Sixers/Flyers
i know the sixers started out 3-0, but does anyone seriously believe this team will be competitive? while i continue to be impressed with AI's ability to play at a high level with no practice and no interest in conditioning, there is precious little to prompt optimism from the rest of the squad. the team cannot rebound and will struggle to score unless they're shooting lights out from the outside. everyone keeps talking about igoudala, but his upside isn't that high. he'll be a good defender on the wing and an athletic guy on the break, but i doubt he'll ever score consistently.
the flyers are screwed for a while, with no bright side in the visible horizon. good thing clarke waited until he ensured the team will suck for the next 5 years before he quit. what's the use in doing a half-ass job at ruining the franchise? at least now there's no danger that fans will hold out some hope of being competitive. that recaptured time and energy must be his gift to us.
the flyers are screwed for a while, with no bright side in the visible horizon. good thing clarke waited until he ensured the team will suck for the next 5 years before he quit. what's the use in doing a half-ass job at ruining the franchise? at least now there's no danger that fans will hold out some hope of being competitive. that recaptured time and energy must be his gift to us.
Labels: basketball, hockey
posted by The Mean Guy at 3:04 PM
5 Comments:
The Sixers could be competitive (meaning make the playoffs) because the East is so bad this year, and their division is downright terrible. New Jersey is the only team that looks even half decent, the Celtics are a mess, Toronto is young and soft, forget the Knicks. The NBA as a whole looks sloppy this year, the young stars are showing promise but there are very few solid teams from top to bottom.
Iggy is the only player on the Sixers I enjoy watching anymore. I think he could score more consistently if he were the number 2 option. As is, CWebb takes up way to many of the shots, and AI will always be in the top five in field goal attempts. There isn't room for a young player to develop. Iggy's jumper has come along way, but right now he has to defer to the old men. When they finally get rid of Webber, Iggy will be a force on both ends.
-Behan
My questions is somewhat related to the above. Is Iggy's future being hindered by being on a team with Webber and AI taking all the shots ?? Is he a star that isn't getting a chance to shine, or just a slightly above average player on an average team. Is the lack of game planning and AI playing playground ball limiting his development ??
Captain
Is Iggy's future being hindered by being on a team with Webber and AI taking all the shots ?? Is he a star that isn't getting a chance to shine, or just a slightly above average player on an average team. Is the lack of game planning and AI playing playground ball limiting his development ??
personally, i find basketball the easiest pro sport to scout. not sure why, exactly, maybe it's the smaller court, maybe it's fewer players, maybe it's because it's the sport where physical tools correlate most strongly to on-court performance.
i think things like having a go-to offensive move (igoudala has none), having the ability to create your own shot (igoudala is limited), or being a consistent outside shooter (igoudala isn't) are necessary conditions to being a superstar in the NBA. you can be a good player without one or more of those, but it's rare to find a star without most if not all of those characteristics.
can igoudala develop them? i think he can, but i don't think it's likely that he will. it will be difficult for him to develop them without being the focal point of the offense... but then again, why would you make him the focal point of the offense if he doesn't already possess those qualities?
i think a good analogy here is patrick ewing. many knicks fans will consider this blasphemous, but i'm betting more than a few will agree with me. ewing came into the league primarily as a defensive player. he had an ok shot, but he had a limited post game and no go-to move. the knicks were bernard king's team -- imo one of the best 5 forwards i've ever seen -- and ewing didn't need to be a primary offensive threat. this was a perfect situation for patrick.
when bernard king blew out his knee, the knicks became patrick's team and he had to develop an offensive game fast. he did a pretty good job with it, too. ultimately becoming a very good outside shooter for a big man, and developing a rudimentary post up game. he even had a go-to move, sort of, where he'd catch the ball in the low post and then do that awkward looking drive into the lane where he's shoot a fallaway jumper.
despite his development, patrick was never really a great scorer. he was a good scorer and a great defender and rebounder, but he never looked entirely comfortable on the offensive end and he never wanted the ball in crunch time.
that's what i see in igoudala. if AI and webber were to disappear, then i think igoudala could develop into a good scorer. i don't think he'll ever be a great scorer though. you either have it or you don't. i don't think he's ever going to be a guy who wants the last shot.
He took the last shot last night against Toronto and missed it. The reason I asked the question is I recall him on more than a few occasions last year when AI was out putting up 20-25, the disappearing when Allen came back again. Thanks for the response.
yeah, i was surprised he took it, though i guess he really didn't have a choice since the team had to get a shot off once he got the rebound. not sure why he played for the three considering they only needed two to tie.
i was surprised by how fiesty the team played, since it was a back to back game. even dalembert looked pretty good (like the dalembert who showed up against detroit in the playoffs). if they play like that all season, maybe we'll all be pleasantly surprised.
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