Here’s our boy Brand, straight making the fool out of Jermaine O’Neal. Nasty, indeed.
So, the big questions:
1. How much of a difference does Brand make?
2. Will Iggy finally make “the leap” this year?
3. What kind of evolutions can we expect from Thaddeus and Louis?
4. ‘Dre: is he staying?
5. Assuming we can now play both in transition and in the half court (the latter thanks to Brand), can we beat Cleveland, Detroit and Boston, respectively, in a multi-game playoff series?
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A discussion of hoops, culture and philosophy — between two Philly brothas.
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4 comments:
1. A ton, especially when it comes to the money season. His presence allows Sammy to focus on D and boards and Iggy to be share the scoring load and fucs on lockdown D when necessary. I don't know if EB gets us to the O'Brien trophy, but he does allow us to talk about the possibility without sounding crazy
2. By "leap" I assume you mean continued gradual improvement of his all-around game. Seriously, I think he's a phenomenal complimentary player. I also think being the Man last year helps him be a clutch player for us this year. That'll be nice for EB to share that responsibility.
3. I really believe Thaddeus will end up being a more dynamic player than Iggy. He's skilled, crafty around the basket, heady in general. He's got NBA size for the 3-4. To be a dork, "I love his upside". Lou's gonna keep doing what he started last year: being instant offense off the bench. Right now, I don't like him to be our starting PG. I don't think he projects well there. I see him more as a Ben Gordon type player (without the inflated sense of his value).
4. At least until the trade deadline. Other than that, it totally depends on what's available and whether we look like a legit contender this year. If we're 25-10, I don't think Eddie will mess with the chemistry.
5. I believe so. Boston is the champs, but they're weaker than last year. PJ Brown was huge last playoffs for them. Who can do what Posey did? Detroit may or may not still be a contender by the end of the year. Cleveland's got 'Bron, but what else they got? It feels like the NFC East to me. Why not us?
Obviously, it can go any number of ways. But right now — and I admit to making the prediction based on far too little info — I see us getting to the second round. That’s about it. I think we’re another year away.
You think Iggy is clutch? I don’t. I mean, he can be clutch; he has been clutch, periodically; but he’s not the go-to guy when you need a bucket. He needs to be able to do what ‘Melo does when there’s :06 on the clock and you’re down 1. Or what PP did for Boston last year in the playoffs — straight taking over the game for stretches (again, not that Iggy doesn’t do this sometimes; but I’m talking about him evolving to the type of leader you KNOW is gonna do it when he gets the call). Honestly, I don’t know what to think. Part of me feels like, If he had it in him, it woulda happened by now. The other part of me thinks, Shit, you never know when a player might wander under the Bodhi Tree and come out “enlightened” — finally believing that he is, indeed, “the One.” Guess we’ll see.
Other than that, we may need one more year for the younger guys to develop (especially when it comes to playoff experience), and for the team to gel in general. And man, if they don’t show up in late October shooting way, WAY better as a team than they did last year, we ain’t going nowhere. I said to you last June that Mo should be calling those guys every day, all summer long, bugging them to get on their backyard courts and take 500 shots before they even eat breakfast.
I don't think Iggy's ever going tobe able to do what Melo or PeePee can do for their teams. That's why he's a borderline All-Star, not an All-Star. And definitely not a superstar. Here's the thing. He can defned the other team's best wing player. Every championship team needs this. It was PeePee's greatest contribution in the Finals last year. Iggy can fill the lane. He can also play decently off the dribble. With EB, he should have more chances to get open looks. So, he should be even more efficient than last year offensively. This will make a huge difference inhis playoff performance. If (and htis is big), if he can shoot from downtown in the 35% range, he's gonna be a great weapon at the end of ball games. If he can get consistent for out there (which I think is very possible for a guy who continually works on his game), then will be able to be clutch on both sides of the ball.
There's definitely some subjectivity in my overall optimism for the Erz. I'm just sayin', nobody strikes me as being that good in the East. Boston's gonna have a hard time repeating. That team is old, and lost a couple of key guys. Detroit is always dangerous, but never a lock. Cleveland is a one-man show. After D'trois, I would argue we're the deepest team int he East. I think next year is more likely for us as contenders, but this year would not shock me.
D'Trois scares me, though. (And I was the only one who seemed to think they were overrated last year; remember, a lot of analysts had them knocking off Boston.)
Chauncy has lost a step. But he was never as important to that team as advertised. (I read somewhere that "Mr. Big Shot" actually shot only about 35% from downtown in must-hit situations with less than :10 on the clock. That makes you "Mr. Big Shot"? Maybe his nickname instead should be, "Mr. Slightly Better than Average." Doesn't have the same ring, I know.)
Rip is still in his prime (if at the tail end of it); same goes for Sheed. Tayshaun is at his best right now. And their young players are coming up in a big way. Stuckey can straight up take over games. Scary. And Maxiell is becoming a beast.
Their starting lineup is close to as good as last year's, and their bench is that much better. (McDyess, Walter Hermann -- underrated, Maxiell, Stuckey.)
I'd rather play meet any team in the East than them in the playoffs. Actually, I wouldn't want to meet King James, either; dude just plain scares me.
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