Andre Miller leads Blazers past former team
by jsams on Jan 20, 2010 8:48 PM PST
42 comments
Update: I forgot to mention how much of a stud Samuel Dalembert is. On Monday he flew straight from Minnesota to his home country -- Haiti -- to help with the earthquake aftermath. After being in Haiti for 48 hours he jumped on a plane, flew to Philly, rushed through the airport, literally ran through the arena and straight into pre-game warm-ups. All he did in the game was post a double-double with 10 points and 15 boards. Rumor is that he hasn't slept 2 hours since the weekend. To be able to play an NBA game and play effectively with all the stuff going on with him, his family and his country is unbelievable. I'm proud to say that he plays for my favorite team. End Update.
Can't blame this loss on the coach. A healthy Sixers team just lost, at home, to a Blazers team without their best player and both of their centers. There were no major coaching gaffes down the stretch and the Sixers "best" lineup was on the floor during crunch time. Maybe the loss of Andre Miller hurt the Sixers more than we thought -- he dominated tonight.
Here's the breakdown of the "Big Five":
Despite the smooth line Jrue posted in the box score (10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists on 4-7 shooting) he did not play well. He had four turnovers -- at least two came on terrible passes -- and his vaunted defense was Lou-like at times. He did lock down Andre Miller in the fourth, and did an okay job on Steve Blake (lost him a couple times on screens and late rotations), but he had no chance guarding Jerryd Bayless tonight. Bayless blew by Jrue at will resulting in easy layups or a trip to the line. Jrue was a little too aggressive and was caught gambling one too many times.
Lou Williams
I'll admit, I had to check the box score to remind myself Lou Williams played tonight. He finished with 11 points and 7 dimes, but I never found myself saying "Great move Lou!" or "Great pass Lou!" I don't know what else to say. More often than not Lou's stats are just that -- stats -- empty stats. There's a reason his minutes are dwindling. I didn't pay too close attention to Lou's defense, but him and Iverson were torched by Andre Miller all night. However; he did accumulate the best +/- of the night, so he must be good!
Typical Andre Iguodala game. He did all he could.
23 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal, 8-14 shooting, and nice defense all night.
Thad was terrible again. He was 3-12 from the floor, and only grabbed 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 27 minutes. He makes absolutely no impact in a game unless he scores 20+ points. There was a play in this game where the Sixers had a 2 on 1 fastbreak, Lou set up Thad for a wide open slam, and Thad clanked it off the rim. That basically sums up my feelings on Thad Young.
Speights only played 12 minutes tonight. He didn't play much defense. He shot almost every time he touched the ball and finished with 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.
0 recs |
42 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
The lower you get on Thad now, the more you’ll love him when he turns it around. He’s 21. Months like these happen. Even if you’re not, I’m still keeping the faith.
by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jan 20, 2010 11:03 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Well
until it happens, he should be backing up Brand. It can’t hurt to shake things up and still make a push for the playoffs. Also, perhaps some team could be enticed to pick up EB’s contract.
Looking for in-depth basketball analysis? Try http://www.basketballfreeforall.com!
by RedHopeful on Jan 21, 2010 6:49 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
It can’t hurt to shake things up and still make a push for the playoffs.
It absolutely can hurt our draft position. What does making the playoffs as the 8 seed and getting bounced in the first round do for our championship chances this year or down the road? Rebuild.
by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jan 21, 2010 1:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Umm
Considering Brand is signed through 2012/13, does it make sense alienating such an expensive piece that they’re probably stuck with anyways???
Plus yer just happy they punt the entire second half of the season? That’s fantastic for team morale and a good way to keep the fans interested. As we’ve all learned in the past, the lottery outcome can be such a tossup – so why give it much credence?
Looking for in-depth basketball analysis? Try http://www.basketballfreeforall.com!
by RedHopeful on Jan 21, 2010 1:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
If we stick where we are, odds are we’ll have a top 5 pick. That’s worlds different from pick 13-16 at fringe lottery. We need to rebuild. Consistent mediocrity does nothing for the team or for the fans. Look at what the Thunder are doing. Portland was in the same boat, so was Memphis. Now they’re all championship contenders in the next 2-3 years (Portland sooner). Striving for the 8th seed isn’t a recipe for success. I don’t care about alienating anyone, I don’t care about team morale — not this season at least. We don’t have the pieces to contend now, so where’s the sense in giving veterans tons of minutes to win meaningless games.
For the best chance of future success, the lineup should be Holiday, Iguodala, Young, Brand, Speights. They’d go through growing pains but that is what’s important when you’re trying to rebuild.
by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jan 21, 2010 1:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
You said it
Im a Portland fan, and belive me there is nothing worse than rooting for a .500 team that either gets the 8th seed and bounced in the playoffs or a #14 lottery pick that does no good. We were in that rut for 3-4 years before we decided to blow it up. Then we got B Roy, Aldridge, and Co.
You either have to rebuild from scratch with young talent that may not win very much, or splurge on vets that might underachieve (see Wince Carter in Orlando).
