+Demar Derozan speaks about his progress as the works his way back from injury after Wednesday's practice in Toronto. For more, go to raptors.com and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
SDH Presents Toronto Raptors Practice: DeMar DeRozan - January 7, 2015
+Demar Derozan speaks about his progress as the works his way back from injury after Wednesday's practice in Toronto. For more, go to raptors.com and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Toronto Raptors Practice: Dwane Casey - January 7, 2015
The +Toronto Raptors head coach spoke about +Demar Derozan n needing more practice time and improving the defence after Wednesday's practice in Toronto. For more, go to raptors.com and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Oklahoma City Thunder Shoot-around: Dion Waiters (1/7/2015)
Guard Dion Waiters talks about joining the team and the +Oklahoma City Thunder game against the +Sacramento Kings on Jan. 7, 2015. Catch more in-depth coverage of the +Oklahoma City Thunder as well the other 29 teams in the +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Oklahoma City Thunder Shoot-around: Scott Brooks (1/7/2015)
Head Coach Scott Brooks discusses the addition of Dion Waiters and the +Oklahoma City Thunder's game against the +Sacramento King on Jan. 7, 2015. Catch more in-depth coverage of the +Oklahoma City Thunder as well the other 29 teams in the +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents from BallisLife.com: Troy Brown Is The #1 Ranked 10th Grade Point Guard! Tustin High Holiday Classic Mixtape
Here is the number one ranked point guard in the class of 2017, Troy Brown. The Centennial High School (NV) sophomore guard showed us what he’s capable of at the 2014 Tustin High School Holiday Classic Tournament. You can find more great video like this one courtesy of +Ballislife and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Real NBA Moves: Kevin Durant Crossover Jab (featuring Zach LaVine)
Internationally renowned +NBA trainer Drew Hanlen (of Pure Sweat Basketball) uses +Zach Lavine of the +Minnesota Timberwolves to teach the +Kevin Durant Crossover Jab -- a highly effective crossover move to get past your defender. To see Drew's full NBA training program, please visit http://www.PureSweatBasketball.com. Thanks for watching! SUBSCRIBE to the Stronger Team channel for NEW basketball performance videos every week: http://goo.gl/8fBV7A. You can purchase the full Stronger Team Training System here: http://strongerteam.3dcartstores.com/
Catch more great helpful, entertaining and challenging videos to help perfect your game and watch them being done in practice right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Denver Nuggets Practice Report - Impactful Veterans (1/7/15)
Alexis Perry talks to players and Head Coach Brian Shaw about practice and leadership from veteran players. Catch more in depth coverage of the +Denver Nuggets--including scores, highlights, interviews, insightful analysis and commentary--as well as the rest of the +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Washington Wizards Courtside Report: Garrett Temple 1/7/15
Watch this Courtside Report presented by +adidas with Garrett Temple, who wrapped up the team's tough road trip and talked about tonight's #WizKnicks game back at +Verizon Center. Catch more coverage of the +Washington Wizards, as well as the rest of the +NBA ,right here on +Slap Dog Hoops and get all the latest news, scores, recaps, highlights, along with interviews, analysis and opinion. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Knicks Shootaround (1/7/15): Fisher On Melo, Galloway, and Team Mindset
At the Knicks morning shootaround in Washington D.C, Head coach Derek Fisher had a +Carmelo Anthony update, thoughts on Langston Galloway, and the team mindset after the big trade. Catch more in depth coverage on the +New York Knicks--including highlights, scores, interviews, commentary and insightful analysis--as well as the rest of the +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Knicks 1-on-1 with Langston Galloway: Learning The Triange and Seizing The Opportunity
Knicks.com's Jonah Ballow sat down with Langston Galloway to discuss his time with the +New York Knicks in Summer League and learning the triangle. Catch more in depth coverage on the +New York Knicks--including highlights, scores, interviews, commentary and insightful analysis--as well as the rest of the +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Knicks Shootaround (1/7/15): Melo On Potential Return and Recent Trade
+Carmelo Anthony reacted to the recent trade and talks about a potential return to the floor at the Knicks morning shootaround in Washington D.C. Catch more in depth coverage on the +New York Knicks--including highlights, scores, interviews, commentary and insightful analysis--as well as the rest of the +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Toronto Raptors Practice: Kyle Lowry - January 6, 2015
