| Thin Bench’s Hefty Contribution Exposes Flaws Authored by Brian Poliakoff - November 14, 2005 - 6:59 pm
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Lee Nailon, a veteran free agent whose signing with Philly didn’t steal many headlines, found open spots and hit jumper after jumper en route to a season-high 21 points, while John Salmons added 14 points and 4 assists.
The two reserves brought energy on both sides of the floor against the Clippers, something that has been evident in the recent string of four straight Philadelphia wins.
Nailon has proven to be more than a capable jump shooter. He is crafty in finding open spots on the floor and understands how to benefit off of his teammates penetration.
Mo Cheeks’ confidence in John Salmons is evident by his willingness to play the fourth-year guard at the end of games. Salmons is playing great on the ball defense and has attacked the rim on the offensive side of the ball.
However, last night’s 35 combined points will not come every game. This victory magnifies a few flaws thus far in the season.
First, it illustrates the importance of getting Sammy Dalembert in this lineup.
The addition of Sammy will not only add a key player to the starting lineup, but it will also bolster the bench and lessen the heavy reliance on Nailon and Salmons by moving Steven Hunter to his more natural reserve role. Having Sammy also will decrease the minutes for James Thomas. That’s a good thing.
Additionally, Chris Webber needs to be that second scorer on a nightly basis. If his jump shot isn’t falling, as was the case last night, then he needs to take the ball inside to find his shots. Four-of-17 shooting is just not acceptable for a team’s second option.
The team will not be able to win consistently unless Webber shoots a higher percentage. Fortunately for Webber and Sixers, they got a pick-me-up from the bench.
I know this sounds a little critical for a team that has won four in a row after starting out 0-3. But the flaws should not be ignored if this team wants to be competitive on a consistent basis.
Out of Bounds Observations
1. Why has it taken four years for Salmons to be aggressive on offense? Is Cheeks the first coach to give him the green light?
2. Is there any reason Shavlik Randolph is on the Sixers other than the fact that both he and Sixers GM Billy King are Duke alums.
3. Sixers sub Deng Gai is so “that guy.” |
