Dec 28, 2009

Sixers capitalize on battered Blazers 104-93




This is an Examiner.com piece to read the original Click Here

When you have a struggling team there are a few things that can usually fix all of your offensive production problems: play the N.J. Nets or a team that's riddled with injuries. Monday night the Sixers capitalized on the misfortunes of a battered Portland Trailblazers team winning 104-93 at Portland's Rose Garden.

The Blazers came into tonight's game with no real strong post forward for their lineup. The team is suffering without a true big man due to the season ending injury to Greg Oden and with backup Joel Pryzbilla out indefinitely with a strained right patella tendon. The Sixers saw this and capitalized scoring 60 points in the low post of Portland and crashing the boards nabbing 31 defensive rebounds.

Leading the way for the Sixers was forward Elton Brand. Once again Brand came off the bench and almost finished with another double-double ending with 25 points and nine rebounds. Brand has been out of the starting lineup since before the current six game road trip and is relishing in the almost 30 minutes he is getting off the bench.

Portland (20-13) refused to go down without a fight as they had five players in double figures including guard Brandon Roy who finished with a game high 25 points. With the losses of Pryzbilla and Oden other players saw substantial time off of Portland's bench. Forward Jeff Pendergraph finished with a career high 11 points a five boards.

The Sixers (8-22) benefited by the return of guard Allen Iverson who has been out almost two weeks with left knee arthritis. Iverson finished with a season high 19 points.

This is the Sixers first win on their current six game road trip and its key to them ending 2009 strong. Next up for the Sixers is a back to back at the Sacramento Kings on the 30th and finishing off at the L.A. Clippers on the 31st.

-b.chan

Bulls FINALLY Fire Del Negro




I dont want to call myself a prophet but there are some things in the world of sports that you can just see coming. Whether its the end of a perfect season (Colts NFL) or the fact that blowing a 35 points first half lead in the NBA isnt the best form of job security things that should happen generally do.

The Chicago Bulls, fresh off of one of their most promising seasons in recent history fired head coach Vinny Del Negro on Sunday. Del Negro is in his second season at the helm of the Bulls and has guided his young team to an 11-17 record so far this season. Now the firing has not been made official because the team is worried about finding a full time replacement to fill Del Negro's shoes.

The eagerness to get a fresh start in Chicago has a lot to do with the upcoming landmark free agent market in next years pre-season. The Bulls are looking at about $15 million in salary cap room and could be front runners for a high level point guard such as a Dwayne Wade or a Chris Paul.

Possible candidates for the job are coaches Bryon Scott, whom was let go by the New Orleans Horents after the team went 3-6 in their first 9 games.

ESPN.com's Chris Broussard was the first to break the story and beleives that it could be possiable that the Chicago string pullers general manager John Paxson and owner Jerry Reinsdorf may let Del Negro coach out the rest of the season to keep continuity with the team.

What this means for Philadelphia fans... Coaches are being fired (Lawrence Frank in NJ, Scott in NO, Del Negro in Chicago) could mean that the team would think about cutting strings with current head coach Eddie Jordan.... ok so thats wishful thinking but a guy has to be hopeful.

-b.chan

Dec 27, 2009

Two minutes till midnight: Sixers fall to Jazz 97-76


This is an Examiner.com piece to read the original clock HERE


In a game that seems to follow the blueprint of the 2009-10 season the Philadelphia 76ers fell to the Utah Jazz 97-76 Saturday evening at Energy Solutions Arena.
Jazz guard Deron Williams dropped 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lead Utah to the easy victory.
Utah forward Carlos  Boozer had the games only double-double ending with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
For the Sixers (7-22), Thaddeus Young had 20 points including three-of-five from the line and Andre Iguodala ended the game with 16 points on a dismal six-of-16 from the field.
Philly trailed 29-48 at half and could not get any productive runs created in the final two quarters. At one point the Sixers went 9:48 without scoring a basket.
It took the team until the 3:02 mark in the fourth to end the drought and if it was not for three Jrue Holiday free-throws at the three minute mark the Sixers may have finished in single digits for the fourth quarter.
The team shot a dismal 34 percent from the field and failed to convert on 20 turnovers by the Jazz (17-13).
The Sixers ran their offensive with extensive three-point shooting misses and utter confusion on the defensive side of the ball allowing the Jazz to go on various 10+ point runs.

