LOOKING FOR A SCORER

Posted by: Michael Kaskey-Blomain
05/10/13 9:33 am EST

The Sixers need a scorer. It seems like a pretty simple sentiment. In fact, there will be those that criticize this post as being too simplistic.

“Of course, every team could use a scorer.”

“We want a name!”

The point of this post isn’t to postulate about potential players, but rather to point out a decade long problem.

The Sixers have not had a legitimate go-to-guy since Allen Iverson was shipped to Denver, which happens to be about the same time that the franchise’s success stalled.

This is not a coincidence.

Every team that has found extreme success in the NBA over the past decade plus (Heat, Mavs, Lakers, Spurs, Celtics) have a clearly defined go-to-guy. This is also not a coincidence. The best NBA teams are well-structured and well-rounded, as a one man show rarely makes it very far (save for an ’01 Iverson and an ’07 LeBron James).

A BULLISH DECISION

Posted by: Jeff McMenamin
05/09/13 6:00 am EST

The Sixers have been abandoned again. It was another three seasons of wasted basketball instead of moving closer to the ultimate goal of a championship. There were risks taken, hearts broken and blood vessels busted.

Yet, taking a trip down memory lane, what if I told you that the Sixers’ woes began way before the Andrew Bynum trade last summer? What if I told you that if the Sixers had just taken my advice that they’d be in the hunt for an NBA Championship right now as you’re reading this?

Without tooting my own horn too much, I’ll just let you see for yourself…
http://philadunkia.com/?p=263

LEARNING FROM HISTORY

Posted by: Jake Fischer
04/26/13 9:54 am EST

Growing up in the late 90s and early 00s, I developed an affinity for the Cartoon Network program, Ed, Edd n Eddy. The animated show featured three boys who wrecked havoc on their parents and really just lived their daily lives in their cul-de-sac kooky pandemonium.

Thus, when the 76ers, who were then led by Chairman Ed Snider and General Manager Ed Stefanski, fired former head coach Eddie Jordan, I wrote a crafty blog post that constructed a conspiracy on how Ed Stefanski and Eddie Jordan in 2010 (who had been friends from their days with the New Jersey Nets) worked to derail this dilapidated organization.

Now, looking back on my adolescence, and knowing what I now know about the NBA, I realize that the only legitimate conspiracies in the League only involve officiating and injuries. However, I still truthfully believe that the Ed, Ed and Eddie era of the Sixers set back this organization to where they are now.

A PLAN FOR 2013-14

Posted by: Steve Toll
04/03/13 8:33 am EST

With a few games remaining and the making playoffs a reality for Doug Collins only, focus on free agency has most assuredly been on the mind of everyone involved with the 76ers. The draft lottery is just that this year, a lottery. Free Agency is a much different animal altogether.

Everyone has a varying opinion on what the Sixers will do this offseason. From Andrew Bynum to Al Jefferson to Joel Przybilla, each would have a varying effect on the future of the franchise. Assuming the 76ers decide that tanking isn’t an option in 2013-14, here is what should transpire during free agency.

No trades or stretch clause are factored in, otherwise I’d trade the whole roster for Andre Drummond and Ryan Anderson.

So, next year’s team currently consists of Thad, Jrue, Hawes, J-Rich, ET, Lavoy, Moultrie, and Kwameeeee. Throw in the 76ers projected lottery pick and the team has about $13,000,000 to work with this offseason. The team needs a bit of everything and will take some smart moves to build a playoff team.

After the jump, I present the plan for what I’d do this offseason, if tanking in 2013-14 isn’t an option…

