Wizards 113, Sixers 98: They did play the game, you know

The big news of the game may have been Allen Iverson, but the Wizards and the Sixers did in fact play a game last night. After falling way behind early on, the Wizards turned things around emphatically and got a pretty easy 15 point win. Gilbert Arenas has another big game, and guys like Brendan Haywood and Roger Mason stepped up with big contributions off the bench.
Early on, the Sixers were playing with much more energy than the Wizards. Guys like Kyle Korver, Willie Greene, and Andre Iguodala were playing as if they had something to prove. Finally freed from the AI shadow, these guys had Phily up 46-26 midway through the second quarter. Then, the Wizards started to hit shots. Gilbert Arenas and DeShawn Stevenson hit key shots, and after Arenas’ buzzer-beating halftime three, the Wizards were only down by 4. It got better in the third quarter, as the Wizards finally got some easy hoops and took control of the game. Phily had nothing left in the fourth and the Wizards got their second road win of the year.

It took time, but the more talented team won. The 76ers simply were overmatched tonight in the talent department. When your best player can barely jump, you know you’re in trouble. The Sixers couldn’t stop the Wizards offensively once the Wizards pulled themselves together. All in all, the Wizards didn’t play their best game by any means. The Sixers shot nearly 50 percent from the field and didn’t turn the ball over. The Wizards won because they got to the line, shooting 30 free throws compared to 19 for the Sixers. Other than that, the Wizards didn’t really do anything crazy well. They had significantly more talent than the Sixers, and their offense ran circles around Phily’s porous half-court defense the entire game.

Without AI, the Sixers are a mess. Chris Webber is too old and everyone else is too one-dimensional and inexperienced. None of those young guys impressed me at all, and this team needs a major makeover fast. Life without Iverson simply isn’t going to be fun for Sixers fans.

Three plays in particular showed how bad the Sixers are during the third quarter.

• With the score tied at 65, Caron Butler had the ball on the wing and dribbled aimlessly towards the middle, with Kyle Korver staying right with him. Despite this, Rodney Carney, who was guarding DeShawn Stevenson on the wing, takes his eye off his man and commits slightly towards Butler. Stevenson goes backdoor and Butler hits him for the easy jam as Carney just stood there helplessly. Probably the worst man defense I’ve ever seen.
• Off a Sixers miss, Gilbert Arenas sees the Sixers getting back slowly and throws a long pass ahead to Stevenson. Carney and Steven Hunter are slow to get back, and Kevin Ollie is standing aimlessly in the middle of the court staring at the flight of the ball. Stevenson makes the catch and both Kyle Korver and Chris Webber run at him. Meanwhile, Brendan Haywood sneaks behind Ollie and is wide open on the other side. Easy alley oop, easy slam for Haywood. 71-65 Wizards.
• 78-73, final minute of the quarter. Haywood comes out and sets a high screen for Arenas at the top of the key. Steven Hunter and Kevin Ollie attempt to trap Arenas, but Ollie is easily picked off and Hunter cheats left when trying to hedge. Arenas splits the two and comes right down the lane. Korver and Webber both come to greet him, leaving Caron Butler wide open on the right side. Butler takes the pass and goes right to the rim. Carney, who had been guarding Stevenson on the other side, comes to meet him, but instead of holding his ground, Carney jumps in a feigned attempt to block the shot. Butler easily maneuvers around Carney in the air for the huge two-handed jam.

Three horrible defensive sequences helped to bring the Sixers down last night. The Wizards weren’t doing anything fancy, but the Sixers still had no idea how to rotate as a team. Phily is just a downright terrible defensive team.

As for the bigger news, I’ve heard Denver, Minnesota, the Clippers, Golden State, Seattle, Indiana, and even Boston mentioned as potential Iverson destinations. It appears the Sixers don’t want to deal him to an Eastern Conference club, so I doubt he ends up with Indy or Boston. Denver and Minnesota both sound good, but both break down in a hurry. A KG/Iverson or Melo/Iverson combo sounds great, but Minnesota would be even further in salary cap hell and Denver isn’t looking to add another scorer. Seattle and the Clippers sound the most intriguing to me. The Clippers could do it with Shaun Livingston or they could put together a Maggette/Mobley/Singelton/Sofoklis Schortsianitis package. Iverson and Elton Brand would get along really well together, and if Livingston stays, the Clippers would be right up there with the best in the West. Seattle also may work, possibly something like Rashard Lewis/Luke Ridnour/one of the young centers. Iverson and Ray Allen may be able to put Seattle back near the top again. Also, don’t rule out teams like Sacramento and Chicago. Both teams have imaginative GMs and interesting trade pieces. A Mike Bibby/Kevin Martin package is intriguing, and the Bulls could do it with a Ben Gordon/Luol Deng/P.J. Brown/ offer. Either way, expect the unexpected with an Iverson trade.