The Sixers are now 7-22 this season and are 0-2 on their current six game road trip. Next up for Eddie Jordan's bunch is Portland on the 28th of December before they have a back-to-back against Sacramento on the 30th and the L.A. Clippers on the 31st to finish off 2009.
The Sixers were still without the services of guard Allen Iverson, whom is out with a knee issue but he did participate in warm-ups and could make a return next week.
Philadelphia is now third worst in the NBA only above New Jersey and Minnesota, both are being led by coaches with less then a year of experience at the helm of an NBA team.

Dec 23, 2009

Capital City Beatdown: Sixers fall 105-98

This is an Examiner.com piece to read the original CLICK HERE




The Sixers six game road stand began just as most of their home stands have this season, with a close and heartbreaking loss. The game stayed close until a Gilbert Areans jump shot at 5:32 in the fourth put Washington up for good. The jumper was two of Arenas' game high 31 points. He went 13-24 from the field and also ended with 8 boards.

Just after the opening tip it was obvious that Arenas was going to have a strong game as he scored the games first seven points.

The Wizards (9-17) came into the game on a three game losing streak but just like for many teams facing the Sixers (7-21) it was just the remedy to a losing streak.

Last night was another strong game for Elton Brand. Brand finished with another double-double ending with 18 points and 12 boards. With an adjusted lineup the Sixers were lead by their bench with Lou Williams getting 12 points in an extended 32 minutes. This was just his second game back from a fractured jaw that had him out for 12 games.

For Sixers head coach Eddie Jordan it was an even more heartbreaking game as he failed to get a "W" in his second game facing his former team. Jordan coached Washington for six seasons and was fired on November 24th 2008 after starting the season 1-10.

Philly committed 15 turnovers and showed confusion on the court during certain plays. Beyond their obvious confusion trying to grasp the new Princeton offense head coach Eddie Jordan is attempting to run the team did shoot over 50 percent for the first time in six games.

Next up for the SIxers is the beginning of the west coast portion of their road trip as they visit the Utah Jazz. Utah is 11-4 at home this year and is averaging over 101 points a game.

Game time is set for 9pm ET.

Game Box

Dec 21, 2009

On the Road Again: Sixers try to right the ship on the road

This is an examiner.com piece: Check out the page HERE



December has not been a particularly strong month for the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers (7-20) have gone 2-7 in the final month of the year and are looking for a strong end to 2009 as they begin a six game road trip tomorrow.


The team will begin their road trip as they visit Washington to take on the Wizards. The Sixers lost in their first trip to Washington 107-108 in a heart breaker on November 24th. This was the same game that Sixers guard Lou Williams fractured his jaw causing him to miss 12 games. It was also Washington's first game after their long time owner, Abe Pollin, passed away.

Sixers coach Eddie Jordan is also looking for his first win against the Wizards since he was removed as the teams coach. Jordan was let go by the Wizards on Nov. 24th 2008 after going 1-10 in the teams first 11 games, he was the head coach of the Wizards for six seasons (2004-09).

Washington is the only Eastern Conference team on the Sixers road trip. After taking on the Wizards the team will head to the west coast for four games in six days including a back to back on the 30th and 31st of December. The team will take on the Sacramento Kings on the 30th and then they will end 2009 at the Staples Center to take on the L.A. Clippers on the 31st.

On the injury front the team is still without the services of guard Allen Iverson. Iverson had an MRI on his left knee before the teams loss against the Clippers on the 19th. Head Coach Eddie Jordan stated that Iverson may not be available until the 28th when the team travels to Portland to take on the Trailblazers.

The Sixers are only averaging 97.4 points a game and are second to last in the Atlantic Division. They are only sitting above the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference. The Nets are this years NBA bottom feeders at 2-26.

