The Miami Heat are heading back to the NBA Finals for a third straight season.

Next up, the San Antonio Spurs. It’s a chance at redemption for LeBron James, who watched his Cavaliers get swept away by the Spurs back in 2007. Let’s not confuse the Heat with those Cavaliers. Still, the experience left an impression on a 22-year-old James.

“I’m a much better player [now],” James said. “I’m 20, 40, 50 times better than I was in the 2007 Finals. My Cleveland team, we were very young, and we went up against a very experienced team, well-coached team. And they took advantage of everything that we did.”

James and the Heat routed the pesky Pacers Monday night in a decisive Game 7. Now, they’ll put the big boy pants right back on in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday night against San Antonio.

Miami swept San Antonio in the regular-season series.

“They’ve got a bunch of Hall of Famers,” said James, “so I look forward to the challenge.”

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There were so many ups and downs in a roller coaster season for the Sixers.

Holiday earned his first All-Star berth and assumed a leadership role at the same time. He elevated his game higher than ever and literally carried the Sixers for much of the season. But he also watched his team struggle as center Andrew Bynum never was able to suit up because of lingering knee problems.

Coach Doug Collins eventually resigned after his third season.

Still, the ever-improving 22-year-old Holiday chose to look at the future in a positive way.

“I’m a humble person and I was raised that way,” Holiday said recently. “I think it’s important to be that way. I don’t get cocky ever. Am I a confident player? Of course. It’s all in how you carry yourself. We had some tough things happen to us this season, things you can’t control like injuries. How do you handle it all?

“I tried to maintain a good demeanor and come ready to play every day. If you’re not humble and down to earth, you’ll get humbled. I believe that. I know the future is bright for me and for the Sixers. There are decisions to be made. I look at every step as an experience and I’m a much more experienced player than when I first came into the league.”

Jrue Holiday was one of the lone bright spots for the Sixers in a disappointing season.

The Sixers have a plethora of roster decisions to make.

While new President/GM Sam Hinkie tweaks the roster, Holiday will be working out in California and preparing for next season.

He’ll also be busy off the court as he will marry longtime girlfriend, Lauren Cheney, a standout soccer player for the U.S. Women’s National Team. The ceremony is scheduled for July.

“She’s a great player and I don’t know how she does it with all that running and the training that goes into it,” Holiday said. “It’s going to be a great, great day and I’ll get to enjoy it with my family and friends.”

When it’s time for the 2013-14 season, there will be a new coach and a number of new players alongside Holiday.

“Every team in the league will alter their roster, even the one team that wins the championship,” Holiday said. “This organization is committed to winning and I’m committed to being here helping to get them to where they want to go in the long run.”

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LeBron James responded to comments from Pacers coach Frank Vogel Sunday. Vogel had referred to the Miami Heat as “just another team.”

“We’re not just another team,” James said. “I don’t understand what he’s saying. But we’re not just another team. That’s not true. He said we’re just another team in their way. We’re a great team. If we’re just another team, you really don’t prepare for just another team. You have to prepare for us.”

The Heat and Pacers begin their playoff series Wednesday night. The two teams have a contentious history having met in the postseason last year. Miami won that series in six games.

“We’ll be ready for them,” James said.

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It’s the age-old question: Jordan or Kobe?

Everyone debates it, usually during a late night bar crawl with friends — everyone, that is, except the man that coached both players … until now.

Phil Jackson, who coached Michael Jordan to six titles and Kobe Bryant to five, finally touches on the greatest debate in basketball in his new book, “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success.” The 339-page book hits bookshelves Tuesday.

In it, Jackson paints the portrait of two very different players. Jordan was a born leader, whereas Bryant learned how to lead along the way. He also delves into their contrasting styles of play on the court.

“One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael’s superior skills as a leader,” Jackson wrote. “Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he’d yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had in his bones.”

Of course, Jackson had his issues with a young Bryant. Many have speculated that those issues had to do with Jackson stepping away from the Lakers briefly in 2004.

“Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn’t developed strong social skills in college,” Jackson wrote. “When Kobe first joined the Lakers, he avoided fraternizing with his teammates. But his inclination to keep to himself shifted as he grew older. Increasingly, Kobe put more energy into getting to know the other players, especially when the team was on the road.”

Jackson described Jordan as “more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe.”

These are just observations, though. Jackson went out of his way to heap praise on both players as two of the greatest to ever do it. In fact, Jackson felt the need to send out this tweet as more and more news outlets begin to run commentary from the book.

“Listen friends of bball; don’t get hung up on words,” Jackson tweeted. “I was most fortunate to have the chance to coach two of the greatest gds. EVER MJ/Kobe”

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The Sixers’ quest for a new coach continues after the team received permission to interview Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson.

The move, first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, has new GM Sam Hinkie’s imprints all over it. Hinkie came over from the Houston organization.

Sampson, who was dismissed from Oklahoma over recruiting violations, is also reportedly a candidate for the Milwaukee Bucks’ job.

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Six years ago, Thaddeus Young was a wide-eyed rookie from Georgia Tech. Everything was new. Everything was intriguing, exhilarating, exciting.

Now Young is the longest-tenured player on the Sixers. In six seasons, he has played for four coaches — Maurice Cheeks, Tony DiLeo, Eddie Jordan and Doug Collins. A fifth coach is on the way.

As the regular season wound down, Young looked tired. It wasn’t physical exhaustion as much as mental exhaustion. No player on the Sixers wants to win more than Young.

“There’s nothing like it,” Young said. “We work so hard and you want to be rewarded for it. You want to be playing in the postseason. There’s nothing like playoff basketball.”

Young has played in his share of playoff games and sitting home just isn’t the same.

“Yeah, I’ll watch some of the playoff games, but it’s tough, you know?,” said Young, who signed a five-year, $43 million contract before the 2011-12 season with the deal running through 2015-16. “After the season, I’ll take a couple of weeks and recuperate. Then it’s right back to work. I plan on working extremely hard in the offseason. I have to maintain my conditioning.

“Then it’s back to the gym to keep working on every aspect of my game. The organization made a commitment to me and I made a commitment to them. I know I can keep improving. I haven’t even come close to reaching my potential.”

When the 2013-14 season gets underway, Young won’t be that shy rookie anymore. Try a seasoned veteran.

“It has happened so fast,” Young said. “It’s kind of hard to believe. I plan on doing the same thing I’ve been doing. It starts and ends with hard work. It’s the only way I know.”

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One of the NBA’s smallest, yet most respected franchises in staying put. The city of Sacramento rallied and somehow convinced the NBA’s Board of Governors not to move the team to Seattle next season.

The final vote was 22-8 in favor of staying in Sacramento. The Kings had a $625 million deal on the table from a Searrle-based group.

What’s next? Well, NBA commish David Stern is putting pressure on the Kings’ owners to sell the franchise to a Sacramento-based ownership group within the next 48 hours. That group has pledged to build a new $447 million arena in downtown Sacramento.

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Nick Young is the latest Philadelphia athlete to be sued over assault charges.

The Sixers guard is being accused of sexual assault after a woman filed a civil lawsuit against Young in a Los Angeles court. The suit claims Young drugged and raped her at a Los Angeles bar in 2011. The woman reportedly went to a rape treatment center after the alleged attack and tests showed trace amounts of a date-rape drug in her system.

Young averaged 10.6 points per game last season for the Sixers. He is a free agent and the Sixers aren’t expected to bring him back.

This news comes one day after TMZ reported that Eagles running back LeSean McCoy allegedly assaulted a woman on his party bus, then left her at a rest stop in New Jersey. McCoy has denied the woman’s claim through a representative.

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The worst kept secret, next to the true condition of Andrew Bynum’s creaky knees, was revealed late Tuesday afternoon when the Sixers introduced Sam Hinkie. He’ll serve as the team’s president of basketball operations and general manager.

