That’s four straight losses.  Seems like only yesterday that things were all milk, honey, and Elton Brand elbow jumpers. Fast forward to yesterday and the squad is down 20 points after ONE QUARTER to the Grizzlies. THE GRIZZLIES. Broke my heart last night watching that travesty.

Sure, the excuse could be that nearly every person over 6’9″ on the team is hurt and that any game in which Andres Nocioni starts shouldn’t even really count, but Nocioni hasn’t been the problem lately. Not getting to the foul line, relying too heavily on mid-range jumpers (those two issues are related), and wack-tastic front-court defense is to blame.

The problem is, even with Jrue Holliday playing well, Iguodala running point-forward, and Thad Young using this athleticism to befuddle opposing big men, the team just doesn’t have enough inside presence to keep up their level of play. With no Spencer Hawes and no Elton Brand the Sixers just aren’t good enough to beat teams consistently. Every loose rebound is grabbed by the opposing team. Opposing guards drive to the heart of the lane with no fear of getting their shot blocked. There’s no internal strength — they’re just a shell of mediocre jump shooters with no core.

I’m not saying we should go and trade for Chris Kaman because I don’t want Chris Kaman on my team, but if Hawes can’t come back then they’ve gotta trade for somebody. Pretending like shit is all good while the Knicks just improved their entire roster won’t work. They need shot blocking, rebounding, and a big guy who can finish around the hoop. We can sit here and dream about Dwight Howard but it ain’t happening.

Hmm…I wonder what Sammy Dalembert is up to these days.