Get on the bandwagon
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Get on the bandwagon
Elton Brand scored a season-high 33 points against the Knicks. (Ron Cortes / Staff Photographer)
If telling it like it is means telling the bad when it's bad, then it means telling the good when it's good. And, right now, there's no more doubt: it's good. If you're not excited about this team, which tonight beat the New York Knicks 100-98 and has a record of 20-13 in its last 33 games, then you're never going to be excited about this team. You should stop reading now.
We've been tentative all season long because a 3-13 start will scare some people. Couple that start with last season's record of 27-55 and it doesn't take a genius to understand why the seats have been empty in the Wells Fargo Center and minds have been closed toward discussions of revival. But then this strange thing happened. Even though the team started 3-13, it didn't come apart at the seams. So we watched, cautious, wondering if the bounce back was just temporary, if they'd stumble once again and start showing the immaturity and frustration and then, eventually, start losing again. If, despite his best efforts, Doug Collins would be unable to penetrate the minds of this talented, but previously aloof roster.
But even through the ridiculous losses (which might not necessarily be out of their system, one never knows), the 76ers played hard and solid and kept winning their share of games. Even the most skeptical among us might not be as skeptical as Andre Iguodala, who has for years seemed only willing to give so much of his emotion (as compared to physical effort, which he always gives) toward the winning effort. At some point in the last two weeks, Iguodala has bought in. He's made this his team, not just the team he plays on, and you can see the results on the floor. Did you see him tonight? He had 16 assists and 0 turnovers. Here's a crazy statistic that I was relayed tonight: since the NBA started keeping turnovers as an individual statistic (sometime in the 70's), Iguodala's 16 assists is the most assists in franchise history without a turnover. Dishing out 16 assists and not turning the ball over is amazing and remarkable, about as infrequent as tossing a no-hitter in baseball. A really good assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA is 3-to-1. Tonight, Iguodala's was 16-to-0. That statistic is really just a byproduct, it seems, of some sort of switch that has changed with Iguodala.
We're as wary as anyone of falling into this once-a-year trap of proclaiming that "Iguodala is embracing his role as leader!" We heard it last year, we heard it the year before, we heard it the one before that. And by each of those seasons' end, you really couldn't say for sure that he had. This doesn't feel like previous years. This feels different. For starters, in the fourth quarter of tonight's game, Iguodala could not have been any more excited after each of Elton Brand's jumpers. He was the first to punish Brand with (what looked like) an intense hi-five. Given his reaction, you'd have thought Iguodala had scored, not Brand. At one point when the Knicks cut the lead to six points, Iguodala took the inbounds pass in front of his own bench, turned upcourt and just absolutely busted to the rim for a layup. We've never seen that before. Is it really that easy for him? It looked that easy. And that was a monster basket for the team, pushing the lead back to 8 points. In seasons' past, or even earlier this year, doubtful that Iguodala executes that play. But tonight, his team needed a basket and he took off. That's all there was to it.
After his 33 points tonight, is it time we all apologize to Elton Brand for declaring his best days were behind him? He'd probably be happy just if the topic were never again raised. His effort has always been there, but now the game is following. Having these two guys -- Iguodala and Brand -- on the same page while leading this team is really crucial to maintaining success because they've never seemed so in sync.
It would be easy to say the Sixers don't deserve fans' attention because they're not the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat or the Chicago Bulls. And in the NBA it doesn't matter unless you're one of these teams. What's the point, right? Well, it's also really easy to be a fan of any of those teams right now because winning is the norm and losing happens every once in a while. The Sixers are not cured of what ails them. They have a question mark in the middle, they have some rebounding issues, they have some end-of-game issues (tonight's game shouldn't have even come down to a final shot), but Doug Collins has done precisely what he said he would do: make this team one you can be proud to root for every night. Have you ever seen Lou Williams work harder on defense than he did during tonight's fourth quarter? He was actually reach stepping over the top of a screen to stay in front of Raymond Felton. Pretty sure that for the last few years he's just run into that screen and then watched Felton make a layup. The fourth quarter started and the Sixers didn't make some crazy adjustment to get back into the game, they just worked harder than the Knicks.
