Phinally Philly

Amidst the craziness that is the Philadelphia sports scene lately, it’s safe to say the Sixers aren’t being discussed around the water cooler in your office. 

However, that doesn’t mean the Sixers aren’t making moves.

On Thursday the Sixers made a deal with the New Orleans Hornets. Sending longest tenured Sixer, Willie Green, and former 1st round pick Jason Smith to the Hornets in exchange for big man Darius Songaila and 21st overall pick in this years draft, Craig Brackins. 

The deal seems to be a win for the Sixers, and down right baffling from the Hornets end. 

Green, while a veteran, doesn’t have the tools to play productive minutes. Jason Smith had shown flashes of perhaps becoming a talented and versatile player down low, but injuries have taken that spark away. 

Songaila is a decent shooter but probably won’t contribute too much to the team in the form of minutes. 

Brackins is an athletic big man, standing 6″10, who has the ability to shoot from outside. Brackins was the 21st pick in the 1st round by Oklahoma City before being traded to the Hornets. Brackins is a player whose reportedly been on Rod Thorn’s radar for a few years now. Some scouting reports claim that Brackins would have easily been a lottery pick had he come out a year ago. 

Clearly the 76ers are changing the culture of this team. For once embracing the athletic ability of the current roster and surrounding that talent with equally athletic players with an importance on those players ability to shoot from outside. The Sixers will be a defense first team, though you’re slowly starting to see the creation of what kind of offensive attack they hope to bring this season. 

For the first time since May 30th, the Philadelphia Phillies woke up on top of the NL East today with a 1/2 game lead over the Atlanta Braves.  Since holding a 7 game lead over the Phillies on July 21st, the Braves have gone 24-22. Over that same stretch, the Fightins have gone 32-15 to overtake Atlanta.

Everyone has been waiting for Atlanta to fall back to Earth at some point this season, but they do appear to be a legitimate thread to deny the Phillies a 4th straight NL East crown. With Chipper Jones out for the year, the Braves made a deal to acquire Derek Lee from the Cubs, but he hasn’t been the offensive spark that he could have been.

Of course, the biggest reason behind the Phillies’ recent surge has been the fact that the regular lineup has finally gotten a chance to play together. With everyone returning from injury, including Chase Utley & Ryan Howard, the Phillies finally resemble the team that is the 2 time defending National League Champions. With all of the injuries, it seemed as if the Lehigh Valley IronPigs were on the field at Citizens Bank Park at some points this summer.

At 80-60, the Phillies have 22 games left in the season. With 6 of those against the Braves, it’s going to be a very entertaining race down the stretch. To eclipse last year’s total of 93 wins, the Phillies would have to go 14-8 in their final 22. That’s going to be tough to do as the schedule is all NL East teams from here on out.

With a 6-2 start to September, the Phillies have continued their pace from August, where they won 18 games. They have also won at least 17 games in each of the past 4 Septembers. If they can do that again this month, with 6 against the Braves, the Phillies have a very good shot at advancing to the postseason for the 4th consecutive year.

This team has the potential to be very scary in the playoffs, with the three-headed monster of Halladay, Oswalt, & Hamels pitching in front of an offense that always turns it up a notch in the fall. Now they just have to get there.

Tonight’s final preseason matchup against the Jets will be one for the hardcore fans. The game, which begins at 8 at the Linc, will be devoid of all of the familiar faces. While you won’t be able to get your fix of Celek, Kolb, or DeSean, there will be plenty of important things to keep an eye on that will have an effect on the team as they head into their season opener on September 12 at home against Green Bay.

With 10 days to go until the season begins, the final 53-man roster is all but wrapped up, but we could see guys slide up and down the depth charts, or if there’s a really remarkable performance, one or two guys sneak on to the team.

These are the things that I looking at tonight:

1. Michael Vick: The backup quarterback has actually looked worse this year. Although his speed seems to be back, lost are his throwing accuracy (not that he was ever the best passer) and his ability to hold onto the ball. There are some people who have it in the back of their mind that Kolb’s success isn’t assured, so the Birds need to have a guy at backup ready to step in. The jury is still out on Vick, and he needs to show tonight that he can make the right decisions under pressure.

2. Macho Harris: While his action has been limited due to a severe hamstring injury, the second-year player needs to make a case for himself at the crowded safety position. He will be competing with Quintin Demps and the so far impressive rookie Kurt Coleman. Admittedly, I’ve never been high on Harris, but this is a position of need for the Birds, so having some extra push and pull could motivate all of these guys to go above and beyond.

3. Wide receivers: In my mind, the guys that are a lock are DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, and Riley Cooper. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess and the last 1 or 2 guys will come down to three guys – familiar face Hank Baskett, Kelley Washington, and Chad Hall. We all know the story with Baskett, and Hall started out training camp by pulling down everything in his sight, but Washington could usurp them both by showing that he is strong enough to play in the NFL.

4. Rookies: Plenty of rookies have really made a name for themselves during the preseason, and none are more obvious than first round pick Brandon Graham and free safety Nate Allen (the Donovan McNabb pick), but how the roles of a few other guys play out will be very interesting. One guy I particularly like is tight end Clay Harbor, especially with the constant confusion surrounding Cornelius Ingram. Harbor has proven that he can catch the ball, but more importantly, he looks to be the blocking complement to breakout
star Brent Celek. Fourth-round cornerback Trevard Lindley will likely hit the field with the starters tonight, and he could continue making his case to the team.

After tonight, the countdown to the 2010 season will be officially underway. While many casual fans will choose to tune out of this contest, this matchup is just as important for the team as the three previous games. The way things shake out with Vick and the rookies will be particularly important for the Birds going into this season.