76ers Blog

Sixers hire Eddie Jordan

2009-05-30T01:14:00.001-04:00

Eddie Jordan, the former Sacramento and Washington head coach, will be the next head coach of the 76ers, the team announced late Friday night.
Details of the hiring have not been released, but Comcast Sportsnet is reporting that the deal is for three years.
Jordan will be introduced at a press conference on Monday.
“I saw first-hand the immense impact Eddie Jordan had in helping the Nets reach two NBA Finals and as the head coach in Washington, he consistently put his teams in a position to win on a nightly basis," Sixers president Ed Stefanski said in a release. "He embodies all the qualities I was looking for in the next head coach of the Sixers and we are very excited to have him in Philadelphia."
With his background with Stefanski the hire should come as no surprise. Jordan was the lead assistant coach in New Jersey when the Nets went to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. At the same time, Stefanski was working his way up in the front office of the New Jersey organization.
Neither Eddie Jordan nor his agent returned calls Friday night, and a phone call and e-mail to Stefanski were not returned.
“He needs a coach and I’m a coach that’s looking for a job,” Jordan told the Associated Press shortly before he interviewed with the Sixers for the first time on May 15. Sometime this past week he interviewed a second time.
Jordan was coach of the Wizards from 2003 until this past November when he was fired after the team’s 1-10 start. In five full seasons with the Wizards, Jordan took them to the playoffs four straight years.
Jordan also was head coach in Sacramento for the final 15 games of the 1996-97 season then all of 97-98 and finished with a 33-64 record.
His overall record as a head coach is 230-288.
In his junior year of college, Jordan led Rutgers University to the Final Four. As a senior he was an honorable mention All America and set school records for asssistas and steals.
Drafted in the second round by Cleveland in the 1977 draft, Jordan went on to play for the Cavs, New Jersey and Los Angeles in his seven-year career.
The Sixers job opened up on May 11 when Tony DiLeo declined to be a considered for the post after coaching the team from Dec. 13, 2008 through the end of the season compiling a 32-27 record after Maurice Cheeks was fired.
Stefanski also looked at Dallas assistant and former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey, whom he interviewed twice, Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau, Los Angeles assistant Kurt Rambis, and former Boston and Sixers coach Chris Ford as well as Villanova coach Jay Wright. Wright backed out of consideration almost immediately and the Sixers informed Rambis earlier this week that he was out of the running.

Sixers to play preseason game in Mexico

2009-05-26T12:03:00.001-04:00

The 76ers will play a preseason game in Monterrey, Mexico on Oct. 18, the NBA announced Tuesday.

The Sixers will face the Phoenix Suns, who feature Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash and Leandro Barbosa.

This is the second time an NBA preseason game will be played in Monterrey and the 18th game in Mexico overall.

Should you feel the need to see this game, tickets go on sale June 1 at www.arenamonterrey.com.

Thibodeau interviews

2009-05-21T18:19:00.001-04:00

The 76ers confirmed that Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau interviewed with the team Thursday.
Thibodeau, who just finished his second season as a Celtics assistant, isn’t as well known as the team’s other interview candidates. Eddie Jordan and Dwane Casey have been head coaches and Kurt Rambis was a player in the NBA.
But Thibodeau, who has been an NBA assistant for 18 years, is well known as a defensive specialist and his teams have ranked in the NBA’s top 10 in defense 15 times, most recently this season in Boston.
In 2007-2008, his first in Boston, the Celtics were the best team in the league in points allowed, field-goal percentage allowed and 3-point field-goal percentage allowed. They finished in the top five in all three categories again this season.

Casey in the running now

2009-05-19T13:12:00.004-04:00

The 76ers confirmed Tuesday that in addition to Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau they will also be interviewing Dallas assistant Dwane Casey for the team's head coaching position.

Before joining Rick Carlisle's staff in Dallas, Casey last NBA position was as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves for one and a half year. In his first season he was 33-49 and was fired on Jan. 25 of 2007 with the team's record at 20-21.

