Evan Turner says Bulls are a better matchup for the Sixers

The NBA playoffs are right around the corner and we’ve already had our first brush with controversy. Philadelphia 76ers guard Evan Turner basically admitted that the Sixers are trying to dodge the Miami Heat so that they’ll get a first round matchup with the Chicago Bulls because Turner says Miami is the tougher team. Turner feels that if they get Chicago in the first round they have a better chance of winning.

In a story that appeared in the Delaware County Daily Times, Chicago native and Sixers’ guard Evan Turner thinks the Sixers would rather play the Bulls because, “It means we’re dodging the tougher team. That’s what I think.” The better team, of course, being the Heat?


“We will be able to compete well against Chicago and have an opportunity to win the series,” he said.


“We probably match up better against them even though they are, by far, the best team in the East,” Turner said. “We match up better with them with our personnel, so you never know.”


The Bulls didn’t seem to bite at the comments but Kyle Korver did call the comments “flammatory”.

“Well, all right,” he said. “I’m not going to get into a war of words with Evan Turner.


“Come play us. Our goal’s to win a championship. We don’t care who we play—first round, second round, third round—we want to go through everybody. That’s our mindset. We don’t want to go around anybody. We’ve got the one seed and we’re ready for whoever’s eighth.”


Center Joakim Noah didn’t put much stock in Turner’s comments.

“That’s cool,” Joakim Noah told reporters in Indianapolis.


“Why doesn’t it bother me? At the end of the day you’ve got to go out there and play the game, so we’re only worried about us right now and we’ll worry about Evan Turner when we need to worry about Evan Turner, if … God willing.”

The way the Sixers played after their quick start (20-8), they shouldn’t be worrying about seeing who they match up with better. They should concentrate on playing better basketball to be in a position to beat the Bulls. 

Doug Collins calls young players sensitive and fragile

It looks like Doug Collins may be wearing out his welcome in Philadelphia. After the 76ers got off to a fast start, shocking most of the league, they’re sputtering to the finish and Collins’ hard driving ways may be too much for the young Sixers.

The Sixers were one of the top four teams, record wise, in the Eastern Conference, now find themselves trying to fend off the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth and final spot.

Collins wants to be hard on his young team, but says that he can’t because they’re too sensitive and fragile.

“The one thing about players today is that they’re very sensitive, and very fragile,” Collins said before his team’s game against the Boston Celtics on Easter Sunday. “They didn’t grow up with tough coaches. You know, I had my ass kicked since I was six. It’s a different time, and so I treat this team very much with kid gloves. I really do, and I’m still looked at as an ogre…


“It’s terrible, I mean, it’s hard. It really is hard,” he said. “I honestly find myself during the games looking at the coach [and asking], ‘Was I alright with those guys during that timeout? Did I hurt anybody’s feelings? Was I OK?’… ‘Coach, you’re fine, you’re fine’… I said ‘OK, OK, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt anybody’s feelings.’ That’s the sensitivity, and the younger the guys, it seems like the more sensitive. And that’s what you’re wrestling with.”


Collins has worn out his welcome every where he’s been. Chicago, Detroit, and now here in Philly. My guess is that the young Sixers are tuning him out and he might know the end is near. I’ll be watching to see how this plays out. 

Spencer Hawes Says David Stern Makes Too Much Money

NBA commisioner David Stern gets paid. I’m not talking about the him lining his pockets from player fines either. The commish makes $23 million a year, which is a ton of money to sit in his ivory tower and run a sports league.

Philadelphia 76ers center Spencer Hawes thinks Stern is overpaid. Hawes took to Twitter to give his take on Stern’s high salary.

I can understand what Hawes is thinking, but he didn’t have to say it. Hope he doesn’t back down and say someone hacked his account. Also he should hope this doesn’t have any future consequences for his career. Not that anything like that would happen, but Tim Donaghy was a referee at one point.     

Spencer Hawes’ Message To The NBA

The city of Seattle held an NBA sanctioned charity basketball game between some NBA players and Seattle’s finest.

After the 2 1/2 hour exhibition, former Washington Husky and Seattle Prep star, Spencer Hawes, stepped to the microphone with a message to the NBA about bringing basketball back to Seattle and a unique haircut to relay the message.

“I just want to leave y’all with one last thing,” Hawes shouted. “Come home, Sonics! Come home, Sonics!”

Well the Sonics aren’t coming home. I don’t know if David Stern will bring the NBA back to Seattle. Personally I would like to see that happen, because it seems strange without a team in Seattle.

Sam Young Scores At Wrong Basket

For the second time this year an NBA player has had a hand at giving away two points. First it was Darko on a jumpball and now this.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ Sam Young tried to grab a missed shot by the Philadelphia 76ers Louis Williams. The ball caromed off of his hand and went through the basket.

LouWill: NBAer And MC

Philadelphia 76ers guard Louis Williams has ambitions outside of the NBA. Apparently he has an eye on the rap industry. You know how it is, rappers want to be ball players and the players want to be rappers. Remember all the ill fated attempts by NBA players cutting albums (cds). Chris Webber, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Jewlz,er, Allen Iverson and the list goes on. There was the NBA’s ‘Best Kept Secret’ cd.

This featured the likes of Dana Barros, Cedric Ceballos, Brian Shaw, Chris Mills, Dennis Scott and more. It should’ve remained secret.

I won’t bag on Williams too hard, at least he’s not in the news for the wrong reasons.