Sixers Rumors

Sixers Notes: Yabusele, George, Dowtin, McCain

November 11th, 2024 at 10:51am CST by Arthur Hill

The offseason signing of Guerschon Yabusele after his stellar performance at the Summer Olympics has been one of the few positives so far for the Sixers, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Yabusele has been a steady presence amid a frustrating 2-7 start marked by the absence of star players. He posted career highs with 20 points and eight rebounds as Philadelphia snapped a five-game losing streak on Sunday night.

“He’s played pretty good almost in every game, right?” coach Nick Nurse said. “He’s finding enough perimeter shots and making enough. He doesn’t make a ton of mistakes, which is huge for us right now. Again, he’s going to get the ball to somebody if he’s in the offense to keep the offense moving. He’ll play really hard, but he’s been good.”

Yabusele became a star in Europe after leaving the NBA in 2019 following two seasons with Boston. He got offers to return in August after helping France reach the Olympic gold medal game and decided to accept a one-year, minimum-salary deal with Philadelphia. Now he’s determined to prove he belongs in the league.

“You know, I am just trying to do my best over here,” he said. “I’m trying to help the team as much as I can. As far as right now, I’m trying not to really focus on myself and try to get a win.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

Paul George was upset that his minutes restriction prevented him from being on the court for overtime in Sunday’s game, Pompey states in a separate story. It was just the fourth game for George since returning from a bone bruise in his left knee, and the medical staff is limiting his playing time to reduce the risk of further injury. “I was completely frustrated, you know, just the way this game was going,” he said. “You know I wanted to be out there for the guys with that commitment to try to win the game, especially when you are home. You get on the good side. Luckily, my guys had me.”
Jeff Dowtin is trying to prove he’s worthy of a larger role while Tyrese Maxey is sidelined, Pompey adds in another piece. The two-way guard had 11 points, two rebounds and a steal in 23 minutes off the bench on Sunday.
Yabusele, Dowtin and rookie Jared McCain helped seal the victory, and Nurse indicated that they’re likely to get more opportunities as the season wears on, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. They combined for 58 points as Nurse shook up his normal rotation. “You start the season, and you’re going to give those veteran guys the first cracks at stuff,” he said. “That’s the way I’m going to do it, until you think that maybe it’s, OK, you’ve given them a couple shots here and there, and you’re not exactly where it wants to be. So then you’re going with some younger guys. I think that was part of the decision.”

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Barrett, Quickley, J. Brown

November 9th, 2024 at 7:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers players are trying to avoid getting discouraged as they work to overcome an unexpected rough start to the season, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic.

Within the past week, Joel Embiid was suspended for shoving a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, delaying his season debut by three more games, and Tyrese Maxey was sidelined with a hamstring injury. Paul George‘s return from a bruised knee was expected to help, but the team has the worst record in the league at 1-7 and is in the midst of a five-game losing streak.

“The ship hasn’t sunk,” George said. “We know that we have to remain positive. We know that big fella is coming back and he’s one of the best. We’re going to get Tyrese healthy and we’ll get him back. Then we can finally be a complete team and start to build, and then we can finally begin to find out who we are. We’re still positive. We’re going to show up and we’re going to have the intention of winning games. We need more attention to detail, but we just have to continue to remain positive.”

The Sixers entered the season with championship aspirations, but Jones points out that no team has ever started 1-7 and recovered to win a title, while only one team in the past five years has overcome such a poor start to make the playoffs. Working to Philadelphia’s advantage is the weakness of the Eastern Conference, where only two teams currently have winning records. The Sixers are a mere three games out of third place, so there’s a chance to rise up the standings quickly once everyone is available.

“There isn’t a magic formula for us,” Kyle Lowry said. “We have a lot of work to do. We have to get better offensively. We have to get better defensively. We have to play hard. We have to stay positive and not get down on ourselves. It’s a dark time, but we have to figure out a way to handle the adversity.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Injuries have forced RJ Barrett to take on a larger role in the Raptors‘ offense, and he has responded by putting up the best numbers of his career, notes Michael Pina of The Ringer. Through six games, Barrett is averaging career highs with 25.7 points and 7.0 assists as the absences of Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley have required him to handle the ball more often. Pina points out that Barrett was the second-best player on Team Canada during the Summer Olympics and suggests that he may be headed for his first All-Star Game.
Quickley could return for tonight’s game against the Clippers, which should help the Raptors at both ends of the court, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Quickley has been sidelined since suffering a pelvic contusion midway through the season opener. “He brings a lot to our team from shooting, from opening up the floor for other guys as well, spacing,” coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He’s learning our system more and more, so he’s becoming more comfortable with cutting and just running our team well. Obviously, those [first] couple of games, he’ll need his reconditioning back. We’ll be intentional about his minutes on the court as well. So hopefully, 10 days from now, he’s really rocking and helping us big time.”
Celtics guard Jaylen Brown has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday after missing the past four games with a hip flexor strain, tweets Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

