Dwight Howard Eats A Cookie With No Hands

Soul practice report: team gets ready for Saturday scrimmage

BC-ACN;MCMULLEN-COLUMN-GSW
PHILADELPHIA - The Soul held a shortened practice on Friday morning in preparation for a scrimmage scheduled for Saturday morning.

"Definitely looking forward to the scrimmage. It’s been getting a little repetitive," said Soul defensive back Micheaux Robinson.  "When you go against you own guys every day you don’t always get a chance to hit.

"I’m very excited that we can get out there and simulate live action.  We’re going to try and get the best out of it that we can and hopefully that can get us prepared for our first week."

One player to keep an eye on is former Notre Dame standout Darrell Campbell. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman started all 18 games for the Soul in 2011, recording 16 tackles (12 solo), ten tackles for loss, nine sacks, two forced  fumbles, and blocked one kick. ·

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN: The Philadelphia Soul’s roster sees many local products return home to play professionally in 2012. Nyere Aumaitre and Melik Brown both come from Camden, NJ.  Alfonso Hoggard and Emery Sammons both hail from the City of Brotherly Love.

Jesse Cooper joins the Soul from Williamstown, NJ and Drew Gardner grew up in Cherry Hill, NJ.  Matt Hoffman is of Burlington, NJ and attended Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ.  Byran Robinson comes from Camden, DE and attended Wesley College in Dover, DE. Adam DiMichelle played for the Temple Owls.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY:  A chapter in Philadelphia sports history was written as Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points, a NBA single-game record, for the Philadelphia Warriors.  The Soul’s single-game record is 78 points as a team in 2007 on May 21 against New Orleans at home.

JVR out until end of regular season with broken foot

The Winter of Discontent surrounding James van Riemsdyk has just gotten a little colder. The 22-year-old limped off the ice in noticeable pain last night after blocking a shot from Islanders defenseman Milan Jurcina late in the first period of a 6-3 victory last night.

He was later diagnosed with a broken bone in his left foot. On Friday, Paul Holmgren gave a brief but telling update on JVR's status:

"James will have surgery on Mar. 6 to repair a broken bone in his left foot. Dr. Steven Raikin will put a plate in to help with the healing process. James will be out 4-6 weeks."

On that timetable, he will not return until the final week of the regular season at the latest, which ends on Saturday, April 7 at Pittsburgh.

Remembering Wilt and 100

By John McMullen

PHILADELPHIA - Numbers are all the rage in sports, but I'll leave things like PER and UZR to those who think scouting is best done in front of a computer screen.

There are, however, some truly iconic numbers in sports. Before steroids were
part of the American lexicon, 714 and then 755 were committed to the memory of
every baseball fan. Even today, the number 56, the length of Joe DiMaggio's
incredible hitting streak, is instantly recognizable to any real hardball fan.

In basketball, one number stands head and shoulders above the rest -- 100.

The legendary Wilt Chamberlain, then playing for the old Philadelphia
Warriors, set the single-game NBA scoring record 50 years ago by hanging the
century mark on the New York Knicks during a 169-147 win on March 2, 1962, at
the Hershey Sports Arena.

The magnitude of the feat, already enormous, has grown to mythical proportions
probably because there is no video footage of the game, only audio of Philly
broadcasting giant Bill Campbell calling the game's fourth quarter.

The NBA was not the juggernaut it is today and no members of the New York
media traveled with the Knicks to Hershey. Meanwhile, the stands were
basically half empty with 4,124 listed as the actual attendance, although
anyone from the area that's old enough still claims to have been at the game.

Wilt, who passed away in 1999, scored 23 points in the first quarter against
6-foot-10 Darrall Imhoff and the Knicks. By intermission, the big man had 41.

"I wouldn't dare say that I thought he was going to score 100 points,"
Campbell recently told CBSPhilly. "It never entered my mind. But, I thought
that only because he was making his foul shots -- which he never did. And I
figured this guy's going to have -- and I'm thinking out loud, 80, 90 points."

Like Campbell, sensing something spectacular was going on, Chamberlain's
teammates began spoon-feeding him in the third quarter and he notched another
28 before securing 31 in the final frame to reach 100.

