Philadelphia 76ers Breakdown: Sixers Have Talent, Need A Leader

[Erick Blasco]

The Philadelphia 76ers disappointing season took another hit, losing to the New York Knicks 93-92 when Rodney Carney’s jumper at the buzzer rimmed out.

 

The Sixers have suffered too many poor performances from too many important players. Whereas in the past couple of seasons, Andre Miller could rescue the Sixers stagnant offense by pushing the ball in transition, making wonderful decisions, seeing all and every opening in a defense, and always delivering the ball where it needed to go, these Sixers are at the mercy of their own individual machinations.

 

Let’s look at what’s working and what isn’t.

 

Working Fine

 

 

Playing with a heavy heart after the earthquake in his native Haiti, Sam Dalembert played as focused a game as he’s ever played in his NBA career—6-8 FG, 21 REB, 1 AST, 2 TO, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 12 PTS.

 

Aside from a drizzle of isolations where Dalembert would drive from 16-feet out on either side of the court before unearthing a pull-up jumper or a sweeping hook, Dalmebert was content to do most of his damage on the backboards, which he terrorized. Included in Dalembert’s 21 rebounds were seven crucial offensive boards.

 

Aside from his board work, the most impressive aspect of Dalembert’s game was his number of bad shot attempts.

 

Zero.

 

No 20-foot jumpers early in the shot clock. No twisting 18-foot fallaways. No drives into double teams resulting in turnovers. In fact, Dalembert’s only force was a drive in close quarters where a help defender knocked the ball off Dalembert’s leg out of bounds. Dalembert stuck to the gameplan his skill set provides: attacking the glass, running the floor, and an occasional post up. Staying within those tenements, Dalembert had a great game.

 

Dalembert also executed more good rotations around the basket than bad ones, boxed out, and generally played active, alert defense.

 

Now why can’t he play this coordinated more often?

 

Allen Iverson was able to tease Knicks defenders before splashing pull-up mid-range jumpers over them—8-14 FG, 16 PTS. He also didn’t dominate the ball, made snappy passes throughout, and was thoroughly unselfish—5 AST, 1 TO. Even on the least shot of the game, Iverson turned down a relatively open 18-footer to give it to Carney for an uncontested three.

 

Has Iverson turned a new leaf? Is he so overcome with the joy of returning to his roots that he’s willing to kick his own bad basketball habits? The indicators point to yes and yes.

 

Andre Iguodala is always willing to attack, find open teammates, and make smart decisions—8 AST, 0 TO.

 

Jrue Holliday, Willie Green, and Rodney Carney had the stroke, shooting 6-12 combined on threes.

 

Lou Williams has to quickness to get wherever he needs to go whenever he needs to get there.

 

Marreese Speights is a prime time offensive player. He’s quick, he’s strong, he has touch on his jump shot, and he can finish with either hand—4-4 FG, 6 REB, 10 PTS. The question is, why did Eddie Jordan wait until the 9 minute mark in the fourth quarter to insert him into the game?

 

Thaddeus Young’s on ball defense was A-OK, especially on David Lee.

 

Willie Green’s defense and decision making were solid.

 

As were Elton Brand’s interior rotations.

 

All told, the Sixers did enough good things to almost come away with a victory. However, not everything was working up to snuff.

 

Not Working

 

 

While Iguodala is a fantastic athlete, he’s never developed his jump shot to the point where he’s dangerous from the perimeter—2-9 FG, 4 PTS. Iguodala was 1-8 from outside the paint, and went scoreless for the first half. His only two baskets were an uncontested dunk and an 18-foot jump shot.

 

Without the young Allen Iverson or Andre Miller making plays, Iguodala has struggled to score in Philadelphia’s half court as teams squarely focus their attention on him. As a result, his shooting percentages are the lowest of his career.

 

Until Iguodala develops a consistent jump shot to punish teams, he’ll strictly be a second-class offensive player. He’s simply not talented enough to dissect the sagging defenses and help defense attention he now faces on a regular basis. And with him struggling to score, the Sixers have followed suit, at least when they haven’t been able to run.

