The Story of Maurice Cheeks

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

No, No, No you need to understand me CLEARLY

Offense: Move Iggy to the 2 guard and have Thad at the 3. If the Pistons still play Tayshaun ON Iguodala(just for you to clarify I'm talking about our offense here), Thad has 4 inches on Rip and can take him down to the weight room.

Defense: How's this sound? Dalembert on McDyess, Thad on Sheed.

[Salvistine24]

No, No, No you need to understand me CLEARLY

Offense: Move Iggy to the 2 guard and have Thad at the 3. If the Pistons still play Tayshaun ON Iguodala(just for you to clarify I'm talking about our offense here), Thad has 4 inches on Rip and can take him down to the weight room.

Defense: How's this sound? Dalembert on McDyess, Thad on Sheed.

on offense, do you think thats enough to make up for the 20+ point difference in the last 2 losses?...unless thad is ready to start scoring 30, i dont think so...

bc i dont care what you do on defense, detroits got enough talent to take over...thad on sheed is a worse matchup then daly on sheed...sheed would dominate him in the post...add in the fact that mcdyse would just step out on daly again creating the same issue...

im not concerned about offensively bc we are what you saw...a transition team that struggles in the halfcourt due to personnel...we struggle shooting and when facing length that can alter our shots in the lane...i wouldve liked to see us execute better but i think these guys limitations were exposed by a better team on that end

now defensively, the issue is we dont have a big enough bruiser to backup the 4 to help rasheed...you either guard him extremely small w thad or evans or you guard him with length that is out of his comfort zone in dalembert...rasheeds one of the toughest covers in the game...and while his 3s hurt, i think he set the tone in most games by going inside early and shooting over our guys...dalembert let sheed get good position on almost all of his post ups and thats where a strong big defender can help...and when he goes outside, we need better rotations from our guards..im not even getting into their other 4 starters....in the end i just think it was a terrible matchup and we werent winning this series period...see my previous post, last paragraph, about how we played in each game for my feelings to be clarified

[Johnny Broad-Street]

Hahaha....it's like talking to a wall man.

[Louis Williams]

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/six ... again.html

Stefanski, confirming his plans yesterday, described the work of Cheeks and his staff as "excellent" and a discussion about another extension as "a natural move."

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

If we did those things. If we simply slid Iggy to the 2, if we actually made buckets outside of Iguodala luckily hitting a few(because Miller took too many shots). Then it doesn't become a 20 pt ball game. We aren't -20 to the Detroit Pistons. But, I give up. You CLEARLY feel that way about this basketball team. You clearly feel like we might as well have been the 8th seed.

In anycase, if Ed thinks that's a natural move he needs to be reminded a head coach with a 72 percent winning percentage is on the market.

[Salvistine24]

youre right...i think we had 7th seed talent...and i dont think we could keep up w detroit...

that doesnt mean i dont think in a year or two we cant be better w thad learning how to play the 3, with carney becoming more consistant, w lou will not making stupid turnovers, w green becoming a bench player, w the aquistion of a legit 4

honestly, our team has a lot of flaws as constructed now...they played above these flaws and if they played a team like cleveland, they might even win a round...but as of this point we arent better than detroit orlando or boston...and its not a knock on the team...its how it is

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

Despite the fact that we won 2 games against this Detroit Piston team. Of course, all 5 of those wins are considered flukes right .

[Salvistine24]

Despite the fact that we won 2 games against this Detroit Piston team. Of course, all 5 of those wins are considered flukes right .

Well lets see...ive explained this before that we matchup poorly and ive pointed out our limitations such as poor shooting, lack of a post up game, trouble penetrating against teams with length

also we lost the first two games of the season to detroit...won the third when both teams had full rosters...won the 4th when they rested their starters in the 2nd half...so we were 1-2 vs them with full rosters...lets not get into the fact that detroit had their playoff positioning locked up when we faced them in our win

then as ive already explained, we were down 13 at half in game one, down 15 in the third, and had a huge 4th quarter to win...we didnt outplay them game 1, we used our hustle and had a valiant comeback but we were buried for 3 quarters....we were dominated from tip to final buzzer in games 2,5,6....we were up by 4 at half in game 3 but won by 20 so ill say we dominated that game and we had a great first half in game 4 while they dominated the second half...by my count in the playoffs we "won" 7 quarters out of a possible 24 vs detroit...we also didnt win 5 games vs them, 4 games this year...they won 6....and they won the 4 that matter most bc their experience and skill overshadowed us

please dont make it out to be i hate this team bc the truth is i loved them and they exceeded my expectations...you dont like cheeks, i get it...i dont like dalembert...its fine...i see holes we need to fix if we want to be elite and we wont be elite IMO until the shooting issues as well as the pf issues are addressed...until then im extremely proud of this group for their effort and work this year as well as cheeks for giving them discipline and teaching them how to play hard tough nosed defense which is the basis for any team to succeed...its a shame our lack of personnel got exploited by a better team

[carlos1223]

Despite the fact that we won 2 games against this Detroit Piston team. Of course, all 5 of those wins are considered flukes right .