If the Sixers were a stock, buying now would be buying low. Because they're on their way up. And that's something we couldn't imagine writing three months ago.
For all things Sixers, follow on Twitter: Deep Sixer.
--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
Download our new iPhone/Android app for all of Kate's Sixers coverage, plus app-exclusive analysis and videos.
Comments (53)
Bought a Thad Young tee shirt at the Knicks game on Friday -- the woman working at the upper deck booth near section 201 (great seats if you're in the first few rows, like watching on TV except with the arena experience etc) said it was odd that the Sixers shirts are only $20 while the same sort of shirts at Flyers games are $30. Buy low, indeed! Can't wait to wear my red Thad shirt to a Phils game. Go Sixers!— Leegles
Sp8ts could anchor he 2nd unit. I have not seen a return on the Jason smith Willie trade.. Sp8ts to me is an untouchable. Kapono Songalia and 2 no. 1's for kaman.— combocancer1975
Comment removed.
Soo...am I the only one who feels as though we can go as high as fourth seed : ) ?— deasytrent- 2076, I like your thought process - trying to make some noise in the first round and attracting a free agent in the off season is a much better strategy than tanking for a draft pick like all these knuckleheads think will help us.— CBent1
- 76ers in 2076: not advocating for Hamilton and Wallace, just indicating that such a deal is not impossible. Kaman seems to be the people's choice on this board. Wonder what Rod Thorn thinks? Hello, Rod! Are you there? Have to love baseline bill's post about Dalembert. Would rather steal Cousins from the Kings, however (LOL).— chuckw
- that's funny, all these posts and i don't see any from JonKap. thought he'd be on here taking the lucky win approach and lets trade Iggy while he's looking good before he chokes another game away. as far as trades go i think going after hamilton and wallace is a big no no. Wallace can't give you more than 25 minutes/game and if you're trading to get competitive now that's not enough. I also agree to keep the core 8 together for the rest of the year just to see how competitive we can be in the east with this group. i don't want to lose lou's scoring off the bench or thad's ability to create mismatches only to see Bynum get hurt for us or watch wallace run out of steam in the playoffs. I know he's injury prone but if we could send Speights, Nocioni, Kapono and a pick for Kaman i'd do it. Big week for this team, lets hope last night gives them a boost for a run at the 6 spot and a first round shocker that might draw a free agent to make us a contender in the east next year.— 76ers in 2076
- Hawes, Nocioni for Sammy.
Now that you're done gagging a little, listen to this.
The Haitian Infestation gives us the size, rebounding and shot-blocking package the 10-9-8's desperately need.
Believe it or not, his supple hands are third, that's right third in the league in blocked shots per 48 minutes.
AND...
The Haitian Mutation is also fifth, that's right fifth in the league among centers in RP48.
— baseline bill - Chuckw, even when teams do trade for expiring contracts it's usually for guys like McGrady or Jamison, not guys like Kapono and Songaila.— CBent1
- Speights for Javale McGee. McGee has been struggling lately, he and Blanche has issues earlier in season, and McGee and Speights were drafted two spots apart. McGee is more defensive minded and might thrive under Doug's tutelage.— JBP
- CBent1: while I agree that some trades are silly, the deals with the Pistons are not crazy, except for Monroe, who they will not move, in my opinion. Detroit is an aging team, sitting at 18-32, no real chance for the playoffs. Ben Wallace is 36 years old, now a part-time player, good for 20-25 minutes per game, low salary of $2+ million this year and $2+ million next year, much more valuable to a team like the Sixers than to the Pistons, while Hamilton has been rumored to be on the block for quite some time, will turn 33 next week, makes $12+ million this year, $12+ million next year, and $12+ million the following year. Pistons might very well like the two expiring contracts of Kapono ($6,641,440) and Songaila ($4,818,000), along with Speights ($1,773,960 this year and $2,721,254 next year) and possibly Nocioni ($6,850,000 this year and $6,650,000 next season), and a draft pick. Of course, the Byzantine complexity of the salary cap might preclude any real return for unloading Kapono and Songaila. Rod Thorn and Stefanski may need to be very creative, not something they are known for.
