Written by Zach Harper | 15 December 2008

Maurice Cheeks out in Philly; DiLeo in as interim
By Darren Spicer

The city of brotherly love just turned their backs on head coach Mo Cheeks.  After starting the season at an abysmal 9-14, the 76ers fired Cheeks on Saturday, making him the fifth head coach fired this year.  This comes at the heels of Philadelphia's major off-season acquisition of star PF Elton Brand.  It was thought to be the ultimate coup for a team that already featured a steady PG (Andre Miller) and the uber-athletic Andre Iguodala.  But just 23 games into the '08-'09 season, the 76ers decided to part ways with the well-traveled Cheeks. 

A team that turned things around at the end of last year's season, Philadelphia's offense has struggled out of the gates so far.  Going into Saturday, the 76ers were shooting just 43.7% from the field, and a lowly 29.9% from downtown.  So why can't this team find a rhythm?  Iguodala, Brand and Miller are all team players, and it seems as if no one has been able to step up and lead this team.  They are currently averaging 93.8 ppg, one of the lowest in the league.  Their defense is fine, giving up only 94.8 per.  Which leads me to this question:  Is Elton Brand really as good as he once was?  Or is it just wishful thinking.....Currently, Brand is averaging 16.4 ppg, a far cry from his career average of 20.1 ppg. 

Personally, I don't think Maurice Cheeks is a bad coach; I do believe, however, that this franchise needed to make some sort of wave to rejuvenate its' squad.  Philadelphia is too talented to be under .500 (especially in the East), and I strongly believe they will make the playoffs this year.  So can Tony DiLeo get this team back on track?  DiLeo follows a trend this season of moving from the front office to the bench.  For the past five years, he has served as an assistant GM.  Other notable facts on DiLeo:

*Played basketball at Tennessee Tech and LaSalle University
**Coached professionally in West Germany
***Been part of the 76ers organization since 1990

No matter who is coaching this team, Cheeks and DiLeo included, one thing is certain: Philly needs to get back to their form of late last-season.  They must improve their outside shooting, and use the athletes they have (Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Miller) to get buckets in transition.  By doing this, they can use Brand to trail plays, while using one of their bigger advantages (athleticism) to push the ball on other teams.  If they don't,  they won't win very many games scoring at such a low clip.  They currently rank 28th in 3-point FG%, and Philly might need to make a trade to pick up a shooter if they continue to put up bricks.

Prediction:  Time will tell with DiLeo at the helm, but I would look for Philadelphia to turn things around in the next month.  I see them making the playoffs, and finishing somewhere around 42-40.  Look for either Brand or Iguodala to STEP UP and be the leader of this team.


How about thoughts from the weekend instead?
By Zach Harper

Other than the Hornets-Raptors game (which was a pretty good battle), there really wasn't a good game yesterday that was worth recapping. And since I was in and out of the Nola-Toronto game, I don't feel that it would be proper for me to speak on it with a full review. So I'll just give some thoughts on the weekend that was in the NBA:

- Let me give me brief thoughts on the Sixers' firing of Mo Cheeks. It was a hasty decision that was not well thought out and seems premature. You gave him a team without a go-to guy (Brand has never been that) that has pieces who don't exactly mesh (Dalembert and Brand) and you expect him to be a top team in the league. How about time to get this thing going? After all, this team is locked in for the next five years together.

- As great as Dwyane Wade has been, I really don't see him as an MVP candidate. Why, you angrily ask? His team isn't going to win more than 43 games this season and this weekend was a perfect reason why. A bad home loss to a good Hawks team isn't embarrassing but it's a game that MVP candidates don't let their teams lose. And then being blown out by Memphis in Memphis is a terrible loss. I know his team talent is awful, but having an average or slightly above average team based on record shouldn't warrant an MVP award.

- I hope everyone (even you Lakers fans) can recognize that the Celtics are the best team in the NBA right now. They're defense is simply too stifling and their role players always come through. Dominating the Hornets in the second half of Friday's game was all about determination.

- Danny Granger had 42 points in a loss against Detroit on Friday. If he had a better coach with crunch time play calling, they probably could have won that game.

- I did a Q&A for Project Spurs on MVN last Friday. I predicted the score of the Spurs-Wolves game to be Spurs 98, Wolves 84. The final was Spurs 98, Wolves 86. That felt pretty cool and I was actually wishing for Randy Foye's meaningless lay-up at the end of the game to be blocked.

- By the way, the Wolves lost back to back games with a score of 98-86. Elias, when's the last time that happened?

- Jason Richardson will fit in fine with the Suns. In his debut against Orlando, he slashed perfectly and knocked down shots. But it still doesn't make them a better team, just different. They still can't defend the top of the key.

- LaMarcus Aldridge is a terrible on-the-ball defender. Zach Randolph exposed him Friday night.