The fact that eight front-row seats marked “Reserved” remained vacant was the first clue this wasn’t exactly breaking news. Of course, following a 34-38 season in which little went right, they should be used to empty seats by now.

Once he picks Doug Collins’ replacement as head coach, Hinkie’s job will be to fill them — just the way his old team, the Houston Rockets, did after pulling off a deal to land All-Star James Harden.

“The challenge in front of us is not for the faint of heart,” the 35-year-old Hinkie conceded. “To be honest, it’s a bit humbling. But I can’t wait to go to work.”

According to Hinkie, the decision to come here wasn’t made until he thoroughly researched Harris and the rest of the Sixers’ front office. That’s similar to how he’ll attempt to put together a roster, disseminating an array of statistical data and other analytical information, coupled with more traditional methods of scouting and evaluating talent.

As to where Bynum, last year’s spectacular bust, may fit in the equation is anyone’s guess.

“Andrew is an unrestricted free agent like hundreds of other young men,” said Hinkie. “I’m duty bound to consider him. But the Sixers should have an enormous advantage in terms of information about him. My first duty is to get up to speed with that.”

Hinkie wouldn’t guess how long it may take to build a viable contender. But, in a sport where only eight franchises have celebrated championships since the 1983 Sixers won it all, he knows there are no shortcuts.

“The most recent history in this league shows that superstar players matter,” he said. “Big moves may only come around every 10 years or so. The question is, how are you going to handle it to put yourself in the best position to make one?”

The Sixers are risking their future with Hinkie, especially considering their recent past hasn’t been very special. If they’re right, then who knows.

Maybe one of these days all those empty seats will be filled again.

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The fans of Philadelphia have launched a quiet rebellion against our pro sports teams, and they are doing it with the biggest weapon in their arsenal — their wallets.

In fact, if the teams joined together for an ad campaign, the most accurate slogan they could roll out right now is: Good seats still available. Very simply, fans have finally grown weary of mounting losses and broken promises. They are disgusted with a playoff shutout by our winter teams, a horrific 4-12 season by the Eagles and now a sub-.500 start by the Phillies.

The biggest story in Philadelphia sports is not the Roy Halladay saga or Chip Kelly’s first public practices. It is what happened at the box office last Thursday, when the Eagles put single-game tickets on sale, and — for the first time in more than a decade — had them available the next day, and the day after that, and even now. That’s right. You can buy tickets to an Eagles game right now.

For a team that had a waiting list for season tickets of 50,000 just a few years ago, this sudden turn of events came as a surprise to everyone, including the Eagles. Their decision to raise ticket prices after a 4-12 season reflected an arrogant belief that the fans would answer the call, regardless of the quality of the product. Welcome to the real world, Jeff Lurie.

Equally clear now is the fact that this Eagles ticket issue is not an isolated case in Philadelphia. Remember, Sixers tickets were selling for as low as four cents on the secondary market during the Andrew Bynum fiasco, and even Flyers tickets — always the least vulnerable to fan dissatisfaction — were available for a small fraction of their face value in the final month of a terrible season.

Then there are the Phillies. Somehow, in a single year, the Phils went from selling 44,021 tickets a game to 37,321. Last year at this time, you could not buy a Phillies ticket on the primary market. Today, you can sit behind home plate.

Why are the fans rebelling? Well, the obvious answer is that the teams are all pretty awful right now. They aren’t worth the money. But it goes beyond that. Fans are tired of watching players like Jimmy Rollins not run hard, they are fed up with ticket hikes by billionaires like Lurie and they have been insulted one time too many by bums like Bynum.

The fans have had enough. They aren’t buying tickets the way they have been, and they won’t reach back into their wallets until the teams fix what they broke. And what the teams broke is the trust of their fans.

Sixers finally get something right 

The Sixers finally took a positive step last week when they reportedly hired Sam Hinkie — that move will become official Tuesday at a 4:15 p.m. press conference — to become the face of their lost sports franchise. I know almost nothing about the former Houston Rockets executive, but I can say with great confidence that he will be a major upgrade as GM. The truth is, a sea otter would be a major upgrade.

Hinkie subscribes to what owner Joshua Harris calls “analytics,” which sounds a lot like an NBA version of Moneyball. Through the study of sophisticated statistical models, Hinkie plans to rebuild a team that hasn’t interested Philadelphia since 2002. The good news here is that Sam Hinkie actually has a plan. At this point, any plan would do.

And the better news is that Tony DiLeo has left an organization that he put to sleep for most of the past decade: as an assistant GM, a coach and GM. After DiLeo’s snoozefest, Hinkie can win huge public acclaim immediately by announcing that Andrew Bynum will never play for the Sixers.

As for the rest of the roster, Hinkie should set aside Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young, then fumigate these hopeless underachievers. With a player option at $3 million next season, Kwame Brown’s permanent spot on the bench should be declared a toxic-waste site.

As for Spencer Hawes, soft center tweeted after Hinkie was hired “Hate, Hate, Hate” and then made an idiotic remark about statistics that was aimed right at the new GM. Well, at least a Sixer has actually exceeded our expectations. Hawes is even dumber than we thought. Good riddance to you, Spencer — and to most of your loser teammates, too.

More apologies, please

Roy Halladay issued an apology last week to Phillies fans for his horrible pitching this season. Good for him. After lying for months about the condition of his aging, sore pitching shoulder, he owed us some expression of accountability.

Now, while they’re at it, how about some more acts of contrition? At the top of the list is GM Ruben Amaro, Jr., who actually said — it’s on tape — that he was OK with Halladay hiding his sore shoulder for two weeks while the Phils absorbed two straight 14-2 losses with the former ace on the mound.

Next in line is Rich Dubee, the dour pitching coach, who has refused to discuss Halladay’s pitching (or arm condition) because he didn’t like the tone of questions being asked when Halladay was getting crushed early in the season. Dubee is a bad pitching coach with a worse attitude. He needs to apologize for being such a black cloud over the organization.

Of course, no expression of regret over this Halladay mess will be complete without a few well-chosen words from manager Charlie Manuel, who gets paid $4 million a year to  let his players manage themselves. The skipper allowed Halladay to pitch with a sore arm at the end of last season — ever wonder what kind of damage that caused? — and was still ready to send him back out there until Halladay fessed up.

That noise you heard when Halladay’s arm problem became official last week was the slamming shut of an era of prosperity unrivaled in Phillies history. They are not going to find their way back from this nightmare of a season. Deep down, we all know that now. What they can do is show some dignity in these difficult times. At least Halladay started that process with his apology last week.

Idle thoughts from Cataldi

• In nine years of strategic bumbling, Charlie Manuel just finished his worst week ever. He blew three straight one-run games with illogical moves, the most glaring when he replaced Antonio Bastardo with Mike Adams to face Miguel Montero in Arizona. Asked why he didn’t exploit the lefty-lefty matchup, Manuel said: “Adams is my eighth-inning guy.” Oh.
• Jimmy Rollins was lollygagging on the basepaths so badly last week that broadcaster Chris Wheeler called him out on it by shouting, “Run, Jimmy, run.” The shocking part of this is not that Rollins failed to hustle again. No, it was that Wheeler — the ultimate homer— actually told the truth for once.
• Tom Heckert got yet another personnel job last week after dreadful runs with the Eagles and Browns. Denver hired him, raising the question: Does anyone ever scout the scouts in the NFL?
• Ilya Bryzgalov had a busy week, even if the Flyers didn’t. The goalie ducked under a puck in the hockey world championships, got caught playing Angry Birds after being benched, and then ripped the Philadelphia media again for being unprofessional. Hmmm. Is Bryz trying to get the Flyers to dump him?
• Eddie Jordan, a fraud during his brief tenure as Sixers coach, apparently is a fraud off the court, too. He never graduated from Rutgers, which recently signed him to a five-year deal, even though he has always claimed he did. Soon, we’ll find out his Princeton offense comes from a community college.

