Thursday, March 24, 2011
Posted: 5:06 p.m.
By John R. Finger
CSNPhilly.com
Thaddeus Young was struggling. One look at the game-by-game logs revealed as much. Though his scoring average had steadily been climbing from month-to-month, Young didnt make a shot in 20 minutes during the ugly loss in Milwaukee on March 12.
Sixers coach Doug Collins noticed Young was missing something during the games against Utah and the Clippers, using him for just 13 minutes during the game in Los Angeles. The fear, says Collins, was that Young was getting run down.
Thad went through a two or three game period where I was worried that he was tired, Collins said.
So rather than bury Young on the bench until he regained his snap, Collins had a better idea. On an off day in Sacramento, the coach got a gym and sent Young and a handful of his teammates out to play 3-on-3. No pressure, no whistles, no scrimmages or anything resembling a regular basketball gamethe task was for Young to play pickup hoops with some of his friends.
Guess what? It worked.
NBA
Actually, the assistant coach Michael Curry and the coaches took Thad and some guys out to just play some up-and-down basketball and they wanted Thad to handle the ball and finish shots during the games, Collins explained. So they went over and played and Curry came back and said, Thad had a great day, he was in a great rhythm. Then he finished that trip very strong.
After that day in Sacramento, Youngs play improved and so did his energy level. In 23 minutes against the Kings he grabbed 10 rebounds and scored nine points despite shooting just 4-for-12. However, with Andre Iguodala on the bench for the game against Portland last Saturday night, Young scored 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting with six rebounds in 27 minutes.
Apparently all it took was breaking the game down to the basics for Young to find what hed been missing. It makes sense, too, if you think about it. Though this is his fourth season in the NBA, Young is still just 22 and if he had stayed at Georgia Tech to play all four seasons, hed be a rookie in the league this year.
Instead, basketball had been a job for Young when he was still a teenager and though he may be a veteran in the league in terms of experience, every once in a while he still needs to strip the game down to its essence and just play.
We went to the gymme, Marreese Speights, Evan Turner, Craig Brackins, Coach Curry and Coach McKieand we got in there and just played, Young said. We played 3-on-3 just to get me back in the groove. Sometimes thats what you need to get a feel for the ball and to get you a feel for the court and the gym to get you back in a rhythm.
In Wednesday nights victory over the Hawks, Young was the best player on the floor. As the first player off the bench, Young scored 16 points on 12 shots, blocked a couple of shots and caused all sorts of trouble for the Hawks in the paint. Most telling was the fact that Collins kept Young in the game for all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter.
Better yet, Collins said Young was an instant shot of energy when he was in the game, especially after stoppages in play. With the Hawks holding a lead throughout Wednesdays game, which they built to 11 points in the fourth quarter, Young and fellow reserve Lou Williams proved to be the catalysts of the Sixers 11-0 run to start the final quarter.
He gives us a speed and a quickness advantage, Collins said, noting that Young would likely be a starter on another team. We came out of three or four timeouts on Wednesday night against the Hawks where he scored every time.As a coach it makes you feel so good when you can score coming out of a timeout.
So maybe Collins plan worked?
Any time you have a day off you want to do something, Young said. The other guys went to lift and the six of us went to the gym to play some 3-on-3 to get ourselves back in rhythm.
Meanwhile, with Andre Iguodala again questionable with right knee tendonitis for Fridays game in Miami, Collins will need Young to be the spark.
Turners minutes dip
Now that veteran Andres Nocioni is part of Collins regular rotation, Evan Turners minutes have dissipated a bit. On Wednesday Turner played just four minutes and took one shot, while Nocioni clocked 15 minutes, scored the go-ahead basket in the fourth quarter and grabbed four rebounds.
So does Turner see it as a sign of things to come?
Probably, but you've got to do what's best for the team, Turner said.
The No. 2 overall pick in last Junes draft, Turner has taken the rookie growing pains in stride this season. Averaging a little more than 7 points per game, Turner has seen consistent playing time until Wednesday night. However, if Iguodala needs more rest or a night off because of his injured knee, Turner could be right back in there.
Nocionis playing time has slowly increased since he returned to the lineup after missing eight straight games. On Wednesday he was in for the fifth time in the last six games and, though he has played in just 45 games this season, Nocionis contributions have been noticeable. Known for his physical play, the Argentinean has two double-doubles this season and has averaged 6.2 points and a little more than 17 minutes when he does play.
What Nocioni has over Turner is experience, appearing in the playoffs for three straight years with the Bulls where he averaged 22.3 points in six games against Miami. He also was a key member for Argentina in the 2004 Olympics when it won the gold medal and knocked off the U.S.A. in the semifinals.
He scored 14 points to lead Argentina to victory in the bronze medal game in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com