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Ben Simmons To Miss At Least Two Weeks

February 25th, 2020 at 3:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star Ben Simmons has been diagnosed with nerve impingement in his lower back and will be re-evaluated in about two weeks, sources tells Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

According to Charania (via Twitter), Simmons, who consulted with multiple in-house and external specialists, will undergo daily treatment and rehab. Although Simmons will be re-evaluated in two weeks, the team isn’t expecting him to be ready to return by that point, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). The two-week mark is more of an initial benchmark date than a target return date, Woj adds (via Twitter).

Simmons aggravated the injury during Saturday’s loss in Milwaukee and sat out on Monday vs. Atlanta. A two-week absence would cost Simmons at least six more games, including road showdowns with the Clippers and Lakers, and it sounds like he’ll remain on the shelf for even longer than that.

With Simmons out, the Sixers figure to lean more heavily on Alec Burks, Josh Richardson, and Shake Milton when it comes to ball-handling duties. Backup point guard Raul Neto should also move up on the depth chart, though he didn’t play at all on Monday. Philadelphia could also explore the buyout market for another ball-handler, but the club would have to waive a player to make room on its 15-man roster.

The 76ers are currently in the midst of a race for home-court advantage in the first round of the postseason. At 36-22, they hold the No. 5 seed in the East, just a half-game back of the 36-21 Heat.

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Simmons' Back Injury Not Day-To-Day Situation

February 24th, 2020 at 5:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

It remains unclear how long Ben Simmons‘ back injury will sideline him but it’s not a day-to-day thing, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets. The Sixers star departed early in the team’s matchup with Milwaukee on Saturday when his back flared up.

Simmons is still undergoing treatment and evaluation and a course of action will be decided upon soon, Wojnarowski adds. Sixers head coach Brett Brown will use a committee approach at point guard in Simmons’ absence, Tim Bontemps of ESPN tweets.

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Simmons-Embiid Dynamic Not Main Problem In Philadelphia

February 23rd, 2020 at 2:32pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum
  • The Sixers have underperformed relative to preseason expectations this year, but the dynamic between All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons may not be the root of the issue, per ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry. Goldsberry points to their club’s unending roster churn over the years and a lack of sharpshooting depth as the prime culprits. That said, at 35-22, the Sixers sit just 1.5 games behind the 36-20 Heat in competing for a top-four Eastern Conference playoff seed.
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Ben Simmons To Have MRI On Back

February 23rd, 2020 at 8:54am CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers star Ben Simmons left Saturday’s game after five minutes with a sore back and will undergo an MRI today to determine the nature of the problem, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. League sources tell Woj there is “some level of concern” about the situation.

Simmons sat out Thursday with lower back pain, then aggravated the injury midway through the first quarter last night. He had an X-ray after leaving the game, and sources said he was “emotional” as he walked out of the X-ray room.

Losing Simmons for an extended stretch would be a huge setback for the Sixers as they fight for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Philadelphia is 35-22 after Saturday’s loss in Milwaukee, a game-and-a-half behind fourth-place Miami.

Simmons is averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.3 assists through 54 games. He also leads the NBA in steals at 2.1 per night.

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Atlantic Notes: Burks, Wright, Knicks, Simmons

February 21st, 2020 at 1:36pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Sixers head coach Brett Brown explained his plan for Alec Burks, who made his first real impact for Philadelphia on Thursday night against the Nets.

“I’m looking at him is sort of instant offense type off the bench he can be given the ball can be put in pick-and-rolls,” Brown said (via Heavy.com). “I like him more probably in the middle of the floor with the pick and roll than the sideline with the pick-and-roll I think that he can be a primary ball carrier for a while.”

