PhillyArena

I'm Joining LibertyBallers

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:29:31 -0500

This is a rather major site announcement, which I'll quickly announce and then get into what it means.

Jordan Sams from LibertyBallers of the SBNation network has made an offer for me to join LibertyBallers, which I've accepted.

What does this mean for PhillyArena ?

Since I'll now be covering the Sixers for LibertyBallers, this means I will no longer be writing articles here, at PhillyArena. This was a hard decision to come to, as PhillyArena has been my personal pet project, and it's always tough to leave your baby. That being said, I do believe it's the right choice.

But PhillyArena's not going to die.

My primary purpose for starting this site was for two things:
1) To scratch an itch I have for website/database development.
2) To develop statistical tools that I felt were lacking and create a comprehensive 76ers resource.

Articles and news posts will not be made on this site anymore, outside of announcements for new features. For that, please visit LibertyBallers. I will, however, continue to maintain the stats database, and will be looking to add many new features, and expand on the ones I already have developed (such as the Searchable Rotations and Searchable Stats).

What does this mean for you?

Nothing. I'm still going to be writing for about the Sixers (in fact, if anything this should help me do a better job of covering the team), and these statistical tools are still going to remain online.

I'd like to thank you all for reading my rants and ramblings over the previous month, and hope you follow me over to LibertyBallers. Thanks!

Sixers drop a big one

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:42:52 -0500

In the quest for lottery balls, today's loss more than cancels out the surprising win against the Raptors two days earlier. This loss had it all. Atrocious defense, crazy lineups, blaming his star players, a coach who looked like he didn't car, turnovers galore, and a rookie continuing to evolve.

Quick Thoughts:

Jrue Holiday is now leading the team in points per minute over the last 5.
On Jrue, he obviously had another good game scoring the ball, and had another good game from downtown (2-4). He got beat a couple of times on dribble penetration, and had some lazy turnovers late, but overall was one of the few bright spots.
Dalembert also played well, although surprisingly had the worst plus/minus on the team. That being said, why we decided to run our offense through him and his midrange game to start the game I'll never know.
Like Eddie Jordan making a substitution then forgetting there was only one second left on the shot clock?
Young hustled. Like the defensive rebounds. He was a threat to turn the ball over every time he put the ball on the floor or tried to pass.
Similarly, Louis Williams had more luck throwing to the Pacers tonight than the Sixers.
Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala played, I think. Jordan sat them for the final 19:28 and 15:21, respectively. When asked about it post game, Jordan said he stuck with the guys who gave him energy at the end. When pressed on whether Iguodala and Brand failed to provide energy, he said not as much as the group at the end.
(any time you're playing Kapono over Iguodala for extended periods of time, I disagree with the coaching strategy. Since we're trying to tank and get Jordan fired? I'll live with it.
Meeks made his first field goal as a Sixer. Beginning of an era.

Charlotte on the tail end of a back to back? Another losable game. If the Sixers can go 3-10 over their last 13, this team may be on the precipice of blowing up internally, if they haven't already.

Keeping perspective on Jrue Holiday

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:31:41 -0500

I don't normally do this, in fact I believe this is the first time on this site, but I was reading Jordan Sams piece on keeping Jrue Holiday in perspective, and I disagreed quite a bit with both the conclusion and the methods used to reach that conclusion, to the point where I thought the topic was interesting enough to make into a post here.

First, I want to state that I respect Jordan and the work that he does quite a bit, and read his site regularly. I disagree with this piece, but that's not indicative of anything larger than that.

Second, I find this a little bit of a shame. I was a Jrue Holiday fan before the draft, and I posted on draft night from Madison Square Garden how much I liked the pick. The problem? It was obvious he wasn't a fully developed package, and I stated that if he put it all together, his upside for this year was he could end up having a Thaddeus Young type rookie year. Start off the year getting spot minutes, work his way into the regular rotation due to hustle and effort, and continue to improve to the point where he deserved decent minutes.

The problem is, rather than looking at a kid showing great promise and a faster-than-expected learning curve, we're instead lamenting that he's not a finished product. We've thrown analysis out the window, instead relying on advanced stats to prove something that we all knew coming into the season: that Jrue Holiday is not a complete package. Rather than looking at his tools, his progress, and his glimpses of greatness, we're instead expecting him to produce in the same way Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings and Darren Collison are.

In short, we've lost our perspective.