- One last final thought: the Lakers have struggled this past week. They had an embarrassing loss to the Kings in Sacramento. Then they barely beat an undermanned Suns team. Then they struggled with Sacramento again at home before pulling out the win and followed that up with a similar performance against Minnesota. And yet, they went 3-1 while struggling. This is still a really good team. I can't wait for the playoffs.

Denver Nuggets (16-7) at Dallas Mavericks (13-9) at 4:30pm PST League Pass
By Brandon Gallawa

When these two teams previously matched up on November 7th, Denver had just traded for Chauncey Billups. They won that match-up, and it initiated their best start since 1976. They had also matched-up with what most would consider a much different Mavericks team. The Mavs on the other hand were off to a tepid 2-7 start. Since then they have gone 11-2 while going 7-1 at home during that stretch.

The Nuggets are in the midst of a three-game winning streak, but those three wins have come against short-handed cellar dwellers in the West. They have been dominating through the early part of this month with a 4-1 record and a +16.8 point differential. Billups has served as an anchor and leader for the club. Kenyon Martin and Nene Hilario haven't played this well in 2-3 seasons and Carmelo Anthony has been a scoring machine. Anthony is averaging 25.4 PPG on 51% shooting from the field and 52% from three over his last five games, and he is also averaging 7.8 rebounds and 2 steals per game in those contests. Anthony hasn't played significantly better on the road, but he has been good enough to lead the Nuggets to a 7-4 road record.

The Mavericks are coming off of back-to-back home wins against the Bobcats and Thunder and have been even better to start the month of December. They are 6-1 so far this month (both the teams have lost to the Spurs) with all of their games being at the American Airlines Center. Dirk Nowitzki is making a strong early push for player of the month honors. He is averaging 32.7 points, 10.2 boards, 3.2 assists and 1 block per game on 51% shooting from the field and 94% from the line. Those are absurd numbers. In fact I just went back to make sure I read them correctly. The real difference-maker between the Mavs that started out so poorly and the Mavs that have been doing nothing but win has been Jason Terry. He has led the team in scoring 5 times and has had 19 points or more in 13 of the last 14 games.

Key Match-Up: Chauncey Billups versus Jason Kidd
The best head-to-head match-up should be Billups and Kidd. These two have 25 years of combined NBA experience. Their veteran leadership is what gets their respective offenses going, and they both set the tone for how their teams will play. Kidd is averaging a very Kidd-like 9.7 points, 8.5 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game. It is just ridiculous that a 35-year-old point guard can still put up those types of numbers. Billups is no slouch himself. He is averaging 18.3 points, 7 assists, 1.4 steals per game on 44% from the field and 89.5% from the free throw line. He also has shot 41.5% from three and is hitting 2.1 per game from long range. Whichever PG plays better tonight should win the game.
Prediction: Dallas wins it behind another strong performance from the big German


How about you get caught up in some Knicks vs. Suns tonight?
By Zach Harper

I figured that it wasn't enough for you to get a great game preview from Brandon; you might as well get an adequate one from me that is more about drama than the actual basketball being played. Monday night's game between the Suns and the visiting Knicks is less about the Suns' new look with Jason Richardson and more about Mike D'Antoni visiting the team that loves him more than their own coach. D'Antoni had some prickly words for Steve Kerr, Shawn Marion, and Robert Sarver on Friday.

(Via Ben's Suns Blog)
"It really burned that we had four straight years of competing at the highest level, yet, in the end, (management's) attitude was like we didn't win a championship so we didn't do nothing," declared D'Antoni, whose teams during that stretch averaged 58 victories. "That really burned me more than anything!"

"At that point it kinda got out in the papers that an internal difference of opinion and philosophies existed concerning defense and discipline. Between Games 3 and 4 I started to think seriously it was over. I was not definitive about leaving. But after we got knocked out I reassessed everything and felt it would be fair to no one to try to put it back together again."

"I'm a head coach, I'm neither an offensive nor a defensive coach. I'm a basketball coach. Maybe I should go to a seminar. But I think I know how to guard a guy. How do I get a player to guard a guy? Well, that's harder to do."

"I told them we're too far along, we're not going to change their personalities. As long as they apologized I treated them like men."

"Guys would occasionally be late for something, or they'd get upset about whatever, but it never became a big problem. Then, it comes out I didn't punish a player for doing something in 2005, or I didn't fine a guy for doing something in 2006. Come on, that's weak. That stuff was thrown out there simply to try to justify their position."

"I've been on teams with a problem. The Suns were never a problem. There were nuisances. Players had quirks. Some guys might not have liked their role, might not have liked playing second fiddle, might not have been happy campers all the time. But, you know what, you win and it all goes away."

