http://bleacherreport.com/ Bleacher Report - The open source sports network en-us 30 gabe allen <p>Ed Stefanski (76ers GM),</p> <p>I am a former 76ers season ticket holder. The 76ers recently gave me two tickets to see the 4-6 Sixers host the 3-7 Bobcats on Wednesday night. It was a good game.</p> <p>The Sixers made a great comeback in the last couple minutes and won on a layup by Lou Williams with three seconds left.</p> <p>Then on Friday night, I had already bought tickets, as I was planning on seeing Iverson make his only visit to Philadelphia of the season. But as we are all aware Iverson is not on the Grizzlies anymore.</p> <p>The 5-6 Sixers lost to the 3-8 Grizzlies in a terrible performance that saw the Sixers get outrebounded 48-28. Only Lou Williams showed up.</p> <p>This Sixer team is going to do the same thing as the last couple of years' teams: win enough games to make the playoffs and lose in the first round.</p> <p>Allen Iverson was the heart and soul of the 76ers for a decade. The Sixers have been unable to escape mediocrity since trading Iverson.</p> <p>The GM before you, you know, Billy King; there are a lot of reasons why he was fired. He traded for the washed up Webber. He re-signed Willie Green over John Salmons.</p> <p>He also signed Samuel Dalembert to a contract extension that goes through the 2010 season. This contract is one that pays him $12 million to disrupt the flow of the 76ers offense on a nightly basis.</p> <p>The guy has absolutely no clue what to do on offense. It's really sad to watch. And yes, he traded away the Answer too.</p> <p>And you can fix his mistake.</p> <p>Re-uniting with Iverson is a move you can make without risk.</p> <p>First and most obviously, the 76ers attendance is terrible. It's last in the league. No one wants to pay for tickets, parking, a hot dog, and a soda to see Willie Green and Sammy Dalembert get all these minutes. </p> <p>I think it's safe to say that if Iverson became a Sixer, we could say good-bye to any worries regarding attendance.</p> <p>Next, Iverson would not stunt the development of any up and coming players. A starting lineup of Lou Williams, Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, and Marreesse Speights would be much better than the current, and Thaddeus would still see plenty of minutes as the sixth man. This would be a very versatile group.</p> <p>The rest of the time would go to Holiday, Jason Smith, Samuel Dalembert, Jason Kapono, Rodney Carney and Willie Green.</p> <p>If there is one thing that the fans in Philly and Allen Iverson deserve, it's to be re-united.</p> <p> </p><p>Read more <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers news</a> on BleacherReport.com</p> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:24:31 -0500 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294974-iverson-and-the-sixers-time-to-kiss-and-make-up http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294974-iverson-and-the-sixers-time-to-kiss-and-make-up http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294974-iverson-and-the-sixers-time-to-kiss-and-make-up Basketball NBA Philadelphia 76ers Opinion gabe allen <p>Ed Stefanski (76ers GM),</p> <p>I am a former 76ers season ticket holder. The 76ers recently gave me two tickets to see the 4-6 Sixers host the 3-7 Bobcats on Wednesday night. It was a good game.</p> <p>The Sixers made a great comeback in the last couple minutes and won on a layup by Lou Williams with three seconds left.</p> <p>Then on Friday night, I had already bought tickets, as I was planning on seeing Iverson make his only visit to Philadelphia of the season. But as we are all aware Iverson is not on the Grizzlies anymore.</p> <p>The 5-6 Sixers lost to the 3-8 Grizzlies in a terrible performance that saw the Sixers get outrebounded 48-28. Only Lou Williams showed up.</p> <p>This Sixer team is going to do the same thing as the last couple of years' teams: win enough games to make the playoffs and lose in the first round.</p> <p>Allen Iverson was the heart and soul of the 76ers for a decade. The Sixers have been unable to escape mediocrity since trading Iverson.</p> <p>The GM before you, you know, Billy King; there are a lot of reasons why he was fired. He traded for the washed up Webber. He re-signed Willie Green over John Salmons.</p> <p>He also signed Samuel Dalembert to a contract extension that goes through the 2010 season. This contract is one that pays him $12 million to disrupt the flow of the 76ers offense on a nightly basis.</p> <p>The guy has absolutely no clue what to do on offense. It's really sad to watch. And yes, he traded away the Answer too.</p> <p>And you can fix his mistake.