 

Thaddeus Young—3-13 FG, 5-5 FT, 11 PTS—is a baseline cutter and slasher who also misses the cookies afforded to him by Miller. Young’s attempts at creating his own shot were neutralized by Wilson Chandler.

 

Elton Brand has no explosion anymore. He’s a slow mover, a slow jumper, and couldn’t create space for his various hooks and step-throughs—2-9 FG, 1-2 FT, 0 AST, 2 TO, 5 PTS.

 

Sadly, due to age and injuries, Brand isn’t the dominant force he was on the Clippers. However, his contract runs for three more years after this season for $16, $17, and $18 million per year. Essentially, he’s untradable and will eat into Philadelphia’s ability to sign or retain impact free agents.

 

Lou Williams was abysmal—1-7 FG, 4 AST, 3 TO, 5 PTS. He missed three layups, made an awful decision on a four-on-one fast break to not give the ball up and barrel into a Knicks defender for a charge, and forced a too-quick jump shot.

 

Defensively, because he was playing the two-guard with Iverson in the backcourt, he was posted up repeatedly by Wilson Chandler. The Sixers were forced to double and crosscourt passes picked the Sixers apart.

 

Williams isn’t the decision maker or post defender Miller was and are paying the price.

 

All told, the Sixers missed 12 layups, including five by Young, three by Williams, and one apiece for Iverson, Brand, Green, and Dalembert. Convert any of those and the Sixers end up with a win.

 

While Dalembert’s help defense was okay, he was much worse when defending the ball. Against David Lee, Jared Jeffries, and Wilson Chandler, Dalembert alone was responsible for allowing 16 of the Knicks first quarter points primarily by getting beaten off the dribble. When he did sag off, Lee just sank jumpers in his face forcing the Sixers to switch Young on to Lee.

 

Holliday isn’t point guard. Twice he failed to anticipate zigs instead of zags and wound up passing the ball to Knicks defenders.

 

While Carney made the Nets dance from the perimeter, his potential game winning three was wide open. In other words, he choked.

 

As talented as Speights is on offense, his defense is atrocious. On the Knicks game winning basket, a screen/roll involving Chris Duhon and Lee with the side cleared out, the Sixers had Iverson going over the screen with Dalembert shadowing Duhon’s penetration. It was Speights’ responsibility to rotate down and pick up Lee. He failed to do so, Lee converted the layup, the Knicks won and the Sixers lost.

 

All told, the Sixers are an interesting case of talented pieces playing without a leader. Acquiring Iverson helps their offense by giving them another scorer who can make plays for others, but with he and Williams, the Sixers are essentially playing with two small two-guards whose strengths don’t involve running an offense.

 

What do the Sixers need to make a run at a third straight postseason berth?

 

 

• The triumphant return of Andre Miller
• Time machines for everybody. A trip to the future for Williams and Speights, a trip to the past for Brand and Iverson.
• The Sixers may be better off starting Speights or Brand over Young so they have more post defense and a scoring threat near the basket. Dalembert is at his worst when he’s defending the post. This also will open up more minutes for Speights.
• On the flip side, if the Sixers choose to keep giving Young minutes, the Sixers may be better off relinquishing Brand’s spot in the rotation to Speights. This would maximize the Sixers running lineup, making sure their best athletes are getting the most minutes. Of course doing so means the Sixers will have a $50 million paperweight at the end of the bench for the next three years.

The Sixers youngsters are still too young to be ready for primetime, while the veterans, aside from Iguodala and Dalembert, are passed their prime. However, the pieces are there for the Sixers to make a run.; all they need is a veteran leader to organize the players and put them in their best positions to succeed.

 

Over the past two seasons, Andre Miller was the player the Sixers clustered around as he shaped the team from a nebulous mass of talent into a playoff nucleus. However, without that presence tethering them, the Sixers are again a loose collection of talent looking for someone to gravitate to.

[Smitty]

Nice writeup. I'm a bit unsure about the Miller part, though.

[His Greatness]

Holliday isn’t point guard. Twice he failed to anticipate zigs instead of zags and wound up passing the ball to Knicks defenders.

