Phinally Philly

A rumor started by guys who stare at contract numbers too much has resurfaced. Delawareonline.com is reporting a deal between the Sixers and Rockets could be possible yet again. The rumored deal would make sense, McGrady and Dalembert are both unwanted by their respective teams and both have large amounts of money owed. The deal most likely wouldn’t be straight up, a guy like Willie Green or Aaron Brooks could be thrown in from either side. 

The rumor has gained legs now that Yao Ming’s injury seems more series then previously thought, perhaps even career threatening. 

With the uncertainty of Tracy McGrady’s health, it’s possible that if traded to the Sixers he may never suit up for a single game.  As McGrady’s contract comes off the books at the end of next season. McGrady is expected to be out until at least next seasons All-Star break. And even that time frame is uncertain. 

So the trade would be garbage for garbage. However, getting rid of these players would help both teams out a great deal. The McGrady distraction in Houston would be gone, and the Sixers frustration with Dalembert’s development would be in the past. 

What do you guys think, could this deal happen?

Sixer Announce Assistant Coaches

The only new addition to the Sixer coaching staff is Mike O’Koren, former associate Head Coach under Eddie Jordan in Washington. Aaron McKie and Jim Lynam will both return. 

-Mike Santa Barbara

*** Follow Me on Twitter Mike__SB ***

I’ve tried to think of ways the month of June could have been worse for the Phils, but I really can’t. I know Kieran already covered some of this in the post below but it really bears repeating how absolute crappy this past month has been for the Fightins:

- Brett Myers’ season-ending surgery was announced in late May, which served as a fitting preview for what was to come. Brad Lidge, Raul Ibanez, Scott Eyre, Antonio Bastardo, and Clay Condrey all went on the DL in June.

- Adding insult to injury, Ryan Howard missed a game against the Orioles with the flu, ending his 343 consecutive games streak.

- Jimmy Rollins probably should have sat for the entire month. He hit .167 in June, and Charlie Manuel’s stubborn reluctance to move him out of the leadoff spot is killing the offense.

- The Phils bullpen, which had been so dominant in 2008, blew 5 saves in just one month (2 for Lidge, 3 for Madson.)

- All in all the Phillies went 11-15 in June, including dropping six in a row to perennial pushovers Toronto and Baltimore. While they still hold first place (for now) they blew a great opportunity to build a big division lead.

On the plus side, at least today is July 1st. Unfortunately that doesn’t necessarily mean we are out of the woods just yet; the Phillies went 15-10 in July of 2008, but only because of a five game winning streak in the last five games of the month. What does that tell you? We may not see the Phillies really wake up until after the All-Star break.

DISHONORABLE MENTION:

ESPN completely ignoring the start of NHL free agency

I understand they don’t have the TV rights, but that doesn’t mean you ignore the sport entirely. On the front page of ESPN.com there are stories about Wimbledon, fantasy football, some piece comparing the way the Angels are run compared to the Clippers (?!?), and NBA free agency. The only mention of hockey at all is in the headlines box on the right, and it is usually news that is at least a couple hours old. As you might expect, TSN is updating their site with signings way faster, so I highly suggest going there to get your hockey news.

Yes, it’s a week attempt at a clever headline, but I didn’t want to go for something about Martin Prado and the devil.

So the Phillies had a pretty bad June, their worst month since last June.  They went 11-15 this past month and 12-14 in June ’08. This has been a bad stretch for the Fightins’, but thankfully, they play in the NL East with the Mutts and Marlins. Their recent struggles have allowed the teams behind them to creep up on them, but the Mets have been doing their part as well. They went 9-18 in June to fall to 3rd place in the Nl East behind the Fish. At this point in the season, it looks like if you don’t win the NL East, you don’t make the playoffs. I don’t think the Wild Card is coming out of the East this season.

Jimmy Rollins’ struggles have played a huge part in the Phillies fate recently, but that has been beaten to death many times, so I’ll leave it alone. The only thing I will say is that he needs to go back to just getting on base. Stop thinking about hitting HRs and get on base for the rest of this team. They’ll knock you in Jimmy, I promise.

There is hope on the horizon though. Raul Ibanez is scheduled to start his rehab with AA Reading tonight. Charlie Manuel said he’d like to get him some at bats before he comes up, so hopefully he’s back early next week at the latest. Ibanez is a key part of this team and they desperately need him. The offense is struggling without him and he’s been a catalyst so far. It can’t be said enough, great signing by Amaro.

Scott Eyre is also starting his rehab at Reading tonight. He’ll be welcomed back to the bullpen when he’s eligible. The pitching staff has been hurting recently, and they need all the arms they can get.

It’s been a rough month, but now that the calendar has turned, hopefully the team’s fortune turns as well. They played a lot better last July than they did in June, so they’ll try and keep that trend going for the rest of this season, just like last year. Of course, we all know how last season turned out for the WFC.

-KK