Even though the Sixers are sitting atop the Atlantic thanks to a surprisingly strong first half of the season, there have been plenty of calls for the team to upgrade as they look ahead to the postseason. Here's more on Philly and the rest of the Atlantic..
- Andre Iguodala isn't on the trade block but knows that things can change quickly, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News. "We lost some games, so you never know. Next week, we might be back at it again," said the 28-year-old. The team discussed Iguodala with several clubs prior to last year's draft but has since stopped those talks.
- If fans are looking for the 76ers to make a franchise-altering deal before the trade deadline, they should think again, writes John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Team president Rod Thorn appears committed to allowing the roster to grow together while one Eastern Conference GM told Mitchell that he doesn't see the club making a mid-season deal.
- Iguodala isn't surprised to see the Sixers flourishing under second-year coach Doug Collins, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Blakely points out that in his three previous head coaching stints , Collins' teams averaged six more wins from the first year to the second.
- In his piece concerning Deron Williams and Dwight Howard this morning, Fred Kerber of the New York Post writes that the point guard doesn't seem fazed by the notion of leaving $25MM-$30MM on the table to sign elsewhere. “I want to win,” the All-Star said. “[The contract] doesn’t matter to me. It’s not all about money. I want to win at the end of the day, so I’m just going to wait until the end of the year and see what happens.”
- Even though it's not a position that he or the Knicks envisioned when he signed a five-year, $100MM deal with the club, Amare Stoudemire says that he's okay with taking a backseat this year the betterment of the team, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.