Philadelphia 76ers Blog – Page 83 – NBA Blog

76ers interview Sam Mitchell

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski met with Sam Mitchell in Dallas, TX today regarding the Sixers vacant head coaching position.

Joining Stefanski at the meeting with Mitchell was Sixers Sr. Vice President and Assistant General Manager Tony DiLeo and Sixers consultant Gene Shue.

“Sam has been a successful head coach in the league, having been named Coach of the Year in 2007, and we were very interested in speaking with him,” Stefanski said. “It was good to sit down with him to exchange ideas about our team and this opportunity.”

76ers interview Bill Laimbeer

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski met with Bill Laimbeer in Dallas, TX today regarding the Sixers vacant head coaching position.

Joining Stefanski at the meeting with Laimbeer was Sixers Sr. Vice President and Assistant General Manager Tony DiLeo and Sixers consultant Gene Shue.

“We want to speak to as many qualified candidates as possible and certainly Bill Laimbeer’s credentials as a player and success as a coach – including three championships in six seasons in the WNBA – speaks for iteslf,” Stefanski said. “We want to thank Bill for meeting with us.”

Mark Jackson will not be next 76ers coach

Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports:

Mark Jackson, who seemed to be in the final stages of scheduling an interview with the 76ers for their coaching vacancy, has removed his name from consideration, according to his agent, Steve Kauffman.

Kauffman said Jackson “doesn’t feel it’s the right opportunity for him at this time.”

In the last week, Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski met with two candidates, Doug Collins and Avery Johnson, but has yet to formally meet with a third.

Before stepping out of the race, Jackson seemed poised to become Stefanski’s next official interview. According to an NBA source, Stefanski will formally meet with Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach Monty Williams on Monday.

76ers meet with Avery Johnson

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski met today with Avery Johnson in Houston, TX regarding the Sixers vacant head coaching position.

Joining Stefanski at the meeting with Johnson were Sixers Sr. Vice President and Assistant General Manager Tony DiLeo and Sixers consultant Gene Shue.

“We had an informative meeting and open dialogue with Avery today regarding our head coaching position,” Stefanski said. “His reputation as a motivator and accomplishments as a head coach in the NBA are well-known and I certainly want to thank him for taking the time to meet with us.”

76ers meet with Doug Collins

Philadelphia 76ers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski met yesterday with Doug Collins in Phoenix, AZ regarding the Sixers vacant head coaching position.

Joining Stefanski at the meeting with Collins was Sixers Sr. Vice President and Assistant General Manager Tony DiLeo and Sixers consultant Gene Shue.

“We had a very productive meeting yesterday with Doug to discuss the position and his philosophies,” Stefanski said. “He is someone who has a proven track record as a head coach and has great knowledge of the game. We appreciate him taking the time to meet with us.

“We will continue our due diligence on all the candidates as we continue to narrow our search for a new head coach.”

Thaddeus Young will miss remainder of season

Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young will miss the remainder of the 2009-10 season due to a right thumb fracture. Based on the results of x-rays taken last evening, which were evaluated by Dr. Jack McPhilemy of Main Line Health, the injury has not healed sufficiently enough to allow Young to return to game action.

“While Thaddeus did everything asked of him in an attempt to return to action this season, we feel it necessary to take the appropriate precautions to allow this injury to heal properly,” said Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski.

Young appeared in 67 games with 45 starts this season, averaging 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.21 steals in 32.0 minutes per game. He recorded six double-doubles this season after having just two his first two seasons combined. For his career, Young is shooting 49.5% from the floor.

Jrue Holiday a bright spot for Sixers

Tom Moore of the Burlington County Times reports:

Jrue Holiday is the best – only? – good thing to come out of the Sixers’ disappointing 2009-10 season.

Despite being the youngest player in the league, Holiday is showing he can defend, run the offense and even score in this league. The more he plays, the better he gets.

Holiday had a season-high 25 points Saturday on 10-for-12 shooting, hitting a 3-pointer with 58.9 seconds left in regulation and another with 3:44 to go in overtime, in a 128-123 home loss to the Raptors.

