Philadelphia 76ers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Walker, Kanter, Riller

November 30th, 2021 at 10:46pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Ahead of the Knicks‘ eventual 112-110 loss to their cross-town rival Nets on Tuesday night, New York All-Star forward Julius Randle praised Brooklyn All-Star forward Kevin Durant, per Peter Botte of the New York Post.

“He’s the best player in the league, for sure,” Randle raved on Monday. “[I’ve] never seen a 7-footer that skilled… [He can] do anything, everything, on the court. No weakness. That’s him. He’s tough. Great player, but I love competing against him.”

In an MVP-level season for the Nets, Durant is averaging 28.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 5.6 APG in 35.8 MPG, with a shooting line of .539/.389/.863.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The demotion of Kemba Walker from starting Knicks point guard to a DNP-CD serves as clear evidence of head coach Tom Thibodeau‘s zeal to win, per Ian O’Connor of the New York Post. Though the move for the 31-year-old hometown hero may not be a popular one, Thibodeau knows it will help the club’s defense significantly. “I just don’t like the way we’ve been trending, the inconsistency of our team,” Thibodeau said. “I want to get bigger. I want our defense to get bigger at the point of the attack.” The six-foot Walker, never a good defender, has seen his efficacy on both sides of the ball decline following knee injuries while with the Celtics. Fred Katz of The Athletic notes that the disparity in points per possession when Walker plays as opposed to when he sits represents the difference between what would be the best defensive efficiency in the NBA (when he sits) and what would be the worst (when he plays).
Upon becoming a US citizen on Monday, Celtics reserve center Enes Kanter has officially changed his name to Enes Kanter Freedom, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). “It was really important to me” to acknowledge the freedom that the Turkish native gets to enjoy as an American citizen, the freshly-anointed Kanter Freedom said.
Sixers two-way player Grant Riller injured his right shoulder during a contest for Philadelphia’s NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, this past Sunday, tweets Derek Bodner of The Athletic. Bodner adds that Riller’s health status will be reassessed in a week. The No. 56 pick in 2020 out of the College of Charleston, Riller has yet to appear in a game for the Sixers this season. The 6’2″ point guard is averaging 5.5 PPG, 2.3 APG and 1.5 RPG across four games for Delaware.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Gentry, Simmons, COVID-19

November 28th, 2021 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers lost in overtime in Joel Embiid‘s return from COVID-19 Saturday, but the star center was just relieved to be back on the court, writes Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times. Embiid missed the team’s last nine games after testing positive for the virus and described it as a frightening experience.

“I mean, I really thought I wasn’t going to make it,” he said. “It was that bad. I’m thankful to be sitting here.”

Embiid started slowly, making just one of four shots in the first eight minutes of the game, but he eventually became his usual dominant self. He played more than 45 minutes and scored 42 points, with 25 of those coming in the fourth quarter and overtime.

“I didn’t think I was going to play tonight,” Embiid said. “To me, it’s a miracle I played this many minutes, but it’s good.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

Alvin Gentry, who became the Kings‘ new interim coach when they fired Luke Walton last weekend, decided to join Sacramento’s staff in the offseason even though the Sixers made a more lucrative offer, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. There has been speculation that the Kings might shake up their roster in their quest for a playoff spot, but there have been no recent talks with Philadelphia about Ben Simmons, Fischer adds.
Simmons was seen working out at the Wells Fargo Center before Saturday’s game, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Simmons completed his session before the team’s walkthrough, then left before the game started. There has been no progress in his standoff with the team, Pompey adds, as Simmons continues to contend that he isn’t mentally ready to play, while the Sixers want him to return unless mental health experts confirm that he can’t.
The Sixers fell to 10-10 with the loss, but injuries and COVID-19 have hounded the team through the first quarter of the season, Pompey notes in a separate story. Saturday marked just the seventh time that all five starters have been played together, and the team has played just twice with a full roster available. “We showed the potential that we have,” Danny Green said. “With our guys being out, it just shows how great we could be. We just have to show the rhythm and that chemistry. But we never know if we’ll get that with the guys back. But that potential that we have and how good we could be, and the way we were playing without our guys, I think it shows a lot of character and how great we can be.”

Joel Embiid Cleared To Return For Sixers

November 27th, 2021 at 4:55pm CST by Arthur Hill

After missing the past nine games due to COVID-19, Sixers center Joel Embiid will be back on the court for Saturday’s contest with the Timberwolves, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Embiid hasn’t played since November 6 after testing positive for the virus. He reportedly experienced some COVID-19 symptoms, which explains why he was sidelined for so long. Philadelphia has been especially hard hit by the virus this season with Tobias Harris, Isaiah Joe and Matisse Thybulle also spending time in the league’s health and safety protocols.

