Posts Tagged ‘Thaddeus Young’

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Sixers’ Collins Out As Coach, In As Adviser

April 18, 2013  ·  11:59AM



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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – For any father or son, the reasons Doug Collins gave for leaving his coaching job with the Philadelphia 76ers for a less taxing consultant’s role make perfect sense.

Collins has grandchildren he wants to spend more time with in his golden years, he wants to watch his son, Chris Collins, now the coach at Northwestern, thrive in the family business.

After giving the last 40 years of his life to the game he loves and the merciless grind that is the pursuit of a championship ring, Collins wants his next four or five years to be on his terms.

“There’s a lot of things I want to enjoy,” Collins said. “I think it’s every man’s dream to be able to live that life that you work so hard to try to live. And that’s what I want to do.”

He knew it at Christmas, when he had to be away while “the grandkids were opening their presents,” that he was done coaching, that he didn’t have the energy to give to the profession the way he knows great coaches have to if they’re going to do the job the justice it deserves.

It wasn’t about wins and losses, Collins said this morning as he addressed the media in Philadelphia. No amount of either would have changed his mind. The sacrifices had become too great, the benefits, financial and otherwise, that come with a NBA coaching job were outweighed by the important moments a proud father and grandfather had to miss.

“I didn’t get down to a Duke game last year,” Collins said. “My son … I want to see him grow, want to see him coach. That’s important to me.”

If only Jrue Holiday, Even Turner, Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes and the rest of the players he coached through a tumultuous season this year in Philadelphia had been just as important. Collins never told them of the exit strategy that had been brewing for months. They were left to the rumblings that grew into rumors the past couple weeks and into full blown hysterics last week.

Collins is a brilliant basketball mind. No one disputes that. And he’s a fine coach, as passionate as he is relentless about teaching the game and as focused and fanatical as they come in his profession. Widely regarded as one of the best analysts around, Collins chose to dive back into coaching three years ago with the franchise he’s always considered home.

He was not pushed out the door. Sixers owner Josh Harris made that clear before Collins said a word this morning.

“Doug is not being pushed out,” Harris said. “I would love to have him back as my coach. This is his decision … I want to make that unequivocally clear.”

A decision that no doubt became clear to us all during that infamous February postgame rant when Collins seemed to crack under the pressure of a season gone awry. “Go back and listen to the transcript,” Collins said. “I didn’t throw anybody under the bus. I spoke the truth. We played our best basketball after that.”

Andrew Bynum, the Sixers’ prized summer acquisition from a blockbuster trade that saw Andre Iguodala, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless traded away for the All-Star center, didn’t play a single second this season.

Instead of contending in the Eastern Conference a season after a surprise run to the conference semifinals, the Sixers finished ninth in the East and four games out of the eighth and final playoff spot, despite playing their “best basketball” in the six weeks after his frustrations boiled over.

I don’t care how diplomatic they try to be, the Bynum debacle stained this season for Collins, Harris and the entire organization.

“We spent $84 million and don’t have much to show for it,” said Harris, who was extremely careful when talking about Bynum and what the Sixers’ plans are regarding the soon-to-be unrestricted free-agent big man. “You look at our cost per win, and its pretty low.”

Collins plans to serve as an adviser to Harris the next five years, a time-frame both men referenced, as they work to increase that cost per win number.

His days of, as he put it, “trying to be Frederick Douglas, Dale Carnegie, Dr. Phil and then trying to draw up a play to win the game,” are over. He said he won’t get the coaching itch again.

He’ll leave that to guys like Michael Curry, the only one of his assistants to get a public endorsement for the coaching vacancy in Philadelphia during Monday’s festivities.

“Michael Curry has been a head coach before,” Collins said. “What he’s done here defensively has been remarkable. I think Michael’s ready. The thing about it is, they are going to get a great coach. This is a great city …  to me, this is a win-win. They get a great a coach and it gives me a chance to do some of the things I want to do.”

http://www.nba.com/2013/news/04/18/sixers-collins-resigns.ap/index.html

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Blogtable: Under-The-Radar Stars

December 5, 2012  ·  10:54AM




Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

Week 5: Under-radar stars | Kobe’s legacy | Fix this, please

Who is someone who has gone under the radar so far, someone playing better than anyone expected?

