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Northwest Notes: Jokic, Wolves, Simmons, Gay, McCollum

November 4th, 2021 at 3:42pm CST by Luke Adams

With Jamal Murray recovering from an ACL tear and Michael Porter Jr. off to a slow start, the Nuggets are leaning more than ever this season on reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. That’s a problem, in the view of head coach Michael Malone, who says he’d like the team to reduce its reliance on Jokic, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post.

“I told our guys just now, Nikola’s not a good player, (he’s) a great player,” Malone said after a Nuggets loss to Memphis on Wednesday. “But every time he comes out, everything just falls apart. It’s every night. I went to him in the fourth quarter, I called his name, and he looked at me, kind of like, ‘Already?’ And I feel for him. … Nikola’s gonna be worn down by Christmas at this rate.”

The numbers back up Malone’s assertion that “everything just falls apart” when Jokic is out of the game. The Nuggets have +14.5 net rating in Jokic’s 248 minutes so far this season, compared to an abysmal -21.4 net rating in the 136 minutes he hasn’t played. Denver has always played better with Jokic on the court, but the team will need to find a way to at least tread water while he’s resting.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

On a recent episode of his The Scoop podcast, Darren Wolfson of SKOR North stated that it has been a little while since Timberwolves head of basketball operations Sachin Gupta talked to the Sixers about Ben Simmons. “About three-and-a-half, four weeks ago, he did plant the seed with the Philadelphia front office that, ‘Yeah, I’m interested in Ben Simmons,'” Wolfson said, per HoopsHype. “But I’m now told he hasn’t had any dialogue about Ben Simmons with Philadelphia for a couple weeks.”
The Jazz are off to an impressive 6-1 start this season, but it’s becoming clear that Rudy Gay will fill a “substantial need” on the roster once he’s ready to return from his offseason heel surgery, contends Tony Jones of The Athletic. Gay has the size and athleticism necessary to match up with bigger forwards on defense, and can create his own shot in high-pressure situations on offense, Jones writes.
Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com takes a look at CJ McCollum‘s mindset after an offseason in which the standout Trail Blazers guard was the subject of much trade speculation.

Atlantic Notes: Simmons, Green, Kyrie, Celtics

November 3rd, 2021 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers president Daryl Morey approached Ben Simmons on Wednesday to inquire about his status and was told the three-time All-Star remains mentally unready to play and continues to seek professional help, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania adds that there’s still no timeline for Simmons’ return to the court, echoing a Tuesday story from ESPN.

While Tuesday’s report suggested the Sixers are becoming frustrated with the lack of updates from Simmons, Charania tweets that team officials have remained supportive and aren’t requesting specific details about the 25-year-old’s conversations with doctors. However, they would like some feedback from him on the process. Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice wrote something similar earlier today, suggesting the club is seeking a “status update,” rather than “minute-to-minute details” on what Simmons is up to.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

In addition to being without Simmons and Tobias Harris, who tested positive for COVID-19, the Sixers are currently missing Danny Green, who is dealing with left hamstring tightness. As Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, if Green has a strained hamstring, he could be out anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams said he’ll “revisit” New York City’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate when he takes office on January 1, according to Amanda Woods and Sam Raskin of The New York Post. That could be good news for Nets guard Kyrie Irving, who has been sidelined due to his vaccination status. However, Adams may only be referring to the mandates for municipal workers like police officers and fire fighters, and even if he revisits the city-wide mandate for indoor venues, there’s no guarantee he’ll make any changes.
Asked by Michael Holley of NBC Sports Boston (video link) if the Celtics have the “right group” of players to contend this season, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens replied, “We’re going to find out.” Stevens added that he feels like the team is better “from a structural standpoint” than its 2-5 record suggests.

Latest On Ben Simmons

November 2nd, 2021 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

4:32pm: Simmons has met with team doctors to treat a back ailment, but hasn’t been willing to discuss his mental readiness with the club’s doctors, according to a full report from Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski at ESPN. He has also engaged with teammates and members of the coaching staff in one-on-one situations at the practice facility, but it’s unclear if or when he’ll rejoin full team activities.

Sources close to Simmons tell ESPN that they expect to provide updates to the Sixers once the 25-year-old is comfortable doing so.

4:03pm: There is “frustration mounting” within the Sixers over Ben Simmons‘ unwillingness to keep the team apprised of his status, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne told colleague Malika Andrews today during a TV appearance (video link).

When Simmons told the team on October 22 that he wasn’t mentally ready to play, the Sixers stopped fining him for missing practices and games and offered him any off-court resources he needed to work through the situation. However, according to Shelburne, Simmons hasn’t been accepting any of the help or resources the club has made available.