</p> <p>Re-uniting with Iverson is a move you can make without risk.</p> <p>First and most obviously, the 76ers attendance is terrible. It's last in the league. No one wants to pay for tickets, parking, a hot dog, and a soda to see Willie Green and Sammy Dalembert get all these minutes. </p> <p>I think it's safe to say that if Iverson became a Sixer, we could say good-bye to any worries regarding attendance.</p> <p>Next, Iverson would not stunt the development of any up and coming players. A starting lineup of Lou Williams, Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, and Marreesse Speights would be much better than the current, and Thaddeus would still see plenty of minutes as the sixth man. This would be a very versatile group.</p> <p>The rest of the time would go to Holiday, Jason Smith, Samuel Dalembert, Jason Kapono, Rodney Carney and Willie Green.</p> <p>If there is one thing that the fans in Philly and Allen Iverson deserve, it's to be re-united.</p><p>Read more <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers news</a> on BleacherReport.com</p> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:52:00 -0500 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294730-for-sixers-iverson-is-still-the-answer http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294730-for-sixers-iverson-is-still-the-answer http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294730-for-sixers-iverson-is-still-the-answer Basketball NBA Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson Opinion Philadelphia Bryan Toporek <p>Behind Boston and Los Angeles, the Philadelphia 76ers have featured some of the finest stars in NBA history.</p> <p>Yet some NBA fans appear to be rejoicing as one of Philly's finest, Allen Iverson, stands on the precipice of being forced to retire unwillingly.</p> <p>And if you're true to Philly, or to the game of basketball, that rejoicing must come to an end.  Soon. <br> <br> From the unprecedented Wilt Chamberlain and his 100-point game in the '60s to Julius "Dr. J" Erving and Moses Malone in the early '80s...</p> <p>from Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins and his daily new dunk names to Charles Barkley, one of the greatest rebounders in NBA history...</p> <p>the Sixers have welcomed some of the wildest, most unique, captivating players in NBA history, and they've managed to capture the imagination and the hearts of Philadelphians for decades.</p> <p>But when the Sixers traded Barkley on June 17, 1992, to the Phoenix Suns for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang (and if you're asking yourself, "Who?"...well, rightfully so), Sixers fans saw the writing on the wall. </p> <p>After having just missed the playoffs in the 1991-92 season, for only the second time in Barkley's eight years as a Sixer, what hope did they have after trading Barkley for 60 cents on the dollar?<br> <br> Sixers fans were right.  The next four seasons were one giant unmitigated disaster, with the Sixers never exceeding 26 wins in a single season. </p> <p>There was only one plus side to their misery: the team was so putrid (see: an 18-64 record in the 1995-96 season) that they ended up winning the 1996 NBA draft lottery.  And who was coming into the NBA that year...?<br> <br> A sophomore guard from Georgetown named Allen Iverson had just finished tearing up the NCAA and guiding his Hoyas into the Elite Eight when he declared himself eligible for the upcoming NBA draft. </p> <p>Despite <a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/draft/NBA_1996.html">one of the deepest drafts in NBA history</a> (a young man by the name of Kobe Bryant would be selected <em>13th</em> that year), the Sixers put Iverson at the very top of their list, as the 76ers glaringly lacked playmakers.  (Does Shawn Bradley ring a bell?  Or a gag reflex?)<br>  <br> Luckily for the Sixers, Iverson would virtually re-define what being a "playmaker" meant.<br> <br> Iverson single-handedly changed the fortunes of the 76ers franchise for a decade.  He was named Rookie of the Year in 1996-97.  He won the All-Star MVP award twice—in 2001 and 2005—and he was a 10-time All-Star over the course of his career. </p> <p>He won the NBA scoring title <em>four </em> different times: 1998-99, back-to-back in 2000-01 and 2001-02, and finally in 2004-05.<br> <br> Iverson has a career scoring average of 27.1 points, fifth all-time.  He <em>was</em> the team in 2000-01, as he won the league's MVP award and put the team on his back the whole year.</p> <p>He alone carried the Sixers to the Finals, despite them having no business being there. (And, oh, did it show against the Showtime Lakers.)