Sixers Season 3

[PhillyPhreak54]

One other thing about that interview that bothered me...and it was from Macnow's mouth.

He kept saying that fans in this city won't show support to our teams unless that team shows that it has a very good shot at winning a championship.

WHAT?!?!?!

Now I hear a lot of callers saying that and of course some people on the MB's out there. But what happened to Philly being a city who supported their team through thick and thin? We've always been known as a city who'll support its teams no matter what. I realize the Phillies and Sixers attendances in the early-mid 90's were bad but baseball in a 60,000+ seat stadium 81 nights a year you won't sell out a lot.

When did Philadelphia become a bandwagon town, Macnow?

[hunt]

Billy King gets through money like I get through beefburgers. It's alarming. In recent years, he has either given out or taken on the contracts of Aaron McKie, Allen Iverson, Chris Webber, Samuel Dalembert, Dikembe Mutombo, Todd MacCulloch, Greg Buckner, Kevin Ollie, Derrick Coleman, Kyle Korver, Marc Jackson, Keith Van Horn, Eric Snow, Steven Hunter, Jamal Mashburn, Glenn Robinson, Brian Skinner, Kenny Thomas, Corliss Williamson, George Lynch - you get the idea.
In recent times, he has made absolutely no mistake about spending a lot of money. He traded the expiring contract of Glenn Robinson for Jamal Mashburn and Rodney Rogers, for which all he got was 25 games of Rogers (insurance pays Mashburn's salary, but it still counts against the salary cap). He traded the expiring contract of Derrick Coleman for Corliss Williamson. He gave Iverson $80 million for 4 more years. He threw 6 years at Greg Buckner, then bought him out after 2. He chose to cut his losses and eat the big contract of Aaron McKie. He chose to cut his losses on the massive contract of Eric Snow and gift him away for what amounted to Kevin Ollie and his 5 year contract. (Kedrick Brown, the other piece of the trade, was out of the league within months). He threw $20 million at Brian Skinner, just to hire a coach that wouldn't play him. Speaking of which, he is still paying the contract of previous head coach Jim O'Brien, and has now turned to his fourth head coach in two years.

Subsequently, he trades away Marc Jackson for a second round pick citing "payroll concerns". And then gives a five year contract to his replacement, Steven Hunter. Who he then tries to trade away to the Hornets in a bid to save on payroll. Illogical, really, seeing as it was King who created those payroll concerns in the first place.

King's best moves have come on draft nights, which over the years have seen him acquire, via either drafting or draft night trades: Larry Hughes, Speedy Claxton, Todd MacCulloch, Nazr Mohammed, Kyle Korver, Sam Dalembert, Willie Green, John Salmons and Andre Iguodala. In 2001, King assembled a team around Allen Iverson that was good enough to get to the NBA Finals. It's what has happened since then, however, that has been the problem.

After Dikembe Mutombo's career slowly trickled to a near-stop, King first sought replacement in the softer, whiter Keith Van Horn, before trading him after one season for the equally soft, somewhat blacker Glenn Robinson. Neither of them turned out to be good fits. Numerous years of public clamoring for an inside presence to compensate Iverson led to a trade for Chris Webber to compensate Iverson and the youthful perimeter players picked up through the draft. And even with both players staying relatively healthy, the pairing has not worked, as the team is sub-.500 at the break, barely holding onto the final playoff spot. For such a pricely outlay (a salary cap figure of $75 million this season, already $71 million committed for 2008), that's not a good return. And it's hard to know where to go from here, unless they finally do opt to trade Iverson. Something which can never be ruled out.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Who wrote that?

I'mno BIlly King homer here because I think he should be under some fire.

But that post, and I hear a lot of Sixers fans do this, blames BIlly for a lot of things that Larry Brown did.

[hunt]

it's from an article on realgm.com...the writer rated the worst 10 gm's in the league & put billy at 6th worst.

http://realgm.com/src_feature/480/20060221/the_recently_least_successful_gms/


although we all know brown called the shots back then, king was technically the gm.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Shoot him a message and let him know that Larry Brown had a lot of those farg ups under his watch.

Billy has quite a few too. Billy took over in May of 2003.

[Rome]

I told you guys about Steven Hunter.  The signings last summer of their own free agents were even worse.

Just a horrible misjudgement of talent.  And now the Sixers are facing the prospect of a total overhaul with no financial flexibility to even begin the process.

Yay mismanagement.

Fire King and bring in a competent GM.  That should be job #1 for the dude in France... errr... I mean, Santa Barbara.

[hunt]

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/sports/basketball/13939463.htm

The Sixers actually considered this deal, mainly because Iverson, regardless of his affection for the city of Philadelphia, has had his folks pushing hard for him to be moved to someone - anyone - with a chance to win a championship.

is screamin' a full of crap as usual or is a1 asking for a trade?

you decide.

[Rome]

Detroit wouldn't want him and they're the only team in the East with a chance.

Therefore, it's gotta be a team out west and which of those three or four teams would want him?

Phoenix?  No.  San Antonio?  LOL!  Nope.  Dallas? Possibly.  You never know what that fruitcake of an owner is thinking.  The Clippers?  You never know.  The thing is, they're pretty thin talent-wise so if they did give up anyone, their team would be weakened to the point where they might not be much better than the Sixers.

Bottom line is, Iverson doesn't appear to be going anywhere because the teams that he'd want to go to don't need him and the teams that would need him don't have enough to make it worth the Sixers while to trade him.

[Wingspan]

One other thing about that interview that bothered me...and it was from Macnow's mouth.

He kept saying that fans in this city won't show support to our teams unless that team shows that it has a very good shot at winning a championship.

WHAT?!?!?!

Now I hear a lot of callers saying that and of course some people on the MB's out there. But what happened to Philly being a city who supported their team through thick and thin? We've always been known as a city who'll support its teams no matter what. I realize the Phillies and Sixers attendances in the early-mid 90's were bad but baseball in a 60,000+ seat stadium 81 nights a year you won't sell out a lot.

When did Philadelphia become a bandwagon town, Macnow?

its always has been. people just refuse to beleive it. every city wants to beleive that they the best fans.

yeah, the chances of selling out the vet for baseball were slim, but then went years averaging 15000 a night. thats pathetic. eagles home games used to black out locally all the time, the latest being in 1999.

the only team that was able to sustain attendence was the flyers.

overall we're as fair weather as anywhere else.

[hunt]

Detroit wouldn't want him and they're the only team in the East with a chance.

Therefore, it's gotta be a team out west and which of those three or four teams would want him?

Phoenix?  No.  San Antonio?  LOL!  Nope.  Dallas? Possibly.  You never know what that fruitcake of an owner is thinking.  The Clippers?  You never know.  The thing is, they're pretty thin talent-wise so if they did give up anyone, their team would be weakened to the point where they might not be much better than the Sixers.

Bottom line is, Iverson doesn't appear to be going anywhere because the teams that he'd want to go to don't need him and the teams that would need him don't have enough to make it worth the Sixers while to trade him.

dallas might lose jason terry to free agency this summer so they're the only possibility on that list.

[hunt]

Tim Thomas has expressed interest in joining New Jersey, San Antonio, Miami or Philadelphia should the Chicago Bulls not be able to trade his expiring contract today and a buyout is reached,

[MDS]

No.

[phattymatty]

he said beefburgers.


and this past weekend is just the beginning for iggy.  he now knows what its like to be in the spotlight and i think he's going to be a different player from now on.  that was just the spark he needed.

[ice grillin you]

wow...ed snider will be on with the king today...taking calls...should be good radio...be prepared for some huge damage control

[phattymatty]

what time?