I agree Dedicated. The Pistons haven't impressed me since 2006. They lost to a Heat team they should have beaten. They lost to the Cavs last year. We had the potential to beat them as we proved in Game 3 and in Game 1, and even the first half of Game 4. It's all about matchups. Putting Willie Green on Rip the whole series is (Please Use More Appropriate Word). Putting Iggy on Tay is just as stupid. The fact of the matter is too many posters here, and the media and many other fans of other teams have simply said: We are 7th seed and we are not supposed to beat a second seed. So all you posters and the media accept mediocrity. Apparently lower seeds are not allowed to win. So why even bother trying to get in the playoffs? We might as well try and get in as a top 4 seed or tank the season if we can't. Why get in the playoffs and except losing when winning is a possibility? The Pistons are all about their reputation. 5 straight ECF, a chip win in 2004 and another finals appearnce in 2005. None of that matters anymore. This is the here and now. The Sixers let the Pistons past get to them and you guys let it get to you.

[dond]

youre right...i think we had 7th seed talent...and i dont think we could keep up w detroit...

that doesnt mean i dont think in a year or two we cant be better w thad learning how to play the 3, with carney becoming more consistant, w lou will not making stupid turnovers, w green becoming a bench player, w the aquistion of a legit 4

honestly, our team has a lot of flaws as constructed now...they played above these flaws and if they played a team like cleveland, they might even win a round...but as of this point we arent better than detroit orlando or boston...and its not a knock on the team...its how it is

Exactly !

It is pretty simple. This team has some nice players that will need some time to develop into true NBA players. They need some more of those nice players if they are to get to the next level. This year they played extremely well. However, they were not going to beat Detroit regardless of who was guarding who, or who was coaching them, or who got more minutes on the court, or who played at what positions. They did not have the personnel to do that.

[carlos1223]

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Exactly !

It is pretty simple. This team has some nice players that will need some time to develop into true NBA players. They need some more of those nice players if they are to get to the next level. This year they played extremely well. However, they were not going to beat Detroit regardless of who was guarding who, or who was coaching them, or who got more minutes on the court, or who played at what positions. They did not have the personnel to do that.

You are one of the people I'm talking about. People who accept losing just cuz this is a "young team". The sixers need to believe they can win instead of just saying :Oh, we don't have enough talent. If they can win 2 games in the playoffs against that team, they can win 2 more. Cheeks being stubborn and refusing to change anything is what lead to our downfall.

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

To be fair, yes they have Rasheed Wallace and McDyess who can hit a jumper and yes, they have Hamilton. But we were better then the Pistons in terms of SITUATIONAL BASKETBALL! What does that mean? It means capitalizing on the weaknesses that they do have and limiting exposure of our own. Situational basketball is where a coach makes or breaks his paycheck. Did they have a better roster in terms of talent? Yes, they most certainly did. But we had the advantage in Situational Basketball but sadly had the worst possible coach for that type of team. And it only gets worse from here on out people: You're saying "Wait till this team gets X Player and then judge him". But then it'll even be MORE important that we have a Situational Basketball coach. In a league where the Western Conference is good. Where the Hawks just need a real Center(Moving Horford to PF and Smith to SF will give them a legit shot at a top-4 seed next year), Where the Wizards have played better without their "superstar", now more then ever you need to look at a team's weakness, find it and attack it. Mo does the opposite: He finds our weaknesses and attacks it better then any coach in basketball.

