HAIR WE GO…

Posted by: Philadunkia
11/15/12 3:15 pm EST

Businessinsider.com has a quick but funny post and pictures on the progression of Andrew Bynum’s hair which apparently is having an impact on the style trends of NBA players…

“…one of the most talked about players in the NBA this season because of his hair…The NBA world only has so much room for fashion and style…Last year, it was dominated by outrageous shirts, pants, and glasses at post-game press conference.  This year, it’s all Bynum. ”

We were hoping this year woyld be “all Bynum” as well — only on the court for the 76ers, not in the online fashion world. 

To bad that bumb knee won’t progress as nicely as his hair.

After the jump, read the rest of the businessinsider.com story and a look at some of the best hair-dos in 76ers history…


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LIFE WITHOUT BYNUM

Posted by: Tim Parker
11/14/12 9:36 am EST

Here’s the simplistic story of the 76ers in the infancy stages of the 2012-2013 season:

The 76ers brought a shiny new, sleek, trendy and swanky SUV, otherwise known as Andrew Bynum.  While, the SUV was coveted and much desired, it did come with a strong manufacture’s warning.  Despite this, the buyer, a.k.a. the Sixers, still believed that if they made the purchase, they’d have the best set of wheels on the road; or at the very least the best ride they’ve had in nearly 7 years.

Now, two weeks into the NBA season, their much ballyhooed new vehicle will not leave the dealership for at least another month, and once again they are forced to depend on their old, dependable 4 door sedan with dents on the side.  It’s a car that still gets you to and fro; but at the very best of times the ride will ultimately be a bumpy one. 


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GM 7: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: C. Smith
11/13/12 10:45 am EST
Milwaukee Bucks 105 FinalRecap | Box Score 96 Philadelphia 76ers
Lavoy Allen, PF 13 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 0 PTS | -4

Lavoy is caught in a vicious circle right now.  He’s in a slump, no doubt.  That slump has put him in DC’s doghouse (13 mins last night) which of course makes it hard to shake out of said slump.
Thaddeus Young, SF 35 MIN | 4-6 FG | 3-4 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 11 PTS | -5

I would like to have seen Thad’s number called more often last night.  But with how quickly the Sixers were hoisting up jumpers, calling sets was a tough task vs. MIL.  Thad’s hustle-dive-on-the-floor rebound in the 2nd Q was simply awesome.  I feel like he is on the verge of really breaking out if he can just get some more looks.
Evan Turner, SG 25 MIN | 3-8 FG | 2-4 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 8 PTS | -16

Two steps forward one step back, but not an awful night for The Kid.  The most disturbing part of last night’s game was that ET was on the bench for almost all of the 4th Q.  Why must DC toy with this guy’s head?  However his lob to Thad for a dunk in the 1st Q showed great court vision.
Jrue Holiday, PG 37 MIN | 10-18 FG | 4-4 FT | 1 REB | 6 AST | 25 PTS | -4

If it wasn’t for the 8 turnovers Holiday would have gotten and A+ and continued his push for elite guard status in this League.  However 8 TO’s from your starting PG is simply unacceptable.  Holiday has to know that and needs to improve in this area.  I was particularly disturbed at the trouble he had with MIL’s trap action.  Even my 9-year old knows you pass out of a trap, you don’t attempt to use the bounce to split it.  It was his fourth straight game of at least seven turnovers.  Still I was very pleased with the way he took the ball to the tin in the 2nd Q and wish more of the Sixers would follow his lead.
Jason Richardson, SG 36 MIN | 8-16 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 20 PTS | +12

Jason’s 10 points in the 1st Q was the only thing that kept the 7-6 from getting blown out of this one early.  He also flashed some classic J-Rich hops with his 360 dunk in the same Q that made me leap off the couch.  But he only scored 10 the rest of the way and had zero in the 4th Q when the Sixers offense went MIA.
Dorell Wright, SF 25 MIN | 5-12 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 14 PTS | -17

After every game I become more pleased with his signing.  When Wright caught fire in the late 1st / 2nd Q and helped the Sixers claw back into a game they had no right being in, I thought they might actually pull out a W.  But like all of the Sixers, Wright disappeared in the 4th (zero pts.) and this one got away from the team.  His defense continues to be better then expected and his block on the Sanders lay-in attempt in the 4th was huge.
Spencer Hawes, C 26 MIN | 3-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 6 PTS | +1

