Upon drafting Lavoy Allen, none of us particularly thought he'd ever contribute to the Sixers or any NBA team. Having seen him play for four years at Temple, it didn't seem like he was going to be able to transition his somewhat lackadaisical play at the collegiate level into a much faster paced game. And ESPN agreed, ranking him the 500th best player in the NBA, at the very bottom of their list but still probably quite a bit better than all of us.

But, in the absence of Nikola Vucevic and Spencer Hawes, and the fragility of Tony Battie, he's already surpassed any expectations we've had and has shored up a spot at least 475. If he actually quit playing basketball right now, he would still have had a more successful career than predicted. So, with that knowledge, it's time to give the guy an official nickname. A lot of temporary ones have gotten tossed around, but all agreeing upon one and then maybe using the others sparsely would go a long way towards togetherness and synergy and whatnot.

So without further ado, here's a few candidates for a potential nickname for the big guy out of Pennsbury High School.

With news yesterday that the Sixers were batting the yarn about possibly asking the Knicks if they're willing to trade their Fruit Roll-up for the Sixers' Twix, there have been two outcries heard loud and clear. One from the, ahem, more clearly-thinking places on the internet that claim Amar'e Stoudemire is too flawed and fragile of a basketball player with a fat contract. The other from people who hear a superstar's name and get on their hind legs to get a look at them.

Since it is mostly the former group that'll be reading this, it seems the role of Devil's Advocate has fallen to me to play. Here's a list of mostly pros and a con that could (but probably won't) warm you to the idea of Amar'e Stoudemire in Philadelphia.

Continue reading this post »

In Saturday's win over the Detroit Pistons, Andre Iguodala recorded the eighth triple double of his career and his self-alley oop appeared on highlight reels everywhere. The eight year veteran has averaged nearly 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists during his career and has unquestionably been the face of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise since Allen Iverson's departure. He, however, has yet to appear in an NBA All Star Game, and the Sixers as a team haven't had a player represent them in the All Star game since Iverson did so in 2006.

Igudoala and his coach, Doug Collins, addressed the possibility of Iguodala being an All Star after the game last night. (Both quotes from Tom Moore via Twitter).

#Sixers Iguodala on not being an all-star in first 7 seasons: "Honestly, I thought I got snubbed twice - once for sure."

#Sixers Collins: 'If we are at the top of the Atlantic Division, he (Iguodala) is going to be an all-star.'

Continue reading this post »

That sound you heard outside your window yesterday afternoon was the world wrenching itself off its axis because Francisco Elson, yes, Frozone, has re-signed with the Sixers in what has to be the most inevitable news of the season thus far. Without the services of Spencer Hawes and Nikola Vucevic, Frozone was really the only option the Sixers even considered to sit next to them on the bench for the rest of the Lockout-shortened season.

Management will say they wanted a veteran to fill the role. Management will say they wanted someone familiar with the system in place to fill the role. They're wrong. They're wrong because this isn't a role at all. Last season, Darius Songaila (in the same role) played all of 71 minutes with the Sixers. Frozone, when he was here before, played just 4 minutes and 5 seconds - only 18 seconds more than he played in last night's whipping of the Bobcats. That's not a role. That's a manikin.

Francisco will make the veteran's minimum this season, which I believe is just over a million dollars. He will make this for essentially being a tall person and hanging out with the team. He will contribute nothing. He will contribute less than nothing because he'll be eating some of their food and taking some of their oxygen away. This is nothing against Frozone because it's not his fault that the Sixers are willing to give a guy who was never very good at basketball in the first place a million dollars simply because he has played in the NBA before and he's not yet 67 years old.

Signing a younger person would have been a better idea, just for the fact that, being young, they have the ability to harness any raw ability they've yet to put together and become a legitimate contributor. However unlikely it may be that Greg Smith becomes a defensive force now or ever does not really matter. He has the potential to, and that's saying a ton more than Francisco Elson, who doesn't have to play basketball anywhere because he knows some dipshit team is going to pay him a million dollars to cheerlead when their big man goes down. This move just adds to the fact that the Sixers have no clue what the D-League is for.

