Only 5 games left! Woo-hoo! We witnessed an excellent loss last night in which plenty of drama unfolded between Eddie Jordan, Elton Brand, and Sam Dalembert regarding playing time and effort. Frankly, this is utterly (or udderly) ridiculous. Why Eddie Jordan feels the need to call out players on effort, especially defensive, when we all know Eddie doesn't preach defense and his replacements for these "effortless" players are two of the worst anybody could imagine in Jason Smith and Marreese Speights. O well, the season almost over, and we can look forward to maybe, just maybe, landing a competent leader.
Not many today and I apologize for my absence the past week. Link it.
More Drama than a DJ Drama Mixtape
Brand played just four minutes in the second half of the Sixers ugly loss to the Pistons last night. "I think it may have been premeditated already. He knew he was going to sub and play other guys. It didn't work. We lost by 20."
Jordan had his own words about his team's effort. "I would think because some of our guys didn't play a lot tonight, they better show up tomorrow. Or I won't be so nice at the press conference."
Dalembert showed how much they respect this coach "Let him keep pointing. He's the coach, he's the boss. What am I going to say?"
"Either you come with energy or you have one foot in the pool or on the golf course," said Jordan.
"It was a poor performance and there is no excuse," said Jordan."We took some time off and we didn't have energy. I'm not happy at all and we didn't have it. We threw the ball away and didn't defend."
Thad Injury Update; Sixers Have Excellent Communication Skills
Asked whether Young was close to returning, he (Jordan) added: "I don't think he is. I don't like to predict anything; he might be [out for the season]. The crack in his thumb has not healed as quickly as we would like."
A few minutes later, Young, still dressed in street clothes standing near his locker, was asked whether he thought he was playing. "I'm not sure at all," he said. "That's why I'm still dressed." He was then told his coach said he was not playing. "Oh, I guess I'm not playing then."
Zumoff Likes Jrue Holiday, as does Larry Brown
...there’s one quality that has really stood out lately: his willingness to compete no matter what. Even in the dying moments of a long-lost game, Holiday will – as my broadcast partner Ed Pinckney likes to note – "pick up full court and continue to play out the clock."
Speaking of Holiday, no less an authority than Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown of the Bobcats thinks Holiday can be one of the best defenders at his position "in a long time."
Charles Barkley As the Lead in a New Indiana Jones Flick
Completely Un-Sixer-Related News of the Day: This is a Funny Picture
Carlos Delfino and Ron Artest practice synchronized swimming in anticipation of 2012 Summer Olympics. Hey look, Andrew Bynum is actually playing!