The post Cataldi: Wallets now optional for jaded Philly fans appeared first on Metro.us.

The idea started with a video tryout in Miami that went viral. Several months, and five teams later, the idea is about to hit a court near you.

The Philadelphia Diamonds, the city’s franchise in the newly-created Bikini Basketball Association, is tuning up its roster. The Diamonds have scheduled their first game for June 29 at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory on Roosevelt Boulevard. Tickets go on sale Monday.

“Our goal is to dominate the season, dominate the whole division,” said assistant coach Alease Tabb. “This just isn’t about looks, we want to be competitive, we’re looking to win.”

The Diamonds boast 13 sexy, athletic girls — most with legitimate collegiate basketball experience. They’ll play by WNBA rules, while wearing form-fitting sports bras and spandex shorts.

There are currently five teams signed up — the Houston Inferno, Las Vegas Fantasy, Philadelphia Diamonds, Miami Spice, Illinois Heat. The Diamonds held an informal meet-and-greet last week at Buffalo Wild Wings in Northeast Philadelphia.

The Diamonds open the season June 29 at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory in Northeast Philadelphia.
Rikard Larma/Metro

“I’m doing this for love of the game, plus it’s an opportunity to get paid to play,” said center Daynese Stowe, who starred at Maryland Eastern-Shore and played AAU ball for the Philadelphia Belles. “I had an opportunity to play overseas after college, but I had a bad agent. I’m hoping this can open some doors, in the basketball world and the modeling world.”

Stowe, an intimidating beauty who stands at 6-foot-2, does freelance modeling on the side. She also runs her own business, Towers of Beauty, a hostessing company that uses tall, attractive women to drive traffic for local businesses.

“I do a little bit of everything,” Stowe said. “I’m also a pretty good volleyball player.”

Some players showed up last week in high heels; others in colorful sneakers. Angel Stephens, a forward who scored 1,000 career points at Cheyney University, was flashing shiny earrings. An informal poll revealed that sporting heels on the court isn’t a good idea, but the earrings …

“Earrings in,” Stephens said. “Diamonds are forever.”

Stephens, like her teammates, is in it to win it. She also admitted that if she can use it to leverage her career, she will. Stephens once served as an assistant basketball coach at Eastern University.

“I want to broaden my horizons,” Stephens said. “This is another opportunity to get back into basketball, maybe return to coaching, hopefully grow as a person.”

Warda Muhammad shows off her stylish heels at last week’s meet and greet.
Rikard Larma/Metro

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“Everybody did. Everybody played with a gay teammate, Dan. And it’ s no big deal,” Barkley told Dan Patrick. “First of all, I think it’s an insult to gay people to think that they’re trying to pick up on their teammates. But everybody has played with a gay teammate.

“It’s obviously discussed, privately, because the problem is, Dan, unless somebody tells you they’re gay, you can’t say a thing about them being gay. Ya know, until somebody has the courage, and I think it takes great courage to come out, it’s kind of an unspoken word to be honest with you.”

The issue of gay athletes is a hot-button issue after Jason Collins outed himself last week. Collins, an unrestricted free agent, played for six different NBA teams.

“He played on six teams, so six teams played with a gay guy,” Barkley said.

Barkley played in the NBA from 1984-2000. He has no problem with gay athletes.

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While Charlie Manuel was telling the media on Sunday afternoon that Roy Halladay was fine, the former ace pitcher was right down the hall informing everyone that he was not fine. There is no better way to capture the current dysfunction of the Phillies than in those two contrasting scenes.

Halladay, a $20-million pitcher with the worst ERA in baseball, lied to Manuel and the fans for two weeks about the state of his aging arm for one very simple reason: he could. The culture on the Phillies under Manuel has always been player-friendly, even if that means doing something that is not in the best interests of the team. Whatever Roy wants, Roy gets.

Remember, Chase Utley hid his offseason injury a year ago until it became a three-month in-season injury, and Brad Lidge lied about his fickle arm for years before that. Players have usually done whatever they wanted under Charlie Manuel, the manager who often chooses not to manage at all.

So, as the drama unfolded Sunday, Manuel played the part of complete fool to perfection, unaware that his legendary pitcher had already been undergoing medical tests from a training staff that didn’t bother to notify the manager of a potentially serious injury. Where pitching coach Rich Dubee was during all of this is anybody’s guess. He also functions with no apparent supervision.

That the Phils have become a model of ineptitude should be obvious now to anyone who is still paying attention. Even before his current crisis, Halladay was demanding that he pitch with a sore arm in his final start last season, and openly feuding with catcher Erik Kratz about pitch selection last month. It is hardly a secret now that Halladay has become a bit of a prima donna.

Just don’t expect anybody to do anything about it while Manuel is still managing. Only now, with the ballclub in free fall, is the truth emerging about the most successful skipper in team history. He is overrated, absurdly overrated.

Even setting aside his undeniable struggles with strategy, wasn’t managing the personalities in the clubhouse widely viewed as Manuel’s biggest strength? Then how should we rationalize this Halladay fiasco?

All you really need to know about the way Manuel has handled Halladay this season is what happened after the prickly pitcher announced to the world — not to his loyal manager — that he had a sore arm. As Manuel himself described it, he spotted his former ace on the flight to Arizona but never approached him to get the real story.

“I didn’t want to bother him,” Manuel said.

Halladay deserves plenty of blame for placing his own interests above that of the team, which absorbed two 14-2 losses because he wouldn’t acknowledge his injury. But Manuel is the bigger culprit here because he refuses to do his job. As usual, he is far more interested in making friends than in running a baseball team.

How many more embarrassments like this will it take before someone in power on the Phillies does something about Charlie Manuel?

Rich athletes being rich athletes
Andrew Bynum was not in the NBA playoffs last week. He was flamenco dancing in Madrid. Claude Giroux was not in the NHL playoffs last week. He was karaoke singing at a Center City bar. Thanks for nothing, rich boys.

While the Wells Fargo Center was dark, two of our highest-paid players took a moment from their busy social calendars to wave a middle finger at the fans of Philadelphia. And the saddest part has been the fan reaction — or rather, the lack of it. In an Internet poll, 78-percent said they were OK with players cutting loose in public even when their teams were spectacular failures. Really? Have we actually reached the point now when basic civility is no longer required?

Bynum received $16.9 million to play in zero games for the Sixers this season, which is not to suggest he led a sedentary life. No, he injured his brittle knees bowling and saved his best moves for the Café de Chinitas in Madrid last weekend.

The Giroux fiasco at McGillin’s in Center City drew less attention because he played hard during a brutal Flyers season. Still, he is captain of the team, he did not meet expectations and he should know better. In this smartphone age, he had to realize that the image of him joyously warbling off-key would look bad. But he didn’t care. We haven’t made him care.

This city has been a proud, supportive, demanding place for a very long time. The Flyers sold out every game. The Sixers banked millions of extra dollars under false pretenses. The sports fans of Philadelphia deserve much better than they got last week. And they will get it. But only when they demand it.

Eagles steal top spot back from Phils
Well, that didn’t take long. After a few years battling the Eagles for supremacy in Philadelphia, the Phillies are back in second place, and the teams appear to be heading in opposite directions with their fans.

Attendance at Citizens Bank Park has been dropping sharply for the first five weeks of the 2013 season, down more than 8,000 per game. The only team experiencing a bigger drop is Miami, a decimated franchise with a despicable owner. The buzz is gone in South Philly for our baseball team, because an ordinary club doesn’t appeal to us after the thrilling teams of recent vintage.

