Franken-Sammy breaks its down what happened with Team Canada

I was more than a little perplexed when Sammy was kicked off the Canadian Olympic team. The way it was announced was so bizarre. Team Canada Head coach Leo Rautins, drafted by the 76ers in '83 (the 1st Canadian ever drafted in the 1st round), tried to make it sound like it was mutual. But his description of events made it clear that Leo didn't think Sammy's head was in the game.

We've all seen Sammy have 'episodes' in the past where he just stops making sense. Franken-Sammy made an appearance during one of the Sixers best stretches of basket ball last season when he declared "I don't know what my role on this team is". But the team Canada thing was a surprise. Sammy played so hard for team Canada during the FIBA Americas championship last year that he was hurt coming in to training camp.

But there was no word from Sammy about what happened.

Well a writer from SLAM has gotten Dalembert to speak up about the incident.

Sammy
“It was crazy. Just crazy. The thing about it was there was no warning. It was a lot of stuff that had nothing to do with basketball. It started with my high school coach being with me. He was there with me last summer and nothing was said. There was no problem and all of the sudden I was being made the scapegoat. It was, Sam doesn’t do this. Sam doesn’t do that. The media would wait for me after personal workouts with my coach. I worked hard even after practice. You know me Mike. I hoped they would come with something better than that.”

I'll leave it to you to read the rest of the article here.

But it sounds like Leo Rautins was a big part of the problem. The truth is always somewhere in between. I had feared that Fraken-Sammy was making an extended appearance. But I say its Team Canada's loss. No Olympics for them. I didn't want him coming into the season banged up again this year anyway.

Hawks guard Childress is going to Greece

Hawks guard Josh Childress has signed with a Greek club. Take that David Stern. The global door swings both ways. Childress got a sweet deal. $20M and the team pays his taxes. So its truly $20 million! Much more than he would be offered in the NBA.

Childress is no superstar, but the egress of good players to Europe for a better payday is not a trend the NBA wants to see. NBA rosters are already filled with guys with potential but need "On the Job Training" (OJT). A player like Childress is not a luxury. The game could be gutted of good players and we'd be left with superstars vs the JV team.

And what if the dollars in Europe get just too attractive? Players like D. Wade (who already has a championship ring) or Jason Kidd (who has no shot at one) opts out of the NBA for the money.

To some degree the Childress signing is a symptom of the NBA player bargaining agreement. Childress is a restricted free agent. The Hawks hold the trump card. They can match any offer and let it be known they intended to do so. Why would any other team bother to offer him anything. This is akin to collusion to keep free agent salaries down. Atlanta was not interested in a sign and trade for him. What choice does Childress have ... sign a one year contract for peanuts in order to become a free agent next year or go to Europe and get paid.

Ahh ... the rites of summer

If its mid-July that means its time for Sixers Dance Team auditions.

Who says there's no action during the summer.

Last Year of the Spectrum

By now you've heard this will be the Last Year of the Spectrum. What's to replace it is still unknown. But its passing will be the last vestige of the old sports complex of my youth when Vet Stadium, the Spectrum and JFK stadium dominated the landscape. I saw my first NBA game at the Spectrum. Like many I have fond memories in that building.

My fondest memory at the Spectrum ... that's easy. Fo' Fo' Fo'  ... Moses Malone issued that unprecedented prediction before the 82-83 playoffs. No I didn't see a finals game against the Lakers. I watched them play the Milwaukee Bucks. The only team to take a game against the Sixers and changed the final outcome to Fo' Fiv' Fo'. But the game was magic to me. The buzz around the team was one of invincibility. There was no doubt they were championship bound. The only question was the final tally.

The most exciting moment at the Spectrum has to be that Christian Laettner field goal at the buzzer in the '92 NCAA Eastern Regional. 

I imagine for some the fondest memory might be more recent. Perhaps a Philly Soul game or one of those monster truck things (that I still have a hard time comprehending how they manage something like that indoors).

But it won't be raised until the end of the Phantom's hockey season. Plenty of time to pay my respects.

Brand is making himself right at home

According to a Philly.com gossip columnist Elton Brand has considered buying AI's old pad in Villanova.

I wonder what the neighbors think about that?

