As I’ve said over the past few days, I am really happy that Allen Iverson is once again a member of the Sixers. I grew up a fan of The Answer, and he remains my favorite active basketball player (Sir Charles will always top my list). I freely admit that I was misty eyed during Monday’s night announcement of the starting lineups and overwhelmed with emotion.
That being said, I take issue with Iverson showing up late on his first night back in town. He hadn’t even played a game and already he was breaking the rules. Iverson arrived at the Wachovia Center around five minutes to six last night, little more than an hour before tip off.
The cause? “Traffic,” said Iverson, having to answer questions once again about a subject that caused so many problems with coach Larry Brown during his first go around with the Sixers.
So what was new coach Eddie Jordan’s reaction to his new star’s tardiness? “No. It didn’t mean anything to me,” …
“A 6 foot guard from Georgetown…”
Come on, tell me you didn’t get goosebumps. Whether you like Allen Iverson, or hate him, you watched Monday night. And if you’re an AI fan, you made sure to set the DVR and get home in time to turn the game on a little before 7 PM to make sure you didn’t miss the starting lineups, which you knew would be televised.
In case you missed it, the video is below.
Yea, the Sixers lost, and A.I.2 ended up stealing the show with a point performance, but it was really special seeing No. 3 back in a Sixers uniform again. True, it’s obvious he’s lost a little on his shot, and still has some work to do before he gets back to the appropriate NBA conditioning level, evidenced by his scoring only 11 points in 37 minutes and missing seven of his 11 shots….
Saturday was a tough night for Philly sports.
Peter Laviolette’s debut as the new coach of the Flyers was not exactly the first impression he was hoping to leave the faithful of the Orange and Black. It was a debut that will leave a bitter taste in his mouth for some time to come. And it started immediately.
The Washington Capitals struck in the first minute of the game, as well as on five of their first 17 shots on their way to an 8-2 win. All without star Alexander Ovechkin.
The firing of coach John Stevens was supposed to be a wake up call for the reeling Flyers; a jolt to jump start a run back up the Eastern Conference standings. Instead the Flyers looked as bad as ever. Goalie Ray Emery continued to struggle, having his worst outing of the season. He allowed five goals before being replaced by backup Brian Boucher midway through the second period, giving him a 5.36 goals-against average and .814 save percentage …
Sixers’ GM Ed Stefanski announced Wednesday that the team has agreed to terms with their former number one pick, Allen Iverson. The deal is reportedly a non-guaranteed prorated contract for the league minimum, meaning the Sixers would owe Iverson approximately $600,000 and would be free to cut him before January without being responsible for the remainder of his contract.
Iverson, agent Leon Rose, and his personal manager, Gary Moore met with Stefanski, assistant GM Tony DiLeo, coach Eddie Jordan and assistant coach and former teammate Aaron McKie on Monday to discuss the possibility of his return.
Stefanski and Rose met again on Tuesday.
Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider gave his approval for the deal on Monday, saying that the final decision was up to Stefanski and the basketball operations people.
The Sixers, losers of seven straight, are in desparate need of a pick-me-up. Point guard Lou Williams will be sidelined another seven weeks with a broken jaw. Starting in his place is rookie Jrue Holiday. They have the second worst attendance …
There are currently two debates raging in the Philly sports world.
First, who wants Sixers’ center Samuel Dalembert out of the city more: Dalembert, or the city? According to a report this morning by ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Sixers are in talks with the Sacremento Kings, and possibly the Boston Celtics, about a deal that would send the embattled center to the Left Coast for Kenny Thomas. The Celtics would get Andres Nocioni. Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine would also come to the Sixers, and the Kings would get J.R. Giddens.
According to the Philadelphia Daily News’ Sixers’ beat reproter, Kate Fagan, the deal does not appear to be close to happening. She also remarked, “don’t think Dalembert is content being a Sixer. His party is actively looking for a new home for the Sixers’ center.”
On the flip side, a comment by The 700 Level’s Enrico Campitelli aptly sums up the city’s feelings on the possible departure of the former Seton Hall grad:
Okay, let’s play a game. Here’s …
Consider your suffering eased, I have returned. After a month and a half hiatus, I am back at Hot Stove Philly, and you may all now breath a collective sigh of relief. Woo. Good.
Unfortunately, it seems I may have returned to the Philly sports world with little to be excited about. The Phillies season is over. The Eagles are inconsistent at best, and embarrassing at worst. The Sixers make the Eagles look good. The Flyers are the best thing going, and they’re in fourth place in their division. Could it be possible that the Phillies’ off season is the most interesting thing in Philly sports right now?
As the kids say today, wtf mate?
Despite another incredible season that saw the Fightins get to their second straight World Series, they were clearly outmatched by a superior Yankees team. The Bronx Bombers had better hitters, better starting pitching and a better bullpen. Hard to win when under those circumstances.