Here is how the teams upcoming road trip looks:
Dec. 22 @ Washington (L 107-108 on 11/24)
Dec. 26 @ Utah (L 90-112 on 11/13)
Dec. 28 @ Portland (first meeting; won season series 2-0 last year)
Dec. 30 @ Sacramento (first meeting; won season series 2-0 last year)
Dec. 31 @ L.A. Clippers (L 107-112 OT on 12/19)
Jan. 3 @ Denver (L 83-93 on 12/7)



More Resources:
Deep Sixer: Kate Fagan (Sixers beat writer)
Philadelphia 76ers Examiner Andy Jasner

Dec 18, 2009

Phillies: Disbe "LEE" f & Happy Halladay's


So we all know that baseball is the worlds ultimate money sport. Teams have budgets and a lot of front office dealing, or in this case, misdealings are based on raw figures. If you pay attention to Philadelphia or pretty much national sports media you would already know that the Philadelphia Phillies made a blockbuster trade to secure Roy Halladay and in the same action sent current ace, and post season darling, Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners to "replenish the farm system" and cut down on payroll..

In his first public statement since the trade, now Mariners pitcher, Cliff Lee said that he was "shocked and dissapointed" that he will no longer being wearing the Phillies pinstripe. As a special guest on ESPN's Baseball Tonight  Lee stated that he planned on "being a Phillie for the rest of my career". He stated that the mentions that he and his agent Darek Braunecker made any type of salary or contract demands were false and that they merely made a contract counteroffer, which is normal for a player in the last year of a contract.

When being interviewed by ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, Lee's agent stated that "Since the end of the postseason, his intent was to remain there beyond next season. That's been the goal. Unfortunately, some circumstances transpired that we couldn't control."

This trade will make the Mariners the third team that Cliff Lee will be a member of in the last five months. Something that is not typical for a former Cy Young winner.
 
Lee's dissapointemnt was a somber note but did not seem to affect the feelings of the Philadelphia failthful as they welcomed the teams new ace Roy Halladay in a Wednesday press conference.Along with Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., Phillies new ace was welcomed to a rousing welcome in his introductary press conference at Citizens Bank Ballpark. Halladay seemed just as elated as Amaro who stated that this was a deal he had been working on for over two years.
 
In his press conference Roy Halladay was quick to show his enthusiasm to be a Phillie. "It was an easy decision for me. Once the opportunity came up for me to be part of this, it was something I couldn't pass up."
 
After all the smoke and applause cleared the final numbers of the deal were revealed. To make the deal final Halladay and the Phillies agreed to a three-year extension for an estimated $60 million dollars with a $20 million vesting option. Also the Phillies recieved $6 million from Toronto to help pay for Halladay's 2010 salary. As expected many highly touted prospects were a part of the deal including AA pitcher Kyle Drabek. Also included in the deal were utility fielder Michael Taylor and catching prospect Travis D’Arnaud.
 
Because of the loss of Drabek and Taylor as well as the loss of prospects Jason Donald and Lou Marson, whom were parts of the initial Cliff Lee deal, the Phillies felt it imperative to move Lee to Seattle to replenish their farm system..
 
Amaro felt that getting top prospects back into the Phillies system had to be a top priority. ``We have to keep young players coming into the system. We couldn’t leave the cupboard bare." On top of replenishing the farm system it made it pretty convenient that the Phillies desperately needed a salary dump.
 
It has been long standing public information that the Phillies, who have a history of a tight budget were refusing to allow Amaro to go over the $140 million mark for the season. This move kept the Phillies under budget but also left some question on how they could have kept the two former Cy Young winner on the same team.
 

Fans need to be aware of a few facts about the off-season aquisitions the Phillies have made. Their was high public scrutiny when the team offered a three-year $18 million dollar contract to Placido Polanco to become the Phillies new starting third baseman.
 
The Phillies payroll for this season is a pretty fastinating story. Daily News writer David Murphy did a really indepth analysis of where the Phillies money is going in his High Cheese column in todays issue.
 
Not saying that he dosent deserve it but a quick and easy way to keep Lee in a Phillies uniform could have involved Jamie Moyer. Now to understand this you have to ignore all the talk about reinfusing the farm system. The Phillies will pay Jamie Moyer an estimated $6.5 million dollars this season to a player that may or may not even be on the roster this season. Cliff Lee's contract was only going to cost the Phillies around $9 million. Now with this option that would have only made a difference of about $2.5 to $3 million dollars. Your telling me that the Phillies couldn't have eaten around $2 or $3 million to almost guarantee themselves the NL title. This team is practically printing money below Citizens Bank Park, there is no way they can be crying poor.
 
