(AP)

Upon arriving in Philadelphia, Nick Young had two items on his agenda.

He had to undergo an MRI on his left knee, which turned up news that the Los Angeles Lakers guard stands to miss at least the next two weeks. Then, Young went to the King of Prussia Mall. Since Young, who played for the 76ers last season, cannot play against his old team Friday, he opted for the next best thing.

“I want to go out there and play against them, talk some trash to Spencer (Hawes) and Evan (Turner) and Thad (Young) and have some fun. That’s the downside,” Young said. “But I went and got a suit jacket because I still want to be out there and talk some trash. I’m looking forward to it.”

Young came to Philly under the auspices of a season that never came to fruition. He, Dorell Wright and Jason Richardson were brought aboard as shooters with which the Sixers would surround Andrew Bynum. But Bynum, beset by knee injuries, never played. And Young, who was given a one-year, $5.6 million deal, never lived up to the expectations created by his financially bulky contract.

The Los Angeles native, Young took a one-year contract worth $1.1 million from the Lakers. He has a player option for next season that he’s likely to pick up.

“Being able to play at home and for the Lakers is great,” said Young, who’s out for at least two weeks with a non-displaced fracture of his left knee cap. “I was seeing my options, but I was looking at the Lakers and the opportunity that was going to be there for me. Playing for them and being home, I couldn’t ask for better.”

Young has experienced a career renaissance with the Lakers, for whom he’s averaging 16.9 points (second behind Pau Gasol) on 41.9 percent shooting.

With the Sixers, under Doug Collins, he was an on-again, off-again personality. He was Swaggy P, an affable, congenial player who was always smiling. Some days, he was liked. Others, he was not. Some days, he was playing in crunch time and contributing. Others, he was coming off the bench only when the game was out of reach.

“Philly was good. It had its ups and downs,” Young said. “Obviously I wish I played more. But the city and how they embraced the Swaggy P Movement, I didn’t know they were going to be big on it, but they enjoyed it.”

Young played only eight of his final 25 games last season with the Sixers. The other 17 were DNP-CDs.

“Just sitting there and watching it, it’s hard. It was hard for me,” Young said. “I didn’t know why I wasn’t playing. (The Sixers) were bringing in players from the D-League and they were playing over me. It ain’t like I cussed (Collins) out or nothing. I was just sitting and waiting. But Doug hits me up from time to time. He texts me. He says he’s proud of me and stuff.”

In Young’s words, last season “is what it is.” And, Young said, it could have been different.

“Drew never got a chance to play. I know the fans were going crazy over that,” he said. “But what shocked me was this year. I had no idea they were going to trade Jrue Holiday, but obviously they’ve seen something in Carter that no one else did.”

That would be Michael Carter-Williams, Holiday’s successor as the Sixers’ point guard. Young will get a good look at the rookie. Only, it’ll have to come from the Lakers’ bench.

Associated Press

The Swag has left the building.

Multiple reports Thursday confirmed that free agent guard Nick Young has agreed to a contract of unspecified length with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to his agent Mark Bartelstein.

Young, whose flashy style of play on the court and ostentatious dress code off it earned him the nickname Swaggy P, spent last season with the 76ers. Mostly coming off the bench for them, Young averaged 10.6 points per game in 59 appearances.

The shooting guard is familiar with L.A., having played his college ball at USC and having spent one season with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Young was a head-scratcher of a player in his time with the Sixers. He seemed to be well-liked among those in the locker room and in the stands, but never could string together continuously solid play. He turned into a starter for Doug Collins’ team in January, after embracing defense. But he quickly fell out of favor with Collins … and fell out of the Sixers’ rotation.

Young’s best games for the Sixers came when he had the freedom to fire away. His stats defend that theory: In wins, Young averaged 9.2 points on 41 percent shooting overall and 30 percent from 3-point range. In losses, he tallied 11.6 points on 41 percent shooting overall and 39 percent from long range. On five occasions last season, Young scored 21 or more points. The Sixers lost four of them.

