No one in the organization is backing away from the statement, but here's the deal. When dealing with the things that come out of Iguodala's mouth, context is crucial.
Thaddeus Young knows these are the words that came out of Iguodala's mouth, mostly because he was an eyewitness when Iguodala walked up to Williams in front of a few teammates and apologized.
"I think it was all taken out of context," Young said Saturday before the Sixers played a crucial game against Orlando. "I think it was more of a joke than anything. We have always had inside jokes about Lou not playing defense. But we know what each and every person brings to the table. Dre probably said it, but it was taken out of context. Personally, when I heard it I knew he was playing, just because I know Dre."
Iguodala really isn't an issue in the Sixers locker room. His biggest problem here is that the previous administration bid against itself to keep him and eventually forked over a contract that he hasn't lived up to. He's a third option at best on a very good team, but the Sixers - a mediocre team - forked over $80 million over six seasons in 2008, before team president Rod Thorn and Doug Collins had a thing to do with running the basketball operations in Philadelphia.
Speaking of Collins, we all learned last week that there is a mutiny with regard to the coach and the team he seemed so in touch with just a few months ago. In the span of less than one year, Collins has gone in the minds of some from finishing second in the voting for coach of the year to an imbecile and a dictator all wrapped up in one.
Now, if we are to believe some of the latest reports, the Sixers are irreparably divided. A schism has developed between the older and younger players, and Collins, with his grating personality, is the sole reason the Sixers are looking more and more like a one-and-done playoff team at best.
But the truth about these Sixers is they benefited from a butter-soft schedule that saw them play 18 of 22 games at home after beginning the season with a five-game West Coast road trip from which they returned 3-2. They are virtually the same team, plus a few rookies, that won one game in the playoffs against Miami after starting 3-13 and closing 38-28.
They stood pat at the trade deadline for a variety of reasons, one of them being that the front office had the wherewithal to know that swapping Iguodala for, say, Monta Ellis might win them a few more games in the regular season but nothing more.
They are the same team that went from wretched to mediocre last season, and unless they add a significant player at some point - not a Monta Ellis type - they will continue to be in that mold.
You can find any player to spout off about how bad things are going on any team in the NBA. But if there are some Sixers tuning Collins out, the likelihood is they will be gone - long gone - before team owner Josh Harris would even begin to consider parting ways with his coach.
Harris is a self-made billionaire, and he didn't reach that status without a grinding work ethic, which Collins possesses. The guy who signs the checks in the organization probably expects his coach to be overbearing to a degree. This is Harris' first experience owning a professional team, and the last thing he probably wants to hear is some prima donna anonymously bashing the guy whom he sees as the long-term answer at coach.
Young appears to agree.
"We've got Coach's back all the way," Young said. "[Has he] lost us? Man, nobody is even thinking about that. We're thinking about winning games and getting back on track. All that other stuff is just gossip."
Contact staff writer John N. Mitchell at jmitchell@philly.com. Follow him on Twitter @JmitchellInquirer