<br> <br> So when I hear about or read Sixers fans <em>happy</em> to see what's happened to "The Answer" since his departure from Philly in the 2006-07 season, I get a little nauseous.</p> <p>In case you've forgotten some of the absurd things that A.I. did with a basketball during his time in Philly, take a moment and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJGYGQ4Y21w">go here</a> .  Or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34O33rwPads&amp;feature=PlayList&amp;p=D9BC2764B5FFE643&amp;index=11&amp;playnext=10&amp;playnext_from=PL">here</a> .  Video tributes to "The Answer" can sum up his achievements and abilities far better than any words ever will.</p> <p>And who can forget Iverson's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkMkRwwISz4&amp;feature=PlayList&amp;p=D9BC2764B5FFE643&amp;playnext=1&amp;playnext_from=PL&amp;index=1">famed, ruthless crossover</a> ?  (Seriously, watch that link.  The video's caption says it all: "Allen Iverson breaks both of Antonio Daniel's ankles.")  This is the move <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZARgv6ulkg&amp;feature=PlayList&amp;p=D9BC2764B5FFE643&amp;index=3&amp;playnext=3&amp;playnext_from=PL">that could even fool Michael Jordan.</a></p> <p>This guy, above everything else, was a warrior during his time with the Sixers.  Unlike the Eagles, who haven't strung together solid back-to-back efforts since 2004, Iverson came to work each day to put everything he could out on the court, and always did it his way.</p> <p>With a 6'0", diminutive body frame, NBA pundits predicted that Iverson's high-flying, high-contact style of play would take a toll on his body and dramatically shorten his career. </p> <p>Well... A.I.'s 34, and if he could learn to come off the bench with a smile on his face, he'd have a guaranteed spot on an NBA roster this season.  No signs of slowing down yet.</p> <p>Trust me, I understand being upset about the circumstances under which he left Philadelphia.  I, too, can't get over the fact that the Sixers gave up a future Hall of Famer for Andre Miller and loose change, but don't hold that against Iverson.  Take up your grudge with Sixers management, and leave Iverson out of it. </p> <p>Instead, appreciate Iverson for what he's brought to the NBA over the past 13 years. </p> <p>Iverson brought a never-say-die attitude to the Sixers that even allowed them to steal a game in the NBA Finals from the Kobe-Shaq dynasty (and keep in mind...Philly was starting a declining Dikembe Mutombo, Eric Snow, and Aaron McKie alongside him in those Finals). </p> <p>This is the guy single-handedly responsible for getting my attention way back when, when I was nothing more than a 10-year-old from a Philly suburb who knew next-to-nothing about basketball.  </p> <p>The fact that he could make <em>me</em> care about basketball back then...it's a testament to how A.I. managed to draw the whole city together.</p> <p>Iverson really was "The Answer" for Philly—someone who managed to captivate, excite, and rally a fan base around him. </p> <p>So go ahead, fellow Sixers fan or know-it-all media pundit, use your selective amnesia to block out the years of 1996 through 2006, and hate away on Iverson.  But don't say that you love Philly basketball, or basketball in general, if you do.</p> <p>Because Iverson is good for the game of basketball.  And personally?  I'd be sick to see his career end prematurely like this.</p><p>Read more <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers news</a> on BleacherReport.com</p> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:27:01 -0500 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294610-philly-fans-shouldnt-want-allen-iverson-to-flame-out http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294610-philly-fans-shouldnt-want-allen-iverson-to-flame-out http://bleacherreport.com/articles/294610-philly-fans-shouldnt-want-allen-iverson-to-flame-out Basketball NBA Philadelphia 76ers NBA History Opinion Bryan Toporek <p>About an hour before the Eagles took the field against the Chargers (and proceeded to make Philadelphia fans want to gargle battery acid on Sunday night), Philly basketball fans were dealing with their <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4657544">own special kind of stomach punch</a> .</p> <p>The <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers'</a> best player (per-minute) this season, <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/marreese-speights">Marreese Speights</a> , <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20091116_Sixers__Speights_to_miss_6_to_8_weeks_with_knee_injury.html">partially tore his medial collateral ligament</a> in the fourth quarter of Philly's 94-88 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, and will miss the next six-to-eight weeks recovering.