Tag: #76ers

Ben Simmons Sidelined with Lower Back Injury- How will this affect the Sixers’ Playoff Push

Posted on by jcrosby1315
PHILADELPHIA, PA – FEBRUARY 20: Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers talks to head coach Brett Brown against the Brooklyn Nets at the Wells Fargo Center on February 20, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Nets 112-104 in overtime.

Sixers’ All-Star Ben Simmons left Saturday night’s game against the Bucks in the first quarter after re-aggravating a back injury. According to sources, Ben Simmons was “emotional” leaving the arena after getting a X-Ray. He received a MRI Sunday and will be re-evaluated Monday after a second opinion. Ben “originally” injured his back in Wednesday’s practice and sat out Thursday’s overtime win against the Nets. Some truly think Ben injured his back in the second half of the All-Star game after he fell when he completed an alley-oop. I’m far from a doctor but a second opinion in sports always sounds bad, normally because the first diagnosis the player received isn’t the best news. I’m hoping for the best but I’m thinking Ben will be out at least 6-8 weeks and returning for the playoffs. Whatever the timeline is, there are some questions that I have in regards to the Sixers and their playoff push without him.

Why Would the Sixers Play Him if He was Still Injured?

This is the question that really stands out in my mind. I know the game was against the Bucks on national TV, but we are in February. If this team is a “flip the switch” team, then this game didn’t mean as much as it was made out to be. The Sixers have had issues in the past with their young stars returning before they were ready. Embiid played with a torn meniscus against the Rockets in his rookie year because the game was flexed to national TV. There has been talk of the Sixers’ medical staff negligence and fans will riot if Simmons shouldn’t have been playing. I know Simmons is normally the Sixers’ ironman, having played 214 out of 221 career games, but you have to protect the player from themselves.

Who Will have to Step Up ?

IT’S OBVIOUS that Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, and yes Al Horford will have to step up in Ben’s absence. They all will have to step up their scoring, defense, and hustle. Ben brings defensive intensity and hustle every night, so there will have to be a collective effort to replace that. The offense will have to be more post oriented and pick-and-roll dependent. I expect Embiid to up his scoring average to about 27 PPG and Tobias to up his average to about 23 PPG.

Who Will Push the Pace and Handle the Ball?

The most obvious answer most would think would be Josh Richardson. Josh will have to step up and handle the ball, increase his scoring and make more plays for others. JRich is currently averaging 14.3 PPG, 3 RPG, and 3 APG. Those assist will have to increase to about 6 a game. Brett has used Josh as a back up PG in the past this season with mixed results. Shake Milton is someone who I think will come in and be a solid contributor and will most likely be inserted into the starting lineup. In recent weeks, Shake has come in and really helped this team. He shoots the three well and is an above average playmaker. Brett will most likely give him the duty of the primary ball handler and pace-pusher. The other ball handler will be Alec Burks. His pick and rolls with Embiid and Horford should provide scoring off the bench. Alec will have to score 14-15 PPG off the bench each game to help with the scoring load. He can push the pace and is one of the few Sixer players that can get their own shot repeatedly. One thing that worries me about the possibility of Ben’s extended absence is who will create three point shots for this team? Ben’s pace and pass first mentality has him leading the league on assists on 3-point shots made (223 made three pointers).

Can a Buyout Player Help?

The buyout market can really produce a player that can help your team and in this case, the Sixers need a guard. There are only two players currently on the market that could POSSIBLY help the Sixers. The two names that come to mind are Dion Waiters and Tyler Johnson. So far this season, both have had issues with the teams they were on. Waiters was in the dog house as soon as the season started and then had an episode where he got too high on the Miami team plane after eating edibles. He hadn’t been in the rotation, and when Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler had injuries, he stepped up and helped the team stay in games by scoring double digits in the three games he has played. You know what you get with Dion Waiters, scoring and no defense. Maybe playing at home in Philly would help Waiters’ play but I don’t know if Sixers would take that chance. Tyler Johnson hasn’t been in the Suns’ rotation this year but is a career double digit PPG scorer and average three point shooter. He could help with ball handling and pushing the pace but isn’t known as a great defender.