Here is the link to Jordan's original piece that prompted my response. I've copied my response in below, which you can view after the jump.
Continue reading "Keeping perspective on Jrue Holiday"

Eskin: Sixers will fire Eddie Jordan at seasons end

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:36:43 -0500

Howard Eskin reported on NBC10 that he has sources inside the Sixers organization that say Jordan will be gone at the end of the season. He brought up four names of coaches on their list of replacements, all of whom were mentioned during last years coaching search:

Jeff Van Gundy
Jay Wright
Doug Collins
Avery Johnson

I'm not sure how shocking of news this is, as I think most people following the team figure this is almost a foregone conclusion. Still, it's nice to see "confirmation" coming from sources.

(BTW, I think there's virtually zero chance Jay Wright would leave Villanova for this situation).

Dalembert Benched

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:46:28 -0500

Samuel Dalembert has been removed from the starting lineup today for disciplinary reasons. No word yet on what prompted his benching.

This ended a streak of 319 straight starts for Dalembert.

I'll update when I have more information.

Core to build around?

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:48:00 -0500

Iguodala would be a great piece
to pair with a superstar. Just
don't let it be instead of.

When analyzing the Sixers future, certain players are often labeled as members of the core to build around. Whether to include Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday in your core to build a defensive group, or perhaps including Marreese Speights and/or Thaddeus Young if you feel they'll reach their offensive potential, is a different topic of conversation than the one I'm going to tackle tonight. My argument isn't going to ask "who would you build around", but rather whether the Sixers are in the position to really have anyone labeled as a core.

The NBA is, and has been for quite some time, a superstar driven league. Immediately when I say that, people are going to conjur up images of high scoring, one-dimensional scorers. That's not what I'm getting at., I'm a firm believer in the two-way superstar. There's a reason Tim Duncan has 4 NBA Championships and Zach Randolph has none.

(It's also why Chris Bosh should be considered a notch below the cream of the crop this summer, but that's another article).

You can go back over the last 30 years of NBA champions, and, with the exception of that Pistons team a few years ago, you would be hard pressed to find a team that didn't have a hall of famer. From Magic to Isiah, to Hakeem, MJ, Duncan and Shaq, superstars win. Go through the teams on pace to win 50 games and a similar story is told. From LeBron to Dwight, Carmelo, Durant, Nash, Dirk and Kobe, the cream of the crop have superstar players. Guys who present mismatches, who have gameplans devised against them, and who generate open looks for their teammates.

I look at Iguodala and Jrue Holiday as "the guys I'd most like to keep" rather than a core. My preference would be to obtain a superstar player while keeping these two young and versatile talents in my back pocket. Add Kevin Durant to these team and all of a sudden Iguodala's deficiencies are virtually unnoticed, while his strengths shine brightly as a complimentary piece. The distinction is not letting them get in the way of acquiring that level of a talent.
Continue reading "Core to build around?"

SixersBeat tonight

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:05:21 -0500

Just a reminder, the SixersBeat Radio Show will be online in just about an hour, 8 PM Eastern. Feel free to listen live, and you can call in at the number below.

Tom Moore should be on tonight as well.

Call-in number:
(917) 889-3649

Listen Live:
Link

The plight of Eddie Jordan

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:28:42 -0500

If only Eddie Jordan had some leaders, things would be different.

If only the players had a little bit of passion, Eddie Jordan's team would be in the running.

If only Ed Stefanski had gotten competent players, Eddie Jordan wouldn't look so bad.

Watching the game last night, many possible story lines floated in my head. Jrue Holiday's career night was the story coming out of the first quarter, but by the third quarter that was quickly overshadowed by the porous team defense. Iverson's reported break from the team was big, as was Brand missing last night with a game-time decision due to what was at the time reported as a calf strain, but has since turned into Achilles tendinitis.

All of that became a side-show to Jordan's post-game press conference.

If there's any value Jordan's providing to this ballclub, it's to be a lightning rod. Should Marreese Speigths and Thaddeus Young turn the corner on their disappointing seasons -- both of whom certainly have the chance to do so considering they're only 22 and 21 years old, respectively -- they can thank Eddie Jordan for shielding his players from the venom and vitriol of a largely apathetic fan base, who are now focusing their attention on the coach instead of the underachieving players.

In all my years of watching sports, never have I run into someone more infuriating than Eddie "pass the buck" Jordan.

In another effort to distance himself from the players and management for this 22-37 debacle, Eddie Jordan let out a series of infuriating, despicable and deplorable tirades after last night's 105-126 embarrassment.