According to his bio on NBA.com, Casey traveled through Europe in 2008, attending Euroleague games, practices and studying various basketball concepts. Casey began his NBA coaching career as an assistant for the Sonics, where he served for 11 seasons (starting in 1994-95). He joined the Sonics for the 1994-95 season after spending five years as a head coach in Japan. During his time abroad, Casey coached Japan’s National Team with basketball legend Pete Newell. In the summer of 1998, Casey coached the team to its first World Championship appearance in 31 years.

To date, the Sixers have confirmed interviews with Casey, Eddie Jordan and Celtics Associate Head Coach Tom Thibodeau.

Per team policy, the Sixers had no further comment on the pending interview with Casey.

DiLeo out as coach

2009-05-11T16:22:00.000-04:00

The Sixers are in the market for a new head coach.

After a meeting Monday afternoon, team president Ed Stefanski said that Tony DiLeo, who coached the team from Dec. 13, 2008, through the end of the season, had withdrawn his name from consideration to return as head coach next season. DiLeo will return to the team’s front office as senior vice president and assistant general manager.

“Tony and I had a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, during which time he informed me of his decision that he would not return as head coach next season,” Stefanski said. “I want to thank Tony for the commendable job he did this season under some unique and difficult circumstances, including leading us to the playoffs.”

DiLeo had a 32-27 record as head coach, but the team went out in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year in an embarrassing loss to the Orlando Magic.

Stefanski, DiLeo meeting

2009-05-11T14:42:00.001-04:00

Ed Stefanski is meeting with Tony DiLeo this afternoon to discuss, one assumes, his future with the organization. Will he remain as head coach or move back to the front office? That’s one of the topics to go over.
DiLeo took over as head coach from Maurice Cheeks on Dec. 13 and the team went 32-27. But DiLeo never really had to try to incorporate Elton Brand into the lineup, as Cheeks had tried, because Brand injured his shoulder just four days later.

Is DiLeo the right coach for the Sixers?

2009-05-06T18:34:00.001-04:00

Should Tony DiLeo be back as coach of the 76ers?
There are good reasons he should not. Sure, his record was 32-27 after taking over from Mo Cheeks. But that record also reflects the fact that Elton Brand went down a couple of games into DiLeo’s tenure so we don’t really know if he’d have been able to incorporate Brand into the lineup any better than Cheeks.
Then there’s the reactions of the players themselves when asked about DiLeo. Veteran Theo Ratliff was the first and harshest critic, saying after the debacle of Game 6 that the coach didn’t hold players accountable and that the lackadaisical approach led to basketball of the same sort.
The next day, Andre Iguodala gave a lukewarm endorsement, but didn’t dismiss the idea that the Sixers might need a coach who was tougher than DiLeo is perceived to be.
Donyell Marshall damned with faint praise, saying DiLeo did the best he could under the circumstances and called him the best interim coach this season.
DiLeo, who is an organization wonk, might know the game as well as anyone, but the question for Ed Stefanski now is can he inspire and/or drive the players to be better. Judging from the players words the answer to that is no.
If DiLeo is out, who is in. There are reports, starting Monday from long-time Chicago columnist Sam Smith, that Doug Collins, the former Sixers All-Star, would be interested in the job. Collins, a fomer player and current broadcaster, has coached three teams in the NBA – Chicago, Detroit and Washington. He has an overall winning percentage above .500, but in the playoffs his teams have gone 15-23.
There are other possibilities. Everyone throws around Avery Johnson, Eddie Jordan and Jeff Van Gundy. And in Philadelphia Villanova coach Jay Wright gets mentioned. There are drawbacks to the first three and Wright would have to be foolish to take on the NBA, a place where successful college coaches so often go to fail. here’s a reason only one coach has ever won the NCAA and NBA titles. It’s a players league and coaches used to having everything their way soon lose their teams.
Maybe, for once, the Sixers could think outside the box and hire someone who’s not a retread. One possibility they should explore if they decide to send DiLeo back to the front office is Tom Thibodeau. The longtime NBA assistant, currently in Boston, is known as a defensive whiz and the Sixers surely could use that.
Whatever happens, Stefanski would do well to take his time on this one and get the right guy, at least for now. I don’t buy the sizzle factor. I don’t think fans go to see the coach. But the Sixers need to get this right.

