Ben Simmons

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Sixers, Knicks, Durant, Simmons

February 22nd, 2022 at 10:56pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Five-time Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid admitted that he considered quitting basketball entirely during his rookie year, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid was drafted by the Sixers in 2014 with the third pick out of Kansas, but didn’t suit up for Philadelphia until the 2016/17 season. Surgeries for a navicular bone in his right foot delayed Embiid’s NBA debut for two years while he grieved the death of a family member off the court.

“You look back at my first year after the surgery,” Embiid said. “Obviously, I lost my brother at that time, too. Going back to Cameroon, I really wanted to stop playing basketball and really retire because at that point you just had surgery, and everybody is talking about ‘You’re not going to make it’ or ‘You’re never going to play in the league,’ and, obviously, the loss of my brother was big. I wanted to give up. I almost did. It was hard.”

The 28-year-old has since become one of the most dominant centers in the NBA, and is currently building a convincing MVP case with a terrific and mostly healthy season thus far. He is averaging 29.6 PPG, 11.2 RPG and 4.5 APG through 46 games this season. Embiid boasts shooting splits of .495/.369/.813.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

While the identities of four Sixers starters are fairly clear heading into the home stretch of the 2021/22 NBA season, the team has several options for the fifth starting role, per Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice. With James Harden, Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris and Embiid entrenched in the club’s starting lineup. Neubeck considers whether they’d be best complemented by the defensive attributes of Matisse Thybulle, the corner three-point shooting of Danny Green or Furkan Korkmaz, or the size advantage of Georges Niang.
With a 25-34 record, the Knicks face an uphill battle to even make the play-in tournament this season. Fred Katz of The Athletic wonders at what point second-year New York head coach Tom Thibodeau, whose job may be in jeopardy this summer, may opt to prioritize developing the team’s youth over less-than-meaningful victories. Katz also theorizes about the potential markets awaiting 2022 unrestricted free agent center Mitchell Robinson, and forward Cam Reddish, whom the Knicks could either opt to extend this summer or allow to reach restricted free agency next year.
Nets team president Sean Marks expects stars Kevin Durant and Ben Simmons to join the team on the hardwood fairly soon, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “Depending when they go, we’ve got to see how they respond to days like [Tuesday], and we’ll go forward with this,” Marks said. “It’s probably going to be tough, to be honest, to be playing in the next three or four days. But we’ll see how it all plays out.”

Nets Notes: Drummond, Simmons, Trade Reactions

February 22nd, 2022 at 7:52am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran center Andre Drummond played more than 22 minutes just once in his final 31 games as a Sixer, but he has already exceeded that benchmark twice in three appearances since being traded to the Nets.

Drummond, who has averaged 21.7 minutes per game with the Nets, will likely see that number continue to increase as long as his conditioning is up to par, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. The big man says he has felt “tired” since arriving in Brooklyn, but is looking forward to getting the chance to play more.

“From the moment I’ve got here, I condition in the morning and I condition after the game,” Drummond said. “So by the time the [All-Star] break is over, I should be back to normal again, just getting myself back in that speed and that mode again.”

Having averaged an impressive 12.3 rebounds per game in his part-time role so far, Drummond is helping to address an area of weakness for the Nets. Head coach Steve Nash, noting that his team had “struggled to rebound the ball,” said he’s counting on the 28-year-old to continue playing a key role.

“He fills needs that our group is looking for, and we’re excited for him to continue to get more comfortable in the way we play and also really get in great shape,” Nash said. “He’s going to play more minutes for us as far as the way we project things to go, so he’s used to [backing up Joel Embiid], but we’re asking him to play more.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

