76ers 2019-2020

lovegtm

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Was Butler ever going to re-sign in Philly? Seems like he had 1 foot out the door.
There are various stories out there. He's hinted at the fact that he was open to coming back, but that he didn't like something in the organization/they weren't willing to budge in some regard. Speculation is that it was about the 5 year-max, Simmons, and the coaching staff, in some order and weighting.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Sixers have lost their last 6 road games while winning the last 4 at home. They host Brooklyn later tonight and Chicago on Friday before hitting the road for 3. I don’t see any reason why this trend won’t continue this week.
 

lovegtm

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Sixers have lost their last 6 road games while winning the last 4 at home. They host Brooklyn later tonight and Chicago on Friday before hitting the road for 3. I don’t see any reason why this trend won’t continue this week.
Any theories as to why? No other good team has a split remotely close.
 

terrynever

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Any theories as to why? No other good team has a split remotely close.
Mostly, they shoot 3s well at home and awful on the road. But there is definitely a realization this year that the pieces do not fit. Simmons is not a point guard. The roster lacks a catch-and-shoot guy. What will Elton Brand do at the deadline?
At least Embiid will be rested for the playoffs.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Any theories as to why? No other good team has a split remotely close.
At this point it is mostly psychological as I suggested a few days ago. Once a trend like that begins it is difficult to correct as you tend to put MORE pressure on yourself rather than allowing the game to flow to you. The other issue was addressed by terrynever in that this is an amazingly talented roster but with so many pieces that don't complement the others. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see them begin struggling more at home than them putting things together on the road.
 

terrynever

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Josh Richardson strained a hamstring against Toronto and could be gone for a month or more.
No word yet on Embiid, whose absence has opened up the offense.
on the plus side, Simmons has looked great and Horford is finding more room to work. Looks like he is finding his place in the offense. Thybulle is shaking off the rust from his injury-induced absence. Neto is fitting in well as a backup point guard, feeding Ben in the post.
In a lot of ways, the 76ers look better on offense without Embiid, but they do miss his defense.

From today’s Inquirer:

It’s unlikely Embiid will play in the All-Star Game, to be held this year in Chicago. The Cameroonian had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left ring finger on Jan. 9. The Sixers haven’t revealed a timetable for his return. However, the procedure typically requires a month of healing, followed by several weeks of physical therapy, sports medicine specialists say.
 
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lovegtm

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Josh Richardson strained a hamstring against Toronto and could be gone for a month or more.
No word yet on Embiid, whose absence has opened up the offense.
on the plus side, Simmons has looked great and Horford is finding more room to work. Looks like he is finding his place in the offense. Thybulle is shaking off the rust from his injury-induced absence. Neto is fitting in well as a backup point guard, feeding Ben in the post.
In a lot of ways, the 76ers look better on offense without Embiid, but they do miss his defense.

From today’s Inquirer:

It’s unlikely Embiid will play in the All-Star Game, to be held this year in Chicago. The Cameroonian had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left ring finger on Jan. 9. The Sixers haven’t revealed a timetable for his return. However, the procedure typically requires a month of healing, followed by several weeks of physical therapy, sports medicine specialists say.
They’re going to be the scariest 6 seed since the 94-95 Rockets.
 

terrynever

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They’re going to be the scariest 6 seed since the 94-95 Rockets.
That seems to be where this is heading. Get everyone healthy. Try to become familiar with each other over the final month. Brett Brown coaching for his job.
 

HomeRunBaker

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That seems to be where this is heading. Get everyone healthy. Try to become familiar with each other over the final month. Brett Brown coaching for his job.
Without adding rotation pieces as they did last year I am not too worried about them being more familiar with one another. What they do or do not do at the deadline is much more concerning. This isn’t last years Redick/Bel/Ilya team.
 

terrynever

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Without adding rotation pieces as they did last year I am not too worried about them being more familiar with one another. What they do or do not do at the deadline is much more concerning. This isn’t last years Redick/Bel/Ilya team.
Minor quibble: Belinelli and Ilysova were only in Philly for the second half of 2018.

Brand will try to do something at the deadline. Philly never really replaced those two bench shooters.

In his short stint so far as GM, Brand seems a bit reckless.
 

benhogan

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.In his short stint so far as GM, Brand seems a bit reckless.
LOL. I'm not sure why I found this so funny, but it's a good description. It feels like a slow burn with them exiting the playoffs early, firing Brown and trading Simmons this summer at Embid's request.