But hey I guess we gotta accept the numbers and move on. And now that I bring up the idea of numbers
Jon Marks had an interesing article on examiner.com talking about how in sports it all about the money....
 
Now I am not a person that says the team needs to break the bank and spend Yankees style money but when you have the option to almost guarantee yourself a place in the fall classic then why cant you bend the rules a little bit.Just think about what the roation would look like if they would have been able to keep Lee. (just a little wishful thinking)
 
1. Roy Halladay
2. Cliff Lee
3. Cole Hamels
4. J.A. Happ
5. Joe Blanton
 
Now im sorry but that just makes me cringe a little bit of what the team could of had, but hey its all just wishful thinking. I think we all need to trust the front office because unlike most sports fans in the area their logical and future thinking is setting the team up to have the top pitcher in the league for the next four years if not more, now that is something to think about.
 
Not to mention from what has been posted online the team did get a good batch of prospects back into the Phillies farm system. Many people want to balk at the idea of passing up on a primetime pitcher to get "potential" but if there is one thing that the Phillies front office knows and that is how get prospects and turn them into all stars. Just look at the Phillies current roster and look at the players that have come out of the Phillies farm system.
 
Chase Utley 2b (farm system)
Ryan Howard 1b (farm system)
Jimmy Rollins SS (farm system)
Cole Hamels SP (farm system)
Shane Victorino OF (Rule 5 pickup from LA Dodgers)
J.A. Happ SP (farm system)
Ryan Madson RP (farm system)
 
Now I dont know about you but that is a pretty damn good bit of talent that this club has found through either drafts or pickups before they made the majors. If I was a betting man I would say that the Phillies know what they are doing when it comes to young talent.
 
The three minor leaguers the Phillies picked up in the deal for Lee were pitching prospect Phillippe Aumont outfielder Tyson Gilles and RHP Juan Ramirez.
 
Aumont is a 6'7" 200 pound right hander who is the #33 top ranked prospect in all of baseball. He was the 11th pick overall in the 2007 draft and is projected as a top of the roation ace. In his recent stints in the minor the Mariners organization tried to put him in a reliever position with 16 saves between his time in A and AA ball. He is similar to Drabek and is projected as a better talent then the picther we sent to Toronto for Halladay.
 
Tyson Gilles is a young raw outfielding prospect with loads of potential. He is only 20 years old and known in his time in the Desert League as the fastest person playing. He is a lot like Jimmy Rollins was in his younger years, he can create base hits with his speed and can be a threat on the base paths.
 
With the third pick in the Lee trade the Phillies got pitcher Juan Ramirez. He was the Mariners 25th overall selection in the 2006 MLB draft and spent most of his career so far in the teams Rookie league. He is really just raw un-developed and was put in to pretty much make the money fit.
 
Baseball is a money sport and seasons, roster and front office decision have to be made with the bottom line in mind and that is exactly what the phillies did in this instance. They knew they couldnt have both Halladay and Lee on the roster, but we all know that when Lee was picked up that he was a consolation prize cause a Halladay deal couldnt be made before the playoffs.
 
Ruben Amaro even said this was a deal he wanted for the last two years and when it became an option he made it happen. Not to mention the fact that he found the best player in baseball and a guy that was excited to come to Philadelphia. Fans should remember all the years of complaints from top players wanted to exit the city for greener pastures (Curt Shilling, Scott Rolen, J.D. Drew). For once the Phillies are on the other side of the spectrum and made a Cy Young winner upset to leave the city of brotherly love.
 
Oh how things have changed....
 
-b.chan
 
 
 
 

Dec 17, 2009

Penn: Miller out as coach, Allen named interim

* This was first posted on my examiner.com page- to read the original CLICK HERE

After starting their season 0-7 the University of Pennsylvania Athletic Department removed Glen Miller of his head coaching duties today. Miller had been the head coach since 2006 when he took over for Philadelphia favorite Fran Dumphy.


The news was handed down Monday morning via press release. "...we have decided that a change is in the best interests of the program, the student-athletes, and the larger Penn basketball community." stated Athletic Director Steve Bilsky.

In his place Athletic Director Steve Bilsky has promoted former player and assistant coach Jerome Allen. Allen is in his second season as an assistant for the Quakers and was a former Quaker player and NBA pro, he was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1995.

