GM13: Rapid (Raptor) Reacts

Posted by: C. Smith
11/21/13 9:52 am EST
4 Comments
Toronto Raptors 108 FinalRecap | Box Score 98 Philadelphia 76ers
Evan Turner, SF 38 MIN | 4-13 FG | 5-6 FT | 10 REB | 5 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 13 PTS | -7A 3-11 first half didn’t get any better after the break.  As Tuner scored 13 points on 13 shots.  But I did like that he grabbed 10 boards and got to the FT line. Turner has put up clunckers in 2 of his last 3 games.  ET has now hit 3 of his last 17 3PAs.
Daniel Orton, C 17 MIN | 2-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 6 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 6 PTS | 0Not a bad effort for a player who is clearly still not raised his fitness level to acceptable standards.
Spencer Hawes, C 37 MIN | 10-13 FG | 5-6 FT | 10 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 28 PTS | -9Damn.  I didn’t know Spence had this in him.  Hawes was perfect in the first half from the field, from deep & the FT Line which produced 14 points.  He extended that hot streak to hit his first nine shots and finished with 28 points (on 13 FGAs!!!) and 10 rebounds.  Spence had all of the tools on display last night — dribble drives, 3-balls, mid range and dives to the rim. Unfortunately all this means is his value has never been higher. Trade him. Trade him now.
Michael Carter-Williams, PG 34 MIN | 2-10 FG | 6-7 FT | 6 REB | 6 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 6 TO | 10 PTS | -12MCW showed some rust from his week layoff and that was to be expected.  I also thought I noticed him limping towards the end of the game, but in the post game presser, he said his foot felt fine. With a bad wheel, MCW had significant trouble guarding Kyle Lowry and TOR point man did whatever he wanted.
James Anderson, SG 33 MIN | 5-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 13 PTS | -8I see flashes of very good offesnive skills, but not enough to keep Anderson in the starting line up.  I also wonder if there is a chance Anderson learns to play defense before the All-Star break?

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Fo’ with the Foes: Toronto Raptors

Posted by: C. Smith
11/20/13 4:22 pm EST
One comment

dancepakThis edition of “Fo’ with the Foes” – Philadunkia’s advanced scouting series which with the help of an accomplished journalist from around the NBA beat or blog world, previews key upcoming 76ers games – features tonight’s opponent, the Toronto Raptors a team that stands at 4-7 , but feature two players — DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay — who are “en fuego” right now.

After the jump, I’ll look a Fo’ key items for tonight’s game.  Additionally, we’ll get a little more insight into this Toronto team the Sixers face tonight from our colleague Sam Halako at raptorsrepublic.com, as Sam will answer Fo’ questions on his Raptors from us here at Philadunkia.


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Analyzing Thad’s Offensive Struggles

Posted by: Michael Kaskey-Blomain
11/20/13 1:16 pm EST
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thaddeus-youngWith so many fresh, inexperienced faces populating Sixers’ training camp at The Philadelphia College of Orthopedic Medicine this summer, it was assumed that the team’s established veterans: Thad Young, Spencer Hawes, and Evan Turner would be responsible for much of the team’s on-court production, and locker room leadership.

While Turner and Hawes have seen their stats spike in Brett Brown’s up-tempo offense, Thad has had some obvious difficulty adjusting to his sixth new head coach since being drafted by the 76ers.  Instead of improving, Young’s points and rebounds per game are both down from the 2012-13 season, as is his shooting percentage, which currently sits at 46%, compared to last season’s 53%.


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Opponents Are Going Off on the Sixers

Posted by: C. Smith
11/19/13 2:39 pm EST
3 Comments

brownisoWe all knew that this was going to be a rebuilding year for the 76ers franchise and that the most important thing for this season was to keep an eye on the big picture.  A lottery selection in the 2014 NBA Draft, cap space for the summer of 2014 and beyond as well as the development of the Sixers young roster are the items we should be focusing on during the #WinlessforWiggins campaign.

Still, as a dedicated hoop head it’s hard for me not to notice the small things as the ‘season of the tank’ progresses.

On the positive side, I have absolutely witnessed some flashes of solid and exciting play from the Sixers.

However, on the other side of that coin is  a disturbing trend I have noticed in the seven defeats the Sixers have suffered.

