Many felt early on in Evan Turner’s rookie campaign last year that he was going to be a complete bust. He struggled very badly in summer league, was horrible in exhibition games, and couldn’t ever seem to adjust to the NBA schemes on offense. His ball handling went to waste because he didn’t understand where he was supposed to be on the court, and he looked confused at times.

That has changed this season in his second year, and a big reason why is because he is hitting his shots, to make it quite simple. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy joked about it, saying “When guys hit their shots, people think they are playing well, and then when they don’t, people think they are playing poorly when they are doing the exact same thing but just missing the shot.”

So it has gone for Turner. This season, due to improved shooting mechanics, Turner is shooting 45.2% from the field and 73.5% from 9 feet and closer, up over 20% from that figure last season. That means Turner is hitting the shots he should hit. He is not, however, hitting his threes, as he shoots a very poor 21% from behind the arc. He can improve that, though, as many NBA players have become very good shooters who had no jumper early in their career (points in case, Jason Kidd, Nick Anderson, et al.,).

Turner says he is :”more comfortable with it (his shot)…and mechanics are the key…I get my shot off quicker now.” That is essential, and good shooters realize that a quicker shot means a more open and more clean look at the basket. Anyone at all familiar with the best two three point shooters in NBA history, Ray Allen and Reggie Miller, knows that both have extremely quick releases and were able to get off shots that were on-balance while winding off screens. As to whether Turner can ever reach that level of competency is anyone’s guess, but all indications are that he may put in the hard work to do so.

Turner is averaging 6.2 rebounds per game in his 26 minutes a night, which ranks him among the top rebounding guards in the league. That value is important and helps the Sixers prevent second chance points, which is one of their strengths as a basketball team on a regular basis.

So, for all of those doubters early on, I would think most are starting to realize Turner is going to have at least an above average career and not be a bust. I am reserving judgement on whether or not he can ever become an all All-Star, but I could see Turner averaging 15 to 18 a game at some point, possibly as early as next season. For right now, he is putting up 14.0 points per-36 minutes. That’s not too bad for a guy most were saying lacked the aggressiveness to ever succeed at the NBA level.

Turner has been compared from everyone to a pre-injury Brandon Roy to an offensively deficient Eric Snow, but the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Turner is not going to be a liability offensively like Snow, but he also won’t be a deadly closer like Roy was before his knees betrayed him.

We’ll keep an eye on Turner, especially in keeper leagues. If you lack a solid fifth keeper or sixth in a 5 or 6 keep league, Turner could prove to be an option this season. Since most keeper leagues don’t require owners to declare their keepers until the days prior to the draft, we can keep an eye on Turner’s progress this summer and even in through the early part of the exhibition season before making a ruling on whether we keep Turner or a player who has already posted a slightly higher value.

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The Philadelphia 76ers signed free agent center Francisco Elson this morning to bring their roster to 14 players.

“We are happy to pick up Francisco Elson, a veteran big man who can help bolster our front court,” Sixers President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn said.

Elson (7-0, 240) was originally acquired by the Sixers from Milwaukee along with Jodie Meeks in exchange for Primoz Brezec, Royal Ivey and a second round pick on Feb. 18, 2010.

Elson has appeared in 467 games with 149 starts while averaging 3.7 points (47.8% FGs, 70.0% FTs) and 3.5 rebounds in 15.4 minutes per game. In 2006-07, he saw action in 70 games with 41 starts for the NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs.

Read More: Philadelphia 76ers

Defense + teamwork + depth = wins.

It’s a formula that has paid dividends in the win column for the Philadelphia 76ers, winners of 12 of their first 17 games, the surprise No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference if the regular season ended today. But that formula does not necessarily equate to churning out individual stars.

Tom Ziller published his latest NBA MVP Power Rankings on Wednesday morning, naming zero Phladelphia 76ers among his top 10 NBA candidates. That’s no surprise considering that none of the Sixers are among the leading All-Star vote-getters at their positions.

Lebron James led Ziller’s rankings, followed by Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Kevin Love.

The Sixers are balanced — seven different Doug Collins disciples average double figures in points to date — but don’t have a single player who stands out in a crowd. You get the feeling Collins won’t shed tears over his team’s lack of MVP candidates, at least not as long as the Sixers continue to win at an elite pace.