Kyle Lowry spoke with members of the media following Tuesday's practice. For more, go to raptors.com and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Toronto Raptors Practice: Patrick Patterson - January 6, 2015
Patrick Patterson spoke with members of the media following Tuesday's practice. For more, go to raptors.com and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Toronto Raptors Practice: Dwane Casey - January 6, 2015
Dwane Casey spoke with members of the media following Tuesday's practice. For more, go to raptors.com and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
SDH Presents from Bball Breakdown: Atlanta Hawks Coach Mike Budenholzer On His Offense
+Coach Nick caught up with the +Atlanta Hawks' Coach Budz to discuss the evolution of their offense, its triangle offense origins, and the importance of getting the ball to the post. See more of +BBALLBREAKDOWN and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Sacramento Kings Practice: Darren Collison 1/5/15
+Darren Collison talked to the media about the team's recent road trip, locker room morale and more following Monday's practice. Catch all the latest news, notes and interviews along with scores and highlights from the +Sacramento Kings and the +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Sacramento Kings Practice: Coach Corbin 1/5/15
+Sacramento Kings Head Coach, Tyrone Corbin, discussed the current state of the team and more following Monday's practice. Catch all the latest news, notes and interviews along with scores and highlights from the +Sacramento Kings and the +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Denver Nuggets Postgame: Brian Shaw vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (1/5/2015)
Head Coach Brian Shaw talks to the media after the +Denver Nuggets 110-101 win over the +Minnesota Timberwolves. Catch more in depth coverage of the Nuggets--including scores, highlights, interviews, insightful analysis and commentary--as well as the rest of the +NBA right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Golden State Warriors Post Game: Take Down OKC 117-91 (1/5/2015)
The +Golden State Warriors beat the +Oklahoma City Thunder 117-91 on Monday night at +Oracle Arena. Watch all the highlights along with post game reactions from the +Golden State Warriors as well as all 30+NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents from JRSportBrief: JR Smith Traded to Cavs! Dion Waiters to the Thunder! Who Got Better?
After quite a hiatus, +Slap Dog Hoops brings back an old staple, +JRSportBrief, to grace us all with his wisdom on all things +NBA. In this edition, JR discusses last night shocking trade news: JR Smith and Iman Shumpert will be heading to the +Cleveland Cavaliers, +Dion Waiters will go to the +Oklahoma City Thunder, while the +New York Knicks get cap space and will probably be looking to tank the season more likely. Who won out in this three team trade?? View more #JRWisdom and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH's 2014/2015 Worst to First Countdown for the First "Slap-mester" (Oct/Nov/Dec): 29. New York Knicks
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Win/Loss Record as of December 31st,
2014: 5-28, fourth place Atlantic
Division, 14th Place Eastern Conference
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Team Statistics and League Rank as of
December 31st, 2014:
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Individual Statistical Leaders as of
December 31st, 2014:
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Worst of the Class: Iman Shumpert
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First of the Class: Amare Stoudemire
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Despite falling out of playoff contention, the New York Knicks season ended on a high note with the introduction of new front office, new coaching staff and a whole new winning attitude along with a stronger and more cohesive culture for the struggling franchise. The organization welcomed back former player and hall of fame coach Phil Jackson as the new head of its basketball operations and he quickly made his mark during the summer by not only re-signing the team's star Carmelo Anthony, but also making very low key yet very strong moves to make the team not only smarter, but also more apt to adhere to the principles of his Triangle Offense. The team showed plenty of progress during the Summer League as the players seemed quite comfortable with the intricacies of such a complex system as the Triangle and many projected the Knicks to jump leaps and bounds from the 37 wins that they posted last season. In fact, with the team that they had coming into this season, the Knicks not only looked like a lock to make the playoffs in the East, but also could be a potential spoiler in the race for the top Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, that has not come to pass as the regular season has fallen well below expectations as the Knicks find themselves at the bottom looking up with the league's second worst record and completely out of sync as well as out of the Eastern Conference race.
