With no Jrue Holiday, no Marreese Speights (both DNP — CD), and a struggling Evan Turner, the Philadelphia 76ers looked to be very much outmanned against an experienced Bobcats squad.  Still, Philadunkia’s home team battled throughout and it took a put back by Gerald Henderson with 0.01 seconds left to give the Bobcats the 77-76 victory.

The first quarter was the Derrick Brown and Jodie Meeks show.  Brown showed his explosiveness for the Bobcats, throwing down three dunks in the first quarter, two of them on fast breaks that he created.  Meeks single handily kept the 76ers in the game in the first, scoring nine points, including a four point play.  As good as Meeks was the 76ers trailed the Bobcats 19-17 after one quarter. With Holiday and Speights out, Meeks said he didn’t feel any pressure to step up his game.

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As the NBA free agent frenzy of 2010 kicks-off, the Philadelphia 76ers have two deficiencies that they should look to shore up.  First and foremost the team obviously needs to improve the frontcourt which I have already written on.  Now that Samuel Dalembert is in Sacramento, the Sixers could use another center or PF-C combo player that can pull down rebounds and alter shots.

However, with the lack of talented big men on the free agent market, the 76ers might choose to spend their money elsewhere.  If the Sixers do not address the frontcourt via trade or MLE, then the club should look to fix its horrendous outside shooting.  This has been a huge issue for the 76ers over the past couple of seasons and it’s something Philadunkia wrote about extensively last year. 

We’ll be the first to admit that not all the blame for the Sixers poor shooting from deep lies with General manager Ed Stefanski.  After all, Stefanski thought he had addressed the 76ers three-point shooting woes with the addition of veteran sniper Jason Kapono in summer 2009.  Unfortunately, Kapono fell victim to Eddie Jordan’s insane rotations in 2009-10 and one of the League’s best 3-point shooters found himself anchored to the bench for nearly the entire season.  When Kapono actually got some tick, he looked rusty and appeared to lack confidence.  So legitimate questions still remain as to whether or not Kapono can fix the Sixers problems from behind the arc and his mind-boggling $6.64 player option that he will certainly pick up makes him an expensive question mark.

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The Thunder built a big lead in the first half, then held on late and in the end handed the 76ers their first loss of the week (89-80).  The Thunder took advantage of their opportunities from the charity stripe, especially in the first half when they knocked down 20 free throws to the 76ers seven.

The game got off to a slow start as five minutes into the game each team had only scored six points.  Giving the Thunder a huge lift in the 1^stquarter was Latavious Williams.  Williams finished with seven points and a blocked shot in the first quarter, en route to a ten point, five rebound, three blocked shot performance for the Thunder.  Williams, who was the first NBA Development League player to be drafted out of high school, impressed many in Orlando with the energy he brings off the bench.  The Texas native has a real chance to make a NBA roster, with his athleticism (as you can see by the dunk he threw down last night), ability to fill the stat sheet and affect games in so many areas.

Evan Turner continued to struggle for the 76ers.  The second overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft was held scoreless in the first half and only finished with four points.  The former Ohio State Buckeye did have an impact on the game in other areas, hauling in eight rebounds and handing out two assists.  Through three games in the OPSL, Turner is averaging a mere 9.7 points a game while shooting 35 percent from the field (8 of 23).  Before Phillaunkia nation starts freaking out over Turner’s slow start, head coach Doug Collins tells fans to be patient with the rookie.

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Philadelphia shooting guard Jodie Meeks was consistently scoring all night; ending with 18 points and helping his Sixers coast past Boston by 17 points (86-69).

“I’ve been getting in a rhythm and playing my game.  I’m not focusing all on scoring this week, but just getting better as a whole.” Meeks said.  Meeks added 2 steals and after two games is the 76ers leading scorer with an 18 ppg.

“Jodie could be a very explosive player off the bench for us.  The way we’re playing defensively really suits his style. He has very good instincts, he closes out very well and he disrupts passing lanes,” said a pleased Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins.  “I told Jodie that coming off the bench you have to be a high percentage shooter and you have to make minimal mistakes.  Those are things he does.”

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The matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets was the game many NBA experts had pegged as the must see matchup from the 2010 Orlando Pro Summer League.

The game had quite a few different storylines.  First and foremost it was the debut of Sixers guard Evan Turner and Nets forward Derrick Favors, both top three picks.  Of course both teams also made coaching changes, both hiring former television analysts; Doug Collins (TNT) to Philadelphia and Avery Johnson (ESPN) to New Jersey.

 But instead it was Philadelphia point guard Jrue Holiday who stole the show Monday night, scoring 23 points and dishing out 8 assists.

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No Lebron?  No Wade? Not Even Amare or Bosh?  Unlike Eastern Conference foes Miami, Chicago and the New York Knicks, our Philadelphia 76ers do not have the luxury of cap space [$64.3 million owed; which is currently over the projected $56.1 million luxury tax cap].

So instead of acquiring a big name free agent, the Sixers must utilize the mid-level exception to help bolster a frontcourt that is in desperate need of a rebounding and shot-blocking presence.

Just a couple of days before the 2010 NBA Draft, general manager Ed Stefanski pulled the trigger on a deal that sent starting center Samuel Dalmbert to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for small forward Andres Nocioni and 7-foot-1 center Spencer Hawes.  Most fans were giddy about trading the whining, under performing center because of deficiencies on the offensive end and his general demeanor about being a 76er.  However the trade punched a big whole in the Sixers frontcourt.

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The 76ers announced yesterday that they have added five players to their 2010 Orlando Pro Summer League roster.  Among the additions were two former NBA Draft picks: Ndudi (“Indy”) Ebi (pic at left), a first-round draft choice of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2003 and Trent Plaisted, a 6-11 second-round pick in 2008 by the franchise formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics. 

Rounding out the roster are three prospects with local ties : former Xavier big man Jason Love who played his high school ball at Abington Friends; former Temple scoring machine Ryan Brooks and LaSalle’s Vernon Goodridge.

More details and a few comments after the jump.

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