The plan is for Ben Simmons to “really ramp it up this week” to see where he’s at in terms of his conditioning, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne said during an appearance on NBA Today on Monday (video link). Although Shelburne suggests Simmons is “getting close,” she cautions that his Nets debut isn’t imminent yet. “It’s going to be more like weeks rather than months,” Shelburne said (hat tip to NetsDaily).
Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to a handful of players at All-Star Weekend to get their thoughts on the Simmons/James Harden blockbuster completed on February 10 by the Nets and Sixers. “Just 12 months ago … we were thinking Brooklyn was going to go on to win five championships in a row, and that was the narrative, ‘Who can stop this Big Three?’ It didn’t pan out that way, and now they’re shuffling the deck again,” veteran guard Fred VanVleet said, jokingly adding that, for the Raptors’ sake, he hopes the deal doesn’t work out for either team.
At 31-28, the Nets hold the No. 8 seed in the East and wouldn’t be guaranteed a playoff spot if the season ended today. However, veteran guard Patty Mills is optimistic about what the rest of the season will look like for the club, especially once Kevin Durant returns and Simmons is available. “I think being able to add the pieces we’ve added, getting people back from injury, this is who we got,” Mills said, per Peter Botte of The New York Post. “I keep talking about the vibe around the locker room and everyone enjoying each other’s presence. … You can feel it in the locker room and that’s gonna carry us a long way, I believe, if we can stay tight as a group. It’s gonna take all of us to get the job done. It’s a massive push for us coming up.”

Sixers Notes: Championship Potential, Simmons, Maxey

February 18th, 2022 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

With just 24 games between now and the playoffs, it will be a challenge for the Sixers‘ new superstar duo of James Harden and Joel Embiid to mesh quickly enough to make the team a legitimate championship threat this spring.

However, head coach Doc Rivers‘ plan isn’t to work out the kinks this year and focus on winning a title in 2023. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, Rivers fully believes the team is capable of a championship run this spring and wants to make the most of the opportunity.

“I always think right now,” Rivers said on Thursday. “I’ve been in this league too long. And I always go back to [the Celtics’ 2007/08 NBA championship team.] Kevin [Garnett] and I talk about it all the time. I remember the first year during training camp we had a meeting and they were saying, ‘Man, we have to get it together. This might not be the year. But by next year, we might…’ I said, ‘Next year? Are you guys kidding me? Next year one of you can get hurt.’

“I know it’s short. I know it’s going to be hard to get it together. But having said that, the time is always now.”

Here’s more on the 76ers:

Appearing on the Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said he believes Ben Simmons was dealing with mental health struggles in Philadelphia, as Dan Feldman of NBC Sports relays. “I believe him. He was going through something,” Morey said. “And it was just whether or not we could’ve gotten to the point where we would have him play basketball for us,”
During the same interview, Morey said he should have communicated better with Simmons when the Sixers were originally trying to acquire Harden from Houston in 2021, and that he “should have had a better relationship” with the former No. 1 overall pick. “I think knowing how sensitive he was to public comments that that behooved us to be, just organizationally, more careful on that,” Morey said, per Feldman. “I think it’s important you know your top players and their different spots where you have to pay attention.”
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey will replace injured Kings guard Davion Mitchell in Friday’s “Clutch Challenge,” a shooting competition that will take place prior to the Rising Stars final, the league announced in a press release. Maxey will team up with Toronto forward Scottie Barnes in the event.
In case you missed it, we asked on Thursday whether the Sixers or Nets are better positioned for a deep playoff run.

Nets Notes: Durant, Harris, Adams, Irving, Mills, Simmons

February 17th, 2022 at 5:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets will face the Celtics next Thursday in their first game after the All-Star break. Don’t expect Kevin Durant to be in uniform for that game, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post. Coach Steve Nash said Durant will be eased back into action from his knee injury.

“I’m not like, ‘He’s going to play right when the break ends.’ There’s obviously a small chance, but we want to be really careful because a setback would be tough when there are 20 or so games left,” Nash said. “We don’t want to jeopardize there and have a setback where he misses another six to 12 games, so I think we’ll be cautious coming out of the break. There’s a chance he could play, but I think it’s more likely that we don’t get our hopes that he’s going to play the first game out of the break.”

Durant hasn’t played since January 15.