Sixers Notes: George, McCain, Yabusele, Nelson

November 8th, 2024 at 2:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Paul George has only been active for two games and he’s already being counted on to carry the shorthanded Sixers, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

George made his season debut on Monday after recovering from a bone bruise in his left knee. On Wednesday, Tyrese Maxey suffered a hamstring strain that will keep him out for at least a week. Joel Embiid won’t be eligible to return from his suspension until Tuesday, but he’ll likely miss Wednesday’s game because he’s not playing on back-to-back nights.

That leaves a heavy burden for George as he tries to turn around the Sixers after their 1-6 start, which has them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

“I’m still trying to get my body back,” he said. “Just rhythm. I think my execution is just off and my rhythm, my timing with ball-handling is just off, and just trying to get a feel for that. These are really, like, my first real, real, real live situations playing these games.”

George has averaged 16.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in his first two games and he’s coming off a strong shooting night, going 7-of-9 from the field in Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers. However, he’s been careless with the ball, committing 10 turnovers already.

“So they’re throwing a lot of stuff at me that I’m not quite ready for at this moment because I’m still trying to get back healthy and lungs together and cardio together,” George said. “I’ll be better. I’ll put the work in, but it is a rough patch I would say for myself and then I got to be better for these guys.”

There’s more on the Sixers:

Head coach Nick Nurse said Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson will both see more playing time while Maxey is sidelined, and two-way guard Jeff Dowtin could be used as well (Twitter video link from Pompey). Rookie Jared McCain provides another point guard option. “I think obviously he’s had some really bright moments,” Nurse said of McCain. “Gives us some energy, some shooting, break down scoring as well when you can get it to the basket. Certain nights are going to call for some long stretches from him.”
Philadelphia will face the Lakers on Friday, putting Guerschon Yabusele on the court with LeBron James for the first time since dunking over him in the Olympic gold medal game. Yabusele told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that he wants to “move on” from that moment and accomplish more in his basketball career. The immediate goal is to reestablish himself in the NBA, and he’s been able to get consistent playing time with Embiid sidelined. “He’s probably maybe exceeded what we thought,” Nurse said. “… He’s been solid every night, good some nights. He’s always solid. He plays hard and is pretty good with the basketball. He knows when to move it to the next guy. He knows when to shoot it.”
Former NBA guard Jameer Nelson, now in his second season as general manager of the Sixers’ G League affiliate in Delaware, talks to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer about his desire to someday run an NBA team.

Tyrese Maxey Expected To Miss Two Weeks With Hamstring Issue

November 7th, 2024 at 6:15pm CST by Rory Maher

6:15pm: The Sixers officially announced that Maxey had an MRI on his hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in one week, as relayed by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps (Twitter link).

11:20am: Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey is expected to miss around two weeks due to a right hamstring injury, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Maxey will receive a full evaluation later on Thursday. Philadelphia plans to take a cautious approach to the soft-tissue injury, per Charania.

Maxey played 32 minutes through three periods in Wednesday’s road loss to the Clippers, but notably struggled in the third quarter, going 0-of-3 from the field and scoring no points in 12 minutes. With the 76ers down by 16 points entering the final frame, head coach Nick Nurse decided to rest Maxey for the remainder of the contest, calling it a “precautionary” move, as Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports tweets.

Obviously, it’s unfortunate news for both Maxey and the Sixers, who have struggled mightily to open the season in part due to injuries. Marquee free agent addition Paul George just made his season debut on Monday, and 2023 MVP Joel Embiid has yet to play a game — he’s expected to return on Tuesday after serving a three-game suspension following an altercation with a columnist.

Maxey had been carrying a very heavy workload amid injuries to Philadelphia’s other two stars. He was leading the NBA in minutes per game (39.7) and was tied with Luka Doncic for the league lead in field goal attempts per contest at 23.6.