It doesn't matter. Truthfully, it doesn't matter. It won't make a difference to this team whether or not they signed a young guy or a deaf old lady. They won't play any meaningful minutes and there's a 99.95% chance anyone they signed was going to be a below-average replacement player anyway. The idea that Frozone's going to "help out" or "contribute" or "bang inside" is ludicrous. The Sixers gave him a million dollars because it makes Doug Collins feel warm and cozy to know that if Hawes and Vucevic die in a fire, he can turn to people like Tony Battie and Francisco Elson to play inside.

Isn't that comforting.

Jrue Holiday is 21 years old and the point guard of the future for the Philadelphia 76ers. The potential he possesses – both offensively and defensively – is among the highest in the league as far as young point guards are concerned. That said, his struggles on the offensive side of the ball have been a bit concerning.

Looking at last night's advanced box score via Hoop Data highlight the concerns I've had with Jrue all season. He tied for a team-high 17 points, but it took him 15 shots to get there. Of his 15 shots, eight were of the long two variety – the least efficient shot in basketball. Conversely, Jrue only attempted three shots at the rim and shot one free throw.

Continue reading this post »

John Wall hasn't had the best pro career thus far after being drafted number one out of Kentucky two years ago. He's highly turnover-prone with a pretty bad jump shot, he's a mediocre defender, he plays out of control, and he hasn't been able to vault the Wizards out of the cellar. It was clear that, two years ago, he was the better prospect than Evan Turner, and that's why ET fell to the Sixers at 2. It's been said numerous times on this blog and elsewhere that it's a good thing we didn't get the #1, and weren't (essentially) forced to take Wall because he was there.

To this day, that isn't true. John Wall was, and is, the best player to come out of the 2010 NBA Draft. Greg Monroe has been surprisingly great, Ed Davis has shown potential, Gordon Hayward is adorable, DeMarcus Cousins seems like a smart guy, but J-Wall is definitely the tits of the class. If you've forgotten what made him so good coming out of school, read this Draft Express profile of him to refresh your memory. Whether he ever realizes his otherworldly potential is one thing, but the fact is, based on talent and results from his freshman year at UK, he was the guy everyone would have picked at the top spot.

Continue reading this post »

The legend of the Boss continues to grow.

It all began when the 25 year old sixth man dropped his debut freestyle, aptly titled "Imma Boss". Lou's rapping prowess was immediately scoffed at – as are many NBA players gone Drizzy – and spawned an epic parody, composed by the handsome bloggers on this site.

Truth be known, Lou's skills on the mic aren't half bad, especially for a pro athlete. I mean, "I made my first million 'fo I ever got laid" is still one of my favorite lyrics of all time.

But enough with his lyricism, as rapping only represents a single portion of the versatile Williams' many talents.

Continue reading this post »

With the Lockout over, Fantasy Basketball leagues are gearing up for their drafts, be it snake, auction or Miller Genuine, and everybody is looking for the next Kyle Lowry, Dorrell Wright, or Channing Frye. Could the next breakout fantasy basketball stud be on the Sixers? It's unlikely, mostly because of Doug Collins' confidence and reliance on, to take a page out of the Andy Reid/Charlie Manuel dictionary, "his guys".

Last year, the big waiver wire find was Jodie Meeks, who came on around midseason as a reliable 3's and steal's guy in roto leagues without gutting your team shooting percentage from the field. He went undrafted in almost every league except for the ones where you can only draft shooting guards named Jodie and leagues in which Jodie Meeks was a manager, and came on to be a decent backup option. I believe Jason Kapono was picked in one of my drafts last year. I also believe he was promptly dropped.

Who do I think breaks out for fantasy owners in 2011-12? Hit the jump to find out.

Continue reading this post »