Philadelphia 76ers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, C. Johnson, Rupert, Raptors

May 4th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Joel Embiid called his return to the court “rusty” and coach Doc Rivers said the newly crowned MVP had “growing pains.” Even so, the Sixers were happy to have Embiid back in action Wednesday night, but they’ll need him to play much better to give them a chance to get past the Celtics, writes Rich Hofmann of The Athletic.

Returning from a sprained LCL in his right knee, Embiid played nearly 27 minutes and contributed 15 points, three rebounds and five blocks, but Boston dominated the second half of Game 2 to even up the series. It was Embiid’s first appearance since he suffered the injury on April 20, and he and the team believed it was important for him to resume playing as soon as possible to help reestablish a rhythm.

Embiid added that his injury would normally keep him sidelined for about four to six weeks, and he accepts that he’s not going to be 100 percent during the series.

“I just felt like it probably would have been the same result as far as how I’m feeling if I would have come back in Game 3. Probably rusty and not myself,” he said. “But I feel like I just got this out of the way. Disappointed by the loss, but that’s a step towards getting back to myself.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The Rockets and maybe a couple more teams are likely to make a run at Nets forward Cameron Johnson in free agency, John Hollinger of The Athletic states in a discussion with fellow Athletic writer Alex Schiffer about Brooklyn’s offseason. Hollinger expects Johnson’s next contract to start in the $20MM range, which creates a challenging situation for the Nets, who are about $10MM below the luxury tax line. Re-signing Johnson without cutting salary elsewhere would subject Brooklyn to the repeater tax for a team that’s unlikely to be among the top contenders in the East. Hollinger believes Royce O’Neale‘s $9.6MM contract would be easy to move if they keep Johnson, or the front office could consider stretching the final-year salaries for Joe Harris or Patty Mills.
The Nets may not keep both first-round picks they have at No. 21 and 22, but French shooting guard Rayan Rupert is a name to watch in that range, Hollinger adds. Schiffer notes that general manager Sean Marks has traveled to New Zealand twice to watch Rupert in action.
Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are the most likely players to move if the Raptors are looking for an offseason roster shakeup, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic. Koreen creates trade tiers for Toronto’s roster and considers Scottie Barnes to be the only player who’s “practically untouchable.”

Joel Embiid Cleared To Return For Game 2

May 3rd, 2023 at 6:38pm CST by Luke Adams

6:38pm: Embiid will be in the Sixers’ starting lineup for Game 2, tweets Charania.

9:05am: Newly crowned Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid is on track to return to action in Game 2 of the Sixers‘ second round series against the Celtics, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Charania’s report suggests Embiid is expected to play on Wednesday night in Boston as long as he doesn’t experience any setbacks today.

Embiid has been sidelined since Game 3 of Philadelphia’s first round win over Brooklyn due to a sprained LCL in his right knee. He reportedly received a PRP injection last week to promote healing in the knee. Although he was ruled out for Game 1, reports at the time indicated there was “optimism” about his chances of making it back for Game 2.

According to Charania, after Embiid was officially named MVP on Tuesday night, he turned to the team during a brief celebration and announced, “I’m back.”

If Embiid does return on Wednesday and remains healthy for the remainder of the series, the 76ers have a legitimate opportunity to upset the Celtics, who entered the second round as the favorites to come out of the East.

An Embiid-less Sixers squad pulled out a Game 1 win on the road as James Harden matched a career postseason high with 45 points. That victory ensured the team will return to Philadelphia for Game 3 with no worse than a split of the first two games.

Community Shootaround: NBA Playoff Check-In

May 3rd, 2023 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

After meeting in the NBA Finals a year ago, the Celtics and Warriors will have to overcome early second-round deficits if they hope to compete again for a title this June.

