George Karl “apologizes” to Iverson

(Short break from Sixers topics ON)

A pretty interesting interview to George Karl was just published on the Denver Post’s site. The former coach of Real Madrid (ok, who remembers this? few of you, just admit it…) among the other things talks about the quick exit from the playoffs and how he managed our boy Allen Iverson (left, wearing the nicest jersey of his career as a Sixer, in his rookie year.. he looks better than in a Nuggets uniform, right?).

It’s a nice, even long reading: for the whole story you can click here, but if you want to know his words reguarding AI, just follow me for few lines.

The key sentence is this: “I didn’t do enough to help A.I., and I didn’t do enough for JR and LK – J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza. Melo and Nene had outstanding series but I was still learning AI – (!!) – and I just didn’t figure out how to get him easier shots and do more for him when he was struggling. We could have had better spacing on the floor so the Spurs cound’t smother him. He wanted so badly to win and I failed him – (!!). I’m evaluating what more can we do for A.I. next season”.

Trade him, perhaps?

Ok, smart ass comments aside, here we have some new news (…) and some old news. These last ones are:

So it’s #12. Let’s have fun, then

I really enjoyed following the lottery live yesterday night, chatting with my friend Sixerguy on Yahoo messenger. It was pretty fun, first the long awaiting, between endless commercials and stupid interviews, then the quick conclusion.

At the end of the day we will pick at 12th, not exactly surprising, since we had like the 93% of possibilities to end up there…

So what are my feelings? First one is the “I knew it” phase, the typical italian-smart-ass-attitude, well backed up by mathematical possibilities this time.

Second came the “Holy shit” phase, since I realized that Seattle got the #2 overall pick (= Kevin Durant) after losing only 4 games more than Sixers.

Here I went back to the “I knew it” phase, because I wrote several times that with a SMART – not dirty – tanking we could have had more ping pong balls, and this without losing our dignity *** COUGH *** unlike Boston… ** COUGH ***.

I mean, it wasn’t that difficult to lose another 4-5 games at the end of the regular season, but Mo Cheeks & co thought the opposite, so we’re stuck at #12. Whatever.

S4G rates for the season (IV): front court

Time to finish my rates with our big men

I am writing these BS.. pardon, lines, while waiting for the lottery draft, let’s hope the first italian Sixers blog brings some good luck, and that we can land another quality big man, God knows how much we need him. So:

SAM DALEMBERT

As soon as I was about to quit on our starting center (here pictured in a funny mismatch), he started playing really good.

So much for my basketball knowledge…

He really had a nice season, and finally showed some real improvements. Impressive the one from the free throw line, where he ended with an excellent 74% . Better than, say, Willie Green’s 66%…

Sam finished with 11 + 9 + 2, with 54% FG. Also reduced his fouls (!). Started being consistent, built a nice jumper from middle range. Put a strong, rebounding PF beside him and we’re ok for the next 2-3 years.

S4G rates for the season (III): swingmen

Ok let’s go on with our debatable rates…

It’s time to proclaim the best Sixer of the season:

ANDRE IGUODALA

By far #1 Sixer this year. When Iverson was traded he understood he had the chance to become the new franchise player and took advantage of it. He played like an All star in the second part of the season.  He will be an All star next season.

Let’s hope Billy King WILL overpay him next summer, he did it with Kenny Thomas, Willie Green, Brian Skinner and other bums, this time I woulnd’t mind if he’d do the same with a player like Iguodala…

Sixers4guidos picked Andre Iguodala also for its head-to-head league team, one of the few good notes of an awful Yahoo fantasy basketball season.

Amazing player and a cornerstone for the future of this franchise.

Rate: 8

KYLE KORVER

Well, you all know that the first italian Sixers blog is biased when it comes to talk about Korver. I really love the guy and the crush started even before he came in the League. Maybe it’s funny to tell this story.

S4G rates for the season (II): back court

ANDRE MILLER

I do like this guy (left, in his debut as a Sixer, playing vs New York on December 23th).

A real playmaker like we haven’t seen for many years. Maybe since Johnny Dawkins. Or Maurice Cheeks (the player, I mean). And it’s not only that he’s old school, he’s really good too.

One of the reasons Sixers had that kind of exciting (?) end of the season. I won’t start the “makes the others better” bullshit debate, maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not, but the point is that he makes the team play well, sets up his teamates, can decide a game with an assist o a clutch shot when needed.

A keeper for the next two seasons at least. Then we’ll see how Louis Williams has developed.

Rate: 7,5

WILLIE GREEN

As much as my hatred for the guy is well documented (well, not only mine, but I’m one of the leaders of the anti-Green party), I have to say he had a good season and I have to give him props for how he recovered after that bad injury. He’s definitely a NBA player, something I really doubted before. Now we can (and MUST) trade him, his trade value can’t get any higher.

Rate: 7

S4G rates for the season (I): GM and coach

Ok, enough with the BS, time to judge our season seriously.

The first italian Sixers blog will give rates from 1 to 10, in a scale that pretty much goes like this: marks from 1-3 mean “terrible”, 4 “very bad”, 5 “bad”, 6 “decent”, 7 “good”, 8 “excellent”, 9 … well, I won’t use marks over 8 I think…

It all starts with the head, so:

BILLY KING 

PLUS: got a good package out of the Iverson trade. Two first round picks, a real PG like Andre Miller and a more than serviceable big man like Joe Smith (that we all honestly thought of only as an expiring contract, forgetting that he still can play). Drafted pretty good again, even if the jury is still out for Rodney Carney: for sure he’s not an Araujo kind of pick, at least.

Buying Chris Webber out was a good move as well. Not BK’s fault if he got rejuvenated in Detroit (see the next rating for further details). Sixers salary cap situation is still complicated but improved. From “horrible” to “tough”, say.