Chamberlain finished 36-for-63 from the field and a surprising 28-for-32 from
the foul line (he was a poor career free-throw shooter at just 51.1 percent).

According to long-time Philadelphia statistician Harvey Pollack, the only
person who has worked in the NBA since its inaugural 1946-47 season, public
address announcer Dave Zinkoff, another Philly treasure, amped up the crowd by
giving out Chamberlain's total after each bucket.

Chamberlain finally reached the magic number by depositing a layup past the
Knicks' Joe Ruklick with just 46 seconds to go.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the performance was the fact it was done
as part of the offense. All four other Warriors' starters that night scored in
double figures: Al Attles with 17, Tom Meschery and Paul Arizin with 16
apiece, and point guard Guy Rodgers collected 11.

And understand the Knicks did not want the ignominy of allowing Chamberlain to
hit 100. As he closed in, New York began running the 24-second shot clock down
and fouling Chamberlain's teammates to keep scoring opportunities away from
the Big Dipper.

"I spent 12 years in his armpits, and I always carried that 100-point game on
my shoulders," Imhoff told the Los Angeles Times back in 1999. "After I got my
third foul, I said to one of the officials, Willy Smith, 'Why don't you just
give him 100 points and we'll all go home?' Well, we did."

After the game, Pollack wrote the number 100 on a piece of paper and handed it
to Chamberlain. The ensuing photograph is one of the most famous in sports and
resides in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Two nights later, at Madison Square Garden, Chamberlain tried to go for the
century mark again, and Imhoff and Company "held" him to 54. The fans gave
Imhoff a standing ovation.

"He was an amazing, strong man," Imhoff said.

In the past 50 years, the closest anyone has come to duplicating Wilt's
historic feat was Kobe Bryant in a brilliant 81-point performance against the
Toronto Raptors in 2006.

Some say that's a hiccup away, but consider this, of the 450 or so current
players in the NBA, only 19 of them average 19 or more points in an entire
game.

As for Wilt, he scored 65 or more points in a game a record 13 times, once
recorded a 55-rebound game and even led the NBA in assists one season just to
prove he could.

"Nobody seems to appreciate what an incredible player Wilt was," his greatest
rival, Celtics legend Bill Russell, said at 1997 All-Star Game when the league
honored its 50 greatest players. "He was the best player of all time because
he dominated the floor like nobody else ever could. To be that big and that
athletic was special."

Too often when people talk about the greatest in NBA history, they hand the
mantle to Michael Jordan, certainly a worthy recipient but even MJ wasn't
Wilt.

Jordan took 620 regular-season games to score 20,000 points and 782 to reach
25K. Wilt needed only 499 to crash the 20,000 barrier and 691 for 25K.

"When did MJ ever average 50.4 points per game plus 25.7 rebounds?" Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar once asked during a Playboy interview. "We will never accurately
know how many shots Wilt blocked. Oh, by the way in 1967 and 68, Wilt was a
league leader in assists. Did MJ ever score 100 points in a game? How many
times did MJ score more than 60 points in a game?"

In my mind, numbers could never adequately describe just what kind of impact
Chamberlain had on the game. What does is the rule changes implemented by the
league to slow him down.

The NBA widened the lane to try to keep Wilt farther away from the bucket,
instituted offensive goaltending and revised rules governing inbounding the
ball and shooting free throws, all because of Chamberlain was too dominant.
Believe it or not he was physically able to convert free throws via slam dunk
without a running start.

The NBA hasn't changed a rule because of one player since. Not for Russell or
Jordan and it certainly won't be changing things anytime soon with the intent
of slowing down Bryant or LeBron James.

No one lives forever. The goal for most of us is to create something that
will.

Wilt's 100 turns 50 Friday -- mission accomplished.

Union sign GK Konopka

Chester, Pa. – The Philadelphia Union have signed goalkeeper Chris Konopka.

A native of Toms River, N.J., Konopka was originally drafted by Kansas City in the 2007 Supplemental Draft and was most recently a member of the MLS Goalkeeper Pool.

Called into service by the New York Red Bulls last season, Konopka started against the Chicago Fire on August 14 and posted two saves in a 2-2 draw.  He also spent time with the Columbus Crew, playing the second half of the Crew’s July 26 friendly against Newcastle United.  Konopka was also a member of the Crew’s roster for games against Salt Lake, Toronto, Houston and Philadelphia.

