Andy Natalie's Philadelphia 76ers fan blog

Deja Vu?

For the 2nd straight year the Pittsburgh Penguins have the daunting task of taking on the legendary NHL original franchise, Detroit Red Wings. For the Red Wings this is old hat.

Truth be told however, the I believe the Penguins have kicked it up a notch over last years team. Led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin the Penguins can score on anyone. Notice the output in the playoffs thus far:

  GP G A PTS +/- PIM ATOI PPG PPA SHG SHA SOG SPCT
Sidney Crosby, C 17 14 14 28 12 12 21:42 5 4 0 0 63 22.2
Evgeni Malkin, C 17 12 16 28 3 22 21:17 5 7 0 0 80

15.

But this is not a top heavy offense as you can see: Also playoff stats

                                                       GP          G          A          PTS      +/-

Continue reading "The Battle For The Lord (Stanley That is): Pittsburgh Penguins"

All season Cleveland established themselves as an NBA Eastern fave! Led by MVP LeBron James the Cavaliers have put together a quality team. Their weak link however has been an inconsistent bench.

As the playoffs began the Cavs seemed to be playing at a high level though. In the first 2 rounds they steamrolled Detroit and Atlanta. As a result they were not exactly battled tested.

On the other hand Orlando began the year as a elite team in the East but somewhat sputtered through the season. Losing Jameer Nelson for the better part of the season did not help either. Ironically as the playoffs began against the 76ers rookie Courtney Lee has stepped up his game significantly. This has added a reliable offensive option as he also adds another 3 point shooter to the Magic line up.

Continue reading "Is This The Real Orlando?"

As LeBron James continues to establish himself as the numero uno player in the NBA, he also continues to get a lot out of his teammates. There is no question that Head Coach Mike Brown deserves a lot of credit also.

Although I would like to say that I think the media downplays the Cavaliers roster. They are not a roster of Hall of Famers or a line up of All Stars, but they do have a group of talented role players who understand what they need to do.

All of this brings us to a team that has a chance to contend for an NBA title for at least a few years to come. At the same time there is an underlying story that have many media reports and rumors convinced that LeBron is headed to New York, particularly the Knicks, when his contract is finished.

The logic for this decision is that LeBron will have more opportuniy to capitalize on his fame. Suggesting that endorsements are more plentiful in a media mecca and a large city market. Is that the case?

Continue reading "Why Leave Cleveland if Your LeBron?"

Tony DiLeo to my surprise and glee has withdrawn consideration from returning as Head Coach. He seems like a nice chap but I always thought he was in over his head. Then again I never had much confidence in Mo Cheeks either.

Honestly I find the NBA lacking in quality coaching. I also think coaching is under rated in the NBA. The media and fans assume great players will carry teams forward. And yet great coaches still get more out of their teams then the mediocre coaches that fill the sidelines of this league.

Look at Pheonix. DiAntoni leaves and the team goes into the dumper. Yes he fell short of getting over the hump but he was losing to great teams with good coaches. Like the LA Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for example.

Now while the Sixers are not stock piled with enormous natural talent, I do believe that a good coach could come in and assign accountability and specific roles and goals for each player. Whatever happened to development? And the team should play team defense!

Continue reading "Thanks Tony; You Can Go Now"

  Roster as of MAY 2009

NO. NAME POS AGE HT WT COLLEGE 2008 - 2009 SALARY
42 Elton Brand PF 30 6-9 254 Duke $13,757,844
1 Samuel Dalembert C 27 6-11 250 Seton Hall $11,238,564
30 Reggie Evans PF 28 6-8 245 Iowa $4,640,000
33 Willie Green SG 27 6-3 201 Detroit $3,388,000
9 Andre Iguodala SG 25 6-6 207 Arizona $11,300,000
12 Royal Ivey PG 27 6-4 215 Texas $854,957
8 Donyell Marshall PF 35 6-9 245 Connecticut $797,581
7 Andre Miller PG 33 6-2 200 Utah $10,333,334
50 Theo Ratliff C 36 6-10 235 Wyoming $797,581
4 Kareem Rush SG 28 6-6 215 Missouri $797,581
14 Jason Smith PF 23 7-0 240 Colorado State $1,326,360
16 Marreese Speights PF 21 6-10 245 Florida $1,542,600
23 Lou Williams G 22 6-2 175   $4,500,000

Continue reading "Looking Ahead For The 76ers"

The reports of Manny Ramirez being suspended is still resonating through the sports world. It is the second big name to be exposed since the PED's testing became a federal issue, literally a federal issue.

Alex Rodriguez was a bombshell of sorts, but it was allegedly a past transgression, so a suspension or fine was not applicable. And while others, like J C Romero of Philadelphia have been suspended under the new rules, Manny is the first superstar to be given a 50 game suspension. Not the first star to be busted and suspended however.

Remember the pointing finger Raffy? Yes Rafael Palmeiro received a 10 game suspension at the close of his career for failing a Performance Enhancing Drug test.

Lost in all of this is another big issue however. At least as far as I am concerned. And frankly shame on those who are turning the other cheek on this issue. What issue you ask?

Continue reading "The Forgotten Story Behind The Manny Ramirez Suspension"

What a surprise LeBron James wins the 2008-2009 NBA MVP. And while this is not a shocker I did think Kobe Bryant earned a little more love than he got from the voters. But who am I kidding, James was going to take this one hands down.

Congrats to the man-boy! He is a amazing. I say man-boy because he is a stud but he still has a boyish charm and energy level. Don't forget he played last summer in the Olympic games.

Honestly I think he learned a lot from that experience. Alhthough he clearly had improved every year in his first 5 years in the NBA, he has taken his game to the Jordan esque level. Most notably his defense. I believe he has surpassed Kobe as the best all around player in the NBA. And that is not a knock on Mr. Bryant. He is still a factor in this league.

Continue reading "Let The "James" Begin"