The Life of a Sixers Fan
by Jordan Sams on Feb 5, 2010 8:24 PM PST
23 comments
Since the Sixers are supposed to be in pre-rebuild mode I can't force myself to get excited over these wins. That's what last year was for. That's what the year before was for. That's what the year before the year before was for. I've seen this movie three years in a row. We have a team with a mixture of talent, young and old. We start poorly, finish strong and end up saying to ourselves, "Next year is our year," yet instead of moving forward and building toward a championship, we invent new ways to be mediocre.
Winning games is nice, but we need to take a step back and look at the big picture. The Sixers have the potential to be a .500 team. If they continue to play like they have during this winning streak, they'll finish with around 35 wins -- maybe a couple more if they get hot. So let's say they finish with 38 wins. A 38-44 record won't get you in the playoffs. A 38-44 record gets you at least one more year of Eddie Jordan, one more year of mediocrity, and one more year of drafting a prospect with the ceiling of a role player.
Our entire franchise is in total 'lame duck mode' right now. There's been rumors of our coach being fired, and there's been rumors of our GM being fired -- who coincidentally is shopping the team's best player.
The Sixers need to make up their mind whether they want to win now or re-build, so I can make up my mind whether I should root for playoffs or ping pong balls.
If the Sixers brass thinks this core is capable of winning a championship someday, let's go -- balls to the wall. Let's get the right coach in here. Let's keep Iguodala, Brand and Dalembert. Let's trade away our young talent to acquire "the missing piece". If not, let's do the opposite. Let's trade Iguodala, Brand and Dalembert. Let's keep our young talent. Let's worry more about developing players than winning 35 games and keeping the veterans happy.
That's all I want from my team, a concrete plan that I can back 100 percent. Because them not having a plan is making it really difficult to be a fan.
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Oh they have a plan
Eddie Jordan’s plan is to do everything humanly possible to keep his job. Ed Stefanski’s plan is to do everything humanly possible to keep his job as well. Play Iverson 40 minutes/game. Play Willie Green 40 minutes/game. Do whatever it takes to win as many games against bad/depleted teams, the future be damned because if they don’t win 35 games, they won’t be here long enough for the future to matter to them anyway.
Send GT Green packing.
3 years of which could break any fan.
So is this going to be another year where they try and sell us on a 2nd half push? Can’t say I really bought in during any of the previous 3 years- although the Spring before they added Brand was exciting.
http://www.phillyarena.com - Philly sports forum/blog
I’m just saying, Iverson out they’ve played two of their better games of the year, regardless of who they played.
No Iverson, solid minutes for Brand (but still sam and jrue on the short end) – just saying
by jemagee on Feb 6, 2010 9:03 AM PST up reply actions
A plan for the future with some idea of when championship success is crucial for a front office. And the Sixers don’t have one. They effed up, refuse to admit it, and try to win as many meaningless games against bad competition in the short term to please the non-existent fanbase and blind ownership. It’s painful to watch.
I hate not being able to use curse words. I love them and feel like I’m doing them a disservice by not employing them at the right times. The end.
Depressed Fan has the corner on our life
I am so tired of Eddie Joran. I honestly want them to lose every game so ths guy can become unemployed. Until that happens, it is not going to get better.
Jemagee stated the obvious, since AI has been out, they have played their 2 best games of the year. Not a fluke.
Can ya’ll imagine how happy we would be to hear the Joran has been fired? It seems like a distance dream right now. Sad…….
if Joran would get a clue, Greens ‘injury’ could help too, just give all those minutes to Jrue instead of Ivey
by jemagee on Feb 6, 2010 9:32 AM PST up reply actions
Even in the midst of a 3 game ‘winning’ streak, count on kate fagan to remind us that eie joran is a moron
And the second is from Jordan, talking about how difficult it was to take Lou Williams out of the starting lineup: “It was really hard to take him out, it really was. It was a discussion that had been going on for a couple of weeks. And I didn’t want to do it, didn’t want to do it. As much as people thought the backcourt of Allen and Lou was a defensive detriment, it wasn’t … it really didn’t hurt us defensively, but it got to a point where we wanted a little bit more and that’s why we thought Jrue would be better defensively.”
by jemagee on Feb 6, 2010 9:31 AM PST reply actions
This ideology says that other factors are contributing to this poor season, that you still believe in the talent level on this team, and don’t think it should be blown up just yet.
OR
Have they been treading water for too long? Have they been chilling in mediocrity and low-level playoff berths and mid-round draft picks for so long they aren’t giving themselves a chance to hit rock bottom and truly rebuild with a top 5 lottery pick and the right pieces?
by jemagee on Feb 6, 2010 9:34 AM PST reply actions
Great post.
This season is a waste, since there is no confidence in the coach and the coach has done nothing to inspire confidence. For all of his different line-ups he still plays Thad and Andre out of position. He still plays a small line-up for periods in the game, and allows the team to play undisciplined offense, not working for a good shot.
He never tries to create mismatches or call the same play a couple of times in a row. The team seldom gets into an offensive rhythm. How the hell can we tell what kind of a team we have when he doesn’t do anything to develop their potential?
This team is in limbo. Where is the plan to get better? Where is the plan to figure out what we need? Other than Dwight Howard or Tim Duncan, who do you think could put this team over the top, or are they even that close that one of those stars could make a difference.
At this point I have no idea about trades because I don’t know what the team really needs. With a different coach, I would already know, and I should. That we don’t, shows why the coach has to be fired. Someone get a gun.