How can you make that assessment based on two misreads in one game? He needs to sharpen up his point guard skills, but he is a natural point and his future is at that position. Remember, he is the youngest player in the league.

 

Also Erick, I am disappointed by the lack of Eddie Jordan criticism in your breakdown. You can not size up the 76ers accurately without blasting Eddie Jordan for at least a paragraph. If you would like to edit your article now to fix this significant mistake, suggested topics include his rotations, defensive philosophy, and his undesirable face.

 

Very thorough work again though. I only hope that Jordan doesn't get a hold of this because we need to keep losing.

[Erick Blasco]

How can you make that assessment based on two misreads in one game? He needs to sharpen up his point guard skills, but he is a natural point and his future is at that position. Remember, he is the youngest player in the league.

 

Also Erick, I am disappointed by the lack of Eddie Jordan criticism in your breakdown. You can not size up the 76ers accurately without blasting Eddie Jordan for at least a paragraph. If you would like to edit your article now to fix this significant mistake, suggested topics include his rotations, defensive philosophy, and his undesirable face.

 

Very thorough work again though. I only hope that Jordan doesn't get a hold of this because we need to keep losing.

 

In the game at hand he just wanted to pop threes. He didn't run a lot of sets but he seems like he has a tendency to not read his teammates and defenses when trying to execute. It's a small sample size of course, but since he is the youngest player in the league, he has work to do before I'd trust him as a point. Right now he projects like a playmaking combo guard, a little bit like a young Williams.

 

I haven't seen enough of Philly to know too much about the intricacies of what Jordan is and isn't trying to do. His offense looks completely different than what he ran in Washington. There's no weaves, not as much backcuts, the offense looks pretty generic. Some isolations, some screen/rolls, he likes to have a power forward in the high post but Brand can't drive from there anymore, and Young is a baseline player. Speights looks like he'd be perfect in Jordan's offense, but his defense is so bad.

 

It's hard to coach defense when you have a roster of players who are either really young, or simply bad one-on-one defenders. He's never paid too much attention to defense anyway, his philosophy is to outscore teams, but they don't have enough scorers. If you eliminate Brand, Jordan would have more options. They could play more aggressively and attack passing lanes more and funnel into Dalembert and Young. You can't funnel with Brand though cause he can't move. And with Speights the offense would be better. But then you have to give up on a lot of money and that isn't easy to do.

 

The Sixers do play a little bit robotic. If a set doesn't develop they break down, or they try to force sets. Some of that is not having confidence in individual abilities, some of that is not being coached how to get into good third and fourth options, but I think a lot of Jordan's failings could be glossed over if they had a point guard who was creative. Everyone knows I'm a big Miller guy, but even a Mike Bibby, or Beno Udrih...someone who can direct the players into spots they have to be, see what the defense is doing, and find an advantage.

[His Greatness]

In the game at hand he just wanted to pop threes. He didn't run a lot of sets but he seems like he has a tendency to not read his teammates and defenses when trying to execute. It's a small sample size of course, but since he is the youngest player in the league, he has work to do before I'd trust him as a point. Right now he projects like a playmaking combo guard, a little bit like a young Williams.

Rookie mistakes. He spends a lot of his time at the off guard, but as the primary ball-handler, I've seen flashes of brilliance, and much like you saw with his shot selection, he is aggressive, and will capitalize on any perceived openings. I love that. He'll eventually find a balance between looking for his own shot and creating for others but I love what I'm seeing out of him. I assure you that you would change your mind if you watched him more.

 

Any comments on his defense?

 

I haven't seen enough of Philly to know too much about the intricacies of what Jordan is and isn't trying to do. His offense looks completely different than what he ran in Washington. There's no weaves, not as much backcuts, the offense looks pretty generic. Some isolations, some screen/rolls, he likes to have a power forward in the high post but Brand can't drive from there anymore, and Young is a baseline player. Speights looks like he'd be perfect in Jordan's offense, but his defense is so bad.

There is no coherence. He doesn't space the floor, he doesn't take advantage of mismatches, he seems to put emphasis opposite our strengths, and his lineups are likely put together on the basis of how much he can piss off the fans. There are dribble handoffs at the top of the key, but it mostly results in a drained clock and reset floor spacing. Isos are usually neutralized by the packed lane (no shooters in, or movement to counter that). And despite the bad game against New York, Brand is still a very efficient player, but he hardly gets opportunities high or low, and his points are all created by simply outworking his defender.

