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Sixers Hire Roy Hibbert As Player Development Coach

August 9th, 2019 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former NBA big man Roy Hibbert is transitioning into coaching, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who reports (via Twitter) that the Sixers have hired Hibbert in a player development coaching role.

A two-time All-Star as a player, Hibbert looked like a franchise cornerstone for the Pacers in the early 2010s, but his production and effectiveness fell off a cliff several years ago. After making stops with the Lakers, Hornets, and Nuggets during his final two NBA seasons, the 7’2″ center hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2016/17 season.

Although he’s still only 32 years old, Hibbert has seemingly given up on the idea of making an NBA comeback, and is now looking to begin his coaching career. He’ll get his start on Brett Brown‘s staff in Philadelphia, which is headlined by assistants Ime Udoka and Jim O’Brien.

The O’Brien connection is worth noting — the current 76ers assistant was Hibbert’s head coach in Indiana during the center’s first three years in the league.

Sixers Sign Isaiah Miles

August 8th, 2019 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have officially signed free agent forward Isaiah Miles to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. While terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, it’ll be an Exhibit 10 contract, per Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice (Twitter link).

Miles, who went undrafted out of St. Joe’s in 2016, has played professionally overseas of the last three years. He has spent time with teams in France and Turkey, having played for Limoges CSP in 2018/19. In 50 games (22.9 MPG) for the French club, he averaged 9.6 PPG and 3.7 RPG, knocking down 41.4% of his three-point attempts.

The Sixers have a bit of history with Miles, having added him to their Summer League roster in 2017 and 2018. He played for the Magic’s Summer League team this year, but is now on track to head to camp with Philadelphia.

After signing Miles, the 76ers have just one spot left on their 20-man offseason roster. They have 14 players on guaranteed deals, a pair on two-way contracts, and three on non-guaranteed pacts. As noted above, Miles – the 19th man under contract – will join Trey Burke and Christ Koumadje as players without fully guaranteed salaries.

Six NBA Players On Australia’s World Cup Roster

August 7th, 2019 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

Team Australia has formally announced its 12-man roster for the 2019 World Cup, and the group features six NBA players.

Aron Baynes (Suns), Joe Ingles (Jazz), Patty Mills (Spurs), Matthew Dellavedova (Cavaliers), and Jonah Bolden (Sixers) are part of the 12-man squad. So is former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut, who is technically back under contract with the NBL’s Sydney Kings, but was part of the Warriors team that appeared in the NBA Finals this spring.

Australia’s roster is rounded out by NBL players Cameron Gliddon, Chris Goulding, Nathan Sobey, and Nicholas Kay, along with Jock Landale and Xavier Cooks. Landale currently plays for Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas, while Cooks is a member of SIG Strasbourg in France.

Although Team Australia has a strong roster, there are no guarantees that the squad will make a deep run in next month’s event. The Boomers finds themselves in Group H, which features a handful of tough competitors — Lithuania, Canada, and Senegal. Only the top two teams will advance to the second round.

Clippers/Lakers To Headline NBA’s 2019 Christmas Day Schedule

August 2nd, 2019 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has set its Christmas Day schedule for the 2019/20 season, according to reports from multiple ESPN writers. Adrian Wojnarowski, Tim Bontemps, and Malika Andrews have details on the five games set for December 25, 2019.

While the order and times of the games haven’t yet been confirmed, these are the five matchups we’ll see on Christmas Day this December, per ESPN’s reporting:

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors
Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors
New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets

The Clippers/Lakers and Bucks/Sixers matchups will pit the two current favorites from the Western and Eastern Conferences against one another. Those games figure to be the headliners of the day, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George squaring off against LeBron James and Anthony Davis, plus Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid going head-to-head.

The Rockets/Warriors game – a rematch of the most competitive Western postseason rivalry of the last two years – should be an entertaining showdown as well, even without Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson in the picture. James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and D’Angelo Russell will still provide plenty of star power.

The defending champion Raptors will make a rare Christmas Day appearance, hosting the new-look Celtics, led by Kemba Walker. It’ll also be a rare December 25 home game for the Nuggets, who will take on the young, up-and-coming Pelicans and No. 1 pick Zion Williamson.

Which Christmas Day game are you most looking forward to in 2019? Are there any teams or matchups you’re disappointed to see (or not see) on the December 25 schedule? Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

Perimeter Threats Dot Roster Despite Loss Of Redick

July 31st, 2019 at 6:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Despite the loss of J.J. Redick, the Sixers have plenty of perimeter shooters on their current roster, as Derek Bodner of The Athletic details. Tobias Harris, Josh Richardson, Mike Scott, Al Horford, James Ennis, Trey Burke and Raul Neto loom as long-range threats but mainly in catch-and-shoot situations. That means Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons need to create and open up space for their perimeter players.

Point guards Trey Burke and Raul Neto could be useful members of the Sixers’ rotation but big man Kyle O’Quinn will have regain the form he showed earlier in his career with the Knicks to make a meaningful contribution, Mike O’Connor of The Athletic writes. O’Connor breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of the incoming reserve trio and how they’ll fit in.

Sixers Sign Trey Burke To One-Year Deal

July 30th, 2019 at 2:34pm CST by ChrisCrouse

JULY 30: The Sixers’ deal with Burke is now official, the team confirmed today in a press release.

“Trey’s experience as a ballhandler matched with his scoring ability makes him a good fit for our roster,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “We’re excited to welcome him to the 76ers and look forward to the positive impact he can have on our team.”

JULY 25: The Sixers will add free agent point guard Trey Burke on a one-year deal, Shams Charania of The Athletic relays (Twitter link).