In other Sixers-related news Thursday…

****While the deal (technically) is unofficial – at least until Jrue Holiday returns from his honeymoon and signs paperwork to legitimize the trade – Nerlens Noel is a member of the 76ers … and he’s decided on a jersey number.

According to an ESPN report, it’ll be No. 5 – as in the number of teams that passed on him in last month’s NBA Draft. One problem with that is Arnett Moultrie already wears No. 5, but that’s not an issue a gifted Rolex can’t fix.

Click here for the rest of the story.

****And finally, the Cleveland Cavaliers (a day after signing Andrew Bynum) appear to already be taking issue with the big man’s always-hurting knees. An unnamed Cleveland official, according to a report by Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal:

“When asked Wednesday which knee was worse, a Cavaliers executive said, “They’re both not good.”

Click here for the rest of the story.

(AP)

Every way you slice Dorell Wright’s season, it was a downer.

 

His scoring average – down. His shooting percentage – down. His rebounds – down. 

 

With Wright, confidence bred success. So when the swingman actually knew his role, toward the end of a playoff-free campaign with the 76ers, he played better. His averages went up. A jumpshooter by trade, Wright even became proficient at driving the lane. And for a team that had the second fewest free-throw attempts in the NBA, that wasn’t such a bad thing.

 

Wright was a $4 million hit to the salary cap, but a worthwhile one. He played defense, something his counterpart Nick Young did not. He stayed healthy, unlike his other wing-mate Jason Richardson. And believe it or not, his 3-point shooting percentage (37.4) was above his career average.

 

Quick assessment: All of that manifests in this fashion: It would be in the Sixers’ best interests to re-sign Wright, a free agent.

 

Wright, when asked toward the end of the season whether he’d be back in Philly, said, “I'm the type of dude who thought I'd be in Miami my whole career, so it's always good to be somewhere you're comfortable with and familiar with and happy with. I've had a good year here. I definitely wouldn't mind. I wouldn't mind hanging with new guys, a new staff, a great group of guys and in an organization that cares and with passionate fans.”

 

Wright has said it took a while to feel comfortable, but when he did, he thrived. The Sixers, assuming they free up some cap space via trade or are willing to sign Wright at or near his salary from this past season, will undoubtedly offer Wright. And that’s not necessarily such a bad thing.

(Associated Press)

When Nick Young enters, people take notice. Case in point: The man was wearing a leopard-print sport jacket Wednesday as he left the locker room en route to the team bus.

The same could be said for the way he played in the season finale, entering a game the 76ers led by 21, only to draw attention by playing six woeful minutes, going 0-for-3 from the floor with one turnover.

Young, who made $6 million this season, has an expiring contract. He's said all along that he wants “a big contract,” though it's unlikely he'll get it from the Sixers. Young's rise and fall is peculiar. He was a solid sub off the bench before earning 11 consecutive starts. He shot himself out of the starting lineup, then played only seven of the final 25 games.

The guy they call Swaggy P shot 41.3 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent from 3-point range, both ranking second-worst in his career for single-season averages. He also averaged 10.6 points with 1.4 assist-to-0.8 turnover-per-game ratio. They're not sterling numbers.

Because Young's instinct is to jack shots at will, he came a defensive liability in crunch time of winnable games … or even in games in which the Sixers had early leads. His specialty, which worked for a team with a losing record, was helping the Sixers rally. But a team that has an interest in turning around its fate might not have a spot next season for a guy like Young.

Quick assessment: Unless Young is willing to take less money, he won't be in a Sixers uniform next season. A guy who's paid to shoot didn't do so all that well and, because his game is so one-dimensional, it's difficult to rationalize him fitting in with what likely will be a more defensive-minded coach than Doug Collins. The Swag has left the building.

Young, when asked whether he thinks he'll return next season, was candid.

“Probably not, no,” he said. “We'll see. Free agency is tough, but, you know, it's always fun when you know you're going to be somewhere.”

(Associated Press)

After Sunday's game – a meaningless 91-77 victory over Cleveland – it happened.

Right there beside the scorer's table, after a handshake and an embrace with Cavaliers coach Byron Scott, but not before the confetti cannons could spew their contents, Doug Collins smiled. Those expressions of joy have been few and far between this season.