Even more depressing is what lies ahead. Take a look at the current starting lineup and name the players who will definitely be stars three years from now. Time is up. The answer is none. There is not a single position player certain to bloom into the upper echelon of baseball. The closest thing is Dom Brown, and we’ve traveled that road to nowhere many times before.

Meanwhile, the Eagles are proving right now that fortunes can change quickly — in this case, as fast as removing a tired act like Andy Reid with an exciting new approach from Chip Kelly. No one can predict, Kelly included, how well he will do in his rookie NFL season, but it will definitely be fun.

Single-game tickets for the Eagles go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. If you want them, don’t wait. They will be gone by 10:15. The Eagles are kings again in Philadelphia. Thank you, Chip Kelly.

Idle thoughts from Cataldi
» Flyers chairman Ed Snider called Paul Holmgren’s work as GM “outstanding,” which leads to one simple question: What platitude would Snider have used if the Flyers had actually made the playoffs this season?

» The PR campaign for Rich Dubee is laughable. The surly pitching coach, whom manager Charlie Manager said he would defend “until I die,” has $65 million invested this season in three aces whose team is 5-15 in games they started, and the coach is blameless? Then how should Dubee be evaluated? By his charm?

» Now that his dream of playing again in the NFL is over, Terrell Owens has turned to bowling. That’s right, bowling. The former Eagle is already a semi-professional, and he is predicting great things. Hey, maybe Andrew Bynum is available for some pointers.

» Michael Vick finally accepted the challenge in a footrace with LeSean McCoy, and the aging quarterback proceeded to smoke the young running back by five yards over the 40-yard course. McCoy says Vick cheated. Now what in Vick’s past suggests that he’d ever do anything like that?

» According to Andy Reid, the former Eagles coach has already tried 50 barbeque places in Kansas City, and he has loved them all. In a related matter, Reid just got an endorsement deal with Tommy Bahama big-man shirts, and is in serious talks with a prominent tent company.

Bynum sure can dance on those bum knees.

The post Angelo Cataldi: Phillies officially a train wreck appeared first on Metro.us.

It won’t be a very Happy Mother’s Day for the mom of one NBA superstar.

Pamela Bryant, the mother of Lakers star Kobe Bryant, is being sued in New Jersey court after she sold his old memorabilia to an auctioneer, Goldin Auctions LLC ion West Berlin, N.J. Pamela was seeking an estimated $1.5 million for Kobe’s old stuff, including high school jerseys, trophies and even NBA championship rings.

Ken Goldin, the founder of Goldin Auctions, has also filed suit as he seeks to determine who has legal rights to the memorabilia. The suit was filed in Camden, N.J. A hearing has been set for May 20.

“A team-issued championship ring is among the most treasured of all sports collectibles and the opportunity to own one from an active player as significant as Kobe Bryant is rare,” Goldin said in an April 30 news release. “Normally, items like these can only be viewed in a museum or the Hall of Fame. We are honored to be able to make these offerings to collectors around the world.”

Kobe, who isn’t very close with his mom, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Goldin Auctions. According to the lawsuit, Pamela had asked Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, if she wanted the items and Vanessa said no. Pamela packed them up, took out insurance on them and put them in storage.

Pamela reportedly received $450,000 up front for the items and plans to buy a home in Nevada. According to ESPN, Kobe had offered her $250,000 toward the home, but Pamela declined and struck a deal with Goldin Auctions.

Kobe’s lawyer, Mark Campbell, is ready to let the matter play out in the courts. Goldin said he can’t cancel the auction because he has already spent money on advertising for it.

“Mr. Bryant’s personal property has ended up in the possession of someone who does not lawfully own it,” said Campbell in a statement. “We look forward to resolving this legal matter through the legal system.”

Kobe isn’t commenting on the matter. His father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, is a coach in Thailand. Pamela couldn’t be reached for immediate comment, either.

The post Kobe Bryant and mom at odds over hoops memorabilia appeared first on Metro.us.

The Sixers coaching search (wait, did you forget about that?) has zeroed in on two names in recent days.

The team has received permission to interview Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Malone and Utah Jazz assistant Jeff Hornacek, according to multiple reports.

Malone is the top assistant under head coach Mark Jackson. Hornacek, who played for the Sixers, has been in Utah for two seasons.

The Sixers have also been linked to Pacers assistant Brian Shaw, while monitoring contract talks between Lionel Hollins and the Memphis Grizzlies, according to Yahoo! Sports.

The team is expected to begin the interview process next week.

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The Sixers center was spotted getting down at Café de Chinitas in Madrid, Spain. This is the same Bynum who never played a single minute this past season, while dealing with damaged knees and undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery.

Remember, Bynum re-aggravated his initial injury while bowling in downtown Philadelphia. He was also spotted shooting video-game hoops at Dave & Buster’s. Again, in case you forgot, he never stepped foot on the court for the Sixers.

Bynum, who earned $16 million this past season, is a free agent. The Sixers haven’t ruled out bringing him back — although that seems highly unlikely.

All we can say is, at least Bynum is having fun. He looks good here, using some pretty fancy footwork on those creaky knees.

The post Andrew Bynum dancing the night away in Spain (VIDEO) appeared first on Metro.us.

The Delaware 87ers.

Just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?

The Philadelphia 76ers ownership group announced Saturday that it acquired an NBA Development League franchise that will serve as the minor league affiliate to the Sixers. And just like its big brother, the team will go by a historic-date nickname. “Sevens,” for short.

Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution on Dec. 7, 1787, hence “87ers.”

The Sevens will play its home games at the Bob Carpenter Center, a 5,000-seat stadium on the University of Delaware’s campus.

The Sixers, which purchased 100 percent of the D-League team, are only the sixth NBA team to do so.

The post Delaware 87ers new affiliate of 76ers appeared first on Metro.us.

It’s been a big week for everyone’s favorite female basketball star, Skylar Diggins.

Diggins, who was recently selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, signed on with Jay-Z’s new sports agency, RocNationSports. She was immediately captured throwing up the “dynasty” sign. Diggins joins the Yankees’ Robinson Cano and the Giants’ Victor Cruz on Jay-Z’s client list.

Earlier in the week, Diggins and injured Lakers star Kobe Bryant enjoyed some light-hearted banter on the Twittersphere.

Bryant initiated the conversation while remarking on Diggins’ appearance at a Nike camp, writing, “Heard @SkyDigg4 is visiting my Nike fam campus! It would be great to have her be the 1^st official #ladymamba rep #mambamen …”

To which Diggins re-tweeted and replied, “Lady Mamba lol”

No word yet from Vanessa Bryant …

Feeling a draft

The NFL Draft is mere hours away as we sit here typing. While the experts — and yes, even Metro did a mock draft — break down the best of the best, we want to use this space to introduce you to the first WAG we’ve come across.

Matt Barkley is a quarterback for USC. He may go in the first round, if a team desperately seeking a quarterback wants to reach. More likely, he’ll go in the second or third round, and maybe his suitor will secure the steal of the 2013 draft.

More likely, we’ll all just be cheering for him to go early, so we can get up close and personal with his girlfriend, Brittany Langdon, much like we did a year ago with Ryan Tannehill and his smokeshow disguised as arm candy.

In the meantime, enjoy Brittany, courtesy of BustedCoverage.com.

Happy drafting everyone!

The post Playing the Field: Skylar Diggins signs with Jay-Z, flirts with Kobe Bryant appeared first on Metro.us.

Doug Collins did something unprecedented in his final few months as coach of the Sixers. He rendered his status as a Philadelphia sports hero obsolete. Never again will he be the gritty overachiever who cared so much about winning. Now and forever, he will be the man whose raging ego ruined his legacy.