Howard suspended for Game 6

2009-04-29T17:17:00.002-04:00

Orlando center Dwight Howard will miss tonight's Game 6 against the Sixers due to a suspension, the league announced Wednesday afternoon.

Howard elbowed Sixers center Samuel Dalembert in the head with 9:15 left in the first period of Tuesday night's game.

Howard has averaged 24 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocked shots through the first five games of the series.

But Dalembert wasn't Howard's only victim. He caught teammate Courtney Lee in the face causing a fractured sinus. Lee is out for Wednesday night's game.

Matchup problems

2009-04-27T16:43:00.000-04:00

In the NBA playoffs many coaches shorten their bench.

For the Sixers, this has meant less time for rookie Marreese Speights, who averaged just 7.5 minutes in the first two games and hasn’t played at all since.

The problem, according to coach Tony DiLeo, is Orlando’s power forward, Rashard Lewis.

“We like him a lot,” DiLeo said of Speights. “We want to get him in there. The only problem we have is they play Rashard Lewis at the 4 spot a lot and that’s a tough guard for Speights, who’s used to playing an inside player and all of an sudden go out and guard an outside player. We’re going to try to find some way to get him in the game, especially if we’re struggling offensively.”

In 79 regular season games, Speights averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 16 minutes a game.

For Ratliff, age is just a number

2009-04-23T18:43:00.001-04:00

Nominally, Samuel Dalembert is the Sixers’ starting lineup.
Reality, however, says something else. In the first two games against Orlando it is veteran Theo Ratliff who is taking the bulk of the minutes at center, and with good reason. Despite his 36 years, Ratliff is playing tough against young superstar Dwight Howard.
“I used to be a smaller guy, but I’m not that small anymore so when people bang against me I enjoy that,” Ratliff said. “He’s a great athlete, a great player and he’s doing nothing but getting better. It’s a good time to be playing against Dwight.”
In Game 1, Ratliff played 24 minutes to Dalembert’s 17. In Game 2 he played 22 minutes while Dalembert played just nine.
Coach Tony DiLeo said fouls enter into the equation, but Ratliff finished with five fouls Wednesday night while Dalembert was on the bench with just four.
Ratliff isn’t complaining. After playing sparingly in the regular season he’s glad to be back in the thick of it.
“You go through a full season and nothing really changes about the routine you go through,” he said. “I’ve felt good all year. I’ve always felt I should have been out there, but it’s up to the coaches and their decision. But I welcome this challenge. I welcome being able to be out there on the floor and play against a guy of his standing. I’m just trying to help the team win.”

Playoff tickets on sale Wednesday

2009-04-07T16:49:00.000-04:00

Tickets for 76ers first round playoff games go on sale Wednesday, April 8 at 10 a.m.

Prices start at $15 and are available at the Wachovia Center box office, at sixers.com or by calling 1-800-298-4200.

The Sixers are also holding an open house on Thursday, April 9 at the Wachovia Center to give fans an opportunity to preview full season ticket availability for the 2009-10 season. It will run from 6-8 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The first 100 fans to purchase a new full season ticket package Thursday will receive tickets to Fan Appreciation Night against the Boston Celtics on April 14, plus tickets to the Sixers first game in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Young out for awhile

2009-04-01T16:32:00.001-04:00

Sixers forward Thaddeus Young had an MRI Wednesday and after reading them he was diagnosed with a sprain and a bone bruise.
What that means for Young is an air cast and crutches. What it means for the Sixers is they'll be without his services for two to three weeks.
Effectively, that's the rest of the regular season, which ends on April 16. Depending on how quickly Young heals, he could also miss some playoff games.

Young injured

2009-03-31T20:12:00.002-04:00

Forward Thaddeus Young went up to defend Josh Smith's shot late in the first quarter of Tuesday night's game.
He didn't stop the shot, but the play was far costlier than that. As Young came down his right foot landed on Smith's right foot and Young's ankle twisted. He crumpled to the court. As Donyell Marshall and Theo Ratliff helped him from the court, he could put no pressure on his right foot at all.
A preliminary exam indicated an ankle sprain as X-rays were negative. But a high ankle sprain, which usually involves ligament damage, is sometimes worse than a break. If that turns out to be the case, Young could miss considerable time.

