I am continuing my mockery of NBA previews with a look at the hated Philadelphia 76ers and the Detroit Pistons.
Philadelphia
Five Random Sixers Facts:
- The fact that I did not pull the trigger on a deal for Andre Iguodala right after the Allen Iverson trade last season was detrimental to my fantasy squad's already ill-fated run at a title. On top of that Iguodala is a lot of fun to watch. Whether he ever has a role on a winning team remains to be seem. Speaking of fantasy basketball. You can always get Samuel Dalembert later in your draft than you should and he'll put up numbers is a few categories.
- Kyle Korver and Willie Green: Providing hope for role players everywhere. Let's just say they'll both make more money than Iguodala this year. Of course Kevin Ollie will too.
- The 76ers are pushing Jason Smith and Thaddeus Young under the slogan "Young and Tall". Get it. Smith is tall. Thaddeus' last name is Young. Although they are both young. Someone got paid for that.
- Philly will pay Chris Webber and Aaron McKie a combined $26 million this season. Hey they paid Jamal Mashburn last year. It is getting better.
- After his disastrous stint with the L.A. Clippers and the fact that he was traded from a playoff team, I'm still surprised that Andre Miller hasn't made some noise about playing for Philly. Meanwhile, I'll always remember how he carried some terrible Cavs teams.
Detroit
It seems like the general public has tired of the Detroit Pistons. Yet I can't help but think they should have won at least one more title in their run. And yes I blame Larry Brown and to a lesser extent Flip Saunders. And while we're at it, Joe Dumars for the whole Darko debacle. But let's not forget about the genius that is Rasheed Wallace. He brought us "CTC" (cut the check), "Serbian Gangsta" (Darko) and of course " Ball Don't Lie" (yelled after a player misses a free throw awarded for a dubious foul call). That last one would carry more weight if Sheed didn't despise every foul call. Now seems like as good a time as any to direct you to Elevatorman's list of great Sheed moments. Some of my favorites:
- "Tried to psych up his teammates by yelling, `Let's go out and play like we're Chicago on NBA Jam.'" - I love this one for so many reasons.
- "Overheard saying `I ain't making no #$!*ing rap record' during his freshman year, shortly after the release of `Shaq Diesel.'"
- "Allegedly told a professor several weeks following Arkansas Final Four loss that the reason he had not been attending class was that he was embarrassed to be seen on campus."
- "As a freshman, made Jerry late for an interview in his Granville room because he wanted to go to KFC."
- "Had his face on the back of a t-shirt that simply says RA!"
- "'HEY! YOU'RE HUBERT DAVIS! YOU'RE HUBERT DAVIS! EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU!' --Upon realizing that his seat at the 1996 Duke game in Chapel Hill was next to Mr. Davis".
Final Thoughts:
- Unlike a lot of people I am not tired of the Pistons. I still admire the way Detroit ended the C's season last year in cold blooded fashion. It was incredibly necessary and unnecessary at the same time.
- Is this the year Jason Maxiell is an absolute beast?
- The Pistons had to bring back Chauncey Billups. Here's the question though. Are they ecstatic about it?