For more Philadelphia 76ers coverage, visit our team page or our blog Liberty Ballers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are benefiting from being in the Atlantic Division, since no one else there has a winning record. As such, Sixers fans like myself can feel a little overconfident about their chances to win the division, although it could be a different story when they face better competition. But the Sixers are also fortunate to be in the Eastern Conference as a whole, as it is once again proving to be the inferior conference from top to bottom.

The lockout and the shortened season did a lot to alter things, yet one constant has remained the same. The Eastern Conference has the majority of poor NBA teams so far while the Western Conference is more stacked than usual. The Sixers just happen to be among the select few Eastern teams with winning records so far, rather than in the pack of losing teams for once.

As of Jan. 25, the Sixers are one of only six Eastern Conference clubs over .500, whereas 10 Western squads have a winning record. If this continues, two sub .500 Eastern teams will make the playoffs while two Western franchises over .500 will be left out. This seems to happen pretty much every season, however, and in spite of the lockout it is taking place right on cue again.

Although the New York Knicks are imploding and on the brink of getting Mike D’Antoni forced out, they would still make the playoffs as an eighth seed if the season ended today. In addition, the Boston Celtics would be the seventh seed in spite of a 7-9 record and speculation that most of their Big Three will be gone soon. Even the Cleveland Cavaliers remain a half-game back for the eighth spot despite a 6-10 record and some horrendous blowout losses last week.

The poor records of the No. 7 to No. 15 ranked teams in the East make the whole conference look bad – or make those on top look even better. Only the Sixers, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers look any good so far, and that may remain the case the rest of the season.

But given that the Bulls have the best record in the NBA, the Heat remain the championship favorite, the Magic are still contending with Dwight Howard and the Hawks, Sixers and Pacers are still improving, the East could still have more title contenders while the West devours itself. Since the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are flailing early while the Oklahoma City Thunder try to become championship ready, the West is a free-for-all right now.

The Sixers will have a much easier time making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, especially since they might even afford to make it with a losing or .500 record again. Of course, Philadelphia would like to get in with a much better record this time around.

Now that the Sixers have risen about the nine or so rotten/mediocre clubs left in the East, the next goal is to rise above the would-be contenders like the Hawks and Pacers and get to the Bulls, Heat and Magic’s level. Unfortunately, overtaking the Eastern Conference teams that are actually good is a much tougher task.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 20, 2012

PHILADELPHIA — Jrue Holiday-to-Andre Iguodala was exactly the sort of high-flying connection the Philadelphia 76ers needed Friday night.

Holiday had 16 points and 11 assists, and Iguodala scored 11 points to lead the 76ers to a 90-76 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

“We can play against tough teams,” Iguodala said.

Play and win.

Thaddeus Young scored 20 points and Elton Brand grabbed 16 rebounds to help the 76ers win for the 10th time in 12 games and improve to 7-1 at home.

The Sixers left a dismal first half in the dust with a sensational third quarter. Jodie Meeks hit a pair of 3-pointers and Iguodala rocked nearly 18,000 fans with a pair of thunderous dunks during a 14-0 run.

In a game between teams that started the night as division leaders, the Hawks were in control until the Sixers found their way.

Coach Doug Collins wrote a halftime note for his team on the board: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,”

“I thought our guys went fast in the first half, and alone,” Collins said. “I thought we went far in the second half, and together.”

Holiday had five of his 11 assists in the third and the Sixers pulled ahead by 18 in the fourth.

Former Sixer Willie Green scored 14 points and Jeff Teague had 12 for the Hawks, who snapped a four-game winning streak. Atlanta had been perfect since All-Star center Al Horford tore his left pectoral muscle, an injury that required surgery and could keep him out for the rest of the season.

Hawks coach Larry Drew could be heard yelling at his team in the locker room after the game.

“It got tough for us and we quit,” Drew said. “That’s what happened. I was more disappointed than frustrated.”

Even Horford couldn’t have done much to stop the Sixers’ mix of fastbreak dunks and 3-pointers in the third. Coming off their first home loss of the season, and a game Saturday at Miami, the Sixers knew they had to have this one to keep the early-season good vibes going.

“You win this game. You don’t lose two in a row at home,” Collins said.