 

It's hard to coach defense when you have a roster of players who are either really young, or simply bad one-on-one defenders. He's never paid too much attention to defense anyway, his philosophy is to outscore teams, but they don't have enough scorers. If you eliminate Brand, Jordan would have more options. They could play more aggressively and attack passing lanes more and funnel into Dalembert and Young. You can't funnel with Brand though cause he can't move. And with Speights the offense would be better. But then you have to give up on a lot of money and that isn't easy to do.

It's harder to play defense when the coach instructs his players to uncheck shooters and abandon the weakside to unnecessarily collapse the lane at any sign of penetration. Sure it secures the boards, but that doesn't matter when the ball keeps going in because how open the shooter is on the outlet. And it's not like these kids can't play defense; they were at least average (top 15) defensively for the past three years, and now they're among the league's worst.

 

I maintain that Holiday at the point and Brand at the four is the best lineup they can put out there. Shades of the '01 Sixers.

 

The Sixers do play a little bit robotic. If a set doesn't develop they break down, or they try to force sets. Some of that is not having confidence in individual abilities, some of that is not being coached how to get into good third and fourth options, but I think a lot of Jordan's failings could be glossed over if they had a point guard who was creative. Everyone knows I'm a big Miller guy, but even a Mike Bibby, or Beno Udrih...someone who can direct the players into spots they have to be, see what the defense is doing, and find an advantage.

Jordan was hired for his offensive expertise. If the offense is failing this miserably, it falls on him. Savvy point guards help, but that communication on offense is supposed to be a dual role for the head coach.

[Erick Blasco]

Rookie mistakes. He spends a lot of his time at the off guard, but as the primary ball-handler, I've seen flashes of brilliance, and much like you saw with his shot selection, he is aggressive, and will capitalize on any perceived openings. I love that. He'll eventually find a balance between looking for his own shot and creating for others but I love what I'm seeing out of him. I assure you that you would change your mind if you watched him more.

 

Any comments on his defense?

 

He was either guarding Chris Duhon or Nate Robinson, and the point guard makes little difference in stopping the Knicks. I don't remember how Philly played the Knicks' screen/rolls, but the emphasis in stopping the Knicks is on the four other defenders. Either you go under and let Duhon shoot, or you go over and rotate. I think the Sixers went over the screens, one of the reasons why Lee got so many looks against Philly's defense. Nothing Holliday did stood out either way. I'll need to see more from him.

 

 

There is no coherence. He doesn't space the floor, he doesn't take advantage of mismatches, he seems to put emphasis opposite our strengths, and his lineups are likely put together on the basis of how much he can piss off the fans. There are dribble handoffs at the top of the key, but it mostly results in a drained clock and reset floor spacing. Isos are usually neutralized by the packed lane (no shooters in, or movement to counter that). And despite the bad game against New York, Brand is still a very efficient player, but he hardly gets opportunities high or low, and his points are all created by simply outworking his defender.

 

I wish I taped the game (I forgot to press record) so I could rewatch it. I don't remember the Sixers doing much of anything off the ball, but Brand was definitely featured in the high post, either as a safety valve for some other option, or as the focal point. He had a difficult time against the Knicks' athleticism though when they blanketed him tightly. He did a decent job of looking for mismatches with Iverson. Iverson was generally guarded by one of the Knicks supersized wings and Iverson at the elbow was a staple that worked. There were a lot of quick hitters, but the halfcourt offense was pretty stale. It's hard to have spacing with a lineup that can't shoot though.

 

All of Philly's shooters are bench players. Kapono, who does nothing else, Green, and Ivey are their best percentage shooters, and Ivey doesn't create much, and you've already sung the inadequacies of Green.

 

They were bad last year but last year they stole more points by running and having a point guard who could post. They don't have that this year. They don't have the easy baskets. And you can coach all you want, but its hard to diagram a successful NBA offense with a team that can't shoot. The New Jersey Nets are finding that out the hard way.

