Tom Moore 2.0

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

, it'll be more entertaining and will lead to more wins.

[doctor him]

Tom: May I ask you a question: Did you enjoy their half-court, isolation team? Did you enjoy their inability to create ANY kind of shot?

You could watch the first game of the season, record it and pretend different results and jerseys and that's your season. That's how boring they were.

I prefer motion and actual plays, as opposed to the awful 1-on-1 clear-outs with eight guys standing around watching. Too often, somebody was forced to take a bad shot to beat the 24-second click. The Princeton offense should cut down on the isolation.

100% agree. And a motion offense does help players of limited offensive talent get more open looks with less effort.

[is1531]

I hope I'm wrong, but I think those expecting his loss to be masked by the Princeton offense or the apparently imminent rise of Lou Williams, are in for a rude awakening.

Replacing a solid PG/scorer with an erratic one is a big loss, but there are other areas where the team might be improved. I think if Brand returns to some semblance of his former self and we see continued improvement by Iguodala, Young and Speights the team could end up being O.K.

[tmoore]

Are you a little surprised at the SI.com power rankings? They have the Sixers 13th in the league, sixth in the Eastern Conference -- ahead of the Heat, Bulls and Raptors.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/w ... ?eref=sihp

Other rankings earlier this summer had the Sixers 12th in the conference.

[83SixersRocked]

I'm surprised they're ahead of Chicago and the Heat. What surprises me more is how high the Wizards are ranked. 8? They can't be serious; they won 19 games last year. Are they really expecting a 25-30 game turnaround?

[tmoore]

I'm surprised they're ahead of Chicago and the Heat. What surprises me more is how high the Wizards are ranked. 8? They can't be serious; they won 19 games last year. Are they really expecting a 25-30 game turnaround?

Wonder if some of the picks were for shock value ... The Wizards will be better than 2007-08, but I don't know about that much.

The Sixers have some questions. Would think they'd be closer to 18th.

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

It's about Chemistry, this ain't the 2000-01 Eastern Conference, but those Sixers became a top-flight bball team because they gelled and mixed. Chemistry is important, not only in terms of knowing the guys on the team, but how they fit as a team.

Let's take a look at the Raptors. From an offensive standpoint, they fit. We already knew that. Adding Hedo to the team basically makes them a Mini Orlando Magic. Even the bench is solid with nice role-players. But: What about post offense? Both Bosh and Baragani are finese forwards. You won't see Bosh banging for position any time soon, ditto for Baragani. How about defense overall?

I've never seen Baragani play that much but if I had to venture he's more of a weak-side shot blocker ALA Josh Smith. If a weak-side shotblocker is all they got? Their in trouble. Most teams with a post game will beat them DOWN. They'll also be able to slow the game down and limit Toronto's running game. A poor front-court can be negated with good perimeter defense(See:06-08 Detroit Pistons)

So what of Toronto''s perimeter defense? It'll be interesting to see Hedo without DH12 having his back. From what we saw(For example: LBJ'S game winner) his close out technique SUCKS. Your guarding a guy the same size as you, and you give him space as if he's a 6'4 guard you can block the shot? Jose Calderon can't guard my shoe 1-on-1, their best individual defender may be Jarrett Jack.

With poor perimeter AND post defense, the Raptors cannot fundamentally win more then 40 games at best. I'll give the Toronto Raptors 42 wins

Miami: Like what they did, preserved their cap-space and added a guy like Q-Rich who can be Beasley's back-up or the starter at SF. Not much in the way of defense, but he's a shooter. They already have Daequan Cook though. Other then Beasley/Wade/Q-Rich? Devoid of talent whatsoever.

42-45 wins.

Chicago: I don't care who you are, but you can't expect me to believe you lose a 20 PPG scorer and add two rookies and be better then the Sixers or hell, even in the playoffs. They have depth, talent and Derrick Rose. So they're a playoff team.

41-43 wins.

I see no reason why we won't be better then ANY of these teams. We have just as much depth as Chicago, we have more star power. And unlike Atlanta's hunk of junk, it fits together.

[corwin]

Thanks for posting Tom & Dedicated. This board has been as silent & boring as I've ever seen it. I agree with the analysis of the 3 teams that Dedicated just went over. Chicago for example still has not solved it's PF problem & now is forced to start Hinrich at SG. Salmons will be a problem because his minutes will be cut back as Deng returns. Miami is hoping to ride Wade one more season with a supporting cast of Beasley (no natural position), Chalmers, O'Neal, QR & Haslem. This is not a good line-up & I think it's going to PO Wade that the team didn't try to improve. Toronto will look like a typical Euro team & shouldn't be that improved. They've made moves to try to retain Bosh. We'll see how that works. Atlanta continues to play without a center & expects to ride Bibby into the playoffs again. I don't think any of those four teams are better than Philly. After Boston, Orlando, & Cleveland, I expect Charlotte & Washington to be the surprise teams of the East. That would put the Sixers at somewhere between 6 & 10 with the team that they have.

[tmoore]

My early number is 37 wins, which could be enough to make the playoffs (but probably not).

[bebopdeluxe]

I think 37 wins is low. I recognize that the loss of Miller is big, but the addition of a healthy Brand should offset that to some extent. I would doubt that Iggy will have the same slow start...and it shouldn't take 40 games for Thad to get back to the productivity level we saw before he tweaked his ankle. Obviously a new coach and system will take some time to adapt to, but over the arc of a season I think the impact of Jordan and his system will be the same as what the team had to deal with the Mo and Tony show.