Shelburne hears that Simmons has been working with mental health professionals through the National Basketball Players Association, but “hasn’t really kept the team in the loop” on the work he’s doing or progress he’s making. Besides not sharing any updates with the 76ers, Simmons also hasn’t resumed practicing with the club, having only conducted individual workouts.

There’s “no timeline” for Simmons’ return to practices or games, according to Shelburne.

Given that Simmons wasn’t in contact with the Sixers for months during the offseason, Shelburne’s update doesn’t come as a major surprise. Simmons’ actions don’t mean his claim that he’s not mentally prepared to play wasn’t made in good faith, but there was never any real indication that he’d reversed course on his desire to not play another game as a Sixer.

Team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey has stated that he won’t be rushed into making a Simmons trade before he gets an offer he likes. And while Morey’s claim that it “could take four years” was certainly an exaggeration, it seems unlikely that any deal will happen until at least December 15, when more players around the league become trade-eligible. If Simmons maintains radio silence in the coming days and weeks, the Sixers will have to decide just how much space they’re willing to give him.

Eastern Notes: Harden, Gafford, Simmons, Barnes

October 29th, 2021 at 8:35am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday about his slow start to the season, Nets guard James Harden explained that he’s still shaking off the rust since he didn’t get to play much during an offseason that was mostly spent rehabbing his hamstring injury.

“I had no opportunities to play pickup or nothing this summer,” Harden said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Everything was rehab for three months, from a Grade 2 injury that happened three times in one season. So this is my fifth game of trying to just play with competition against somebody else. And as much as I want to rush the process and be back to hooping and killing, (you have to) take your time.”

Harden, who has rarely had to deal with injuries since entering the league in 2009, admitted it was “frustrating” and “draining” to battle the hamstring issue down the stretch last season and over the summer. However, he said that he thinks he’s “getting better every single game.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Wizards center Daniel Gafford appears to have avoided a major injury after undergoing an MRI on his right quad contusion. Head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said on Thursday that he expects Gafford to be back in a mater of days, not weeks (Twitter link via Ava Wallace of The Washington Post).
There’s no set timeline for Ben Simmons, who told the Sixers last Friday that he’s not yet mentally ready to play, but he has been at the team’s practice facility during the last week, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s been working out,” head coach Doc Rivers said on Thursday. “Today he was at shootaround, did a lot of shooting and a lot of stuff with (skills development coach) Spencer (Rivers).”
With the Raptors set to face the Magic for the first time this season on Friday, the Scottie Barnes/Jalen Suggs debate has resurfaced, but fans in Toronto have to be happy with what they’ve seen from Barnes so far, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Barnes, whom the Raptors picked over Suggs at No. 4 in this year’s draft, has averaged 17.0 PPG and 8.2 RPG on 53.7% shooting in his first five NBA games while taking on some challenging defensive assignments.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Simmons, Morey, Maxey

October 27th, 2021 at 5:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers center Joel Embiid has been slowed by pain in his right knee and wasn’t able to walk for two days after hurting it in the season opener last Wednesday, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. Shelburne made the comments during an appearance on NBA Today (video link), adding that Embiid is determined to continue playing because Ben Simmons isn’t available.

Embiid has appeared in all four of Philadelphia’s games, although he’s averaging career lows so far with 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per night. Simmons told the team last week that he’s not mentally ready to play, and it’s uncertain when he might return.

Embiid is also trying to lead by example and is motivated by his second-place finish in last season’s MVP race, Shelburne adds. He appeared in just 51 games in 2020/21, which was one of the arguments some voters made for not supporting him.

Embiid suffered a small meniscus tear in his right knee during the first round of the playoffs, but was able to continue playing until the Sixers were eliminated. The pain flared up after he banged knees with Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas last week, and Shelburne said there’s a feeling that “maybe he should sit a game or two” to help relieve it.

There’s more from Philadelphia:

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey said this week that “things seem to be moving very much in a positive direction” with Simmons (video link). He added that the team is working with Simmons to provide “every resource to help him with what is needed.”
Until the Simmons situation is resolved, it will loom as a threat to team chemistry, contends Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Simmons still prefers to be traded, and the rotation is likely to undergo a shakeup whenever that happens. There are also players on the roster who could be headed elsewhere in a Simmons deal. “There’s obviously uncertainty,” Tobias Harris said. “Personally myself, I look at all of the uncertainty as a positive of what could happen. And in reality, the biggest thing is to just stay in the moment.”
Tyrese Maxey is experiencing “growing pains” as he tries to handle the lead guard role in Simmons’ absence, Pompey adds. Maxey is a combo guard who isn’t used to running the offense, and he didn’t have an assist until the fourth quarter in Tuesday night’s loss to the Knicks.