After a week of shameless public lies about his intentions, Collins finally stepped down last week in one final flurry of self-serving bravado. He prefaced his tribute to himself by saying he had been plotting with his bosses a dignified goodbye, making his nauseating exit yet another spectacular failure in this disgraceful season.

In fact, it is impossible to imagine a less dignified send-off than the one he gave himself. If there were any remaining doubts about his total disconnection from the fans (remember, last month he advised them to pray for Andrew Bynum) they disappeared during his final news conference.

At one point, Collins actually had the audacity to blubber about his loving relationship with the fans, after stonewalling all of their questions for months. Now we have learned — from him, no less —that he had decided to leave last Christmas.

His final words to the city included a detailed recitation of his resume, conveniently omitting the fact that he was a loser here with a 110-120 record. He also emphasized his amazing kinship with his players, none of whom he thought highly enough to confide in his plans to leave. And he actually said he was “always a winner, never a champion.”

Always a winner? Was he a winner when he publicly attacked his players for “not breaking a sweat” after one awful loss? Was he a winner when he berated reporter after reporter for asking valid questions about the Bynum disaster? Is he a winner now, with his team 14 games under .500 this season and in far worse shape than when he got here?

Doug Collins thinks he can bamboozle the fans with bluster about his playing days here, about his commitment to the job and his love for Philadelphia. If he did love our city, he wouldn’t have spent the final months of his tenure here insulting the fans with his public tantrums and his bold lies.

It is almost impossible for a sports hero in Philadelphia to lose that designation. Allen Iverson is a national embarrassment now, but he still receives standing ovations every time he returns. Lenny Dykstra is in prison, and fans still speak fondly of his playing days here.
Collins managed to soil his legacy in a way even those two pathetic cases didn’t. In the end, he didn’t respect the fans. Ultimately, he cared only about himself. He left with no class, and with no dignity.

Blame Manuel for this debacle

As the Phillies continue to flounder below .500, a fascinating debate is emerging about whom to blame more for their failures, GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. or manager Charlie Manuel. The correct answer is Manuel — by a wide margin.

Now, I understand that Manuel won the World Series here in 2008, while Amaro was just a front-office assistant, so the folksy skipper still holds the support of a majority of the fans. Philadelphia never stops loving a champion. Just ask the 1973-75 Flyers.

But Manuel is the bigger problem here, as he proved again with some abominable strategy last week. On successive nights late in tie games, Manuel placed the team’s fate in the hands of relievers Jeremy Horst and Phillippe Aumont. In both cases, the far better choices — Mike Adams and Jonathan Papelbon, among others — sat in the bullpen until it was too late.

Manuel’s explanations for these obvious mistakes were totally illogical. He said he was “getting concerned” about how much Adams was being used, although the set-up specialist had pitched exactly six innings in the previous two weeks. Papelbon is used only in save situations, then he entered a game two nights later with the Phillies one run behind and holding a four-run lead on Sunday.

Amaro did his job. He provided Manuel with two of the best late-inning relievers in baseball, but Adams and Papelbon can fill their roles only if the manager uses them.

Charlie Manuel should have been fired a year ago, after his 102-win team lost in the first round of the playoffs because of strategic blunders. If you really want to blame Amaro, rip him because he hasn’t had the courage to get rid of his beloved — and overrated — manager.

NFL thinks 2013 Eagles stink

There was no press release or news conference, but the NFL made a bold statement last week about the 2013 Eagles: They stink.

This appraisal was hidden in the new schedule, which has jarred the Birds back to their Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time days before Andy Reid. In the first season under Chip Kelly, the Eagles are slated to play only two night games, and those are in the first 11 days of the season. Barring a late flex-schedule change, the Birds will not appear in the marquee Sunday night game.

What the NFL is saying here is obvious. The debut of Kelly and his newfangled brand of football is worthy of attention; hence, the Monday night opener in Washington. And Reid’s homecoming in week three deserves a Thursday-night stage. After that, forget it.

Unintentionally, the NFL appears to have done Kelly and his new team a huge favor. Facing the Redskins and a still-gimpy Robert Griffin III in the opener is a gift, followed by winnable games against the Chargers and Chiefs. Is it ridiculous to think the Birds could be 3-0 on Sept. 22? And even if they’re 2-1, can you imagine how much that start will help Kelly’s players to believe in the new system?

Even before the draft, it is becoming obvious that the Eagles will be better than the pundits believe. Kelly’s refreshing new approach — fast-paced practices, shuffled locker assignments, custom-made smoothies — is already providing some genuine hope after the drudgery of Reid’s final years.

Here’s my first prediction of the Chip Kelly era: Despite the new schedule, the Eagles will not stink in 2013.

Idle thoughts from Cataldi
» It’s a new season and a new coach, but the same old Mike Vick. The quarterback declared last week that the Eagles are “still my team.” Unfortunately, “his team” was 4-12 last year because he couldn’t stop throwing interceptions or getting hurt. The worst thing that could happen this season is for it to be “his team” again.

» Marcus Vick, Mike’s hilariously clueless brother, resurfaced on Twitter last week with some homophobic remarks directed at the Arizona Cardinals. Am I the only one who will miss Marcus more than Mike when they both finally leave?

» The Flyers will end one of the worst seasons in their history this weekend. So who goes first? If it were up to me, it would be GM Paul Holmgren, followed by goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and then coach Peter Laviolette. If all three are back next season, the Flyers can expect to miss the playoffs again in 2014.

» Jonathan Papelbon used the Boston Marathon tragedy to spout his views on gun control. Hey, I happen to like the Phillies closer. I’m just more comfortable when he’s throwing a 95-mile-per hour fastball than when he’s using the pitching mound as a pulpit for his political views. That’s all I’m saying.

» Confronted by reporters at the Doug Collins’ goodbye news conference, perennial NBA bust Kwame Brown — the lazy Sixer center who made $3 million for doing nothing this season — literally sprinted for the exits to elude their questions. Who said the big lug never hustles?

The post Cataldi: Doug Collins tarnished his legacy forever appeared first on Metro.us.

Doug Collins wasn’t pushed out. He wasn’t forced out.

Quite the contrary.

The 76ers tried everything they could think of to bring Collins back for a fourth season as head coach.

It was just time for Collins. He started pondering this decision around Christmas when the Sixers were in the midst of a grueling 13-day road trip.

“I wanted to go out with dignity,” Collins said Thursday at PCOM, the Sixers’ practice facility.

The 61-year-old Collins recently attended the press conference introducing his son, Chris, as the head coach at Northwestern. Collins also referenced spending more time with his five grandkids.

“This job, you’ve got to pour your heart and soul into it every single second,” said Collins, who will remain a special adviser to owner Josh Harris. “I love this city, and I love the 76ers. I’ve been with this organization for 40 years. There are a lot of things I want to enjoy. I think it’s every man’s dream to live that life that you’ve worked so hard to try to live, and that’s what I want to do.”

Harris spoke with reporters first and vehemently denied that Collins was being pushed out.

“At the end of the day, he’s a proud father and he wants to spend more time with his family,” Harris said. “Doug is a 24-7, 100 mile-per-hour guy, which I really appreciate. He doesn’t want to be coaching next year anywhere. … He loves the Sixers. He loves the city. He’s not planning on coaching anywhere else. It was a personal decision for him. I want to make it very clear. I would love to have Doug Collins back as my coach next year. This is his decision. He’s not being pushed out.

“I tried to convince Doug to stay. But when someone says they want to spend time with their grandkids and help their son, I understand.”

When Collins was hired three seasons ago, he was determined to make the franchise relevant.

The Sixers advanced to the playoffs in two of Collins’ three seasons, and they were within one win of competing in the Eastern Conference Finals in his second year.