Ultimately, I think Sixers will stay with in-house talent but will have a hard time finishing the season if Simmons is out for an extended period. I just think he does so much for this team making it difficult to plug the hole he will leave on the court.

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Sixers Trade Deadline Guide

Posted on by jcrosby1315

As the NBA Trade Deadline approaches, plenty of rumors have been floating around about the Philadelphia 76ers. There has been a lot of discussion about “fit” for the Sixers. Whether Joel Embiid, Al Horford, and Ben Simmons can fit together? Do the Sixers have enough perimeter shooting? Do they have enough shot-creating or play- making? All of the questions above have been floating around. Shoot, I have been asking those same questions! The Sixers will be without Joel Embiid for at least 4-6 weeks (my guesstimated timeline) with a hand injury, so we will see what this team will look like with Ben running the show but they need some help! I am not sure if there will be a major trade before the deadline, but here are my opinions on who is “most tradedable” and some possible trades that Elton Brand could make:

UNTOUCHABLE: Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris

Embiid and Simmons are franchise cornerstones and as much as the national media and NBA Twitter wants either of them to be traded, it will not happen this season. Tobias Harris’ deal is what makes him untouchable, 5 years, $180 million is a tough contract to trade in the first year. He’s had a pretty good season in my opinion but needs to be more consistent as the second scoring threat.

UNLIKELY TO BE TRADED: Al Horford, Josh Richardson, Matisse Thybulle, James Ennis

Sixers signed Al Horford as Embiid insurance and it seems with Embiid out for an extended period, they made the right signing. I don’t see Elton trading Horford unless its a big deal that they could not pass up, i.e Jrue Holiday, Bradley Beal. Josh Richardson is a budding 2- way guard who will only get better. He’s cheap at $10 million a year and the Sixers only other main perimeter creator. I can only see him being thrown in a large trade but very unlikely. Matisse is really really good on defense and becoming a better 3-point shooter. Teams will surely ask for him in trade deals, but I KNOW Elton is a smart enough GM not to include him. James Ennis has a no trade clause and one of the Sixers best bench guys. He can’t be traded unless he wanted to.

PACK YOUR BAGS: Mike Scott, Zhaire Smith, Jonah Bolden, Kyle O’Quinn, Raul Neto, Shake Milton

I’m sorry, but all these guys mentioned above will be traded if the deal right. Let’s start with Mike Scott. I’m sorry to the Mike Scott Hive, he’s one of my favorite Sixers. He brings toughness, attitude, and shooting but that’s the thing, he hasn’t brought much shooting this year. He’s actually been terrible this year as one of our shooters, shooting only 34% from 3 over the season thus far. I hope he isn’t traded because I am also a member of the Hive, but we expect more from Mike Scott. The Sixers would have hoped Zhaire could be contributing by now but he has not. He’s been playing with the Sixers’ G-League affiliate most of the year still adjusting to NBA style basketball. A lot of teams were high on him in the 2018 NBA draft, so I expect him to be in majority of the deals. Jonah Bolden, Kyle O’Quinn (I’m confused on why he doesn’t play), and Raul Neto will all be included in any outgoing trade packages.

SKILL SET NEEDED BUT COULD BE SALARY FILLERS: Furkan Korkmaz, Trey Burke

Korkmaz is the only pure shooter the Sixers have currently, and I don’t expect him to included on any deals. He’s gotten better on defense as well, so I think he will be here past the deadline. Trey Burke can be a spark off the bench, and one of the few players on this team that can create for themselves in the Isolation or PNR. He’s penciled in as Ben’s back up right now and has shown he can play with him. Trey won’t be traded unless they are getting a shot creator back and they need his salary in the trade.