Sixers Have Stopped Fining Ben Simmons

October 25th, 2021 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Ben Simmons is no longer being fined by the Sixers for missed practices and games, according to reports from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne (video link) and Marc Stein of Substack (Twitter link).

While it’s unclear exactly when the team stopped assessing those fines, it’s probably safe to assume the decision was made last Friday, after Simmons met with the club and told them he wasn’t mentally ready to play.

As Shelburne notes, there’s a provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that protects a player’s salary in the event that he misses time for mental health reasons, which is one reason why the Sixers have stopped those fines from accumulating. The Sixers are taking Simmons’ claim in good faith and have offered him any resources he needs to work through the situation.

A holdout early in training camp and the preseason, Simmons racked up nearly $2MM in fines in missed games, practices, and meetings, including the salary lost due to being suspended for Philadelphia’s regular season opener. It remains unclear if he’ll be able to recoup any of that money via arbitration or an agreement with the Sixers.

Although there has been no indication that Simmons has wavered in his desire to be traded, his standoff with the franchise doesn’t appear as acrimonious at the moment as it has been at times. “Right now, everybody’s in a good place,” Shelburne said during her ESPN appearance.

Sixers Notes: Roberts, Simmons, Morey, Embiid

October 23rd, 2021 at 6:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

NBPA executive director Michele Roberts is defending Ben Simmons against accusations that he might be claiming psychological issues as an excuse to avoid playing, writes Liz Roscher of Yahoo Sports. Simmons told his Sixers teammates and coach Doc Rivers on Friday that’s he’s not mentally ready to start playing for the team again. That prompted skeptics to question Simmons’ motives since he claimed a medical issue with back tightness earlier this week.

Roberts threw her support behind Simmons and blasted Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey for suggesting that it could take a long time to find an acceptable trade, possibly even the four years that Simmons has left on his contract.

“Really? Is it so hard to believe that Ben’s not mentally at a place to compete? Professional athletes — like the rest of us — have difficult periods in our lives that require time and energy to heal,” Roberts said. “We have and will continue to provide Ben with the support and resources he needs to work through this. Threatening the prospect of ‘another four years’ serves no one’s interests. Like Tobias (Harris), I say let’s respect Ben’s space and embrace him while allowing him the time to move forward. So, take a breath and count to 10: We are all too good to continue to play this perpetual game of chicken.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

Morey has called around the league in an effort to work out a trade for Simmons, but he hasn’t contacted the Nets to inquire about Kyrie Irving, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said Friday on “NBA Countdown” (video link). Woj adds that Brooklyn GM Sean Marks has accepted calls about Irving, but he hasn’t reached out to other teams about the star guard, who is inactive because of vaccination issues.
At a team meeting on Friday, Joel Embiid asked Simmons why he wants to be traded, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Simmons responded that he isn’t feeling like himself mentally and needs some time away from the team. Harris and other team leaders expressed support for Simmons, sources tell Charania.
Soreness in his right knee is already an issue for Embiid, per Tim Bontemps and Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. Embiid was having trouble moving on Friday after a collision in the season opener, but he intends to continue playing if the pain doesn’t get worse. “I mean, after last game, that was a pretty good hit by the big fella, but we’ll see how it feels tomorrow, but I’m not planning on sitting,” he said. “I want to keep playing as long as there’s not any big damage on it.”

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Simmons, Nets, Randle, Knicks

October 23rd, 2021 at 2:23pm CST by JD Shaw

Sixers star Tobias Harris defended Ben Simmons‘ recent decision to remain inactive, explaining that it’s important to support Simmons as he privately addresses his situation, Tim Bontemps of ESPN writes.

Simmons addressed the team in a meeting this week that Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer referred to as a “step in the right direction.” The 25-year-old hasn’t appeared in either of the club’s two games due to his ongoing trade request, and his status for future games is unclear.

“I think it’s obviously a good start,” Harris said as part of a larger quote, according to Bontemps. “But as I said, at this time we have to respect his privacy, his space, and we’ve got to be there for him, with what he’s going through and this process.

“It’s easy to look at something on the surface and come to assumptions on a lot of things, especially athletes. In general in this space we’re depicted as superhumans, and you’re not really supposed to have feelings or go through anything. So I think we just have to really understand he’s a human first, and if he’s going through something at times, we have to respect that and go through that as a team, organization, fans, all the way down the line.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division today:

The Nets reverted back to small-ball in the team’s victory over the Sixers on Friday, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Brooklyn found success with a lineup that featured Kevin Durant at power forward and LaMarcus Aldridge at center, helping secure a 114-109 road victory. Durant finished with 29 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists, while Aldridge recorded 23 points in less than 23 minutes.
Knicks star Julius Randle is considering fighting the $15K fine he received for tossing the ball into the crowd after a win this week, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes. “We’ll see what happens,’’ Randle said. “I didn’t know it was a thing, but it’s fine. That’s really all it was – more celebrating. I didn’t toss it anywhere or in any direction or trying to do anything. It was emotions. Excitement from the first game. And I was happy it was over with. It was two overtimes. Everybody was exhausted.’’
The Knicks‘ decision to add more three-point shooting has benefited the team thus far, Ian Begley of SNYtv writes. New York made a franchise-record 24 threes in its victory over Orlando on Friday, receiving strong contributions from newcomers Kemba Walker (3-for-5) and Evan Fournier (4-for-9).

