Sixers lose finale, finish tied for 6th worst record -- 18.25% chance of top 3 pick
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[The Sixers] won't let Eddie Jordan twist in the wind tomorrow: "it will be quick," says a source.
I don't have much to say about tonight's game. I'm glad we lost, and I hope this is the final time I root for the Sixers to lose -- at least for a very, very long time. Hooray for a 5.3% chance to win the lottery, and an 18.25% chance of WTF!
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This truly is a bittersweet day for me. For one, I'm thrilled this dreadful season finally is over. I feel like I've just woken up from an 82-game nightmare. On the other hand, it's beginning to set in -- I won't be able to watch the Sixers play another meaningful basketball game for seven months. However; things only get better from here. First, we'll never have to see Eddie Jordan, ever again. Second, we have a 18.25% chance of landing a top 3 pick. Things could change very, very quickly, and a potentially explosive off-season should be enough to hold us until November.
We all know how bad the Sixers' season was. Besides the emergence of Jrue Holiday, and the prospects of a top 10 pick, there wasn't much to cheer about. But the same cannot be said about this blog.
Despite an absolutely atrocious season from the Sixers, highlighted by the hiring of Eddie Jordan, Liberty Ballers had a successful season in its second full year of existence. We graduated from a one-man show to a double-duo of contributers. We have a nice mix of writers here, each brining their unique styles to the site, and I want to take a second to thank them.
Thank you TAFKA Mike Bourn for being the super-utilty blogger and doing anything and everything asked of you, whether it's recaps, game threads, filling in when I go on vacation, college stuff, links, etc. -- and doing it in a very entertaining way. Thank you Derek for being a great basketball mind, and dropping mind-blowing knowledge on the site, daily. Thank you Tanner for doing the dirty work aka daily links, and writing the occasional recap. And thanks to John for always keeping things interesting, e-mailing me important links, (queue award show music, or Kanye West on Hennessy) banning the occasional spammer, and behaving ... most of the time. You guys have helped me out tremendously, and I greatly appreciate it.
I also want to give a massive shout out to the readers and commenters of the site. LB would be nothing without you guys, and I thank you for reading, commenting, posting FanPosts/FanShots, voting in polls, buying t-shirts, participating in our fantasy leagues, etc., etc.
To end our season, and begin our off-season, please answer these three questions in the comments.
1. Who do you want as the next head coach?
2. Do you want Stenfanski back? If not, who do you want to see replace him?
3. What player do you want the Sixers to draft at 7 assuming Wall, Turner, Favors, Cousins, Johnson, and Aminu are all off the board?
This should be an exciting off-season to say the least, and we have big things planned here at LB both for this summer, and next season. Stay tuned.
Thanks again for the great (for us anyway) season, everyone.
P.S. Just remember, we're only one ping pong ball away from getting "To the window, to the WALL!" shirts made.
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Answers...and I'm glad the nightmare is over too
1) I still favor Jeff Van Gundy, but assuming he won’t leave TV, I’m not sure, maybe PJ Carlesimo or Avery Johnson.
2) Ed is fine to stay, but the leash is short (any mistakes/missteps and goodbye)
3) Henry or Patterson
When is the lottery??
1. Avery Johnson would be nice. Larry if he’s willing.
2. Stefanski’s gotta go. Bring in a fresh face.
3.Xavier Henry wouldn’t be bad. At that pick he or Aldrich would be the best bets. I don’t believe Aldrich will ever be a star. But I think he seems like a guy who will just get you around 12 and 8 or so.
1) Either LB(with Snow & McKie waiting in the wings), Elston Turner(Rockets Asst) or Thibodeau.
2) Dileo deserves his shot. The fact that Stefanski hired his boy while failing so badly speaks volumes
3) Aldrich or Udoh, with Henry as a darkhorse depending on workouts and such. They need a consistent defensive anchor in the worst way. Besides, I’d like to see Dala & Thad give it one more go with a better coach and Jrue as the PG before making a decision.
1.) No one in mind particularly. Preferably someone defensive-minded who can actually work with the core that we have.
2.) I hate what he’s done so far and see no reason why he should keep his job. The fact that he even entertained the idea of hiring Eddie Jordan should be a fireable offense. I don’t know enough about GM candidates to know who to go after. Maybe Tom Penn?
3.) Ed Davis. Big potential. Looked fairly bad because his guards were awful. His situation is similar to Favors’ except he’s a little less talented.
After doing a little bit of reading I’ve got a few names for #1:
Elston Turner (named by MojoPharoah above me. Hopefully he can be even half of the coach Adelman is.)
Dave Joerger (Memphis assistant. Someone mentioned a while back that David Thorpe thinks he should get a head coaching job. He’s had success developing players and would be someone I’d really like to take a chance on)
Dwayne Casey (Mavs assistant. Specializes in defense. Overachieved in his only other head coaching job. Apparently was thought high enough of the Sixers to get a 2nd interview for the job last year. He has the highest probability of the three to be the coach next year.)
That’s all I got for now.
I know EXACTLY which article you read – cause i read it too when arnovitz wrote it :)
by jemagee on Apr 15, 2010 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions
got a friend at Ohio St.
watched Evan Turner all season and doesn’t think his game will transfer well into the pros. Notes that every time he is matched up against an athletic wing who can defend some he gets shut down. Turner isn’t all that athletic, and he says that he doesn’t think he has the quickness to guard NBA 2’s and that much of his college success is based on mismatches (his size + ballhandling skills)
take it for what it’s worth, just thought I’d bring it up here. Anybody agree/disagree?
wow, too many pronouns there.
hope you guys understood, haha
by Court_visioN on Apr 14, 2010 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions
I’ve been second-guessing Turner for the past few weeks, actually. Interesting that you brought that up.
by Jordan Sams on Apr 14, 2010 10:04 PM PDT up reply actions
watched Evan Turner all season and doesn’t think his game will transfer well into the pros.
