<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">You might compare the 76ers' training camp to a study-abroad program, headed by Maurice Cheeks, head coach and professor of defense. For each of the four days and the five practice sessions they have had in Spain, the Sixers have listened to Cheeks lecture, teach, and painstakingly go over the defensive principles he would like to see in his team. He said his players have listened, although one wonders whether he might pull a pop quiz on them. "It's a little bit more challenging, more standing around," Cheeks said. "It's more challenging than the physical, because your mind has to stay in tune. You can see guys wandering and wanting to talk [to each other], but we have to stay a little more concentrated on the things we're trying to do." Not everyone is excited about the "more standing around" part of each practice, but to a man, the players understand this is what's needed as a first step toward turning around the Sixers' dismal defensive performance last season. "I love it," center Samuel Dalembert said yesterday. "I love it not only because it's going to improve my game, it's going to improve the whole team. That's also going to keep me out of foul trouble. Everybody is getting down with playing defense, and that's a priority." "There's more emphasis, and that's something we need," guard Willie Green added. "Mo and the coaching staff are doing a great job of saying, 'This is how we're going to play this year.' We're going to play defense and we're going to rebound and we're going to play together, and if somebody doesn't want to do that, they're not going to get a chance to play." The philosophy, which Cheeks emphasized "is not a new defense," was the focus of summer meetings among Cheeks, his coaching staff and the front office headed by president and general manager Billy King. A 38-win season and a lack of postseason action for the second time in three years called for some kind of remedy. Of course, there are many who thought shaking up the team would be the best remedy. They doubt that the same cast of players suddenly will knuckle down on the defensive end after such a poor showing a year ago. The players, however, believe that the continuity will help. "It shows the confidence that Billy and Mo have in this team," Green said, "because if you just break us up, then we have to try to get to know everybody else as teammates. So keeping us together is going to help us know each other more. But we know everybody's got to lift their defense to another level." Andre Iguodala, the team's best defender, said the increased emphasis on defense "is fine with me." He agreed that each player must do his part and trust the others. "You have to take pride in who you're guarding and just realize you've got to stop your man," Iguodala said. "It comes down to that on a lot of possessions. You're going to have a lot of isolations in the NBA with some of the all-star and high-level players, so you've got to play them one-on-one as well." Iguodala will play an important role. So will Dalembert, who fouled out of a career-high nine games last season and recognizes that his persistent foul trouble will keep this team from any improvement unless he can stay on the floor. "That's my biggest challenge," Dalembert said. "I've been working on that since the end of last year. I watched a lot of tape this summer, and we're going to see how it comes out. But those are my priorities - that and rebounding and playing defense." Dalembert, as the last line of defense, wouldn't see so much action dealing with penetrators in the paint if his teammates were holding up their end of things. If that happens and it all comes together, give the players an A in Cheeks' defensive class and a playoff berth as well. But it's going to be a long semester. </div> Link It's good to see the Sixers are taking this off season seriously. We'll see if it pays off......
I honestly would be scared if I was New Jersey...I think the Sixers can definately make a run at the division.
