Let's go Bulls!
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Let's go Bulls!
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
For many 76ers fans, reaching the playoffs this season is a bit disappointing.
Don’t get me wrong – I get it. Everyone is aware of the completely different arcs that this season and last season took.
The 2010-11 Sixers rallied to reach the playoffs after a 3-13 start. Meanwhile, this team arrives as either a seventh or eighth seed after firing out of the blocks early – with pretty much the same personnel – only to stagger in as the last guest to receive an invitation to the postseason.
The most commonly held position of those in favor of the team not qualifying for the postseason is that they would be better off in the lottery looking for some young talent that could possibly spur them on to the next level and out of their current mediocrity.
It’s a stretch, but I wonder if these same fans will feel this way if the Sixers, say – and yes, this is a reach – take the Bulls six or seven games deep in the playoffs?
Who knows? If they draw the Bulls, it’s a certainty that they are going to get them with their best player, Derrick Rose, nowhere near 100 percent. Yes, the Bulls have been very good without Rose (17-9) and even better with him (31-7). But with the reigning MVP still trying to get it back, now is a perfect time for the Sixers to hit the reset button and face the Bulls.
I think that the draft is deeper this year than it has been in recent years. And sure, the slim possibility existed that the Sixers could have leapfrogged over some teams and found themselves in position to pick even higher, although that’s not likely.
There are going to be some players that could very likely still be available (I’m thinking big men like Festus Ezeli or Fab Melo) that would be nice pieces to add to a Sixer team that could use a banger/shot-blocker.
Avoid Miami in the first round, take two games from the Bulls and then add a nice player in the draft. Sounds a whole lot better to me than the alternative. Thoughts?
Contact staff writer John N. Mitchell at jmitchell@philly.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmitchInquirer
Comments (32)
I would like them to get BLOWN OUT in four games, so ownership realizes that BIG changes need to be made to this roster. I also want to see Jodie Meeks continue his PATHETIC play, so we can FINALLY blow up Collins' bromance with this guy and give Evan Turner the ball back.- I agree, as long as the boss thinks there is any improvement, any at all (no matter how slight), they will stand pat or only make minor changes. In my opinion, which only matters to me :-) this team cannot win as currently constructed.— CDR Little
- Some people expect miracles.They made they playoffs which means this current group will get more playoff type experience under their belts as opposed to having the (you choked from a great start and blew it you losers tag).They have a winning season--they were competitive in most games(as compared to the EJ year/s) with more to come.As you know if you watched-Thad-last nite 7-8 3rd quarter.-Jrue-6-6 3's 3rd quarter and Lou the same and Evan becoming deadly from 15 ft in(line drive jumpers-luv it) plus the others.THEY /DC etc know what is needed.Who ever leaves after the season will hook on with another team and most likely will play well.
I dread to think what these boards would be like if we had a team such as the Bobcats.They dont need BIG changes 2 maybe 3 players is all.
Bulls or Heat whats the difference?You would have to meet one of them sooner or later.So get it over with.The diference is 5 or 6 games.I hope they get the Bulls as i feel the Knicks match up well with the Heat--consider Wade-Melo------LB--Amare----Bosh--Chandler----Baron Davis--who?-----Novak--against Heat 3 shooters.That will be a great series.So lets roll the dice.— HO HUM - I'll never root against the Sixers in the playoffs, and I'll enjoy watching them against the bulls this year. But how can 'taking two games from the bulls' possibly be considered a success? A championship is a success. A step towards a championship is a smaller success. 'Taking two' from the bulls gets us no closer to a championship. Acquiring a more talented player (I'm thinking Henson, but there's no way he drops to us now) in the draft does get us closer to a championship, so yes, the alternative is better.— J.P.Melle
- "Hit the reset button"? Is this jargon for finding a new way to lose?— 2smart4philly
- Come on Ho Hum, this team is terrible and has no hope of improving in the foreseeable future. No one wants Elton Brand, his knees are shot and his career is over. Iggy is overmatched as the star of the team and is overpaid. They had 2 point guards before this year, got the #2 pick, and added another point guard. The only power forward they had is now starting for Memphis. Their center spent the year injured and if he's re-signed will probably do the same next year.
No series against Miami or Chicago will be great, or even good. And now they are stuck in the middle of the draft.— TongueWagger - I am definitely one for the benefit of playoff experience. This is very valuable for players like Holiday and Turner and hopefully we will see what kind of players they really are. The regular season is one thing, but the greats set themselves aside come playoff time. Jrue showed us flashes of this last year against Miami and ET did as well. If we play Chicago I expect an exciting series and with Rose not at 100% and us seeming to have regained our lost confidence you never know what can happen.— Mattb
- The Cardinals squeaked into the playoffs on the last day of the season. The New York Football Giants, the same. Neither were juggernauts during the regular season. But they got hot and rode it to a title.
Do I think the Sixers will do the same? Probably not. But watching them in the playoffs beats hoping that .8 percent chance at winning the lottery comes true.— Iron Giant - Sixers have a very nice team of approximately twelve role players. That's why they're consistently around .500. Who could ask for anything more than Generic Brand Stomach Turner, etc.? I'm all in. Hope you are too. Maybe they'll win a playoff game. That would be awesome.— baabyrrej
- No series against Miami or Chicago will be great, or even good. And now they are stuck in the middle of the draft.