The Sixers, who are currently tied with the Bucks and Jazz for the worst record in the NBA at 1-6, play several games over the next couple weeks. If Maxey is ready in exactly two weeks, he will have missed seven contests, with Nov. 22 vs. Brooklyn a possible return date — that’s obviously very tentative though and subject to change, depending on what the examination reveals.

With Maxey sidelined, fellow guards Kyle Lowry, Jared McCain and Eric Gordon are all candidates for more playing time.

Over the offseason, Maxey signed a five-year, maximum-salary contract with the Sixers as a restricted free agent. He’s under contract through 2029.

Clippers Notes: George, Offseason, Kuminga, Bamba

November 7th, 2024 at 8:00am CST by Luke Adams

According to team owner Steve Ballmer, the Clippers wanted to retain Paul George over the summer and “made him a big offer,” writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. But with the Clippers unwilling to add a no-trade clause or a fourth year to the three-year offer they put on the table for George, the star forward considered other options and L.A. began envisioning life without him.

“I don’t know when the blueprint changed,” Ballmer told Youngmisuk. “The truth of the matter is our situation was changing just because the guys are getting older anyway. So the way to think about it with Paul or without Paul, it started to morph on us.”

As Youngmisuk writes, the Clippers showed with the three-year, $150MM deal they offered George that they were willing to continue operating above the second tax apron. But the front office certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea of reducing its payroll, with more punitive roster-building restrictions – including a frozen draft pick seven years out – being implemented for teams in second-apron territory.

“Once your pick becomes frozen, (and) if you’re in the second apron for multiple years, you’re really f—ed,” Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said. “You’re in a situation where you never have cap space and you never have your mid-level exception and you’re just strictly dealing with minimums and trades. Our goal is we want to be a sustainable contender.”

As Ballmer points out, avoiding a $50MM-per-year commitment to George allowed the Clippers to add a handful of defense-first role players who will fit the team’s new identity and should be very movable on the trade market, if necessary.

“The truth is, with Paul not coming back, we were able to upgrade our team,” Ballmer said. “We don’t (sign) Derrick Jones Jr. if Paul comes back. We don’t (sign) Kris Dunn, (or have) our new defensive identity. Might not have (signed) Kevin Porter Jr., Nico (Batum). … You could say, well, they’re not Paul George. No, they’re not Paul George. … (But) we were able to get three guys who are tough, hard-playing guys. And we still have the ability to consistently make ourselves better. So it was the right choice for us.”

Here’s more on the Clippers:

The Clippers were open to making an opt-in-and-trade George deal with the Warriors before he became a free agent and would likely have pulled the trigger if Golden State had been willing to part with Jonathan Kuminga and a first-round pick, says Sam Amick of The Athletic. The two teams briefly discussed Kuminga, but Golden State pulled him off the table, and since he was the only young Warriors the Clippers viewed as a potential star, talks fizzled after that, Amick explains.
Youngmisuk also addressed the George talks between L.A. and Golden State in his ESPN feature, reiterating that the Clippers ultimately decided the assets available to them in that deal wouldn’t have been worth the cost (in tax penalties and roster flexibility) of taking on matching salaries. “Nothing is better than something,” one league source told ESPN in explaining the team’s decision to let George walk.
Ahead of his return to L.A. on Wednesday as a member of the Sixers, George made it clear he has no hard feelings toward Clippers management and that he had a great relationship with Ballmer and Frank. “They were awesome the whole time I was here,” George said, per Youngmisuk. “Kind of the reason why it was such a shocking decision how it played out at the end. But they were awesome.”
George, who heard plenty of boos during Wednesday’s game from the Clippers faithful, told reporters after the Sixers loss that he thought that reaction was “stupid,” according to Youngmisuk. “It wasn’t something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here. I was a free agent,” George said. “The team presented something that was team-friendly, and I did what was best for me in that situation. So there were the cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones that I played hard for. The boos, I didn’t get it.”
Clippers center Mohamed Bamba may be nearing his debut after missing the start of the season due to left knee injury management. A source tells Law Murray of The Athletic (Twitter link) that Bamba has been cleared for contact and has been involved in recent team shootarounds.

Joel Embiid To Make Season Debut Tuesday

November 6th, 2024 at 6:51pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid is set to return to the floor for Philadelphia next Tuesday against the Knicks, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter video link).