"We lost the passion to compete. We saw some poor body language and in a couple of timeouts we addressed it. I wasn't going to have it. I addressed it a couple of times, I addressed it just now [after the game]"

But that was only the beginning.
Continue reading "The plight of Eddie Jordan"

Iverson's personal problems

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:38:30 -0500

Word is coming out that Iverson's wife is filing for divorce. This will be the one, and only, post I'll make on the matter. If you're looking for running updates on the Iverson/Tawanna saga, you'll want to look elsewhere.

By and large, I'm going to keep the articles here focused on basketball. I don't care about Iverson and Tawanna's differences, just like I don't care about whether Iguodala fathers another kid out of wedlock.

When a personal problem makes an impact on the basketball court? Then it becomes relevant to the site. For example, if gets caught carrying a gun without a permit and could get suspended, it becomes relevant.

Should Iverson's marital problems turn out to be the personal reasons he left the team rather than his daughter's condition? Then it becomes somewhat relevant, although in the end it doesn't change my opinion on whether it was a valid reason for him to leave, and until it's proven I'm not going to speculate on that.

I'm a fairly big believer that athletes should have personal lives, as much as they can. If it doesn't affect the basketball court, don't expect it to be covered here.

Jrue Holiday's weak hand

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:28:03 -0500

One of the often stated strengths of Jrue Holiday coming out of high school was that he was a good finisher with either hand. Watching him last year at UCLA, it seemed he almost preferred driving left. This year in the NBA, it's becoming increasingly obvious. I decided to look at the stats and determine whether the stats backed up our anecdotal observations.

After the jump we'll take a look at Holiday's tendencies on isolation situations, and how efficient he is during those situations. The charts include breakdowns from both his 1 year at UCLA and his rookie year in the NBA (up to this point). Data courtesy of Synergy Sports.
Continue reading "Jrue Holiday's weak hand"

Iverson done for the season

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:26:14 -0500

In shocking news, Iverson
didn't save the Sixers season

Numerous sources, including Dei Lynam, Bob Cooney, and many others have confirmed that Iverson will not be with the Sixers for the remainder of the season, and that he could be released as early as today.

Stefanski said the following about the situation:
"After discussing the situation with Allen, we have come to the conclusion that he will not return to the Sixers for the remainder of the season, as he no longer wishes to be a distraction to the organization and teammates that he loves very deeply. It has been very difficult for Allen and the team to maintain any consistency as he tries to balance his career with his personal life."

In the end, I'm glad the experiment is over. I didn't like it from the beginning, and nothing positive has happened to change my mind. I look forward to Jrue Holiday (hopefully) getting a consistent 25+ minutes per game. I do hope that the previous Yahoo! sports report that this is the Sixers decision and not Iverson's is false, although we may never know exactly who pressed for this to happen.

Elton Brand day to day with calf strain

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:10:04 -0500

According to Bob Cooney, Elton Brand has been playing through a right calf strain since Feb. 19th. He is currently listed as day-to-day.

Brand's been playing awful during that stretch, so hopefully this is at least a partial explanation (although, truth be told, he was playing extremely inconsistent even before that).

Also, I agree with Brian that Brand should not rush back, and that hopefully this yields some some more minutes for Speights and Dalembert together, although I have a feeling it'll just mean more Thad at the 4.

When I find out information on his availability tonight, I'll update.

Change in shot distribution ?

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:32:24 -0500

One thing I've noticed anecdotally -- and something we touched upon in last night's SixersBeat -- is that the shot distribution since Iverson's been out seems to have been pushed further out towards the perimeter, with less going towards the rim. Having attempted 18 and 19 three point attempts the past two games, nearly three attempts per game above their season average, made me curious enough to look it up and try to get a little more detail.

After looking looking up some shot distribution data provided by HoopData, the results are somewhat interesting, even if there's not a large enough sample size to really establish a trend.

Below is a chart, which breaks down shot distribution based on different locations from the rim (at the rim, less than 10 feet, between 10 feet and 15 feet, between 16 feet and 23 feet, and three point attempts).

Thoughts after the jump.
Continue reading "Change in shot distribution ?"

Stefanski denies considering letting Iverson go

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:12:51 -0500

Just a quick update on the Iverson story from the other day. Ed Stefanski has denied the Yahoo! Sports report that said the Sixers are leaning towards letting Iverson go.

I do hope the Yahoo! Sports rumor turns out to be false.

Sixers cutting ties with Iverson?

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:28:50 -0500

Yahoo! Sports is reporting two tidbits of information on the Iverson situation:
1) Allen Iverson will miss the upcoming three game Western Conference road trip to continue to be with his daughter. He had previously missed five games to be by her side earlier this month.
2) The Sixers are leaning towards breaking ties with Iverson due to his being in-and-out of the lineup affecting team chemistry.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated has confirmed this rumor with NBA sources.