Iguodala ignited the run when he scooped up a loose ball of an Atlanta turnover and turned it into a driving slam that cut it to 51-50. Meeks, who had 12 points, buried consecutive 3s to the delight of a loud and large crowd. Years of .500 or worse basketball had sucked the life out of the Wells Fargo Center. Sure enough, thanks to a fast start and slashed ticket prices, the arena is suddenly the place to be on a Friday night — or any night.

Holiday ended the run on a highlight reel-worthy feed to Iguodala for an alley-oop that nearly brought down the rim.

Yes, this was the same team that looked disconnected and missed 12 of their first 17 shots.

“We settled down a little bit, got some stops and went on a little run,” Iguodala said.

They turned up the defensive pressure in the third and would have held Atlanta to seven points had Green not sank a 27-footer at the buzzer. The Hawks scored only 29 points in the second half.

“They took the level of intensity up and we didn’t respond,” Green said.

The Sixers even played without center Spencer Hawes (left Achilles’ strain). Hawes will also miss Saturday’s game at Miami.

Philadelphia triggered its offense off the fastbreak and turnovers and buried the Hawks with easy buckets. Iguodala, who fans wanted traded after years of symbolizing a stagnant franchise, has been embraced this season for giving them the flashy dunks in combination with the flashy victories.

The Sixers had built their Atlantic Division lead by burying some of the NBA’s worst teams. Even without Horford, the Sixers passed a nice test of beating a division leader.

“We felt we had to have this win against a really good Eastern Conference team,” Brand said. “We want to say we’re an elite team, so we had to win this game.”

Notes

• Iguodala became the fifth Sixer with 1,000 career steals. He’s behind Maurice Cheeks, Allen Iverson, Julius Erving and Charles Barkley.
• The Sixers are off to their best start since they went 12-2 in 2000-01.
• The Hawks turned the ball over 15 times.

The Miami Heat got some unexpected resistance from the Philadelphia 76ers in
the first round of last season’s playoffs during their run to the NBA finals.

Philadelphia is proving this season its solid play in that series was no
fluke.

The Heat may again be without Dwyane Wade when they host the Atlantic
Division-leading 76ers in a playoff rematch – and possible late-round postseason
preview – Saturday night.

Second-seeded Miami beat Philadelphia in five games to advance to the second
round, but aside from a 94-73 loss in Game 2, the 76ers gave the Heat all they
could handle. The other four games were decided by no more than eight points,
with the final three decided by six or fewer.

The 76ers (11-4) have seemed to use that series as motivation. They lead the
Atlantic Division by a full five games and have won four of their last five
after beating Atlanta 90-76 on Friday.

Philadelphia trailed by eight at halftime but pulled away after a 14-0 run
in the third quarter.

“I thought our guys went fast in the first half, and alone,” coach Doug
Collins said. “I thought we went far in the second half, and together.”

Thaddeus Young scored a game-high 20 points while Jrue Holiday added 16
points and 11 assists.

“We can play (well) against tough teams,” said Andre Iguodala, who scored
11.

Collins said he wanted a win badly after the 76ers fell 108-104 in overtime
against Denver on Wednesday.

“You win this game. You don’t lose two in a row at home,” Collins said.

Philadelphia, though, hasn’t had much regular-season success against Miami
in recent years.

The Sixers have lost seven straight matchups, including a three-game season
sweep last season. They have lost nine straight in Miami – playoffs included -
and it may not get any easier against a Heat team that improved to 5-1 at home
with a 98-87 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

LeBron James scored 31 points and added eight rebounds and eight assists for
the Heat (10-4), who played their second straight game without Wade while he
nurses a sprained right ankle.

James fought off a cold to have another solid outing. He’s averaging 33.0
points and 8.0 assists over his last three games.

“A chest cold can get to you at times,” James said. “But I felt like I
could help the team.”

His effort helped Miami improve to 5-0 this season without Wade, who is
questionable despite practicing Friday.

“We don’t take (James’) talent for granted, nor do we take Dwyane’s talent
or Chris (Bosh’s) talent,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They’re special players
and they can rise to the occasion.”

James averaged 23.6 points and 9.7 boards in the eight meetings against the
Sixers last season.