In case you had not noticed, in those 7 L’s, opposing teams are setting all sorts of records and individual “bests” against Philadunkia’s home team.


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GM12: (Ellis’d) Reacts

Posted by: Jeff McMenamin
11/19/13 11:03 am EST
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Philadelphia 76ers 94 FinalRecap | Box Score 97 Dallas Mavericks
Thaddeus Young, PF 31 MIN | 6-18 FG | 0-0 FT | 11 REB | 3 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | +7Thad did get a double-double, but he was visibly outmatched by Dirk Nowitzki for the majority of the game. He did have a nice fourth quarter where he scored eight of his 12 points, but his scoring and defense could’ve been used more in the early portion of the game.
Evan Turner, SF 36 MIN | 10-22 FG | 4-6 FT | 9 REB | 7 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 26 PTS | +9This was an incredible game from Turner. 26 points, nine rebounds and seven assists is something that he and all Sixers fans should be happy with. He’s continuing to show his maturity on the offensive end and, if the refs in Dallas weren’t so skewed with their whistles, he would’ve notched an A. But, the late technical by Turner was a game-changer. The Sixers found themselves down seven with just over three minutes left in the fourth. They never recovered.
Spencer Hawes, C 36 MIN | 4-11 FG | 1-2 FT | 11 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 3 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | +9I’m glad Spencer’s trade value continues to rise, but this wasn’t exactly a strong double-double performance from him. He finished on a couple sweet looks from Turner and Wroten…But other than that I’d like to see him be more active on the blocks.
James Anderson, SG 42 MIN | 5-13 FG | 1-2 FT | 7 REB | 3 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 14 PTS | +2No-defense James stunk up the American Airlines Arena last night as Monta Ellis torched him for 24 points…19 of which that came in the second-half. I’ll give him credit for hitting a couple late trey’s to keep the Sixers in the game, but he was otherwise a cancer on the court.
Tony Wroten, SG 37 MIN | 8-17 FG | 3-9 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 5 STL | 0 BLK | 4 TO | 19 PTS | -1Tony Wroten’s been making the most of his starter minutes…I would’ve liked to see him take better shots however at times and knock down his FTs. There was one play in the second where early in the shot-clock Wroten launched an ill-advised three rather than setting up the offense. I loved his hustle and drives to the tin for the majority of the game though.

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The 76ers Lost Weekend

Posted by: C. Smith
11/18/13 11:11 am EST
2 Comments

pelicansvsixersThanks to an IT glitch with our Rapid Reacts generator that was significantly above our technical capabilities, we were unable to bring you immediate reviews of the 76ers L’s in Atlanta on Friday night and at New Orleans on Saturday night.

If you watched the games this weekend, you know that both contests were not pretty runs for Brett Brown & Company.  When we look back on the 2013-14 season, we may recognize this past weekend as the point where the #WinlessforWiggins campaign shifted into high gear.

After the jump are my observations and notes from the the 7-6′s losing weekend.


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GM9: (Shocking) Rapid Reacts

Posted by: C. Smith
11/14/13 9:55 am EST
8 Comments
Houston Rockets 117 FinalRecap | Box Score 123 Philadelphia 76ers
Thaddeus Young, PF 41 MIN | 5-15 FG | 5-6 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 15 PTS | 0Thad has been unable to find a consistent flow to his offensive game and at times he looked lost last night. Still he managed to score 15 points because he hustled for buckets as well as got to the FT line often and converted which coach Brown and I both like. Thad also had a great double team & steal in OT that was key to the W.
Evan Turner, SF 46 MIN | 9-23 FG | 5-5 FT | 7 REB | 5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 23 PTS | +3Turner now has five straight 20-point games, but last night he needed an inefficient 23 FGAs to reach that mark. ET was also 0-4 on 3PAs and is now 4-for-his-last-18 on 3′s. “The Enigma” should stop settling for 3′s and continue driving the ball to the tin.  It’s what he does best.
Spencer Hawes, C 36 MIN | 7-16 FG | 1-2 FT | 9 REB | 4 AST | 3 STL | 3 BLK | 3 TO | 18 PTS | +4Two items really impressed me last night with Spence. The first is that in the 4th Q & OT he played good post D on Howard. The second was that after a slow start, Spence didn’t hang his head and kept playing hard. Obviously he had a huge put back slam in OT off of ET’s miss. But he missed an easy lay-in in the 2nd that he should have slammed home and he also missed a dunk in that Q.
James Anderson, SG 44 MIN | 12-16 FG | 6-6 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 36 PTS | +7Waive me!! Forget that, Waive you! Anderson played inspired ball against his former team to score a career high 36 pts. Anderson started the game 6-6 on FGAs and never looked back. If he hadn’t blown those two bunnies in the 2nd Q and played weak defense for most of the night, he would have gotten the A+ from me. As an FYI…at Oklahoma State Anderson once scored 37 pts. in a game.
Tony Wroten, SG 41 MIN | 7-18 FG | 4-7 FT | 10 REB | 11 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 4 TO | 18 PTS | +4When he started the game with 2 TOs on the Sixers first 2 possessions, I was nervous that this game was not going to well for #8. But TWroe was able to turn things around and it led to the best night of his NBA career. I knocked his grade down to an A- for stretches of suspect defense. FROM ELIAS: Tony Wroten is the first player since the ABA-NBA merger (1976) with a triple-double in his first career start.

