NBATV is free in my area and luckily for me I was able to watch them practice LIVE. And here are some things I noticed for those who might have missed it. However, unfortunately the audio went mute on me when they interview A.I, Webber, Nailon and Cheeks. But as far as how the guys are on the court well… (Not to mention there was microphones attached on Iverson, Cheeks and Iguodala to hear what they say during the practice. Btw, Iverson has a knack of cussing btw.) <ul>Kyle Korver is a lot bigger. You could see the cuts on his arm and according to Steve Mix he gained 14 pounds of muscle. His shot was off and it's been quite off for the most part of the preseason. Hopefully this extra weight is not affecting it and it's just a case of him being off. I know that it's not rust because Korver said it himself that's he's been working on his game a lot during the off-season. As a footnote, his defensive awareness seems to be improved.[/list] <ul>Andre Iguodala offensive game went sky rocket, it wouldn't be fair to make that judgment based on a practice but what he's done in today’s practice in addition to what he has showcased in the preseason he could easily average 15 PPG. From driving into the paint and posting up to mid-range and 3pt game, his overall offensive game has vastly improved. He also seems to be even more agile now which is scary. The quickness has certainly picked up too. He has gained tons of confidence and you can tell right off the bat by his body language. You will see a different Iguodala next season.[/list] <ul>Dalembert mid-range game has improved as well. I didn't see much of him other than him stretching in awkward positions. But he is limited with his quad strain and didn't really do nothing special other than basic/fundamental drills. So there is not much to say about him.[/list] <ul>As for Allen Iverson. He is still lighting fast but from what he is saying threw his mic and hearing him breathe he hasn't catch his wind yet. He's a little rusty; however his shot was looking pretty good. On the top of my head he probably shot 6/8 on contested shots. He'll be fine.[/list] <ul>Louis Williams seem energetic but he is very raw and you would be able to tell right away. However, I like his game, it's very scrappy. He made a couple 3pt shots and threw down a dunk. Nothing notable however. Mo Cheeks got on him a couple times. But what rookie doesn't have problems running plays?[/list] <ul>Lee Nailon was look exceptional... on offense. He still doesn't look committed to rebounding and playing defense however he said he will make an attempt to start doing so. Again his offense was looking good just like last night game against the Knicks but he was still getting beat on defense.[/list] <ul>Now for Chris Webber. Honestly, he will still be very vulnerable on defense. That robotic movement he has still remains but with a little salt on it here and there. He can spin and has more lateral movement. For those who watched him closely you can see an improvement for those people who watched him casually won't see any much of a difference. But back to what I was saying, that knee looks better and he is moving better, but it's nothing groundbreaking and nothing close to the old C-Webb. I wasn't expecting that, but I wanted to see just a little more improvement. Why complain? At least he made an effort and then again he does have an injured quad so who knows how good he might be moving once that’s healed up. On offense he got owned a couple times by Deng Gai which is endorsable and by Steve Castleberry which is not acceptable. For the most part he looked lost on offense for about 75% of the time; maybe they simply weren't running plays for him? We have yet to see C-Webb in any sorts of action, but from what I seen in practice alone which shouldn’t really be take into account I'd give him a C+.[/list] <ul>John Salmons was doing pretty good. Looks like he left off when he was playing the Knicks prior to this. His shot was on target, he was driving into the paint and look very polished.[/list] <ul>Kevin Ollie a player who I think should now earn a spot in the rotation had a good practice too. He was doing those PG things which are what we need since we have no true PG on the team. I really hope he gets a bonafied spot in the rotation. He had a great proactive and is having a great preseason.[/list] <ul>Steven Hunter looked good too. He was doing what he was brought in to do and that's play defense, block shots and grab rebounds. What I did notice was that he seems more aware on the court which is a major plus.[/list] <ul>Lastly, we have Deng Gai. I like this guy as well. He's a Tyrone Hill like player and could contribute. He is not as good as a rebounded as Hill but he is certainly a better shot blocker. He is still rough around the edges but with some work he can be an important piece. His offensive game is not really there but the nose he on the defensive end somewhat makes up for it.[/list] John Thomas will get cut as well as Castleberry. You could tell. Probably not now with the injury of Shalvik and Michael. But I doubt they will have a future here. As for those nagging injuries, it's nothing serious. If it was the actual season everyone would suit up, literally suit up(bad joke). The only person who would sit the game out is Dalembert, however he is expected to come back next Tuesday according to Billy King. Chris Webber will suit up tomorrow but sit out the game after that because they don’t want him playing games back to backs in a preseason. As for Iverson I don't know when he will return, possible tomorrow, or maybe next Tuesday with Dalembert. Whatever the case may be all of our guys will be able to give it a go once the NBA season kicks off baring any injuries in practice or preseason of course.