Penn is the only team in the Ivy League without a win and is entering the brunt of their non-conference schedule. They will take on Davidson on December 28th before heading to Duke for a match-up against the Blue Devils on Thursday December 31st.

Sixers: LeBron's 36pts too much as Sixers fall 108-101

* This is a re-post from my examiner site* To see the examiner post CLICK HERE


The Philadelphia 76ers quest to start a winning streak was halted Wednesday night as they fell 101-108 to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron dropped 36 points on Philadelphia including two free-throws with 0:11 seconds left to put the game out of reach. The Sixers have lost 13 of their last 14 games and have only won one game in the month of December.

The Sixers (6-19) were led by Andre Iguodala who finished with 26 points, including an impressive seven-of-seven from the free-throw line. Iguodala was one of five Sixers to finish in double digits.

Even in the loss the Sixers showed signs of improvement. This was the second game in a row the team scored over 100 pts and against the Cavaliers they did win the rebounding battle grabbing 45 boards.

Thaddeus Young was the only player for either team finishing with a double-double. He ended with 15 points and 10 rebounds and went seven-of-15 from the field.

Next up for the Sixers is a trip to Boston to take on the red hot Celtics. The Celtics (20-4) are the top ranked team in the NBA power rankings and are averaging 100.8 points a game.

Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.

The Eagles win.... again.

It seems like the Eagles whipping on a divisional rival has become a right of the season. Its like clockwork. The team loses a game they shouldn't have, everyone calls for Andy Reid to be fired, either him or Donovan gets more money for something they don't deserve... The team starts winning and everyone on Broad Street go all nuts like the Messiah is about to show up. ATTENTION EAGLES FANS.


Last nights game was a prime example. The Eagles scored a lot of points on the Giants. They had a lot of points scored against them and there were flashes of awesome. One thing that fans need to look forward to in the next few years is the development (or further development) of DeSean Jackson. This kid has IT. That punt return was stellar and he is honestly the fastest person on the field AT ALL TIMES.

Now to the bad news.... THE OFFENSIVE LINE SUCKS. The front seven is slow, out of shape, and couldn't stop Temple football. The Defense looked good but if Trotter does that Axe thing again i'm gonna lose it. Yes you had nine tackles, that's awesome, but your really old and have lost a little more then a step.

Donovan had a good game. He had a few passes that were off but even Peyton Manning isn't perfect. He was consistent and made a huge difference in the game.

On the other side of the ball Eli Manning went nuts. Listen I don't like the Giants but Eli went on a tangent with some HUGE passes and deep plays. The only bad side was that I benched him in fantasy football for Aaron Rodgers (dumb move). But other then that it was an overall good game.

Now back to the issue of the Eagles season.

This is a pattern of bad behavior. These things happen every year with the same outcome. NOTHING. The Eagles are going to make the playoffs, beat up the Cowboys in the last weeks of the season and after a few good playoffs games bow out and make the biggest of big men in Philly cry because they "almost had it".

The worst part of this years situation is that instead of coming into a year where Andy Reid would have had one year on his contract left you are all stuck with him until 2013. Get ready fans cause its going to be a long long cold winter on Broad Street.

The Eagles are stuck in mediocrity with no signs of improvement. Until a change is made within the Eagles organization they will be the same team they are every year.

Dec 11, 2009

Around the Town - Philly recap

Ok so a lot has happened in the last few weeks. Iversons back, so is Polanco, the Sixers still suck, the Flyers get a new coach and the Eagles re sign Reed. How to I feel about all of this.... well lets break it all down topic by topic.

1. Sixers: Iversons return falls flat.

So if you are a reader of this blog you will know that I have not been the most supportive person of the return of Allen Iverson to a Sixers uniform. I explained that it was a marketing decision but if Iverson could produce offensively like he used to then it would have been a smart move for the organization.... Well after two games it seems that this might be another bad front office decision.

When Iverson was re-signed by the Sixers many people in the media (including myself) thought that this was nothing more then a p.r. stunt. Bring him back, win some more games (hopefully) but more then anything else make some money. This move was supposed to bring a boost in attendance to a city that is ranking in the bottom three in attendance. Well that was a short term goal for the team.