While I've been very critical of the Tobias Harris deal/subsequent MAX signing, every time I turn on a Sixer game Tobias is playing with energy and scoring. His adv metrics look good, so I need to pump the brakes on the TH criticism.
 

terrynever

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LOL. I'm not sure why I found this so funny, but it's a good description. It feels like a slow burn with them exiting the playoffs early, firing Brown and trading Simmons this summer at Embid's request.

While I've been very critical of the Tobias Harris deal/subsequent MAX signing, every time I turn on a Sixer game Tobias is playing with energy and scoring. His adv metrics look good, so I need to pump the brakes on the TH criticism.
Tobias is not bashful. Playing better defense, too.

Not sure if Brand has a plan heading into trade deadline. He has to do something with Norvell Pelle, whose 45 days are up.
 

lovegtm

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What would people do as the Celtics coaching staff if Kanter can't go? You basically have to junk it up somehow to contain Embiid in that case, but in what ways specifically?
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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I doubt they have much time to install anything specific. It will be interesting to see if Brad plays any zone. I think Richardson will be out so maybe they have an extra tick to double Embiid when he's deep in the post and recover?
 

lovegtm

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I doubt they have much time to install anything specific. It will be interesting to see if Brad plays any zone. I think Richardson will be out so maybe they have an extra tick to double Embiid when he's deep in the post and recover?
Ugh, Richardson out would be the perfect game for Kanter--no one left on Philly to take those open midrangers.
 

benhogan

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What would people do as the Celtics coaching staff if Kanter can't go? You basically have to junk it up somehow to contain Embiid in that case, but in what ways specifically?
1. Hope Joel the jump shooter appears.

2. Mix in Zone.

3. Throw multiple bodies at Embiid for short spells. Theis, GWill, VP

4. It definitely won't happen, but I'd use this chance (with Kanter out) to see if Tacko could annoy/bother Embiid for 4 minutes in the first half. The crowd/team would get a shot of adrenaline if Tacko blocked, dunked, rebounded or altered a shot. Maybe that's the fan in me. BUT I like trial/error and wouldn't assume Tacko couldn't do something positive. Any plus play by Tacko would be magnified by the home crowd.
 
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terrynever

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Tatum has made 17 of 53 shots this season vs. Philly. Simmons has matched up with him in the half court pretty well.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I would love to see Tacko on Embiid, too.
This may have a chance at working for a 3-4 min stretch before the Sixers and Embiid figure out how to exploit him. I can see Brad having this in his back pocket for a special situation.
 

benhogan

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This may have a chance at working for a 3-4 min stretch before the Sixers and Embiid figure out how to exploit him. I can see Brad having this in his back pocket for a special situation.
I could see Joel go into a ball pounding, back Tacko down, solo act to show up the rookie (only to have SmarF sneak in and snatch the ball).

You'd just need one Tacko block or slam and the Garden would erupt (w/Kanter immediately posting on Twitter) #Embiid'sEGOhaslanded
 

terrynever

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I could see Joel go into a ball pounding, back Tacko down, solo act to show up the rookie (only to have SmarF sneak in and snatch the ball).

You'd just need one Tacko block or slam and the Garden would erupt (w/Kanter immediately posting on Twitter) #Embiid'sEGOhaslanded
Does Tacko know how to take a charge? He might hit the floor in sections.
 

benhogan

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Does Tacko know how to take a charge? He might hit the floor in sections.
Ha, he's so focused on swatting, his charges taken could probably be counted on 1 hand.

I'd want Tacko holding his ground, staying on his feet and not feigning charges. He's 311lbs, he can bang. PLUS I want the 3rd-row block that tells the opponent that the restricted area is closed for business.
 

benhogan

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What would people do as the Celtics coaching staff if Kanter can't go? You basically have to junk it up somehow to contain Embiid in that case, but in what ways specifically?
He went rather basic. Theis on Embiid. Grant played back-up center

Looks like Brad has shoveled the last of the dirt on to VPs casket. Filler. No sense in letting him rot on the bench. Make a deal Danny

Also, something else occurred to me during the Sixers v Celtic game. Starting Smart at PG helped size-wise.
 
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Jimbodandy

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He went rather basic. Theis on Embiid. Grant played back-up center

Looks like Brad has shoveled the last of the dirt on to VPs casket. Filler. No sense in letting him rot on the bench. Make a deal Danny
Theis shadowed Embiid all night and eliminated him (with his teammates and their perfect help D), and Grant played 5 when Embiid sat. It couldn't have gone better.

If DT got in foul trouble, maybe we would have found out what VP has. And maybe VP is junk. But Brad's plan for tonight was impeccable and tells us little about VP or Tacko imho.
 