This season, the Sixers were ravaged by injuries, most notably to Andrew Bynum, who never played one second.

The Sixers finished 34-48 and out of the postseason.

“I don’t have to drop my head, I didn’t fail,” Collins said. “A lot of it was out of our control and sometimes you have to realize that. We’ve got a lot of good young pieces (and) we probably played our best basketball the last six weeks of the season, which was important to me.”

Players shocked by resignation

Doug Collins didn’t tell his players he was resigning following a season-ending victory at Indiana Wednesday night.

They found out Thursday morning at PCOM.

For the veterans such as forward Thaddeus Young, the longest-tenured player on the Sixers, it was a bit of a shock.

“Coach didn’t do anything but help me,” Young said. “He was a great role model and a great father figure. He’s by far the best [NBA] coach I’ve had.”

First-time All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday echoed similar thoughts.

“He is my man,” Holiday said. “I’ve grown so much (because of him).”

Sixers don’t rule out a Bynum return

 
Andrew Bynum never suited up in a Sixers uniform. But that doesn’t mean he won’t ever play at the Wells Fargo Center.

Despite being sidelined for an entire season with bilateral bone bruises on both knees, the 25-year-old center still could play for the Sixers.

Of course, the Sixers would have to sign him first.

Amazingly, Sixers owner Josh Harris left open the possibility that could happen.

“A healthy Bynum that’s playing is a needle-mover, a top-15 player,” said Harris, standing alongside coach Doug Collins, who announced his resignation at PCOM. “But the reality is, he didn’t play a game this season. There’s risk. We’re going to weigh the positives and the negatives and try to make a reasoned assessment of what’s appropriate for Andrew. Certainly we’re open to the prospect of bringing him back.”

Bynum underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in March and remains an unrestricted free agent.

“At the end of the day, we’re competing with [29 other] teams for Andrew,” Harris said. “They need to make their own assessment. I don’t want to make a medical assessment of Andrew publicly that may or may not help other teams. We’re very open and interested in Andrew coming back if we can work out something that makes sense for everyone.”

 
Who’s the next coach?
» Michael Curry: Has been an NBA head coach before and knows the roster as an associate head coach, not to mention the league.
» Avery Johnson: Was in the mix when Collins was hired. Had a lot of success as a head coach with the Mavericks and Nets.
» Jeff Van Gundy/Stan Van Gundy: Both have a plethora of coaching experience and could easily step into this role.
» Phil Jackson: You have to make the call, don’t you?
» Mike Brown: Took the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals and won a lot of games. Didn’t have the same track record with the Lakers, but still has a strong NBA background.
» Byron Scott: Just fired by the Cavaliers, but could be a good fit here.

The post Doug Collins: ‘I wanted to go out with dignity’ appeared first on Metro.us.

Doug Collins has resigned as head coach of the Sixers, according to owner Joshua Harris. The move was reported last weekend, but became official Thursday morning when the team held its end-of-season wrap-up session with the media.

Collins, who is still highly regarded by the front office, will stay with the Sixers in a consulting position. The search for a new coach begins immediately.

More details to come …

The post Doug Collins resigns as Sixers coach appeared first on Metro.us.

How did it get to this point? How did the Sixers become a franchise with little hope and with a disillusioned fan base that’s annually wallowing in mediocrity? In the NBA, a few wrong turns can leave you lost for a decade.

Here are the three mind-numbing decisions that have crippled the organization:

1. July 10, 2008: Sixers signed unrestricted free agent Elton Brand to a five-year, $79.7 million contract.

The Brand signing was widely lauded as a coup for the Sixers because they “stole” him away from the Clippers at the last minute. But in reality, it was the first domino that allowed the Clips to ascend. Giving $80 million to a 29-year-old player one year removed from an Achilles tendon tear is just inexcusable. Brand was a shell of himself right from jump street for the Sixers, showing completely sapped athletic ability. He averaged a pitiful 13.2 points per game over four seasons in Philly and was paid to leave prior to the 2012-13 campaign via the amnesty clause. How did the medical staff sign off on damaged goods?

2. June 24, 2010: Sixers use No. 2 overall pick on Ohio State G/F Evan Turner.

When it comes to the draft, hindsight is always 20/20. But the Sixers already had two core wings that couldn’t shoot in Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. They had a rising star point guard in Jrue Holiday. So given Turner’s known limitations as a shooter, the pick turned out to be a head-scratching bust. The Sixers would have been better off filling their desperate need for a big with Derrick Favors, Greg Monroe or DeMarcus Cousins.

3. Aug. 10, 2012: Sixers trade for Andrew Bynum

Credit the Sixers for swinging for the fences. But when it comes to one of the biggest trades in franchise history, there has to be a winner and loser. And the Sixers clearly lost. Not only has Bynum not played a single minute, but Nikola Vucevic and Maurice Harkless (now with the Magic) have the look of future stars. The Sixers are left with the most cap room they’ve had since the Brand signing, but it’s still not as much as teams like the Hawks, Cavaliers and Pistons.

The post Sixers’ timeline of a disaster appeared first on Metro.us.

Watching Roy Halladay pitch these days is both jarring and sad. It is jarring because the memories of his brilliance are still fresh — memories of 2010’s perfect game and playoff no-hitter and so many other masterful performances. It is sad because those days are over.

Halladay gave Phillies fans some reason for hope Sunday when he pitched eight solid innings in a 2-1 win over the Marlins. Unfortunately, it is false hope because, even in victory, it is painfully obvious the proud pitcher has lost his fastball, lost his precise control and lost much of the amazing movement on his pitches.

And what makes every start so compelling is that he deserves a much better ending than this. His will to succeed is legendary, and his determination has not waned in these humbling times. The sweat pours off him as he tries to wrench another mile per hour or two out of an arm that has already delivered 2,695 big-league innings.

When Halladay waived his no-trade clause and came to Philadelphia three years ago, he had one overriding goal – to culminate his extraordinary career with a championship. Now, at 35, he will not make it, at least in part because he got so old, so fast. The Phillies with three ace pitchers have a chance to defy the odds this season. With two aces? Forget it.

Even during his best performance of the season Sunday, Halladay was impressive only when contrasted with the feeble nature of the offense he was facing. He rarely was able to throw the first pitch for a strike, he never made it past 90 mph with his fastball and he profited greatly from the generous dimensions of Miami’s stadium.

Barring a sudden reversal of fortune, Halladay will get annihilated by Atlanta or Washington with the same lackluster pitches he slipped past the Marlins. All he really has left now is his desire to succeed. It won’t be enough. It won’t be nearly enough.

Halladay is one of the smartest pitchers ever to play the game, and he is no fool at this fragile point in his career. After he was bludgeoned by the Mets (the Mets!) last week, he hinted at his career demise when he spoke about having fun again playing baseball and about the great life the game has given him.

“My son sent me a text: You’re my hero,” Halladay said in a soul-searching news conference that was unusual for the normally unemotional, robotic man. “That means a lot.”

Halladay will be a hero regardless of how this season unfolds. Unfortunately, heroes in real life don’t always get to write their own happy ending. And, more and more with every start, it’s becoming obvious that Roy Halladay’s ending will not be a happy one at all.

Collins exit can’t come soon enough

Doug Collins doesn’t like the people who run the Sixers, and his bosses have had enough of his manic, obnoxious behavior. The coach will be gone by Thursday, a failure at his goal of reviving the franchise.

The sad truth is, Collins was terrible at his job over the past three years. He bungled the development of Evan Turner, completely ignored the rebounding talents of Nik Vucevic, failed to turn Andre Iguodala into a leader and — oh, yes — advised fans who had lost thousands on worthless tickets to “pray” for lazy, no-show center Andrew Bynum.