Prior to returning to MLS in 2011, Konopka spent three seasons playing in Ireland for Bohemian FC, Sporting Fingal and Waterford United.  Konopka made his debut for Bohemian on July 1, 2008 and became the first American born player to accomplish an “Irish Double” when he helped the team capture both the League of Ireland Championship and the FAI Cup.

In 2009, he moved on to Sporting Fingal, making four first team appearances and helping the club win the FAI Cup.  With the victory, Konopka accomplished yet another feat, becoming the first American player in history to win back-to-back FAI Cup titles.  In 2010, he moved on to Waterford United in the Irish First Division.

Konopka played college soccer at Providence College, finishing third all-time in most games played and leading the Friars to three straight BIG EAST Championship Semi-Finals and two straight NCAA Tournaments.  In 2006, he garnered Second Team All-BIG East honors.

Sixers recall Brackins, let Elson walk

The Sixers have recalled second-year forward Craig Brackins from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws.  He was originally assigned to the team on February 7, 2012.

In seven games for the Red Claws, Brackins averaged 18.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.57 blocks in 34.0 minutes per game while shooting 49.5% from the floor, 30.3% from 3-point range and 75.0% from the line.  Brackins tallied four double-doubles, including one in each of his final three games.

Brackins has appeared in eight games for the Sixers this season.

Additionally, the Sixers did not re-sign center Francisco Elson following the expiration of his second 10-day contract.

EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis 2 Review

By JJ Miller

One of the more enjoyable things about settling down to watch a tennis tournament is seeing your favorite star's mannerisms on the court. From the swagger of Rafael Nadal to the vocal cords of Maria Sharapova, the tennis elite certainly bring their own style to the court.

Teamed up with ESPN, EA Sports has done an excellent job of capturing the likeness and styles of more than 20 male and female stars from past and present. What they didn't do was create a challenging game that forces a player to log in some time with the game before becoming a pro.

Lets start with what works in "Grand Slam Tennis 2." Taking full advantage of today's controllers, EA has instituted the Total Racquet Control into its latest tennis import. Gone are the days of hitting one button for a drop shot and another for a slice. Instead, a player uses the right analog stick to unleash their arsenal of shots while using the left stick for movement.

Want to lay up with a standard flat shot? Simply push the right stick forward in the direction you want it to go. Top spin and splices take a little more movement from the analog and the player can work in lob and drop shots by holding down one of the top buttons while still letting the analog do its thing. This feature certainly puts the player in control of the racquet (even more so with the Playstation Move for Sony players) and requires a little more thinking on the part of the player.

Unfortunately, your skills won't be put to the test right away if you jump into the most enticing option in the game: The single player career mode that spans 10 years and has a player aiming to win all four majors, including exclusive to EA Sports the infamous Wimbledon.

For some unknown reason, the developers opted to take away the ability of a player to adjust the difficulty during the career mode. Rather than letting the user dictate how hard to make the mode, the game becomes more challenging as the career progresses. Year 1 begins on rookie, jumps to amateur for year 2 and pro for the following season before wrapping years 4-10 on superstar.

However, this concept completely slants the game in the player's favorite. A created player enters his career with a very low rating and is expected to build up his or her stats. But with the first year mandated to the easiest mode, it is too simple to win all four majors in that inaugural season. For example, my slick, blue-hat wearing pro easily won the Australian Open in the first year and didn't even lose a set to Roger Federer in the semifinals despite relying mostly on simple flat shots and a few slices.

Not exactly realism there.

This is an unfortunate and major flaw in the game that hurts the long-term value. What's the motivation to play deep into the career mode if you are already winning major after major?

The career mode also doesn't offer much outside of the majors. Each big event is proceeded by your choice of training, exhibition matches and pre- tournaments that quickly get generic. The player also has the option of skipping the above choices and jumping right into the next major with penalty of no increase in stats. Of course, this doesn't matter for the first few years.

While the training mode is an excellent tool to learn how to play, it is unforgiving with ball placement and features the same lines barked out by coach John McEnroe over and over.