As for the Wizards, last night was a good win, and with Houston coming into town tonight, another victory would be huge.

Postgame thoughts? What did you think about the win?

Arenas at 24, or AI at 24?

Editor's Note: I've just pulled an all-nighter, so actual clear writing just simply isn't going to happen at this moment. My apologies. -Pradamaster

With the Wizards traveling to Phily to face the 76ers, we get a chance to see a battle between two of basketball's most dynamic scoring point guards in Allen Iverson and Gilbert Arenas. The players are so similar it's uncanny. Both can be playmakers, but function best through explosive scoring ability with the ball in their hands. Iverson was more explosive, but Arenas has a better jumper and uses angles extremely well.

One commenter said a while ago that he'd rather have Iverson than Agent Zero right now. Considering AI is 31 and Arenas is 24, this makes no sense. But who was the better player at age 24? That's certainly still open to debate.

A quick look at the stats actually gives Arenas the overall advantage.

Iverson in 2000: 28.4 points, 4.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 steals, 42% field goal percentage, 34% 3 point percentage, 20.0 PER
Arenas in 2006: 29.3 points, 6.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 45% field goal percentage, 37% 3 point percentage, 23.8 PER

In terms of pure numbers, Arenas has the overwhelming advantage. The only categories Iverson has a leg up are in rebounds and steals, and the difference is negligable. Arenas has a moderate advantage in points and three point percentage and a significant advantage in assists, field goal percentage, and player efficiency rating. However, we also have to account changes in the rules that may account for Iverson's smaller scoring average. Scoring is up around the league, so it only makes sense that Arenas' scoring is better. In addition, Arenas' inconsistency is maddening, while Iverson's production was more level from game-to-game.

So now it's your turn. Who's the better player at age 24? Iverson, or Arenas? Explain your reasoning.

[edit]: I just woke up to see the Wizards getting their butts kicked by an Iverson-less Sixers team before turning it around now emphatically. Strange game. I'll have a lot more on the game itself and the news about Allen Iverson later on, but for now, I guess this can also be an open game thread.

Analyzing the Competition

One could argue that the Philadelphia 76ers saw everything go right for them and still missed the playoffs. After all, often injured stars Allen Iverson and Chris Webber missed only 17 games between them, with 2 of those coming on Fan Appreciation Night. Saying that, however, would mean you're dismissing various other smaller factors that did not go as well as planned. Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert did not have the breakout seasons everyone expected them to have, and Willie Greene missed nearly the entire season, robbing the Sixers of another perimeter guard. Despite all that, the 76ers were firmly in the playoffs for much of the year, but a late-season swoon saw them fall behind surging Chicago and Milwaukee for the final playoff spot. They were 30-28 after a big win over the Wizards, but finished the year 8-16 and out of the playoffs, depsite Iverson and Webber's heroics. Considering their expected win-loss ratio was more like 35-47, the Sixers were probably simply bound for a bad stretch. It was a dissapointing end to a dissapointing year.

Additions: Alan Henderson (FA-?), Rodney Carney (Draft 1-16), Bobby Jones (Draft 2-37)
Subtractions: John Salmons (FA-Sacramento),

Despite another offseason of loud trade rumors, Allen Iverson is back to lead the charge. Carney and Jones should provide depth, but anytime you're hoping to rely on a mid-level draft pick like Carney to be a potential starter, you are in trouble. Salmons was not a big loss, as his numbers were inflated by his minutes.

Essentially, Philly is bringing back the same team as they did last year. Their only hope for improvements rests in guys like Iguodala, Dalembert, and the rookies. Iverson and Webber have both probably maxed out, and it's likely one or both will miss an extended period of time this season. The Sixers also know what they're getting in Kyle Korver, so they shouldn't expect much improvement with him. Iguodala may be the key. He wasn't terrible last season, but most people were expecting more than 13 points and 6.2 rebounds a game. His rebounding numbers actually went down despite getting more time. Unfortunately for the Sixers, as long as Iverson and Webber are dominating the ball, Iguodala's talents will be wasted. It will take an injury from one of the two stars for Iguodala to reach his full potential.

It would be a godsend if Carney can step in and steal Korver's starting job, but I don't expect it to happen yet. Carney is a little raw offensively and still needs more game-experience. Jones may actually have a better chance of sticking, considering that his strength, perimeter defense, was the Sixers main weakness last year. Still, we're talking about rookies here.

In my opinion, the Sixers are going to be hard-pressed to match last season's 38 wins. Iverson and Webber are likely to miss more time, and the supporting cast is not much better than last year. It's much more likely that they'll fall down to 25 win territory than rise up to the 47 win territory that Passion and Pride predicted. In fact, I say they finish below the Knicks this year.

Projected Record: 27-55

Think I screwed this one up? Let me know. How many wins do you think Philadelphia will have this year?