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

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Well lets see...ive explained this before that we matchup poorly and ive pointed out our limitations such as poor shooting, lack of a post up game, trouble penetrating against teams with length

also we lost the first two games of the season to detroit...won the third when both teams had full rosters...won the 4th when they rested their starters in the 2nd half...so we were 1-2 vs them with full rosters...lets not get into the fact that detroit had their playoff positioning locked up when we faced them in our win

then as ive already explained, we were down 13 at half in game one, down 15 in the third, and had a huge 4th quarter to win...we didnt outplay them game 1, we used our hustle and had a valiant comeback but we were buried for 3 quarters....we were dominated from tip to final buzzer in games 2,5,6....we were up by 4 at half in game 3 but won by 20 so ill say we dominated that game and we had a great first half in game 4 while they dominated the second half...by my count in the playoffs we "won" 7 quarters out of a possible 24 vs detroit...we also didnt win 5 games vs them, 4 games this year...they won 6....and they won the 4 that matter most bc their experience and skill overshadowed us

please dont make it out to be i hate this team bc the truth is i loved them and they exceeded my expectations...you dont like cheeks, i get it...i dont like dalembert...its fine...i see holes we need to fix if we want to be elite and we wont be elite IMO until the shooting issues as well as the pf issues are addressed...until then im extremely proud of this group for their effort and work this year as well as cheeks for giving them discipline and teaching them how to play hard tough nosed defense which is the basis for any team to succeed...its a shame our lack of personnel got exploited by a better team

And when that happens you expect your coach to try his best to prevent that from happening. I believe Jim O'Brien took Kyle Korver out of the lineup in favor of the 6'4 guard Willie Green. Green, when healthy actually had more dimensions to his game, like rebounding and passing that affected Richard Hamilton and we nearly stole 2 games in that series as well. Jim actually MADE a change. And that was a team getting used to itself after a blockbuster trade. NO excuses, Mo's just bad. Care to admit it yet?

[Salvistine24]

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I agree Dedicated. The Pistons haven't impressed me since 2006. They lost to a Heat team they should have beaten. They lost to the Cavs last year. We had the potential to beat them as we proved in Game 3 and in Game 1, and even the first half of Game 4. It's all about matchups. Putting Willie Green on Rip the whole series is (Please Use More Appropriate Word). Putting Iggy on Tay is just as stupid. The fact of the matter is too many posters here, and the media and many other fans of other teams have simply said: We are 7th seed and we are not supposed to beat a second seed. So all you posters and the media accept mediocrity. Apparently lower seeds are not allowed to win. So why even bother trying to get in the playoffs? We might as well try and get in as a top 4 seed or tank the season if we can't. Why get in the playoffs and except losing when winning is a possibility? The Pistons are all about their reputation. 5 straight ECF, a chip win in 2004 and another finals appearnce in 2005. None of that matters anymore. This is the here and now. The Sixers let the Pistons past get to them and you guys let it get to you.

ok heres an issue that i have with you and not dedicated...atleast dedicated is speaking his mind on issues and I think understands the point some of us are coming from

We all want to win a title...honestly, its pathetic this city has gone nearly 100 seasons in the 4 sports since one...dont you dare question the heart of fans on here that we want mediocrity...

BUT the worst thing you can do is start shaking the confidence of young guys, putting doubt in their heads...IF you want to make changes based on the series and adjustments, the FIRST TWO GUYS TO BE BENCHED AND/OR LET GO WOULD BE IGGY AND SAM....you want to do things based on the series go for it...if you think the sixers are better/shouldve beat the pistons go for it...i never said they couldnt, i just stated they arent the better team for numerous reasons which you can see in this post

if you however doubt the fanhood (yeah using that phrase lol) of the fans on this forum, then your sorely mistaken...and its the same thing with the flyers...if they lose to pittsburgh next round bc we cant keep up with their youth, im not calling for the coach to be fired or the team to be dismantled, ill be disappointed but look forward to a team that should break phillys title doubt if the phils dont do it this year...its stuff like this that really frustrates me...you dont like Mo fine, most of us can atleast understand that but cmon we all want to win...sometimes the best action is no action

[Salvistine24]

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And when that happens you expect your coach to try his best to prevent that from happening. I believe Jim O'Brien took Kyle Korver out of the lineup in favor of the 6'4 guard Willie Green. Green, when healthy actually had more dimensions to his game, like rebounding and passing that affected Richard Hamilton and we nearly stole 2 games in that series as well. Jim actually MADE a change. And that was a team getting used to itself after a blockbuster trade. NO excuses, Mo's just bad. Care to admit it yet?

without writing another long post ill give you this...when i believe this team is capable of winning a title, i dont expect Mo to be coach...I dont think the time is now as I still think you need a guy who can be supportive of these guys and let players like Thad and Carney grow...maybe next season you make a change...not now...it sends the wrong message to the team...and yes i agree O'Brien got shafted...but this franchise needs a little stability still and is still a few moves away from being a serious contender

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

Yeah and an NBA level head coach will do. Seriously, do you doubt Avery Johnson's ability to get his teams to play hard. Dude is a **** soldier despite being only 5'11. Blame Cuban and his desire to make god awful trades. I'm suprised Dallas still made the playoffs at ALL. **Tips hat to Avery**