With two games remaining, and two wins required to match last season's win total, the Sixers are at a crossroads. They're benching veterans (like Royal Ivey and Nick Young) with expiring contracts, playing rookies (like Justin Holiday and Arnett Moultrie) for 20-plus minutes and looking to next year – whether that involves Collins or not.

So … what did the Sixers learn about their postseason-less campaign?

“That nothing is guaranteed,” Jrue Holiday said. “Even though the two years before that, we did a good job making it to the first round and then the second round, and even this year, when everybody thought we had a really good chance with Andrew (Bynum) probably making it pretty deep in the playoffs – nothing is guaranteed.”

The Sixers have plenty to improve upon before the playoffs become a reality for next season. They have an important offseason, a lottery selection, a Bynum decision, possibly a coach search and who knows what else.

Though he wasn't referring to the upcoming summer offseason, Holiday's words about turning around the Sixers seem to apply.

“Take it one game at a time,” he said, “and don't let time get away.”

(Associated Press)

As though two guys with the same last name weren't enough for one team …

Justin Holiday, the older brother of All-Star point guard Jrue, signed a contract with the 76ers. The terms of the deal weren't disclosed. To make room for Holiday, a 23-year-old guard out of Washington, the Sixers waived Jeremy Pargo.

Holiday, a 6-6 guard, appeared in 47 games with 42 starts for the Idaho Stampede in the D-League this season, averaging 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.43 steals and 1.17 blocks in 34.7 minutes per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the floor, 41.2 percent from 3-point range and 81.6 percent from the line.

Holiday is the 31st call-up from the D-League to the NBA this season.

The casual fan won't be able to tell with the Sixers without a scorecard, between Justin and Jrue Holiday and Nick and Thad Young (the latter of whom are not related).

(Associated Press)

It's the morning after Sixers coach Doug Collins went off on his guys, chiding them for a lack of effort in their “mind-numbing” loss to the Orlando Magic.

During the 12-minute press conference, Collins talked about heart. He talked about – maybe through a pair of revisionist historian's glasses – how he never got booed as a player. He talked about how he ran through his sneakers and gave it his all as a player. He talked about how three of the Sixers' starters, though he didn't name names, weren't sweaty as the game began, hoping to ease into their meeting with the NBA's second-worst team.

“I'm not a blamer. I'm not an excuse kind of guy. Nobody takes this harder than I do. Nobody,” Collins said. “I'm a guy who, when I have coached, I've always been able to find answers. And I have not been able to find the answers, and from my standpoint, that's very disappointing because I'm paid to do that.

“I want you to know in no way am I casting dispersions that this is someone else's fault. We're all in this together. But there can't be a game where you go out and don't put your heart and soul into the game. Can't do it. No reason for that. None.”

Collins is at wit's end.
Read more »

(Associated Press)

Aside from the obvious, of heading into the All-Star break on a strong note, the Sixers need a win Wednesday at Milwaukee.

They know it. They expect the Bucks know it, too.

The Sixers (22-28) are looking for anything to help turn their attention from Monday's embarrassing 107-90 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, during which they were assaulted down low. It got so bad in that one for the Sixers, who were outscored in the paint, 48-26, that fans were booing Blake Griffin for choosing not to dunk.

Heading to Milwaukee – and coming out with a win – would do wonders for the Sixers, both in the standings and for their psyche. The Sixers, ninth in the Eastern Conference, trail the Bucks, who are eighth, for the final playoff spot.

“We can't look at this,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said of the loss to the Clippers. “There are going to be times when teams come in and play great. You have to say they played great.

“I said to the guys, 'We have to go to Milwaukee and we've got to be ready to play. Let's not check out for All-Star week. Let's go to Milwaukee and let's play. That's what we've got to do.'”

Added Jrue Holiday: “It's over with, really. Whatever happened, happened. We're definitely looking at Milwaukee.”

If you take the Sixers at their word, they're keying on the Bucks – not because the Clippers left a bad taste in their mouth, but because …

“That's a team we're chasing,” Nick Young said.

