76ers missing competitive fire

Though the Philadelphia 76ers are above .500, sitting at 5-4 through the team's first nine games, things aren't entirely sunny in Philadelphia.

After returning home from a 3-0 road trip with wins over the New Orleans Hornets, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors, the Sixers dropped two in a row, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons at home -- the same Pistons that were 0-8 headed into their game against Philadelphia.

76ers' head coach Doug Collins spoke about a lack of effort from his team -- something that concerns Philly.com's Bob Cooney.

There never should be a question of effort, not after eight games, not after 48 games and not after 82. The unwritten law for any professional athlete is that he show up and play as hard as he can, no matter the situation. .

Though effort is tough, if not impossible, to quantify, it is concerning that Collins is speaking to a lack of effort. Cooney makes plenty of poignant points in his article, and it's well worth the read if you're a fan of the Sixers.

Collins will hope that his Sixers are mentally prepared on Sunday, when Philadelphia plays host to the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the Sixers look for a second-consecutive win.