Are the Philadelphia 76ers Completely Lost?
By Daniel Solis
The Sixers endured plenty of growing pains during this year and it’s sad to see there’s more to come in the following season. Now that Doug Collins is no longer the head coach, Philadelphia can only hope their owner can pull the right strings to bring in a coach with some credentials that prove there will be changes. But like this past season, it’s hard to find wins when you look at this this team on paper.
Dec 23, 2012; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins argues a call during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
You can’t blame Doug Collins for taking the early exit to save himself from any more anxiety he’s put up with all year. There’s nothing more frustrating than watching the galore of turnovers, poor shot selections and a nonexistent presence in the paint. Nothing but jumpshots. Jumpshots, jumpshots and more jumpshots coming from a team that finished 22nd in field goal shooting. It’s easy to understand the blow Andrew Bynum has done to this team, but it’s a poor excuse for how bad this team has looked from game to game.
The team has a blooming star in Holiday, who’s just 22 and just finished up his fourth year in the league. His overall improvement is this organizations lone bright spot. Holiday earned his first All Star appearance through his steady numbers of 17.7 points and 8 assists a game. His defense is also something to watch when trying to find some sort of enjoyment in a Sixers broadcast. Holiday’s swelling problem remains within his ball control, he finished second in the league when it came to turnovers per game.
Another piece that’s on the rare positive side is Thaddeus Young. The 6’8’’ swingman is coming off one of his best seasons and is only 24 years old. Young battled alongside Jrue this season, averaging 15 and 7.5 boards a game. His unique quickness and use of his pivot feet has created for him so many scoring chances around the rim. Young only shot about 12.6 shots per game last season and made around 6.7 of them according to the numbers. His shot selections were usually the best the team could have when it wasn’t Holiday creating for himself.
Feb 11, 2012; Philadelphia 76ers power forward Lavoy Allen (center) dances in the team huddle before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Philadelphia won 99-84. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
The rest of the team can be filed is just an utter mess of wonder. Some will say Evan Turner progressed, but his shot is nowhere near consistent and his need to force things on offense can noticeably drive his teammates nuts on the floor. Spencer Hawes spent half the season as a sixth man, averaging 11 and 7.2 rebounds a game. This is all Hawes can offer to this team, making him a solid role player that will be around for another year. Jason Richardson was a sparkplug on offense until he got injured and sat out the whole season. The rest of this roster is a downward spiral.
Nick Young completely flopped on what was supposed to be a streaky scoring role that would atleast try to show a hint of effort on defense. His inconsistent and disappointing play had Collins moving him around in the lineup, from starter, to sixth man, to bench warmer, to somehow starting again. Dorrell Wright, Damien Wilkins, Lavoy Allen, all of these guys had their humble numbers that never did this team any good. Jeremy Pargo, Arnett Moultrie, Maalik Wayns… Kwame Brown. Kwame Brown? Justin Holiday? Is this real life? Sixers fans can only hope for drastic changes over the summer.