The Celtics lost the first game of their second round series to the Sixers on Monday, despite the fact that the game was played in Boston and Philadelphia was missing MVP center Joel Embiid. The Warriors lost Game 1 to the Lakers on Tuesday even though they made 21 three-pointers to L.A.’s six. The two teams’ disparate styles were on full display, as the Lakers knocked down 15 more two-pointers and 20 more free throws than Golden State.

Even though Embiid is on track to return in Game 2 on Wednesday and Boston has lost its home court advantage, the Celtics are still the favorites to advance beyond the second round, per BetOnline.ag. That’s not the case for the defending champions though, as the Lakers are now considered the betting favorites in the West’s No. 6 vs. No. 7 matchup.

Neither the Celtics (-158) nor the Lakers (-155) are overwhelming favorites in their respective series, but they’re still viewed as better bets to make the conference finals than either the Heat (-118) or Knicks (-102), according to BetOnline.ag.

That matchup of Eastern Conference upstarts is essentially viewed as a toss-up, with the Heat’s split of the first two games in New York having been negated by Jimmy Butler‘s uncertain status going forward after he missed Game 2 with a sprained ankle. Miami is already playing without Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo — missing Butler may leave the team with too little firepower to knock off the Knicks, but if he’s able to return for Game 3 on Saturday, the Heat’s position looks much stronger.

Of the eight teams in the second round, the Nuggets (-430) are the biggest favorites to make the conference finals after registering two strong home wins over the Suns. But with the series heading back to Phoenix, a home victory or two for the Suns could significantly alter the outlook of that matchup.

If the Suns hope to mount a comeback, they’ll likely have to do so without Chris Paul, at least for the next two or three games. The future Hall of Famer has a strained groin and isn’t expected to return to action before next week.

With the first round behind us and this year’s potential title contenders emerging, we want to check in on your thoughts on this spring’s playoffs. Has your NBA Finals pick changed since the postseason tipped off? Which four teams do you expect to make it through to the conference finals? Are the Nuggets the best bet to advance, or is there another team you’re more confident in?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, J. Brown, Celtics, Nets, T. Young

May 3rd, 2023 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday for the first time since being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, Sixers star Joel Embiid referred to the honor as one he has dreamed about since he started playing basketball, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.com. Embiid also expressed pride at having defied the odds, given that he didn’t start playing basketball until he was 15 years old in his home country of Cameroon.

“Probably the probability of someone like me, starting playing basketball at 15, to get the chance to be the MVP of the league is, I’d say, probably negative zero,” Embiid said. “… We don’t have a lot of opportunities back in Africa in general to get to this point. But improbable doesn’t mean impossible, and you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. As long as you believe in it, and you know keep walking hard, anything can happen.”

While Embiid stressed that winning an NBA title would be more meaningful than taking home an individual award, he made an effort not to downplay the achievement and its importance to him.

“Obviously winning a championship is going to be way better and we have that opportunity. But I’m just competitive. I want it all,” he said. “I want to win everything that I can get my hands on and everybody around me knows that. It doesn’t matter if it’s about basketball or if you’re playing a game in life or whatever. I want to win everything. I want to be first.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have silenced doubts about their fit in the last year or two, but a second-round postseason exit by the Celtics might raise new questions about Brown’s long-term future in Boston, says Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. “Jaylen is 26 years old,” one Western Conference coach told Deveney.” He is maybe the best No. 2 option in the league, or right there with LeBron (James) and (Anthony Davis), or Devin Booker–(Kevin) Durant in Phoenix. It is a good thing to be the best No. 2 option, but at his age, I don’t think Jaylen sees it that way. He is good enough to be a No. 1 option for half the teams in the league and maybe he wants that challenge.”
The Nets had preliminary conversations about Hawks big man John Collins prior to the trade deadline in February and some executives wonder whether Brooklyn could circle back on Collins this offseason, Deveney writes for Heavy.com. However, there’s skepticism that the Nets would be able to make a play for Collins without moving Ben Simmons, and Simmons’ trade value will be extremely limited.
Eric Koreen of The Athletic considers whether Thaddeus Young‘s expiring contract could be a useful trade asset this offseason for a Raptors team that will be looking to upgrade its rotation. Young seems more likely to be waived than traded, since his $8MM salary for 2023/24 is only guaranteed for $1MM. His outgoing salary for matching purposes in a trade would be equivalent to his partial guarantee, so the Raptors would have to increase that guarantee in order to take back a mid-sized contract, which would reduce Young’s value.