The regular season started well enough with the Knicks winning two of their first three game--one of those came at the expense of the +LeBron James led +Cleveland Cavaliers as they ruined his first homecoming beating the Cavs in Cleveland. Unfortunately, what would follow after their solid 2-1 record was a seven game losing streak that saw the Knicks having the misfortune of losing three of them by a total of seven points. In those three games, had the ball tipped their way or their foes missed their last second shots, New York would have had started with a 5-5 record instead of falling to 2-8 before finally stopping the bleeding with a 16 point home win against the +Denver Nuggets (11/16/2014). That win was then regrettably followed by yet another heartbreaking four point loss to the +Milwaukee Bucks (11/18/2014) and by a shameful display losing to an injury depleted +Minnesota Timberwolves team by a embarrassing 16 points (11/19/2014) before quickly breaking that short losing streak with a bounce back win against the +Philadelphia 76ers (11/22/2014). Sadly, however, the glow from that Philly win faded as quickly as it arrived as the Knicks would finish the month of November losing their last four games against the +Houston Rockets (11/24/2014), +Dallas Mavericks (11/26/2014), +Oklahoma City Thunder (11/28/2014) and the +Miami HEAT (11/30/2014). As it was the case with the previous seven game losing steak, that four game slide would be equally frustrating for both the Knicks and their fans as three of them once again came down to the wire and end with New York holding the short end of the stick. The Houston game was lost by just five points due to twelve point clutch performance in the final five minutes by +James Harden while the Mavs outpaced the Knicks in overtime after a heroic last second shot by JR Smith tied the game at the end of regulation. Grabbing those two games would not only have certainly given the Knicks a boost in their collective self esteem beating two elite teams on the road, but would have softened the blow of their near thirty point humiliation in Oklahoma City which followed. They would have had another chance at redemption with a home win against the Heat and certainly could have beaten Miami as they held the Heat to just 86 points; however, Miami manged to hold the Knicks down to just 79 points thus continuing their downward spiral. What would subsequently follow was a six game slide to start the month of December where New York would once again suffer the sting of a potential win as they would lose four of those six by a total of 14 points--two of which came down to one last second shot. For Knicks fans, it would have been bad enough to watch their team lose by double figures and constantly get blown out like the league's other cellar dwellers such as the Sixers and the Timberwolves; however, to lose a total of eleven games by very close margins have to sting even more. Those could have been possible wins that could have catapulted the Knicks up among the NBA's elite instead of wallowing at the very bottom just one game shy of the worst record of the league which is currently held by the Philadelphis 76ers. As 2014 drew nearer to a close, there would be even more games that would be even more excruciatingly painful to watch not so much because they were simply overpowered by their opponents, but the simple fact that they simply slipped through their fingers. After a much needed win against the +Boston Celtics on the road (12/12/2014), the Knicks would lose another harsh one at home in overtime against the the +Toronto Raptors by just five points (12/14/2014) and after being completely bludgeoned by Mavericks (12/16/2014) at the Garden they would head off to Chicago where they would come just six points short to the Bulls (12/18/2014). To continually watch your team have one victory stripped away from them after the other must be the equivalent to witnessing someone getting repeatedly get kicked in the groin for an extended amount of time--a sight that can be equated to torture. In a post game interview after the Christmas Day loss to the +Washington Wizards, Carmelo Anthony summed up his team's troubles quite eloquently:
"The fans are dying, we’re dying. We’re out there, we’re not producing. We didn’t expect, I didn’t expect to be sitting at 5-26," he said. "So as much as I feel for the fans, I feel for us going through it, too. I don’t expect nobody to feel sorry for us, I don’t expect nobody to feel sorry for me (12/25/2014)."