Yes, Collins did oversee the progress of Jrue Holiday, he did lead the Sixers deep into the second round of the playoffs last season (thanks to the Derrick Rose injury) and he revived some interest in the moribund franchise, at least initially. He was better than Eddie Jordan. Whoopie.

Unfortunately, when Collins came here, he said his one overriding objective was to reinstate the Sixers as a championship contender and to leave the franchise in better shape than when he arrived. Instead, the team is at its lowest ebb in decades, with no gate attractions on the court and no clue in the front office.

During this meltdown, Collins became the kind of tone-deaf ingrate he never was as a player — evasive and antagonistic toward the media, and abrupt and headstrong in dealing with his bosses. The speculation now is he planted the story last week that the Sixers owners don’t want him back to pave the way for a smooth departure.

It’s usually hard to say goodbye, especially to a hero. But not this time. This time, it’s not just goodbye to Collins. It’s good riddance.

Asleep at the net

The furor over whether Ilya Bryzgalov fell asleep during a team meeting last week is nothing more than a silly diversion during a lost season. The real question everyone should be asking is, were the Flyers in a coma when they decided to invest $51 million in a petulant, underachieving goaltender? And we all know the answer to that one, don’t we?

What made the most recent controversy so absurd was the way everyone reacted to it. The Flyers’ coaching staff and players joined together and lambasted the original broadcast report that Bryzgalov had nodded off. It was actually the first evidence of teamwork on the Flyers all season.

Then the kennel of media lapdogs covering the team barked out their anguished denials on Twitter. No Philadelphia team has a better-trained group of adoring reporters than the Flyers — even in a season when the team is not worthy of any such affection.

And then there was Bryzgalov himself, who will soon find out how sincere all of this support is when the Flyers buy out his bloated contract. In a historic display of gall, this Russian blowhard actually ripped into the media for making up stories and demanded that they “do your job better.” Right back at ya, Ilya.

The disastrous original decision to bring a major head case into a city that really, really cares about hockey was the handiwork of overrated general manager Paul Holmgren and over-the-hill chairman Ed Snider. As usual, however, they are escaping most of the blame here. Why? Because both of those loyal Flyers have lifetime passes.

Was Bryzgalov sleeping last week? Maybe he was. Maybe we all are. Maybe this whole season is just a bad dream.

Idle thoughts …

» Go out today — this minute — and see the new movie “42.” The story of Jackie Robinson’s introduction to the big leagues is well known, but it has never been presented in such a compelling and emotional way. You will hate Philadelphia for its racist attitudes, but you will admire Robinson that much more for teaching us a better way.

» Disgraced Rutgers coach Mike Rice is back in coaching again. Well, he actually never left. The lunatic who lost his job last month for physically and emotionally attacking his college players has continued to coach an AAU girls team. The kids are 12 years old. Their parents are fine with this arrangement. The world is officially insane.

» Eddie Jordan, the worst coach in Sixers history — a man who joined the Lakers this season and instantly ruined their offense — is the choice to replace Mike Rice at Rutgers. For the first time, I actually feel some sympathy for that school. After a few weeks with the Professor, even Rice won’t seem all that bad.

» San Diego slugger Carlos Quentin attacked Zack Grienke last week and broke the L.A. pitcher’s collarbone. Grienke will be out eight weeks, and Quentin was suspended for eight games. Hmmmm. Eight weeks for the guy who was blameless, and eight games for a repeat offender. OK, I give up. Somebody’s joking here, right?

» Andrew Bynum was a no-show for the Sixers team photo last week, thereby blowing his last chance to preserve on film forever one of his amazing hairstyles. What a loss.

The post Cataldi: Halladay’s career unlikely to get happy ending appeared first on Metro.us.

1. Miami Heat (64-16, previous No. 1) - Well, Dwyane Wade is back, and the Heat look ready for the postseason. They might even consider resting LeBron James and Wade for the entire series with Milwaukee in preparation for an actual challenge.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (59-21, previous No. 2) – Kevin Durant was fined $25,000 for a “menacing gesture” last week, but what he and the Thunder do in the Western Conference should be even more menacing.

3. San Antonio Spurs (58-22, previous No. 4) - The Spurs weathered the storm that was the 2012-13 NBA regular season. But do they have enough left in the tank to go deep into the postseason? It’ll be tough.

4. Memphis Grizzlies (54-26 previous No. 3) - What to make of Memphis’ 91-87 loss to the Clippers over the weekend? One, it could be an opening round playoff preview. Two, it should be a very entertaining one.

5. Los Angeles Clippers (54-26, previous No. 5) - A win over the Griz before the postseason does wonders for L.A.’s confidence. It also helps that it could give them homecourt advantage over them.

6. New York Knicks (53-27, previous No. 6) - The Knicks beat up on the Celtics pretty good in the regular season, but make no mistake: they aren’t thrilled about their opening round matchup.

7. Denver Nuggets (55-25, previous No. 7) - On the day point guard Ty Lawson returned, Kenneth Faried sprained his left ankle. Hopefully it’s not serious, because they’ll need all hands (and ankles) on deck without Danilo Gallinari.

8. Indiana Pacers (49-31, previous No. 8) - Roy Hibbert is playing at a higher level over the second half of the season. The Pacers should be fine against a banged up Bulls team or a Hawks team that lacks an identity.

10. Brooklyn Nets (47-33, previous No. 10) - The team that nobody is talking about could give the Heat more trouble than we all think in the second round. Deron Williams is playing as good as anybody.

9. Houston Rockets (45-35, previous No. 9) - The Rockets are the only Western Conference playoff team with a losing record against Western Conference teams. Beating up on the Eastern Conference won’t help them now.

11. Golden State Warriors (45-35, previous No. 11) - The Warriors seem to be that team that every other team in the Western Conference wants to play. Can they use that as fuel? Or will they just prove all those teams right?

12. Chicago Bulls (43-37, previous No. 12) - It feels more and more like the season of “what could have been” for Chicago. Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson are banged up now. Derrick Rose doesn’t appear to be suiting up this season, either.

13. Boston Celtics (41-39, previous No. 13) - The Celtics may not have depth on their side. Or age. But one thing they’ve never lacked is confidence, and often times that’s all a team needs.

14. Atlanta Hawks (44-36, previous No. 14) - He seems to go under the radar just about every year, but Al Horford is the type of player every team wants. Can play both power forward and center effectively on both ends.

15. Los Angeles Lakers (44-37, previous No. 15) - It’s an absolute shame that Kobe Bryant is lost for the season after doing everything in his power to get his team into the playoffs. Can Dwight carry them now?

16. Utah Jazz (42-38, previous No. 16) - The Jazz didn’t trade Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap at the deadline, could lose both now, and it’s looking like they’ll miss the postseason. What a season …

17. Milwaukee Bucks (37-43, previous No. 17) - No truth to the rumor that the Bucks are raising a banner with the words “Just Happy to be Here” written on it before the Heat series.

18. Dallas Mavericks (40-40, previous No. 18) - The Dallas Mavericks all finally shaved their beards on Sunday . . . because they reached .500 on the season. Congrats?

19. Philadelphia 76ers (33-47, previous 20) - Reports are that Doug Collins will resign as head coach after the season. Not a big surprise. It was pretty clear that, like everybody else, he had had enough with that team.

20. Toronto Raptors (32-48, previous – ) - All the Raptors are doing now is costing themselves ping pong balls. Should have followed the Trail Blazers lead to end the season (an 11-game losing streak).

The post NBA Power Rankings: The playoffs are here! appeared first on Metro.us.

Doug Collins will not coach the 76ers next season.

Collins has informed the Sixers he will not return for the fourth and final year of his contract, according to several reports.

