Sixers Show Inconsistency

Philadelphia has never seen a more talented Sixers team since the Eastern Conference champions of 2001. 


Allen Iverson and Eric Snow have been replaced by the fantastic guard play of Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday. Elton Brand has taken over for Theo Ratliff, and Matt Geiger has been replaced by....well, Matt Gieger was absolutely horrendous.


Nonetheless, the Sixers, after several horrendous years, have finally compiled a group of talented youngsters.


With an average age of 25, this Sixers team will be competitive for years to come.


But with young age and raw talent comes signs of inconsistent play throughout the year. 


Doug Collins has done a good job coaching his players up throughout his tenure with the the 76ers. However, I feel Collins has been given a little to much credit as of late.


Anyone who has watched the Sixers knows that their strength is in the depth of their team, especially their bench. Lou Williams, the Sixers leading scorer, comes off the bench as well as spark plug SF Thaddeus Young. 


With rookie additions of C Nikola Vucevic and F/C Lavoy Allen, the Sixers were stacked with fresh, young players that all bring a lot to the table.


However, Vucevic and Allen were relied on heavily in the beginning of the season, and showed people who they really are: rookies. Rookies who show flashes of brilliance, and then go ice cold for long stretches.


With starting Center Spencer Hawes returning from injury, Vucevic and Allen saw their playing time decrease drastically. 


Hawes is by no means one hundred percent, and with Elton Brand  (aka Father Time) no longer putting up the numbers he used, Vuc and Lavoy need to be plugged back into the rotation.


That could not have been more apparent against the Knicks Wednesday night, where Spencer Hawes was afraid to even drive on Steve Novak. Steve Novak has been in the league for six years, and I had to search his name on Wikipedia to figure out just who the hell he is. Amare Stoudemire, this one, went rampant on the boards against the Sixers on Wednesday night, another bad sign.


Collins needs to understand that rookies go through growth spurts, and depleting their minutes will only hurt them. 


An even bigger problem than the Sixers low post play, is their ability to close games.


In games decided by five points or less, the Sixers are 0-8. They have made a living this year blowing out bad teams by 25, but show their weaknesses in close games.


There is nothing worse to a Sixers fan that watching Andre Iguodala miss horribly on a fadeaway in crunch time, then act like the ball got tipped. Sorry Iggy, everyone in the stadium saw you miss everything on that one. 


They have gone back and forth, and forth and back on taking the final shot. Everyone always likes to make Iguodala the scapegoat, but it is not his fault. This team has no player who can hit a game winning shot, so it becomes Iggy's by default. 


Sadly, the Sixers will not be playing the Charlotte Bobcats, who are a rec league basketball team in disguise, in the playoffs. Instead, they will face teams like Indiana and Atlanta in the early rounds, who always keep games close until the very end. The Sixers need a closer, and 47 games into a lockout shortened 66 game season, they still have not found one.


If the Sixers want to be able to play Miami or Chicago in the Conference Finals, they need to get their act together, and quick.