McEnroe is also one of the game's feature players, joining the likes of Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, the Williams sisters, Sharapova and Martina Navratilova among others.

While the female side of the roster is little light, featuring just four present players and eight choices total, the game does feature a cool option of sharing your created pros. This allows you to download created pros from all over the world and many have already uploaded a number of current and former pros not in the game. Of course they don't have their signature moves and sounds, but the now EA standard Game Face technology automatically constructs a players face based off an uploaded picture, so at least the created pros look the part.

For those that EA did put into the game, the likeness of the pro to their digital counterpart is excellent and will probably leave a few teenagers electing to play as Sharapova more times than not.

In addition to online play, the game also allows for custom tournaments sure to entertain during parties as well as ESPN Grand Slam Classics. This allows a player to repeat or attempt to change tons of tennis' biggest moments in history.

Right off the bat a player can re-imagine a host of events from the 2000s, including the 2003 Australian Open Final between the Williams sisters and Andy Murray's 2008 semifinals upset of Nadal at the U.S. Open.

Winning these matches gives a player points to unlock older scenarios, like a 1990 U.S. Open semi featuring McEnroe against Sampras. The producers also threw in some fantasy matchups to unlock, such as Serena Williams against Chris Evert and Andy Roddick taking on Boris Becker.

If a player chooses to take his or her game online, they'll have the option of going head-to-head, single elimination tournaments that are ranked on a Battle of the Nation's leaderboard or a Grand Slam Corner. This has a player picking a single venue in which to compete at for a leaderboard ranking.

There is no doubt that EA Sports has put out a great-looking game that is boosted by the usage of the analog system and a share a pro option that will add authentic or bizarre players to your roster. But the huge flaw that essentially ruins the career mode is an unfortunate error that brings the game down a number of pegs.

Eagles place franchise tag on WR Jackson

The Eagles placed the franchise tag on speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson Thursday.

Jackson missed the first 12 days of training camp in search of a new contract, as he was entering the final season of his rookie deal in 2011.

The California product eventually posted 58 receptions for 961 yards and four touchdowns over 15 games last season, adding 18 punt/kick returns for 121 yards.

"We will continue our efforts on getting a long-term deal done with him," said Birds general manager Howie Roseman shortly after the announcement.

Under NFL rules, Jackson is set to make the average salary of the top five players at the position, -- which has been reported as high as $9 million -- a hefty increase from his initial contract.

Jackson is the Eagles' all-time leader in punt return touchdowns with four, and in 2009 tied an NFL record with eight touchdowns of at least 50 yards.

He has compiled 230 catches for 4,096 yards and 21 scores over 60 games, with 1,226 punt return yards on 116 attempts.

Four ways Flyers' next leap will be forward

by Bob Herpen
Phanatic Hockey Editor

Now that the madness capped by Monday's trade deadline is over, the real work of a playoff hopeful team can begin.

If only for this reason, Peter Laviolette should garner consideration for the Jack Adams Trophy because he's kept the club afloat despite a third of a roster's worth of rookies, constant injuries to key players and now two new veteran additions to the blue line.

Lavi has put together almost as many lineups as your average MLB skipper over a hockey season half as long as baseball's course; but now it's time to evaluate what should be done to ensure it all doesn't come crashing down in the next 6 weeks.

1) Establishing continuity with the lines.

We all know by now that Jagr-Hartnell-Giroux is the #1 unit, but there's been little to bind any of the other three. Having a roster set in stone will aid the process. Establishing chemistry is just as important as shuffling players based on situational hockey, so how about a nice 5-game stretch where the same guys are on the same line with the exception of power play and penalty kill?

What those line combos should be is something we can only really speculate about, but whatever the plan, it should be adhered to no matter what for this block of games.

Let them struggle. Let them get crossed up, let them laugh about it and sort out those issues on the ice and the bench. In the short term, points may be lost, but the long-term benefit will more than make up for it. For reference, the Life Line of Tocchet-Eklund-Propp did a lot of damage in the '87 postseason and Hartnell-Briere-Leino's magic was well-documented in 2010.

2) Keep Ilya Bryzgalov at the top of his game by starting him every night except in back-to-backs.