Embiid, who had been out all year while managing a knee injury, will serve a three-game suspension handed down after he shoved a reporter, then make his season debut once the suspension is up.

“Joel Embiid is ready,” Charania told Malika Andrews on “NBA Today.” “Sources tell me he will make his season debut next Tuesday at home against the Knicks in the Sixers’ NBA Cup opener. He’ll serve his three-day suspension tonight against the Clippers, Friday against the Lakers, Sunday at home against the Hornets, and then the attention can finally be on basketball for Joel Embiid.”

“We know how great he is when he’s on the court, former league MVP,” Charania continued. “(Sixers head coach) Nick Nurse said it the other day: they need him to re-focus everything about this season on the court, and to play the game of basketball.”

The seven-footer, a seven-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA honoree, won league MVP honors in 2023. Last year, Embiid was healthy for just 39 contests. In those games, he averaged 34.7 points on .529/.388/.883 shooting splits. He also pulled down 11.0 rebounds, handed out 5.6 dimes, blocked 1.7 shots, and had 1.2 steals per night.

Without Embiid, Philadelphia has won just one game. The team is currently 1-5 on the young season.

Sixers Notes: George, Offense, Embiid

November 6th, 2024 at 7:53am CST by Luke Adams

Paul George wasn’t pleased with how he performed on Monday in his Sixers debut. The star forward committed six turnovers and made just 4-of-14 shots from the field (including 1-of-7 three-pointers) in the loss to the Suns.

After the game, George referred to his outing as “bad” and admitted he was “gassed” at times during his 32 minutes, but said he was encouraged by how his knee felt following his recovery from a bone bruise, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I was able to go out there and compete free of any thoughts of my body not holding up,” George said. “I felt completely fine. That was the positive in it. But all around, it was definitely a rusty game.”

While George is still on the Sixers’ injury report, he’s listed as probable to play on Wednesday and there has been no indication he won’t suit up. The game against the Clippers in Los Angeles will represent a reunion for George and his old team — he left L.A. over the summer after spending five seasons with the Clips.

Here’s more on the Sixers:

Although George wasn’t at his best and the Sixers fell to 1-5 with Monday’s loss to Phoenix, the star forward’s debut provided some much-needed hope for Philadelphia, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic, who notes that the offense looked better with George on the floor than it had for most of the season. “He takes a lot of the pressure off all of us,” guard Tyrese Maxey told Jones. “With him on the floor, you can see it. We’re a lot more balanced. I didn’t have to do as much, so I was a lot more fresh. It just helps all of us, having him back.”
League sources tell Sam Amick of The Athletic that Joel Embiid‘s left knee “wasn’t a concern, or even a topic of discussion” among Team USA brass during the Olympics, though team sources say they were managing and monitoring the knee on their end. Within his story on Embiid’s status, Amick also suggests the big man wants to avoid a repeat of last season, when he attempted to play through a minor left knee ailment and suffered a more serious injury to that knee when Jonathan Kuminga fell on it during a January 30 game. That’s one reason why he and the team are taking a cautious approach this fall.
Both Amick and Howard Beck of The Ringer write that the 76ers’ lack of transparency regarding Embiid’s knee injury in recent weeks is a result of an attempt to honor the former MVP’s desire to keep his health issues as private as possible. “He doesn’t want his injuries discussed or explained, by anyone,” Beck writes, arguing that being more forthcoming about his condition would help improve Embiid’s public image. “Every Sixers administration has bowed to those wishes, repeatedly obfuscating on his behalf.”
In case you missed it, Embiid will begin serving his three-game suspension for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes on Wednesday and is on track to make his season debut next Tuesday vs. the Knicks.

NBA Suspends Embiid Three Games For Altercation With Columnist

November 5th, 2024 at 7:26pm CST by Luke Adams

7:26pm: Embiid’s suspension will cover Wednesday’s game against the Clippers, Friday’s contest against the Lakers and Sunday’s game against the Hornets, ESPNs Shams Charania tweets. He’ll be eligible to make his season debut next Tuesday in the NBA Cup opener against the Knicks at Philadelphia.

3:35pm: Sixers center Joel Embiid has been suspended for three games without pay for shoving Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes in the team’s locker room on Saturday, the NBA announced in a press release (Twitter link).

“Mutual respect is paramount to the relationship between players and media in the NBA,” the league’s head of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement. “While we understand Joel was offended by the personal nature of the original version of the reporter’s column, interactions must remain professional on both sides and can never turn physical.”