"Management had a different philosophy. I wanted to tweak things. If you're going to make me change this and change that the players would've caught on and said, 'Who's in charge? Who's really coaching the team?' At that point, the determining factor was, am I in position to do a good job? I was too close to the players to go into something that didn't work. I definitively didn't want to put anybody in that position."

With all that said, Mike D'Antoni first appearance in Phoenix should be a mixed bag of emotions for Suns fans. They should applaud him for bringing life back to the Phoenix Suns organization. Through Bryan Colangelo's vision and Mike D'Antoni's system, the Suns became the most watchable and enjoyable show on an NBA court in a long time. Sure, he left the team for the highest bidder and some fans will feel resentment towards that but I hope they put everything in perspective and realize that it was the best move for him. Both teams come in with major question marks.

For the Suns, can Jason Richardson bring back some scoring life to this team? Will they begin to run more to satisfy the players' craving for fast speed? If this team runs, will they be a contender again? And for the Knicks, can this team of less-than-talented players continue to put up points and make games competitive? Do they have LeBron's locker already picked out? Whatever the answers are, this should be a dramatic and fun game to watch.

Key Match-Up: Mike D'Antoni versus Terry Porter
One of the reasons that Mike D'Antoni was so successful in Phoenix and is seeing similar success (relatively) in New York is that he was able to suck teams into play his up-tempo style even though they weren't used to it and they were ill-equipped to succeed at it. Well, the Suns do have the weapons to do run with D'Antoni's new team but they may not have the coach's "okay" to do so. If Terry Porter tries to run with D'Antoni, it will undermine everything he's taught so far. If he tries to keep it slower paced, his players will probably be frustrated and confused on the court. D'Antoni can get his team to win with these kind of mind games.
Prediction: I think the Knicks pull off the website because they're in better practice of running than the Suns are.



By Zach Harper

"I'm still trying to find my mojo. I'm trying to get my [swagger] back. We have to get it right on both ends. Defense is way harder than offense. You can knock a couple of shots down, but you have to get right back on defense." -- Michael Beasley after the Heat's loss to Memphis on Sunday

Ladies and Gentlemen, your #2 pick of the 2008 NBA Draft. I'm not going to say, "I told you so" when this guy ends up being more Glenn Robinson than Bernard King. And I'm not going to gloat when this guy ends up being a waste of a top two pick. But what I am going to say is that this guy who is supposedly one of the top impact young guys in the world just figured out that you have to get back on defense after you score. Don't ever give him a max contract.



Top 3 of the Night
1. Kevin Durant - 28 pts, 14 rebs, 3 asts, 4 blks, 46 mins
Since Scotty Brooks took over the Thunder and correctly moved Kevin Durant to small forward, Durant has been great. He's averaging 25.1 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 47.9% from the field and 50% from the three-point line. His performance last night nearly upset the Spurs.
2. Pau Gasol - 18 pts, 11 rebs, 6 asts, 3 blks
Pau was amazing against the Wolves in the Lakers 20th win of the season. He completely dominated the small frontline of Al Jefferson, Craig Smith, and Ryan Gomes. Pau is having the best season of his career and should be an All-Star in Phoenix.
3. Jeff Green - 33 pts, 4 rebs, 4 asts, 14-23 fg
Over the last two games, Jeff Green has scored a high volume of points with fantastic efficiency. Even though the games have been against Dallas and San Antonio, he's scored 58 points on 24-39 shooting (61.5%). It's possible that the Jeff Green era has begun in the NBA. Or he's just playing really well this week.

Bottom 3 of the Night
1. Randy Foye - 5 pts, 6 asts, 4 tos, 2-12 fg
Why is this man a starting point guard in the league? Because Kevin McHale is maladroit at building a team. He'd be much better as a Ben Gordon type of Sixth Man in this league. But that would require some analytical thinking in the Wolves' front office.
2. Jason Kapono - 7 pts, 1 reb, 3-14 fg, 1-7 3fg, 36 mins
Kapono had a tough time getting good looks against guys like Rasual Butler and James Posey. A better shooting night probably results in a better chance for the Raptors to pull out a tough home loss to one of the top teams.
3. Peja Stojakovic - 10 pts, 4-13 fg, 2-7 3fg, 38 mins
He didn't have a truly awful game and his team did end up winning, but Peja Stojakovic has been anything but one of the top shooters in the league this year. His abhorable (I just made that up) shooting this year is killing my fantasy team.


Here are the Top Blog Posts from yesterday.

1. From NBA.com via ballerblogger-
Rick Kamla, awkward as ever, interviews Greg Oden
2. From Both Teams Played Hard-
Cubes No Likes the Frohawk
3. From NBA Fanhouse-
Tom Ziller, our fearless leader, considers Eddie Jordan in Philly



To check out today's media fun, click this link and scroll down to Section 8. 

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