Open Thread: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Washington Wizards, Regular Season Game 13
Philadelphia 76ers at Washington Wizards, Nov 24, 2009 7:00 PM EST
The Essentials:
76ers (5-8) vs. Wizards (3-9)
7 p.m.
Verizon Center
TV: CSN
Radio: 106.7 The Fan
Notable early 76ers numbers this season
25th in expected winning percentage (.341)
22nd in pace (91.6 possessions per game)
T21st in offensive efficiency/offensive rating (103.9)
24th in defensive efficiency/defensive rating (108.9)
Notable 76ers numbers last season
15th in expected winning percentage (.503)
21st in pace (90 possessions per game)
19th in offensive efficiency/offensive rating (107.9)
14th in defensive efficiency/defensive rating (107.8)
Pre-game links
Liberty Ballers, SB Nation's 76ers Blog
Philadunkia, a 76ers blog
Depressed Fan, a 76ers blog
Deep Sixer with Philadelphia Inquirer Beat Reporter Kate Fagan
Outlet: Eddie Jordan surprised by Wizards' struggles
Michael Lee: The Other Side: 76ers
GameDay 76ers
| Tonight's Projected Starters | ||
|---|---|---|
| 76ers | vs. | Wizards |
| Louis Williams |
PG | Gilbert Arenas |
| Andre Iguodala |
SG | Nick Young |
| Thaddeus Young |
SF | Antawn Jamison |
| Elton Brand |
PF | Fabricio Oberto |
| Samuel Dalembert |
C | Brendan Haywood |
UPDATE: No Caron Butler tonight. In his place, Fabricio Oberto will start as the Wizards go big.
I'm not even sure it's appropriate to play this game, let alone write a preview for it. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for the coach and the players. Sure, they didn't have the closest relationship with Abe Pollin, but how can you not be affected when your ultimate boss passes away? For pre-game listening, check out the second half of this week's Dagger Report, where we talk to Jordan Sams from Liberty Ballers.
No word yet on Caron Butler's status. I'll update when I hear anything.
I'd normally be attending this one in person, but I'm heading out of town verrrryyyy early tomorrow morning, so I'm not going tonight. It's really unfortunate too - I would have been very interested in covering tonight's game. Several members of the Washington Sports and Entertainment office - including Ernie Grunfeld, Executive VP Matt Williams and CFO Peter Biche - are being made available to the media, as are Phil Chenier and Wes Unseld. It promises to be a very emotional night and game at the Verizon Center, particularly because Eddie Jordan is also going to be here.
I'll be watching on TV, but if you're there, please let me know what the atmosphere was like.
GO WIZARDS!
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Rip
To your owner. Is it going to be on national T.V
IF you see a opportunity you take the opportunity
It's Hard to be a Spurs Fan in Dallas
Man, this CSN coverage on Abe is moving
by Kevin Ewoldt on Nov 24, 2009 6:41 PM EST via mobile reply actions
The players are clearly choked up
Blache, Butler, and Brendan
by Kevin Ewoldt on Nov 24, 2009 6:44 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I just got home
Really sad. I can’t believe they can dial it in mnentally tonight.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Ernie being interviewed
and you can see how emotional it is for him…which is saying something b/c Ernie epitomizes “Pokerface.”
Yeah, for sure
He talked to him yesterday and was supposed to come tonight? Wow, must have taken a turn for the worse.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
so strange that all this happens
and eddie is in the building.
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 7:12 PM EST reply actions
Yeah, talk about irony
Plus, it’s the one-year anniversary of Eddie being fired.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
did they catch up with him
for an interview pre-game?
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 7:20 PM EST up reply actions
Kyle I know talked to him
I’m not here so I didn’t.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Wes Unseld was on earlier too
Told some great stories as well. Specifically how loyal Abe was keeping him in positions longer than he should have. And how he showed up to his wedding.
by Kevin Ewoldt on Nov 24, 2009 7:16 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Ragged start
Though I expected nothing less.
Philly looks really flat. Two awful shots by Iguodala.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Haywood looked really slow on that possession
Very un-Haywood like.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
This does not look like the Princeton
Maybe Eddie’s scrapping it for the day.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
I wonder how much of the adjustment comes with Brand
Brand is an entirely different kind of PF than Jamison, and I wonder how that affects the sets.
(I just finished listening to the podcast)
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
Yeah, Brand's really struggling in this system
Iguodala and Young don’t look good as twos and threes either – they’d probably be better as threes and fours with a smaller guard.
