March 30, 2016
The Philadelphia 76ers have dropped so far beneath the local sports radar that it is difficult to even consider them on par with the Phillies, who don’t even begin the season until Monday.
The latest 10-game losing streak was finalized on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center where the Sixers were undermanned and torched by the Charlotte Hornets, 100-85. The Sixers attempted 44 three-point shots in the game in the latest example of a team with no direction.
It is difficult to put too much blame on coach Brett Brown, who has been given charge of one of the most bizarre experiments in professional sports, but it has reached a point where Brown cannot return next season. There has simply been too much losing and Brown’s message has been heard too many times by the players doing that losing.
No matter what luck they pull in the draft, the Sixers cannot allow Brown to be the face and the voice the players see and hear again next season. And Brown can not be the face and the voice the fans see and hear to next season.
No matter the sport, a coach should be able to teach enough defense to keep a team in a game but there are just too many nights in which the Sixers have no idea on defense. There are no signs the Sixers are playing to any system – which is more likely a reflection on the entire organizational structure rather than the coach.
But the coach has to go.
No matter what luck they pull in the draft, the Sixers cannot allow Brown to be the face and the voice the players see and hear again next season. And Brown can not be the face and the voice the fans see and hear to next season.
Brown has served his time in the line of fire, taking bullets for general manager Sam Hinkie and he has been rewarded with fists full of money, even getting a contract extension in December. However, the time has come to let the players and fans know that things are going to be different.
Hinkie has already been publicly put in his place behind Jerry Colangelo and in order to demand any sort of confidence from the locker room to the fans in front of their TV sets (at least the fans who are left), the Sixers need to change the voice and face of the coach.
Brown should be given a full salute on his way out for serving under the worst of situations. But out the door he must go.
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Recent reports indicate that the Philadelphia Eagles might be attempting to move up in the NFL Draft in order to select a quarterback. Mind you, this is after signing Sam Bradford to a new deal and then acquiring Chase Daniel.
This would only make sense if the Eagles believe in North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz, who is the latest in for a workout, or maybe California quarterback Jared Goff.
The potential deal would be the biggest maneuver by Howie Roseman since his triumphant return to the top of the Eagles’ management heap, but the Eagles future will be dependent on the Draft, and in the past, it has been the draft that has been Roseman’s downfall.
Thus far, Roseman has engineered some sweet moves, but the organization should be wary of making the same mistake it made with Chip Kelly. The meltdown under Kelly took place in large part because of a lack of checks and balances, and there should be a warning light at the NovaCare building that is ready to flash when a decision is made without appropriate input from all levels of the organization.
In his last go-round as the leader of the pack, the least impressive part of Roseman’s resume centered around the draft. There should be enough voices in his ear to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
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Philadelphia basketball fans are in a holding pattern this week as Villanova prepares for Saturday’s Final Four appearance against Oklahoma, and the Wildcats have already captured the heart of the city.
Win or lose, Villanova and coach Jay Wright have earned the respect of all basketball fans during a magical run that has united almost the entire Big Five fan base. Almost all local allegiances will be abandoned on Saturday when ’Nova attempts to reach the championship game Monday in Houston.
For a city starved for a champion, even the Main Line will look like Broad Street .
***
While Nova has been on its run, the Flyers have been on a charge of their own, one that reached an emotional peak on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center where – once again, Shayne Gostisbehere and Claude Giroux teamed up for overtime magic. Ghost made a brilliant play to set up the winning goal by Giroux.
The continued struggles of both the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins have put the Flyers in a great position to make a playoff push. There is still a crush of games from now until the end of the season, but the Flyers appear to be the team most tuned into making a charge.
The most telling part of the victory over Winnipeg occurred after Giroux scored when he slowly skated toward the boards behind the goal and raised his hands in ecstasy toward a rising crowd. There was quickly a pile of Flyers jumping toward Giroux as the Flyers celebrated.
In a very short period of time the Flyers have built something very special, and it has shown up in this playoff run where goalie Steve Mason has literally puffed out his chest and told the team it can count on him and coach Dave Hakstol has managed the roster to a point where every player feels like a first-line member.
There is still little room for error, but then again there have been very few errors in this run, and Mason has managed to erase most of them.
***
The Flyers should pull out all the stops to sign Harvard captain and free agent Jimmy Vesey. Vesey, who surprised a lot of people by staying in school for four years, also shocked people when he did not immediately sign with Nashville, which owns his rights until he becomes a free agent this summer.
Vesey is a bright kid who has played by all the rules and simply wants a chance to pick where he starts his NHL career. Nothing to do with money – in fact, it is likely to cost him money in terms of waiting another year to demand a huge contract.
Vesey recently penned a wonderful piece in the Players Tribune about that decision. This is a wonderfully skilled offensive player who would likely make an impact with any team.
The popular assumption is that Vesey will choose to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs because his father works for that franchise as a scout. There is also the lure of a franchise that might sign Steven Stamkos as a free agent and draft Auston Matthews first overall.
Vesey has already colored outside the lines, and the Flyers should take their best shot at signing a kid who might be more than willing to play in market.