A star is born?

2009-03-31T17:09:00.001-04:00

Sixers forward Andre Iguodala took part in a skit on Jimmy Fallon's show on Monday night.

Check out the video: http://www.redlasso.com/ClipPlayer.aspx?id=da75fe7f-41f3-4d55-b33a-6cb794cbfaa3

Is this the start of a post-basketball career?

Sam speaks

2009-03-04T14:10:00.001-05:00

After Monday night’s game in which he played just under 13 minutes, Samuel Dalembert was nowhere to be seen. That’s not that unusual after the kind of game Dalembert had. Guys hide in the training room, drag out their showers and outwait the reporters who are on deadline.

On Monday, Dalembert escaped to the team’s locker room then told the team’s public relations director he wouldn’t talk.

Tuesday, however, he did, finally commenting on the performance of David West, who went 6-for-7 in the first seven minutes of the game.

“I did make him shoot over me and he hit the shots and that happens,” Dalembert said. “I just think he was on fire.”

Dalembert also said he’s frustrated when he’s forced to sit and watch.

“It’s very upsetting, but what can you do?” he said. “I cannot go out there and sub myself.”

Sixers hold line on ticket prices

2009-02-23T09:45:00.002-05:00

The Sixers announced Monday that they won't be raising ticket prices for 2009-2010. That's good news for season-ticket holders and other fans, but isn't it almost a no-brainer?

“We recognize that these are very challenging economic times and we know people have many different options for their entertainment dollars,” Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko said in a release. “We value each and every one of our fans and we are personally committed to working with them so they can enjoy the Flyers, the Sixers or the Phantoms. Our ‘Fan Relief’ offers are tailored to their needs and desires based on their feedback.”

Luukko also announced that neither the Sixers nor the Flyers would raise ticket prices for the 2009-10 season. In fact, the Sixers will make more tickets available at the $15 price level.

There's always been this idea that professional sports are recession proof, but maybe that's because we haven't had times like these in the modern era of obscene salaries and high ticket prices. Something has to give and it should be the athletes and the high-salaried execs. But no, the answer for many struggling sports teams has been to lay off low-level staff, you know, the kind who live paycheck to paycheck like so many of us. (As far as I know, the Sixers have not done this, but a number of teams have either done it or talked about it.)

Globetrotters on the house

2009-02-22T16:57:00.001-05:00

The Harlem Globetrotters will play a game on the roof of the Spectrum on Tuesday, March 3 before playing at the Spectrum on Sunday, March 8.

To promote their appearance, Globetrotters star Anthony Blakes was at the Sixers' practice facility on Sunday to show Sixers players tricks and tips after practice.

Miller day to day with calf strain

2009-02-19T13:22:00.001-05:00

Sixers point guard Andre Miller had an MRI on his right calf Thursday morning then met with team orthopedist Jack McPhilemy.

After reading the MRI and examining Miller, McPhilemy concluded that the original diagnosis of a strain was correct. Miller will be listed as day-to-day.

Miller has played in 501 straight games, the longest streak in the league. The Sixers don’t play again until Saturday afternoon in Miami.

Miller was injured in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s game against Denver.

Brand out for season

2009-02-05T17:16:00.000-05:00

Six weeks after dislocating his right shoulder, Elton Brand has elected to have surgery and will be out the rest of the season, Sixers president Ed Stefanski announced Thursday.
The surgery is scheduled for Monday afternoon at the Wilmington Surgery Center, where Brand had his ruptured Achilles tendon repaired in 2007.
According to a release from the team, Brand’s MRI results were reviewed by team orthopedist Dr. Jack McPhilemy and Wilmington orthopedic surgeon Dr. Craig Morgan who concluded that the initial tear of the labrum in Brand’s right shoulder is responsible for a considerable decrease in the range of motion and instability that made it impossible for him to play effectively.
Brand first tried non-surgical treatment during the first five-and-a-half weeks after the Dec. 17 injury, and was back in action on Jan. 24 against New York. He played five more games after that before finally sitting out the second half of Tuesday’s game against Boston with what he said was stiffness in his shoulder.
The team initially said an MRI done on Wednesday showed that the injury was healing, but Morgan and McPhilemy determined that to reduce the risk of further damage to the shoulder, surgery is needed.
“Elton wanted to do whatever he could to get back on the court and initially elected to forgo surgery in order to help his teammates,” Stefanski said in the release. “He worked as hard as he could over the past six weeks to return, however the scope the injury would not allow it.”
Brand, who was signed as a free agent last summer, finishes with averages of 13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.55 blocks and 1.3 assists in 29 games.