The past week has seen much speculation about Collins’ future with the team, which has limped to a 33-47 record this season.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on Thursday that Sixers management was privately hoping Collins would decide to quit. Late Sunday, Yahoo! Sports broke the news Collins was in fact done as Sixers coach after just three seasons.

The Sixers play Monday in Detroit before wrapping up their season at Indiana on Wednesday night.

The post Reports: Collins out as 76ers coach appeared first on Metro.us.

During Sunday’s final home game of the season, the Sixers had the past in the house with Dr. J and Moses Malone. They had the present, a team playing out the string of a lost season. The future? It’s cloudy with a strong chance of change.

Ever since Doug Collins was hired in May of 2010, he’s been the face of the franchise. And if Andrew Bynum had been healthy this season, Collins would have been a good bet to return for a fourth season. Now, however, the coach’s impending departure is likely the first domino in what will be a volatile offseason. He still won’t comment on his offseason plans, but appears resigned to moving on.

“I give Josh [Harris] and the organization a lot of credit. They swung for the fences,” Collins said before a 91-77 win over the Cavs. “And unfortunately, Andrew got hurt – and Jason Richardson – and it changed the dynamic of our season.”

So step one of the offseason will include a coaching search. Perhaps the more important step will be re-doing the roster. Bynum, Nick Young, Dorell Wright, Royal Ivey and Damien Wilkins will all be unrestricted free agents. If the Sixers go into July’s free-agency period without any of them re-signed, they’ll have more cap space than they’ve had since the doomed Elton Brand signing of 2008.

According to Thaddeus Young, the longest-tenured Sixer at the tender age of 24, the piece the team needs was under the nose all season.

“We got good wings, we have solid players up and down the roster,” Young said. “We got shooters, we got ball-handlers, we have grunt-work guys. We just need that guy that’s going to put us over the top, center-wise.”

While the search for “that guy” continues, the Sixers insist that lessons have been learned.

“Nothing’s guaranteed,” Jrue Holiday said. “Even though [last year] we did a good job we made it to the first round, the second round. And even this year, we had a really good chance, with Andrew, of making it pretty deep in the playoffs.”

It didn’t happen as a season of what-ifs wraps — and an offseason of ifs begins.

The post 76ers entering offseason of ‘ifs’ appeared first on Metro.us.

It was a magical run 30 years ago.

It still is.

Though three decades have passed, the Philadelphia 76ers’ 1983 championship team is still regarded as one of the greatest in the history of this city. The players still get asked about that team virtually every day.

The Sixers haven’t won a title since, though they came close in 2001 when Allen Iverson nearly single-handedly carried them through the postseason. They came up short in a hard-fought, five-game series against the Lakers.

But the 1982-83 Sixers with Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney, Bobby Jones, etc., are beloved. And always will be.

“I think it’s great and I enjoy coming back as often as I can,” said Malone. “The fans here are amazing and I will always love them. That was a special season and it was the kind of season I expected when I got to Philly. I’m glad we got the title. I wish we could have done more, but we got that one. I will always remember it.”

Numerous players — including Clint Richardson, Franklin Edwards, Clemon Johnson, Reggie Johnson and former general manager Pat Williams – were honored at halftime of Sunday’s Cavaliers-Sixers game.

“It’s always great to come back here and it’s great to see all these friendly faces from that championship team,” said Erving, who currently works as a strategic advisor for the Sixers. “I challenged the Sixers’ organization when I retired to remain as a family and do all they could to get more championships. I am still hoping that’s the case in the future and I’m pulling for them all the time. Anything I can do to help, I told them that’s what I’m here for.”

After losing in the Finals in 1977, ’80 and ’82, the Sixers brought in Malone. He was the missing piece.

In 1982-83, the Sixers finished 65-17 and then proceeded to sweep the Knicks, win in five over the Bucks and then sweep the Lakers in four. If you’re counting, that’s a 12-1 playoff mark.

“I think we were all frustrated with how things had been in the past in coming so close and not winning it all,” said Cureton. “Coach (Billy) Cunningham kept us motivated all season and Moses took us through in the playoffs. Moses was like a man possessed in the playoffs. He just wanted it so bad and we fed off him. It was a great time in my life and the celebration still lives on 30 years later.”

Every player from that team revels in that 1982-83 season. The feeling never gets old.

“I arrived midway through the season and what a ride it was for me,” said Clemon Johnson. “I love these guys. It’s great seeing them. That season was as much fun as I’ve ever had in basketball.”

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Kobe Bryant’s season is almost certainly over after he suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 118-116 win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday.

Bryant, the fourth leading scorer in NBA history, sustained the injury with 3:08 minutes left in the fourth quarter and will undergo an MRI scan on Saturday.

“MRI, surgery and then recovery,” said Bryant when asked about the next steps.

Surgery would mean Bryant would miss any playoff action for the Lakers, if they can hang on to the final berth in the Western Conference.

The 34-year-old was quick, however, to dismiss talk of his career being under threat.

“Really, are you kidding?” he responded to reporters in the locker room. “Obviously there’s a bunch of players that have had this same injury, so I know I can do this.

“All I can do is what they’ve done, who had more success getting back quicker and healthier, and see what they did and see if I can improve upon it.”

The Lakers have recovered from a poor start to the season to push themselves into playoff contention but their chances of making an impact will be sorely hurt by the loss of their leading player.

Bryant, a five-times NBA champion, said the injury was the most disappointing moment he has had in his career.

“By far. We worked so hard to put ourselves in a position where we control our own fate,” he said. “It is just terrible. Terrible feeling”.

The injury occurred in fairly innocuous fashion as he went to pass Warriors wing Harrison Barnes, driving to his left before slumping to the floor.

Bryant initially stayed on court, limping to the free throw line and standing on one leg to score two free throws before he headed to the locker-room for treatment.

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When the Sixers hired Doug Collins in May of 2010, critics warned of “Collins burnout” after a couple years of positive steps. Nearly three years after the hire, 76ers players are reportedly frustrated with his coaching style and the front office is hoping the 61-year-old coach steps down on his own after this season.

Multiple league sources told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the organization privately wants Collins to quit despite the coach having one year remaining on his contract. He is owed $4.5 million.

“I’m entirely focused on trying to win the games we have left,” Collins said this week. “I’m not thinking at all about next season. I haven’t gone there.”

Collins’ coaching career has had a familiar feel at three of his four NBA stops. He peaked in his second year with the Bulls in 1988 as Chicago went 50-32. The next year they went 47-35. In Detroit, he guided the Pistons to 54 wins in Year 2. The next season (1997-98), he was out after 45 games as Detroit had a 21-24 record.

In Philly, Collins got 35 wins out of the Sixers in a shortened season and the team nearly upset the Celtics in the second round of the 2012 playoffs. As of Thursday, the Sixers were 31-47 on the 2013 season.

“I did not think our guys prepared themselves during the (All-Star) break to come back to play,” Collins said that night. “I looked out there to start the game and three guys weren’t even sweating when we started the game. They’re going to ease themselves into the game. You’ve gotta get sweaty, you’ve gotta get ready to go.”

Philly wraps up its season April 17 at Indiana.

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The Sixers knew a few weeks ago that they would not make the NBA playoffs this season.

It showed Wednesday night that the team has little left to play for, as the Atlanta Hawks came into Wells Fargo Center and blew out a hapless 76ers team, 124-101.

Josh Smith scored 28 points and puled down 12 rebounds for the Hawks (43-36), who pulled into a tie for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with Chicago with the victory.

Thaddeus Young led the Sixers in scoring with 28 points. He scored 22 of those points in the first half, when he shot 11-for-16 from the field.

The struggles continued Wednesday for all-star guard Jrue Holiday, who shot just 4-for-14 from the field.

The Sixers (31-47) have just four games remaining on the 2012-13 season.

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