Take a look at some trade possibilities below:

Sixers trade Al Horford, Josh Richardson, Mike Scott, OKC 2020 1st round pick, 2020 NYK 2nd round pick, 2020 ATL 2nd round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Jrue Holiday and Derrick Favors

This is the one of two trades that I could see Al Horford and J-Rich moved in. Getting Jrue would be amazing, as he could assume ball handling duties for Ben in the 4th quarters and actually initiate offense for himself and others. Derrick Favors would just be Embiid’s back up and a major downgrade from Al Horford playing PF or C.

Sixers trade Mike Scott, Zhaire Smith, Jonah Bolden, Raul Neto, OKC 2020 1st round pick, NYK 2020 2nd round pick, ATL 2020 2nd round pick to the Detroit Pistons for Derrick Rose and Luke Kennard

This would be ideal for the Sixers, receiving much needed ball handling, shot creating, and shooting back. Derrick Rose would be aggressive on offense with the second unit and could play crunch time 4th quarter mins in certain situations. Kennard would be the knock down shooter the Sixers desperately need to pair with Korkmaz. He can also create for himself and run JJ Reddick action types with Embiid.

Sixers trade Zhaire Smith, Kyle O’Quinn, ATL 2020 2nd round pick to the Denver Nuggets for Malik Beasley, DEN 2020 2nd round pick

Malik Beasley is averaging 6.9 PPG in 16 MPG but has recently fell out of Denver’s rotation. He is shooting 39% from behind the arc and has the skills to take people off the dribble. He would be an upgrade and could play alongside Simmons because of his shooting ability. He has some defensive issues that could be a problem but could easily come to Philly and average 10 PPG off of the bench.

Sixers trade Al Horford, Zhaire Smith, Raul Neto, 2020 OKC 1st round pick, 2020 NYK 2nd round pick, 2020 ATL 2nd round pick to the OKC Thunder for Chris Paul

Sooooooo…initially I hated this trade, but after reading about this trade a few times, I’ve been convinced that this could work. Chris Paul is a HOF point guard but he’s been known to be a bad locker room guy. The Sixers’ two young stars don’t need any more negativity in the locker room. After watching CP3 these last few weeks, I’m convinced his ball handling and PNR prowess would help the squad tremendously. Also, in the 4th quarter he could handle the ball and initiate offense for everyone. He shares the ball with two other guards in OKC, so he wouldn’t mind deferring to Ben in early situations here.

Sixers trade Mike Scott, Zhaire Smith, Jonah Bolden to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Robert Covington

RoCo! Many hated to see RoCo go in the Jimmy Butler trade in November 2018. This trade would bring him back on a cheap deal and allow the Sixers to add another “3 and D” wing. He helps with spacing but doesn’t help in shot creation. Many contenders will be in the running for Cov’s services and it will likely take more than the package you see here to trade for him.

Sixers trade Mike Scott, Zhaire Smith, 2020 OKC 1st round pick to the Sacromento Kings for Bogdan Bogdanovic

This trade would give the Sixers what they need without giving up too much. It allows them to have other trade chips in their pocket if they are buying close to the trade deadline. He’s shooting 38% from three and averages almost 4 APG. He is shooting 45% on pull up jumpers and 39% on catch and shoot shots. He could be an asset in the PNR and possibly put the ball in his hands in crunch time. If you get rid of Mike Scott, you could go after Jeff Green as a free agent since he was waived by the Jazz.

Sixers trade Mike Scott, Jonah Bolden, Zhaire Smith, Kyle O’Quinn to the Washington Wizards for Davis Bertans, Isaiah Thomas, 2020 WAS 2nd round pick.

Sixers have been linked to Davis Bertans a lot recently and if the Sixers can get him, expect the Wizards to up the price. Some combination of this trade with or without Isaiah Thomas would work. Bertans would be the lights out shooter the Sixers need and could run the same action they ran with JJ Redick and Joel Embiid. Thomas would give the Sixers a back up point guard with experience that can get some buckets. Thomas would be a defensive liability and would have to play with a good group of defenders to make up for his size.