In Iversons return the team sold out the game (or at least they said on paper). The Sixers lost and moved on to game two. On Wednesday night the Sixers took on the Detroit Pistons. A team that had a similar story in the Iverson saga. (Detroit got Iverson in a trade for Chauncey Billups in 2008). It was another close game that the Sixers lost and sadly enough the team only sold about 12,000 tickets for the game. I sat in press row looking around the arena and saw no eagerness from the fans to be at the game and most of the time people were screaming "AI...AI".

The Sixers lost once again and are now in the midst of a 11 game win-less streak and haven't gotten close to a win this month. The only upside to the Sixer situation is that the worst team in the league (The N.J. Nets) are in the Atlantic Division and are helping the Sixers avoid being in the basement of the NBA.

As a fan this whole situation isn't making a lot of sense to me. Like most people that follow this Sixers we can't really pin-point what their identity is. They were supposed to implement the Princeton Offense, yet they have no shooter, they draft a rookie point guard, yet he dosent play, they bring in Iverson, yet hes no good anymore. Does anyone in Philly know whats going on. If so drop me an email cause I have no clue.

Ill come back to the Sixers later but for now, lets go to the baseball diamond.

2. Phillies: Bring back Polanco, bring in Gload.

Ever since the off-season began and the Phillies decided not to bring back Pedro Feliz they have been in a hunt for a new third baseman. Well instead of looking for a new third baseman the team found their old second baseman. The Phillies signed Placido Polanco to a 3 year deal at an estimated $18 million.

Polanco is an improvement for the Phillies offensively as he is a career .285 hitter. He could also be an improvement defensively as he was a 2007 and 2008 AL gold glove winner AT SECOND BASE. Now I know in the game of baseball that players change positions all the time to improve their team and to help a ball club. (Ripken to 3rd, A-Rod to Third) and this could really be a smart move for the Phils, but just like anything else only time will tell.

Phillies also added some bench help adding Ross Gload. Gload is a 33 year old journey man who spent last season with the Florida Marlins. He is a career .261 hitter and should be a strong backup as a utility infielder, but could see playing time in the outfield. When people around baseball describe Ross Gload they use their terms "poor mans Greg Dobbs" which is funny because he will be getting playing time when the real Greg Dobbs cant play, who we refer to as a broke mans "Chase Utley" looks like Ruben Amaro likes the similarities.

3. Eagles: Give Reid an extension.....

So as most people in the city have noticed the Eagles are in the middle of a three game winning streak. Now was the perfect time to slide in some terrible news for Eagles fans. Andy Reid signed an extension through 2013 to be the Philadelphia Eagles head coach.

Now I know if you look at the numbers this is a smart idea from the front office perspective. Reid's record with the Birds is 106-55-1, he is 10-7 all time in the playoffs and took the team to the Superbowl.

On paper he is highly decorated and seems like it was a good call. He has won various awards including the AP Coach's pole award and has taken the team to the playoffs almost every year he has been at the helm. He is the NFL's biggest brides maid.

He has taken the good (2004) the bad (2008) and the ugly (Everything in between) to the brink of the Superbowl and once, for just a brief second, seemed like the man that could take the team to the promise land.

Above all of his accomplishments their is only one number that has avoided him and that is 1. The simple and basic number is the only thing haunting his legacy (other then 5, but that's a story for another time). 1 is the amount of Superbowl's the teams and the fans DESERVE. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not an Eagles fan. Its not that I don't like the team, I am just not a huge football fan but I do know many of you that bleed green and I feel bad.

The Eagles have some if not THE most loyal fans in football and the management is dealing on the side of safety and money over taking a chance to win the big dance. Its like a kid that spends his whole life in the shallow end and never taken the plunge. The Eagles front office sees teams that get blacked out and have trouble selling tickets and see that those are the teams that have taken chances in the last few years. The see this and understand that under Andy Reid the Linc has been sold out and profits are good. So from a business aspect it was the right move. Bring in money and keep things at a norm. But in a sport where chances taken can result in trophies in the case. The Eagles fans have one fact in their head.

Andy Reid is the Eagles coach till 2013. The Eagles will win the Superbowl in 2014.