 

The offense is ultimately failing because you have a coach that emphasizes perimeter play on a team that can't shoot. It was doomed from the start, but I don't think subbing in any other head coach would make much of a difference unless you say to hell with defense and give Jason Kapono a ton of minutes.

 

 

It's harder to play defense when the coach instructs his players to uncheck shooters and abandon the weakside to unnecessarily collapse the lane at any sign of penetration. Sure it secures the boards, but that doesn't matter when the ball keeps going in because how open the shooter is on the outlet. And it's not like these kids can't play defense; they were at least average (top 15) defensively for the past three years, and now they're among the league's worst.

 

I maintain that Holiday at the point and Brand at the four is the best lineup they can put out there. Shades of the '01 Sixers.

 

You also don't have specialists like Theo Ratliff and Reggie Evans anymore. Against the Knicks, the Sixers doubled the post automatically and the weak side corner defender and had to drop down and then close out hard after the pass. The Knicks were able to pump and go and got a lot of good looks near the hoop. The Sixers had to double though because Lou Williams was defending Wilson Chandler. Last year, that would've been Willie Green or Iguodala. They're a smaller team that isn't going to hold its own down low very well. They have to overcompensate a little, and for teams with bad defensive personnel the first rule is usually to overhelp.

 

If the Sixers want to try salvaging the season, the way Iverson is playing, maybe the Sixers can try him at the point with a bigger two guard and a shooter. Maybe Carney, Green, or Kapono. Williams is a good backup but he's having trouble making decisions at the point. If you're high on Holliday, maybe play him at the two (I like him defending twos more than Iverson) instead.

 

I don't know what to do about the frontcourt though. I haven't seen Brand, even on highlights, do anything to convince me that he's adept at creating for himself, and moving Young out of the four spot hurts the Sixers' running game.

 

Maybe start Brand at center, bring Speights off the bench, but then what to do about Dalembert? The Sixers might need to sacrifice Speights for perimeter talent.

 

Jordan was hired for his offensive expertise. If the offense is failing this miserably, it falls on him. Savvy point guards help, but that communication on offense is supposed to be a dual role for the head coach.

 

I don't disagree.

[His Greatness]

He was either guarding Chris Duhon or Nate Robinson, and the point guard makes little difference in stopping the Knicks. I don't remember how Philly played the Knicks' screen/rolls, but the emphasis in stopping the Knicks is on the four other defenders. Either you go under and let Duhon shoot, or you go over and rotate. I think the Sixers went over the screens, one of the reasons why Lee got so many looks against Philly's defense. Nothing Holliday did stood out either way. I'll need to see more from him.

We have no philosophy on screen and rolls, which is why they're all adventures to watch.

 

You've got to keep an eye on Holiday the next time you have the misfortune of watching the Sixers again. He's this year's Mbah a Moute (standout rookie defender), but possibly better. One of the best first-year defenders in recent years. I can't sing his praises enough.

 

I wish I taped the game (I forgot to press record) so I could rewatch it. I don't remember the Sixers doing much of anything off the ball, but Brand was definitely featured in the high post, either as a safety valve for some other option, or as the focal point. He had a difficult time against the Knicks' athleticism though when they blanketed him tightly. He did a decent job of looking for mismatches with Iverson. Iverson was generally guarded by one of the Knicks supersized wings and Iverson at the elbow was a staple that worked. There were a lot of quick hitters, but the halfcourt offense was pretty stale. It's hard to have spacing with a lineup that can't shoot though.

 

All of Philly's shooters are bench players. Kapono, who does nothing else, Green, and Ivey are their best percentage shooters, and Ivey doesn't create much, and you've already sung the inadequacies of Green.

 

They were bad last year but last year they stole more points by running and having a point guard who could post. They don't have that this year. They don't have the easy baskets. And you can coach all you want, but its hard to diagram a successful NBA offense with a team that can't shoot. The New Jersey Nets are finding that out the hard way.

 

The offense is ultimately failing because you have a coach that emphasizes perimeter play on a team that can't shoot. It was doomed from the start, but I don't think subbing in any other head coach would make much of a difference unless you say to hell with defense and give Jason Kapono a ton of minutes.