Louis Williams leads Philadelphia with 15.1 points per game, though he was
held to six Friday. He averaged only 10.8 points in the playoffs, but his
3-pointer with nine seconds remaining in Game 4 helped the Sixers to an 86-82
win – their only victory over the Heat in the last 12 meetings.

By Evan Dunlap

– Newsdesk contributor

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Jan 20, 2012 – The Miami Heat will play a back-to-back set of home games Saturday and Sunday, hosting the Philadelphia 76ers on the front end and the Milwaukee Bucks on the back.

Saturday’s game pits the Heat against the Sixers for the first time in the 2011/12 season. The Heat eliminated the Sixers, 4-1, from the playoffs a season ago. Since that defeat, Philadelphia has gotten stronger, ranking No. 2 in the NBA in scoring defense (87.4 points per game) and No. 1 in three-point defense (26.4 percent). The Sixers have posted a 10-3 record prior to Friday’s matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. Indeed, Miami will have had an extra day of rest heading into Saturday’s game, which tips off at 7:30 Eastern on Sun Sports.

The Bucks then visit Miami for the first of three meetings between the teams in the 2011/12 campaign. The Heat went 3-1 against the Bucks in the 2010/11 season. Despite shaking up its roster before the season began by acquiring Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, Beno Udrih, and Mike Dunleavy, Milwaukee stands at just 4-9, the No. 4 team in the Central Division. Tipoff between the Heat and Bucks is set for 6 Eastern on Sun Sports./p>

For more on the Heat, please visit Peninsula is Mightier, SB Nation’s Heat blog. For Sixers coverage, please visit SB Nation Philly and Liberty Ballers, SB Nation’s 76ers blog. For the Milwaukee perspective, please visit Brew Hoop, SB Nation’s blog about the Bucks.

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The Philadelphia 76ers had a tough loss to swallow on Jan. 18, as the Denver Nuggets gave them their first home loss in overtime. Sixers fans like myself were hoping that it would be a statement win against a plus .500 opponent in an actual close game. However, there are two more big chances ahead for the Sixers to make such a statement, as a big back-to-back stretch begins on Jan. 20 in Philadelphia.

The Sixers haven’t had to face three straight winning opponents this season and have started this run in the most heartbreaking fashion. But they can erase that a bit by defeating the first place, 11-4 Atlanta Hawks before going to Miami to face none other than the Heat the next night.

Obviously, beating the Heat on the road will send a much bigger message than defeating the Hawks at home. Like Philadelphia, Atlanta is trying to take a step into the elite and still inspires a lot of doubt about whether it can do it. Yet the Hawks are a little bit further ahead of the Sixers at this point, as Atlanta has reached the second round two years in a row while Philadelphia hasn’t won a playoff round in a long time.

The Hawks have also gotten ahead of the Sixers’ pace this season with an 11-4 record and a four-game winning streak going into Philadelphia. Atlanta’s first place standing is a bit more impressive since it is in the far tougher Southeast Division – and one that, unlike the Atlantic, has more than one team better than two games under .500. What’s more, the Hawks are slightly ahead of both the Heat and the Orlando Magic for the moment, even though few think that can last into April.

Philadelphia hasn’t faced a team with this kind of winning record all season, as it lost to the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz before they got hot and fell to the now 10-5 Nuggets. The Sixers did defeat the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 9 when they were 6-2, yet the Hawks are on a more established high level. Of course, Atlanta isn’t close to the level that the Sixers’ next opponent is on yet – but if Philadelphia faces the Heat in 24 hours after losing two straight games to tough teams, the chances won’t be good to turn it around in Miami.

The Sixers need to salvage at least one win in this week of facing stronger competition, as the hope is that they didn’t already blow their best chance at one. Salvaging at least a win over the Hawks will make this go down easier, even if they follow it up with a loss to the Heat. Otherwise, the “I told you sos” of Sixers skeptics will be hard to quiet down for a while.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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The Philadelphia 76ers have made a lot of headlines in jumping out to a 10-3 start. Yet pundits and Sixers fans like myself weren’t ready to jump full on board until they beat better teams and didn’t need blowouts to do it. As such, the Sixers had a huge chance to win new followers by beating the Denver Nuggets at home on Jan. 18 – but instead fell just short.