Embiid called out Hayes last week for columns in which he harshly criticized the former MVP and was reportedly particularly upset about one piece in which Hayes said the injured center isn’t providing a good example as a father for his son Arthur, who was named after the 30-year-old’s late brother. Hayes mentioned Embiid’s son and brother by name in the original version of the column before later removing the reference.

Embiid confronted Hayes in the locker room following Saturday’s loss to Memphis and reportedly had a heated discussion with the veteran columnist, directing some profane comments his way before shoving him.

Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer shared more details on the altercation earlier this week, writing that Hayes attempted to apologize to Embiid but “was rebuffed before the confrontation turned physical.” Hayes said he met with Sixers president Daryl Morey and GM Elton Brand and that they apologized, asked for his side of the story, and “agreed that Embiid’s actions were unacceptable,” Mizell relays.

Embiid has yet to make his debut this fall due to left knee injury management and his suspension won’t begin until he’s healthy enough to play. That may happen soon — Sam Amick of The Athletic reported this morning that there was hope within the organization that the star big man could play his first game of the season on Wednesday vs. the Clippers.

That obviously won’t happen now, but if Embiid is medically cleared to return, he could begin serving his suspension that night. In that scenario, he’d also miss Friday’s game vs. the Lakers and Sunday’s matchup with the Hornets before potentially suiting up next Tuesday vs. the Knicks.

The suspension will cost Embiid $1,063,778 of his $51,415,938 salary, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

Paul George Expected To Make Sixers Debut On Monday

November 3rd, 2024 at 9:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Paul George, the most prominent free agent to switch teams this offseason, is expected to make his Sixers debut on Monday, The Athletic’s duo of Sam Amick and Jenna West report.

George has missed the first five regular-season games due to a hyperextended left knee he suffered during a preseason game on Oct. 14. George is officially listed as questionable, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey tweets, while Joel Embiid remains out.

George, 34, averaged 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game for the Clippers last season before joining Philadelphia on a four-year, maximum-salary contract. George was the Sixers’ No. 1 target in free agency after they opened up ample cap space to reshape their roster.

The Sixers sorely need a boost after losing four of their first five games, including home losses to Detroit and Memphis this past week. Philadelphia is embarking on a three-game road trip that begins in Phoenix on Monday.

George’s presence in the lineup will take some pressure off Tyrese Maxey, who is averaging 29.8 points per night.

Embiid has been held out of action due to left knee injury management, which has been a source of controversy. He had an altercation with a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist in the locker room after the Memphis loss.

Joel Embiid Shoves Columnist In Sixers’ Locker Room

November 2nd, 2024 at 11:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid was involved in a scuffle with a columnist after the Sixers lost at home to Memphis tonight, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Embiid made contact with the journalist, but Charania describes the action as a shove rather than a punch. That version of events was supported by Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Recounting the exchange for PHLY Sports (Twitter video link), Kyle Neubeck identifies the columnist as Marcus Hayes of The Philadelphia Inquirer, whom Embiid singled out in public comments earlier this week. Hayes has written multiple columns accusing Embiid of being unprofessional and blasting the Sixers for a lack of transparency about his condition.

Embiid was particularly upset about a piece from Hayes criticizing him for not being ready for the season opener and claiming that he’s not providing a good example as a father.

“Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son, Arthur, as the major inflection point in his career,” Hayes wrote. “He often says that he wants to be great to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother. … In order to be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid has been great at just the opposite.”

Embiid approached Hayes as soon as he became aware that he was in the locker room, Neubeck adds. He directed some profane comments at the writer, and Neubeck said he added something along the lines of “You can say I suck, you can say whatever you want about me as a player. Don’t ever put my dead brother’s name in your mouth. Don’t talk about my family. Don’t bring them into this. You want to talk to me like a man and talk to me about basketball, that’s different, but if you ever talk about my family again we’re going to have real problems.”

The shove occurred after about 90 seconds of the heated discussion, Neubeck adds, and then team security and other players moved in to break it up.

The Sixers are off to a 1-4 start as Embiid has been sidelined with “left knee injury management.” He has reportedly been making progress toward a recovery, but no date has been set for his return.

It’s possible Embiid could face a suspension that will keep him out of action even longer. An NBA spokesman told Charania “We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation.” (Twitter link)

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