Overall, the trades above are all scenarios that could help the Sixers right away. Elton Brand will make a move in the near future and hasn’t been afraid to shake things up. I look forward to seeing what Elton has up his sleeve.

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2020 Wish List/Resolutions for the 76ers

Posted on by jcrosby1315

The Sixers ended 2019 with a horrible road loss in Indiana on New Year’s eve ushering in 2020 with a 23-13 record. As fans, we expect so much more from this squad, but with so many new faces, it has taken longer to gel than the fans thought. Brett Brown has said that he didn’t expect the Sixers to develop more cohesion until Christmas but, on some nights we have seen what looks like the best team in the East, while other nights this team STRUGGLES. I still believe this team will get it together one way or another, but until then, here is a 2020 Wishlist of hopes for the Philadelphia 76ers:

1. Exert more effort against opponents on the road

The Sixers are 7-11 on the road and tend to play down to competition in the first three quarters, until they decide to turn it up in the 4th and almost always, it is too little too late. Sixers have road losses in DC, OKC, Orlando (2X), Phoenix, and Brooklyn. All those games should have been wins. Joel Embiid and company need to find some inspiration against lesser teams on the road or they will find themselves stuck in a precarious situation where they are continually ranked in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference.

2. Tobias Harris improving consistency

When Tobias inked the 180-million-dollar contract in June 2019, people wondered if he “would be able to live up to being a max contract player”. Tobias started the season a little rough with a dreadful 0-23 from “3-point Land” streak. He has since become more reliable as a scorer and increased his PPG to just under 20 PPG. Since mid-November Tobias has low key played at an All-Star level with three 30 point games. All we wish for him is to attack every game and get more shot attempts. Nine shot attempts in Indy on 12/31 is not acceptable.

3. Joel Embiid to stop “Saving himself” for the Playoffs

I get it, we need a healthy “JoJo” for April and May but it’s obvious he only gets up for certain match ups. Yes, he’s had bad luck with injury in the last two playoff runs, but if he doesn’t play his best, and the Sixers lose games they shouldn’t, they could find themselves in the 4/5 spot. And as a result, this could land the Sixers in a matchup against the Bucks in the second round instead of the ECF. We also know that Embiid could be a Top 3 player in this league if he gives maximum effort on a nightly basis.

4. Better Spacing

Spacing in the NBA determines how well an offense works. Spacing determines how teams get open shots in the half court and you usually need players to space the floor to allow one on one post play, pick and roll or isolation. We all knew this lineup had the potential to be the best defensive team in the league. We got a surprise with how good defensively Matisse Thybulle is and how good he has been from 3-point range. As we sit here at the beginning of January, the spacing issue hasn’t been figured out. Ben, Al, and JoJo all like to be in the paint. Tobias and Josh like PNR ,which is something Brett is just starting to run. For this to work, they need better spacing which includes having “shooters” on the court at all times. Furkan Korkmaz has been a surprise, but he’s not enough with Mike Scott having a down year. My two ideas for space creation would be either changing the starting lineup to something like Ben, J-Rich, Furkan or Thybulle, Tobias, and Joel. Horford would be a glorified 6th man and could get starts when Embiid doesn’t play. He could also play the 4th quarter clutch minutes as well but it’s just not working. Asking Al to shoot seven 3’s a game is a bit much. The other idea would be to make a trade for some shooters. If that occurs, you may have to trade Horford, Zhaire Smith, Jonah Bolden, or Mike Scott (Sorry to the hive). A combo of any of those players would have to be traded for some shooting. According to the insiders, Sixers have their eyes on David Bertans (Wizards), Bogdan Bogdanovic/ Buddy Hield (Kings), Josh Hart/ JJ Reddick (Pelicans). They need to do something to fix the spacing issue and it’s on the coaches and Front Office. P.S. Elton Brand won’t trade Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid, so you guys can stop wishing for one of them to go to build around the other.

