Sixers News And Notes

Although in the midst of a lockout which does not seem likely to end, a couple of Philadelphia 76ers players have made some news over the past couple of days. Thaddeus Young put to rest the rumors that he will be going overseas to play in China, at least for now. According to Young there are a lot of opportuinties for him to play in China but he plans on staying here. In the same inteview Young told something that is very interesting and exciting for Sixers fans. This past offsesason Thad has worked with former NBA player and coach John Lucas on his jump shot. He said that he has been in the gym almost every day working on his game and jumper for next season. He admitted that his mid-range game needs work and according to many coaches if he gets his mid-range jump shot down, "Thad has the chance to be unstoppable."

In other Sixers news, Marreese Speights has had a very productive offseason just like teammate Thaddeus Young. Impact Basketball, which is a training facility just outside of Las Vegas, has been hosting a "Lockout League" this offseason. The games involve NBA players only and while the games don't include the biggest stars in the game, some notable players who have shown up are John Wall, Javale McGee, Rashard Lewis, Kyle Lowrey, and Corey Maggette. Since these games are pickup games the defense as you would imagine is not the greatest in the world but games are games and playing a lot can improve your game and get you in better shape. The games consist of four eight minute quarters and are played pretty much every day. On any given day you can see up to 4 pickup games at the Impact Basketball facility. The good news out of this for the Sixers is that forward Marreese Speights has been playing in these games and is tearing it up. In the three games that Speights played he has averaged 28 points and 9 rebounds per game. He is also shooting an outstanding 70 % from the field. The fact that Marreese Speights has been performing well is great news for the Sixers, as he has always seemed to have the potential to be a good big man, but can never put it together during the season. He has the ability to help the Sixers off the bench this year if there is a season, and provide a good defensive presence and score some points off the bench. That would make the Sixers bench even more scarier than last year.