We’re a week removed from the biggest trade in the NBA this season and the early returns haven’t even come in.
James Harden has yet to make his Sixers debut. Ben Simmons remains a few weeks away from wearing a Nets uniform.
According to VegasInsider.com, the Nets and Bucks are currently co-favorites to win the Eastern Conference with the Sixers having the third-best odds.
It will be fascinating to see who ultimately benefited from the trade or perhaps if both teams weakened themselves.
This is an all-in move by the Sixers, given Harden’s age and penchant for quickly souring on the team he’s on. Brooklyn was backed into a corner by Harden’s desire to play in Philly but the deal may end up improving its chemistry.
Harden obviously gives the Sixers a formidable 1-2 offensive punch with Most Valuable Player candidate Joel Embiid. The latter has delivered the best season of his career, keeping Philadelphia within striking distance of the conference’s best record despite Simmons’ refusal to play.
Harden will certainly ease the scoring burden on Embiid. The Sixers had to surrender one of their best shooters, Seth Curry, in the deal but held onto defensive stalwart Matisse Thybulle and young point guard Tyrese Maxey. While Philadelphia apparently tried to dump Tobias Harris’ contract prior to the deadline, he’s still a solid, consistent, low-maintenance contributor.
If and when the Nets get all their pieces back from injuries, their roster remains stacked. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving can carry the scoring load and won’t have to incorporate Harden into the equation. Given that Adam Silver criticized New York City’s vaccine mandate this week, there’s a good chance Irving will eventually be able to play home games.
Simmons’ lack of perimeter shooting could be masked by the weapons around him. He’s also one of the top defenders in the league, so if his free throw shooting isn’t a total disaster, he should be able to finish out games. That’s a best case scenario for Simmons and the Nets – it’s anyone guess whether Simmons is physically and mentally ready to perform under playoff pressure.
With Curry, Patty Mills and Joe Harris (whenever he returns from his ankle issues), there are plenty of perimeter shooters to space the floor for Brooklyn.
Both teams will have to build chemistry on the fly and it’s important to note Embiid, Harden, Durant and Irving have all dealt with significant injuries in recent seasons, often during the postseason.
That leads us to our question of the day: In the wake of the blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons trade, which team will go deeper into the playoffs – the Sixers or Nets?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to your input.
Sixers
Nets I am worried about the Sixers Depth and Defense not to mention I don’t trust Doc in the playoffs.
Harden isn’t a winner, he’s a whiner. Joel goes down with a knee injury that forces him to miss next year as well. Sixers don’t make it past the 2nd round, again, lol.
And Simmons is a winner? C’mon man!
What is Kyrie going to do for home games in the playoff?
Great question I for one am stumped but hoping its Brooklyn
If Lakers and 76ers are not able to win Championships next two years, they have to wave the White Flag.
Is this quote for real “Given that Adam Silver criticized New York City’s vaccine mandate this week, there’s a good chance Irving will eventually be able to play home games.” What a joke, the vaccine mandate may be lifted (and should be in my opinion) but Silver’s opinion has near zero influence on it,
Was thinking the same thing when I read that.
Seems to me a bad thing that Harden is gonna relief some of Embiid’s scoring burden, dude is averaging almost 30 per night, it would be great that he got there, first center in 40 years to do so, since Moses Malone, so I hope Harden doesn’t get the ball much off Embiid!
If team basketball is the difference between championship and flame out, I think BKN is now in a better position to be successful. Plus they have multiple guys who have raised the trophy (KD, Kyrie, Mills).
Both teams get taken out in the 2nd round.
I hope the Nets go further, but I’m worried about the hole they dug for themselves. It’s a matter of when they get themselves back closer to full strength. Getting KD back with at least 20 games to go would be good. A dozen games apiece for Ben and Kyrie would be helpful. I figure 45 wins could be enough to avoid a play-in. Getting Joey Buckets back in time for the playoffs would have them in good shape.
Joey Buckets can’t hit a peach basket come playoff time.
Embiid has shown Simmons that Joel is the man on the Sixers by his play this year. Whether Harden in his current form puts the Sixers in the Finals is questionable but they did change something.
76ers will go further. Nets are a dumpster fire.world can’t rip Simmons for his performance in playoffs last few years and somehow thing he will be the solution.
Sixers should have insisted on taking Patty back or something.
This clickbait encouraging endless speculation regarding the 76’ers and Nets is the same as going on Internet baseball boards and reading about where Freddie Freeman is going to sign.
Nothing new has happened. Everything that can be written has been written.
When the time comes we’ll see what the players do.
One thing is for certain. East is stacked
Parity = mediocrity. The top 3 teams in the West are all better than the best teams in the east. Also, the West has a winning W-L record both overall and head to head vs the east.
Parity does not equal mediocrity lol even if whatever you said after that is true your credibility is already out the window.
Knicks beat the Warriors like a week ago. What does that mean?
Gotta like the Sixers more. Embiid is one of the two best two players in the league (I’m not saying he isn’t the best). Maxey plays with joy and that helps everyone. The Nets have not shown an ability to play even good defense – they might be capable, but they haven’t shown it. The Nets have also not shown any chemistry. It’s hard to see them have home court advantage at any time in the playoffs unless they are in the play-in.
Obviously, 3rd place is a better position than 8th, and Harden should play before KD and Simmons do.
Neither team will have enough time on the court to gel, so a deep playoff run for either is unlikely.
So we know this now: Harden is no playoff hero, and he’s unlikely ever to be. He has simply failed, so many times, to turn these biggest of basketball moments into anything other than disappointment.Sep 11, 2020
My analytics says Moreyon suxx and playoff Harden suxx …….
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