I know, his game is in the 12-17 foot range, but right now he’s our only legit big and he needs to give us some sort of an interior presence.  With all the shooters we have on this team, the last thing we need is Hawes jacking up 3PAs.  Spence (along with his mullet and patriotic headband) need to stay closer to the paint, which would help our post scoring and rebounding as well.  FYI…there was a 3 minute stretch last night where Hawes shot an air ball; got called for 3 seconds and then bricked a “hook” shot.  That series reminded me of why Hawes drives me crazy.
Royal Ivey, PG 18 MIN | 2-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 5 PTS | -14

Ivey just brings the lunch pail and goes to work very night.  That’s his role, he knows it and fills it nicely.  But that’s it!  And my back-up PG has to bring more to the table then that if he’s going to see 18 mins a night.  Not signing a more productive back-up for Jrue will haunt this team all year.
Nick Young, SG 24 MIN | 2-6 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 4 AST | 7 PTS | +2

I’m done on this front.  I knew he was a high volume shooter that took a lot of bad shots, but his low basketball IQ astounds me.  In the 2nd Q, he led a 4-on-1 fast break and took the ball to the rim for a tough finger roll instead finding one of the 3 other open guys for an easy lay-in.  His defense is simply brutal, especially his rotations.  FYI…Swaggy was 0-4 in the 4th Q when the Sixers offense went MIA.  And they were key misses — all 4 of his missed FGAs came with the score tied or the Sixers trailing by 3 or less.
Arnett Moultrie, PF DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN | FG | FT | REB | AST | PTS |

He did a great job cheering on the team last night.  Unfortunately that’s all he got to do.  Even though the Sixers were getting murdered on the boards, DC chose not to play this rebounding machine.
Kwame Brown, C DNP LEFT CALF STRAIN MIN | FG | FT | REB | AST | PTS |

How long can a calf strain possibly take to recover from?!?
Maalik Wayns, PG DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN | FG | FT | REB | AST | PTS |

I know that DC doesn’t love rookies, but with Jennings simply killing Holiday and Ivey, how could it have possibly hurt to have given Wayns, the quickest guard on the Sixers roster (bar none) a chance to slow down #3 on MIL?  What’s the worst thing that could have happened?  Jennings scores 35 instead of 33.

After the Jump, Six Things We Saw Last Night


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A SWAGGY P(ROBLEM)?

Posted by: Tom Sunnergren
11/10/12 4:28 pm EST

If you look at the thing from the right angle, there’s something admirable about Nick Young’s steadfast refusal to stop shooting the basketball.

Abraham Lincoln lost his first eight elections before he won the presidency.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman sent letters to every team in the NFL, several times over, before the Eagles finally hired him.

Henry Ford went bankrupt five times before he founded Ford Motor Company.

They each, staunch, stubborn in the face of mounting failures, kept pressing, eventually broke through.