Sixers Center Joel Embiid Wins First MVP Award

May 2nd, 2023 at 6:07pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Joel Embiid has been named the league’s Most Valuable Player, according to the NBA (Twitter link).

The Sixers center surged during the second half of the season and topped Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who won the award the past two seasons, and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who captured the league’s most prestigious individual award in 2019 and 2020.

Embiid, the third overall pick of the 2014 draft, led Philadelphia to the Eastern Conference’s third-best record while topping the league in scoring at 33.1 points per game. He also averaged 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 66 regular-season games.

Jokic, who was considered the frontrunner a majority of the season, averaged 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and a career-best 9.8 assists in 69 games while leading Denver to the Western Conference’s top seed. Jokic’s assist average ranked fourth in the league, an unusual feat for a center.

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to the league’s best record by averaging 31.1 points (fifth in the league), 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 63 games. Milwaukee’s superstar tied for third in the league in rebounding with Jokic.

The votes were based only on the regular season, so Milwaukee’s first-round playoff exit had no bearing on the voting.

Considering the MVP debate raged throughout the season, it was a little surprising that Embiid won by such a wide margin. He picked up 73 of the 100 first-place votes, while Jokic received 15 and Antetokounmpo got the other 12.

Overall, Embiid had 915 points with Jokic in second place (674 points) and the Bucks star in third (606). The Celtics‘ Jayson Tatum received most of the fourth-place votes and the Thunder‘s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished fifth.

Donovan Mitchell, Domantas Sabonis, Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, De’Aaron Fox, Jalen Brunson, and Ja Morant also received at least one vote apiece.

Embiid is the first Sixers player to win the award since Allen Iverson (2000-01).

Atlantic Notes: Harden, Embiid, Celtics, D. Rose

May 2nd, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Since arriving in Philadelphia at the 2022 trade deadline, James Harden has accepted a reduced offensive role, playing second fiddle to Joel Embiid. Harden’s 25.0% usage rate in 79 regular season games since joining the Sixers is his lowest mark since his last year in Oklahoma City in 2011/12.

With Embiid sidelined for Game 1 of the Sixers’ second-round series vs. Boston, however, Harden turned in a vintage performance, matching his career playoff high with 45 points on 17-of-30 shooting in a narrow upset victory. While the scoring outburst may have surprised many observers, Harden suggested in his postgame comments that it was simply a matter of adjusting his mindset on offense.

“My coaches, my teammates, what they expect me to do all throughout the course of the year was be a facilitator and get Joel the basketball and score when necessary. Joel wasn’t here tonight, you know what I mean?” Harden said, per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. “…Now it’s like, ‘All right, open the floor. James, you be aggressive.’ And tonight, I was aggressive. So, it’s not that I’m not capable of doing it, it just … this is my role for this team. Now, if you want me to do (what I did) tonight, then I can do that as well.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Joel Embiid worked out on Tuesday afternoon, but Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said there’s “no change in his status” yet, Bontemps writes for ESPN.com. Previous reporting suggested there was optimism about Embiid’s ability to return from his knee injury for Game 2. While Rivers didn’t confirm that, he did say that Philadelphia’s Game 1 win won’t make the team any less willing to bring back the star center for Game 2. “It’s just health-based,” Rivers said. “If he can play, he plays. If he can’t, he can’t. And if it’s 50-50, we would probably err on (the side of sitting him), because we’ve done that all year.”
Following the Celtics‘ disappointing Game 1 loss, Al Horford told reporters that the team lacked defensive urgency and that he believes Embiid’s absence contributed to that, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon hypothesized that other Sixers players felt “empowered” with Embiid unavailable. “Everybody else has the green light and guys are gonna step up, and I thought that’s what happened tonight,” Brogdon said, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “I think we expected that, guys to step up, but we still struggled with it. We just gotta be prepared.”
Even though he believes he still has “a lot left in the tank,” Knicks guard Derrick Rose has embraced his role as a veteran mentor who’s not part of the rotation, writes Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “I’m fully invested in everything to be here. And if I (wasn’t), I wouldn’t be on the team,” Rose said. “… I’m thankful that they didn’t trade me or buy me out or waive me. I’m happy I have some type of value.”

