I got caught up in some intense Madden earlier--nearly 6 hours worth. Due to my addiction to re-building the Detroit Lions franchise, I was forced to tape the Sixers game and began watching it at 3 o'clock in the morning. (It doesn't look like you guys missed me too much.) Thank God I have the week off.
My TV clock now 4:40 A.M. and you know what, even though the Sixers got owned yet again, I'm completely at peace with my decision to stay up until four in the morning to watch my team lose. Maybe I'm high off Madden ecstasy, maybe I've realized how bad the Sixers are, maybe it's the fact that I have missed two straight ball games, but for whatever reason I actually enjoyed watching the game tonight.
The Sixers lost to an under-manned Utah Jazz team. The reasons to the loss were very similar to the reasons this is a 12-18 basketball team. The main one being the inability to shoot. Here's the telling stat. Sixers: 1-9 from downtown, Kyle Korver:2-4. Ladies and Gentlemen, your 2008-2009 Philadelphia 76ers. Oh, how I miss Kyle Korver.
Observations before I go to bed:
-Lou Williams has definitely returned to form. I love to watch him play. He reminds m of A.I. That could either be a good or a bad thing, but as of right now he's probably the Sixers best offensive option. Sure he makes stupid mistakes sometimes, but you have to take the good with the bad. Not to mention he's still only 22 years old. I'd love to see him get a chance to run the show if anything happens to Andre Miller somewhere down the road, via trade or injury.
-Marreese Speights is extremely talented offensively. He's very raw, but you can see it. He's going to be special. On the other hand, his defense and rebounding needs a lot of work.
-If a person were watching this team for the first time, I guarantee you they wouldn't guess that Andre Iguodala is the highest paid player with Brand out. His dunks are magical and he still does some spectacular things on the court, but I question his contract at least 90 times a day.
-I don't care how much better of a defender and rebounder Sam is than Speights, he needs to go. He looks completely lost out there.
-Thaddeus Young was pretty impressive tonight. He had NBA.com's 2nd top play tonight. If you didn't get a chance to see the play, click the link out and fast forward to play number two. It's well worth it.
-News-flash: Willie Green still sucks so hard.
-Deron Williams and AK47 are beasts.
-Despite the fact that the Sixers suck, they're still entertaining. The fast break is really clicking and they have at least one or two ridiculous dunks a night.
The Sixers are now 12-18 and by the time Elton Brand comes back this team could be completely out of the playoff picture. They haven't played any basketball this season that leads me to believe that they will turn the season around, barring a major trade. And now that the idea of being a lottery-bound team has sunken in, I'm fine with it. Speights is awesome. Lou-Will is awesome. Thad is awesome. Iggy's awesome, only if he's being groomed for the team's third or fourth option once we're actually ready to contend. And those four players are only going to get better. Add a lottery pick and Jason Smith to the mix and we start turning into the Portland TrailBlazers, stockpiling young talent and one day it will all click. The best thing about sports is it's never-ending. When we're all dead and gone the Sixers will still be around. Once Brand, Iggy, Lou, Speights and Thad retire, there will be a new batch of players ready to take the helm. We might not be as good as we thought we were going to be, but I see the light. There is talent on this roster and I trust Ed and company to figure out how to fix this. My advice to you is not to get too upset about these losses, because until Elton returns and probably after he returns this team will do plenty of losing. But instead of throwing an object at your television, screaming curse words or feeling sorry for yourself as a Sixers fan, enjoy the bright spots. Go buy yourself a Lou-Will jersey or a Mo Speights jersey. Enjoy the electrifying dunks and fast-breaks that the Sixers break out night after night. I know I will.
Now 4:47 A.M. on the west coast, it's time for bed. Good night Sixers fans.