I’ve always thought Monta Ellis makes a ton of sense in Philly. Maybe Golden State would trade him there.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
The bench tonight
Boykins, Foye, Blatche, McGee.
Fun.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
can we call the back court
Foykins?
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 7:21 PM EST up reply actions
I forgot about him
and also Stevenson, which if nothing else tells you how their seasons are going.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
Stevenson...
I think DSteve’s not doing that badly this year. His role has been pretty clear and we’re definitely not asking him to do anything more than play defense at spots in games.
Gil's freethrows
I’ve always thought that maybe the reason Gil is such an average freethrow shooter is his overly long routine. He does so many movements where there is a chance for the ball to come loose slightly. Also he is staring at the ground the whole time and then looks at the rim for the last second. Do any of you guys think that could be true?
It's the same routine he used to have when he was shooting 80% plus
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
I'm shocked how empty the place is
I wouldn’t have thought twice about going to the game had I been in DC.
It was real late notice
If the news came out in the morning it would have been much better
by Kevin Ewoldt on Nov 24, 2009 7:23 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Could be
on both counts, really. I’m in Charlottesville and could have come up if I knew a ticket would be that easy to get.
I say too many plays for Nick
Looks like they’re trying to get him involved early, even though he’s dribbling around aimlessly.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Philly's D looks bad
They look bad – we need to jump out on them more.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
jesus gilbert
get your head in the game
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 7:27 PM EST reply actions
Early appearance for JaVale?
Hmm…
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Interesting
both that McGee comes in before Blatche and that Haywood was replaced not Oberto
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
Can we please post up Jamison?
Why play him at small forward if you won’t post him?
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Can we not double-team Willie Green in the post?
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
but - he's not just willie green
but rather noted-wiz-killer-willie green!!
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 7:38 PM EST up reply actions
In all fairness
Haywood is currently tied with Jason Thompson for orpg. Still, it’s a big accomplishment considering where Haywood was a few years ago.
Seems like we're playing pretty good defense...
Our offense seems to be a bit stagnant still, but it’s worlds better than San Antonio.
Ragged game, but we're at least looking more efficient on offense
JaVale and Nick have played well. Nick’s playing good D on Iguodala.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
are these funky line-ups purely due to injuries?
or part of flip ‘shaking things up’?
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 7:37 PM EST reply actions
I like it - kids getting a chance
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
yeah i'm not as high on mcgee as others
but don’t tell me he can’t find a role on this team.
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 7:40 PM EST up reply actions
And that's why you'd like a PG to be taller than 5'5"
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
Whoa weird lineup
Boykins, Foye AND Gilbert. No McGuire. Weird.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
makes me wonder what's up with that
I mean, McGuire could play either forward position, he’s and OK passer…the only real weakness is that he’s not a real scoring threat.
But if that’s the reason he’s not out there…well, I don’t think you should keep a guy on the bench because he’s not a scorer.
I wondered if we'd see a 3-guard lineup
Also, I can’t remember what Saunders’s lineups in Minnesota or Detroit were like (not off the top of my head anyway), but I wonder if there’s just no place in his offense for a guy who’s a complete non-entity, at least on the perimeter. Certainly McGuire can defend, but defenders can sag off of him which would seem to ruin the whole “there will be someone open” part of the offense.
Not saying he shouldn’t play, just trying to maybe explain Saunders’s thinking.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
See, I see Trenton Hassell when I see McGuire
I guess Flip sees something else.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Hassell's better offensively though
He’s definitely not great, but in Minnesota his numbers were in the .475 eFG/.515 TS area, whereas McGuire’s eFGs have been .383 and .435 (and .273 so far this year) and his TS percentages have been .397 and .483 (and .253 this year)
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
Well, yeah, but it was rising
That’s a pretty big improvement from year 1 to year 2 and it could have gotten better with more playing time/more confidence.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
His jump shot definitely got better
According to 82 games he shot .192 on jumpers as a rookie and .333 last year. But, that’s still pretty terrible, and while we’ve been saying that Butler needs to be more of a catch and shoot guy, that is the last thing I want McGuire to be as long as he’s still this bad at it. 91 percent of his attempts have been jumpshots this season compared to 52 and 56 percent his first few seasons, and that’s just not the role he’s best suited for.