Ball handling and dribbling are my strongest weaknesses."—David Thompson
by Benson on Jan 21, 2010 5:21 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
No rhyme or reason
Lou Will plays well, and still sits the 4th quarter. If this is the case, why not start Holiday over him? The problem is Iverson is in the way……The starters should be Holiday/Lou Will but ownership/coaches want to keep Iverson happy so fans will come watch the player formerly known as “The Answer”.
I am starting to expect a T-Mac for Iggy/Dalembert trade……team is losing alot of money and this will give us salary relief.
by Bellringer21 on Jan 21, 2010 4:40 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
a few points:
1. There’s no point in trying to make sense of Jordan’s rotations.
2. You would really choose Willie Green playing over Iverson?
3. Such a trade really wouldn’t give this team much cap relief, at least not enough to stay under the tax and sign anyone worth signing. If they do such a trade they might as well blow up the entire roster.
by jefu on Jan 21, 2010 5:16 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
He said Holiday and Lou Will…as in Lou Williams. Not Lou and Willie Green.
A trade of TMac for Iggy/Dalembert would free up roughly 20 mil in cap space coming off the books this year. That trade would clearly be the beginning of this team completely blowing up. And so be it. It’s pretty much garbage. I’d keep Jrue, Speights and Thad. Everyone else can go. Especially Lou Will. He is A.I v 2. A guy who cares about getting his and that’s it.
by EREX21 on Jan 21, 2010 5:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
except lou is not nearly as good as iverson was at that age
by mkellyrutgers on Jan 21, 2010 6:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
two things.
1. First I agree that Iverson is in the way. It was ok while Lou was injured, but now it seems like he is taking too many minutes from Jrue/Lou. They need to cut down his minutes. Too bad if he gets upset. His play lately isn’t very good. Lot’s of TO’s and bad D. I don’t see him getting other guys involved like he was in his first few games. The season is over, Iverson is not the future, and the team needs to develop Jrue.
2. The Iggy/Sam for Tmac deal is ridiculous. I know it clears cap space, but who is going to come here? If we do that one, exactly who is going to be an interior presence for us??? Sam gets killed by the fans, sometimes deservedly, but he is our only interior defensive presence. We will get killed on the boards and tons of drives, layups, dunks if he goes.
by zebra on Jan 21, 2010 7:18 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Well yeah he isn’t half as good as A.I but his mind set and play is the same. Jack up bad shots at the worst times. Never look to pass the ball. Etc.
by EREX21 on Jan 21, 2010 11:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, but if they keep the roster for next year, they will be over the cap. The money they save won’t be enough to sign anyone important.
Also, I’m not sure you’re in position to say if they trade Iguodala and Sam they will begin the “blowing up” process. More like the saving money process. We don’t know yet if this organization cares about rebuilding for the future or simply saving money.
by jefu on Jan 21, 2010 8:15 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Can’t blame this loss on the coach
Yes, playing Willie Green at small forward for even 5 seconds is an acceptable coaching move
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 7:43 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
There are always numerous questionable coaching moves by Joran – and there were last night – but we know that you don’t want to criticize Joran any more – but enough bad coaching moments can cost you a game.
Not having the right personnel in the game isn’t going to help
Ignoring mismatches
Not calling enough plays for Elton Brand (who had a massive advantage last night)
Bad calls out of a time out (Iguodala for 3 when down 4? Nice call)
You may want to avoid criticizing Joran – but there isn’t a single game where there are numerous things he did wrong – so – yes – you can blame this loss on the coach…he’s the guy who keeps running out Iverson/Williams.
If you want to avoid criticizing the coach then avoid criticizing EVERYONE on the roster, because if you criticize some but not others, by choice, you’re presenting a biased partial view of the sixers.
I understand your motivation – but you can’t say ’can’t blame this loss on the coach’ when there are numerous small moments in the game that add up – and are purely on the coaching moves.
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 9:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, but it’s getting to the point where we’re like a Little League team who blames every loss on the umpires. Sure, there are numerous calls the umpires make throughout the game tha hurt a team’s chances of winning, but at some point you have to hold the players accountable. This team isn’t as talented as we think, plain and simple.
We can knit-pick all we want, but every coach in this league makes calls that most of us would deem questionable. We don’t notice it because either A) we don’t care B) we don’t watch or C) they’re winning. I’ve seen Phil Jackson throw out what I thought were ridiculous lineups at the time. Does anyone blame him for the Lakers losses? No. You could say “yeah but they have a good team”, but I guarantee that team is still the number 1 seed if EJ is their coach.
I’m not defending Jordan as a coach, because I don’t think he’s a very good one, but that doesn’t mean he’s responsible for every loss.
by jsams on Jan 21, 2010 9:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
They might not be as talented as others thought, but I thought they were a 500 team and they have 500 team talent but it’s not used properly…and that’s on the coach…blaming the umpires is a lousy analogy, they make mistakes but over all they balance out, but if the sixers get out coached EVERY GAME or run out the same bad rotations EVERY GAME that’s on the coach…the coach can be responsible for losses….and starting Iverson and Williams is always on the coach and always a bad decision. Giving Willie Green minutes over 5 is on the coach, sitting the best defensive point guard on the roster in the second half when yo uneed stops is on the coach.