I didn’t watch him ALL season, “just” about 20 or so games. I disagree.
Notes that every time he is matched up against an athletic wing who can defend some he gets shut down
Turner hasn’t been shut down all season, much less every time. If you take out the game he got injured (7 minutes) and the first game he came back from injury (20 minutes) he only scored in single digits once of the remaining 29 games, and that was in a blowout they won by 18 points. He dropped 18/11/8 on W. Virginia, a very goo defensive team with athletic defenders. He tore up big east play, and he was amazing in the tournaments. I’d like some specific examples from your friend.
Turner isn’t all that athletic
Same “reason” Brandon Roy wasn’t going to make it in the NBA. I also think Turner’s quick, which to me is more important on determining success translating than straight run-jump. He’s athletic in the Jrue Holiday sense, not the Andre Iguodala sense.
Derek Bodner
by Derek Bodner on Apr 15, 2010 5:06 AM PDT up reply actions
This f'ing sucks.
After Wizards & Warriors wins, the Sixers two-game win streak over the Bucks & Hawks dropped them from a 42% at a top 3 pick to 18.25%.
What-ifs will kill you though. I’m sure every team has what-ifs. Better just appreciate what we have.
by Jordan Sams on Apr 14, 2010 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions
And thanks to Jordan for a great year. Really good stuff here, as always.
1. I remain a Tom Thibodeau guy, but wouldn’t complain about JVG or Johnson. Both seem like good options.
2. I still don’t mind him. Most of the moves he’s made have been somewhere between acceptable and quite good at the time when he made them; they just haven’t panned out, for a variety of reasons: some he should have foreseen, but others I’m not sure about. I would be OK if he stays on, and I’m frankly not sure there are any really better candidates out there.
3. I still know nothing about college hoops. I’ll defer to TAFKAMB – bonus if he and Jordan can come to an agreement.
1) Tom Thibodeau
2) Tony Dileo
3) Monroe or Henry
by Eellsy27 on Apr 14, 2010 11:41 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
1) Doesn’t matter what I think, if Stefanski’s back, that means our only two options are Lawrence Frank or Byron Scott.
2) If it wasn’t for hiring Jordan, I’d be willing to give him a second chance. I don’t have confidence in him deciding on the next coach.
3) I’m praying Johnson slides. If it works out that way, I’ll cry, then reluctantly take Cole Aldrich, the unpopular pick on the site. I just have more confidence in him working out and being a contributor defensively than I do Monroe/Davis/Whiteside. I wouldn’t be happy with the pick, though, and may even trade down and go with Udoh or Henry.
Derek Bodner
I like the idea of trading up or down if the F.O. is confident in the guy they’re gonna take. It’s something Andy Reid has done countless times that’s worked out (recently) well. That being said…..
1. I’m just praying for no retreads — give a young assistant with a vision a shot.
2. I’d probably be okay with giving him this offseason, but I would love cleaning house entirely. Blow it up.
3. In this order, Henry/Motiejunas/Monroe/Whiteside. I value both Xavier and Donatas more than most, so if we could trade down for them and pick up an early 2nd rounder or lose a contract like Green’s or Kapono’s I’d be all for it.
by Michael Levin on Apr 15, 2010 7:23 AM PDT up reply actions
I don’t know who I want to coach the sixers because I don’t know all the worhty candidates.
My concerns about Thibodeau are many and already stated, Avery Johnson publicly campaigning for the job last year rubbed me the wrong way and the love for Jeff Van Gundy is interestng, but also another egotist, hell i’d rather have barkely cause he’d be like ozzie guillen.
To me, no matter what they say, money matters, comcast is going to be looking for a cheap guy who maybe is paid by another team this year so they can pay him even less the first year
by jemagee on Apr 15, 2010 7:36 AM PDT reply actions
and writing the occasional recap.
I think you forgot a word in there – it should say “occasional sexy recap” but who’s counting
you thanked all of us and really we should be thanking you (and by you I mean Jordan) – you put a lot of work into this and do things behind the scenes that I and I’m sure everyone else appreciates so thanks Jord
i’d like to thank ricko for giving us all inspiration and copious amounts of love during the first half of the season (come baaaaacckkkkkkkkk – said like rose in titanic)
anyway coaching wise
1) an assistant with some vision and perspective who isn’t egotistical
2) my confidence in him is shot after the eddie jordan hire but i really don’t want larry brown taking over gm duties so i guess i’ll let him have another shot
3) Xavi-eh, Eddy Davis, or Monroe
by Tanner Steidel on Apr 15, 2010 12:24 PM PDT reply actions
When are you tow getting married by the way – will you be registerred at sixers.com?
No one thanked me you ungrateful louts – i’m just the pack mule around here – just like at work.
by jemagee on Apr 15, 2010 12:53 PM PDT up reply actions
And thanks to John for always keeping things interesting, e-mailing me important links, (queue award show music, or Kanye West on Hennessy) banning the occasional spammer, and behaving … most of the time.
??
by Tanner Steidel on Apr 15, 2010 1:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Wait – i was suppossed to read the ENTIRE thing…jesus
by jemagee on Apr 15, 2010 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions

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