50. They won the division in 2006 with 47 wins and struggled last year to a 41-41 record.

The other two teams in the division have lower standards for the coming season. The Knicks added Mike D’Antoni at coach, another Italian as a rookie small forward, and Chris Duhon as coach on the floor. Stephon Marbury is still a Knick though. Joey Litman from Straight Bangin‘ and Seth Rosenthal from Posting and Toasting previewed the Knickerbockers and came up with 30 and 36 wins, respectfully. Dennis Velasco from About.com gave a stab at the Nets and unless I missed it, didn’t give a prediction other than to say that they will fake like they want to make the playoffs but secretly be tanking to get a Prime Time Player in the draft. It’s all about LeBron in 2010 anyway.

Adding them up, I have 58.8 wins for the Celtics, 52.5 wins for the Sixers, 49.7 wins for the Raptors, 33 wins for the Knicks, and something like 21 wins for the Nets. That gives the division an average of 43-39, which means better than average (41 being average). I’d guess that faking to make the playoffs but hitting lotto is more like 30 wins, but that would give the division close to an average of 45 wins. I suspect that the Celtics, Raptors and of course Sixers predictions are right on. The Nets and Knicks can only hope for 36 wins at best but are likely to finish around 25-30.

Congratulations to the Phillies after putting away the Brewers Sunday afternoon. Jimmy Rollins led the game off with a homer and Pat Burrell hit two more as the Phils beat the Brewers behind Joe Blanton, 6-2. Now it’s on to face the pesky Dodgers! They swept the Cubs in their playoff series and with Manny Ramirez and Joe Torre leading the charge, are a very dangerous team to face right now. Hopefully, the Phillies can pull it off.

Unfortunately, the Eagles couldn’t hold on after taking a 14-0 lead over the Redskins and lost 23-17. It was nice to see Westbrook back, but Andy Reid’s playcalling is becoming more of an issue as the season wears on. DeSean Jackson had a nice punt return, but didn’t get involved much in the offense other than reverses. If not for the Eagles, it would have been a pleasant Sunday. Can’t win them all.

Check out the previews of the Sixers divisional rivals and see you back here on Monday. Stay tuned to Passion and Pride for all your Sixers coverage, as well as more Eagles and Phillies coverage through the month of October. Send your feedback to jburkett@mvn.com or leave a comment below. Thank you!

2008-2009 Sixers Season Preview

Philadelphia 76ers
Last Year’s Record: 40-42
Key Losses: Jason Smith (injured reserve), Rodney Carney, Calvin Booth
Key Additions: Elton Brand, Kareem Rush, Royal Ivey, Theo Ratliff, Donyell Marshall, Mo Speights

1. What significant moves were made during the offseason? ELTON BRAND. God bless Reggie Evans, but he has his limitations. The Sixers lacked a go-to player in the half court offense and it showed. Now, they’ve got their man. It wasn’t until he opted out and they shed some salary by sending Rodney Carney and Calvin Booth to Minnesota that the Sixers could make a play for Brand. It was the biggest acquisition of the offseason and instantly made the Sixers a legit contender in the East.

2. What are the team’s biggest strengths? With the resigning of Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams, the youthful Sixers will continue to push the tempo and pressure on defense. They finished last season 22-12 by beating teams in the transition game and forcing turnovers. The athleticism of Thaddeus Young and Andre Iguodala on the wings will give teams problems. Andre Miller had a career year and will continue to lead the break and the renaissance of Philly basketball. The addition of Brand gives them another strong interior defender to ignite the break and serve as the trailer. They now have the luxury of backing it out and setting up a play for Brand in the post. He will draw defenders which will allow his teammates to get open looks.

3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses? Shooting. The Sixers were dead last in three point percentage and shot only 70% from the line. The addition of Kareem Rush will help spread the defense. He will be looked to for scoring on the wing. He can’t do it alone though. Lou Williams is promising, but Iguodala is going to have find his shot and make enough of them to justify his big contract.