We have more on the Nets:

It’s been two weeks since reports revealed that Joe Harris was mulling a second ankle surgery. Nothing has changed in that regard, Lewis notes in the same story. “I think everything’s on the table at this point,” Nash said. “We hope that he comes back, but we have no idea where this is going to go at this point.”
New New York City mayor Eric Adams agrees with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver that current city rules barring Kyrie Irving from playing home games, while opposing players don’t face the same sanctions, are unjust, Sam Raskin of the New York Post writes. “First of all, I think the rule’s unfair. I believe that we are saying to out-of-town athletes that they can come in and not be vaccinated, yet New York athletes do have to be vaccinated,” Adams said. However, Adams is concerned about “sending the wrong message” by lifting the sanctions altogether for fear of another outbreak.
Veteran point guard Patty Mills hasn’t been teammates with Ben Simmons for very long but senses that his fellow Australian is hungry to reestablish himself, Nick Friedell of ESPN relays. “His demeanor and his desire not only to get back on the floor but make a significant impact — he’s got a lot of, I believe, fire built up underneath him that has a desire to get back and be the player that he is, and even get better, and even grow and even develop,” Mills said. “And that’s one thing that I’m excited to be in the same room and locker room as him to do my part to help him develop and help him grow and help in any way possible there.”

Adam Silver Comments On Harden-Simmons Trade, Press Conferences

February 15th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

NBA commissioner Adam Silver was not a fan of the way new Sixers All-Star guard James Harden or new Nets player Ben Simmons, the centerpieces of a trade for each other last week, forced their way off their former teams’ rosters. In a conversation with Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, Silver discussed the transaction.

“Players forcing their way out of situations is not new in this league,” Silver said. “I’d love to find a way where to the extent there’s player movement, it didn’t happen in that fashion.”

Silver’s big issue with the deal was the very public nature of the players’ grievances.

“I accept that there will always be conversations behind closed doors, when teams are unhappy, or players are unhappy, [but] the last thing you want to see is for these issues to play out publicly,” Silver said. “One of the things that I continue to do in my role is to think about ways we can improve the system.”

In his first press remarks as a Sixer today, Harden suggested that he had wanted to join All-Star center Joel Embiid in Philadelphia since forcing his way off the Rockets roster during the 2020/21 season, when he was initially shipped to Brooklyn. Harden also allowed that the limited availability of Nets point guard Kyrie Irving had some influence on his decision to demand a trade from the team. Irving has long refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and due to New York’s current vaccine mandate, is not allowed to play at home games for Brooklyn.

Ben Simmons had an interesting press conference of his own today, telling reporters that mental health issues played a big part in his controversial decision to refuse to suit up for 54 games with the Sixers this season prior to the trade.

“I did watch a little bit of James and Ben’s press conferences earlier today,” Silver continued. “And you’re reminded that when you see them sitting up there, on those podiums doing these interviews, these are human beings, who, in both cases, have gone through very stressful situations.”

Ben Simmons: No One To Blame For Situation With Sixers

February 15th, 2022 at 1:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

At his introductory press conference with the Nets today, Ben Simmons said he doesn’t blame anyone in Philadelphia for the way his relationship with the Sixers ended. Addressing the media for the first time in more than 250 days, Simmons said he’s looking forward to playing again after the trade that sent him to Brooklyn last week.

Although there were reports that Simmons was upset over comments made by coach Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid following the seventh game of last season’s second-round loss to the Hawks, Simmons emphasized that the mental health issues that caused him to pull away from the team started long before that.

“For me, it was just making sure mentally I was right to get out there and play again,” he said (video link). “That’s something I’ve been dealing with, and it wasn’t about the fans or coaches or comments made by anybody. It was just a personal thing for me. That was earlier than that series or even that season that I was dealing with, and that organization knew that. So it’s something that I continue to deal with, and you know, I’m getting there and getting to the right place to get back on the floor.”