— TongueWagger----------------
Thanks or the reply- a lottery is a lottery--a chance and that is all.
THEY have enough YOUNG players-they need proven talent to take the next step quickly.Trade for what they will need You will know what you are getting--maturity.talent,locker room attitude and all that.
People think if IGGY gets traded (and i hope he is not-haters will love that) Well here is another stat that makes him even more valuable to the right team.
IN 3 POINT shooting he is ranked in the top 5 in the league for S FORWARDS--Novak,Korver,R Jefferson,Dunleavy. and Iggy and Buddinger? tied for 5th.That is a telling stat and he is @60%(18 for 30 attempts) from the 3 line in the last 5-6 games.
If he were to go to a team where he is not the #1 and the pressure and responsability? that comes with it an added plus and he leaves a harsh media behind...........I would love it for him-if he were to go- to end up with -S Brooks,MO,Durant and Westbrook.--or the Heat or the Spurs...............
— HO HUM - I remember a couple years ago rooting for the lottery. They wound up in the lottery, even got lucky enough in the lottery to nab the 2nd pick. That guy is still coming off the bench because Jodie Meeks reminds the coach of his son. Say they were to get the No. 1 pick this year, who's to say Anthony Davis wouldn't get buried behind a 96-year-old Elton Brand because he's Doug Collins' glue guy?? I'd rather watch them take their chances against the Bulls with a gimpy Rose
- I think Sixers can take on Bulls but not the Heat.— Ace-Philadelphia
- Sixers win NBA finals this year. Beat bulls and make a huge run. People should be talking about how good this team is rather than "take two games" nonsense. This team was 20-9 at one point was dominate. Sixers!!— DonovanMcNabb
- Win game one! Then.....— philsix6
Of course the Sixers are better off in the playoffs and yes they matchup better vs the Bulls than the Heat. Rose is hurt and the Bulls starting PF is undersized just like EB & Thad. The Bulls are a better team but they don't overwhelm us.
The tank and get in the lottery theory is hilarious. There's not much difference in draft picks between the last teams in the playoffs and the last teams in the lottery so what's the advantage of tanking?. The teams with the best shot at great players are the Bobcats, Wizards, Hornets, Cavs, Kings & Raptors. Despite some of your pessimism about our players they are certainly better than the dregs of the NBA. Therefore their shot at a top 5 draft pick is slim to none.— mtairy1- If Durant was able to get "playoff experience" in his first two years he would have never had Westbrook or Harden. This is how you build a team. That team is #2 in the West and they are all in like their 3-5th year. But this team has been together for 5 years and can't even break the 8th seed....amazing how that could be considered a success.— The Villain ET
- Sixers will beat The Bulls 4 games to 2. Bet the house.— Bobby V
- villain- the thunder had back to back awful years that aloud them to get their top five picks and to make the most of it. Since 06, the sixers only had one awful year and they ended up taking turner (who we'll know nothing about until collins or meeks leaves). tanking to get top players is far less affective than trading for said players after they've established themselves. Ask the heat, celtics, lakers, and even the mavs who had to bring in Terry, Kidd, and most importantly Chandler b4 they got over the hump. the thunder are the exception to the rule. and had the sixers tanked the rest of the way after the 20-9 start they would still have close to 30 wins and probably would be looking at another 9-12 mediocre bench player pick.— 76ers in 2076
- All those teams you named already had superstars, we don't. Unless we get more talent we're not going anywhere, and top tier free agents are going to sign elsewhere. — J.P.Melle
- My point is after you get the #2 pick you realize you don't have a good core and blow it up. They should have traded Iguodala and made this team suck on purpose so we would be rebuilding.— The Villain ET
- but villain- the point i'm making is that intentionally sucking rarely EVER works. the thunder are the exception to the rule. the sixers should have kept iggy last year so they could see what they had. the problem was dc screwed that up by not playing turner, williams, vuc and allen enough and sticking with his boy toy meeks and flopping back and forth at the center spot. they easily could have gotten the 3 seed this year if not for collins. we agreed in the other article about trading iggy for jefferson and signing Humphries and Mayo after ditching brand, williams, meeks and hawes. why is tanking a better alternative to that?— 76ers in 2076
- 2076 - No we are on the same page. I am saying now I wish it would have happened and it maybe should have because imagine if this year Jrue and Turner were growing together and we were losing as growing teams do. Then, we get an amazing draft pick. Now that won't happen. Therefore, I am really on board and excited about the possibility of a Utah Big as long as it doesn't involve giving up Turner. The thing that scares me is even if Turner scores 20 in the first half he might not sniff the third quarter.
If anyone thinks Collin's doesn't make questionable decisions about turner:
1. Not starting at the beginning of the year for no reason.
2. Scoring 13 points in the first half of a tough Miami game and not seeing the court the third quarter after the game had gone down the tubes.
3. Barely playing him in closer games and never giving him a chance to do anything at the end even though our "Top 5" have won only one close game all year.