</p> <p>For Sixers fans staring at a 4-6 start to the season, this news might have them already counting down towards baseball spring training, and understandably so. The 76ers have looked out of sync on offense so far, mostly as a result of new head coach Eddie Jordan implementing his pass-heavy Princeton offense.  </p> <p>Worse yet, <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/elton-brand">Elton Brand</a> has done nothing to prove that he's back from two season-ending injuries thus far; instead, he's looking more and more like the Sixers' newest <a href="http://hoopshype.com/salaries/philadelphia.htm">albatross contract</a> (collecting nearly $15 million this season, nearly $16 million next season, $17 million in 2011-12 and &lt;em&gt;$18 million&lt;/em&gt; in 2012-13). His season average of 9.8 points and 5.3 rebounds has <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/Brand_out_of_starting_lineup_.html">now reportedly threatened his role in the starting lineup</a> (tune in Wednesday to see?), even with Speights' injury.  </p> <p>With that said, I do see some silver lining in Speights' injury (or, really, I'm just trying to convince myself that there's &lt;em&gt;some&lt;/em&gt; speck of hope for the Sixers this season). Here are three possibilities that could unfold:</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>1) The Sixers' other big men get a chance to develop...quickly.</strong></p> <p>The 76ers' current starting front-court of Brand (<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3480691">$79.795 million</a> ) and Samuel Dalembert (<a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/dalemsa01.html">$66.732 million</a> ) constitutes nearly half the team's salary for the next two years, and will understandably get their minutes because of the team's heavy investment in them.  </p> <p>Yet with Speights, the first big off the bench, now injured for possibly upwards of two months, the Sixers' other big men (namely, <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3232">Jason Smith</a> and <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/stats?playerId=94">Primoz Brezec</a> ) get a chance to earn some meaningful minutes in the lineup.  </p> <p>Brezec, a 7'1" first-rounder, drafted by Indiana in 2000, has been mainly a backup during his 10-year NBA career, only earning meaningful starting minutes during a three-year stint in Charlotte from 2004-06. His career averages of 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds certainly don't jump off the screen, but remember that he only averaged 19.0 minutes of play—extrapolate those stats to 40 minutes/game and he averages close to 16 points and over eight rebounds. Not great, but not terrible.</p> <p>And Smith is another 7-footer for the Sixers that could provide some much needed depth, if he remains healthy this season. After coming to the Sixers in a draft-day trade in 2007, he averaged 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.6 minutes in the 2007-08 season, but a torn ACL derailed Smith's season last year before it even started.</p> <p>Smith provides the Sixers with a young, white, poor-man's Rasheed Wallace at the 5, as he has demonstrated his ability to step back and hit an open three-pointer time and time again. Size plus range equals hope...? </p> <p>I'm not trying to convince myself that the combination of Smith/Brezec will completely replace Speights (statistically speaking, it would be almost impossible to replace his production per-minute). But, at the very least, Jordan has more of an excuse to tinker with his lineups and find effective combinations of bigs, which should only help the Sixers in the long run when Speights returns.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>2) Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert have the opportunity to live up to their massive contracts.</strong></p> <p>If the Sixers' management wants to pay two players nearly half of the team's salary (just over $26 million of the team's nearly $62 million payroll this year), then they damn well better get some playing time. Speights' injury opens the window for both to keep their minutes intact, despite their slow starts (and the &lt;em&gt;Inquirer's&lt;/em&gt; report of a potential Brand-benching in the works for Wednesday).