Simmons’ answer was much shorter when asked about Embiid — he responded, “No, I did not,” when asked if he talked to his former teammate after the trade was announced (video link). Embiid expressed frustration over Simmons’ situation more than once this season, notes Adam Hermann of NBC Sports Philadelphia, so it’s not surprising that they didn’t have anything to say to each another when Simmons left.

The Nets don’t have a date set for Simmons’ expected debut, but he said he’s “starting to ramp it up” to get ready to return to the court, according to an ESPN story. He told reporters that he hopes to be in uniform March 10 when Brooklyn travels to Philadelphia.

Simmons, the No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft, offered thanks to the Sixers and their fans for supporting him during the six season he played in Philadelphia, the ESPN article adds. He said he spoke with Rivers, general manager Elton Brand and teammate Tobias Harris after the trade went through.

He also expressed excitement about teaming up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, saying the combination “is going to be scary.”

Simmons went through his first shootaround with his new team Monday night and joined his teammates on the bench afterward, per Nick Friedell of ESPN. Coach Steve Nash said it will be a “joint decision” between Simmons and the Nets’ staff on when he resumes playing.

“We have to put him in a position to have the necessary conditioning underneath him and to feel safe with it,” Nash said. “And then he also has to feel confident and comfortable that the time has come. So whenever that is, hopefully there’s a great partnership on those decisions.”

New York Notes: Claxton, Simmons, Barrett, Arcidiacono

February 14th, 2022 at 6:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Nets center Nic Claxton feared he would be dealt prior to last week’s deadline, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Claxton termed the days leading up to the trade deadline as a “roller coaster,” but sounds happy to stay in Brooklyn and is looking forward to playing with Ben Simmons, Friedell adds. Claxton returned to action on Monday after injuring his hamstring on February 4.

We have more on the New York teams:

Nets coach Steve Nash says Simmons “is in a pretty good place mentally” and will be ready to play “when he’s ready physically,” Adam Zagoria of Forbes.com tweets. The Nets’ medical staff will determine the timetable for Simmons’ debut, with speculation that he could suit up after the All-Star break on February 24 against Boston.
RJ Barrett missed Monday’s game against Oklahoma City but has shed his walking boot, Fred Katz of The Athletic tweets. The Knicks’ guard has now missed three games due to a left ankle sprain.
Guard Ryan Arcidiacono’s contract with the Knicks is a one-year deal for the minimum and he’ll be a free agent again this summer, Katz reports in another tweet. Arcidiacono inked the rest-of-the-season contract on Sunday.

Nets Notes: Curry, Drummond, Simmons, Durant, Irving

February 12th, 2022 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Some of Seth Curry‘s family members may not have been pleased with Thursday’s trade that sent him from the Sixers to the Nets, but he’s looking forward to the opportunity in Brooklyn, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Curry, who is married to the daughter of Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers, was part of the price the Sixers had to pay to bring in James Harden.

“I had a feeling if this trade did go down I was going to be a part of it,” Curry said. “I was preparing for the last week or so. I kind of prepared my mind for it, and I’m just looking forward to the next opportunity. I feel I can fit into a lot of different situations: Play with the ball, play without the ball. I’m just looking forward into coming here and trying to help these guys in whatever way I can.”

Curry ranks second among active players in career three-point shooting percentage at 43.7%, so his role should be obvious, especially on a team that might not get Joe Harris back this season. Curry became a full-time starter for the first time in his career during his year and a half with the Sixers and he’s averaging a career-high 15.0 points per game this season. Now he hopes to bring that same production to Brooklyn.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been somebody who has fit in with different types of star talent, whether it’s Luka [Doncic], [Damian Lillard] and CJ [McCollum], obviously Joel [Embiid],” Curry said. “It didn’t take me long to get used to playing with those guys, so I’m going to just try to come in and do what I do and try to do it within the concept of the team.”

