It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Except Monday night at the WFC, that was just the worst of times. The Warriors rolled in and stomped the ever loving piss out of the Sixers, led by Andre Iguodala and his 7(!) three pointers. Couldn't somebody have told Dre that "advisory position" is a nice way a saying he don't work here no more, and that all his 'Doug Collins won't let me shoot' rage is misguided. Anyway, a sobering night for the young Sixers, let's get started I'll make fun of Iggy later.
1. You wanted to tank, THEN COME ON LETS GET TANKING!
Tanking in the NBA is like Amsterdam on the Wire. It isn't right, but how else can you save your city? Also, the theory is much easier to take compared to being forced to actually watch the carnage. I signed up for this when I bought my tickets, but last night was something else. The team couldn't catch the ball, they were frantic, they left open shooters on damn near every possession. The Warriors are an elite team, but tonight we saw the team that NBA experts all said was the worst in the league. It will be interesting to see how they look Wednesday night; is this the beginning of a downward spiral, or do they respond and compete? (a win isn't a must) I guess it's still too early to know what this team is, but if I had to guess I'd say maybe they are a 24 win team rather than the 20 win team I was expecting. Still pretty bad, with a few moments of competence sprinkled in.
2. Reports cards for the guys who matter
- Evan Turner D+. Evan gets a C+ on offense, he scored 18 points in just 25 minutes, shot well (7 of 12) and earned a few more trips to the foul line (5 FTAs, but 1 was on a tech). Evan had five turnovers, which continues to be a concern. Evan gets an F for his awful defense, he was late on everything, and he just left his man too open too often. Trust Iggy hitting 7 threes isn't an accident, Evan helped.
- Spencer Hawes F. Spencer is going to take a mulligan, and I will leave it at that. Ok, just one thing, Spencer was -41 in plus/minus, that's an incredible number.
- MC DUB D+. MCW had a bad night, but it wasn't that bad considering he is a rookie point guard. On a night where his jumper failed him (4-17, 1-7 from deep) and he finally had a turnover binge, MCW still managed to score 18 points. MC DUB buoyed his scoring with an exciting 12(!) free throws, if he can get to the line with anywhere close to that regularity then he is a lock to average 20 points per game. Despite the trainwreck that this game was, this free throw binge was another exciting development in MC DUB's… development.
3. Taking Iggy down a peg
Who was this guy hitting 7 three pointers? I don't remember him. I was shocked at how good he looked, and then I saw the Iggy I remember. The guy who blows wide open dunks. I don't have video of last night's miss, but here a few from the past. Enjoy.
HEE hee!
4. James Anderson hasn't looked very good
I'm not sure what else to say, for a guy giving you 30+ minutes per game, you have to get something. You're making me long for the days of Jodie Meeks. If you are going to be our shooter to spread the floor, you probably need to be able to hit shots. It's a small sample, but this has not been a promising start to the season.
5. Where the hell is Thaddeus Young?
Thats pretty much says it all, and I'll give you that Thad had a great game down in DC. Young is averaging 10 points and 5 boards in 3 home starts. This guy was supposed to be the Sixers' best player, yet he has been mostly forgettable. While Evan and Spencer have started hot and (hopefully) started to increase their trade value, Thaddeus hasn't done Sam Hinkie any favors in that regard.
SIXERS!!!!
No song and dance today, instead we'll just celebrate losses by looking to the draft.
Thanks for reading, see you all later this week!