</p> <p>Besides Brand and Dalembert, the Sixers have Smith, Brezec, and three-point specialist Jason Kapono as their only big men (although Thaddeus Young has seen some time at the four before). Even if Smith and Brezec &lt;em&gt;do&lt;/em&gt; perform as well as I hope, please God within reason, they could each see 15 minutes per game and leave nearly 35 per game for both Brand and Dalembert.</p> <p>Even if Brand moves into the second unit, giving Smith his starting power forward position, Jordan's lineup switch doesn't automatically necessitate more minutes for Smith. If Brand can retain his 20/10 form while playing with the down-tempo second unit (dare I say, a &lt;em&gt;very&lt;/em&gt; early dark horse for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year?), he'll get his minutes, regardless of Smith's starting (Think of guys like J.R. Smith on Denver, Manu Ginobili on San Antonio, etc.).<br> <br> For what it's worth, Brand's comments on Monday suggest a change brewing: "Today, [coach Jordan] was talking about me working with the second group, getting some more center touches and stuff like that rather than playing with the fast-paced tempo of the first group, so definitely something is going to happen."</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>3) If all else fails...Brand and Dalembert's extra minutes mean extra time to increase their trade value each game.</strong></p> <p>It's no secret around the NBA that the Sixers are trying to toss Dalembert to another team like a hot potato. John Hollinger <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&amp;page=PERDiem-091113">addressed the Sixers' desperation</a> in his Weekend PER Diem on ESPN.com on Friday (where he also labelled Brand and Dalembert as two of his biggest early season disappointments).</p> <p>Meanwhile, Dalembert might have company on the hot seat, as <a href="http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20090625_For_76ers__NBA_draft_is_a_crapshoot.html?viewAll=y">rumors have been abound since the summer that Brand had made his way to the Sixers' trading block</a> after the first year of his five-year deal. While general manager Ed Stefanski <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20091114_Jazz__Maynor__Sixers__Holiday_relive_NCAA_matchup.html">publicly denies shopping Brand</a> , one would imagine that Brand could be had for the right price. This is, after all, the franchise that traded Allen Iverson for &lt;em&gt;Andre Miller&lt;/em&gt; and change.</p> <p>With a potential for each guy racking 35 minutes a night, one could only hope that the two would capitalize on their opportunity and start stuffing a box score. Hopefully, Stefanski is sitting by his GM phone from now until the trade deadline, fielding offers of either of the Sixers' big men to every team in the league in exchange for...well, <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/222829-sixers-trade-dalembert-to-los-angeles-for-candace-parker-and-a-throwback-humor">anything but this. </a></p> <p>If not...only 106 days until the Phillies kick off spring training.</p> <p> </p><p>Read more <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers news</a> on BleacherReport.com</p> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:34:44 -0500 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/292011-marreese-speights-out-6-8-weeks-is-there-silver-lining-for-the-sixers http://bleacherreport.com/articles/292011-marreese-speights-out-6-8-weeks-is-there-silver-lining-for-the-sixers http://bleacherreport.com/articles/292011-marreese-speights-out-6-8-weeks-is-there-silver-lining-for-the-sixers Basketball NBA Philadelphia 76ers Opinion Scott Eisenlohr <p>At 6'11" and 260 pounds, Darryl Dawkins was an imposing figure on the basketball court as the center for the Philadelphia 76ers in the mid-1970s.</p> <p>He had a 14-year career, but perhaps was best known for taking down two basketball backboards in one season, 1979-80.</p> <p>So what was this former NBA player doing at the Best Buy store in Philadelphia on Sunday, Nov. 15? An old-time player helping to launch a new computer operating system, Windows 7?</p> <p>Thanks to a partnership between the NBA, HP, and Microsoft; fans and bloggers, such as myself and Enrico Campitelli from 700 Level, had a 15-minute meet and greet with this NBA legend.</p> <p>We found him to be gracious and charming, just as he was during his playing days in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Utah, and Detroit. Today, he lives in the area and is the head coach of the Lehigh Carbon Community College.</p> <p>Keeping in theme with of the launch of Windows 7 at the Philadelphia store, here are seven questions posed by myself, Scott Eisenlohr (shown right), and Enrico (left) to Dawkins.