Steve Aschburner: I’m using this to plug Marc Gasol. Not that he’s been off the radar, exactly, but he has been playing at such a high level for the team with the NBA’s best record,  in what is and always will be an overlooked market, that it’s important that he not be overlooked. How good has Gasol been, both in terms of getting his own and helping teammates get theirs? I’ve had at least three coaches and/or scouts suggest that he’s the early-season Most Valuable Player. And that Erik Spoelstra comparison, mentioning Gasol  in the same breath as Arvydas Sabonis, is high praise indeed.

Fran Blinebury: While James Harden has gobbled up all the headlines and Jeremy Lin all the hype, Chandler Parsons, 38th pick in the 2011 draft, is averaging 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and shooting 42.9 percent on 3s to help put the high octane into the fastest-paced offense in the league that makes Houston relevant again.

Jeff Caplan: I’m going with a guy that is putting himself out there for Most Improved Player, and that’s Rockets big man Patrick Patterson. In his third season, the former Kentucky Wildcat is a full-time starter for the first time and is proving he is deserving of the promotion. Averaging 30.1 minutes a game, the 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward-center has nearly doubled his scoring from a year ago to 14.6 points a game and is shooting 51.1 percent, even showing he can knock down a 3 from time to time (12-for-32, 37.5 percent). He’s averaging 5.3 boards a game, up from 4.5 last season. On the second night of a back-to-back at Oklahoma City last week, he had 27 points and six rebounds. He’s scored at least 20 points in four of his last five games and has has shot at least 50 percent in nine of his last 10.

Scott Howard-Cooper: O.J. Mayo probably can’t be considered under the radar — well known since high school, lottery pick coming out of college, a subject of attention for not building a career in Memphis — but I don’t think anyone saw this start in Dallas coming. He went from being able to get only a two-year free-agent deal in the summer, the second as a player option, to the top 10 in scoring. It’s not just the absence of Dirk Nowitzki, either. Mayo is shooting pretty well and with range.

John Schuhmann: I don’t think he’s necessarily playing “better than anyone expected,” but Thaddeus Young has definitely gone under the radar so far. Jrue Holiday, thanks to big bumps in his scoring and assist numbers, seems to be getting most of the press for the surprisingly 10-8 Sixers, but Young has been the team’s best player once you consider both ends of the floor. His scoring is actually down on a per-minute basis, but he’s rebounding well despite being out-sized at the four every night, and he’s holding the Sixers together defensively. Bottom line: he’s a plus-76 for a team that’s been outscored by 31 points overall. The Sixers are much better both offensively and defensively when he’s on the floor.

Sekou Smith: Chandler Parsons is doing the impossible this season in Houston, trying to have a breakout year with Jeremy Lin and James Harden hogging up all of the spotlight. But Parsons is averaging 15.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 41 percent from deep and doing all of this in the considerable shadow cast by two of the league’s most popular young stars. While Lin and Harden endure their share of ups and downs as faces of the franchise, Parsons has continued his role as one of the best bargains in basketball (he’s making a fraction of what those other two guys are and will in the very near future, but is second on the team in scoring and rebounding and third in assists).

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Sixers Lack Continuity, But Still Deep

October 5, 2012  ·  5:02PM





PHILADELPHIA – In getting off to a hot start last season, the Philadelphia 76ers had two big advantages over other teams. The first was continuity. They had made minimal changes to their roster and brought back guys who played an incredible 99 percent of their minutes from the previous season.

The second advantage was depth. The Sixers didn’t go 10 or 11-deep, but they had three or four guys coming off their bench – namely Evan Turner, Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young – who could keep the scoreboard going in the right direction. That trio was especially strong offensively, and the Sixers outscored their opponents by almost eight points per 100 possessions when the three were on the floor together.

“We had three guys coming off our bench who were capable of being starters,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said at training camp on Friday.

Turner eventually did become a starter. And that should be a permanent thing this year. The Sixers don’t have nearly the same continuity as they had last year (only 45 percent of last year’s minutes were played by guys on this year’s roster), but they should once again have little drop-off, especially offensively, when they go to their bench.
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Posted in 2012 Training Camps / Comments (25) /

Sixers Raise Their Ceiling With Bynum

August 10, 2012  ·  7:08AM

HANG TIME NEW JERSEY — Typically, a young team that’s coming off a deep run in the playoffs will mostly stand pat and continue to develop. But in the two and a half months since they pushed the Boston Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Philadelphia 76ers have blown it up.

Elton Brand was amnestied. Lou Williams was shown the door. And now, All-Star Andre Iguodala is being sent to Denver as part of the four-team trade that sends Dwight Howard to the Lakers and brings Andrew Bynum to Philadelphia. The Sixers are also sending second-year big man Nikola Vucevic, rookie wing Maurice Harkless, and a draft pick to Orlando, and getting veteran shooting guard Jason Richardson from the Magic.