Nonetheless, one cannot help but feel sorry for both him, his team, and their fans as the past three months have simply been an exercise in frustration and despair. Despite their best efforts, the Knicks continually found themselves at the losing end having certain victory snatched up right from under them and it is little wonder why the team have collapsed after one heartbreak after another; yet, despite the sour taste in their mouths and their rotten luck, they still managed to pick themselves up to give it another try. Head Coach Derek Fisher must find it even more difficult with every passing game trying to keep his players motivated as they stare down a 5-29 record with 48 games left in the regular season with the bulk of those games being lost by such a small margin that it hurts even more than getting blown out by their opponents. And although his boss, former coach and current mentor Phil Jackson reassured fans in a tweet that things will be better in 2015, his optimistic words sadly do not reflect the ominous reality that his team faces as his players limp, stumble, and drag their battered limbs through the next three months. It is really quite a shame because the team's record does not reflect the actual quality of their play as even through the most difficult of circumstances, they still try their best to execute the Triangle offense in which both Jackson and Fisher pride their all their past success on. Had the Knicks started the season at full strength instead of having several of their key players sidelined with injuries at the opening tip off, then perhaps the situation would have been much different. Had Jose Calderon, Pablo Prigioni, JR Smith, and Andrea Bargnani been suited up and ready to go on opening day instead of sitting on the bench in street clothes, perhaps the Knicks could have at least won half of those close calls making them seem far more respectable than they are now. By the start of January, they could have been 10-24 or even 15-19--records that may not have been too great, but would still give Knicks fans something to cheer about or even give the team a sense of accomplishment and motivated enough to push for a playoff berth in the second half of the season. Unfortunately, it seems as if it is too late for this hard luck crew to even make an effort to salvage their season as all their competitive fire and fighting spirit have been virtually sucked out of them leaving them an empty husk of a team. Not even the promise of having a chance of getting the number one overall pick in the draft or the significant amount of cap space it will have once the season ends will relieve the sting or remove the scars that have been put upon the back of the team, its players and their fans because none of this was supposed to happen. This was supposed to be the season where they were supposed to bounce back from their disappointing season with a fresh new outlook and silence any doubters who had them falling apart come opening tip off. Instead, they are now seen as a laughing stock who may have to scrap this season up for a loss, tear the whole thing down and start up again from scratch in the off season where they will not only have potentially the number one overall pick, but also oodles of salary cap space to lure prospective free agents. Carmelo Anthony may have had high expectations coming into the season when Phil Jackson convinced him to choose to stay in the Big Apple instead of leaving to Chicago, Houston, Miami, Dallas, or any other place where he would have been on an instant contender. Now he will just have to settle with being stuck on a team that seems to be heading for rock bottom and wondering when will he get his chance to taste even a hint of the championship glory that his longtime rival Lebron James has enjoyed so far. |
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Monday, January 5, 2015
SDH Presents Lakers Post Game: vs. Indiana Pacers (1/4/2015)
SDH Presents Toronto Raptors Post Game: Dwane Casey - January 5, 2015
Head coach Dwane Casey addressed media following the +Toronto Raptors 125-109 road loss to the +Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. For more, go to raptors.com and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Toronto Raptors Post Game: Kyle Lowry - January 4, 2015
Kyle Lowry addressed media following the +Toronto Raptors 125-109 road loss to the +Phoenix Suns on Sunday night. For more, go to raptors.com and always keep up with all 30 +NBA teams right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Phoenix Suns Post Game--Alex Len 1.4.15
Alex Len spoke to the media after last night's win vs. the +Toronto Raptors on 1/4/2015. Enjoy this and look out for more great +Phoenix Suns coverage--including all the latest news, scores, and highlights along with interviews, commentary and analysis--right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Phoenix Suns Post Game--Eric Bledsoe 1.4.15
+Eric Bledsoe spoke to the media after last night's win vs. the +Toronto Raptors on 1/4/2015. Enjoy this and look out for more great +Phoenix Suns coverage--including all the latest news, scores, and highlights along with interviews, commentary and analysis--right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Phoenix Suns Post Game--Jeff Hornack 1.4.15
Jeff Hornacek spoke to the media after last night's win vs. the +Toronto Raptors on 1/4/2015. Enjoy this and look out for more great +Phoenix Suns coverage--including all the latest news, scores, and highlights along with interviews, commentary and analysis--right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
SDH Presents Phoenix Suns Post Game--Goran Dragic 1.4.15
+Goran Dragic spoke to the media after last night's win vs. the +Toronto Raptors on 1/4/2015. Enjoy this and look out for more great +Phoenix Suns coverage--including all the latest news, scores, and highlights along with interviews, commentary and analysis--right here on +Slap Dog Hoops. Also, please be kind enough to share this post by simply clicking the Facebook, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest buttons below. It would be greatly appreciated; Thanks!