(Associated Press)

The Sixers -- well, two of them -- made some odd picks for Super Bowl XLVII.

California kid Nick Young went against San Francisco, as did Spencer Hawes, the Seattle-bred center whose allegiance to the Seahawks runs deep.

Said Young: “I made some big bets this week. I'm going with the Ravens. I don't see Ray Lewis losing. He's going to come out, doing the dance, and that's it.”

Hawes picked the Baltimore Ravens, as well, though he had other things in mind.

“I don't really care who wins. I just want San Francisco to lose,” he said. "I'm a Ravens fan for the week."

Where Hawes would watch Sunday's big game remained to be seen.

"I don't know what I'm doing yet. I'm sure some of the guys will get together," he said. "I don't know who's cooking, though. That's probably the main thing."

The Sixers (20-26) are back in action Monday against visiting Orlando.

(Associated Press)

The 76ers have a good idea how to improve Nick Young's play. And, over the last few weeks, Young's been listening.

The sixth-year guard out of USC continues to turn up his play, with Young chipping in 18 points, four rebounds and four assists in the Sixers' 92-84 win over Washington Wednesday.

Beyond the stats, which have been eye-opening, Young has demonstrated an ability to alter his game – from trigger-happy shooter to all-around contributor. Maybe there's more to Young than that Swaggy P monikor, Sixers coach Doug Collins intimated.

“It's tough,” Young said with a grin, “because (Collins) calls me Swaggy P all day, right?”
Read more »

(Associated Press)

The last two days at practice, Spencer Hawes ran with the first team. Last year, that wasn't uncommon, with Hawes being a starter for the Sixers.

Saturday, against visiting New York, Hawes earned his first start of the season – and it was deserved. Nick Young also gets the nod, in place of injured Jason Richardson.

In his last 10 games, Hawes had averaged 11.8 points on 51.5-percent shooting, with 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 blocked shots in 28 minutes. Compare those numbers against those of starting center Lavoy Allen, who had amassed 6.3 points on 48.4-percent shooting, with 5.1 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.9 blocks in 21 minutes per game.

They're not too far apart, but they're not identical either. Hawes is giving the Sixers more in his minutes than Allen has, which justified the move. Perhaps in a big to downplay his performance of late, Hawes said it's because his teammates are so familiar with what he does best.

“They know the way I like to play,” Hawes said after Friday's practice. “I like passing as much as anything else and being a guy that gets other guys going on the offensive end. At the defensive end, (I like) trying to be an anchor that talks, keeping everybody on the same page. That's where I'm efficient and trying to make the game easier for everybody.”

Then, Hawes said something rather telling: “Over 82 games,” he said, “it's hard to ride five guys.”

Sixers coach Doug Collins intimated earlier this week that adding Hawes to the starting five wasn't the most-sound idea, because that would leave the cupboard bare in terms of scoring options he could bring off the bench.

So much for that theory.

(Associated Press)

Saturday night, the Sixers gave up 100 points. More importantly, they scored 107. And out the door went their five-game slide.

They didn't have Swag, but that didn't matter.

Afterward, the Sixers could have patted themselves on the back for a job well done – having snapped a losing streak, having reached triple digits on the scoreboard, having broken out of a stretch in which the opponent beat them embarrassingly by 18 or more points.

Instead, the Sixers spoke glowingly of their defense. And justifiably so.

The Sixers – despite James Harden's 10-for-19 shooting display – clamped down on Houston's hot-handed guard in the biggest situations. Sixers coach Doug Collins tried just about everybody on Harden, from Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner to Jason Richardson and deep sub Damien Wilkins.

“On defense, that's really where we got it done,” Holiday said. “When it came down to it, we tried to get the ball out of (Harden's) hands in big moments and I think we did that.”

Giving Wilkins 11 minutes meant taking time from elsewhere – like sitting otherwise-healthy guard Nick Young. The guy they call Swaggy P was absent in a high-scoring affair. Seems unjust, right? Not for a team that needed a win desperately.

“We've got to get some defensive identity,” Collins said.

Whatever it takes to right the ship, right?

