Young out 2-3 weeks

With the news of Thaddeus Young being out for 2-3 weeks with an injured ankle, I can’t help but wonder how far the Sixers will fall in the standings.  We know if they finish with the 7th or 8th seed, it’s basically a guaranteed one and done again this year, since they will have to face the defending champion Celtics or the Cavaliers.

Even the 6th spot gets you Orlando, who will likely win a round no matter who they play.  So that leaves 5th place as the spot they need to get the Hawks in 4th, who I actually like(d) them matching up against.  That is, until Young is no longer in the lineup.  If he comes back for the playoffs, who knows if he’ll be 100%?

So, that begs the question, are we supposed to give up on this season?  Should we pack it in and wait for the NFL draft?  Next year, with Brand back, hopefully this team will be more ready to make a real run and be able to get out of the first round (ideally sitting in the 4th or 5th seed).

Young has not only been a force to be reckoned with in nearly every phase of the game this year, he has been the spark, along with Iguodala, that has made this team so much fun to watch.  Hopefully Speights will continue to get a lot of playing time, and continue to use it to grow and learn and find his role on this team.  But, I’m afraid to say that’s the only thing left worth watching for the rest of this season.

Anyone else feeling more optimistic?

In Other Philly News

Local sports: College Basketball

Villanova – I can’t think of any other word other than “dominant”, particularly in how they played against Duke.  The best part is, Pitt doesn’t scare me at all.  Don’t get me wrong, they are a GREAT team.  But, they have been having trouble controlling the game (mostly tempo) against their last few opponents.  If Villanova continues to play the way they are (and are very capable of thanks to Mr. Wright), their journey may not be over.  After tonight, they will probably be my favorite for another upset to get to the Final 4.

8 points, seriously?

That’s right. The Sixers scored 8 measly points in the 4th quarter to lose to the Nets by 2 points Saturday. This is outrageous and unacceptable for a team that thinks they are going to make the playoffs and maybe even win a round.

With this loss they fall back to .500 and are stuck in 7th place in the conference. To get to the 5th spot (in order to avoid playing Boston or Cleveland in the first round), they have to get past Detroit, then Miami. Good luck.

When is Brand going to start playing more minutes? We need him, and I don’t see Sammy earning his spot much with those outside shots that drive everyone crazy. He doesn’t know how to use his size to back down his man to the basket.

This team needs to figure out how they are going to play, and just go do it. Whatever offense they pick, they better start taking defense more seriously and hustle down the floor a bit more.