Philadelphia 76ers Blog – Page 70 – NBA Blog

Sixers shoot bricks, lose to Wizards

A team fighting for first place late in the season is routed by a lottery-bound team led by a player on a 10-day contract. And, just for good measure, let’s say the lottery team finishes the game short-handed because two starters come down with the very same injury.

That sounds almost as preposterous as the Washington Wizards losing to the Kentucky Wildcats.

While the world will never know for sure whether the Wizards could handle the Final Four school, they certainly had no problem making the Philadelphia 76ers look a bit amateurish Friday night. Washington took a double-digit lead early in the second quarter and never let up in a 97-76 victory…

Philadelphia had only 36 points—including just two fast-break points—at halftime against Washington and were simply outhustled throughout. The Wizards outrebounded the 76ers 52-38 for the game…

Their top scorer was Cartier Martin, who tied a career high with 20 points in his second game under a 10-day contract…

Jordan Crawford scored 17 points for the Wizards. Kevin Seraphin added 14 points, and Wall had nine points, six rebounds and six assists.

Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young scored 14 points apiece for the 76ers. Andre Iguodala, returning after missing two games with tendinitis in his left knee, had just seven points in 34 minutes.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Allen Iverson to play for a team in the Dominican Republic

Former NBA star Allen Iverson is joining a regional basketball league in the Dominican Republic for a month.

(LATEST UPDATE: Iverson’s manager denied the report.)

Team president Milton Nunez told The Associated Press on Thursday the 36-year-old guard will play for Pueblo Nuevo. He declined to say how much Iverson will be paid.

Iverson is to arrive Sunday and play for his second-place team that same day against GUG in Santiago province, Nunez said.

“He and his agent have told us that he has been training a lot and that even if he hasn’t been playing anywhere, he has what we need to help Pueblo Nuevo,” Nunez said.

— Reported by the Associated Press

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76ers waive forward Andres Nocioni

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that the team has waived forward Andres Nocioni.

“We want to sincerely thank Andres for his contributions to our team and maintaining a true level of professionalism throughout his time here,” Sixers President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn said. “We wish him the best of luck as he pursues future opportunities.”

Nocioni (6-7, 225) is in his eighth NBA season and his second with the Sixers. He was acquired via trade from Sacramento, along with Spencer Hawes, in exchange for Samuel Dalembert on June 17, 2010.

In 11 games with one start this season, Nocioni averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 5.1 minutes per game.

The Sixers roster now stands at 13.

No Derrick Rose, but Bulls beat Sixers

Playing without Derrick Rose hasn’t held back the Chicago Bulls.

C.J. Watson, starting for the injured MVP, scored 20 points and Joakim Noah added 13 points and 11 rebounds to lead the resilient Bulls to an 89-80 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

The Bulls overcame an early 14-point deficit without Rose, who missed his third straight game with a strained groin. Rose has missed 13 games this season and the Bulls still have the best record in the NBA at 37-10. They are 9-4 without Rose.

“That was a tough team we just beat so it gives us a lot of confidence, we just need to keep it going. We are playing without our MVP so we just need to keep getting better, keep improving. It was a good bounce back game from yesterday,” Noah said…

Jrue Holiday led the 76ers with 30 points. Philadelphia dropped its third straight and has lost seven of nine on the road. Holiday got little help as Andre Iguodala was held to seven points and Elton Brand to seven.

Holiday attempted 27 shots, but he was the only offense the 76ers had going.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Grizzlies trade Sam Young to 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that the team has acquired guard/forward Sam Young from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the rights to Ricky Sanchez. The Sixers acquired Sanchez’s rights from Denver, along with Reggie Evans, in exchange for Steven Hunter and Bobby Jones on Sept. 10, 2007.

“We feel Sam’s overall skill set can be a valuable asset to our team and he adds to our depth at two positions,” Sixers President of Basketball Operations Rod Thorn said.

Young (6-6, 220) was originally the 36th overall pick by Memphis in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft. In 179 games with 49 starts for the Grizzlies, Young has averaged 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game while shooting 45.5% from the floor, 24.3% from 3-point range and 77.6% from the line.

Last season, Young appeared in 78 games with 46 starts for Memphis, averaging 7.3 points on 47.2% shooting and had more steals (68) than turnovers (61). The Grizzlies finished the season 29-15 after he was named a full-time starter and were 30-16 overall with him in the starting lineup. Over the final 36 games, Young averaged 10.6 points in 48.8% shooting.

The Grizzlies advanced to the Western Conference Semifinals for the first time in team history last season, with Young appearing in all 13 games with 11 starts. He averaged 7.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game and had a playoff career-high 18 points in Game 5 of Memphis’ first round series vs. San Antonio.