After being an MVP finalist last year, Embiid was off to another strong start, although his numbers are down in several categories. Through nine games, he is averaging 21.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per night, but he is shooting just 43.5% from the field. The Sixers were 2-7 while Embiid was sidelined.

Harris will also return today after missing the past two games with a strained hip, Wojnarowski adds.

Embiid And Harris Questionable Saturday

November 26th, 2021 at 10:06pm CST by Rory Maher

Joel Embiid (COVID recovery) and Tobias Harris (hip) are both questionable for the Sixers‘ home game tomorrow against Minnesota, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).

Growing Optimism Embiid Will Return Saturday

November 24th, 2021 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

After ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Tuesday that the Sixers are hopeful Joel Embiid will be able to return as soon as Saturday, Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link) reiterated today that there’s growing optimism about Embiid’s ability to play on Saturday. The star center hasn’t suited up since November 6 due to a case of COVID-19.

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Harris, Carmelo, Rose, Allen

November 23rd, 2021 at 5:46pm CST by Rory Maher

Sixers center Joel Embiid has been working out at the team’s practice facility, head coach Doc Rivers said on Monday, per Rich Hofmann of The Athletic (Twitter link).

“He passed one of the tests, I think he has another big one today. Then after that, we have to decide what we want to do. But the fact that he’s out working again is huge,” Rivers said.

Embiid has been sidelined since contracting COVID-19 on November 8. Appearing on ESPN’s NBA Today with Malika Andrews, Adrian Wojnarowski says the Sixers are optimistic that Embiid could return as soon as Saturday, Nov. 27, versus Minnesota (video link).

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

The Sixers were missing four of the team’s five starters on Monday against the Kings but still managed to emerge victorious. Tobias Harris (strained hip) is the latest addition to the list of injured players, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Seth Curry (back stiffness), Danny Green (hamstring) and the aforementioned Embiid were also sidelined. Harris, Curry and Green are listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Warriors, while Embiid is out, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Ex-Knicks star and current Lakers forward Carmelo Anthony believes the Leon Rose regime deserves more credit for the job they’ve done, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “It’s very hard to come in and do what they’re doing, what they started, what they created as far as starting from the ground up,” Anthony said. “When I say that, it’s getting everything out, clearing everything out, bringing in the right people. But not doing it in a frantic way, not doing it in [by] taking advantage of power. It’s just coming in, talking to people, getting to know people, understanding people, understanding what was happening before and being able to clean that up and build on that. I think people need to talk about that a lot more.” Team president Rose was Anthony’s agent prior to working for the Knicks.
Nets coach Steve Nash said part of the reason Jarrett Allen was traded last season was the team realized they probably couldn’t afford to keep him long-term due to luxury tax concerns, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “We loved him and wish him a lot of success, and happy for him to get a contract. I mean, the reality is he was probably out; we couldn’t probably resign him anyways,” Nash said. “Looking at the marketplace, he probably would’ve gotten a lot of money. And it would’ve been a huge cap hit compared to some of the priorities. So that was part of the decision in being able to let something like that go.”

Sixers Not Interested In Jerami Grant, May Extend Ben Simmons Trade Talks Into Summer

November 21st, 2021 at 2:54pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers don’t have any interest in acquiring Pistons forward Jerami Grant in a potential deal for Ben Simmons, a source tells Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice. Neubeck states that a Friday report that Grant is on a list of about 30 potential Sixers trade targets is outdated and there are no current negotiations involving Grant between the two teams.

Grant is a bad fit for the Sixers for several reasons, Neubeck adds. He’s too similar to Tobias Harris, and president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is only willing to overlook concerns about position overlap if he can get a star player in return. Also, Morey doesn’t view Grant’s salary – $20MM this year and $20.9MM next season – as easy to move in a future deal.

Philadelphia doesn’t consider Grant to be talented enough to be the centerpiece of a Simmons deal, according to Neubeck’s source. Morey isn’t panicking about not having a deal for Simmons yet and continues to hope for an elite perimeter player such as Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard or someone else in that class.

The Sixers expect offers for Simmons to increase and improve starting after December 15, when most newly-signed free agents can be dealt, but they don’t feel like they have to get something done by the February 10 trade deadline, Neubeck adds. Many executives around the league believe Morey is willing to let Simmons remain idle all season and see what new trade opportunities are available next summer.

That could give the team a chance to take advantage of sign-and-trade possibilities involving upcoming free agents as well as unhappy stars looking for a change of scenery or new management taking over other franchises and being willing to gamble on Simmons.