It is in no way the same as blaming the umps – you get different umps every game – but you have the same coach every game
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 10:05 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Why didn’t hear I hear any of these complaints when Green and Evans were in the starting lineup? Because they were winning. I can criticize Cheeks’ rotations as well. Thad should’ve been starting over Reggie. Lou should’ve started over Green. Carney should’ve gotten more minutes. Carney was one of our best perimeter defenders, yet he rode the bench all the time. And I’m sure Cheeks called Iguodala for 3 out of a timeout a bunch of times. Gimme a break.
by jsams on Jan 21, 2010 10:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Reggie Evans started 7 games last year – seven (and even with 7 starts averaged less than 15 minutes per game)
Green was in the starting line up because Brand got hurt – and the only other option was louis williams – who the sixers aw as their back up point guard.
Again, you’re comparing apples and oranges, you have a healthy brand, you have a better option on the bench than willie green to improve the starting line up.
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 10:30 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m talking about the year before, and they’ve always had a better option than Green.
by jsams on Jan 21, 2010 10:38 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
With Brand injured, the only better option at starter than Willie Green last season was Lou Williams – and that’s 6 1/2 dozen of the other – let’s not say royal ivey is a better optoin – he’s just not – so green was going to get too many minutes once brand went down…
There are OBVIOUS better starting players and rotations on this team compared to previous seasons where you weren’t as good – and Jordan keeps making questionable substitution patterns and usually gets beat via half time adjustments…
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 10:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
props up to Dalembert for him playing even though he had to travel to Haiti and back,
a class act he is
eff you we winning anyway
A.I. IS BACKKKKKKK
by eagleswin on Jan 21, 2010 9:30 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
Looking for in-depth basketball analysis? Try http://www.basketballfreeforall.com!
by RedHopeful on Jan 21, 2010 1:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Twitter comment (non passive aggressive) from Martin Frank of Dleco Times
Eddie Jordan on rotation: “I’m not sold on the fact that you’ve got to keep a short rotation.” Look for J. Smith or Kapono vs. Dallas Friday
That’s the sixers coach, he’s a geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen-yus
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 12:01 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Stefanski on with mikey miss – sr950.com
I just booted it up and he was saying that ‘defense is our most important…fuels the fast break’
Mikey Miss pushing the McGrady trade rumors and Stefanski dancing around the question – not saying no – ‘that is an option’
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 12:10 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
“Elton has played his way well enough to get back in the starting line up”
This is fun :)
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 12:11 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Nah
Thad can do no wrong.
Looking for in-depth basketball analysis? Try http://www.basketballfreeforall.com!
by RedHopeful on Jan 21, 2010 1:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Invites fans to talk to him at the game – he isn’t hiding
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 12:16 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Quick Interview – over already – but interesting little tidbits – feeding the rumor frenzy and then listening to the fan reaction to see if he should make it?
Calling out Jordan (subtlely) by saying he feels brand has played good enough to start?
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 12:18 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I don’t think so. If Jordan hasn’t been fired yet, I see him lasting the whole season, as miserable as that may be. But if we’re looking to pile up the losses for the draft, he’s our proven loser.
by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jan 21, 2010 1:22 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I meant calling out Jordan and telling him through the media – change your starting line up you goofus :)
950 has already moved on (less than an hour later) to much more important things like joe blantons contract (good) and donovans future (it’s one of those IQ test things)
Of course misanelli said ty lawson was 5’8, the sixers should have let iguodala walk and signed josh smith :)
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 1:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I really just cannot listen to sports radio. Mike and Mike is about all I can stand, and even they don’t know anything aside from the mainstream sports news. People without a clue shouldn’t be allowed to voice their opinion. What is this, America?
by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn on Jan 21, 2010 1:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
i like dan patrick show basically because he allowed to say/cover whatever he wants (to some degree of course) that radio people on espn affiliated networks are not allowed to cover (ben roethlisberger)
by tsteidel on Jan 21, 2010 2:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m trying just to get a vibe of the city on the sixers…being in California that’s tough – I still can’t risk WIP
Primarily I’m on 950 because I HATE COLIN COWHERD – he’s god awful useless and knows nothing and is worse than cocky about it – i can handle van pelt and gottlieb – but cowherd must be just killed.
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 2:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
on a recent nba today podcast ric bucher said you could make up a name and tell cowherd he’s in the nba and cowherd will react with “yea o yea i like him. he’s tough out there on the perimeter – very underrated player”
by tsteidel on Jan 21, 2010 2:06 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I actually heard that – i’m selelctively listening to simmons based on his guests
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 2:20 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
The full (brief) interview with stefanski is going to be re-run at 5:10 PM (eastern)
It’s 97.5 FM / 950 AM in philly and sr950.com online
by jemagee on Jan 21, 2010 1:24 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Big respect to Dalembert
Can’t even imagine what he is going through right now, but his courage to go back to his country and still come back and play his heart out the following night is really cool. I hope everything continues to go this well for him (basketball wise).
by YoSixers on Jan 21, 2010 2:44 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
Related FanPosts on Liberty Ballers
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