GM 65: (W – AGAIN) RAPID REACTS

Posted by: Jake Fischer
03/17/13 12:12 am EST

Indiana Pacers

FinalRecap | Box Score

Philadelphia 76ers

	Thaddeus Young, SF 37 MIN \| 5-7 FG \| 3-4 FT \| 7 REB \| 1 AST \| 4 STL \| 1 BLK \| 1 TO \| 13 PTS \| +8 Thad always plays with incredible heart and hustle. If he doesn’t receive at least an A- nightly, something went terribly wrong. Tonight, the prototypical small-ball PF was extremely efficient from the field and played great D on David West. But he shouldn’t play 37 minutes at this point in the year, Doug. Give some of that burn to Moultrie!
	Evan Turner, SF 34 MIN \| 5-11 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 1 STL \| 0 BLK \| 2 TO \| 11 PTS \| +7 Evan put together a decent night of his own against a team that should have provided a tough match-up for him: lengthy and athletic perimeter players. It’s a positive sign that he only shot the ball 11 times, but he should have converted more of them.
	Spencer Hawes, C 34 MIN \| 7-14 FG \| 3-4 FT \| 16 REB \| 8 AST \| 0 STL \| 7 BLK \| 3 TO \| 18 PTS \| +12 Wow. After blanking a crucial layup in his last time out against the Heat, the big ole’ stiff comes out and delivers a near quadruple-double! He even made contact on a few screens and rolled to the basket! And, he embarrassed Roy Hibbert! Wow. Just, wow.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 43 MIN \| 12-25 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 6 REB \| 12 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 3 TO \| 27 PTS \| +7 Jrue played like an all-star this evening. And, of his 3 turnovers tonight, two came when he was arguably fouled in the 4th Quarter. He could have shot a much better percentage overall, but he straight carried this team to a triumphant victory.
	Damien Wilkins, SG 33 MIN \| 4-11 FG \| 4-6 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 AST \| 0 STL \| 3 BLK \| 1 TO \| 12 PTS \| +1 Damien Wilkins should not be playing 19 more minutes than Arnett Moultire and Charles Jenkins combined at this point in the season. He shouldn’t. ‘Nique’s nephew is shooting 43% from the field this year. Why is he playing over two young guys who might actually be able to contribute to your rotation for the next five seasons?
	Arnett Moultrie, PF 9 MIN \| 0-0 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 STL \| 2 BLK \| 0 TO \| 0 PTS \| -4 You’re the man, Arnett! Keep fighting hard for rebounds! Keep blocking shots! Keep running the floor! Keep smiling on the bench like you’re not pissed about playing behind Damien Wilkins! Maybe, just maybe, one day you’ll have a coach that recognizes your potential and how it would be very beneficial to give you some playing time.
	Dorell Wright, SF 29 MIN \| 4-6 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 1 AST \| 1 STL \| 0 BLK \| 1 TO \| 13 PTS \| +10 Dorell Wright took the form of a quality wing perimeter player that he can be with regular minutes this evening. Over the team’s last five games, Wright is playing 23.0 minutes and scoring 14.2 points per contest. Why couldn’t he have gotten to this consistent run earlier in the season?
	Lavoy Allen, C 16 MIN \| 2-4 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 STL \| 1 BLK \| 0 TO \| 4 PTS \| -4 Eh. Lavoy is what he is. 16 minutes is a good number for him and 4 points and 3 rebounds is a solid contribution. But he was just another face in the crowd, tonight.
	Charles Jenkins, PG 5 MIN \| 0-1 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 1 TO \| 0 PTS \| -2 Unfortunately for Charles, Collins refuses to acknowledge this guy is the second-leading scorer in Colonial Athletic Association history behind only David “The Admiral” Robinson. Give this kid an opportunity to prove himself!
	Kwame Brown, C DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| STL \| BLK \| TO \| PTS \| Again, only a few more games before Kwame Brown becomes, “Kwame Brown’s expiring contract” That’s worth some trade value, right?
	Jeremy Pargo, PG DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| STL \| BLK \| TO \| PTS \| It’s not his fault he’s really irrelevant at this point in the season for this particular team, right?
	Royal Ivey, PG DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| STL \| BLK \| TO \| PTS \| Who?
	Nick Young, SG DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| STL \| BLK \| TO \| PTS \| At least Swaggy looks swaggy on the bench.
	Doug Collins DC did a good job of coaching tonight to win this game. He played the hot hands, he left units in that went on big runs. He even made key substitutions in a few situations. However, he gave Moultrie and Jenkins 14 minutes, combined. Their are 240 minutes to divide amongst a roster in an NBA game. They got 14. Come on, Doug!

WRONG NIGHT TO HAVE A BAD NIGHT

Posted by: Tim Parker
01/23/13 4:44 pm EST

In an underwhelming, frustrating, and (so far) disappointment filled season for the Philadelphia 76ers, there was been one thread that has held the fabric of the team together. It’s been the all star candidate Jrue Holiday, who is having the best season of his career and quite frankly is the captain of a basketball ship treading through muddy water. But, when that thread comes apart, and when the captain steers off course, the fabric tears itself and the ship finds itself completely lost. There’s no better illustration of this then in the Sixers’ 110-102 loss to Milwaukee Bucks last night.

