76ers turn to film for answers

After yesterday's film session, Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young worked with 76ers shooting coach Bruce Kreutzer - from Mark Price's academy - on one end of the 76ers' practice court.

On the other end, Royal Ivey and Marreese Speights played two-on-two against Kareem Rush and assistant coach Aaron McKie.

Regardless of how they want to phrase it - coach Tony DiLeo called it "eliminating mental errors" - the Sixers are looking for answers.

They're looking at the film.

They're listening to experts.

And they're searching their roster for who should go where.

After stumbling through a 2-6 record since the all-star break, the Sixers have four days of practice, yesterday plus three more, to find a way to escape mediocrity. They are now 29-30 and in seventh place; they would face a first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics if the season ended today.

If you've followed this team, suffered through these last two weeks, you'll recognize the questions:

What has happened to Williams' shot?

Where is the three-point defense?

Will the starting lineup change?

Why doesn't Speights play more?

What happened to Samuel Dalembert on Monday night?

This week is the downtime - the only downtime - before a 40-day, 23-game, season-ending stretch.

"Lots of games in a short amount of time," said point guard Andre Miller.

"It's a tough stretch. These days are the only opportunity we have to get our minds right for the rest of the season."

Question No. 1: What's up with Williams?

For much of the season, Williams has been the second-unit spark plug, popping off the bench at the end of the first quarter and accumulating points. Lately, Williams has looked slightly passive, hesitating on open shots, and questioning open lanes. Williams has, since Jan. 31, made only one-third of his shots: 46 for 138.

DiLeo described Williams as "a little up and down. That's the way it is with a scorer," DiLeo said. "I just want him to be aggressive. He has the green light to shoot; I just want him to create havoc when he's out there."

Williams insisted he has never been a guy that forces shots, but if DiLeo wishes him to be more aggressive, he'll "switch it up."

Williams shook his head when asked if his confidence ever wavers: Absolutely not.

Question No. 2: Where is the three-point defense?

In the previous five games, the Sixers' opponents have made an average of 11.4 three-pointers a game: A handful of which directly lost games.

"We talked about defending the three," said Miller of yesterday's film session. "We've been competitive in games, and teams are shooting a high percentage from three and that is a big part of the game."

"Teams are making shots due to our rotations," Williams explained. "What's hampering us is our communication."

Added Williams: "Usually we don't want to practice, but we have an opportunity to get some things understood."

DiLeo said, after watching the video of the loss to the New Orleans Hornets, that sometimes the Sixers executed solid defensive rotations but sometimes they broke down, too.

Speights explained the film session: "[DiLeo] called everybody out, but he didn't call me out because I'm a rookie."

Question No. 3: Will the starting lineup change?

DiLeo said the coaching staff (not including general manager Ed Stefanski) has considered a lineup shift.

DiLeo would not say whom this shift would involve, but a likely scenario would include removing starting shooting guard Willie Green, inserting Speights at power forward, and sliding Andre Iguodala to shooting guard and Young to his natural position of small forward.

"No," said Speights when asked if he's heard of such a potential switch. "Never heard of it."

Question No. 4: Why doesn't Speights play more?

Speights, a power forward, is averaging 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.2 minutes a game. On Monday, power forward Reggie Evans played 25 minutes and didn't score.

DiLeo has said he limits Speights' minutes when he believes the matchups hinder the Sixers.

Speights said he is not injured, although he did turn his ankle the night before the Sixers' Feb. 17 game at the Indiana Pacers in which he played only three minutes. He said that he has already hit, and worked through, the "rookie wall."

Speights likened the rookie wall to a "hurricane" and said he hit it before the all-star break.

"You know how after a hurricane it's still raining?" Speights explained. "It's still raining a little."

Speights said he is working to regain the effectiveness he provided during the Sixers' 18-game stretch in which they finished with a NBA-best 14-4 record.

Question No. 5: What happened with Dalembert on Monday?

Dalembert played 12 minutes and 47 seconds against the Hornets. DiLeo started Dalembert on New Orleans all-star David West, a mobile forward who often faces the basket. West scored 14 points in the first quarter against Dalembert.

"It was maybe an unfair situation," DiLeo said of Dalembert's assignment.

DiLeo said the Sixers chose the matchup because they felt Dalembert's length would limit West.

Dalembert was not made available to reporters.

The Sixers have three more practices this week. They can either continue in mediocrity toward, at best, a first-round playoff exit, or they can address these issues, which have trailed them for much of the season, and regain their late-January, early-February form.