Dalembert toughs it out

2009-01-31T19:07:00.001-05:00

Less than 24 hours after twisting his ankle badly enough that he had to be helped off the court, Samuel Dalembert was back in the lineup against New Jersey.
“We have a great staff,” Dalembert said before Saturday’s game. “Yesterday we kept it under control soon after everything happened and this morning we kept it under control. I used my (hyperbaric) chamber. …We used some of the electro-magnetic thing from the doctors we have. I don’t know which one is working. I did a lot of treatment this morning with our trainer and our staff stays on top of it.”
Dalembert, who usually forgoes taping, had his left ankle heavily taped. He said his ankle felt fine when he ran, especially after he had warmed up.
But there’s almost no doubt that part of the reason Dalembert was so determined to play was his streak of 235 straight games – 236 after Saturday’s start – intact.
“It’s something I wanted to do so bad for myself,” he said.

Young goes home again

2009-01-26T17:43:00.000-05:00

Sixers forward Thaddeus Young was scheduled to host 200 kids from the Dryades YMCA and the New Orleans Recreation Department Basketball Skills Program for Monday’s game against the Hornets in New Orleans. He is also scheduled to meet with them after the game.

Born in New Orleans, Young became involved with the Dryades Y in the summer of 2005 when he visited the Y to see how construction was going after a fire destroyed the gym in 2000. Impressed, he asked if he could come back when the building was completed to shoot the first hoop as part of the grand reopening, but later that summer Hurricane Katrina intervened.

While the building survived, construction was set back. When Young returned to New Orleans during his rookie season, he was pleased to see the organization up and running and hosted 100 kids at the Sixers game in November of 2007.

Young has other strong connections to New Orleans including his father, Felton Young, who was an All-State basketball player at Holy Cross High School in the early 1970's; his sister, Talisha Young, a redshirt member of the University of New Orleans Privateers Women's Basketball team; and his second cousin Karen Carter Peterson, a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing the 93rd District since 1999 and serving as Speaker Pro Tempore since 2008. Ms. Peterson led the Obama campaign in Louisiana and was also instrumental in bringing the Hornets to New Orleans from Charlotte.

Brand might return by weekend

2009-01-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

Elton Brand won’t play tomorrow night when the Sixers host Portland.

But after his second straight practice, he’s optimistic that he’ll be back on the court soon, maybe as soon as this weekend.

“We’re gonna leave it up to the training staff, the doctors,” he said. “We’re gonna meet again, but maybe both or maybe the second one. It’s gonna be gradual. It’s not gonna be an automatic 38 minutes.”

Although Brand’s minutes might be monitored, he said he won’t hold back on the court.

“I just can’t play like that. That’s how I got in this position in the first place. I’ve just got to dive for loose balls, block shots and anchor the defense and score buckets, do what I have to do.”

Brown still has Philly in his heart

2009-01-09T19:23:00.002-05:00

PHILADELPHIA – When Larry Brown walks into the Wachovia Center it’s like he’s visiting royalty and the stream of pre-game visitors is nearly constant.

It is one of Brown’s quirks that he doesn’t find it at all odd to be the head coach of one NBA team while gushing about another.

“I live here,” Brown said before his Charlotte Bobcats took on the Sixers. “This owner (Ed Snider) has been… After I lost my job in New York he gave me a great opportunity to come back and stay involved. There are a lot of people I’m really fond of.”