4. Starting him for Meeks and killing it at the PG position and averaging about 25 and 13 boards in three games and then suddenly just making him stand in the corner again.
5. Turner scores 11 straight points against the Heat and goes to the bench. Has this EVER happened?
6. Losing games against tough teams and then he has to bench Turner of all people and Hawes who ever since he came back the team was horrible.
But Collins does weird thing with a lot of players but I can guarantee you this..he would have NEVER taken Jodie Meeks out of a game if he was hot like that.
I really think Turner for Iggy offense-defense sub should be tried in this series.— The Villain ET - @villian- Evan Turner needs to play with the ball to be effective. That might not be the best mix on this team. Still I think he can play and be very good in this league. I don't think he and DC can peacefully co-exist though, so we won't see how good he can be until one of them (most likely ET) leaves.— ericthered1
- The Bulls definitely need the Bulls. Catch Rose when he's hobbling, smack Deng on his bad wrist, bang the creaky Rip around and hope Boozer sprays on too much of that hair in a can he uses and it drips in his eyes. BTW does anyone else think Villian has clippings of Turner all over his wall, maybe a Evan blowup doll under his bed?— OG
- Villian, trading iggy last year would have resulted in us getting Monte Ellis. That probably would have forced DC to play Turner more and that would have resulted in the team playing at least well enough to make the playoffs. it might very well have resulted in our team winning the division. but otherwise, seems like we're on the same page here.— 76ers in 2076
- @Ho Hum: You said the Sixers only need 2 or 3 pieces to become a contender: What players are you suggesting they replace? Because I swear, if Meeks is on this team next season, I'll have to buy stock in some tissue company, because I'll spend the season crying. I'm going to have to respectfully disagree, I think major changes needs to be made. Iggy should have been dealt 2 or 3 seasons ago. In-fact, he should have not been on this year's all-star team, 'Josh Smith' of the Hawks should have been selected instead. I like Brand, but he's done; too old. There's only 4 or 5 players on this current roster I'd take into next season, ET, Thad, Vuc, Allen and maybe Sam Young. Also, I think you've lost site of the fact that the Bulls have the best record despite Derrick Rose missing almost have the season. They don't need him to beat the Sixers in this series. I see perhaps one win. Let me ask you this Ho Hum: If you were builing a team from scratch, what player on the Sixers would you build around? Looking forward to your answer.— Xavier19
- I am in favor of this team going to six/seven games with the bulls; I think we can do it. We will have a middle first round selection and 2 second round picks. We also have players to trade. Turner/Iggy...One of them will not be with the team next year.— WstCoast6er
- @Ho Hum: You said the Sixers only need 2 or 3 pieces to become a contender: What players are you suggesting they replace?
Let me ask you this Ho Hum: If you were builing a team from scratch, what player on the Sixers would you build around? Looking forward to your answer.Xavier 19----------------
THANKS FOR REPLYING XAVIER--
I just posted on B C'S thread almost the same thing--I.E --H Eskin posed the exact same question in a guest app on Mike+Ike so is this you Howard-class of 68-Cottman Ave ?:).
To the question--the answer is no one!! (maybe Iggy for his defense above all-good defense turns into points or an ELTON in his prime)They have LOTS of great parts- they need that person PLUS an Outstanding experienced big with tenacity(hopefully with leadership) a true point guard-Rhondo/Nash/Kidd type to bring along the others and a player -again experienced who can create his own shots against playoff type 1/2 court defenses.Jump shooter teams alone
will most likely always be on the losing end.This team does not know the word (pick and roll-just my comment-but they are exciting.)
Im sure DOUG and the Coaches know exactly what they need and they will
do the right thing.As far as moving players-that will be their choice.
Off the subject if i may--I believe Meta Peace days are coming to an end witk the Lakers and he may not be there next year--Iggy AND?-for Andrew B?
Xavier-again thanks--now an opinion from you-if i may.I came across a rumor way back that after the summer games-Tyson Chandler could have been had-(dont know the $$$)How would he have fit with this team? 5-6-8 more wins.I like Spencers game but he needs to bulk up.Most of the people he goes against are much more muscled up- the lastest being Humphries..oh well thats another topic
— HO HUM - C'mon - play to win! Sixers have as much talent as ANY team in the league...now they just have to believe it. They go into games versus the Heat with the "this team is way better than us" mentality, and they wont go far with that mindset.— PSUANIMAL
- no way do i want the Sixers to end up playing the heat...The Heat will rip through Sixers easily...you know it, the Heat know it, and worse yet the Sixers know it.— sedale
- would be hilarious if Knicks lose to Charlotte and Collins is in position of trying everything to lose to Detroit but to no avail --he wants no part of Miami again who can send out any 1 of their big 3 and blow out Sixers— warbiscuit
- we are stuck on the treadmill, I also hope we get demolished in the playoffs...huge changes are needed here & this has been the case for quite sometime. I would literally make every player on this roster available, we have no real "keepers". I would target the Kings & Jazz for trades. The Kings are a mess but at least they have some talent on their roster (Tyreke?) & the Jazz have tons of bigs, lets get one!— buy_me_toys!
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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.
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