4. What are the goals for this team? 50 wins would be a nice start for the regular season, but the Sixers are not conceding the division to Boston and can’t forget about Toronto either. The ultimate goal is a championship, but with the youth of guys like Young, Iguodala and Williams, I’d give that a couple more years. Advancing past the first round of the playoffs is a definite and the Conference Finals would be nice. You can count on this team to play hard every night.

5. What’s the starting lineup? Right now, it looks like it will be Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala at the guard spots, Thaddeus Young and Elton Brand at the forwards and Sam Dalembert at center. If that is the case, then it will be a position change for Young and Iguodala, who finished the year as the starting forwards. What they give up in perimeter shooting with Iguodala at the 2 guard, they gain with athleticism and explosiveness. They will make it difficult on opposing wings.

Expect Mo Cheeks to use a frontcourt of Brand, Young and Iguodala often to play Willie Green and Lou Williams. Royal Ivey has also been impressive in camp as a player who can really defend people. With Williams on the court, the Sixers add another dimension of playmaking ability. He should be groomed the way the Suns have done with Leandro Barbosa and the Warriors have done with Monta Ellis. If Williams finds his way into the starting lineup, don’t be surprised. He most certainly will see action in the 4th quarter when it matters. Williams is the closer.

Predicted Record: 53-29, seeded third in the East and eliminated in the playoffs by the Celtics

Taking a shot at Sixers Shots

Roland Laird is a tough critic.  Over at Sixers Shots, he calls out the coach at every opportunity.  He scoffs at the “experts” who are predicting big things for the Sixers this season.  He calls it as he sees it.  With his pessimistic outlook, I wondered “why blog?”

Roland seems like a good enough guy.  I’m just not sure what his motivation is.  Reading over the “about the author” page, the guy resides in South Central Jersey, travels to New York for work and has season tickets for the Sixers.  Like me, he points to Dr. J as the player who first piqued his interest in the Sixers.  For Roland, it was when the Doctor first arrived in Philly.  Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t born yet and it wasn’t until Dr. J’s retirement that I discovered the Sixers and the sport I would grow to love.

As for the criticism of Coach Cheeks, I was right there with him during the end of the Iverson tenure.  I blame Cheeks and his poor coaching primarily for forcing Iverson to want out.  Now, it supposedly came down to playing Iguodala at point, but I actually agreed with that move because I felt it would pay dividends later.  No, it was Mo’s lack of plays, in-game strategy, and poor rotations that plagued the Sixers back in 2006.  In other cases, Iverson ran the coach out of town.  This time was different.

Part of me wishes it worked out with Iverson.  He was a guy you loved to root for because he gave it his all and he bore his heart for the fans.  Fan Appreciation Night fiasco aside, Iverson was and always will be a fan favorite.  It’s just so hard to build a team around his style of play though.  The NBA Finals in 2001 was as close as we could get.

Something happened when Ed Stefanski came to town in regard to Cheeks coaching.  With a new General Manager, management instilled a game plan to push the tempo and play pressure defense.  While Mo got a lot of credit for the turnaround, his management of the players really didn’t change at all.  It was his management of the game that changed.

Still, Roland must be expecting Coach to revert back to his old ways.  He’s irked at Cheeks for opening camp with Kareem Rush as a starter instead of Thaddeus Young.  I think that was a great motivator to tell Thaddeus that nothing is being given to him.  He has to earn it.

Defensively, Roland contends that the Sixers leave plenty to be desired in that department.  I would agree there, except that the Sixers became much better defensively when Thaddeus became a starter.  He has the potential to be one of the league’s best defenders.  Lou Williams also got better last year at staying in front of his man and playing the passing lanes well.  Young and Williams might not need to start, but they both need to play starters minutes.

It bears repeating that Dalembert has to stop goaltending so much if we want to cash in on opportunities to run in transition.  Brand can block and rebound, so he’ll be a willing outlet passer to ignite a lethal break.  Not only that, but Andre Miller is probably the second best transition point guard in the league to Jason Kidd.  It all starts on the defensive end.