And when Brown says he lives here, he means that literally. He has kept his Main Line home where his wife, Shelly, and their two children, L.J. and Madison, reside full time and Brown gets back as often as he can. On Christmas Eve, for example, Brown took a chartered jet from Charlotte to Philadelphia, and brought local players Matt Carroll and Sean Singletary with him.

It wasn’t his first trip back, either. He squeezes in visits whenever a break in the Bobcats’ schedule allows.

“They’ve always been good to us so it’s great coming back,” he said of the Sixers and the city. “Now we have a World Series Championship and maybe even a Super Bowl. It’s pretty neat.

“This franchise is an important part of my life. I had an unbelievable experience being part of it.”

BROWN ON DiLEO

Brown expressed his sympathy over the firing of Maurice Cheeks, to whom Brown was close.

But he also has a solid relationship with Tony DiLeo, who replaced Cheeks.

“Nobody’s been more loyal to this franchise than Tony,” Brown said. “He’s contributed in so many ways. I know when I was coaching here he was always somebody I could count on. He had great input about the draft. You hope it works out for everybody.”

For his part, DiLeo said he learned a lot about coaching from watching Brown during his six years in Philadelphia.

“He had a big influence on my coaching philosophy because his teams always play hard, they always play defense,” DiLeo said. “He’s a teacher. He sees things out on the court a lot of people don’t see. He pays attention to detail and makes sure things are right. Those are a lot of things we’re trying to do. We’re trying to be a great defensive team. We’re trying to play hard every night, pay attention to detail. That was Larry’s biggest influence on me.”

HOME COURT

Brown has another little quirk that he’s used for years. He’ll start players when the team goes to their hometown.

Friday night, that meant Carroll and Singletary started at guard.

“If you’ve got a guy on your team who does things the right way and you know he’s coming home and he’s got a lot of friends,” Brown said. “ I’m sure those two guys are using more tickets than anybody else. How many times do their friends and family get to see them play as starters. You’re just showing them you appreciate what they’re doing and what they’re about.”

The practice was adopted from Dean Smith, Brown’s coach at North Carolina.

“I always feel good about it,” he said. “I played for a coach that at the end of the game he’d take you out so you’d get a big hand. He tried to take kids to play in their hometowns. If they came to North Carolina he’d schedule games for them. I think anything you can do to show them you appreciate what they’ve done is helpful.”

Miller Time?

2009-01-09T16:53:00.001-05:00

Andre Miller’s contract expires at the end of this season, and it’s no more certain now than it was last season that Miller will re-sign with the Sixers.

“We’ve been talking to Andre’s agent and neither party has come to any conclusion,” Stefanski said. “I think time will tell on all these things as far as your personnel. I just don’t think we’re there yet to make a decision either way.”

For his part, Miller said he’s trying to focus on his job.

“I haven’t talked about anything,” Miller said. “It’s not really important right now. Every player thinks about that for a little bit, but I’m just trying to block it out and concentrate on the rest of the season.”

Whether he’ll spend the rest of the season here or not could be up in the air as well. The trade deadline is Feb. 19, and if the Sixers still aren’t playing well, moving Miller might make sense.

But Miller said he doesn’t want to be the player who demands a trade to a contender.

“I don’t know,” he said. “My career, I’m almost 33. Every player wants to be on a contender, but I don’t want it to seem like if I was going that way, that it would be a bailout on the team. But I do understand that it’s a business. I’m not going to fall into that trap. I’m just going to continue and go out and do my job.”

Brand not likely to hear it from Clippers fans

2008-12-20T19:32:00.001-05:00

Elton Brand spoke about his dislocated right shoulder before Saturday night’s game, but actual news was scarce.

Brand, who was sitting at his locker with his arm in a sling, said he’ll still be out a month even though there has been some improvement since Wednesday in his range of motion. That said, he is still in pain and expects to be for some time.

That means the post-Christmas, Western Conference road trip is almost surely out. And that means no return to Los Angeles when the Sixers play the Clippers on New Year’s Eve.

“Definitely, I’m sad,” Brand deadpanned. “I know all those fans want to wish me a Happy New Year.”

Brand spurned the Clippers for the Sixers over the summer.