While Holiday looks like a core player for years to come, the Sixers should still take Kentucky point guard John Wall if they’re fortunate enough to land the No. 1 overall pick in the May 18 draft lottery.

Rumors Talk: On Sixers, Ginobili, Blatche

Philadelphia 76ers coach Eddie Jordan may or may not have lost some or all of the team, but really, chances are at least a few of those guys have lost themselves. Certain players realize they aren’t having a great season and the team’s upside being so limited probably affects them just as much as not necessarily agreeing with everything Jordan does.

But, also, the triangle offense simply doesn’t work if a coach doesn’t have the right pieces for the puzzle.

Simply put, the 76ers have a limited roster and wouldn’t be doing much better than they are under another coach.

As for Real Madrid reportedly preparing to make Manu Ginobili a huge offer, the report came from Europe. And sorry to say, but a lot of reports from that continent regarding NBA players are either only partially true, or lost in translation. The offer may or may not come to exist. And chances are, he’ll re-sign with the Spurs.

Juwan Howard is right to not think about retiring yet. He can still help teams as a backup.

Shaquille O’Neal should keep playing, too. If he isn’t good on the court, he can help a team by acting as a security guard in the parking lot before and after each game, and occasionally breakdancing during timeouts.

Dwight Howard leads the league in technical fouls, with 15. He’s followed by Boston Celtics teammates Kendrick Perkins and Rasheed Wallace.

Andray Blatche finally said he was sorry for acting out of line the other day. With all the issues the Washington Wizards have had this season, it’ll be forgotten. He’s still raised his stock nicely over the last month.

As expected by people following the situation all along, the Washington Capitals owner will become the next Wizards owner. For fun, they should let the Capitals hockey team and the Wizards basketball team occasionally practice together, on the same floor at the same time. Hilarity will ensue.

Raptors struggles mean more articles coming out about Chris Bosh possibly leaving town this summer. There have only been 27,500,000 of those so far. More are needed.

Bosh should consider the attention a compliment. If we national media members stop talking about you, it probably means you don’t matter. Bosh matters.

Eddy Curry remains out. In equally shocking news, the sun is hot.

There’s no reason for Tyreke Evans to rush back until his head fully clears up. He and the Kings know this.

Tons of NBA games Friday night, but you should DVR your favorites and watch live NCAA Tournament instead, even if you don’t follow college hoops.

Go INSIDE HOOPS every day. Talk to you Saturday.

This feature is an editorialized take on the day’s hot NBA rumors stories.

Andre Iguodala playing hurt

Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News reports:

Mired in one of the worst shooting slumps in his 6-year career, 76ers forward Andre Iguodala revealed yesterday that he is suffering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Iguodala is just 28-for-85 (32.9 percent) in his past six games after posting 30 points in a home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has also missed 27 of his last 29 shots from beyond the arc.

“It has been hurting for the past couple of weeks,” said Iguodala, who scored 23 points on 8-for-14 shooting in 37 minutes in last night’s 109-93 loss to the Magic. “It’s not something particular that happened, I just noticed it. It’s bothering, but something I can play through.”

David Stern, John Thompson reached out to Allen Iverson

ESPN The Magazine reports:

NBA commissioner David Stern and legendary former Georgetown coach John Thompson recently reached out to troubled ex-76ers guard Allen Iverson, according to Iverson’s longtime business manager, Gary Moore.

Stern telephoned Moore Monday and asked how Iverson was coping with the myriad of problems that have come his way. Moore said the two spoke for about 10 minutes and he assured the commissioner Iverson is doing fine.

“David was genuinely concerned for Allen,” Moore said. “He asked about his daughter and his wife. He said that if Allen needed him he knows how to get him.”

Moore said Stern also asked about a recent Philadelphia Inquirer report that said Iverson was battling alcohol and gambling problems.

Stern confirmed the conversation through an NBA spokesman but refused to comment. No future meeting or discussion between Stern and Iverson was set up.