HomeRunBaker

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Also, something else occurred to me during the Sixers v Celtic game. Starting Smart at PG helped size-wise.
Philly is a great matchup for Smart defensively. You can't start him against quick 1's though so I wouldn't expect Brad to put him in that position against Trae and Chris Paul this week.
 

lovegtm

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My only other comment here is that I was mildly glad in July that we weren't the ones signing that Horford contract, and I'm very glad now.
 

benhogan

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My only other comment here is that I was mildly glad in July that we weren't the ones signing that Horford contract, and I'm very glad now.
for sure, spending big money for Al's 33-36yr old seasons to be the Celtics 5 would have been sub-optimal.

Road 76ers with jump shooting Embiid showed up last night. Joel's quick 3s with no one under the hoop is a thing of beauty. You almost hope he hits one early and then goes into heat check the rest of the game. Simmons looked like the only guy playing with energy.

I could see an early playoff exit for Phila, BB tossed aside and subsequent rash trades this summer. fingers crossed
 

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Road 76ers with jump shooting Embiid showed up last night. Joel's quick 3s with no one under the hoop is a thing of beauty. You almost hope he hits one early and then goes into heat check the rest of the game. Simmons looked like the only guy playing with energy.
A whole lot of Sixers standing around waiting for the ball to get to them. I know they're a different team at home, but yeesh.
 

lovegtm

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A whole lot of Sixers standing around waiting for the ball to get to them. I know they're a different team at home, but yeesh.
The Celtics also look a LOT better when they’re not on a B2B. Their style of defense, especially against Philly, requires a lot of energy. I think Philly got a false sense of where they were at by playing the Celtics on B2Bs twice.
 

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People harsh on Simmons a lot for not shooting jumpers, but I love his game. He was just in attack mode all night.

Kemba for Simmons, who says no? Simmons/Brown/Tatum/Hayward/Theis would be an ultimate switchable lineup.
 

PedroKsBambino

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I agree on Simmons, if I ran Sixers I’d think hard about quietly shopping embiid and building around Simmons. Embiid is injury prone, scary size/health wise, and has yet to get into legit nba star conditioning. Getting out now is the smart move even if the theoretical healthy, fit, motivated embiid is a top three asset.
 

benhogan

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People harsh on Simmons a lot for not shooting jumpers, but I love his game. He was just in attack mode all night.

Kemba for Simmons, who says no? Simmons/Brown/Tatum/Hayward/Theis would be an ultimate switchable lineup.
My initial reaction is the 76ers laugh and hang up... then again it's the 76ers and Danny has tormented them on several occasions :popcorn:
 

lovegtm

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My initial reaction is the 76ers laugh and hang up... then again it's the 76ers and Danny has tormented them on several occasions :popcorn:
Zero chance in a million years Philly does that. Kemba and Embiid would be unstoppable, but simply don't trade 23 year-old 2-way studs for 29 year-old small/quick guards. Not happening ever.
 

benhogan

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Zero chance in a million years Philly does that. Kemba and Embiid would be unstoppable, but simply don't trade 23 year-old 2-way studs for 29 year-old small/quick guards. Not happening ever.
exactly...if the 76ers finishes 6th/1st round exit and they decide one of Embiid or Simmons must go...I'd be inclined to keep Simmons over Joel
 

Euclis20

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The Simmons/Embiid fit is lousy and Kemba is exactly the type of player the Sixers need if Embiid is healthy, in shape and motivated come playoff time (big ifs). The two are fairly even players right now so at a glance it makes some sense. Beyond that, there's absolutely no way Philly does it. Simmons with a jump shot, however unlikely, is an MVP candidate, and the Sixers won't give up on that. Kemba doesn't have anywhere to go but down, and Simmons is still far away from his peak years. As beautiful as a Kemba/Embiid pick and roll would be, Philly instantly hangs up.

It'd be fun to dream on a Simmons/Tatum/Hayward/Brown/Smart lineup though. Unbelievable defense and playmaking, everyone can switch and everyone can score. Simmons/Tatum/Brown would instantly be one of the best young trios in history.
 

lovegtm

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The logical thing for Simmons to add to his game isn't a 3. It's that Giannis 12-15 foot fadeaway in the lane. That seems a lot more doable.
 

terrynever

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Embiid is unhappy this year for a variety of reasons that date back to Jimmy Butler leaving. If the 76ers go out in the first round, Brown is finished as coach. The owner has him on a short leash. The idea of Embiid getting traded is interesting. Fans love him but I agree with you guys: he is not durable. I am not sure he is disciplined enough to work as hard as he needs to be great.
 