The series put into sharp contract the glaring holes that need to be addressed by GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and …
I have gotten a lot of criticism over the past several days, from readers and friends alike, over my cold indifference to the idea of Michael Vick playing for the Eagles. I have a couple friends who now refuse to root for the Eagles, and have received numerous emails from readers claiming they are done with the team, a few going as far to say they will never watch an NFL game again.
I do not like Mike Vick at all. I never have. I know people who went to Virginia Tech with him and have heard a number of stories about what a jerk he was even back then. I have never thought he was a very good quarterback, despite being an impressive athlete. I am an animal lover and thought what he did was morally abhorent and offensive. I do not believe that he is genuinely a changed person or that he all of a sudden believes that dog fighting is now evil. I think he has a team of PR people that told …
The Sixers are expected to sign 7′-1″ center Primoz Brezec within the next couple days.
The native of Slovenia agreed in principle to become Samuel Dalembert’s backup on Tuesday.
“I think Primoz will fit in well in [new coach] Eddie Jordan’s system because he’s a shooter, he can pick and pop, and he’s savvy,” said Brazec’s agent Marc Cornstein, who also represents Dalembert. “He gives them insurance and flexibility up front.”
Brazec entered the NBA in 2000 as the 27th-overall pick by the Indiana Pacers. He has career averages of 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while playing with the Pacers, Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors.
In other news, it appears as though the Sixers will not be re-signing forward Donyell Marshall.
“He did a wonderful job for us last year,” said Sixers GM Ed Stefanski. “But right now we feel like we are going to go in a different direction. Right now our thought process is to bring a couple of guys into camp to compete for that spot.”
Last …
Former head coach Randy Ayers is rejoining the Sixers as an assistant coach for the 2009-2010 season.
Ayers lasted just 52 games in 2003-2004 as the successor to head coach Larry Brown after spending six seasons as his assistant.
“You move on, you move forward,” he said last night. “If you don’t, the game will pass you by.”
Ayers joins Mike O’Koren, Jim Lynam and Aaron McKie as assistants to new head coach Eddie Jordan.
The Sixers were 21-31 with Ayers at the helm before he was eventually replaced that offseason by Chris Ford. Since then, he has logged two seasons as an assistant with the Orlando Magic and two under Jordan with the Washington Wizards.
“It’s great to be back, especially with an organization I respect, and with Eddie, with whom I’ve had a good rapport,” Ayers said. “Once he talked to me about his plans and what they’re trying to do, I was fine with it. And coming in with Eddie makes it feel right for me. We just …
Free agent guard Royal Ivey is re-signing with the Sixers.
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Oh sorry, I fell asleep there because I was suffering from an extreme case of not caring.
Apparently Ivey tweeted on his twitter (that sounds so dirty doesn’t it?) on Saturday that he was, “Going back to Philly!”
According to a report by Philadelphia Inquirer Sixers beat writer Kate Fagan, barring an unexpected fallout, he will be back for a second season.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sorry again.
Ivey opted out of the second year of his contract in mid-June, instead opting to travel the league, finding out first hand that no other teams even know he plays in the NBA, let alone want to sign him.
He averaged 3.0 points per game last season for the Sixers (yea, I know, who knew?).
Reports out of Portland are that free agent guard Andre Miller has signed a deal with the Trailblazers. According to ESPN, Miller signed a three year deal worth $21 million, with $14 million guaranteed in the first two years and the rest in a non-guaranteed third year. He earned $10.5 million last season with the Sixers.
In a statement, Portland GM Kevin Pritchard said ”We are excited to add a player of the caliber and character of Andre Miller. He is one of the league’s iron men who brings a wealth of veteran leadership to our team and is a great fit for our young and improving roster.”
Over the course of 221 regular season games for the Sixers, Miller averaged 15.9 points and 5.9 assists per game.
“I hope to provide veteran leadership to a young talented nucleus and help Portland take the next step in the pursuit of a championship,” Miller said in a statement released by the Blazers.
The signing leaves the Sixers with Lou …
It was announced Tuesday that the Sixers and rookie point guard Jrue Holiday have agreed to a contract. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, based on the sliding scale for NBA rookies, as the 17th pick overall, Holiday is expected to make at least $3.4 million over the next two seasons.
“We’re very happy to have Jrue under contract, and we expect big things from him,” said Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski. “He’s got a lot of work in front of him, but we expect him to fulfill his potential.”
Holiday may have to fulfill that potential sooner than initially expected, as the talks between the Sixers and point guard Andre Miller have all but broken down. Reports coming out of the Sixers’ organization yesterday were that Miller would definitely not be back, and a sign-and-trade deal was looking less and less likely. There have also been separate reports by TNT’s David Aldridge that Miller is negotiating a deal with the …