Burks, who came to the Sixers along with Glenn Robinson III at the trade deadline, has spent 44 minutes on the court so far in his Sixers’ career.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Villanova head coach Jay Wright simply isn’t interested in the Knicks‘ coaching job, as Joe Juliano of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). “I haven’t talked to the Knicks, I’m not going to the Knicks. It’s crazy,” Wright said.
  • Ben Simmons is probable for the Sixers‘ matchup with Milwaukee on Saturday night, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Simmons missed Thursday’s contest against Brooklyn with back tightness.
  • Zach Braziller of the New York Post details how interim coach Mike Miller is handling the situation with the Knicks. “If we help these guys and we continue to grow and get better, then we’ve done our job,” Miller said. “All I’m concerned about is bringing value to it and helping these guys. As simple as it sounds, I did that for six years as a D-League [and] G-League coach and I felt good at the end of every season. That’s the direction that I take.”
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And-Ones: Giannis, Motiejunas, Nogueira, Bosh

February 20th, 2020 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

Following a wild 2019 offseason, the NBA has been in a period of relative stability for the last several months. However, there are a number of tipping points on tap for the 2020 postseason and offseason that could re-inject some chaos into the basketball landscape, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com.

According to Bontemps, people around the league will be keeping an especially close eye on teams like the Rockets and Sixers, who will be looking to make deep playoff runs after falling short of their goals in recent years. If those two teams are eliminated early in the postseason, it’s possible major changes could be made, with Mike D’Antoni and Brett Brown potentially on the way out and roster shakeups around the corner.

League insiders will also be curious to see whether the Warriors look to use their 2020 lottery pick as the centerpiece in a trade for another impact player, Bontemps writes. Most notably, all eyes will be on Milwaukee as Giannis Antetokounmpo decides whether to sign a super-max extension with the Bucks. For what it’s worth, Bontemps says every executive he spoke to expects Antetokounmpo to remain in Milwaukee.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Former NBA forward Donatas Motiejunas said he has drawn interest from some NBA and EuroLeague teams, per Lithuanian journalist Donatas Urbonas (Twitter link). However, Motiejunas remains under contract with the Shanghai Sharks during the Chinese Basketball Association’s coronovirus-related hiatus and isn’t looking to get out of that deal.
  • Lucas Nogueira, a former first-round pick who spent four seasons in the NBA with the Raptors, has signed with Muharraq Club in Bahrain, according to the team (Instagram link; hat tip to Sportando). The 16th overall pick in the 2013 draft, Nogueira appeared in 141 games for Toronto between 2014-18.
  • Chris Bosh took to Instagram to express his disappointment after not being included in 2020’s list of finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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NBA G League Assignments/Recalls: 2/19/20

February 19th, 2020 at 10:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Wednesday’s G League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

Also on the transactions log:

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Simmons Confident Thybulle Will Join Australia For Olympics

February 17th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Ben Simmons, who spoke in November about wanting to play for Australia in the 2020 Olympics under Sixers head coach Brett Brown, is looking to bring one of his NBA teammates with him. As Olgun Uluc of Fox Sports Australia details, Simmons said over the weekend that he’s confident rookie swingman Matisse Thybulle will play for the Boomers this summer in Tokyo.

Thybulle, the Sixers’ first-round pick last June, is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Australia. He has yet to make a decision regarding his international status, but playing for Australia would create a much clearer path to being a part of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

“I can’t say I’ve put too much thought into which one I’d like to go to, which (opportunity) I’d like to take,” the Sixers rookie said last week, per Uluc. “But I think this season is going to be a good opportunity to showcase myself and figure out what opportunities I have at the end of the season.”

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Embiid On Perceived Issues With Simmons: “It’s B.S.”

February 15th, 2020 at 12:02pm CST by marksuleymanov

As the Sixers have struggled to maintain offensive consistency this season, the dynamic between Philadelphia’s top two players, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons has received some scrutiny.

During NBA All-Star media day on Saturday, Embiid addressed the chatter that he and Simmons struggle to co-exist.

“I think it’s B.S. because when you look at the last couple years, the last two years we’ve been playing together, it was not a problem,” Embiid said, via Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). “The issue is only a problem because at times our offense has struggled. I think it’s definitely going to be better after the All-Star break.”

Entering the All-Star break, the Sixers wield a 34-21 record, good for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Simmons and Embiid, meanwhile, are enjoying typically strong individual seasons.