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GM 5: RAPID REACTS

Posted by: C. Smith
11/10/12 9:44 am EST
Philadelphia 76ers 106 FinalRecap | Box Score 100 Boston Celtics
Lavoy Allen, PF 23 MIN | 3-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 6 PTS | -5The C’s seemed to have solved this riddle that was Allen on KG during the 2012 playoffs — go right at him and send Lavoy to the bench in foul trouble.
Dorell Wright, SF 36 MIN | 4-9 FG | 5-5 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 15 PTS | +9A number of NBA folks told me that I was going to like Wright a lot for this Sixers team and they have turned out to be correct.  He’s better defensively than I thought and he is scrappy as hell.  His follow bucket at the 3:33 mark of the 3rd Q was key for the Sixers at the time and capped his 12 point explosion in that Q.
Thaddeus Young, SF 41 MIN | 7-13 FG | 1-1 FT | 5 REB | 2 AST | 15 PTS | +13I can’t say enough about how well I think that has played to open this season.  His pure hustle AND 1 at the 8:30 mark of the 4th was just awesome and capped a 10-0 Sixers run.  Thad’s post up bucket late in the 4th out of the Sixers timeout was huge as well.
Evan Turner, SG 41 MIN | 9-19 FG | 5-7 FT | 11 REB | 4 AST | 25 PTS | +1That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Back-to-back solid nights for The Kid.  I don’t want to get my hopes up, but has ET finally seen the light??  I hope so, because he makes a huge difference in the Sixers offense.  The stretch at the end of the 3rd Q where he buried 2 FTs and then on the next trip down the court hit a big FG was awesome.
Jrue Holiday, PG 42 MIN | 7-16 FG | 6-6 FT | 4 REB | 14 AST | 21 PTS | +14Yes, Jrue had some stupid turnovers last night.  And yes, he still can’t keep Rondo in check (Really who can??), but overall Jrue was ridiculous last night.  We were especially impressed with how he did not force things and scored in the flow of the game.  The dime he dropped to Thad in the late 4th to put the Sixers up 6 was a thing of beauty. Then he followed that up with a clutch 3PM.  A career night for Jrue and possibly one that springboards him to that “next level”.  This is the type of performance the Sixers brass are looking for out of their $41 million man.
Arnett Moultrie, PF 6 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | -9Ohh DC does know who Moultrie is…Yeah I know he got beat badly on a pick-n-roll alley-oop to KG, but he also had a huge O-rebound in the 3rd Q and a blocked Rondo’s buzzer beater lay-up at the end of the same Q.  Also I think once he has a better understanding of the NBA game who could be a solution to the KG issue that plagues the Sixers.
Spencer Hawes, C 22 MIN | 4-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +14A solid night for Hawes overall, with the exception of his headband which was an outstanding choice to compliment his mullet.
Royal Ivey, PG 12 MIN | 2-4 FG | 2-4 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 6 PTS | -8Another good effort from Royal off the bench and I understand why DC likes him.  Still, a part of me would rather see his minutes given to Maalik Wayns in an effort to get the ball going towards the hoop more in the Sixers offense.
Nick Young, SG 18 MIN | 4-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | +1Has anybody else had enough of this guy?  I don’t care what his stat line reads, he is “turrible” as Charles would say.  There was a 3-play stretch in the 3rd Q where he hoisted up an ill-advised 3PA early in the shot clock, then followed that up with a missed FGA and finished it all off with a TO. J-Rich can not get healthy fast enough.
Kwame Brown, C DNP LEFT CALF STRAIN MIN | FG | FT | REB | AST | PTS | So far this has NOT been money well spent.

After the Jump, Six Things We Saw Last Night


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QUESTIONABLE MOVES

Posted by: Steve Toll
11/03/12 5:17 pm EST

Joshua Harris and his crew should just sell this team right now.  The recent news of the Jrue Holiday extension and the team picking up Evan Turner’s 4th year option becoming a reality, a feeling of darkness should have begun creeping out like zombies at the Eastern State Penitentary. 

This team has absolutely no idea what they are doing and the front office is setting up the fans of the 76ers for many seasons of a Gus Frerotte-like series of  head banging concussions without help in sight.  Further proof of that is the recent news of the 7-6 hiring analytical expert Aaron Barzilai.  Coincidentally, this comes after Dileo and DC spent the offseason lighting the team’s future championship equity on fire and locking the team into a no win salary cap situation.

A day late and a few million dollars short is how to best describe the hiring of the new analytic guy for the 76ers.  Most impressive about the whole thing was Barzilai convincing the front office of his ability to help this cap strapped team in the future. 