Interesting, overall things sound like they are going well. I'm sitll anxious to see C Webb play, even though I understand what your saying Avery I'm not going to base any kind of an opinion on seeing him in practice. Its what counts come game time. Not to mention the fact that he is injured right? Therefore he might not have been giving it his all and maybe he even practiced to tolerance. Also don't forget the fact that Mo has been praising him all traning camp, so he must be doing something right? I know Dre's offense improved, after watching the Knicks game it seemed as if he scored about 40. When I looked he had 15, but that I mean by that statement is that he seems a lot more involved and active on the offensive side of the ball. From what I saw against the Knicks, I thought Gai was going to be more active then what he was, he gave up a few offensive rebounds and I didn't really see him do anything that stood out, I did notice some minimal scrap plays though which was good.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I thought Gai was going to be more active then what he was, he gave up a few offensive rebounds and I didn't really see him do anything that stood out, I did notice some minimal scrap plays though which was good.</div> The team as a whole gave up 18 offensive rebounds and six rebounds to Nate Robinson. The team as whole was outrebounded by +6 boards. We could say that we didn't have Sammy and C-Webb but at the same time 18 offensive boards ia a lot.
from waht i read, the sixers team this season is going to be very competitive. im so anxious to get this season started! one more thing, avery, how the heck do you get free nba tv??
The NBA offers free previews for league pass and NBA TV some times, in the begining of the season. That is how I got to watch the 76ers game last night.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Avery lives in New York so he could've watched it on MSG.</div> Yup. And by default I get to watch eight 76ers games. Since they play in the same division as NY & NJ they play each team on four different occasions. Four games on MSG(Knicks) and since NJ is part of the tri-state area I get to watch all of the Nets game and four of them including games against the Sixers on the YES channel. Too bad Connecticut doesn't have a basketball team that would be an additional four Sixers games. Me and MrJ might not agree on a lot of things like basketball teams for instance, but I think he can agree with me as in there is nothing like NY. -- Now as for the training camp. Luckily there was a recap show of the 76ers practice and I was able to hear Webber interview that was muted originally during the live practice. But anyways in the interview he said things we've heard a million times in articles but one thing he never mentioned in the articles was that he lost 15 pounds to keep up with the fastest player in the NBA. And just to clarify it even more even though I think it has been, his knee is feeling MUCH better and he said he is moving a better pace and with more agility but you probably couldn't see that because of his quad. He said once his quad is healed up 100% probably a little before the season opener you will see a rejuvenated Webber not only in his mindset but in his game. Not to mention, Dalembert has been hitting the wait for most of his time. Maybe that injury was a blessing in disguise since he can?t play contact basketball he was forced to hit the weight room.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Me and MrJ might not agree on a lot of things like basketball teams for instance, but I think he can agree with me as in there is nothing like NY.</div> I saw the 76ers training camp, too. I saw many things from the players, but I was most impressed with Iverson though. As a point guard he was vocal, he and kept his team involved. Webber talked about him being at the one and how everyone insisted it'll be a big problem. It should be interesting to see what they do with a training camp together.
