<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">As much as he keeps working on his outside shot in practice and talking about being more aggressive on the offensive end, Andre Iguodala remains a reluctant shooter. In Friday night's 76ers loss to the Denver Nuggets, Iguodala managed just two shots from the field, both successful. In the second half, he never looked at the basket once, not attempting a shot in nearly 13 minutes of playing time. The result was his first single-digit scoring game of the season. Even with a 12.3-point average through the Sixers' first six contests, Iguodala is managing just 7.2 shots per game, a drop from 8.4 last season. "We'll get him more involved, maybe put the ball in his hands a little more initiating the offense and making sure he's a part of it," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said yesterday after practice at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "More often than not, he's guarding offensive players, and we want him to be aggressive on the offensive end. Sometimes it is best putting the ball in his hands on the offensive end to initiate the offense and just keep him aggressive in transition." Cheeks wished Iguodala would have tested Carmelo Anthony more on the Sixers' offensive end and make the Nuggets' top scorer work on defense. But Anthony had a rather easy night defensively. Iguodala had to deal with some irregular playing time in the second half, sitting for nearly seven minutes, playing for less than two, then back to the bench for nearly 41/2. "I just didn't get into a good flow," he said. "... I was in foul trouble, so I never had a good rhythm. I've just got to get myself more involved in the game." Even with only two shots Friday night, his numbers (eight rebounds, seven assists and eight points) weren't all that bad. Through six games, he is shooting 58.1 percent from the field and 45.5 percent (5 of 11) from three-point range, plus averaging 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists. As he did last season, Iguodala is trying to find a comfort zone in the offense. Allen Iverson and Chris Webber were the main offensive options last season. This year, it's Iverson, Webber and Kyle Korver, the team's second-leading scorer at 17.2 points per game. "I think Allen is doing a tremendous job of scoring," Iguodala said. "He's going to continue to have the ball in his hands. Kyle is shooting well, so we're doing a lot of offensive things through him. I'm just trying to feel my way through." Still, Iguodala feels he'll get more touches with more chances to bring the ball up. "I want to do that a little bit more," he said. "I like it because I just get a feel for the ball. But usually the guy bringing the ball up is making the first pass or initiating the offense, so I'm not getting the looks I want. But I'm involved, so that's better for me." Iguodala and the Sixers will start a three-game road trip tomorrow in Seattle as they try to snap a three-game losing streak. Iguodala said the team needs more intensity and better focus. "We had more energy in the first three games coming out and then we sort of relaxed a little bit," he said. "We've got to pick it right back up. Guys off the bench are doing a good job. We just have to start the game off a little bit better." </div> Link Andre has a lot of talent on the offensive end, its just that he chooses at times not to use it. He has shown flashes of his offensive talent here and there, but if he can somehow be aggressive on offense every night, we can be a very dangerous team.
With Chris Webber's recent trade request hopefully Iguodala can see some more touches as the 76ers prepare for life without Webber.