It seems like Coach Cheeks is Roland Laird’s biggest obstacle to embracing the optimistic outlook on the Sixers.  Reggie Evans also confessed that Cheeks is his greatest challenge, so he’s not alone.  However, the learning curve of the players and the coach seem to be moving in the same direction.  Fortunately, it’s the right one.

P.S. Roland - if you’d like to e-mail me, I’m at jburkett@mvn.com.  I didn’t see your e-mail anywhere and I wasn’t about to go through the hassle to register for comments on your site.  My word of advice would be to provide more explanation of your thoughts and opinions rather than just giving your reaction to things.  Take it for what it’s worth.  Go Sixers!

Are they building a new gym at Penn State? No, the Sixers are practicing…

All these bricks and not enough mortar…what’s a coach to do? Throw more bricks. Then make the bricklayers carry the bricks. Do relays in the brickyard. The workers need to get in shape if they are going to be carrying all these bricks.

That pretty much sums up the first few days of Sixers camps - lots of bricks. The Sixers were the worst three point shooting team in the NBA last year and struggled with two pointers at times as well. They are laying enough bricks at Penn State to build a new gym.

In the regular season, this problem is supposed to be addressed with the mortar that is Elton Brand. In the team’s first scrimmage on Thursday, Brand’s presence in the high post created open shots in the corners. It’s too bad that Lou Williams and Kareem Rush were scrimmaging with the other team. They are the guys most capable of hitting that shot. In fact, Royal Ivey set up Williams off a screen that both players read perfectly for a wide open corner three ball. Sweet Lou lived up to his name.

In the early going, Williams and Rush have been the most impressive. Ivey came in and showed that he’s even better than advertised defensively. Other guys are still adjusting to their roles. Miller and Brand are focusing more on their teammates. They’ve been though enough of these camps to know that they’ll be ready.

For more in training camp coverage, check out Kate Fagan on Deep Sixer. She was the Philadelphia Inquirer’s equivalent of the big offseason addition. As always, stay tuned to Passion and Pride for your Sixers fix!

Sixers Stats: John Hollinger says it equals 50 wins

I’m not normally a fan of John Hollinger’s analysis, but the man clearly knows how to interpret numbers. Case in point, check out his preview of the Sixers this season. Adding it all up, he predicts 50 wins and the 3rd seed in the East.

Last year was a tale of two seasons. In the first season, the Sixers were 18-30. After that point, the Sixers finished 22-12. How did that turnaround happen? Ed Stefanski convinced Coach Cheeks to play more uptempo and play the kids more. Thaddeus Young’s insertion into the starting lineup had a lot to do with it.

Offensively, the Sixers were stellar in transition, but struggled in the halfcourt. The new style of play took advantage of their athleticism and masked their deficiencies shooting the ball. Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall were brought in specifically for their abilities to shoot, but it’s going to take some internal improvements for the team to overcome their weakness.

When we spoke with Ed Stefanski in August prior to the Marshall signing, he said that the Sixers were looking at addressing their shooting weaknesses from within. Elton Brand’s presence in the post should help take some of the pressure, but the players have to hit the shots. Specifically, Andre Iguodala is the guy who is going to have to score the ball. That’s part of the territory of signing the big contract.

The more I look at Kareem Rush, the better and better I feel about what this guy brings to the team. He’s going to stretch the defense and force the defenders to stay honest. The only other guy who commanded a defender away from the basket was Lou Williams. Williams shot the ball at a 36% clip from beyond, but he was helped by an explosive first step that forced the defender to play off him. Witness this move he put on Dwayne Wade and flushed over Udonis Haslem…

When it comes down to internal improvements, Williams, Iguodala and Thaddeus Young are your guys. Iguodala and Young finished the year as the starting forwards, but will have to make way for Brand. Their adjustment will be key to how well the Sixers perform this season.

Last season, the Sixers made the opponent adjust to them and this year will need to keep that attitude in order to succeed. This mindset sparked a Sixers D that forced the second most turnovers per possession in the league to the Boston Celtics. Now if they could make the other team miss more and Sam Dalembert would stop leading the league in goaltending, then perhaps the Sixers defense would finish in the top five across the board.