I don't care if he coughs up eight to the Islanders on Thursday and Sergei Bobrovsky has a near-unbeatable record against them, plop him in the crease and don't take him out . And then show some backbone and confidence by going right back to him for Washington. And then again for Detroit and Florida. Bobrovsky gets the nod at Toronto next Saturday then Bryz goes in on Sunday. Repeat as often as desired.

Resorting to the shenanigans of the first two-thirds of the season and yanking him at the first sign of trouble will completely counteract the goal of establishing the #1 goaltender physically and more important, mentally. Any blame from here on out falls on the head coach, not the man in the pads.

3) Reconfigure the power play.

What? Yep, you heard right. A power play clicking at just under 20 percent and tied for seventh in the NHL can become more efficient with tweaking. First thing I'd tell Joey Mullen is to get the defensemen away from the boards a step and another step inside the blue line for starters.

You wanna know why a lot of point shots don't get through? It's because the PP set-up is so spread out that it gives the short-handed team more room inside their box/diamond to cut off shooting angles. Same goes for passing -- the more space you allow the defenders, the riskier each pass becomes.

Second thing is to allow for some creativity and innate reaction time in a two-man advantage.

It's a difficult thing to tell that to players at this late a date after they've spent the whole season memorizing where they need to be on the ice, but it's a key, subtle move. Keeping the penalty killers -- and more importantly the opposing goaltender -- constantly moving and guessing and
forcing them out of their own spots will open up lanes that aren't there once the tempo is slowed down enough to establish the usual positions.

4) Rest the veterans.

Here's another short-term loss, long-term gain issue. There aren't as many pieces to this puzzle as there were two years ago, but it's imperative that Jaromir Jagr, Danny Briere, Pavel Kubina, Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell get some additional rest as the stakes get higher.

At this point, simple maintenance days aren't enough. One-game absences are in order to ensure maximum output. Briere's should come first in the wake of the hit he took last night in San Jose, and after that it should be up to Laviolette and the coaching staff/training staff's discretion.

Don't believe it can work? Well, what has the first 62 games of this season taught us if nothing else? The Flyers can get along for short bursts of time without key personnel for a variety of reasons. The only palms who will sweat over ideas like this are the ones who buy the tickets and the merchandise.

The idea is novel, but not new. Bob McCammon instituted rest periods for Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber and others at the end of the 1983-84 season, but the implementation and execution came under fire when Clarke publicly resisted, Barber suffered a career-ending knee injury and the Flyers bombed out in three straight against the Capitals.

Temple's Hardin, Palmer on college HOF ballot

PHILADELPHIA – Former Temple football coach Wayne Hardin (1970-82) and running back Paul Palmer (1983-86) are among the 84 honorees on the 2012 Football Bowl Subdivision Ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation announced today.

“Having a ballot and a voice in the selection of the inductees is one of the most cherished NFF member benefits,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee from Ole Miss. “There is no group more knowledgeable or passionate about college football than our membership, and the tradition of the ballot helps us engage them in the lofty responsibility of selecting those who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in our sport.”

Hardin, who coached at Navy (1959-64) before heading to Temple, led the Owls to a No. 17 ranking in 1979. He is Temple’s all-time leader in wins (80), leading the Owls to their only 10-win season and their first bowl win in the 1979 Garden State Bowl.

Palmer was an unanimous first-team All-American in 1986, his senior season. He led the nation in rushing yards (1,866), rushing yards per game (169.6) and all-purpose yards (2,633) that season. Named 1986 ECAC Player of the Year, Palmer set 23 school records and remains the Owls’ career leader in rushing attempts (935), rushing yards (4,895), 100-yard rushing games (21), and 200-yard rushing games (6) .

The ballot was mailed this week to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF's Honors Court, which deliberates and selects the class. Chaired by Gene Corrigan, a former ACC Commissioner and NCAA president, the 14-member NFF Honors Court includes an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletics directors, conference commissioners, Hall of Famers and members of the media.

The FBS Hall of Fame Class will be announced live in New York City during a Noon press conference on May 15 and inducted at the 55th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 4, 2012 at the landmark Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a First-team All-American by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least ten years prior; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach; won at least 60% of their games; and be retired from coaching for at least three years. If a coach is retired and over the age of 70, there is no waiting period. If he is over the age of 75, he is eligible as an active coach. In both cases, the candidate's post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed.

