07-08 Philadelphia 76ers Season Thread

[PhillyGirl]

I just spit iced tea all over myself laughing at that picture.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

That picture is begging for a p-chop thread.

[PhillyGirl]

Another RIDICULOUS blowout.

[SunMo]

what is this wackadoo talking about?

Playing Isn't Fun

Despite Sixers' win, Dalembert says playing isn't 'fun'
By PHIL JASNER
Philadelphia Daily News

jasnerp@phillynews.com

SAMUEL DALEMBERT must be looking for fun in all the wrong places. He must be, because he put up 22 points on 10-for-11 shooting and swept 13 rebounds in the 76ers' 117-83 blowout of the Seattle SuperSonics and sounded as if he hadn't been having any fun at all.
Before the game, the 6-11 center talked almost wistfully about what it might be like to have a full-time big man coaching him, about wishing he was playing more minutes. Afterward, he talked long and hard about how it sometimes becomes difficult going in and out of games, about something - he never got specific - remaining "still confusing."

He said that he didn't have a problem with his teammates, didn't have a problem with coach Maurice Cheeks, but that, "because I'm a joker," people don't always take him seriously. He mentioned a "respect level" with the organization, but again didn't get specific.

So, is there a problem with the organization?

"Not very much," he said. "A little bit. Nothing really big. Just confusing sometimes."

If you can't have fun winning three straight games, five of six, 11 of 14, eight straight at home, you're not really trying. If you can't have fun catching pinpoint lobs from Andre Miller and throwing down hellacious dunks, your mind must be elsewhere.

Everybody else seemed to be having a blast, including the Wachovia Center crowd, announced as 17,762. The Sixers led by as many as 39 points, scored 30 on 20 Sonics turnovers, placed seven men in double scoring figures and committed only two turnovers in the second half. Andre Iguodala had 18 points and seven assists, and Thaddeus Young came off the bench for 18 points and nine rebounds.

"We're just feeding off each other, not forcing one guy to score," Iguodala said. "We're just playing ball. Whoever's open shoots the ball."

When Dalembert was open, he was usually floating toward the rim, turning lobs from various angles into rim-rattlers. If that doesn't sound like fun, what does?

"If you throw one and he doesn't get it, he knows you're going to throw it again," Iguodala said. "Sometimes a turnover [on a lob to him] is a good turnover, because you know the next time he's going to be ready."

That made the postgame group interview with Dalembert puzzling, because he has been a positive presence most of the season and has no intention of being anything but that.

"I try to stay focused, stay on the goal," Dalembert said. "Our goal is to make the playoffs. We have the opportunity . . . There are times you get in a groove, feeling the game, you want to be there. [Going] in and out gets kind of frustrating after a while.

"I'm just trying to get the fun back. It's been a little while since I've had the fun. It's been a while since I've enjoyed myself."

Asked to define "fun," he said, "Winning is our goal, and I know that, but sometimes individually you have to try to look for the fun. That's my goal, and it's working out for me."

But fun? "Do the things you always used to do in high school, and when you first started playing basketball," he said. "I don't want to talk about it, really. It's been great. I just love the way we're playing. I'm jelling with the guys, and we're having fun on the road and winning . . . Hopefully, I can adjust very well, do my job, which is rebounding and blocking shots."

If Dalembert is looking for fun, maybe he should check the standings, where the Sixers are the No. 7 playoff seed in the NBA East, 1 1/2 games behind Washington. They reached the postseason only once in the previous four seasons.

He seemed to be having fun dunking in the pregame warmups, but that clearly wasn't enough.

"It's just personal," he said.

Cheeks seemed mystified about what might be siphoning the fun out of the game for Dalembert. He called the first play of the game for his center. He said he usually does.

"I always thought our relationship was fine," Cheeks said. "I just want him to do certain things. He's obviously doing those things this year on a more consistent basis. He's been a major guy in the middle. From Day 1, that's one of the things I wanted him to do. That's all I ever wanted."

What about Dalembert mentioning the lack of a big man to coach a big man? Or has he forgotten that Hall of Famer Moses Malone was a full-timer last season and is a consultant this season?

"That means our guards should be way better," said Cheeks, once a star guard. His assistants include Henry Bibby, a solid guard as a pro, and Jim Lynam, a terrific guard at Saint Joseph's. Bibby and Lynam have also had success tutoring big men.

"There are some things a big man can tell Sam that I can't, because I haven't been in that position. There's some merit to that," Cheeks added. "There's also some merit to people having a big man [as a] coach and then they don't do as well as they should . . . If you're receptive, you can learn a lot."

Are we having fun yet? *

[Dillen]

I'm tired of Dalembert. Who the hell is he to complain? Maybe if he could gain any consistency it would be okay, but when you put up less than 10 points in like 8 straight games you should just shut up and play. I know the Sixers could do worse at center but they're not going to win with him.

[Sgt PSN]

I like Sammy but that article reeks of Ricky Williams. 

[ice grillin you]

^^^^^
seriously what a weirdo...its that haitian voodoo shtein...was it me it were his quotes in that piece all over the map...like he was on sherm...get your head right psycho sixers are beating the celtics in the first round...i wonder if his leg injury that wont seem to go away and has been effecting him for a while now is frustrating him


and the team can absolutely win with him...in fact they are being built around him perfectly...a bunch of slashing defending perimeter guys to go with his defense...they just need a PF and a shooter and an nba title is not that far off

[Seabiscuit36]

He wants to get paid

[Rome]

He wants to get paid

[hunt]

dalembert is a buffoon.
that overpaid piece of garbage should shut his trap and thank his lucky stars that billy king was dumb enough to pay him $10 mill a year to run around the court like a chicken with his head cut off.  he's been in the league for 6 years & still doesn't know what the hell he's doing half the time.
sad part is...the sixers have no other options at center right now.

[ice grillin you]

you could be paying adonal foyle wally szcerbiak nene bobby simmons jason williams or many other players the same amount of money...and when you consider his position one that is disappearing in the league then 10 mil aint that bad...shtein kirk heinrich makes more than sammy...its weird to say but 10 mil in the league is soon gonna be almost the norm for an above average starter which is what sammy is

[hunt]

he could be more than an above average starter if he actually had a brain and worked on his game.  there's nothing more frustrating than guys who have all the physical tools but don't have the heart to work hard & improve their games.
the team has been on fire lately and dalembert is whining about "respect".  the guy said winning isn't fun.  i think that sums up how much of a headcase he is.

[ice grillin you]

at his position he is above average...i think he may be certifiable though...like i really think hes into or held captive by that haitian voodoo

[Dillen]

No basketball player is worth $10m. They play basketball. It's a shame the league is that way, but I don't really have an issue about his contract since it has to be this way. The thing I have an issue with is that he's getting so much while complaining and doing nothing to get better. He still has the same issues he did when he came out of Seton Hall. What the hell does he have to complain about? He hasn't had to put any hard work in for the past half decade plus and he's getting 10 million dollars a year? Shut the hell up.

[BigEd76]

Andrew Toney says he won't be at Monday's game honoring the 1983 team