Will the addition of Brand and more discipline on D be enough to overcome offensive deficiencies? That remains to be seen. One thing is certain - the Sixers got much better throughout the course of the season last year and it carried over through the moves that were made in the offseason. A fast start to the regular season would go a long way in answering the questions…

Sixers go to Happy Valley

The Sixers opened training camp at Penn State today and held a morning and evening practice. One of the key storylines from media day last week and carrying through camp is that Mo Cheeks is not committing to a starting lineup yet. How that plays out remains to be seen.

On the first day, Kareem Rush played with the starters. If you ask me, this is a great strategic move to motivate Thaddeus Young. Most people have Young penciled in as the starting small forward and Iguodala slated to shift to shooting guard. That was even suggested by the General Manager as the plan on paper.

Added to the 14 under contract for next season, the Sixers have Jared Reiner, Maureece Rice, Andre Emmett, Antywane Robinson and Cory Underwood. Originally, Justin Reed was part of that group but was replaced by Underwood. Underwood played in the D-League last year for new assistant coach Jeff Ruland. Aaron McKie also rejoined the Sixers bench with Henry Bibby and Bernard Smith departing.

Will Athleticism Equal Wins?

Speed? Check.

Agility? Check.

Strength? Check.

Success? TBD.

We all know the Sixers have never been your traditional basketball team. The “AI” era was all about one man controlling the ball, pretty much the entire game. The “Barkley” era was all about him, essentially a low post version of the AI era. The Sixers will never be the Detroit Pistons, of recent NBA Finals fame. They’ll never be the San Antonio Spurs, of early 2000’s championship fame. They can, though, bring about their own style of championship play.

The Sixers, without a doubt, have one of the best athletes in the NBA in Andre Igoudala. Team him with Thaddeus Young, Dalembert and Brand and you’re talking about some of the most versatile and athletic players at their respective positions. Add in Miller and you have yourself one of the more athletic teams the NBA has seen in quite some time.

Thad and Iggy are guys you can put just about anywhere on the court, save the 5 down low, and they’ll produce for you. Miller, while slowly inching his way towards the mid-30’s, is still quick off the dribble. We know that Dalembert can be a headcase, (literally), but we also know that he can bring a lot to the table. The newest element to the group, Elton Brand, can play the 4 or 5, and even the 3, at any given time.

So will this athleticism and versatility mean more success for the team?

If you want to figure that out, the only thing you can do is look to the past. Last year the Sixers had essentially the same team, so the athleticism was there. Thus you get the fast break game that suited them so well. Iggy and Thad’s speed, coupled with the vision and quickness of Sweet Lou and Miller, allowed the Sixers to efficiently run a “fast break”, quick paced offense without many re precautions. At least none until playoff time rolled around. Once the stalwart defense of the Pistons loomed in the Sixers way, we saw that the fast break game isn’t exactly suited for the ultimate payoff.

Now that’s where Elton Brand comes in. Add him to the mix and the offense becomes just as versatile as the players who are running it.

Brand’s presence in the paint adds another dimension to the Sixers offense, one they’ve been missing since old “Round Mound” departed. With his power and finishing ability down low, the Sixers can now slow things down if need be. They can control a game, unlike they could last year, by using up the clock and then dumping it down to Brand. It’s a far cry from the offensive ineptitude of Reggie Evans (Brand: 17.6 PPG, Evans: 5.2 PPG).

The only true question that worries me is the skepticism surrounding the leg of Elton Brand. If he is back to his former self, meaning before the surgery, then he can run the court along with Iggy and Thad. If he can’t then the Sixers may have similar problems as last year. There’s a good vibe going around Philadelphia though, that Brand’s leg is fine and, if so, the NBA is in store for trouble come November.