— chuckw - Rick Wise Guy: I am more of the "strike while the iron is hot" kind of guy; the right missing piece can be significant without giving up any of the core group. Brand is playing much like his Clipper days and Iguodala is clearly pumped and buying into Collins as coach. As Kate Fagan noted recently, they lost five games by a total of 20 points, I believe because of poor decisions down the stretch, weak backline defense, and some bad luck. Add a strong defensive center and let Iguodala continue playing point-forward, and this is a dangerous team going into the playoffs. They really need to get that defensive presence in the middle.— chuckw
- I am enjoying the rebirth of a once proud franchise in Phila. I grew up in the Wilt era watching games on a black and white TV then saw the team through its Dr. J era which resulted in the last-until the 08 Phils- championship in the city.
I'm advocating patience. They won't have a championship calibre team until probably two or three years from now. At that point Brand's contract will be off the books (in 2 years) and the hope is Speights is ready to lead. A decision on Iguodala can also be made then since he will be in his final year.
I like the depth on this team now and trading it away for the "missing piece" would be premature.
Free agents will see this team differently in two years. Getting the right one this time should lead to a significant run of success in the East.— Rick Wise Guy - Lifelongfn that trade sounds great and all but Detroit would never go for it. You guys always come up with these trades and never consider the other team's point of view. Ben Wallace is older but he's still among the best rebounders, and Rip has been a solid guard for a long time. They may want to move Rip but they're not going to give those guys up for a bunch of our garbage and the players you wanted to give them are exactly that - garbage. If anyone accepts guys like Speights and Hawes in a trade they will just be filler. The only guys on our team that are trade material are Iggy and Turner.— CBent1
- only 9: I do not believe that Dalembert was moved because of his talent or lack of talent, but because of his negative attitude in the locker room and his demands to be traded at various points. Not a Doug Collins kind of guy, I would imagine.— chuckw
- I am jumping on. Kate is right, if you do not get on now then your just not a fan at all. Go Sixers.— ameadie
- I am jumping on. Kate is right, if you do not get on now then your just not a fan at all. Go Sixers.— ameadie
- Lifelongfn: kudos for coming up with potential deals. Rumor has it that Detroit now is not looking to move Hamilton, although that may be trade deadline balony, and I wonder if they would move Monroe, whose game has been improving steadily. Also wonder what Wallace has left in the tank. You are making ComboCancer very happy, as he has been pushing for the Sixers to trade with Detroit almost since the beginning of the season for Hamilton, Prince, and Wallace.— chuckw
- many here were in favor of trading dalembert..I was NOT is he wilt chamberlain NO (I saw chamberlain play with sixers and lakers and followed the 9-73 season) but dalembert was a defensive presence and shot blocker, decent rebounder(at times good) speights I suppose is still figuring out how to defend and hawes is just too un-athletic, weak and slow. keep igoudala at point forward and let holliday and turner learn at their own speed. turner is TURNING into a good defensive player. need another rebounder front office"— only 9
- I was just playing around, and I wonder if a trade with Detroit doesnt accommplish what this team needs to truly compete with the elite teams of the east...
speaights for Wallace
Kopono Hamilton
Songilia Monroe
Hawes Our 2011 First Rd pick
(middle of round based)
Starting lineup of
Jrue
Meeks
Iggy
Brand
Wallace
Bench:
Lou
Turner
Thad
Hamilton
Monroe
Tremendous defensive presence in the middle who can rebound and blcok shots(Wallace)...Great young Power Forward(Monroe)..Hamilton would be a great veteral presence who can bury a three...— Lifelongfn - I was just playing around, and I wonder if a trade with Detroit doesnt accommplish what this team needs to truly compete with the elite teams of the east...