While, another Sixers loss was disheartening enough for a city starving for wins from anybody – anywhere (Villanova notwithstanding), Holiday’s failing performance in what was an all star selection audition against Brandon Jennings sunk their emotions even lower.

After all, if a basketball team is going to roam in the world of sub-mediocrity, at least it’d be nice to do so with an all star to boast about. But, as Kyrie Irving cemented his all star spot with a 40 point outburst against the Celtics, Holiday looked just as dull as the team he would represent in Houston, in their final game before all star reserves are announced.

THAD & THE 3-BALL

Posted by: Steve Toll
12/31/12 12:16 pm EST

Energy and Hustle.

That might as well be Thaddeus’ name at this point in his career. He is fighting the good fight every single night. Not only is he undersized, but a vital weapon has been removed from his bag of tricks. While my opinions are often met with incredulous opposition, these next two points are beyond refute. A 3 point shot is more valuable than a 2 point shot and Thad was developing into a legit threat from downtown until the arrival of DC.

For a team that has mentioned being like the Stan Van Gundy led Orlando Magic featuring Dwight Howard, you’d think that having a stretch 4 might be part of the equation. Thad can be that guy, he just needs the chance.

2012-13 PHILADUNKIA FORECASTS

Posted by: Philadunkia
10/31/12 3:04 pm EST

We know that in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, for many of you the tip off of another NBA season may not be on your mind right now. But assuming that all of our readers are physically okay, adapting and moving forward today — the NBA season started last night and that action has our hearts pumping for the 76ers opener tonight.

By now you’ve read or watched what all the national “experts” have predicted for our Philadelphia 76ers in 2012-13. To be honest, they are all over the place. Many of them believe that we are in for a replay of the 2010-11 season — .500 ball; make the playoffs; get bounced in the first round. There are also a few “experts” who are predicting that Philadunkia’s home team will fall flat on its face this season. Still others see a 50 win season coming up for the Sixers and a nice post-season run.

But as we all know, national “experts” are NOT the best source of information when it comes to the Sixers. So in an effort to provide educated forecasts on how this year will play out for the Sixers, the scribes here at Philadunkia — people who eat, drink and sleep the 7-6 — have typed up their predictions for 2012-13.

According to the Philadunkia staff, one thing is for sure, the 2012-13 76ers will be exciting to watch.

After the jump…Here we go

NOTES, LINKS & TWEETS

Posted by: Jeff McMenamin
09/24/12 4:45 pm EST

With only 40 days left until the 2012-13 Sixers season gets underway there is plenty of news to talk about.

Sixers announce that senior vice president of basketball operations Tony DiLeo has now become the teams new General Manager. I like DiLeo as a person. I thought he did a pretty good job of coaching the team in the 2008-09 season, while almost upsetting the eventual Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic in the playoffs that year. I think the Sixers keeping the position in house isn’t necessarily a bad thing. DiLeo has proved to be a valuable asset in changing the culture of the Sixers around in the past 5 years. It also gives coach Collins some more say in what moves are made which I feel is a good thing as well, rather than the debacles which have occurred from the likes of Billy King and Ed Stefanski over the years.
Continue Reading

THE KID’S KICKS

Posted by: Philadunkia
05/23/12 9:45 am EST

Obviously the 76ers have a huge, must win game (literally) tonight and we’ll have plenty to say on that later today. But for now, we just wanted to lighten the mood a little with this post.

As you may or may not know, sneaker companies frequently hit their NBA endorsers with special edition sneakers for the post season. A number of the 76ers have been rockin’ new shoes during the playoffs and so far we like what we have seen. With a little help from our friends at Li-Ning, we’re going to take a look at the kicks Evan Turner (11 & 8.6 a night in this series) has been wearing vs. the hated Boston Celtics.

After the jump, a sneak peak at the shoes Turner will be wearing tonight in what hopefully will be a big 76ers W ….