Hot fun in the Summer League

No one mentioned much about the Sixers start of Summer League on Friday with all the buzz about the Elton Brand signing. Okay ... check that ... Its summer league ball ... no one is likely to note much about NBA rookies, second year players and scrubs looking for a job sweating it up in a gym in Vegas. The Sixers roster includes Young Thaddeus, Jason Smith, 1st round draft pick Marrisse Speights, and Philly's own Pat Carroll back from Europe.

Not much usually happens in Summer League. Remember Johnny Salmons was this Michael Jordan of summer league. Lou Williams raised a few eyebrows in the summer league and to his credit managed to bring that same energy to the regular season.

Sixers rookie Mo Speights made me look twice when I looked up the box score of the Sixers loss to the Warriors (89-96). Speights scored 22 points (second to Young's 27). But it's summer league ... Hot fun in the summer time. It's too hot to get excited about anything.

Brand New Day in Sixers town

My phone rang instantly when it was announced Tuesday nite on Comcast Sports Net. "The Sixers are working out a deal to get Elton Brand ... what do ya think?" Dude .... are you fricking kidding me? Elton Brand! The thought seemed so remote when free agency started that I had not seriously considered it. Elton Brand adds 10 games a year to the Sixers record (at least). That's a huge leap in NBA terms.

Just think about the match difficulties the Sixers had last season. Slammin' Sammy has to be ecstatic! Eton Brand solves the Sixers match up problem in the post with Boson( Garnett), Orlando (Howard), Toronto (O'Neill), Detroit (Wallace). Elton Brand means you can post up when playoff time comes. Elton Brand means you don't have to sacrifice your new fangled identify of play defense, force turn overs, and run the floor. Elton Brand can do all those things.

Elton Brand is not a head case. He's a 20-10 career guy who has played with the Clippers for 7 years without cryin' about it. He's fits the mold of the players we are looking for in the post Iverson era. He's a Duke grad ... former #1 draft pick ... a two time all-star ... a veteran ... what's not to like?

The local media has been a buzz with this latest move by Ed S. His stock as the Philly Golden Boy GM keeps rising. But the first fan comment I heard on WIP yesterday was ... "Big Whoppee". I think all of us Philly fans can be a bit jaded at times.

Yes, the injury could comeback to bite you. But you could lose a player on any given play. You can't grow up overly concerned about what might happen.

Yes, I know I said I coveted Josh Smith. But I realized it was improbable after the euphoria wore off. He's a restricted free agent. I just can't believe that Atlanta would every dream of not matching any offer. Brand was the best power forward on the board and I was sure he would go for the max money at golden state. This is his last shot at a fat contract. You know his agent wanted to milk it for all he could get.

Yes, I know this deal puts the Sixers up against the cap. But what's the point of having cap space if you don't use it. That makes you the Charlotte Bobcats. The lowest payroll in the league and a record to match.

Yes, I know the Sixers still need a shooter and maybe Iggy is a odd fit for the #2 spot. But we all know that everyone's shot will improve when they have a legit low post presence. When you know the post won't become a black hole because that legit post guy is also an excellent passer. When you don't have somebody in your jock strap like Iggy did because you HAVE to double team Brand.

Maybe you're reluctant to cheer this move because you just don't know enough about Elton Brand. He's played on the west coast for most of his career and we only see him once a year. He played for the Clippers a second banana in there own town. So he's not on TV much. OR maybe you just don't know much about basketball.

Dude ... this guy can play!

Come people ... let up a little. Give the Sixers some credit. This was the best move that could be had. We won't win it all this year because of this move, but we are past just making the play-offs. We're winning a playoff series or two. The glass is less than half empty or its more than half full. We gotta a winner!

Wouldn't Josh Smith be a nice 76ers addition?

Adding Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith to the 76ers squad has been a day dream of mine for months. Smith has been the only free agent that I know of they you can say is absolutely the right fit for the 76ers game.

He got the size ... shot blocking ... defensive and post-up game the 76ers are in dire need of. This kid is a flat out stud. So you gotta give Ed S. the thumbs up for making the run at him right from the start of free agency. What's the worst that could happen ... he goes back to Atlanta. Maybe there a sign and trade in the mix?

Not sure I get how Josh Childress fits in. The 76ers may just be puttin' the pressure on Atlanta. The Hawks are constrained by the salary cap and will be hard pressed to sign both Josh C. and Josh S.