5. Fans accepting that Ben Simmons will not shoot

As much as we all want Ben Simmons to shoot jumpers and 3’s, it’s clearly not going to happen. After all the summer workout videos, we have only watched Ben take two real 3’s in the half court this year (2/2). He may have taken a total of only 10 jumpers thus far this season. He’s not going to shoot them for whatever reason and the Sixers are going to live with it. Brett wants him to shoot, and teammates want him to shoot… but he just won’t. At this point, we need to accept Ben for the player he is and give him credit for what he does well now. He is having an all-defensive first team type season and is a phenomenal passer and rebounder.

6. Brett Brown to figure this thing out

It is evident that Elton Brand is loyal to Brett and wants him to see the fruits of the years of the “Process”, but if they can’t advance past the second round this year, he will be fired. If Colangelo was still the GM, he would have worked with the Owners to fire Brett, and Jay Wright would have been the Sixers coach. Brett needs to figure it out, forget the egos, and do what is best for the team. If he does not, he could find himself unemployed after this season. It doesn’t help that after every loss, #sixertwitter is filled with “Fire Brett Brown” tweets.

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Around the NBA: Sixers/ NBA Playoff Preview

Posted on by jcrosby1315

First let me start by saying, work has been killing me so I haven’t had much time to write…BUT I’m back! With the NBA playoff match ups set and the playoffs beginning on Saturday 4/13, a whirlwind 82 game season has come to an end. Below I will be previewing and giving my prediction on the Sixers’ playoff first round series and the rest of the match ups around the NBA.

(3) Philadelphia 76ers (51-31) v. (6) Brooklyn Nets (42-40)

The Sixers come stumbling into a first round playoff match up with the “upstart” Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have overachieved this season due to the play of 1st time all star D’Angelo Russell. He’s grown into a leader that his team rallies around. The Nets come in with a 12-10 record since the all star break and a trendy upset pick for the first round of the playoffs. I mean if we’re being honest here, I could see why Media and “Twitter basketball experts” expect for this to be a 7-game series or the Nets getting the series victory. The Sixers have played like crap for the last 2-3 weeks. They have struggled to stop anyone from scoring and this team is supposed to be defensive first with potentially 3 top 15 defenders in the NBA on one roster. We can also attribute the Sixers issues and crappy play to the absence of Joel Embiid. He has played in only 10 of the last 24 games due to left knee soreness. The team also hasn’t had any continuity due to other starters being in and out of the line up as well. The starting 5 has only played 10 games together so they will have to learn on the fly in these playoffs (8-2 in those games).
The Nets are a team with athletic guards who can create for others and get their own shots. For some reason this kills the Sixers and one can only be worried that this will haunt them in this playoff series.
Even through all of the Sixers slumping and late season issues, talent should trump all, especially in this series. The Sixers have 4 all star level players in their starting line up and JJ Redick is having his best season as a pro. They should be able to handle the upstart Nets and send them packing before Cinco de Mayo. Prediction: Sixers win series 4-1

(1) Golden State Warriors (57-25) v. (8) Los Angeles Clippers (48-34)

There has been so much talk of the Warriors Dynasty falling apart, Kevin Durant to the Knicks, Draymond Green drama but these guys are still really really good at basketball. They have looked bored all season and only get up for the games they want to prove something in. They look like a team that thinks their finals berth is a formality and they may be right.
The Clippers didn’t tank after trading Tobias Harris to the Sixers and actually played very very well. Lou Williams will have the Sixth Man of the Year award named after him some day and Danilo Gallinari got in shape and actually started playing good basketball again. Montrezl Harrell is a beast off the bench and they have baby JJ Redick with Landry Shamet. With that being said, the Warriors have arguably the best team and starting line up in NBA history (we can debate that if you want) and should win this series sleep walking. Prediction: Warriors win series 4-0

(1) Milwaukee Bucks (60-22) v. (8) Detroit Pistons (41-41)