In the meantime, take some solace in the following:

Games with Sixers names

Andre Iguodala - plays like an impala

Elton Brand - his style is kind of bland

Andre Miller - his game is not just filler

LouWill - watching him is a thrill

Willie Green - shoots it coming off a screen

Thaddeus Young - has the swagger of the tongue

Sam Dalembert - plays the game laissez-faire

Mo Speights - for playing time, he waits

Jason Smith - needs a partner to rehab with

Theo Ratliff - needs to put down the fat spliff

Kareem Rush - hits the shots that make ‘em hush

Royal Ivey - his defense is quite lively

Donyell Marshall - facing age is a harsh wall

Ed Stefanski - his moves set the plan free

Mo Cheeks - been counting down the weeks

Go Sixers!

**DISCLAIMER: Theo Ratliff does not endorse drug use. No spliffs were picked up or put down in the making or reciting of this poem.**

History of the Philadelphia Warriors and 76ers

History buffs, this is your day. Enjoy this three part series of Philadelphia professional basketball. If Wilt Chamberlain played today, he would be considered the greatest player of all-time bar none. He played before basketball was mainstream. Russell won most of the championships primarily because of Red Auerbach. However, Wilt set the single game rebounding record of 55 caroms against Russell. Wilt got the best of him in ‘66-’67 when they won the world title. Wilt averaged 24 points, 24 rebounds and eight assists that year. He might have averaged eight blocks too, but those weren’t recorded until 1973. They should have never traded him to the Lakers, no matter what.

Post-Wilt, the Sixers set the NBA record for losses in a season with 73 in ‘73. Things turned bleak in the Spectrum, but Dr. J arrived in 1976 to save the Sixers. They returned to being perennial contenders until finally winning it all in 1983. The difference was Moses Malone.

Dr. J’s retirement is what got me interested in basketball as a young child. I saw this legend who seemed to transcend the game and the respect that he earned. I knew I would never be like him, but I could feel the passion for the game and that’s what I wanted. I wanted to be passionate about life and live the way that Dr. J played basketball.

That passion carried on in Charles Barkley. He was one of the most unique players in history. Unfortunately, the Sixers failed to build a champion around him. The draft of 1986 was a night that lived in infamy as Pat Williams traded Moses Malone and the number one pick of the draft for Jeff Ruland, Cliff Robinson (before the most current one) and Roy Hinson.

It wasn’t until the draft of 1996 that the Sixers would avenge their blunder from ten years prior. With the first pick in the draft, the Sixers selected Allen Iverson. They made it to the 2001 Finals and won Game 1, but Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal led the Lakers to win the next four games and take the title.

The third part of this video series ends with the Sixers acquiring Chris Webber in 2005. Unfortunately, that marriage didn’t work out. Both players were gone by the end of the 2006-’07 season.

After trading Iverson in December of 2006, the Sixers struggled before making the playoffs last year. They signed Elton Brand and locked up Andre Iguodala this summer. As we enter a new era in Sixers basketball, take this opportunity to look back at the past. The future is bright.

Part One:
Part Two:
Part Three:

Gilbert Arenas wants everyone to get paid

Remember that little blurb from Gilbert Arenas how he thought the Emeka Okafors, Luol Dengs and Andre Iguodalas of the world should’ve taken the contract extension offers last summer? As it turned out, the players in question ended up getting $15-25 million more this summer.

Iguodala commented on his blog about the contract process and understanding the risk. He even called out Gilbert Arenas as one of the critics. In the end, it all worked out.

Arenas explained his reasoning in the July 14th edition of his NBA.com blog, under the section, “What Did I Say?” Basically, he answered with “nothing is guaranteed” and “there’s no competition.” Meaning, teams didn’t have the cap room to offer anything substantial to anybody other than their own free agents. Some players like Josh Childress decided to use Europe as leverage and eventually decided to take the Euro instead. Arenas says he’s “just a player who wants to see everyone get paid.”

For a guy who is still dealing with lingering issues with his knee, signing a six-year $111 deal is a bit of a risk on the Wizards part. Arenas lucked out there. But talking about settling for less, the Wizards reportedly offered $126 million so Gilbert could turn it down for less money. That way, he wouldn’t appear hypocritical.

It’s all good though. Like Gilbert was saying, everybody got paid. That was the point.