I didn't watch the game so I can't give any credible input, but you can still chalk it up as a poor, aberration game. I can tell you that he's made the most of his limited opportunities, and he's truthfully been one of the few highlights this season. And it's not like he has difficulties operating against defenders like Jeffries; he had his way with the Knicks earlier in the season, and some of his best games have come against the long, athletic type.

 

Kapono was acquired for the sole purpose of spacing the floor and busting zones, he doesn't have to start to be utilized beneficially. Same goes for Green, Carney, and everyone else with a three-point stroke. Also, I'd like to point out that Ivey's percentage is deceptive — all of his looks are wide open, and he's got one of the slowest releases on the team.

 

True, but Jordan isn't making the most (or anything) out of this squad. That's what the beef is. The personnel is not without its flaws, but Eddie Jordan is just a disaster.

 

You also don't have specialists like Theo Ratliff and Reggie Evans anymore. Against the Knicks, the Sixers doubled the post automatically and the weak side corner defender and had to drop down and then close out hard after the pass. The Knicks were able to pump and go and got a lot of good looks near the hoop. The Sixers had to double though because Lou Williams was defending Wilson Chandler. Last year, that would've been Willie Green or Iguodala. They're a smaller team that isn't going to hold its own down low very well. They have to overcompensate a little, and for teams with bad defensive personnel the first rule is usually to overhelp.

 

If the Sixers want to try salvaging the season, the way Iverson is playing, maybe the Sixers can try him at the point with a bigger two guard and a shooter. Maybe Carney, Green, or Kapono. Williams is a good backup but he's having trouble making decisions at the point. If you're high on Holliday, maybe play him at the two (I like him defending twos more than Iverson) instead.

 

I don't know what to do about the frontcourt though. I haven't seen Brand, even on highlights, do anything to convince me that he's adept at creating for himself, and moving Young out of the four spot hurts the Sixers' running game.

 

Maybe start Brand at center, bring Speights off the bench, but then what to do about Dalembert? The Sixers might need to sacrifice Speights for perimeter talent.

Ratliff was not a specialist, he was a spare body with size, and one of the three active bigs that could play a modicum of defense—the others being a slumping Dalembert and an undersized Evans—so he played. Wasn't a very good defender anyways, and the guy wasn't even in Philly the two seasons before when we were still average defensively.

 

I can give you Evans, but he was the eighth or ninth man and was never a difference-maker on defense. Besides, we now have a healthier Brand, who is double the defender Evans was, and Jrue Holiday, a better perimeter defender than anyone we've had in recent years not named Andre Iguodala or Jason Kapono.

 

I understand doubling when there is an obvious mismatch. However, there is no excuse for cheating on a drive when there is adequate help on the strong side. Screen and rolls? Stay at home and don't cut off until the situation calls for it. One weak side defender is typically enough. The entire team shouldn't be collapsing to stymie one player, whether he's face up or with his back to the basket, otherwise it inevitably leads to scrambling defenders to recover against open shooters. And it's not like we don't have the personnel to play defense — Iguodala is outstanding, and Brand, Dalembert, Holiday, Carney, Green, and Ivey are all capable defenders.

 

I suggested Holiday at the point à la Eric Snow, where he could defend the twos and allow Iverson to play off-guard. Brand starting in lieu of Young would put a dent in the transition offense, but we can live with sacrificing an athletic wing playing out of position for better defense, board work, and half-court opportunities. Brand may not be as explosive as he once was, but he can still move.

 

I can't find a highlight package showcasing Brand yet, but PLEASE JUST BELIEVE ME. DO IT. BELIEVE ME. HE'S STILL GOOD, TRUST ME.

Edited January 22, 2010 by His Greatness

[Erick Blasco]

The next chance I'll have to watch Philly will be at the end of the month where they take on the Nets. I'll give a close look to the things you're mentioning, especially Brand, Holliday, and the defense.

 

Nets-Sixers. I'm sure it'll be a scintillating game (gets a stool and a noose).

[His Greatness]

It's much easier to just watch the whole game through.