(Associated Press)

OKLAHOMA CITY – In one facial expression, Evan Turner summed up the 76ers' night. He raced up-court to play defense, clutching the wrist on his right hand with the thumb and index finger of his left, signaling to an official that he expected a call that he didn't get.

These days, the Sixers aren't getting too many calls. And coach Doug Collins doesn't blame the officials for that.

In a 109-85 thumping handed out by Oklahoma City, the Sixers attempted eight free throws Friday. All eight were taken by Nick Young. No one else. Collins was asked afterward if he informed his team of the foul shot disparity.

“What am I going to say? I've been saying it for three years,” Collins said. “We've got to be stronger, take that ball to the basket and make them foul us. For one guy to shoot a free throw tonight, and I'm not saying that has anything to do with the whistle, so I don't want that to be miscalculated at all.”

The Sixers are not a physically tough team. They're a team that's content to rely on jumpshots. That's partly opinion, partly rooted in fact. Consider these numbers: The Sixers rank 28th in free-throw attempts (600) and 28th in free-throw makes (436). And because they rank 26th in free-throw percentage (.726), they're not even making the shots they're earning.

“In certain situations, we rely on pull-ups and getting cleaner shots,” Turner said. “That's not the first day where people are like, 'We don't get foul calls.' That's what happens. I'm not about to waste my time relying on someone else giving me a call.

“Sometimes you go to the rack, get drilled and it's a no-call and it messes up the transition (game) the other way and it adds to the frustration. Certain people on our team would much-rather rely on their jumpshot than going to the rack to get the call.”

One could argue that Jrue Holiday, the Sixers' primary ballhandler, could jump-start the foul-shooting spree by driving. After all, Holiday ranks 63rd in the league in attempts from the line. But because Holiday is at his best driving and kicking for a team loaded with 3-point threats, the task of drawing contact and, subsequently, fouls has to fall on someone else. Maybe that someone else is Spencer Hawes, a big with only 62 free-throw attempts. Maybe that someone else is Lavoy Allen, another big who is severely underperforming when it comes to drawing fouls (34 FTA).

“Sometimes we're getting fouled and sometimes you settle for jumpshots,” Young said. “Just one of those games. We've got some very talented offensive players here and any given night, it could be an attack night or it could be a night where they could feel good going up with their jumpshots.”

There have been plenty of those nights for the Sixers. For their sake, and for the sake of finishing an eight-game roadtrip with a win Saturday at San Antonio, maybe they should drive the lane instead of shooting jumpers.

(Associated Press)

Sunday night, the Sixers blamed their 111-98 loss to the Lakers on 3-point shooting and their inability to defend the line. Nick Young said the Lakers made “unbelievable shots.” Evan Turner said they “hit crazy shots.”

No matter the adjective, the Lakers hit shots – 14 of them from 3-point range. That was far too many, and Doug Collins knew it.

“They spread you, they shoot the 3s. That's what (Lakers coach) Mike D'Antoni has always done,” the Sixers coach said Sunday. “Unfortunately, right now, we are struggling mightily to defend the 3.”

However, it wasn't the Lakers' on-the-mark shooting from beyond the arc that single-handedly sank the Sixers. Despite hitting 10 3-pointers against Los Angeles, the Sixers haven't been the most-adroit team in that category of late.

Consider this: The Sixers, in eight games this month, are shooting 27 percent (33-for-122) from 3-point range. Not coincidentally, the Sixers have a 2-6 record in December. They're also a 7-3 ballclub when they shoot 40 percent or better from 3-point distance.

It's not like one guy's production has tailed off, either. Like an epidemic, the Sixers collectively have been unable to dial in from long distance. Jason Richardson, the team leader in 3-pointers is shooting 26 percent (10-for-38) this month. Dorell Wright, a one-time season leader in 3-pointers made, is shooting 18.7 percent (3-for-16) in December. Turner, an on-the-rise perimeter shooter who's already made more 3-pointers this season than all of last, has only eight makes this month. And Jrue Holiday, who has missed the last two games, is hitting 16.7 percent (3-for-18) of his looks from 3-point range.