Personally, I think this series will be a snooze fest and the only reason to watch would be for the Giannis to solidify his MVP campaign. The Bucks are fun to watch but it won’t be fun watching them play the Detroit snoozefests in a 4 game series. The snoozefests might be able to get a game at home if Blake Griffin is healthy but he didn’t play the last 3 games of the season and was seen in a walking boot. Don’t care to analyze this one anymore than I have. Prediction: Bucks win series 4-0

(2) Denver Nuggets (54-28) v. (7) San Antonio Spurs (48-34)

This match up is a very intriguing one to me. The Denver Nuggets have been really good all year led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Their offense is ran through Jokic effectively as he is the best play maker on the team. Besides him, you can’t key in on another guy to stop because it can be someone different every night. It could be Gary Harris, Paul Milsap, Will Barton, or Torey Craig that could go off. I also believe Pop will have the Spurs ready and have his guys believing they can upset the Nuggets. LaMarcus Aldridge has been playing lights out this last month of the season and Demar Derozan is still in all star form. I feel like we say Pop has done his best coaching job each year but I truly believe it this time. This could wind up being a hard fought series because the Nuggets have no playoff experience and the Spurs have a ton of experience. Prediction: Nuggets win series 4-3.

(2) Toronto Raptors (58-24) v. (7) Orlando Magic (42-40)

The Terrance Ross revenge series! Nah, only people who care about this series are the people of Canada and Sixers fans because they want to see how vulnerable the Raptors look. Kyle Lowry has historically played bad in the playoffs but I think this is the year that he plays well especially with a good chance Kawhi Lenard leaves and the Raptors start their real rebuild. He wants a real shot at a Finals berth.
Kudos to the Magic for making a late push for the playoffs and should thank the Sixers for trading someone to them with playoff experience…Markelle Fultz! Fultz hasn’t played a minute for the Magic and is taking his usual place on the bench in a suit. He must be telling them all the playoff secrets he’s learned from the Sixers (being really sarcastic here if you can’t tell). This is a good experience for the Magic and Nikola Vuecevic, who will be auditioning for a Max contract. Prediction: Raptors win series 4-1.

(3) Portland Trailblazers (53-29) v. (6) Oklahoma City Thunder (49-33)

I DON’T BELIEVE IN THE BLAZERS IN THE PLAYOFFS. NEVER HAVE AND NEVER WILL. Prediction: Thunder win series 4-2.

(4) Boston Celtics (49-33) v. (5) Indiana Pacers (48-34)

This playoff series has some very intriguing story lines, starting with the Celtics turmoil. All eyes will be on Kyrie “Holla at me July 1st” Irving as he tries to lead this team that he says doesn’t want to be lead. The Celtics should be a heavy favorite in this series against the Pacers without Oladipo. The Pacers tried their hardest to hold on to the 3rd seed but ran out of gas with a tough schedule at the end of the season. The Pacers are top 10 in team defense and that could be their saving grace in this series. How will Tatum, Brown and Rozier play? What about Gordon Hayward? The Celtics said they aren’t having fun this season and aren’t playing for one another so will selfishness do them in this series? This has a potential to be a grueling 7 -game series but talent should win out. If it doesn’t and they lose, Boston will burn down in racist flames. Prediction: Boston Celtics win series 4-1.

(4) Houston Rockets (53-29) v. (5) Utah Jazz (50-32)

This series should be entertaining with reigning MVP James Harden most likely averaging 40 plus points per game. The Rockets hopes rest on the health of Chris Paul in my opinion and if he doesn’t stay healthy in this first round series they can be beat. The Jazz have a really good defensive team with Rudy Gobert blocking everything that comes to the rim. I think ultimately Donovan Mitchell’s shooting can win them some games and he can shoot them out of some games (He averages 23 points per game on 21 shots per game, bad efficiency). I look for the Rockets to get out of this round in a victory. Prediction: Rockets win series 4-2.

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