Wilson and Taylor to meet for NABF Cruiserweight crown in AC

Philly's Garrett Wilson

Atlantic City, NJ—Garrett Wilson, of Philadelphia, PA, and Andres Taylor, of Johnstown, PA, meet for the second time in less than 19 months as they battle for the vacant North American Boxing Federation (NABF) cruiserweight title on Saturday evening, April 14, at Bally’s Atlantic City.

The Wilson-Taylor championship contest tops a seven-bout card which begins at 7.30 pm. in the 1,500-seat Grand Ballroom.

Wilson and Taylor met the first time on Sept. 11, 2010, in Johnstown, PA, in a scheduled eight-round fight which Wilson accepted on three days’ notice.  The outdoor match was interrupted by rain after the fifth round and later resumed with one official voting for Wilson, one for Taylor, one for a draw.

Since then, Wilson, 29, has beaten Aaron Williams, of Las Vegas, NV; Omar Sheika, of Paterson, NJ; Chuck Mussachio, of Wildwood, NJ, and Pedro Martinez, of Philadelphia, PA.  He captured the United States Boxing Association (USBA) cruiserweight title by beating Sheika and defended it against Mussachio.

Wilson is 12-5-1, 6 K0s.  He is rated No. 9 in the world by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), No. 23 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).  He tuned up for this fight on Feb. 25 by stopping Martinez in three rounds at Bally’s.

Taylor, 33, also has not lost since fighting Wilson, earning decisions over Rayshawn Myers, of Cleveland, OH; Kamarah Pasley, of Philadelphia, PA; Mike Alderete, ofAlbuquerque, NM, andGary Gomez, of Salt Lake City, UT.

A pro less than four years, Taylor is 20-1-2, 7 K0s. and rated No. 33 by the WBC.  His last fight was Nov. 23, 2010, in Pittsburgh, PA, when he out-pointed Gomez over eight rounds.

Taylor (above) suffered his only pro loss in 2009 when Leo Bercier, of Great Falls, MT, out-pointed him in Campbell, OH.  Taylor avenged the loss three months later, also on points, in Johnstown, PA.

There are no common foes.

Taylor has gone eight rounds on three different occasions.  Wilson has gone 12 rounds twice.

Union Fan Fest set for March 14

The Philadelphia Union Fan Fest, a meet-and-greet event where fans can interact with current Philadelphia Union players, will be held on Wednesday, March 14 at Chickie’s & Pete’s PLAY2 from 7:00- 8:30 p.m. 

Union season ticket holders will have exclusive access from 6:30-7:00 p.m. before doors open to the public at 7:00 p.m. Play2 is located at 1526 Packer Avenue in Philadelphia.

The Union open up the 2012 season on March 12 with a nationally-televised game against Portland at 9:30 p.m. EST. The club then returns home to PPL Park on Sunday, March 18 to face the Colorado Rapids at 4:00 p.m.

The Nick and Artie Show coming to WIP

The Nick and Artie Show has added SportsRadio 610WIP, in Philadelphia to its list of affiliates.

Produced by DIRECTV, The Nick and Artie Show is a hilarious, late-night look at the world of sports and guy stuff from the perspective of two fans.

Distributed by Premiere Networks, the program features Artie Lange, best known for his work on MADtv and The Howard Stern Show; and Nick DiPaolo, who has made frequent appearances on the Stern Show and Comedy Central. 

The Nick and Artie Show airs Monday through Friday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET and is streamed live on the show’s website, www.NickandArtie.com.

Sixers' Hawes out an additional two weeks

Sixers center  Spencer Hawes will miss at least another two weeks with an Achilles injury, the team announced Monday.

Hawes, who has sat out the last nine games with a sprained left Achilles, was examined by Dr. Richard Ferkel of the Southern California Orthopedic Institute this past weekend. He will no longer wear a protective boot on his left foot.

The 23-year-old is averaging 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds but has appeared in just 14 of the 76ers' 34 games this season.

Philadelphia is in the midst of a season-long five-game losing streak and is just 8-12 without Hawes vs. 12-2 with him on the season.


Lavoy Allen will start at center for Philadelphia tonight against the Pistons.