Matisse Thybulle Returns From Seven-Game Absence

November 20th, 2021 at 3:59pm CST by JD Shaw

The Wizards overhauled their roster this past offseason, signing Spencer Dinwiddie and trading for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell. The club was eliminated from the playoffs last year in a five-game, first-round series against the Sixers.

Sixers wing Matisse Thybulle will return from a seven-game COVID absence on Saturday against the Blazers, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Pompey notes that Thybulle isn’t scheduled to receive many minutes. The Sixers are still missing Joel Embiid (health and safety protocols), Danny Green (left hamstring tightness), and Ben Simmons (personal).

Atlantic Notes: Curry, Bassey, Riller, Fournier

November 19th, 2021 at 10:09pm CST by Rory Maher

Seth Curry has been one of the bright spots in the early portion of the season for the Sixers, averaging a career-high 15.7 PPG with an outstanding shooting line of .515/.443/.935. Curry recently spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype about a number of topics, including the early portion of his career, his breakout season, the Ben Simmons situation, career goals, and more.

Scotto asked Curry what has led him to the breakout season he’s having. Curry says he’s a well-rounded offensive player, no matter who’s in the lineup.

“I think I’m a pretty versatile player. I can catch and shoot, stretch the floor, play off guys who draw a lot of attention like Joel [Embiid] and Ben [Simmons]. When those guys are out, I feel like I can play in the pick-and-roll. My mid-range game is pretty good. I think I can put the ball on the floor and score. I just pride myself on being able to do a lot of different things offensively and taking good shots,” Curry said.

The interview is worth checking out in full.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

Sixers rookie center Charles Bassey, the last 2021 draft pick to sign a contract, recently flashed significant potential in Embiid’s absence, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sixers two-way player Grant Riller has recovered from meniscus surgery and is now playing in the G League, tweets Gina Mizell of the Inquirer.
Knicks guard Evan Fournier knows he needs to bring more to the table earlier in the game in light of his recent fourth-quarter benchings, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “I think the situation right now is I don’t know how many minutes I’m going to play, so I have to have the mindset of if I’m going to play 20 minutes, then just come out the gate with extreme energy,” Fournier said. “Being very alert. Being ultra-aggressive. And trying to have an impact.”

Jerami Grant On Sixers’ List Of Potential Targets For Simmons

November 19th, 2021 at 6:36am CST by Luke Adams

Pistons forward Jerami Grant is one of the players on the Sixers‘ list of targets for a potential Ben Simmons trade, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey also confirms Sam Amick’s report that James Harden is on Philadelphia’s list.

Amick reported on Thursday that the 76ers have a list of about 30 impact players whom they view as possible targets in a Simmons trade. Philadelphia believes several of those players could become available via trade within the next year or two, which is why the front office remains in no rush to resolve the Simmons situation. Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal are among the other stars on the club’s radar.

According to Pompey, the Sixers have engaged in discussions with the Pistons about the possibility of trading Simmons for a package that would include Grant, another forward, a young player, and a draft pick. One source told Pompey that Kelly Olynyk and Saddiq Bey are players that could be included in a possible deal between Philadelphia and Detroit, but another source said the Pistons would be unlikely to include either Olynyk or Bey.

Although one source told Pompey that the Sixers haven’t spoken to Detroit lately and would likely want a higher-profile player than Grant as the centerpiece of a Simmons deal, multiple sources said the two teams have had recent conversations centered around Grant.

A former Sixer, Grant has taken huge strides since last playing for the team in 2016. In 67 games (33.6 MPG) since joining the Pistons a year ago, the 27-year-old has averaged 21.5 PPG and 4.6 RPG on .425/.343/.841 shooting.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report first reported last month that there was a belief the Pistons would entertain the idea of moving Grant in a deal for Simmons.

As for Harden, Pompey explains that the Sixers view the former Rocket as a possible sign-and-trade option in free agency next summer if they still haven’t dealt Simmons by that point. Harden didn’t sign an extension with the Nets prior to opening night last month and can opt out of his contract in 2022.

Harden has spoken about wanting to remain in Brooklyn for the rest of his career, so his decision to forgo an extension may have been more about trying to maximize his future earnings than about keeping his options open to jump ship. Still, it’s not inconceivable that he could consider other suitors as a free agent next summer if the Nets underachieve this season. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey is obviously very familiar with Harden due to their time spent together in Houston.

Harden is off to a slower-than-expected start this season, but is still putting up 20.3 PPG, 8.8 APG, and 7.6 RPG with a .395 3PT% through 16 games (34.4 MPG).

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