4. Flyers: New coach, same old stink.



So apparently John Stevens was at fault for a team that didn't care. After three years behind the bench for the Fly-Guys Stevens was axed to bring in Peter Laviolette. The team welcomed him to the city of brotherly love by getting waxed by the Capitals 8-2. This game was embarrassing and the only part worth watching was the UFC fight that broke out as Dan Carcillo knocked a Capitals player out cold.


The Flyers, just like most of the NHL, don't draw a lot of media attention so the move wasn't that public. The things we do know about the new coach are this. He won the Stanley Cup as a coach of the Carolina Hurricanes, he doesn't take any b.s from his players and he likes to play physical hockey.... all things seemed up and up for the Flyers. Also when he stepped in he took the captains positions for Mike Richard and gave it to Chris Pronger. Maybe this will give a shock to the system of Richard who has been dogging it on the ice and has lacked heart in the games I have watched this season.

Maybe this will work, maybe it wont. Hell most of philly didn't even remember they made the playoffs last year so im my range of Philadelphia importance. I would rank this at a 5.

Now Back to the Sixers.

This team has NO IDENTITY. They play with no heart and I truly feel that no one (including the players) feel comfortable with the way things are being run. One thing is clear. Iverson is either not the player he used to be or SEVERELY out of shape. Lou Williams still has six weeks till his return so subtract 25 points from every game and you can now know what the end result will be.

Ed Stefanki is turning the most decorated franchise in Philadelphia history into a sideshow. No one that goes to games cares about the teams or what happens. They just want to see their new 5-11 puppet dribble the ball around a little bit and throw himself all over over court on every push-off. Remember people Iverson's contract is guaranteed after January 10th. We have a little less than a month until things get truly hostile on broad street. and mark my words they will.

Hopefully Philly can get itself straightened out, Its been a long winter sports season. Were not even through 2009 yet but hopefully 2010 can get a little better.

Until then

~ B. Chan

- also thanks again for all the examiner.com love things have been going really well.-

Dec 5, 2009

NBA Update: Iverson's emotion & Kobe's dominance

Its been a real busy week in the NBA so in lue of multiple posts I am going to attempt to break it all down the best I can... so here we go:


1. Iverson: "The Answer" to Phillys' problems?

Ok so ever since he was re-signed by the Sixers every media and blogging outlet in the greater Philadelphia area has been jumping all over this story like flies on a crap pile (which oddly enough is a really good analogy for whats transpiring). The reason I didn't want to write anything was because:

1. I wanted to think this through clearly

&

2. I didn't want to state false information about the details before I had all the facts (i.e. money stipulations, contract details etc.)

Yes Allen coming back to Philadelphia is a big deal. He was clearly the best free agent on the market after Lou Williams went out for eight weeks with a broken jaw and he had an amazing career here in his first 10 seasons in the league. The only problem that I see is AI himself. This is a guy that has never really held himself professionally or personally with a lot of maturity. He travels with a 15 man entourage and acts like he is some sort of NBA prophet. Hes a damn talented player but a lot of his skills is lost for me because of his antics. You could see how this arrangement  was going to go in the press conference.

The Press Conference:

First off just like the infamous "practice" speech Allen looked high as a kite and was glass eyed the entire time. He cried and then stumbled through words like he was just given the cure for cancer. Many people took this as him being sincere, personally, I took it as the first act of a very long play that is going to be the rest of the Sixers season.

Finally the Sixers get some attention:

The only really good thing (if there is one) that has come out of this is that in a town that has been dominated by Phillies and Eagles talk (both very valid) the Sixers have finally generated some water cooler talk, and in a league that really lacks in media attention compared to the big two (MLB, NFL) it is nice to see the Sixers getting some love. Not only that but the Sixers are finally going to have some people at the games, the team has ranked second to last in attendance this season and as a fan watching the games its been really hard to watch. Whether Philadelphia fans notice or not the Sixers are the most decorated franchise in this cities history and they deserve to be talked about.

By the way I think everyone in Philly and around the country that has paid attention to this ongoing story needs to give some props to Mikey Miss of 97.5 The Fanatic. Not only did he break this story to the nation but he really helped the cause by giving this story a lot of media attention on his radio show....