As much of a feel-good story as the Sixers were last season, they knew that they wouldn’t have defeated the Chicago Bulls in the first round had Derrick Rose not blown out his knee. And they clearly believed that there was a ceiling with the group they ended the season with. They were honest with themselves and there was no standing pat.

Losing Brand and Iguodala, Philly has downgraded at both forward spots. And sacrificing Brand (who was on the last year of his lucrative contract) to sign Nick Young still doesn’t make any sense. But there’s plenty of sense in taking advantage of the Magic’s desire to become the Bobcats and acquiring a seven footer who will make an impact on both ends of the floor.

Bynum’s biggest impact typically comes on defense, but the Sixers were already a top-five defensive team, and they also just traded the best perimeter defender in the league. So they’re not going to improve much, if at all, on that end of the floor. Instead, Bynum’s presence will mean more offensively.

For the first time since Allen Iverson left in 2006, the Sixers have a guy who can draw double-teams, a requisite for a successful offense. And for the first time since Charles Barkley left in 1992, they have someone to give the ball to on the low block. (more…)

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Posted in Free Agency 2012, HT News / Comments (97) /

After Playoff Run, Sixers Shake It Up

July 21, 2012  ·  11:25AM





HANG TIME NEW JERSEY – The Boston Celtics have reloaded with Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Jeff Green. The Brooklyn Nets have spent over $300 million on their new starting lineup. The New York Knicks lost Jeremy Lin, but added depth. And the Toronto Raptors have upgraded their rotation with the additions of Kyle Lowry, Landry Fields and Jonas Valanciunas.

Overall, the Atlantic Division is on an upswing. But what of the Philadelphia 76ers, who were, at one point, one of the last five teams still alive in the 2012 Playoffs?

With seven players in their rotation under the age of 25, the Sixers could have stood pat and kept improving. Instead, they let go of two of their biggest contributors, allowing free agent Lou Williams to sign with the Atlanta Hawks and using the amnesty clause to waive Elton Brand.

In their place are Nick Young (signed to a one-year deal), Dorell Wright (acquired from Golden State) and Kwame Brown (two years).

With young guards/wings Maurice Harkless, Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner on board, it’s understandable why the Sixers didn’t want to commit long-term to Williams. But Brand was on the final year of his contract, and the Sixers clearly downgraded in their frontcourt. (more…)

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Posted in Free Agency 2012, HT News / Comments (43) /

Reports: Sixers To Sign Clippers’ Young; Plan To Part With Williams, Brand

July 6, 2012  ·  2:24PM





Just as Philadelphia’s notorious sports boo-birds began clearing their throats for a little un-brotherly love over their NBA team’s offseason inactivity, the Sixers made some noise of their own.

There were a myriad of reported items for the Sixers on Friday, starting with an agreement on a one-year contract worth approximately $6 million for shooting guard Nick Young. Then the Sixers made even bigger news, making clear their plan to use the CBA’s amnesty clause on veteran power forward Elton Brand, as ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reports:

Brand will still collect the full $18 million that the Sixers owe him next season, but he will first be offered to teams under the salary cap through the waiver process, with under-the-cap teams able to lodge bids for him.

Sources tell ESPN.com that the Dallas Mavericks, under the salary cap after being foiled in their pursuit of marquee free agent Deron Williams, have interest in claiming Brand through the waiver process.

In the event that he goes unclaimed on waivers, Brand would then be free to sign as a free agent wherever he chooses.

They also will not be bringing back combo guard Lou Williams, a free agent who – off the bench – was Philadelphia’s leading scorer last season (14.9 ppg in 26.3 mpg). Williams removed any uncertainty about his Philly future by going the D-Will route and tweeted the news himself:

Philly, I appreciate you all. Unfortunately I will not be coming back, as an organization they decided to move in a different direction. (more…)

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Posted in Free Agency 2012, HT News / Comments (51) /

Celtics Must Get In The Paint In Game 7

May 25, 2012  ·  1:05PM

PHILADELPHIA – Points in the paint are often cited as a key to a game or playoff series. And that makes sense, of course. Shots from the paint are better shots than shots from outside the paint. And if you’re getting more of the former, you’re probably playing more efficient offensively.

But not all teams score the same. You can have an efficient offense without scoring a lot of points in the paint, with the Clippers and Thunder as two examples of that this season.