Euclis20

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Embiid being unhappy just means he's perhaps the biggest baby in the world. He's a borderline top 5 guy when he's playing hard (on average probably once a week), he's making $27.5 million this year, and has sat out for 268 game so far in his 6 year career. Grow the fuck up. As flawed of a player as Simmons is, I'm keeping the guy who plays hard over the guy who cannot be relied on to be in shape, motivated, or even on the court. I compared him to Dwight Howard awhile back, but at this point that doesn't feel fair to Howard.
 
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terrynever

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Embiid being unhappy just means he's perhaps the biggest baby in the world. He's a borderline top 5 guy when he's playing hard (on average probably once a week), he's making $27.5 million this year, and has sat out for 268 game so far in his 6 year career. Grow the fuck up. As flawed of a player as Simmons is, I'm keeping the guy who plays hard over the guy who cannot be relied on to be in shape, motivated, or even on the court. I compared him to Dwight Howard awhile back, but that at this point that doesn't feel fair to Howard.
Well, Embiid did miss 164 of those 268 in his first two seasons after suffering a broken foot at Kansas.. He came back from his recent dislocated metacarpal in 2 1/2 weeks, about a month ahead of some predictions. That seems like a guy who wants to play. Also, Joel has been playing with a protective guard on the injured left hand since returning three games ago. .

Brett Brown says Embiid kept his conditioning up during his latest time off. He also thinks Embiid is still a little hesitant about the left hand, especially in close quarters.

Philly insiders read the body language and see a frustrated player. The laughing, showboating Embiid has toned down his antics this season, for whatever reason. Maybe Brown and Horford have talked to him about the idea of showing some professionalism.

I try not to judge Philly when the team is playing poorly. They go through this every month. This is an erratic shooting team capable of highs and lows. The 76ers have two months to get back to the dominating team they are at their best.

This likely will turn out badly. Bret Brown’s head will roll in the offseason if they are one and done. Then will come a decision about who to keep — Simmons, Embiid or both. That’s kind of like trading Mookie Betts. Philly fans love their two homegrown basketball stars.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Philly insiders read the body language and see a frustrated player. The laughing, showboating Embiid has toned down his antics this season, for whatever reason. Maybe Brown and Horford have talked to him about the idea of showing some professionalism.
What is Embiid unhappy about? I thought he was unhappy last year when they got Butler and Butler cut into his role on offense? So they get rid of Butler and Simmons defers - so what now?
 

lovegtm

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What is Embiid unhappy about? I thought he was unhappy last year when they got Butler and Butler cut into his role on offense? So they get rid of Butler and Simmons defers - so what now?
The rumors were (I think) that he was fine with Butler/liked him, and wasn't happy when the team didn't bring Butler back.
 

HomeRunBaker

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I try not to judge Philly when the team is playing poorly. They go through this every month. This is an erratic shooting team capable of highs and lows. The 76ers have two months to get back to the dominating team they are at their best.
Aside from a one-off here and there what is so erratic about this years Sixers? You’ll be hard pressed to find a more predictable and consistent team.......22-2 at home and 9-17 on the road with a more pronounced split than normal last year as well (but nothing like this year). It always seemed to me that teams with slower bigs have tended to struggle more on the road than most. Last year it was the Spurs and Nuggets with the huge splits and this years Sixers have two 5’s often on the floor together. Maybe there is something to these type of teams having poor rhythm on the road, being susceptible to run outs by an energized home team? I don’t know. Putting this to a data test would be interesting as well as monitoring moving forward.

@Miami and @Milwaukwe to finish off this trip after losing to the Hawks and Celtics by a combined 31.
 
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terrynever

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The rumors were (I think) that he was fine with Butler/liked him, and wasn't happy when the team didn't bring Butler back.
This is my impression, too. Philly management chose to go forward with Simmons and Tobias Harris over Butler, for whatever reason. Butler tends to wear out his welcome after a year or two. And he is over 30. So Jimmy Buckets took his talents to Miami.
It is a pretty strong top six in the East when Philly is No. 6.
 

lovegtm

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This is my impression, too. Philly management chose to go forward with Simmons and Tobias Harris over Butler, for whatever reason. Butler tends to wear out his welcome after a year or two. And he is over 30. So Jimmy Buckets took his talents to Miami.
It is a pretty strong top six in the East when Philly is No. 6.
The “he’s over 30” thing looks so bad when they signed a clearly-on-the-downside Al Horford to slightly less money at age 33.

At least, that’s how I can imagine Embiid seeing it. I understand the reasoning for Harris+Horford, even if I didn't love it for them.