I like Taser as an overall player, but at this point I’m inclined to give Saunders the benefit of the doubt, and assume that maybe McGuire’s just not playing/shooting well in practice.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
Great ball movement
It’s easy to move the ball against Eddie’s defenses, but you have to like what you saw there.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Yeah, it's even worse that Miller is missing this game
since he’d be getting so many open threes.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
There you go
More of that please.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
gils mind is in shambles right now
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:00 PM EST reply actions
yeah it's like he wants to keep shooting
until he gets hot, but knows that he’ll get criticized. he just can’t simply play – you can see the gears turning way too much
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:04 PM EST up reply actions
They're killing us on the O-boards
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Wow.
I knew it was going to take Arenas some time. I didn’t expect to see something like that at the end of the half. He’s lost.
Something I noticed about Eddie...
is that he doesn’t seem to believe in 2 for 1s. They had enough time to get a shot up and get the ball back, but he had them set up a play.
I just got here… I see the Wizards are down by 1 . and shooting 43%….
How is the Defense?
Are they moving the ball?
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
"kinda" on both fronts
Philly was rather sloppy early on. As for us, NY made some early baskets, so ball movement wasn’t really an issue then.
i have to say they are sloppy
but overall i think the ball movement is a little better. defense is ok – other than giving up a few too many offensive rebounds.
gilbert is a mess. NY playing pretty well, javale with some energy and blocks. blatche playing well. foye looks a little more healthy that he has last few games.
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:19 PM EST up reply actions
How is Nick Young playing..? I don’t see much beyond 3-8 shooting and 7 points… (only 1 assist, no rebounds, no steals)… so he’s not exactly filling up the stat sheet…. but is he at least trying on Defense?
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
I swear to the Lord
If the Wizards don’t come out with more intensity to finish this game. I am done with these guys. I understand maybe your shots off, your not running the plays correctly, your minds elsewhere. No excuse for them not to be pressuring the dribble on our side of the court. There is no excuse for lax play on a night like this. PLay with some heart, thats all I ask for, thats all any of us ultimately asks for. I am really f*cking upset.
I'm upset too
But it’s because the owner of the team died today. They probably are too. I wouldn’t call a loss tonight the end of my time with this team.
Other than that foul on that jumper, Nick's played Iguodala very well
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
not a loss or a win
easy layups inside by lou williams, not pressuring the ball, this continued lack of intensity completely unacceptable.
God Philly's half-court D is so bad
What is Brand doing all the way out there? Where is the help?
Ah, the EJ defense.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Brand looks really bad
What the heck happened to him?
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Brand looks like he’s lost a step – he’s also looking like a guy that plays below the rim now….
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
Yeah, he used to jump over guys like Oberto
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
yes BUT
gilbert should have hit him earlier, but he had his head down.
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:32 PM EST up reply actions
jamison just mauled brand
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:35 PM EST reply actions
Haywood keeps fighting Jamison for rebounds
and not only in this game. Just watch out for that shoulder, fella.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
He needs to be in this year's HORSE competition
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
i think lebron
or another top player said at last years all star game that jamison would be they guy he would least want to play in horse
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:40 PM EST up reply actions
I remember there was a game last year when Jamison completely dominated Thaddeus Young. I think we’re getting a little more of that.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
I'm not sure that was a legal play, but they let him get away with it
I thought they got rid of that rule many years back.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
These Philly announcers are incredulous
about some of these calls.
Now they're calling
that one goaltending.
i think it was goal-tending, actually
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:44 PM EST up reply actions
It did look close
it’s just funny hearing the opponent’s announcers sometimes. Now I know what we sound like to others.
Has Iguodala hit one jumper yet?
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
You can thank Gilbert for that.
He seems to love to jack jumpers when he thinks we are up by enough.
Is it too soon to say that we should see more of Antawn at the 3?
He’s doing a really good job of slashing even though he’s catching the ball out on the perimeter.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
I think Buckhantz might mess himself if he gets another one.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
he's GOT to start seeing
more regular playing time. doesn’t have to be a ton, just consistent
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:50 PM EST up reply actions
Thaddeus Young is really talented
He just needs some structure. He doesn’t know how to use all his gifts.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Just like Josh Smith
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
Young's a better shooter
But they’re very similar players.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
I don't know
I think Smith has turned the corner. He looks amazing now that he isn’t jacking three’s. He also has doubled his assists this year so far.
Would you have said that in 2007 though?
I mean Josh Smith has been in the NBA since 2003.