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraph">1. <strong>What are some of your favorite dunks names? How did you come up with them?</strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">"I’ve had a wild imagination since I was seven years old. I used to draw in my house, including on my pillow. My mother would yell at me. So it stems from a long time ago. 'Yo Momma' was for anybody who hangs on or puts in on them. 'Cause it is for all of them; 'Turbo Sexophonic Delight; Spine Chiller Supreme,' 'The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robizine-Crying, Teeth-Shaking, Glass Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun-Toasting, Wham-Bam-I-Am Jam,' and 'The Heart Stopper.' The Heart Stopper was for the guys underneath the basket when I came in and froze. They could not move: It was like their heart stopped."</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">2. <strong>Did you plan to break the second backboard? The first? Describe the play and how it felt?</strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">"The first was an accident. I guess it started when I was growing up. We had wooden backboards. My dad put in number 6 nails and I would break the wood all the time. He replaced them with number 8 nails. I was still breaking them. That night [the first break in Kansas City], I felt I could have ran the Olympic 4X100. It was the fastest I ran in my life. It started breaking and we all got out of the way. The guy underneath the basket was Bill Robizine. I said, ‘Bill, you don’t block shots.’ He said that was my rotation more than anybody else's."</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">3. <strong>Who was the best dunker?</strong> (700 Level)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">"Jim McDaniels from Buffalo. He dunked the ball and the rim was still shaking when we went down the court. Darnell Hillman of Denver was a stylish dunker with long arms. And Dr. J, he always did fantastic stuff."</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">4. <strong>How did you feel being the first NBA player drafted out of high school, along with Bill Willoughby? Moses Malone was before you guys, but he started in the ABA. Would you suggest players to do it today?</strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">"The question kills people in trivia. They guess Moses and he started in the old ABA. To be honest with you, I always teach that everything don’t happen that did for Darryl Dawkins. I can’t justify not going to college. I was young and felt bulletproof."</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">5.<strong></strong> <strong>People in Philadelphia remember your time here. You reached the finals with the 76ers in 1980. And you played in three NBA finals. You played with some great players. Who do your remember?</strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">"World B. Free my brother, Bobby Jones, Doug Collins, Fred “Mad Dog” Carter, George McGinnis, and Clyde Lee."</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">6. <strong>What do you think of Andre Iguodala's </strong><strong>nickname, Iggy? </strong>(700 Level)</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">"It is not fair for me to say. Iggy: He might not like the nickname, but I just can’t say. When I was a kid, nicknames were from what you did. 'Scold cap,' he got the nickname ‘cause he got caught by a girl's window and her mother poured hot water on him. Another guy we called humpback."</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">7. <strong>How is your team at Lehigh Carbon Community College doing? Your first game was Nov. 2.</strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">"We are 3-0 in the conference and we lost two out of conference games to bigger, stronger teams. Besides being a basketball coach, I am teaching them life lessons. How to treat ladies. And everybody wants to be a rapper. I take them to shelters, soup kitchens, to see underprivileged children. Life is much longer than basketball."</p><p>Read more <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/philadelphia-76ers">Philadelphia 76ers news</a> on BleacherReport.com</p> Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:11:34 -0500 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/291229-get-off-the-bleachers-darryl-dawkins-courts-players-in-game-of-life http://bleacherreport.com/articles/291229-get-off-the-bleachers-darryl-dawkins-courts-players-in-game-of-life http://bleacherreport.com/articles/291229-get-off-the-bleachers-darryl-dawkins-courts-players-in-game-of-life Basketball NBA Philadelphia 76ers Breaking News Philadelphia Must Reads