PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Andre Iguodala never cared much for the nickname “Iggy” and A.I. was already trademarked in Philly.
If he’s going to get a label, Iguodala will settle for leader of the 76ers. The hottest team in the NBA truly is his – with or without Elton Brand.
“I don’t think that’s ever changed,” Iguodala said.
Maybe not, but the perception sure was there at the start of the season. The Sixers enticed Brand to bolt Los Angeles for the comfort of an $80 million contract, and Brand’s face was the one plastered on billboards, city buses and pocket schedules. The message was clear: If Philadelphia was going to build on last year’s surprising playoff berth, the free-agent forward would carry them.
Instead, it’s Iguodala taking the Sixers into the second half of the season with the league’s best record since Jan. 6 (14-4, .778 winning percentage).
“It’s his team. He’s taken on that responsibility,” said Sixers president/GM Ed Stefanski. “He’s becoming more of a leader.”
ave taken off like one of his YouTube-worthy dunks, so have the Sixers. He struggled to fit his game around Brand’s and his scoring dipped to only 13 points per game through the first 17 games of the season. The Sixers suffered because of his slump – coach Maurice Cheeks was fired 23 games into the season and Philadelphia found itself outside of the playoff standings.
Then Brand hurt his right shoulder and Iguodala got going.
The Sixers would like to think the wins would have come anyway, but Philadelphia (27-24) is now three games over .500 for the first time since winning the first three games of the 2006-07 season.
“We don’t have any All-Stars, we don’t have any superstars, people would say,” Iguodala said. “We just go out there and get it done.”
The reality is, Brand and the Sixers simply weren’t clicking in the first season of a five-year deal. Brand’s half-court game wasn’t suited for the up-tempo Sixers, who abandoned their fastbreak style for a more traditional offense.
Iguodala suffered as much any Sixer and took the heat for the slow start. Iguodala remains irked at the criticism leveled against him because hasn’t been named an All-Star or led the Sixers out of the first round of the playoffs.
Last season, he was the Sixers top scorer (averaging 19.9 points a game) and perimeter defender, though he had a disappointing playoff series against Detroit (13.2 ppg).
ch TV and somebody’s always trying to critique your game and tell you what kind of player you are,” Iguodala said. “You’ve got to go out there and prove them wrong.”
Philadelphia showed faith, giving the No. 9 pick in the 2004 draft a six-year, $80 million deal in August.
Now he’s playing like he’s worth the cash. Some of his best stats:
– Iguodala and Cleveland’s LeBron James are the only two players in the NBA averaging at least 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.
– He’s averaging 20.3 points over the last 34 games and has shot 48.9 percent (291 of 594 FGs) over the past 42 games.
– His nine double-doubles are one more than he had all of last season.
Iguodala’s scouting report on himself might soon be the one the rest of the NBA has on him.
“Can do everything,” he said. “I’ve got to continue to become more aggressive in certain situations.”
New Philadelphia coach Tony DiLeo says Iguodala’s time is coming.
“When he goes against players that are All-Stars or high caliber players and shows he can play with them and outplay them, he will get recognition,” DiLeo said. “He’s still young.”
left against Memphis, lifting the Sixers to their fourth straight victory.
“When we’re winning, I really don’t care who they say is the franchise player,” he said. “I know I play a big role in that.”
The Sixers haven’t won a playoff series since 2003 when the original A.I., Allen Iverson, of course, was leading the charge. They’ve made the postseason twice in Iguodala’s first four seasons, losing to the Pistons each time. They might be a year away from knocking off Boston or Cleveland or another top-tier team in the East, so earning that fourth or fifth seed and having a legitimate shot at winning a playoff series this year should motivate the Sixers the rest of the way.
Iguodala will surely be the one to get them there.
“I haven’t even peaked yet,” Iguodala said. “It’s going to be crazy.”
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