Young spent all four seasons at Pittsburgh and finished fourth on the school’s all-time scoring list. He was one of three seniors who comprised the all-time winningest class in Pitt history. As a senior, Young was an All-Big East First Team and AP All-American Third Team selection while also making the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team.

Sanchez (6-11, 220) currently plays in Argentina for Wuber Estudiantes de Bahia Blanca, where the 24-year-old has averaged 13.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 42 games this season.

Originally selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round (35th overall) of the 2005 NBA Draft, the Guayama, Puerto Rico native also has played professionally in Puerto Rico (2001-04, 2007-11), the Continental Basketball Association (2005-06), the NBA Development League (2006-08), Venezuela (2009), Mexico (2009-11) and Spain (2011-12).

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Spencer Hawes anxious to return for 76ers

Remember Spencer Hawes? Starting center for the Sixers. Had a terrific start to the season and was a big reason as to why the team got off to such a tremendous start. He’s missed over a month of action now, but he seems close to putting on the uniform again.

After this morning’s shootaround in which the Sixers prepared for tonight’s home game against the Boston Celtics, Hawes met with the media for the first time in a few weeks. He looks good, not having put on any weight during his absence. In fact, he says he’s even lost a couple of pounds.

“It’s been encouraging the last couple of days to go out on the court, move around and not even think about it,” said Hawes of his strained Achilles’. The first time I tried to come back (a two-game stint) I was definitely favoring it. This time, checking with everybody who is observing me, they’re telling me it looks like it’s back to normal pretty much.”

— Reported by Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (Blog)

Dajuan Wagner still hears about his 100-point game in 2001

The story, not surprisingly, has taken a life of its own over the years. There was the sniping between the coaches and a halftime fight among players – but most of all it just added to the high school legend of Dajuan Wagner.

Wagner scored exactly 100 points for Camden High in a 157-67 win over visiting Camden County Tech on Jan. 16, 2001.

What was bizarre was that it wasn’t even the highest individual scoring effort of the day. Cedric Hensley, of Heritage Christian Academy in Texas, dropped 101 points in a 178-29 rout of Houston’s Baniff School on the same day.

Still, Wagner didn’t need this performance to generate headlines. He was already considered the consensus No. 1 high school player in the country. He had made a commitment to attend the University of Memphis, where he would stay for a year before being the No. 6 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now 29, Wagner, who last appeared in an NBA game in 2007 for the Golden State Warriors, says he is hoping to make a comeback after suffering various health problems the last few years.

— Reported by Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer

76ers center Spencer Hawes out at least another 2 weeks

The Philadelphia 76ers will have to continue to play without a reliable center for another few weeks.

Over the All-Star Break, Sixers center Spencer Hawes was examined by Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute.

At the recommendation of Dr. Ferkel, Hawes is no longer wearing the protective boot and he will not play in a game for at least two (2) weeks from today.

Further updates on Hawes’ status will be provided as they become available.

Spencer has played just 14 games for the Sixers this season, averaging 10.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists, with 56.8 percent shooting.

Allen Iverson actively seeking NBA comeback

Allen Iverson

For 10 bucks, might play at your house

With hopes of getting one last shot in the NBA, former All-Star and league MVP Allen Iverson is contemplating playing minor league basketball, according to a person close to the situation.

Iverson is willing to play in the Caribbean, in South America or even in the D-League if it gives him a chance to return to the NBA, the source said.

“Allen only wants to play if there’s a possibility that it leads to the NBA,” the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “That’s the only way he would go to one of these lower leagues. He wants to get back to the NBA and leave the game on his terms.”

Iverson’s interest in returning comes as he faces some financial trouble. On Monday, a judge in Georgia garnished funds from Iverson’s bank account to repay about $860,000 that he owes a jeweler, according to multiple media reports.

— Reported by Chris Broussard of ESPN the Magazine

Spencer Hawes may be out until after All-Star weekend

Sixers president Rod Thorn and coach Doug Collins said that starting center Spencer Hawes is seeking a second opinion on his strained left Achilles’ and will probably remain out of the lineup until after the February 26th All-Star game. The Sixers first game after that will be on Tuesday, February 28th in Detroit.

Hawes will miss his 15th of 17 games tonight when the Sixers play at the Orlando Magic. Sitting courtside while the players warmed up, Thorn said: “We haven’t made that determination for sure yet, but the odds are that he probably will (sit out until after All-Star break). He’s not ready to play yet and we certainly don’t want him to go back out there until he is ready to play. I think the chances are that he won’t play until after All-Star.”

— Reported by Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (Blog)