Sunday, January 4, 2015
SDH's 2014/2015 Worst to First Countdown for the First "Slap-mester" (Oct/Nov/Dec): 30. Philadelphia 76ers
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Win/Loss Record as of December 31st,
2014: 4-26, fifth place Atlantic
Division, 15th Place Eastern Conference
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Team Statistics and League Rank as of
December 31st, 2014:
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Individual Statistical Leaders as of
December 31st, 2014:
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Worst of the Class: Michael Carter Williams
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First of the Class: Henry Sims
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To write a piece trashing the Philadelphia 76ers will be too much of a pain rather than a pleasure because not only is it just simply too easily considering the rather poor performance, but there is simply no good that can come from it. It would be similar to beating up to beating down someone who is elderly or handicapped because there can be no satisfaction that can be gotten from doing something so heinous as to take advantage of someone so helpless. Also, it has been blatantly apparent that it is the Sixers' strategy to finish as poorly as possible to have a better chance of acquiring the first overall pick of this upcoming draft while simply keeping the team together with discarded waste and useless spare parts. If there can be anything good that can be taken out from this season, it is the fact that Philly has welcomed those who would otherwise not make an NBA team an opportunity to play giving them the sole opportunity to play in the big leagues. Otherwise, it seems that ranking them as finishing number 27th in the preseason may have seemed to be to lofty for this sad excuse of a professional sports franchise as it seems that the Sixers have made it their mission to sink as low as possible despite the dispiriting effect it has on the few fans that continue to follow them, but also the disgust and disdain that they gather from fans of the game.
In fact, one can go as far to say that Philly's plan to continually bottom out in order to build the team from the ground up is a futile one at best because there is no way that this ongoing losing will build up any real winning culture whatsoever. Plus, regardless of any salary cap space the team has accumulated, there is no way it can attract any respectable free agents to join it considering the current sad state the Sixers are in and forget about those high draft picks staying either. The constant losing will simply suck the life of their young core of players thus leading them to either be traded to a more successful team or watch them walk away in free agency. The complete lack of motivation has already begun to show in the team's current roster as all of them know that they are in no ways a part of the Sixers long term plans thus are less prone to care to the future fortunes of this team. Finally, let us not forget is that players are drafted on potential, not on what they actually bring; so to base one's future on a bunch of "maybe" prospects is basically like playing the slots hoping that you will get the jackpot. So what can be expected from a team that had lost its first sixteen games to start the regular season and will enter 2015 with a 4-26 record? No one will certainly be expecting a playoff appearance for one, but at least Sixers fans have some glimmer of hope come next season when their team's third overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, +Joel Embiid will supposedly be fully recovered and ready to play. Other than that, they can only wait patiently until this waste of a season finally comes to a merciful end in which they can anticipate another shot to hopefully hit gold and be bestowed that elusive number one overall pick that both them and their team so desperately covet. It is pretty disheartening to write about such a team who would rather settle for losing instead of actually putting forth an effort to be somewhat competitive; however, there are still a few bright spots on what can be considered as another lost season. Though the smoke, ashes and rubble have arisen a few diamonds in the rough who have been able to shine despite the doom and despair that has plagued this one proud franchise for so many years. The brightest of those diamonds would have to be Tony Wroten, a player who had been previously discarded by his former team after being selected rather low in the Draft only to find a niche on this struggling franchise. Despite having been written off a a draft day bust, Wroten has thus far been the team's sole offensive spark leading Philly in scoring while at the same time providing some energy on the defensive end with his nearly two steals