Update: The Sixers have issued a press release concerning the matter, stating that Iverson is out indefinitely.

My thoughts after the jump.
Continue reading "Sixers cutting ties with Iverson?"

Showing their true colors

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:04:23 -0500

I have to thank the Sixers for so definitively clearing up any potential confusion on their basketball aptitude. If anybody was left wondering whether the team was "going uptown" by winning 6 of their previous 8, especially after a particularly impressive win over San Antonio the night before, that question has been answered.

In fairness, it has been answered repeatedly before, including the game immediately preceeding the spurs game, a 105-78 drubbing at the hands of the Heat. This is simply the latest reaffirmation.

Winning 6 of 8 hasn't changed who this team is, what their problems are, and what the future holds for this team. All it did was put a mask over the teams problems while hurting their chances for a top 5 pick.

Typically, this part of the post is reserved for "those crazy lineups Eddie Jordan through out", and "how badly the Sixers played defensively when Jrue and Dalembert got the short hook from Jordan". Last night that wasn't really the case. The game was lost in the second quarter, beginning while both Holiday and Dalembert were on the court. Did it get worse when Young was brought in for Dalembert? Yeah, but it was already snowballing at that point, and scoring 1 point over the final 4+ minutes of the second quarter is going to lose more ballgames than not. Also, in the world of crazy lineups, Holiday, Iverson, Iguodala, Young and Brand are one of Jordan's tamer ones.

To be honest, my desire to write lengthy game recaps is dwindling. How often can you nitpick at the same mistakes repeated over and over? As tedious as it probably gets for you to read, it's equally tedious for me to write. As such, expect post-game posts to be more of the bullet-point, quick thought variety than full recaps.

Thoughts:
Continue reading "Showing their true colors"

Finality

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 23:31:11 -0500

With the Sixers more or less standing pat at the trade deadline -- a trade of former and future second round picks notwithstanding -- the most depressing part about this trade deadline is the finality. More or less, this same team is the one you'll have to endure for another 29 games, and I'm not sure how that can be looked at as anything other than depressing.

In the two weeks leading up to the trade deadline I had a very real fear that Ed Stefanski would panic, making a move as much for fear of public persecution as he would to improve the Sixers future. The rumors of Andre Iguodala being floated about to get rid of one year of Samuel Dalembert's contract particularly concerned me. In this capacity, standing pat isn't exactly the worst outcome in the world.

Even so, the finality of the predicament the Sixers have found themselves in has set in, and it's a dark time to be a Sixers fan.
Continue reading "Finality"

Sixers make trade deadline splash

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 12:44:19 -0500

Sixers acquire former second round pick
Jodie Meeks from the Bucks

The Sixers and Bucks have agreed on a trade, with the Sixers sending out Primoz Brezec and Royal Ivey for Jodie Meeks (11th pick in the second round of last years draft) and Francisco Elson. There are conflicting reports of a 2nd round pick, with Chad Ford saying the Sixers will receive the Bucks second round pick and John Hollinger saying the Bucks will receive the Sixers.

Not a whole lot to analyze. If you were looking for a trade to reshape the Sixers future, this one isn't it. Ivey, Brezec and Elson are all expiring, minimum salary contracts and Meeks is a second round salary for this year and next.

Meeks showed some potential as a role player/shooter coming out of Kentucky last year, but he has failed to extend that to three point range this year, shooting only 28.1% from three point distance. He's solid coming off screens, but doesn't show much ability to create, either for himself or for others.

Regardless, any return for two D-League caliber players is decent, and Meeks has a chance to be a 4th guard off the bench.

You know it's hard to be a Sixers fan when who receives a 2nd round pick determines the winner of the trade.

*Update*
Chad Ford has just clarified and stated that the second round pick is Phillies going to Milwaukee, and that he had it backwards before. Makes sense to me, as getting Meeks and a future second pick for the flotsam of Ivey and Brezec didn't seem to make sense. Overall, Meeks is about the quality of a prospect you would expect for a second rounder. Not that the Sixers need another shooting guard, but if he can regain some of the touch he showed his last year at Kentucky, it's not bad value.

Would I want Larry Brown back ?

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:04:49 -0500

Would you want Larry Brown
back as coach of the Sixers?

