推 hanway:我倒是覺得這篇非常實際耶 11/05 11:58
推 willyt:重建路上還是有很多阻礙的.... 11/05 17:56
hoopchina 有原文翻譯，不過是人家的東西，我就不轉了，
不過我覺得這篇有點樂觀就是...
Sixers think they have shot
http://tinyurl.com/2v8q6w
By PHIL JASNER
jasnerp@phillynews.com
IF BILLY KING'S three-phase plan to rebuild the 76ers, to make them relevant
in the NBA's Eastern Conference, is on schedule, this season should represent
the calm before the storm.
And it will be calm.
We'll have to see about the storm. For now, it is a long way off.
But just about the only ones who believe they can have even a modicum of
success this season are those who are in the gym every day.
Reporters, columnists and broadcasters who are paid to make predictions
almost universally see them at the bottom of the conference. That doesn't
make them correct, but it is a consensus.
"I've always liked being picked low," Kyle Korver said. "I've been picked low
my whole life. That's something I've always kind of thrived under."
All anyone with a rooting interest can hope is, it's just a phase.
Phase 1 began with an acceptance that everything the Sixers had tried since
their electric run to the 2000-01 Finals had been an abject failure. The
reclamation project began with the trading of franchise player and four-time
scoring champion Allen Iverson, and continued with the buyout of Chris Webber.
Those moves gave Maurice Cheeks the freedom to coach an eager, young group in
a conventional style for the first time. They also gave King, the
president/general manager, two additional first-round draft choices in June
and precious salary-cap space next summer, when the Sixers conceivably can be
major players in free agency and the trade market.
Last season's Sixers still ended up in the lottery for the third time in four
seasons, but won 17 of their last 26 games and developed confidence and
chemistry. At the same time, Cheeks, King and the front-office brain trust
were able to see who could play and who could not. For all of Iverson's
talent, his domination of the ball and increasingly rebellious approach had
made that virtually impossible.
Phase 2, where the Sixers are now, includes the additions of first-round
draft choices Thaddeus Young and Jason Smith and second-rounder Herbert Hill.
It also includes a full training camp and preseason with veteran point guard
Andre Miller, acquired from Denver in the Iverson deal.
(Hill, easily the surprise of training camp and the preseason, underwent
surgery on a torn meniscus in his left knee. Dr. James Andrews performed the
procedure in Birmingham, Ala. Doctors say Hill will return in about 4 to 6
weeks.)
King and Cheeks have a huge stake in all of this. Both are in the final
season of their contracts. Ed Snider, the chairman of the ownership group,
has steadfastly refused to call them lame ducks, but he also hasn't rushed to
offer extensions.
(Full disclosure: I initially predicted a record of 30-52, but I'm starting
to wonder whether they can win that many games.)
Phase 3, then, is a long way away.
"I thought about that all summer," Andre Iguodala said. "There's probably a
group of 25 of us, including players, coaches, people in the organization,
who believe we can succeed.
"There are also some fans. But you can't let it get you down. It bothers me
sometimes, but on the court you have to compete. On the court, all that
negative stuff is out the window."
Different people have different definitions of success for this team this
season. Iguodala, seemingly on the doorstep of All-Star status after
averaging 18.2 points, 5.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2 steals, is perhaps the
most optimistic.
"I hate losing," he said, "so I'll say making the playoffs. I think people
make us a longshot, that we shouldn't even think like that. But if we can get
off to a good start . . . Everybody here knows we have no choice but to rely
on each other. We don't have Hall of Famers on this team, but we've got a
team of guys who can play well as a group. Any night can be our night; we've
just got to take care of business."
Business doesn't promise to be very good.
"I understand people probably doubt us, which is fine," said Korver, who
reached career highs last season at 14.4 points, 44 percent shooting, 43
percent three-point shooting and 91.4 percent foul shooting. "I don't think
we've earned the right for people to really be on our bandwagon yet. We have
to earn that. We all believe we can succeed, but we're not sitting here
asking for people to say something positive about us.
"Success, to me, would be for us to continue to get better. I don't want to
throw out numbers, playoffs, things like that; I want to see what we have
here blossom. I want to see us grow together. The guys in this locker room
really like playing with each other; we have a lot of young talent that has a
real shot; you've seen bits and pieces of it here and there."