per game. Along with putting the ball in the basket, Wroten has also put it upon himself to also get him teammates involved in the offense whenever he can with his 5.2 assists per game, which is second to the team's supposed star, Michael Carter Williams, who has thus far been a pathetic disappointment to say the least. In his third year and at the tender age of 21, Wroten certainly has a very high ceiling considering his size (6' 6", 205 lbs), length and athleticism mixed with his impressive ball handling, passing and scoring abilities; however, save for a selected few, he like all the other players on the roster are in no ways part of the Sixers' future and will most likely find himself on another team come next season. It is a shame, really, to see such a talented player be undervalued and overlooked by a team whose front office is so focused on looking ahead that it does see what it has right under its nose. Along with Wroten, the Sixers found themselves with a virtual steal in last summer's draft in KJ McDaniels, whom despite falling all the way to the mid second round, has outperformed most of the members of his rookie class who were drafted far higher. Currently he is third in the league among rookies in scoring behind both the number one and two overall picks in the draft, +Minnesota Timberwolves' +Andrew Wiggins and +Milwaukee Bucks' +Jabari Parker. That may not be much of an accomplishment considering the fact that this rookie class, which was touted as probably the deepest and most talented in recent memory but has thus far failed miserably to live up to all of the hype; however, what should be noted is that this 6' 6" shooting guard currently ranks first among rookies in blocked shots per game and has a higher blocks per game average than some centers in the league. Mc Daniels currently rests at number thirteen among the league's best shot blockers which is higher than more notable players known for their rim protection skills such as +Portland Trail Blazers' Robin Lopez (1.5bpg, 14th in the league), +Al Horford of the +Atlanta Hawks (1.5bpg, 15th), +Dallas Mavericks' +Tyson Chandler (1.3bpg, 22nd) and +Chicago Bulls' +Joakim Noah to name a few. With any luck, he might just surpass the more highly favored Andrew Wiggins and become the first second round pick in NBA History to win the Rookie of the Year Award, but more than likely he will finish a close second and join Wiggins on the All Rookie First Team. Some other notables who have also been either overlooked or ignored are former +Georgetown Hoyas Henry Sims and Hollis Thompson--two players whom despite having very solid college careers were left undrafted and forced to claws their ways into the NBA. Sims, a 6' 10" center who had bounced around in both the NBA and the +DLeague, has so far out-shined his more highly touted and notable teammate Nerlens Noel, while Thompson has started in 21 of the 25 games he has played thus far this season. Another D League alum who has also carved a place in the team's rotation is 6' 9" swing man Robert Covington who made an almost immediate impact upon his arrival in Philly. Covington shined in the Sixers sole four wins averaging 16 points, six rebounds and almost two steals per game while providing a strong presence on the court both as a starter in 11 games averaging 16.1 points and 6,1 rebounds and coming off the bench in 13 games, 9.4 points and 2,8 rebounds. Together he along with Wroten, Daniels, Sims and Thompson have provided the Sixers and the few fans that still follow them more joy than the three lottery picks whom were supposed to be the future faces of the franchise. So to put it bluntly, it is obvious that the Sixers are in no way going to be a factor in either the Eastern Conference or the entire league for that matter as long as they continue to chase shadows while trying to build themselves on misplaced hopes and dreams. Three of the players that the organization have placed their fortunes have either been incapacitated by injury such as Embiid, proven that they are not as good as previously believed as Carter Williams, or has yet to show that he will be anything more than a role player in Noel. For basketball fans in the City of Brotherly Love, all there is left is to hope for a quick and painless death as the next three months will certainly drag on as the losses continue to mount until whatever spirit and life that is left in this team is completely snuffed out. As for the organization itself, it will no doubt continue its shameless display of losing for draft picks while trying to con its fan base that it is doing so to build for the future. Now, all we can do is simply wait for another sham of a Philadelphia 76ers season be flushed down the toilet just so they can get another chance to do it again. |
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