speaights for Wallace
Kopono Hamilton
Songilia Monroe
Hawes Our 2011 First Rd pick (middle of round based
on record
Starting lineup of
Jrue
Meeks
Iggy
Brand
Wallace
Bench:
Lou
Turner
Thad
Hamilton
Monroe
Tremendous defensive presence in the middle...Great young Power Forward..Hamilton would be a great veteral presence can bury a three...— Lifelongfn - 76erfn I think Iguodala will be just fine if he embraces his new role. We all know he is not a #1 guy but now that he is point forward he is doing a great job of making the other guys better and when he does shoot he looks better than he did. People love to say we have no talent but Elton Brand is a former 20-10 guy who has a few good years left, Iggy, Thad, and Turner are top 10 picks, and Jrue and Lou are both young players with a very bright future. If Collins keeps it up this team can be as competitive as the Hawks or Bulls.— CBent1
- xdax: I will take a Delaware Mike approach on this one (in reply to some of my earlier posts): if you wish to temper your enthusiasm, go right ahead, but no need to advise many of us to do the same. We will take our own counsel. As for the Memphis loss, yes, that was a disaster, and last night was a tough game, but Collins keeps making adjustments, fine tuning, the latest and perhaps most significant: moving Iguodala to the point down the stretch of games and even early on in order to get better looks for Brand and Meeks, both of whose games are becoming more consistent, and allowing Holiday to play off the ball or, in some instances, to ride the pine, and playing Turner and Iguodala together more. Tomorrow will be a very tough game, in my opinion, but only because Iguodala, Brand, and Young expended so much energy last night, thanks primarily to the donut in the middle. Rod Thorn: if you are listening, PLEASE solidify the middle. Get a banger, a bruiser, a tree trunk, an intimidator!!— chuckw
- Last night was good because: 1)the 76ers won and 2)they beat a team that played a decent game and played to win. The 76ers deserve credit for the defense on Felton and on Stoudemire, constantly frustrating Amare whenever he touched the ball. I like that Iguodala seemed pleased to be feeding Brand and letting Brand take the big shots. Chuck, you also make a good point about Collins benching Holiday and playing Turner; that was a big coaching move. It certainly keyed their run in the 4th quarter. I thought that it might blow up in their face, because Williams isn't the best ballhandler, but fortunately, Lou made enough big plays overall. If they win tomorrow, great, but I am going to enjoy this one; it's a game I'm sorry I didn't see in person.— 76erfn
- sports1: ignoring your asinine comment about the stupidity of the posters, you cannot be serious about not breaking up the team and then suggesting trading Lou Williams, who is instant and significant offense off the bench and an integral part of what Collins is doing, or even Jodie Meeks, who, to his credit, has been more consistent lately in shooting the three and thus opening up the floor for the slashers (kudos to BigVil who is his biggest booster), in return for which the Sixers would get a major project? Hello! Meeks is a starter and Williams if often first off the bench. Not break up the team? Many posters like Thabeet, but right now the Sixers need a big who can contribute serious professional defense down the stretch of the season and into the playoffs before Brand and Young wear down. Sixers can move two expiring contracts, and throw in any combination from among Nocioni (who is not getting any playing time, despite the apparent healing of his finger), Speights (whose poor defense limits his court time), and a draft pick. Spencer Hawes simply takes up space and Thabeet is not even close to ready, if ever. This team is young enough.— chuckw
- Too early for all of this. We are only a week removed from a horrible 20 point collapse against the Grizzlies. The Sixers barely sneaked out of their own building with a win last night despite brand going for 30 and igg having 16 assists to zero turnovers. Temper the enthusiasm, sixers could easily get blown out by NY tomorrow night in Madison Square Garden.
I've watched the last 5 seasons, minus last year, play out in similar fashion to this season, I'm not jumping on the bandwagon too early this time!