Contract: Money breakdown and possible traps:

And now to the contract. If you look beyond the name Iverson and just take him as a veteran point guard you see certain things that make this deal look really good on paper. Hes a top five all time scorer in the NBA, and at 34 he can still get you about 25 points (debatable) a game and for a team that is loosing most of its games by less then five points this could really make the difference. Not to mention the Sixers are getting him for a pro-rated veteran minimum contract of just over $600,000. For the type of production he can produce this is a really smart move.... (brace yourself) and I gave kudos to Ed Stefanski for the way he handled it. gulp

Here is the only problem I see with this contract. Since it is a non guaranteed contract (which was a smart idea for the Sixers) all Allen has to do to get his money is play good solider for just over a month. If he plays nice with his team and media until January 10th he is guaranteed all of his money, and by the look at how things turned out in Memphis, this is something everyone needs to be cautious of. Allen is a charismatic guy and when he needs to be he can make people love him. The only thing is the guy is like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He can turn on a dime and turn into a prick when things aren't going well. We all saw how he threw Billy King, Larry Brown and pretty much anyone he needed to, under the bus to cover his own ass and with an un-popular coach like Eddie Jordan (Who should be fired) things could get messy quickly.

So there it is everyone. After a long look at Allen Iverson and this whole media spectacle here is my opinion on "The Answer" in Philly (I know you all were waiting on the edge of your seats).

now to NBA news 2......


 2. Love him or hate him Kobe Bryant is still the man.

The reason I say this is because last night in the premier game on the NBA schedule Kobe not only dominated the Heat but he won the game by himself with a shot that is going to go down on highlight reels for YEARS to come.

Kobe had 33 points last night and hit almost half of the shots he took. After the Heat took the lead with just over 3.2 seconds left and looked as if they would walk away with a win, Kobe hit an off balance three at the top of the three-point arc, OVER D-WADE, and added just another highlight in his young and impressive career.

Not only did he lead his team in minutes played but he lead them in assists and clutch shots going 7-8 from the free-throw line, most of those taken in the final stanza.

Now I am not a Lakers fan but if your a fan of the game or even just sports in general you have to be impressed with the game last night. And the video is priceless......



And Finally....



3. THE NETS WIN, THE NETS WIN.

After going 0-18 this season the New Jersey Nets finally won a game last night. Now I had the pleasure (and I really do mean that) of watching the entire game last night and I could not see, at any time during the game, why this team kept loosing. Yes they are young and we all know its going to be a rebuilding process but this team has potential. Now I know potential is one of those scary buzz words that everyone fears but with a little tweaking this team could be the Atlanta Hawks.

I use this analogy because Atlanta was trash a few years ago and are now turning into an elite NBA team.

Brook Lopez is going to be a very good player in this league. Hes the best player on the worst team and against an up and coming Charlotte team he finished with a double-double shooting over 50% and grabbing 14 boards. He was a warrior last night playing almost 40 minutes.

Beyond the play of Lopez the real impressive thing was the play of the Nets guards. Devin Harris played outstanding basketball finishing with 16 points and eight assists and got New Jersey back into this game many times with clutch free-throws.

Since coming over from Orlando in the Vince Carter trade, Courtney Lee has become a major contributor to this team. He had 27 points last night and knocked down three key shots from beyond the arc.

I think the real key to this game was Kiki Vandeweghe and how he seemed relaxed an calm. In the first 18 games of the season Lawrence Frank seemed scared and nervous and looked as if he was going to be sent to the showers by David Stern for terrible performance. It seemed as if the team was very receptive of Kiki and looked as if they were playing with an amount of confidence not previously seen. Its like the old saying "if a man has nothing, he has nothing to loose".

Now I am not saying they are making the playoffs but its nice to see. I felt bad for Lopez and CDR. Those guys looked sad and for a young team confidence in what you do on the court is the biggest thing. Jay-Z should be proud, besides at least their not the Knicks.

Ok Ladies and Gents (not that anyone reads this) that's my take on the last few days of the NBA. I am going to be doing a special piece on Wednesday or Thursday about Iverson's first game back and Wednesday's game against Detroit. Until then.....


-on a side note-

The Examiner.com page has been going really well, thanks for those of you who have been reading, I know its not much but its really about the fun of writing so I appreciate the support and if you haven't checked it out yet. Check it out.