The Boston Celtics don’t score a lot of points in the paint and they don’t have an efficient offense, either. But their points in the paint has been a key to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Overall, the Sixers have outscored the Celtics 232-206 in the paint over the course of six games. The Celtics have only had the PIP advantage once (Game 3). And Philly has actually scored more points in the paint in their three losses (124) than they have in their three wins (108). The big difference has come on the other end of the floor.

Celtics-Sixers points in the paint

Game BOS PHI
Game 1 38 40
Game 2 32 32
Game 3 50 38
Game 4 26 34
Game 5 44 46
Game 6 16 42
BOS wins 44.0 41.3
PHI wins 24.7 36.0

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Posted in 2012 NBA Playoffs, NBA.com/Stats / Comments (10) /

How Boston ‘Iced’ Philly In Game 2

May 18, 2012  ·  10:20AM

PHILADELPHIA – It’s not clear if Brian Scalabrine is ready to retire yet, but he’s already in preparation for his next career.

Comcast SportsNet New England, which broadcasts Celtics games, hired Scalabrine to provide pre-and postgame analysis during the Celtics-Sixers series. So, there he was, in a suit at TD Garden on Saturday, talking about the Sixers just 48 hours after Philly had eliminated his own Chicago Bulls.

The former Celtic got a huge ovation from the Garden crowd when he was shown on the Jumbotron on Saturday. But Scalabrine’s finest moment of this postseason came after Game 3, when he asked Rajon Rondo one of the smarter questions you’ll ever hear in a postgame press conference.

“The adjustment on the side pick and roll,” Scalabrine said, “you guys went to the ‘ice’ or the ‘down,’ or whatever you guys use in your terminology. Do you like that better than going over the top with the ‘show’?”

“I like it better,” Rondo replied. “I don’t think they do. Their offense, we watched the first couple of games, they got into the paint pretty good on the side pick and rolls. And it led to corner threes, it led to the high-low. I think we took a clip from you guys. You guys ‘iced’ a lot of the side pick and rolls in that series, and I think they struggled offensively. I think we did a good job tonight. The bigs did a great job talking, and guards kept fighting over, even when they did step up and set the side pick and roll.”

OK. So what the heck does it mean to “ice” a pick-and-roll?

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Posted in 2012 NBA Playoffs, Film Study / Comments (7) /

Sixers Banged Up, Too

May 13, 2012  ·  6:51PM





BOSTON – Before the Eastern Conference semifinals began, the Boston Celtics were the team with injury issues. Paul Pierce (knee), Ray Allen (ankle) and Avery Bradley (shoulder) are all banged up.

But the Philadelphia 76ers may have been the team more affected by injuries in Game 1 on Saturday. Thaddeus Young suffered a bruised shin and sprained ankle in the second quarter when he got kicked by Ryan Hollins. And Elton Brand was dealing with a sore neck that’s been bothering him for the last week.

Neither is expected to miss Game 2 on Monday (7 p.m. ET, TNT), but neither was very effective in Game 1 either. They combined to score just nine points on 3-for-9 from the field and 3-for-8 from the free throw line.

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Posted in 2012 NBA Playoffs / Comments (5) /

Blogtable: Our Midseason Awards

February 22, 2012  ·  9:48AM

Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

At the season’s halfway point (roughly), give me your Sixth Man, Coach and MVP of the first half. (In that order. And expound a little.)


Steve Aschburner: James Harden is my Sixth Man halfway through, same as he was before this thing began. His team is winning, he’s playing well and he isn’t starting – done! I’m going with Philadelphia’s Doug Collins over San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich for COY because Collins has gotten the Sixers to buy in even though they’re young, rely on defense and don’t line up behind any superstars to get their results. My first-half MVP is Miami’s LeBron James, whose all-around game and killer efficiency gives him the separation from Dwyane Wade that conventional wisdom said would make it tough for either of them to win this award while teammates.

Fran Blinebury: Sixth man: James Harden. The Thunder have the best record in the league and his numbers across the board are a career-best. Coach: Doug Collins.  Recent stumble notwithstanding, nobody expected this. MVP: LeBron James. It shouldn’t be debatable.

Scott Howard-Cooper: James Harden, a scorer and a playmaker and an important reason the Thunder has set the pace in the West the entire season. Coach: Gregg Popovich in a close call over Doug Collins, just because it would &!#% off Popovich to have to go to center court to accept the award. OK, and because the Spurs remain near the top of the conference despite meshing youth with experience while overcoming the Manu Ginobili injury. MVP: LeBron James, the best player on the best team, or on any team. (more…)

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