— Xdaxblessedx - I would like the Sixers to have Kaman as well... but he has injury issues like Bynum. Kaman has only 4 seasons out of 8 where he played 70+ games.— Manok
- Combo: Dalembert would need an attitude adjustment to return and play for Collins. However, the front office needs to get moving and trade for a tree trunk in the middle to ease the defensive burden for Brand and Young, as Hawes is useless defensively and cannot stay on the court for longer than 20 minutes and Battie is not much better. I fear that Brand will be exhausted tomorrow after expending so much energy last night.
Mattb: I owe you one; Iguodala has played the point extremely well, particularly because he looks pass first and with his height can see the floor better than smaller point guards. Last night Doug Collins gave a coaching clinic 1. when D'Antoni started Williams instead of Turiaf, Collins had his team look inside to Brand who abused him. 2. pulled Holiday, who was out of control, and ultimately kept him on the pine down the stretch. Increasingly, I like Holiday better off the ball, much like Williams. I am old-school where point guards are concerned. 3. Brought in Turner to cool off Felton and kept him in during the stretch run. 4. Went with Iguodala (whose great left-handed slam re-energized the crowd and the team at a critical time), Brand, Turner, Williams, and Young down the stretch, bringing energy and intensity when most needed. If I was D'Antoni, given the length of his team, I would have continued to pound the ball inside, particularly, but not exclusively, to Stoudemire to get Brand out of the game. Instead, like he did in the Sixers victory at New York, he relied on the three, 8-27. Thank you Mike.— chuckw - Comment removed.
- Chuckw: Spot on. I would have loved for them to keep feeding Brand down the stretch as I thought Lou took a couple bad shots which let the Knicks get back in the game. Hawes is becoming a concern and I hope ownership will allow upper management to take on some salary. To me Kaman is the guy to go after. He only has one more year on his deal after this season and he showed he could coexist with Brand when they were in LA. I think you could get him for expiring contracts and either Speights, a draft pick, or who knows maybe Nocioni as they need a small forward. I would even try to pry Foye away from them if you can as I think he would be a nice fit for this team as he can knock down 3's and can play the point. Clearly the two needs for this team right now are a solid big who can defend and rebound and a veteran backup point guard who can settle the team down in crunch time. Should be interesting as we get closer to the deadline. — Mattb
- You are right about Hawes being a liability. At one stretch during the Knicks game last night, I recall him having a defensive foul, an offensive violation and then another defensive foul in 3 straight plays. He can't guard big centers because has no strength in the post defense and can't guard slender centers because of his lack in lateral movement. Also, he has issues in putting the ball below his waist when doing post moves. — Manok
- Kate,
If you or the readers want to see real close out defense,watch the final defensive sequence last night , especially Thad. The Knicks called a pick and roll. Lou came over the top to stop Felton's jumper. EB doubled Felton and left Amare'alone to roll free to the basket down the lane. Thad came across the floor leaving Williams to stop Amare. then while Felton swung the ball to Gallinari to the other side,Dre' draped him. By the time Gallinari passed to Williams in the corner, Thad had traversed that side of the court like a gazelle and disrupted Williams enough to force him to drive the baseline into a waiting Brand and an awkward shot. That's how winning teams play and close out games. None of the above is reflected in statistics. But, it's reflected in the win column!!!