There’s more from Brooklyn:

The players the Nets acquired in the trade weren’t eligible tonight because Harden and Paul Millsap didn’t complete their physicals in Philadelphia until after the game started, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Curry, Andre Drummond and Ben Simmons have been cleared to play Monday against the Kings, but there’s no word on when Simmons might return to action.
Kevin Durant is making progress in his rehab from a sprained left knee, but there’s still not a timetable for his return, coach Steve Nash told Nick Friedell of ESPN. Durant, who hasn’t played since January 15, is hoping to be back some time after the All-Star break, but everything depends on how his knee responds. “I feel that the next couple weeks that I’ll start to do more,” Durant said. “That’s probably as much as I can give you and I don’t know for sure. I’m just listening to the training staff, just doing my job and coming in and following the game plan every day. Whatever they give me. But from the last few weeks I feel like they’ll be able to give me more and more each day goes on, so I’ll ramp up here soon and we’ll see what happens. I want to be back as fast as possible but I also know that I don’t want to go out there and be 80%. I want to be 100 so I can be the best that I can be.”
Kyrie Irving‘s part-time status has been called a distraction, but he’s not bothered by the situation, Friedell tweets. “There’s no guilt that I feel,” he said. “I’m the only player that has to deal with this in New York City because I play there. If I was anywhere else in another city then it probably wouldn’t be the same circumstances.”

Joel Embiid: “I’m Glad That Everybody Has Moved On”

February 12th, 2022 at 8:20am CST by Rory Maher

Sixers MVP candidate Joel Embiid spoke to reporters, including Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com, following the team’s 100-87 victory over the Thunder Friday night, and said he’s happy to not have to talk about Ben Simmons anymore, and is glad that everybody has moved on. In case you missed the blockbuster trade, Simmons was dealt to Brooklyn as part of a package that brought James Harden to Philadelphia.

“I’m happy that I’m not going to be answering any more questions about that subject,” Embiid said. “It’s good that, not just for me, but my teammates, the whole organization. The whole year it was pretty annoying with the whole situation, but I’m glad that everybody has moved on. I wish everybody the best in whatever they want to accomplish, but I’m focused on winning games here and trying to win a championship.

“You look at the history being on the court, what we did in the regular season, we were dominant. So it’s unfortunate that winning was not the biggest factor. It’s unfortunate that for him, having his own team and I guess being a star was more of his priorities. But I always thought that everything was great, the fit was great. But unfortunately Ben thought that it wasn’t. But we all move on.”

As Neubeck points out, Simmons won’t be the main star in Brooklyn, but it’s still a fresh start for a player whose time was clearly over in Philadelphia, and Embiid’s comments only solidify that their pairing had run its course. Embiid said he’s excited to form a dynamic partnership with Harden, and opposing teams will be left scrambling to decide which player to focus on.

“I think the way to look at it, every single time I touch a ball, there’s a double or triple team which is gonna make my teammates and [Harden] even better,” Embiid said. “So now you really got a choice. Are you going to double me or are you going to double him? You got to make that decision and based on every game it might change.

“Other teams might want to take me out of the game or other teams might want to take him out of the game. So we just adjust and then we just go from there…it’s exciting. I never played with someone like that. So I’m just excited for the new challenge and try to go and get it done.”

Coach Doc Rivers said the move makes the Sixers championship contenders and he’s prepared for the pressure that comes along with that, even though he’ll be rushed to get Harden acclimated to compete against the likes of the Suns, Bucks and Heat, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

“No one else can put no more pressure on myself than I do,” Rivers said. “It will never happen. I’m in this to win. I’ve always been in this to win. When you get into that, when you make that decision, you understand there’s going to be pressure with it. And there should be. Because if there wasn’t, everybody would be champions. I think the reason we did this deal is so we can jump into the fray.

“I think [we are good enough],” Rivers continued. “I don’t know. That’s something we’ll find out. We did it with the belief we do, obviously. “We don’t have a lot of time. The Phoenix’s of the world and teams, Milwaukee and Miami, they’ve been together, Milwaukee three years, four years, as a group. So we have to get it done quickly.”

Nets Notes: Marks, Harden, Simmons, Irving, Mills, Nash

February 11th, 2022 at 7:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Nets general manager Sean Marks said the decision to move on from James Harden was a difficult one, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN.