	Thaddeus Young, SF 37 MIN \| 5-7 FG \| 3-4 FT \| 7 REB \| 1 AST \| 4 STL \| 1 BLK \| 1 TO \| 13 PTS \| +8 Thad always plays with incredible heart and hustle. If he doesn’t receive at least an A- nightly, something went terribly wrong. Tonight, the prototypical small-ball PF was extremely efficient from the field and played great D on David West. But he shouldn’t play 37 minutes at this point in the year, Doug. Give some of that burn to Moultrie!
	Evan Turner, SF 34 MIN \| 5-11 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 1 STL \| 0 BLK \| 2 TO \| 11 PTS \| +7 Evan put together a decent night of his own against a team that should have provided a tough match-up for him: lengthy and athletic perimeter players. It’s a positive sign that he only shot the ball 11 times, but he should have converted more of them.
	Spencer Hawes, C 34 MIN \| 7-14 FG \| 3-4 FT \| 16 REB \| 8 AST \| 0 STL \| 7 BLK \| 3 TO \| 18 PTS \| +12 Wow. After blanking a crucial layup in his last time out against the Heat, the big ole’ stiff comes out and delivers a near quadruple-double! He even made contact on a few screens and rolled to the basket! And, he embarrassed Roy Hibbert! Wow. Just, wow.
	Jrue Holiday, PG 43 MIN \| 12-25 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 6 REB \| 12 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 3 TO \| 27 PTS \| +7 Jrue played like an all-star this evening. And, of his 3 turnovers tonight, two came when he was arguably fouled in the 4th Quarter. He could have shot a much better percentage overall, but he straight carried this team to a triumphant victory.
	Damien Wilkins, SG 33 MIN \| 4-11 FG \| 4-6 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 AST \| 0 STL \| 3 BLK \| 1 TO \| 12 PTS \| +1 Damien Wilkins should not be playing 19 more minutes than Arnett Moultire and Charles Jenkins combined at this point in the season. He shouldn’t. ‘Nique’s nephew is shooting 43% from the field this year. Why is he playing over two young guys who might actually be able to contribute to your rotation for the next five seasons?
	Arnett Moultrie, PF 9 MIN \| 0-0 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 STL \| 2 BLK \| 0 TO \| 0 PTS \| -4 You’re the man, Arnett! Keep fighting hard for rebounds! Keep blocking shots! Keep running the floor! Keep smiling on the bench like you’re not pissed about playing behind Damien Wilkins! Maybe, just maybe, one day you’ll have a coach that recognizes your potential and how it would be very beneficial to give you some playing time.
	Dorell Wright, SF 29 MIN \| 4-6 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 1 AST \| 1 STL \| 0 BLK \| 1 TO \| 13 PTS \| +10 Dorell Wright took the form of a quality wing perimeter player that he can be with regular minutes this evening. Over the team’s last five games, Wright is playing 23.0 minutes and scoring 14.2 points per contest. Why couldn’t he have gotten to this consistent run earlier in the season?
	Lavoy Allen, C 16 MIN \| 2-4 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 0 STL \| 1 BLK \| 0 TO \| 4 PTS \| -4 Eh. Lavoy is what he is. 16 minutes is a good number for him and 4 points and 3 rebounds is a solid contribution. But he was just another face in the crowd, tonight.
	Charles Jenkins, PG 5 MIN \| 0-1 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 0 AST \| 0 STL \| 0 BLK \| 1 TO \| 0 PTS \| -2 Unfortunately for Charles, Collins refuses to acknowledge this guy is the second-leading scorer in Colonial Athletic Association history behind only David “The Admiral” Robinson. Give this kid an opportunity to prove himself!
	Kwame Brown, C DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| STL \| BLK \| TO \| PTS \| Again, only a few more games before Kwame Brown becomes, “Kwame Brown’s expiring contract” That’s worth some trade value, right?
	Jeremy Pargo, PG DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| STL \| BLK \| TO \| PTS \| It’s not his fault he’s really irrelevant at this point in the season for this particular team, right?
	Royal Ivey, PG DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| STL \| BLK \| TO \| PTS \| Who?
	Nick Young, SG DNP COACH’S DECISION MIN \| FG \| FT \| REB \| AST \| STL \| BLK \| TO \| PTS \| At least Swaggy looks swaggy on the bench.
	Doug Collins DC did a good job of coaching tonight to win this game. He played the hot hands, he left units in that went on big runs. He even made key substitutions in a few situations. However, he gave Moultrie and Jenkins 14 minutes, combined. Their are 240 minutes to divide amongst a roster in an NBA game. They got 14. Come on, Doug!