Baseline into a double teaming Brand.— philsix6 - Kapono and Songalia for Sam.— combocancer1975
- you guy's are just plain stupid if you ask me,the reason were starting to win games is because were started to gell as a ''''TEAM''' a''TEAM''''that's when evryone know's there role and right now it seems the guy's know there role.if you make a trade it has to be something tha doesn't shake up the balance of the team to point wwere it set's us back,i think a good trade would be moving lou williams or jodie meeks and expiring contract of kapono for Hasheem thabeet that way we get a project 7footer shot blocker,and he wouldn't have to come in and start and could be groomed by Doug Collins and give us some size and wingspan oh and the grizzlies are looking for a taker you give them one of our guards and a expi,contract i think thats a great deal without shaking up our team...... — sports1
- you guy's are just plain stupid if you ask me,the reason were starting to win games is because were started to gell as a ''''TEAM''' a''TEAM''''that's when evryone know's there role and right now it seems the guy's know there role.if you make a trade it has to be something tha doesn't shake up the balance of the team to point wwere it set's us back,i think a good trade would be moving lou williams or jodie meeks and expiring contract of kapono for Hasheem thabeet that way we get a project 7footer shot blocker,and he wouldn't have to come in and start and could be groomed by Doug Collins and give us some size and wingspan oh and the grizzlies are looking for a taker you give them one of our guards and a expi,contract i think thats a great deal without shaking up our team...... — sports1
- I'll pass on taking Miller and stunting Holiday. And, is Kaman going to hold up? If so, I can work with that. Thad, Kapono for Kaman.
Brand
Iggy
Kaman
Meeks
Holiday
That frees up a few more minutes for Kermit Turner and Noc.
— baseline bill - It's still time to make a trade. A trade, though, to benefit the team NOW. Instead of giving away Dala,build around him. The target: Bynum. He's huge, young, can defend, block shots, and score in a traditional big-man manner. But's let's not get carried away, he's injury-prone (perhaps even damaged goods) and has never shown that he can dominate on a consistent basis. My point is, don't offer the Flakers too much. They want to get younger and more athletic? Thad, Turner and an expiring contract to make the deal work. Now here's what I'm talking about:
F: Brand
F: Iggy
C: Bynum
G: Meeks
G: Holiday
6th: Williams
Thin bench, but a team that could compete with anyone.— baseline bill - Bynum is a bad choice, he has chronic knee issues, and can't stay on the court. A better choice would be Chris Kaman of the Clippers. He is a real center, Hawes could move to the backup role, and the team becomes better. They also need more production out of the point guard position. I like Holiday, but he is still raw and has a lot to learn. Felton schooled him last night. I read that the Blazers are looking to trade Andre Miller, which I think would be a great choice: he can split minutes with Jrue and provide a good example of how to play the point guard position. This all of course depends on the cap issues, but if it's workable, it would make this team even better than it is. Hats off to Collins for doing a fantastic job! — mjc1
- Doug Collins, Doug Collins, Doug Collins! I said when he was hired that the players would need to be accountable, no blaming a bad coach. They have total confidence in Doug AND they know truly cares for them as men. When combined with passion and a great basketball mind, powerful combination! Well done Doug!— JBP
- Yes. It's fun to hear the B word. It means that the consensus is that things could be good in Philly. It's ok to jump on late. I've been an AI9 supporter simply because he's a unique and hard working player who'd be hard to replace AND to trade. Thencoaches have simply found the magic formula to maximize the talents of most members of the team. Fans tend to be influenced by the obvious, scoring and rebounding. Brand's tenacity,Iguodala's ability to adapt,and Thad's uncanny ability to deflect numerous balls,keep rebounds alive, and switch(as he did last night on Shawne Williams' last possession) to force a turnover or bad shot),all are the intangibles which have made us a relevant basketbal team. As I've posted before: enjoy the exciting style of play and effort from the players that we have. They are capable of winning a playoff series and more with some breaks.
Lastly,the 18,000+ fans last night affected the quality of play. Keep coming and this group will give you your money's worth, through point guard or point forward.— philsix6 - "The Rod", what joke you are. So a reporter has to live in a city for 10..20..30..40.. years before they can report and give observations on a basketball team? Go back under your rock. This woman Kate has brought the best sportswriting and observations I have seen around here since Jasner. She breaks down plays better than anyone writing for anyone writing for the local papers (including the suburban ones, DN and Inky).— xing
- I just spent a chunk of change to be five rows back for the Dallas game. In the words of Mark Zumoff, "YES!!!"— jimmy76er
- "Sixers Fans For Change" on Facebook couldn't agree more.