If winning is to be your barometer, this could be difficult to watch on a
regular basis. It might be a situation where you want to peek in from time to
time to see how things are developing. In order to find enjoyment and
fascination in the season, it will help to focus on:
* The continuing blossoming of Iguodala, who averaged 20 points, 6.7 assists
and 6.1 rebounds over the final 29 games of last season and became one of 10
players chosen for the U.S. Select Team that helped prepare the National Team
for the Olympic qualifying tournament in Las Vegas.
* The similar blossoming of guard Lou Williams, a 2005 second-round pick out
of an Atlanta-area high school who has become one of the team's more
accomplished scorers. Williams got off to a terrific preseason start, then
faded, still trying mightily to master the necessary skills of a scoring
guard who will see time at the point.
* The greening of Young and Smith, the Nos. 12 and 20 picks, respectively, in
the June draft. Smith, at 6-10 1/2 and showing a willingness to bang with
bigger opponents, will be in the rotation; Young is clearly a talent, but at
19, with just 1 year of experience at Georgia Tech, is behind the curve. That
comes as no surprise or particular concern, because that is what the front
office anticipated.
* The return to form of scoring guard Willie Green, a full year removed from
knee surgery.
* The growth of Cheeks as a coach, able to infuse his philosophy and style
into an accepting group, free of the stubbornness of Iverson and the
declining skills of Webber.
At the same time, there are problems and deficiencies everywhere.
Center Samuel Dalembert, who appeared in one preseason game, is on his way
back from a stress fracture in his left foot that surfaced as he was
completing his time with the Canadian National Team in August. That's a
situation that could become problematic for a 6-11, now 267-pound center who
depends on his legs for the explosiveness necessary to run and jump at this
level.
Backup big man Shavlik Randolph is coming back from a fractured and
dislocated left ankle suffered Nov. 30 of last season. As we learned with
Green last season, the first season back from that type of injury can leave a
player tentative and a step slow.
While the top-tier teams have an ability to sometimes spread the floor with
shooters and force defenses to pick their poison, the Sixers struggle to do
that. Korver is their only truly accomplished shooter; Green, Iguodala and
Rodney Carney can be streaky, Miller doesn't have three-point range and
Williams is just finding his way.
Reggie Evans, acquired from Denver in a trade for Steven Hunter, gives them a
rebounding presence they haven't had, but is limited offensively. Any scoring
he does will be on put-backs, dunks and free throws.
"One thing about the NBA is, a lot of teams will not respect their opponents
sometimes, will think they have an automatic win, or may just not want to go
hard," Evans said. "You have to take advantage of those [games]. That's where
hard play comes in. I feel like that's the only way we're going to win, to
have any success."
There is, of course, the obligatory supportive view from within the division.
"They played basically .500 ball [after the Iverson trade]," New Jersey coach
Lawrence Frank said. "Now, they have the benefit of a whole training camp.
People sometimes dismiss it, but having chemistry, that's a talent in our
eyes. There are always teams no one addresses during [the preseason] that are
right there during playoff time. I think Philadelphia could be one of those
teams."
And there is the view from the front office.
"Everyone thought we would fall apart after the [Iverson] trade and buying
out Webber, but we fought to the end and played over. 500," senior vice
president of basketball operations Tony DiLeo said. "I think we'll surprise
teams. If the players use [where they've been predicted to finish] as
motivation, that's great, but it's a good group that works hard. The coaches
will put them in a position to win, as they did last season, and they'll keep
them together.
"We want to see improvement, individual improvement, improvement of team
defense and rebounding; those are the keys we're concentrating on. We want to
see the team grow. If we can see that [growth], I think that will translate
to success."
And there is a realistic view, albeit tinged with hope.
"Everybody made trades and we kind of stayed pat with our young guys," said
guard Kevin Ollie, entering his 11th season in the league. "[People have] low
expectations, are picking us last. On paper, we look like the worst team in
the division, but on the court it's not about paper, it's about challenging
each other, going out and playing hard.
"We have to play hard each and every night, not look past anybody, because we
can't do that. Our margin of error is real short." *
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