Speaking to reporters at his introductory press conference on Tuesday, new Sixers forward Paul George expressed gratitude to the Clippers for the “amazing” time he spent with his hometown team and said he had “no ill will” toward the franchise over how his five-year run ended, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. George believes “everything just aligned perfectly” for him to make the move to Philadelphia this summer.
“Where they’re at and where they’re trying to go and where I’m trying to get to, as well. I think we got a real legitimate shot,” George said of the Sixers’ ability to contend in the East. “I’ve always been a fan of Tyrese (Maxey) and Joel (Embiid) from afar, and Joel has secretly been one of my closest All-Star Game friends. And so, it kind of felt inevitable that at some point we would link up and be teammates. So, I’m all-in. My family’s here all-in, and I’m excited, and looking forward to this next opportunity.”
Acknowledging that injuries to himself and his teammates were a factor in the Clippers ultimately not making the sort of deep playoff runs they’d hoped for, George expressed optimism that sharing the workload with Maxey and Embiid in Philadelphia will help all three stars stay healthier.
“I think just taking the pressure off Joel,” George said. “I think I can kind of help him get through a season healthy. And again, it’s just not putting so much pressure on him. Regardless of how good you feel, I think pressure causes a lot of injuries as well, and you think you have to get overplayed, you have to touch every possession, that kind of just wears you down, especially for how physical he is. So that’s the key. Everybody do their part, make sure we’re working on our bodies, and that we don’t just put that pressure on one individual to go out and win games for us.”
Here’s more out of Philadelphia:
- The Sixers also held a press conference on Tuesday in honor of Maxey’s new five-year, maximum-salary deal. The guard could have pushed to receive that contract a year ago but was willing to wait until this summer to allow Philadelphia to maximize its cap room, earning praise from president of basketball operations Daryl Morey for his patience. “This offseason wouldn’t be possible without him,” Morey said, per Jeff Neiburg of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He was very clearly on his way to being what he has become, an All-Star, one of the great future stars of this league, and by being patient he allowed us to put this offseason together, to really put us in this position to be one of the very few legitimate contenders in the league this year.”
- Speaking to David Marchese of The New York Times on an episode of The Interview podcast, Embiid suggested he believes he could be in the conversation for the NBA’s greatest player of all time if not for the injuries that have cost him so many games over the years. “I think I’m that talented. Obviously you need to win championships, and to win championships you need other guys,” Embiid said. “… If you think about it, the thing that stopped me all these years is just freak injuries. Every single playoffs, regular season, people falling on my knee or breaking my face — twice. It’s always freak injuries at the wrong time.”
- It was a tough Summer League experience for first-round pick Jared McCain in both Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, as he made just 28.6% of his shots from the field in his eight games for the Sixers, including 25.5% of his three-point tries. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays, McCain is determined to view the summer as a learning experience and not to let his July struggles shake his confidence. “One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Whatever you’re going through, you are growing through,'” McCain said. “So whatever I’m doing in life, it’s always a learning lesson from it.”
Cupcake McCain stinks
Harry’s crack stinks
Let’s give him some time.
True. One can always shower.
76ers bench current age – old is too old and young is too young
Lowry 38
E Gordon 36
R Jackson 34
Bona 21
J Edwards 21
McCain 20
K Martin will be traded
If I were a GM, I would like the bench age between 23 and 32
Lakers under 45 wins sixers over 51 wins if I were a Lakers fan I would shut up.
Don’t think he’s a fan of any team Johnny, Sillyman just likes to spit knowledge.
The older players are short term bridges to the younger talent. They also provide mentorship.
Who is the most delusional NBA superstar? KD or Embiid?
Why not both?
Who is the most delusional warriors fan named Davey J ?
Still need a PF to be taken seriously
‘Whatever you’re going through, you are growing through,’” McCain said. “So whatever I’m doing in life, it’s always a learning lesson from it.”
Like I said. He’s young and probably won’t help for yrs. Is that what Sixers need ????
Quite ironic of Podcast P giving his insights on how Embiid can avoid injuries.
Clipper fan with no ill-will toward PG. Clippers were in a rock and a hard place.
Run it back with PG for 4 more years and an injury or two and the Clipps face the backlash of ‘why didn’t you let him walk’ and ‘aging, injury prone superstars’. ‘Clippers management needs to go’.
So, you offer him a team friendly contract to give you flexibility but knowing all the while, more than likely he won’t take it.
PG knows and Clipps brass know, it’s not supposed to be an insult, it’s just a product of the NBAs cap.
So Balmer comes out very publicly to let fans and media this was by no means an insult towards PG and he will be a forever fan.
PG comes out and praises the Clipps and Balmer and clarifies that he has no ill-will.
As time moves on, it’s just, well a God thing. Called directing a path in life.
Both parties see it. No animosity and just the right ending.
I’m a fan.
Sixers had to sign PG. And PG has earned the right to be here. A real contending team could bring out the best in all of them. Sixers are going for it. Gotta give them that.