Embiid, now a three-time All-Star, is averaging 22.9 PPG and 11.9 RPG through 39 contests. Both numbers are down from last season, however, as he has battled some injuries. As for Simmons, he’s averaging 16.9 PPG, 8.3 APG, 7.9 RPG and an NBA-best 2.2 SPG. While the rotation for Philadelphia needs to find consistency, Simmons insists that coexisting alongside Embiid is not an issue.

“It takes time, not everything is supposed to be perfect. We’re two different people trying to figure it out,” Simmons said during his media session (via Mark Media of USA Today). “I love playing with Joel, I think he’s an amazing talent and I respect his game. I know he feels the same way about me so as long as we continue to strive and go the right way, we’ll be fine.”

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2020’s Most Valuable Traded Second-Round Picks

February 14th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Fans of lottery-bound NBA teams will be keeping a close on the league’s reverse standings down the stretch because of the effect they’ll have on the draft order and lottery odds for the 2020 first round.

However, it’s not just the first round of the draft that’s worth keeping an eye on. Those reverse standings will also dictate the order of the draft’s second round, and an early second-round pick can be nearly as valuable as a first-rounder.

Traded first-round selections like the one the Grizzlies are sending to the Celtics will ultimately be more valuable than any second-rounder, but it’s still worth taking a closer look at some traded 2020 second-rounders that project to be valuable picks.

[RELATED: Traded Second-Round Picks For 2020 NBA Draft]

Here are a few of those traded picks:

From: Golden State Warriors
To: Dallas Mavericks
Current projection: No. 31

This traded pick dates all the way back to the 2016 offseason, when the Mavericks acquired it along with Andrew Bogut. That deal gave them the option to eventually receive either the Warriors’ 2019 or 2020 second-rounder.

Dallas faced a little criticism at the time for helping Golden State clear the cap room necessary to sign Kevin Durant, but if the Mavs hadn’t done it, another team would have. Now they’ll benefit from the end of the Warriors’ dynasty, potentially acquiring the best non-first-round pick of the 2020 draft.

From: Cleveland Cavaliers
To: Charlotte Hornets
Current projection: No. 32

The Cavaliers first traded this pick to Orlando at the trade deadline in 2016 to acquire Channing Frye. It was later traded from the Magic to the Clippers, who eventually sent it to Charlotte on draft night in 2018.

The pick was one of two future second-rounders L.A. surrendered to move up a single spot in the lottery to draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 11 in ’18.

Considering the Cavs won a title with Frye and the Clippers eventually used Gilgeous-Alexander to acquire Paul George – and, indirectly, Kawhi Leonard – I don’t think either team is losing sleep about giving up this selection, but it’ll be a nice asset for the Hornets this spring.

From: Atlanta Hawks
To: Philadelphia 76ers
Current projection: No. 33

From: New York Knicks
To: Philadelphia 76ers
Current projection: No. 35

Philadelphia sent three second-round picks to the Warriors at the deadline for Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III, but did well to hang onto these selections, both of which could fall in the top 35 this spring.

The Sixers received both of these picks in deals that saw their trade partners move up in the second round to nab big men. The Knicks’ second-rounder was sent to Philadelphia in a 2015 deal for No. 35 pick Willy Hernangomez, while the Hawks’ second-rounder changed hands in last June’s swap for No. 34 pick Bruno Fernando.

From: Detroit Pistons
To: Sacramento Kings
Current projection: No. 36

This pick has been involved in two trades, neither of which worked out particularly well for the Suns. It was all Phoenix received in return for Marcus Morris, Reggie Bullock, and Danny Granger in a cost-cutting trade during the 2015 offseason. Then it was part of the package the Suns sent to the Kings for 2016’s No. 8 pick, Marquese Chriss.

The two 2016 first-round picks the Kings got that in that Chriss trade (Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere) didn’t pan out for Sacramento. However, the package also included the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic, making it a big win for the Kings. This year’s second-round pick is just an added bonus.

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