Heat Notes: Love, Lowry, Roster, Oladipo

May 2nd, 2023 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

While Kevin Love admits that he thought he was a “collision course” with his old team in the second round of the playoffs, he didn’t derive any extra pleasure from seeing the Cavaliers sent home while his Heat advanced, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. As Love explains, he holds no ill will toward the Cavs — he sought a buyout simply because he wanted to have the sort of role that he no longer had in Cleveland.

“I think more than anything I just wanted to I want to be a part of it,” he said. “I wanted to be out there. I felt like I could be productive and help win more than just being a great vet and then helping those guys along. Because I still love those guys. I’m still on the group chat with them. But definitely know I have a lot more to give and just wanted to play.”

Love gave up a little money to secure his release from the fourth-seeded Cavs and confirms he considered joining the third-seeded Sixers before signing with the Heat, who ultimately claimed the No. 8 spot in the East. The move down the standings was somewhat unusual for a veteran on the buyout market, but Miami’s postseason success so far has vindicated Love’s decision.

“You always talk about culture, but until you get here, it’s pretty eye-opening that its level of professionalism is not really rivaled anywhere else,” Love said of the Heat. “It’s a beautiful thing.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Both Love (nine points, five rebounds, four assists) and veteran point guard Kyle Lowry (18 points, six assists, four blocks) turned back the clock with their performances in Miami’s Game 1 win over New York, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lowry’s two years in Miami have been up and down – he has missed significant time due to injuries and personal matters – but his teammates believe in his ability to come up big in the postseason. “(Lowry) is a winner. He’s our leader, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench,” Jimmy Butler said on Sunday. “He’s a champion, and he’s been doing a great job for us all year long and since he’s been here. He’s one of the engines that helps us go, and we’re going to ride that wave.”
As the Heat look to become the second ever No. 8 seed to make it to the conference finals, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald explores whether the team’s roster was built specifically for playoff success.
With Victor Oladipo‘s availability for next season up in the air as a result of his left knee injury, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald wonders whether waiving and stretching Oladipo’s 2023/24 salary ($9.45MM, assuming he exercises his player option) will be something the Heat seriously consider this summer.

Joel Embiid Out For Game 1; “Optimism” For Game 2

May 1st, 2023 at 5:10pm CST by Rory Maher

5:10pm: Embiid won’t play in Game 1 on Monday. The team has ruled him out, Gina Mizell of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

2:47pm: Joel Embiid is likely to be sidelined for Monday’s Game 1 in Boston, but the Sixers are optimistic about their best player’s chances of a possible return for Wednesday’s Game 2, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on NBA Today (Twitter video link).

The star center is officially listed as doubtful for tonight’s game. He has done some light on-court work in the past couple days, but he still hasn’t been able to run much.

Embiid had a PRP injection last week to promote healing in the sprained LCL in his right knee. He sustained the injury during Game 3 of the Sixers’ first-round series against the Nets on April 20; Philadelphia went on to win the series 4-0.