AI2 was amazing last night, and THAT was the EB that was signed to the $80M. Now the real question becomes: will the Sixers trade their expiring contracts (Kapono and Songaila) to bring in help for the Playoff Run?— ArtMooney - Hats off to Doug Collins. I was skeptical when they hired him because I didn't want to see another one of my sports heroes from my youth fail (Cheeks, Bowa). He is so much more than an Xs and Os guy; you can tell that he instills confidence in his players and empowers them. We're starting to see some positive things from Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams have both improved, and Andre is finally turning into the player he should have been all along.
Great work Kate, love reading your articles.— E-money - Kate, great post. I think a bunch of us have been saying this for a while, but this a team that Philadelphia should embrace. They bring it every night and that stems from the passion of their coach. You could see from the look on Brand's face tonight that he had something to prove. A player who has put up all star numbers in the past but loomed in the shadow of players like Kevin Garnett, Amare Stoudamire, Tim Duncan, etc in the west. Last night was a game by Elton Brand that showed why he was one of my players in the league when he was a Clipper. His shot was as pure as silk, he attacked the glass with vengeance, and played incredible defense. Chuckw: has made a point throughout the year that Elton could be putting up bigger numbers, but without have a veteran point guard on the floor, he wasn't getting the ball in the right spots. Well look what happened????? Collins moves Iguodala to point forward, to the ire of this comment board and look at the results?!?!?! Iguodala played about as flawless a game as we have ever seen and he kept finding Brand in his spots and Brand rewarded him by knocking down shots. I will continue to enjoy this ride with the hope that somehow this front office will pull off a deal before the deadline to add another big and maybe a veteran guard. Comcast you have the money, move those expiring contracts and get us some players please! Next 5 games are a beast, so let's hope they can keep this train rolling.— Mattb
- fans still out number the philly boo birds. loyalty is a virtue.— Miss M.
- No bandwagon here.. I have endured.. Chuck, big v, neutron, kap, and a few others have been REGULARS here for almost 3 years.. Regular meaning DAILY!— combocancer1975
Bye TheRod it was nice knowing you.- Is it me or is it you Kate,the biggist flip flopper bandwagon jumper I have ever seen in the history of sportswriters in the city of brotherly love.Look im no lover of Iquodala but you couldnt wait to see him thrown under the truck in fact you wrote at least a half dozen articles guaranteeing he was outta here.And you know what you dont know jack about this team and its history.And in my opinion you havent been around Phila long to make you a viable writer for any of this cities sportsteams.Sorry but I cant bring myself to read your articles anymore...;(— TheRod
- See what's funny is you must not comprehend what is written in articles. Kate has written what she sees and through an 82 game season things change. Kate has continually given both sides of an argument. Earlier in the season moving Iguodala seemed like the only logical move for the progress of the young guys. What most of us didn't recognize was that Collins could have such a drastic effect on the team as a whole. Being a good reporter means when things change you report that not what it was last week.
seems like you're really starting to enjoy covering this team, Kate...and yeah incog69, I agree about Speights. if he could somehow play up to his potential, it would go a long way to help the 76ers strengthen themselves in the middle...— bboybeballin- Sixers are definitely on the rise. Lots of young talent and a couple of solid vets leading the way. The coach is pretty terrific too :) The roster needs either one more big body, or Speights has to figure out what Collins wants from him (probably better defense) and earn quality minutes on a regular basis. Good win tonight, and another high quality performance against a winning team. Go Sixers!
— incog69 - Before the season started, I suggested that one of the local Philly t-shirt makers, known for making shirts for the Phils, Eagles, and Flyers, include a shirt for all 4 local major sports teams (meaning to add the 76ers). I was shot down almost immediately for suggesting that they, in a manner of speaking, were in the same league as any one of the other 3. Who's laughing now!!! Go 76ers!!! BTW, I believe Kate is the prettiest three-point shooter in the history of University of Colorado women's basketball program. Love me some '6ers and some Kate Fagan!!!— jhnesunshine
1
Popular Posts
About this blog
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