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Is Randle A Good Fit For The Sixers?

Posted by: C. Smith
11/13/13 11:41 am EST
2 Comments

randleukDISCLAIMER:  The following post is NOT an outright endorsement of Julius Randle as the 76ers 2014 NBA Draft Lottery selection.  It is simply a hypothetical idea that crossed my mind last night as I watched Randle and Kentucky play.

Leading up to last night’s big college basketball double-header my thoughts on the 2014 Draft class were that either Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker would be a great fit for the 7-6.  As I watched the games last night, those thoughts were quickly confirmed.  Both are athletic, fantastic wing players who could step right in and start for Brett Brown.  Either one would be a tremendous fit as a draft pick for the Sixers.

So I asked myself the following as I watched Kentucky play Michigan State on Tuesday night, “What if the Sixers aren’t in a position to select one of those two players?  What if Hinkie ends up on the clock and Julius Randle is the best player available?  Would Randle be a good fit here?” 


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GM8: (Schooled) Rapid Reacts

Posted by: C. Smith
11/11/13 10:06 pm EST
One comment
San Antonio Spurs 109 FinalRecap | Box Score 85 Philadelphia 76ers
Thaddeus Young, PF 30 MIN | 3-7 FG | 1-2 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 7 PTS | -20Three good games in a row was not in the cards for Thad who didn’t hit a FG until there was 2:30 remaining in the 1st half. In the 2nd half #21 did get a bucket until the 9:40 mark of the 3rd Q.
Evan Turner, SF 34 MIN | 9-21 FG | 1-2 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 20 PTS | -26Turner played hard and put up a 20 spot, but I felt that he pounded the ball into the floor too much tonight and the offense was stagnant because of that issue.
Spencer Hawes, C 33 MIN | 6-13 FG | 3-3 FT | 13 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 4 TO | 17 PTS | -9How big do you think Hawes smiled when he heard Tim Duncan was getting the night off? Spence racked up another double-double and was one of the few Sixers who found a rhythm vs. the Spurs.
Michael Carter-Williams, PG 33 MIN | 2-11 FG | 4-4 FT | 2 REB | 4 AST | 3 STL | 3 BLK | 2 TO | 8 PTS | -18Mama said there would be nights like this…
James Anderson, SG 24 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 7 PTS | -21You’re going to tell me there isn’t a SG out on the street who can get Brett Brown 7 points a game and actually play some defense? I’d be willing to accept that challenge and prove you wrong.

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Fo’ with the Foes: San Antonio Spurs

Posted by: C. Smith
11/11/13 3:06 pm EST
One comment

spursgirlsThis edition of “Fo’ with the Foes” – Philadunkia’s advanced scouting series which with the help of an accomplished journalist from around the NBA beat or blog world, previews key upcoming 76ers games – features tonight’s opponent, Brett Brown’s former team, the San Antonio Spurs.

After the jump, I’ll look a Fo’ key items for tonight’s game. Additionally, we’ll get a little more insight into the Spurs team the Sixers face tonight from our colleague Michael DeLeon at projectspurs.com as Michael will answer Fo’ questions on his Spurs from us here at Philadunkia.


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