Iguodala Calls Out the Sixers

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Iguodala blasts team after loss

By TOM MOORE
phillyBurbs.com

Following the Sixers' listless 116-101 loss to the Gilbert Arenas-less Wizards on Tuesday night at the Verizon Center, Andre Iguodala let it be known that he's not a happy camper.

Iguodala (3-for-11, 10 points) was displeased by the performance of the Sixers (3-7), who have lost five of their last six. They trailed the Wizards by 37 points late in the third quarter.

“It's the same old thing,” Iguodala said. “It's like mass confusion out there on the court. The whole game, we were never really on the same page. They played basic basketball, and we just were awful.”

Iguodala pointed to the Sixers' poor spacing on offense, subpar defensive rotations and traps, and said the Sixers “[stink] in practice, too.”

“We've got to do something, anything — maybe make a move,” Iguodala said. “I don't know. This is getting out of hand. We've got to do something to turn things around. We're not doing a good job as players. Everybody in the organization needs to step up.”

A few minutes later, Sixers assistant general manager Tony DiLeo said no personnel moves are in the works.

“It usually takes 20 games to evaluate the team and the players,” DiLeo said. “We want to see what we have. We're not contemplating making any type of trade right now. We've talked to teams, but we just want to evaluate our situation.”

Iguodala rolled his eyes when informed that coach Maurice Cheeks said the reserves can't keep “coming in and making up 25 points every night.”

“If he says so, then I guess so,” Iguodala said. “If that's what he believes. He's the coach, so I guess he's right.”

“It doesn't bother me some players are frustrated and want to win,” DiLeo said. “That's a good sign. We'll have growing pains. This is a fairly young group.”

Cheeks was visibly annoyed by what he saw on the floor, as were Samuel Dalembert and Kevin Ollie. If they weren't, somebody should've checked them for a pulse.

“Our defense was horrendous,” Cheeks said. “We got back on our heels once again.”

“I can't explain going to another team's arena and playing terrible like that in the first half,” Dalembert said. “It just can't happen. We have to compete and give ourselves a chance.”

With Arenas out for the second straight game due to a sore left knee, Washington, winners of five straight after losing their first five, closed out the first half with a 15-4 run to break the game open at 60-44. They did it with dunks, layups and 3-pointers.

Washington increased its advantage to 37 (92-55) late in the third quarter, completing a 49-15 run on the way to 98 points heading into the fourth period. The rest of the evening was strictly garbage time.

The Sixers were outscored by 74-42 in the middle two periods, when the Wizards shot 70.7 percent (29-for-41).

“We've just go to go back to the drawing board,” Ollie said.

The Sixers have yet to win back-to-back games. They had hoped to build on Friday's victory over the Trail Blazers in which they overcame a 25-point second-quarter deficit, but didn't come close.

“The last game was a miracle,” Dalembert said.

Louis Williams led the Sixers with a career-high 25 points on 10-for-13 shooting and hit all four of his 3-point attempts.

Andray Blatche (12-for-14, career-high 26 points) and DeShawn Stevenson (7-for-11, season-high 19) did much of the damage for the Wizards.

“We just need to work on some fundamentals,” Iguodala said. “We've got to try to do something different to help us play better.”

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...7-1444570.html

[1Parker1]

It usually takes 20 games to evaluate the team and the players,” DiLeo said. “We want to see what we have. We're not contemplating making any type of trade right now. We've talked to teams, but we just want to evaluate our situation.”

Ugh, this is a lottery bound team with essentially the same exact players as last season (less AI of course)...you don't need 20 games to see that the mix of players you have are ALL ROLE PLAYERS, and halfway decent role player at that. Maurice Cheeks and Billy King need to be fired. This is absolutely getting out of hand. Getting back Andre Miller for your franchise player and still paying $20 mil for Chris Webber to sit at home and eat fried chicken is an outrage.

This city needs the Sixers to get better, basketball interest is non-existent. Which is sad consider just 6 season's ago this organization was in the finals.

[1Parker1]

Oh yea, and major Props to Igodala for calling it out. Someone on that team needs to be the leader. I'm glad he's putting Maurice Cheeks and essentially Billy King in their place. They've been trying to slide under the radar with the bad job they're doing for quite some time now....