The SportsGuy, Bill Simmons, as a part of his recent fantasy basketball article said that Elton Brand looked terrible in the preseason. Then he re-emphasized terrible. Then he said the following:
"Again, that Sixers team worries me. Too many expectations, too many guys making big money, too many guys who have never won anything, not enough crunch-time guys ... and here's Miller entering a contract season without an extension after everyone else got paid. Yikes."
Have we been drinking the Kool-Aid? Cus personally, I'm still hyped and can't seem to talk myself out of my enthusiasm.
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Simmons has always had a bug up his ass re: Philly. He’d never admit it. On some level (a logical one), he understands that this is a great sports town and he appreciates us for that. And because of that, he assumes that this is his objective worldview. But he’s made enough head scratching comments over the years about our teams that, added up, I have to conclude mean, on some other level (perhaps subconscious) that he kinda hates us. Maybe he’s still haunted by the Boston Strangler.
Brand looked terrible in the preseason? Perhaps. I can’t say, because I didn’t watch much preseason Sixers. But come on — neither did Simmons. Between October baseball (in which the Red Sox were prominently involved until late), copious football watching (for fun, and to supply material for his columns), CELTICS preseason games, the other details of his job, and a wife and two kids at home...we’re supposed to believe he devoted the requisite viewing time on the preseason Erz to render a thorough analysis? Please.
Now, as far as what we CAN expect...I really don’t know. Simmons talked about the strength of our best three players based on the three highest salaries, and used that as a chance to knock Dalembert as a mere “role player” (which he is). He barely mentioned ‘Dre. Nor did he give any time to Thaddeus, or to the effect a guy like Louis Williams off the bench can have. So his “analysis” is far from well-rounded. (And yes, I know I’m saying this as a HUGE homer.)
We all agree on this, though: without much-improved overall shooting, and a clutch guy who will knock down must-have baskets at the end of games, this team will only go so far. So we have to wait and see. Will Iggy evolve into that clutch guy? Will Brand, in fact, deliver Brand things — or is his Achilles more of a problem than we bargained for? Will Thaddeus break out this season? Will ‘Dre be the steady handed floor general we need with trade rumors swirling around him?
We are only at the very beginning of this story. Getting Brand was Chapter One. Now we’re into Chapter Two. But we have about 37 chapters to go. Too hard to guess the ending from here. But again, if I have to make a prediction now: We go two rounds deep and get bounced. We likely need another year.
I agree that it is most likely we will need another year (assuming all goes well). I also agree with you about Simmons probably not having time to do his homework on Brand. I took the comment to heart in part because he's a Clippers watcher. He knows Brand pretty well from that perspective. Anyway, what I see from Brand is a fair amount of jump shooting. He reminds me of KG a little in that way. However, he also toils in the paint, and on the offensive glass. His offensive game isn't as soft as KG's. And clearly, he doesn't do what KG does for you on defense. He's not a superstar, but he is a legit All-Star. I don't think that automatically makes him a second banana. It's all about who's on his team.
I think this team will take about 25 games to start finding it's groove. The word "tentative" came up consistently in comments from the players when talking about the opener. It will take a while for them to learn how to play together. Ultimately, I don't know if this team is a contender as is. If you don't have a superstar, you have to do something better than any other team in the league. They'll score, but they won't be high-octane. They'll defend, but they won't be stifling. They won't be the toughest. They won't have the best execution. What is the thing that could be their ultra-reliable quality? In a pinch, defensive teams can get stops; a superstar can always get a bucket or free throws.
It sounds dorky, but I think this team could be the best "chemistry" team in the league [after Boston]. Guys that are happy and like playing together can take you a long way in this league. Combine that with significant talent and depth at each position and you can get a 'sum better than it's parts' kind of team. Mo's the kind of coach players want to make look good. Everybody's got something to prove. Good money says we get bounced in Round two. But my subjective optimism holds out hope that this will turn into something special. It happened for boston last year. Why can't us?
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