The Nuggets had a winning record, wouldn’t get blown out and tested the Sixers’ ability to win in the final moments. Philadelphia ultimately failed that test in the toughest way possible, as it suffered its first home loss of 2012 in a 108-104 overtime defeat.

Everything seemed to be going well for the Sixers early as they jumped to a nine-point lead after one quarter. However, Philadelphia usually makes major runs in the second and/or third quarter, so it clearly peaked too soon after Denver fought its way back. A 32-17 second quarter advantage gave the Nuggets the halftime lead – and they then became one of the rare teams not to get blown out in the third quarter by the Sixers.

Denver then built its lead to double digits and seemed to demoralize Philadelphia, before it finally showed something we had waited for all year. The Sixers could blow out poor opponents all the live long day, but could it make a rally against a good team and then win in the final seconds? They certainly came back with a 13-0 run, but thanks to former Sixer Andre Miller, they couldn’t complete the rally in either the fourth quarter or overtime.

Miller scored the Nuggets’ last 10 points in regulation, which stabilized Denver as the game went back and forth. Andre Igoudala had the chance to finish things off for the Sixers anyway, but with four seconds left, he missed the first of two free throws that would have given Philadelphia the lead. He made the second to force overtime, yet the miss shattered the Sixers’ best opportunity.

Miller then went on to finish the job by putting the Nuggets ahead for good in the final minute of overtime. When the Sixers had their chance to tie, Doug Collins didn’t call for a timeout and let them run the court, only for Jrue Holiday to turn the ball over. With that, Philadelphia’s chance to get its first real statement victory of the season was lost.

By rallying from 10 points down to force overtime late, the Sixers proved that they could come up big in a pressure situation. However, they still couldn’t finish the job and didn’t have anyone step up to deliver the final clutch shot or winning free throws. In addition, poor shooting in the second and third quarter helped put Philadelphia so far down in the first place and made a comeback necessary.

The Sixers were reminded that it is a lot harder to win when they are the ones in a deficit and when they aren’t facing a last-place opponent. They were a step away from learning well anyway, yet they won’t get wins or respect from the NBA’s elite just for coming close. If Philadelphia doesn’t get a little bit closer in games like this, then the Sixers will hit their ceiling sooner and harder than they hope.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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The Philadelphia 76ers have 10 wins this season and only three losses, although the losses are still a little glaring. Sixers fans like myself must keep facing doubts about the team’s hot start because it has mostly come at the expense of poor competition. In fact, when the Sixers did face tougher teams in the Portland Trail Blazers, the Utah Jazz and the New York Knicks, they wound up losing.

The opening five-game Western road trip gave Philadelphia three wins against sub. 500 teams and two losses to the only opponents that are now over .500. But those defeats came a few weeks ago, so the hope is that the Sixers are better equipped to face a good Western Conference opponent now that the Denver Nuggets are visiting on Jan. 18.

The season started on Dec. 26 when Philadelphia lost close to a Portland team that is now 8-5. Days later, the Sixers faced a 0-2 Jazz squad and got upset in another close game, which propelled the Jazz to get hot and rack up a 9-4 record. The Sixers haven’t had to face many winning opponents or get into many close games at all – and tellingly lost when they faced two good Western teams in down-to-the-wire finishes.

Now Philadelphia will try to prove that the third time is a charm when 9-5 Denver visits. This is the third time the Sixers have faced a club with a winning record from the Northeast Division alone, and it would be nice to beat this one before facing Southeast opponents like the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat over the weekend. The schedule is finally getting a little tougher for Philadelphia this week, so jumping in with a victory over the Nuggets would help as a start.

Technically, the Sixers do have to worry about beating good Eastern Conference opposition more than facing the best in the West. However, Philadelphia has to prove itself against solid teams from everywhere, so that skeptics can be convinced it is for real. The fact is that when it comes to the Western Conference, the Sixers have beaten up the likes of the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Hornets and Sacramento Kings, but are 0-2 when facing Western teams that have a shot at the playoffs.

But those two losses came on the road before everyone knew just what Philadelphia was capable of. A few weeks of wins, home court advantage and a 6-0 start at Wells Fargo Center should hopefully be enough to show a marked improvement over the Nuggets. Yet if the Sixers come up short again to a would-be contender from the West, it will be harder to convince the opposition back East that they should be afraid of them.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident and 76ers fan.

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