The Sixers (12-12), who begin a two-game Texas roadtrip Tuesday in Dallas, were supposed to be a 3-point-shooting team, especially in transition. At least that's how Collins envisioned them in the preseasons. Since then, they've had to rely on a shaky half-court offense that has left their 3-point shooters at a loss. The Sixers are in the middle or toward the back of the NBA stat pack when it comes to 3-pointers: 14th in percentage, 19th in makes, 22nd in attempts. The Mavericks, by the way, rank ninth in the NBA in defending the 3.

Following the loss to the Lakers, plenty of focus by the Sixers – and rightfully so – was placed on their need to defend the 3-point line. Perhaps just as much attention should be placed on scoring from there.

(Associated Press)

Jrue Holiday did not practice today, and the Sixers hope he'll make the trip with the team to Indiana for Friday's game against the Pacers.

Holiday sat out with soreness of the left-foot longitudinal arch, a pain he didn't experience the night before, said Sixers coach Doug Collins, but rather something he felt pain in when he woke up Thursday morning.

X-rays on Holiday's left foot were negative and he was undergoing an MRI on it while the Sixers' practiced at PCOM. A team official said the Sixers would provide an update on Holiday later Thursday afternoon.

“Hopefully, it's just precautionary, but his foot is a little sore," Collins said. "The X-ray was negative and I think they're just doing an MRI to make sure he's OK. Until I see him and know he's OK, it's a little disconcerting."

Holiday likely sustained the injury Wednesday night, in a loss to Chicago.

Should the Sixers have to go a lengthy period without him, they could be in trouble. They already lack Andrew Bynum. Removing their best backcourt player -- and a potential All-Star -- from the mix would be devastating. Holiday is averaging 18.4 points and 8.9 assists per game for the Sixers (12-10), who visit the Pacers (11-11) Friday.

Collins said Evan Turner would be his starting point guard and Nick Young would handle the ball some off the bench Friday if Holiday did not make the trip.

"I sure hope I don't have to think about that option," Collins said.

(Associated Press)

Three games into their season, the 76ers have fallen on hard times offensively.

They rank last in the league with a .372 field-goal percentage, next-to-last with 85.3 points per game and 28th with 1.02 points per shot attempted.

Those stats undoubtedly will receive a lift when Andrew Bynum, who has a proclivity for taking high-percentage shots like lay-ups and dunks, returns to the court.

Here's a look at where the Sixers' offense is (or isn't) coming from:

Dorell Wright

Key 2012 stat: Ranks 130th of 132 qualifying players in field-goal percentage.

Career: 9.4 ppg, .437 FG%, .363 3FG%

Season: 13.0 ppg, .324 FG%, .250 3FG%

Nick Young

Key 2012 stat: Has scored 26 points on 34 field-goal attempts.

Career: 11.5 ppg, .428 FG%, .377 FG%

Season: 8.7 ppg, .265 FG%, .308 3FG%

Evan Turner

Key 2012 stat: Has shot 3-for-12 outside the paint

Career: 8.2 ppg, .433 FG%

Season: 9.0 ppg, .280 FG%

Jrue Holiday

Key 2012 stat: Somehow averaging 8.7 apg for league’s worst-shooting team

Career: 12.0 ppg, .440 FG%, .381 3FG%

Season: 19.3 ppg, .435 FG%, .533 3FG%

As the 76ers get underway with the back end of their home-and-home with the Knicks, here's what you need to know:

• Kwame Brown started in place of Lavoy Allen. It’s Brown’s debut with the Sixers, and his first regular-season action since Jan. 10, 2012.
• Dorell Wright, and not Nick Young, started at shooting guard. Coach Doug Collins said he prefers Wright in the starting five and Young off the bench until Jason Richardson (left ankle sprain) returns. Collins didn’t give a timetable.
• Andrew Bynum is progressing, but Sixers GM Tony DiLeo said there’s no timetable for his return from a right knee bone bruise.
• Spencer Hawes thinks either Romney wins in a rout or Obama wins re-election in a close race. Hawes’ words, not mine.