With the NBA off for the All-star break (and with no involvement from anybody on the Sixers), news is destined to be slow. A calm before the trade deadline storm. As such, it gives me some time to discuss hypothetical situations, in this case the rumor from Yahoo! Sports that Larry Brown could be interested in returning to the Sixers.

(It also gives me a break from dissecting the myriad of mistakes Eddie Jordan makes on a game-to-game basis, which I've grown tired of. A Holiday, Ivey, Green, Iguodala and Dalembert lineup to start the second half? Really?)

Essentially, this is a two part question:
1) Would you want Larry Brown back as the coach?
2) How much power would you give to Brown in player/personnel decisions.

For the moment I'm going to ignore any potential rifts developed between Brown and Ed Snider during the previous divorce. This is asking what I would do if I was in charge.
Continue reading "Would I want Larry Brown back ?"

Mavericks close to obtaining Caron Butler

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:26:33 -0500

Multiple sources are reporting that the Mavericks are close to obtaining Caron Butler (among others) for Josh Howard. How does this pertain to the Sixers?

The Mavericks were one of the teams interested in Andre Iguodala, and acquiring Butler would take them out of the running. Perhaps more importantly, the Mavericks were the only team reportedly entertaining the thought of taking Elton Brand back with him. The rumored deal with the Mavericks taking back both Iguodala and Brand was one of the few of the rumored deals that I had any interest in.

Larry Brown looking to return to Sixers ?

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:53:14 -0500

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! sports that could very well be the case.

Michael Jordan has until the end of February to match the bid by a Houston businessman trying to purchase the Charlotte Bobcats, and sources say he has some important meetings with potential investors in Dallas during All-Star weekend. Several sources believe Bobcats coach Larry Brown views the potential ownership and front-office shakeup as a chance to free himself for a return to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he sees a vulnerable GM (Ed Stefanski) and coach (Eddie Jordan).

Personally, I've always been a Larry Brown aficionado, even with his warts. I would absolutely love to see how this team could defend with Brown at the helm, and think he would be good for Holiday's development.

And, frankly, anyone other than Eddie Jordan would be welcomed with open arms at this point.

Iverson out through all-star break

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:24:40 -0500

Allen Iverson will miss the remaining two games before the all-star break due to personal reasons. Iverson has missed the previous 3 games due to a family illness, with Eddie Jordan starting a Jrue Holiday/Willie Green backcourt. His status for Sunday's All-Star game is uncertain.

Possible three team deal including Ben Gordon ?

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:07:51 -0500

The Arizona Republic has brought up the possibility of a three team deal, with the Pistons jumping in on the Iguodala/Stoudemire trade discussions. Such a deal would send sixth year guard Ben Gordon to Philadelphia.

I suppose if the goal is to play absolutely no defense, getting both Gordon and Stoudemire would be a good way to go.

Actually, I had some interest in Gordon. He would be a good fit next to Jrue, Iguodala and Young, and his skillset would be a much better fit than any of the three other combo guards who are currently comprising the bulk of our guard rotation.

Two things have completely soured me on him:
- His contract. If that starting 5 doesn't work out, and we're left with Brand and Gordon's contracts, we've made a sizable commitment to building around those two. Gordon's contract runs up to $13 million per year and runs through the 2013-2014 season.
- Defense. I want Gordon playing alongside Iguodala, not instead of Iguodala. A Gordon/Young wing lineup, while having offensive potential, would be dreadful defensively, particularly without Samuel Dalembert back there erasing mistakes.

In my opinion, this would be a rare trade that neither improves our salary situation in the future or improves us on the court in the short term. I would not have significant interest in this deal, and hope this is writer's speculation.

More Sixers Rumors

nospam@example.com (Derek Bodner) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:03:10 -0500

Many more Sixers rumors coming out in the past few days, mainly revolving around Andre Iguodala and whatever bad contract the other team is willing to take back with him.

I'll quickly summarize, and then provide my thoughts on the various scenarios:

Phoenix is reportedly very interested in Iguodala, and is willing to take back Dalembert, and may be willing to include Barbosa along with Stoudemire. The hang-up, the Sixers are reportedly the ones holding back, and Stoudemire's apparent newfound willingness not pick up his $17.7 million option for next year may in fact be a method to scare the Sixers from making a trade.
The , and here's the kicker, may be willing to take back Elton Brand as well. The article makes it seem like Dallas is unwilling to include Rodrigue Beaubois, but that seemed largely the authors opinion.
And, of course, there's the continued rumors of Cleveland being a possible destination

So, what's this all mean?

Thoughts after the jump.
Continue reading "More Sixers Rumors"