It will be a one-year pact at the minimum and will only be partially guaranteed, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

Burke began last season on the Knicks before the team traded him to the Mavs in the Kristaps Porzingis deal. Burke saw action in 25 games for Dallas, scoring 9.7 points per contest.

Philadelphia has revamped its second unit this summer. The team signed Kyle O’Quinn and Raul Neto while bringing back Mike Scott, Furkan Korkmaz and James Ennis so far this offseason.

The Sixers also added first-round pick Matisse Thybulle and will look to get a full season out of Zhaire Smith.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Ballmer, Wright, West, Warriors

July 27th, 2019 at 8:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Steve Ballmer’s actions over the past year should end any speculation that he has a long-term strategy to move the Clippers to Seattle, writes Arash Markazi of The Los Angeles Times. Ballmer has strong ties to the Pacific Northwest, where he made his fortune as CEO of Microsoft. He tried to buy the SuperSonics in 2008 and had a deal in place to move the Kings to Seattle in 2013 before it fell through.

However, Ballmer recognizes that the Clippers would drop in value if they were moved from the nation’s second-largest media market and has been taking steps to ensure their long-term future in Los Angeles. The team formally announced plans Thursday for a new 18,500-seat arena in Inglewood that will be built without public money. Ballmer also approved two bold moves this summer to acquire Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, making the Clippers legitimate contenders for the NBA title.

“We’re not moving the team to Seattle,” Ballmer declared recently. “We’re building a new billion-dollar-plus home in Inglewood.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

The Clippers made an addition to their coaching staff this week by hiring Todd Wright, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Wright served as head of strength and conditioning as well as an assistant coach for the Sixers for the past four seasons.
The Lakers will part with director of player personnel Ryan West, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic (Twitter link). The son of NBA legend Jerry West had been with the team since he was hired as a scout in 2009 and is given credit for identifying D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson in their respective drafts. West’s departure was a mutual decision that was reached in the past few days, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. His contract had expired and he and the organization agreed that he had “reached a ceiling” in his current role.
Salary cap expert David Kelly, who serves as general counsel for the Warriors, shares his perspective on an eventful offseason with Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Klay Thompson had assured Golden State officials that he was staying, which eliminated one worry when they got official notice that Kevin Durant was leaving for the Nets. The focus immediately shifted to Russell, whom the team had targeted as a potential option several months before. Kelly had to work through a complex series of maneuvers before a sign-and-trade with Brooklyn could be legally completed.

Ben Simmons Won’t Play In Australia’s Exhibition Games

July 27th, 2019 at 7:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Ben Simmons has changed his mind about playing in exhibition games with Australia’s World Cup team, relays Roy Ward of The Age.

The Sixers‘ star never planned to participate in the tournament, but he indicated that he wanted to work out with the Boomers and suit up for exhibition contests, including a pair against Team USA. However, Basketball Australia issued a statement today citing Simmons’ “professional obligations,” along with a desire to have the actual World Cup team together for those games.

“After talking with coach Andrej (Lemanis), we both agreed it was better for me to not participate in this year’s 2019 World Cup and exhibition games,” Simmons said. “With our focus being to win a medal at the 2020 Olympics, the Boomers’ preparation in the lead up to the world championships is of the utmost importance and me not playing allows the team to create the chemistry they need to compete at the highest level and qualify for the Olympics. I want to thank Basketball Australia for their continued support and I’m committed and excited to compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.”

Fellow Australian Patty Mills of the Spurs predicts a bright future for Simmons in international play, but said it’s important to focus on the upcoming competition.

“We appreciate his continued support and willingness to still be a valuable part of the team as we prepare for our ultimate goal of winning a medal at the World Champs for the first time,” Mills said. “… Ben will be next in line to play a significant leadership role in carrying on the legacy of our team and what it means to represent the Green and Gold as a Boomer with pride, which we all have done for so long.”

Simmons’ departure follows a long string of withdrawals from Team USA that includes some of the NBA’s biggest stars. Several new invitations to training camp were announced Thursday.

Sixers Re-Sign Furkan Korkmaz

July 26th, 2019 at 8:05am CST by Dana Gauruder

JULY 26: The Sixers’ deal with Korkmaz is now official, the club announced on Thursday night in a press release.

“We’re excited to have Furkan back and look forward to his continued growth and contributions,” GM Elton Brand said in a statement. “He has a strong work ethic and he’s well-respected in our locker room. Having just turned 22, Furkan is a talented young player with significant potential, and we’re thrilled to have him on our roster.”

JULY 24: Free agent swingman Furkan Korkmaz has agreed to re-sign with the Sixers on a two-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.

Korkmaz will receive the veteran’s minimum of $1.62MM next season and $1.76MM in 2020/21, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets.

The 6’7” Korkmaz, a 2016 first-rounder, averaged 5.8 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 14.1 MPG over 48 regular-season games last season. He also made four appearances in the playoffs. He saw action in 14 games during the 2017/18 season.

Philadelphia renounced its rights to Korkmaz earlier this month and it appeared he was headed overseas to play in Turkey. However, he ultimately decided to stay in the NBA and he’ll provide depth at the wings behind starters Tobias Harris and Josh Richardson. The Sixers now have 14 players with guaranteed contracts and a pair of two-way players.

Horford Denies Sixers Tampered

July 22nd, 2019 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Sixers power forward Al Horford shot down an ESPN report that his new team was guilty of tampering prior to free agency. He addressed the issue on the Dan Patrick Show (hat tip to NBC Sports Boston’s Chris Forsberg). Horford declined his team option with the Celtics and signed a four-year, $109MM contract with Philadelphia. “It’s ridiculous. … (Celtics GM) Danny [Ainge] was really good to me. I know he’s definitely frustrated that things didn’t work out with us,” Horford said.

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