“Make no bones about it: We went all-in on getting James Harden and inviting him to the group,” Marks said during a video conference call discussing the trade deadline Friday afternoon. “And these decisions to move on from a player like that, of that caliber, are never easy ones. I just want to be clear that this is not something that you think, great, let’s just make a split decision and move on from that. I give James a lot of credit for having open dialogue, open discussions with me and with the group, [Nets coach Steve Nash] and [owner] Joe Tsai and everybody over the last 24, 48 hours.

“Again, I said they’re not easy, but I think that’s something we pride ourselves on is being open and honest. James was honest with us and we were honest with him. I think it’s a move that enables him to have a fresh start, enables this team to have a fresh start, without trying to push things to make things work. If we realize this is not going to work, short-term or long-term, then it’s time to say for both parties involved, this is better off.”

Marks went on to say that trading Harden wasn’t about the team’s 10-game losing streak, it was based on his entire tenure in Brooklyn, and the newly-acquired players help the Nets in ways that Harden couldn’t.

“It’s not just eight or nine games,” he said. “The things that we’ve had to deal with over the course of the last year since James has been here is, to be quite frank, the Big Three, quote unquote, haven’t had significant time to play together for a variety of different circumstances. So, I think the frustration is more in that than in eight or nine games. Obviously it was not, and it currently isn’t, trending in the right direction, but we’re not going to make a decision off of one, two, five games, whatever it may be. The sample size has to be bigger. And at that point, we’re sitting here saying, ‘Yeah. We’ve seen enough.’ On both sides.

“We obviously thank James immensely for everything he’s done. Let’s be honest, he’s come in here and set all kinds of Brooklyn Nets records in such a short time. He’s a hell of a player, without a doubt. Again, these are not easy decisions, but we’re very grateful for what James has done over his short time here, but at the same time, adding these three players — Seth [Curry], Andre [Drummond] and Ben [Simmons] — help us in needs James doesn’t fulfill.”

When asked if the Sixers tampered by talking to Harden, Marks said that was for the league to decide.

“Unfortunately, the world we live in right now, so much of this is being played out in the media,” Marks said, per Bontemps. “So much of this is, whether it’s scuttlebutt, hearsay, and so forth, it’s just the nature of the beast. It’s just the nature of the world we’re in. I’m not going to start making accusations at everybody else. Again, this particular set of circumstances was played out in the media far earlier than any conversations were ever had. I don’t know and again if this is where it ends up, that will be completely up to the league to look into these set of circumstances.”

There are several more interesting quotes from Marks in Bontemps’ article. I recommend checking it out.

Here’s more on the Nets:

Kyrie Irving said there were hints that Harden was unhappy in Brooklyn, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays. “I can’t really say that you feel that [unhappiness] in the locker room, but we get hints,” Irving said. “So we just wish him well. We want him to be ultimately successful. Now we move forward with the guys that are coming in. We’re excited. I just want everyone to be happy and do things they love to do, and be a part of things they can see themselves being successful at. It probably wasn’t here with us and he made a choice and we respect him for it. No love lost.”
Nets guard Patty Mills said that his fellow Australian Simmons is in a good place at the moment, Lewis writes in a separate article for the Post. “He’s in a really good place right now, speaking to him a fair bit lately and seeing what he’s been up to in terms of staying ready and getting his body right and getting game ready,” Mills said. “So it was good and pleasing for me to see and feel where he’s at. From that standpoint, you get a really hungry person who’s looking forward to playing basketball again, and especially with our group.”
Nash was reflective on what could have been with the “Big Three” era, per ESPN’s Nick Friedell. “You’re up 2-0 against the NBA champs, and then to not have James in the first games and then Kyrie in the last games, James being on one leg, Jeff Green being out of the lineup, all sorts of things that hampered our opportunity to win,” Nash said. “To take them to overtime in Game 7, you definitely think there are some what-ifs, but that’s life. You can’t look back. You’ve got to look forward.”

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