I’m going to have to disagree with your assertion that with a different coach you’d already know, or maybe you’d ‘know’ but no one else would agree
by jemagee on Feb 6, 2010 11:49 AM PST up reply actions
How long does it take to know if your team can run an offense like a machine, reliable and dependable? How long does it take to find out if you have players who can rebound and block out against opponents? How many combinations of players are there that you can go through to see on a comparitive basis how they do?
About three quarters of a season, to have the finished product would be my guess. But by now, I’d have figured out a rotation, and a way to transition from one group to another. Then again, I have an idea of what I want to see out of a basketball team, and I’d select the group that does that the best as my core.
Eddie doesn’t even have a core group, we never know who’s going to be on the floor at the end of games. How can a team play that way and expect to win?
Sam Dalembert said it best, “It’s a mystery basically, almost. You look at the team itself, you look at the individuals we have on this team and there’s no way we shouldn’t be winning. Sometimes that happens with the best of the best, it’s not the coaches, it’s us on the floor. We have to find a way, with each other, to play. I know sometimes it’s difficult – to defend all of us – we don’t know who we’re going to be with sometimes on the floor. Depending, we might not play with somebody for 5 games, 10 games, 15 games, and then suddenly he’s on the floor with you. You have to adjust to it, that’s something we know we’re going to have to realize and try to be professional about it and quick to adapt with each other on the floor.”
In other words, our coach is a f’ing idiot, and no matter who he throws out there, we have to figure out how to play together to win. You would think we have enough talent on the team to do that, and we probably would if this guy had a clue about match-ups. Help us, please!
Probably less time than it takes you to understand what people write and actually ADDRESS what they write as opposed to your long rambling (ranting?) writings
by jemagee on Feb 6, 2010 1:35 PM PST up reply actions
stop winning you fools!! we need a great draft pick,not a middle of the road pick who really isnt going to help us win!!! get with it stefanski! blow this team up or fire jordan! you are destroying a good team who made the playoffs without bramd! they shouldnt be this bad! it has to be the coach and ultimately you stefanski are responsible! so, you better do something!!
Firing Eie Joran and bringing in a smart coach makes them win more games.
3 straight wins – one against a team they are truly better than (the bulls) and two against teams missing major and even back up players.
by jemagee on Feb 6, 2010 12:45 PM PST up reply actions
I’d be fine with winning more games if it helps us figure out what we have. The problem is, how do you fire Eddie Jordan if he keeps winning? Regardless of whether they were easy wins or not, they still count as wins.
The only thing I am sure of is that the coach is the biggest obstacle to the team accomplishing anything this season, and allowing fans to see actual progress.
There is still time to see what the team is capable of, and whether or not they can compete with who they have. It really doesn’t matter if they get a high seed, if they’re good enough to win, they should be able to play with whoever they meet in the playoffs.
As it is, they’re well below .500 and have to play better than .660 ball to even make it to .500. That’s how deep a hole they’re in now. I want them to win, but not with the current coach. Life in hell for Sixers fans!
I like Iguodala
and his talents are wasted here. Brand was a great guy to have when he was going to fill that gaping hole that the Sixers had in terms of post scoring. Dalembert, especially the way he’s playing now, has some value, frankly.
I think it would be best for everyone for Iguodala and Brand to be somewhere else. Lose lots of games, get a top-7 pick. Maybe rebuild, sign a big FA. But I can’t help but agree that this team is in lame-duck mode. Good enough not to be the Nets, bad enough to not do anything in the playoffs. Please, let’s make something happen. I love watching the NBA, and for all their faults, I love watching the Sixers. But something needs to change.
This is logic I’ve always hated ’it’s better for them somewhere else’
You can’t build a winning team without good players…if brand wasn’t here and the coach wasn’t stupid, and the organization (and fans) realized Iguodala needs help to build a winning team the franchise would be much better off.
Lots of players spend their careers on not good teams – tough
by jemagee on Feb 6, 2010 3:47 PM PST up reply actions
GO Sixers
I think the team needs to get a good coach. Elton Brand, iggy and young are more than enough talent to take us to a championship but one of them has to step up and be the go to player when we need a bucket. A good coach would develop plays for young to be that player. The average age of the team is still around 25 years of age. Get rid of some of the players that are not producing and trade some that have value like Smith and Green and bring in players that can play defense and make buckets and The SIXERS will be contenders again.
Elton Brand could maybe lead the team to a championship 4 years and 5 injuries ago and Iggy, as great as he is, is not the go-to superstar we all think he is. He would be a great Pippen to someone’s MJ. Dalembert is a serviceable player, but is getting paid way too much for what he offers.
If the Sixers can clear 2 or 3 of those players salaries for ECs and picks, then they will have a poorer second half and catch the Nets in the lottery. Would love to keep Iggy in hopes of pairing him with a stud in the draft, but he seems like the player talked about in trades most so that probably won’t happen.
Chase Utley is so good that on one pitch he stole second, third and the shortstop's hat.
To tank or not to tank
I’ll start of by saying, I watch about 80 percent of all Sixers games, which is really a lot of suffering to endure. 38-44 is really ambitious and MIGHT get you in the playoffs, but for what? I don’t think this roster is devoid of talent, if you look at things objectively. All else being equal, I’d rather keep Sam than Iggy if one of them has to go. I don’t want Stoudemire because I see an Elton Brand part 2 situation with that. Speights needs playing time. Lou needs to go for his own sake. Thad can stay or go.
Sorry this post wasn’t too organized. Scrambling your brains, that’s what being a fan of this team will do.
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