Simmons Tells Rivers, Sixers He’s Not Mentally Ready To Play

October 22nd, 2021 at 10:23am CST by Luke Adams

Sixers star Ben Simmons spoke today to head coach Doc Rivers, the team’s medical staffers, and his teammates, informing them he’s not mentally prepared to resume playing and needs more time, according to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links) and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Simmons reported to Philadelphia’s shootaround on Friday and “was seen engaged around the team,” per Charania, who says the 25-year-old expressed that he wants to play once he’s mentally ready to do so. Sources tell Wojnarowski that the next steps for Simmons will be based on the determination of medical professionals.

Prior to skipping a scheduled individual workout on Thursday, Simmons complained of back stiffness and briefly received treatment, but team doctors reportedly cleared him to participate in workouts. So it sounds like Woj’s note about Simmons being evaluated by medical professionals is more about the three-time All-Star’s mental health than his physical health. The team has offered Simmons whatever resources are necessary to assist him, sources tell ESPN.

The 76ers suspended Simmons for their regular-season opener on Wednesday after he showed little engagement in practices earlier in the week and failed to sub into a defensive drill during Tuesday’s practice.

However, Charania’s latest report suggests Simmons put a little more effort into today’s shootaround, which means Philadelphia will probably just make him inactive for Friday’s home opener rather than suspending him again. As long as he remains engaged in practices and is working in good faith toward rejoining the club for games, that could be the plan for the immediate future.

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey made it clear during a radio appearance on Thursday that he’s not rushing to find a trade for Simmons and won’t move the former No. 1 pick unless the team gets a “difference-maker” in return. Morey expressed a hope that Simmons would participate in practices and games for the 76ers, noting that getting him back on the court would be better for the club’s title chances than trading him for 25 cents on the dollar.

According to Wojnarowski, Simmons has accumulated nearly $2MM in fines so far for missing games, practices, and meetings. There is a provision in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that protects players’ salaries in the event they’re unable to render services “if such failure has been caused by the player’s mental disability,” Woj notes.

Atlantic Notes: Fournier, Randle, Kanter, Simmons

October 21st, 2021 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Knicks guard Evan Fournier made an impressive debut against his former team, posting 32 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists in a double OT victory over the Celtics on Wednesday. Fournier struggled with his shooting in preseason games, but coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t fazed, according to Zach Brazilier of the New York Post. “I was never worried about him making shots,” he said. “To me, he has proven throughout his career that that is who he is.” Fournier was acquired in a sign-and-trade with his four-year contract worth up to 78MM.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Julius Randle‘s first game after signing a four-year, $117MM extension showed that he’s not resting on his laurels, Ian O’Connor of the New York Post writes. The Knicks forward racked up 35 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. “Julius had that monster year, got a new contract and all that and he’s hungrier now than last year, which I thought was impossible,” Thibodeau said. “He comes in every night like clockwork. You know he’s going to be in there.” Randle was fined $15K by the league for throwing the ball in the stands at the end of the team’s opening-night win, Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press tweets.
Chinese video-streaming giant Tencent won’t show Celtics games in the foreseeable future after comments made by center Enes Kanter, according to Eva Dou and Lyric Li of the Washington Post. Kanter posted a video voicing his support for Tibetan independence. In response, Tencent cut the live broadcast of Wednesday’s game between the Celtics and the Knicks. Sixers president and former Houston GM Daryl Morey created a firestorm between the Chinese government and the NBA with his public support in 2019 of Hong Kong pro-democracy protestors.
The Ben Simmons saga with the Sixers even has NFL players in Philadelphia voicing their opinions. Eagles center Jason Kelce said Simmons needs to own up to his shortcomings, ESPN’s Tim McManus writes. “I don’t want to crush any other players, but what’s going on with the 76ers, Ben Simmons, stuff like that, all of that is because of a lack of accountability, a lack of owning up to mistakes and a lack of correcting things,” Kelce said. “If all that got corrected, if you’re fixing free throws, if you’re getting better as a player, none of this is happening. So everybody can b—h and complain about how tough this city is to play in. Just play better, man. This city will love you.”