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
I went to the game for the first half-
and had to leave for various reasons. The players actually looked pretty loose before the game – lots of smiles, some dancing from Antawn. There was a moment of silence for Abe that tore me up. I ran into my account exec and she was telling me that a lot of events have had to be canceled and that people in the office are devastated. There have been some long term employees there who are really hurting right now. I think he was very much loved there. The arena was pretty empty. I was around a bunch of sixers fans. People were getting very frustrated with Gilbert not taking it to the hole. Gilbert looks awful. I miss Hopla too.
Why does it seem like not having Hopla around
has cost us like 5 points a game from the stripe.
Good point about Hopla
We should start a grass roots campaign to bring him back – I don’t think he’s working anywhere right now.
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
Yeah I remember him making a big difference with Haywood.
We could use him for sure
I didn't know it was permanent
He did some stuff for them in training camp.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
The blog on his site
does lead me to believe he’s not under contract with a team. Guess I didn’t have that one quite right.
And yes, I wouldn’t mind him coming back either.
A little OT
I had no idea that Abe changed the name of the team to Wizards after/because Rabin was shot. That actually makes a little more sense to me.
ditto
makes it seem more heart-felt and personal. does not make ‘wizards’ any more palatable, however
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:58 PM EST up reply actions
FOYEKINS!!!
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:56 PM EST reply actions
Foyekins
Has some sweet moves but he has to being that size
The offense seems to run more
efficiently without Gilbert right now, yikes.
and w/ no caron
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 8:58 PM EST up reply actions
Jason Smith falling down or no Jason Smith falling down, there will be open threes.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
What really impressing me is that
Jamison is playing SF fairly well. The word in GS was he only wanted to play PF.
That's been the word here, too.
The only times he’s played SF that I can recall were part of “big” lineups that only came a few minutes at a time. I can’t imagine he’ll play much more SF unless Butler is out for a while.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
I wonder why we acquiesce to his wishes so much
"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck
by George Templeton on Nov 24, 2009 9:05 PM EST up reply actions
Because he's a very good player?
He’s certainly not a good defender, but I don’t know that he’d be a much better one at the 3, plus he’s a very good rebounder and causes all kinds of match up problems at the 4.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
every time i see boykins i think
WHAT DID THEY DO TO CHRIS WHITNEY!!!! THEY SHRUNK HIM!!!
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 9:03 PM EST reply actions
Brand's out for the game
https://twitter.com/deepsixer3/status/6037039846
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
I feel bad for him
since this doesn’t mean that EJ is going to give him more playing time.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
what the HELL
was that possession by gilbert?
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 9:11 PM EST reply actions
Are we going to stand around and watch
or get an f’ing rebound?
Oh lord
That is not good. 3 3ball attempts?
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
Eh
I don’t think that’s really true. McGee got lost several times.
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
Plus – we’re looking at ONE game here…. McGee could just as easily stink up the next game…. He’s really still a very, very raw player.
I agree that he should get some consistent minutes (8-10 per game)….. but starting? I think not.
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
IF they lose
it’s really really bad
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 9:18 PM EST reply actions
Williams is damn good
"There's only one cure for what's wrong with all of us pitchers, and that's to take a year off. Then, after you've gone a year without throwing, quit altogether." -Jim Palmer
What is Jamison doing guarding Williams on the perimeter?
and then not switching on the screen?
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
Wow Philly is hot from 3 right now
No mistakes in the tango, darling. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Oh, hes in the laegue two and Jayson Thomson and that Boggins dude on Milwokee, and Occur for the Jizz. Its a talented laegue.--Kfan in Korea
WHAT THE FUC%%K!!!
how do you let that happen
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 9:19 PM EST reply actions
i'm sorry
but gilbert has played like shit tonight. 6 TO’s, all avoidable. i am so pissed off right now.
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 9:20 PM EST reply actions
he is so careless, what the hell?
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 9:21 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah – which is why I don’t understand why Gilbert was on Williams….
Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......
DeShawn doesn't guard quick guards like Williams well
You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.
and wasn't guarding Lou Williams, who was hot and handling the ball.
Oh well.
Ridiculous Upside, where developing talent and winning are not mutually exclusive.
sweet jesus h. christ
they are lucky.
"a crab dribble is when you travel" - caron butler
by little stevie colter on Nov 24, 2009 9:23 PM EST reply actions
That was a horrible fourth quarter by Flip
He got the line up all wrong after the 8 minute mark. Took out McGee went really small Boykins – Gilbert – Foye its like we were inviting them to score on us.
Agreed, it seemed our lineup
invited that run.
Thank f'ing god.
I couldn’t have taken a loss today. I love Antawn. Class act. Nice words about Abe.

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