If Brand is productive, I think that 43 wins and 6th in the East is possible....nothing to get a chubby over, but hopefully it will lay the groundwork for a better 2010-11.

[steveb21]

My early number is 37 wins, which could be enough to make the playoffs (but probably not).

That's a little pessimistic, isn't it?

I'm curious...Can anyone find what the Kings record was before Jordan took over and then what it was after his first year there? I'd be interested in seeing the same for the Wizards. I wonder what the improvement in winning percentage was.

I've heard that Jordan had an immediate impact on his previous two clubs right away. It makes me wonder if he can have the same type of success here with the level of talent we already have.

So for arguments sake, if the Kings ans Wiz had a 10% improvement in winning percentage would it be out of the realm of possibilities to expect that here? That would put us around 50 wins...

[83SixersRocked]

I'm curious...Can anyone find what the Kings record was before Jordan took over and then what it was after his first year there? I'd be interested in seeing the same for the Wizards. I wonder what the improvement in winning percentage was.

I've heard that Jordan had an immediate impact on his previous two clubs right away. It makes me wonder if he can have the same type of success here with the level of talent we already have.

02-03: 37-45 (Doug Colllins) MJ, Stackhouse, Hughes were on that team. Not much else.
03-04: 25-57 (Jordan) Arenas in, MJ out
04-05: 45-37 Jamison in, Stackhouse out
05-06: 42-30 Arenas's best PPG - 29.5. Caron Butler in, Hughes out
06-07: 41-41 (uh oh) Arenas's last full season. Added DeShawn Stevenson, Songalia, Roger Mason
07-08: 43-39 Brendan Haywood avgs 10/7
08-09: 19-63

I need a nap, somebody else take the Kings?

[Don]

Records before and under Eddie Jordan:

Sacramento:
Prior to Jordan: 1996-1997 = 34-48 (overall record) Before Jordan, they were 28-39, for nearly 42%.
Under Jordan, they were 6-9. Jordan’s winning pct. 40%, and they missed the playoffs.

1997-1998 = 27-55 Jordan’s first full year as head coach winning pct of .329, and they missed the playoffs again. Eddie was fired.

Washington:
Prior to Jordan: 2002-2003 = 37-45 pct of .451

Jordan as head coach: 2003-2004 = 25-57 with a win pct. was .305, and they missed the playoffs.

2004-2005 = 45-37 with a .549 win pct., was when they got Devin Harris and Antawn Jamison, so yes, as 83sixers said above, good players gets you wins. That was and still is the best year in the Wizards’ history.

They question that we will find answered this year: Whether we have the talent that fits Jordan’s system. We can argue all we want that we will or won't do, but when the ball gets tipped off in the Fall, we’ll find out.

[tmoore]

Billy King takes some shots at Allen Iverson in a Charlotte Observer article.

You can check it out at: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/423/story/912847.html

[tmoore]

“Allen never made the people around him better in the first place because it's always about Allen,” King told the Charlotte Observer. “Everything is about Allen, and it can't all be about Allen at this point in his career. He's no longer that intimidating figure who can just blow by everybody. So he's got to do other things, and I'm not sure he will.

“His personality is to say, ‘I can still do this. I can take all the shots and stay out late and do everything I did in my 20s.' He needs to get to the foul line (to be effective) and if that doesn't work, he'll be very quick to yell at the referees for not giving him calls.”

[tk76]

Every time I read about AI and his struggle to find a home, listen to L.B. or BK it just takes away a bit from the great memories from 2001. I just try to ignore those guys now and hold on to the positive I remember.

All 3 have hit hard times and come across as bitter,

[tmoore]

Every time I read about AI and his struggle to find a home, listen to L.B. or BK it just takes away a bit from the great memories from 2001. I just try to ignore those guys now and hold on to the positive I remember.

All 3 have hit hard times and come across as bitter,

The things I've read from Brown have been pretty supportive. That's not the case with King's recent remarks to the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell.

[76STholder]

I have been kind of uninterested in the sixers this summer due to lack of activity and overall media. It actually seems like the sixers are even bored in that there is hardly no communciation from them as a season ticket holder. They have had 1 activity for the holders (the zoo for some dumb reason) and nothing else at all. No correspondence, nothing. Last summer, after I bought my tickets, they had advertised a Phillies game and get together beforehand, then had other correspondence.

Honestly, I would think they are going out of business if I did not know better!

[freshie2]

I don't know that inactivity means apathy or lack of progress. A team based on young talent with key pieces returning from injury is going to look at talent development and contributions from those returning from injury for their overall growth as a team. The Sixers probably would have faced similar criticism if they had not resigned Sammy a few years ago, but now almost everyone would prefer if they had not locked him up long term...the perception or reality of inactivity this offseason may not be a bad thing in the long run.

As far as wins, I don't see this team any worse than last season...41 wins is my target. Success relies primarily on the growth of Iguodala and Thad, and the development of Lou/Jrue as backcourt contributors in lead roles. I think they will be solid defensively and on the boards, but if Brand can return to a very high level, this team could be very successful and contend for home court in the playoffs. Cleveland and Boston are the two sure things in the east...otherwise I still think there are a lot of questions for the contenders, similar to what the Sixers are facing.

[76STholder]

Just to clarify, I was not saying I am down on the sixers this year. I believe they will win 45 games (like I predicted last year mid season and would have IF Thad did not get hurt, IMO) and believe they are still an up and coming team.

But, what I meant is that there is NO excitement being generated by the sixers especially to the season ticket holders. That does not require trades or big signings, but there are things they could be doing and did do last year.