A previous report indicated there was optimism the MVP finalist would be able to return at some point during the series. Embiid averaged a league-high 33.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.7 BPG on .548/.330/.857 shooting in 66 games (34.6 MPG) during the 2022/23 regular season.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Harden, Lineup Changes

May 1st, 2023 at 10:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers center Joel Embiid received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in his injured right knee as he tries to return for the team’s second-round playoff series, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (video link). He is listed as doubtful for Game 1, which will take place on Monday night in Boston.

Embiid had the injection last week and was able to take part in portions of Sunday’s practice, Charania adds, but he reiterates that the LCL injury Embiid suffered is more serious than the Grade 1 sprain that was reported. The Sixers star has been able to do some shooting recently, but sources tell Charania that he has done very little running and the team would consider it “a miracle” if he is able to play tonight.

Embiid participated in Philadelphia’s shootaround this morning, where he did some light shooting (video link from Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer). His last game action was April 20, when he injured the knee late in Game 3 against the Nets.

There’s more on the Sixers:

Embiid’s workout on Sunday was encouraging and there’s optimism that he’ll return at some point even if he’s not ready tonight, Pompey states in a full story. Embiid didn’t require a brace and was able to move around “fluidly,” according to Pompey. He also participated in shooting drills with James Harden after practice. “He did a little bit more,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Not much. He didn’t do any running or anything like that, but just did some shooting. So he’s better. He’s progressing.”
This may be Harden’s best opportunity to change the narrative about his playoff failures, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Harden said he has emphasized “sacrifice” this season, from taking a contract below market value that left the Sixers with cap room to sign free agents to making an effort to involve his teammates more in the offense. “I think he and Doc and Joel really have been on the same page, but probably the person who had to change the way he approaches and plays the game the most was James,” said president of basketball operations Daryl Morey.
Embiid’s uncertain status is causing the Celtics to prepare for lineups they may not have been before, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. “It doesn’t change our mindset,” Malcolm Brogdon said. “It does change our game plan. That’s a team that’s built around Joel, everything he does. All the isos and just a high level of scoring, and now that scoring is going to be a little bit dispersed. Harden is going to be more aggressive, (Tyrese) Maxey is going to be more aggressive, and then all the role guys are going to be more aggressive. They’ve got a lot of good players, so we can’t just focus in on one guy.”

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Playoff Break, Celtics

April 30th, 2023 at 1:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Injured Sixers center Joel Embiid faces a big test in the second round of the 2023 Eastern Conference playoffs. Rich Hoffman of The Athletic submits three key questions facing the star big man ahead of Philadelphia’s impending matchup against the Celtics.

Embiid is dealing with a lateral collateral ligament right knee sprain, and the health of that knee will be a huge focus of both teams in the series. Boston center Robert Williams III came off the bench in the team’s first-round series against the Hawks, but given how imperative Embiid is to the Sixers’ play, Hoffman wonders if Williams may get a starting nod to help stifle the 7’1″ MVP candidate. Hoffman notes that Jayson Tatum‘s help defense on Embiid was a big part of the Celtics’ game planning against him.

There’s more out of Philadelphia:

The Sixers enjoyed the lengthiest break between playoff series for any club in four years, writes Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “We will take it, I think, at the end of the day,” head coach Doc Rivers said of the extended layoff. “This is the longest [break between series] I’ve ever had, so [we are] just trying to keep our guys as sharp as possible, and all that is not easy.” Mizell adds that Philadelphia has been working on honing its spacing on offense and some defensive concepts.
Given Embiid’s LCL injury, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if the Sixers will be able to adjust successfully enough to defeat the Celtics. Guards Tyrese Maxey and James Harden would be expected to help carry more of the scoring burden, and reserve center Paul Reed could see more run as Embiid manages the knee.
Rivers said that Embiid should still be considered doubtful to suit up for the opening game of the Sixers’ series against the Celtics on Monday, but continues to make strides in his rehab, Pompey tweets. Embiid did participate at least a little in Sunday’s practice, Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com reports.

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