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GM 1: (NOT SO) RAPID REACT

Posted by: Tom Sunnergren
11/01/12 4:24 pm EST
Denver Nuggets 75 FinalRecap | Box Score 84 Philadelphia 76ers
Lavoy Allen, PF 17 MIN | 1-5 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS | -1Disappointing start to his sophomore season. After a very solid rookie season and an even better postseason run, LA was invisible for most of Wednesday’s opener.
Thaddeus Young, SF 36 MIN | 6-12 FG | 1-3 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 13 PTS | +18Thad, in the starting role he’s been clamoring for, played capably. He stayed around the basket and was, in the context of a game where less than 160 points were scored, a playmaker on the offensive end.
Jrue Holiday, PG 41 MIN | 5-16 FG | 4-5 FT | 6 REB | 11 AST | 14 PTS | +8Jrue, rewarded after the game with a 4-year $41-million contract extension, played capable quarterback against a point guard that many (okay, me) wished the Sixers had drafted ahead of him. He had 11 dimes against just three turnovers and, with the Sixers lead down to 71-70 mid fourth period, made a three-point-pay that bulwarked the Denver charge.
Jason Richardson, SG 37 MIN | 4-13 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 10 PTS | +7While, after a pair of early 3-pointers, his stroke was off, Richardson played sound, surprisingly so, defense.
Evan Turner, SF 28 MIN | 2-7 FG | 1-1 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 5 PTS | +10The Kid, in a season where he has a lot on the line, financially and professionally, got off to a dud of a start. He disappeared for stretches, and when he reappeared it didn’t mark an improvement. He was 0-for-5 in shots that he took more than three feet away from the bucket.
Spencer Hawes, PF 31 MIN | 6-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 12 REB | 2 AST | 16 PTS | +10Spence was simply a revelation. Looking like Pau Gasol 2.0, the recently benched big—mullet flowing gloriously behind him (business in the front, Tea Party in the back)—was superb inside and outside. He blocked five shots (!?!), buried a pair of 3-pointers (he’s now one shy of matching last season’s total) and was pinpoint from midrange. Seeing him play alongside Bynum is going to be fun.
Dorell Wright, SF 28 MIN | 3-12 FG | 6-6 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 14 PTS | -1I thought he was fantastic. Though his shot tapered off as the game wore on, he got to the line and played great help defense. He also made a fantastic hustle play, stripping Corey Brewer from behind while he galloped toward an unguarded hoop. Rumor has it he was in Collins’ dog house during camp. Looks like Collins’ dog can start sleeping in his own bed again.
Nick Young, SG 19 MIN | 3-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 9 PTS | -6Swaggy P brought a little too much swag and not quite enough P to the floor last night (P stands for “prudence” right?). He was as advertised. Energy: high. Shots: wild. Fro: glorious.

After the jump, Six Things We Saw In the Opener


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CLOSURE ?!?

Posted by: Tim Parker
10/31/12 9:31 am EST

At the start of every new NBA season, there is a renewed of belief, hope, and confidence.  For the Sixers, 2012-2013 is no different.  Even though, the true (unspoken) goal is to just be able stay in the same ballpark of class as the Miami Heat. 

Nonetheless, there is a unique, almost poetic feeling about Wednesday night’s season opener at the Wells Fargo Center.  As the Sixers begin a new chapter of their franchise’s history, they will be forced to look their past dead in the eyes; in the form Andre Iguodala.

As Iguodala brings his Denver Nuggets to Philadelphia, he carries a truckload of baggage with him, including memories (both good and bad), 8 years of frustrations, and a fractured relationship with the 76ers’ faithful. 

Whether he was loved or hated, he was a much maligned, polarizing figure, partly because of his salary, demeanor, skill-set, and lack of team success.

Ironically enough, his final season as a Sixer would be the one where he actually began to be appreciated.  He earned his only All-Star appearance; he led his team to their first playoff series victory in a decade, and nearly took a talent deficient team to the Eastern Conference Finals.

But, by then it was already too late.

 
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2012-13 EXPERT PREDICTIONS

Posted by: C. Smith
10/30/12 7:13 pm EST

 

While an “expert” opinion on basketball doesn’t exactly carry the same weight as an expert opinion on bone cancer or, I don’t know, a once-in-a-generation hurricane, they’re usually a lot more fun to read.

So without further ado, here’s a look at what some of our favorite NBA pundits from around the interwebs are expecting for and from the 2012-13 Philadelphia 76ers.

(Oh, and be sure to swing by tomorrow to read what Philadunkia’s own team of armchair point guards is predicting for (spoiler alert!) what we think is the best basketball team in Philadelphia.)


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LINKS, NOTES & TWEETS

Posted by: C. Smith
10/23/12 9:55 am EST

The Sixers put the lid on a very nice 2012 preseason last night with a win over the NYK in Syracuse.  Even without a true point man (Holiday and Turner were rested & Wayns got injured during the game) the 7-6 looked very impressive last night.  In case you did not watch it online, Dei Lynam at csnphilly.com has this recap.  We’ll post some of our own thoughts later today.

Sir Charles had some comments on what the acquisition of Bynum will mean for the 76ers.

Ian Thomsen at SI.com loves what he sees from the teams in the Atlantic Division.

SI.com lists the Sixers home opener vs. Dre and the Nuggs as one of the games to watch this season.  We agree!!!

We all know that “The Answer” had a killer crossover, but over at Ball Don’t Lie they have posted a video of Iverson getting faked out of his jock strap during his rookie season by none other then former Cav point man Mark Price. 


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