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Sixers Notes: Expanded Rotation, Drummond, Embiid, Simmons

November 9th, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but they’re starting to feel the effects of a depleted roster, writes Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice. Joel Embiid‘s positive COVID-19 test was the latest challenge for a team that is already playing without Ben Simmons and has seen Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe also sidelined by the virus.

The result has been an increased workload for the remaining rotation players, which is raising concerns about fatigue. Tonight’s game against the Bucks will be the second of a back-to-back, and coach Doc Rivers said he plans to use at least 10 players. Neubeck expects Jaden Springer and two-way player Aaron Henry to both see action, but probably not Charles Bassey, who has only played seven total minutes this season.

There’s more on the Sixers:

Andre Drummond, who was signed over the summer to be Embiid’s backup, turned in his best game of the season Monday night, Neubeck adds. Drummond collected 25 rebounds in a loss to the Knicks, becoming the first Sixer to reach that total in 34 years. He played more than 38 minutes, but doesn’t seem fazed by the increased workload. “Sleep, sleep as much as we can,” Drummond said. “Take care of our bodies, ice, compress our knees. Guys that have played a lot of games know how to take care of their body. I’ve played a long time, we know what it takes to sustain our bodies for the rest of the year.”
Because Embiid is symptomatic for COVID-19, there are concerns that his absence could stretch beyond the normal 10 days, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey notes that Embiid has historically found it difficult to stay in shape when not playing, so having him out of the lineup could impact the Sixers well into the future. “Obviously, this is an extreme case without Joel,” Rivers said. “We didn’t anticipate this. But, we do have a bona fide starting center. And that helps us for sure.”
Philadelphia has reportedly talked to at least 10 teams about trading for Simmons, but sources tell Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report there have been “very few firm offers.” Most of the talks have involved setting up two-team and three-team frameworks that the Sixers might accept, but president of basketball operations Daryl Morey hasn’t dropped his insistence on receiving a star player in return.

Sixers Notes: Simmons, Embiid, Niang

November 8th, 2021 at 5:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After initially resisting, Ben Simmons has now met with a team-recommended specialist to discuss mental health concerns, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter links). The Sixers had recently reinstituted fines for Simmons’ reluctance to meet with team doctors, among other issues. Simmons plans to continue working out at the practice facility and meeting with his NBPA-provided mental health specialist. He has yet to make his debut and there’s no timetable for his return.

We have more on the Sixers:

Joel Embiid is experiencing symptoms in his bout with COVID-19, Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice tweets. “He’s not doing great, he’s struggling with it, very similar to Tobias (Harris),” coach Doc Rivers said. Reports surfaced on Monday morning that the star center had been placed under the league’s health and safety protocols.
Embiid has been pleasantly surprised by reserve big man Georges Niang, Lauren Rosen tweets. The former Utah forward, signed as a free agent this summer, is averaging a career-best 11.9 PPG in 22.7 MPG. “I used to think he sucked, honestly,” Embiid said. “Obviously, on this team he’s doing way more than (shooting 3s). What I’m impressed with is he’s a competitor. He brings so much joy to all of us, on and off the court. I’m just glad I have him.”
The franchise has gained more leverage in the Simmons situation, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. The team’s hot start shows Simmons that they can win without him, which could force the disgruntled guard’s hand. Tyrese Maxey and Niang have more than filled Simmons’ void and he’s now faced with the prospect of sitting out for months.

Celtics Have Talked To Sixers About Ben Simmons

November 8th, 2021 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

10:54am: A league source tells Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald (Twitter link) that the report of the Celtics discussing a trade for Simmons is “untrue.” This could be a matter of semantics — perhaps Boston checked in on Simmons, but isn’t actively engaged in discussions with Philadelphia.

For what it’s worth, Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link) says the Celtics are “absolutely not” trading Brown for Simmons.

9:36am: The Celtics have expressed interest in Ben Simmons and have engaged in discussions with the Sixers, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Charania describes those talks as “fluid, with no traction as of yet.”

According to Charania, any Simmons trade between Boston and Philadelphia would have to include Celtics wing Jaylen Brown.

Presumably, that condition is coming from the Sixers, since it’s hard to imagine the C’s are eager to part with a 25-year-old who is posting career highs in PPG (25.6 PPG), RPG (6.1), FG% (.493), and several other categories, despite some early-season chemistry issues. If Philadelphia asks for Brown, I imagine the Celtics would seek other assets in addition to Simmons, assuming they’d still be interested at all.

Daryl Morey‘s asking price for Simmons has remained very high for several months, so it’s perhaps not surprising that the Sixers haven’t yet come close to completing a deal. There’s a belief that the team might have more options after December 15, when more players signed this past offseason become trade-eligible.

Charania’s latest report includes a number of other details on the standoff between Simmons and the Sixers, including the fact that the 25-year-old has provided the team with the names of his mental health professionals, but hasn’t shared any details on his treatment beyond that. Simmons has turned down the resources and professionals Philadelphia has offered, and the club has been frustrated by the lack of information he has provided about his status.

[RELATED: Sixers Resume Fining Ben Simmons]

As Charania outlines, the 76ers aren’t seeking out specific details about Simmons’ sessions, but want to know more about his treatment process and a possible return timeline. It seems that Simmons’ camp and the NBPA disagree with the franchise about how much information the three-time All-Star is obligated to provide to the team.

The Sixers have reportedly resumed fining Simmons for missing games and other team activities, but one NBPA source tells Charania that as long as Simmons has given the team basic information about the mental health professionals he’s working with, the club shouldn’t have grounds to withhold his salary. An arbitration process may ultimately be necessary to sort out the financial details of the dispute.

Sixers Resume Fining Ben Simmons

November 5th, 2021 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have resumed fining Ben Simmons, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the three-time All-Star was docked his $360K game check for Thursday’s contest vs. Detroit.

Sources tell Wojnarowski that the team intends to continue fining Simmons until he cooperates with team doctors on his mental health issues and resumes participating in other “basketball-related obligations.”

The Sixers originally put an advance payment for Simmons into escrow and fined him for missing games, practices, and other obligations during the preseason when he didn’t report to camp. After fining Simmons approximately $2MM for his failure to render services, Philadelphia decided to halt those penalties and remove his money from escrow when the 25-year-old told the club that he wasn’t mentally ready to play.

However, the team has reportedly been frustrated by Simmons’ unwillingness to accept off-court resources from the team or to provide any updates on his work with mental health professionals. According to Wojnarowski, 76ers officials believe they’ve been supportive of Simmons’ stated need for mental health assistance and believe they have no choice but to place his future salary back into escrow and continue fining him due to his refusal to share even basic details of his treatment.

The Sixers will also resume fining Simmons for a failure to participate in activities such as strength training, film study, and shootarounds, sources tell ESPN. Simmons has been present at the team’s facility to do some individual work and to have a back ailment treated, but hasn’t been taking part in any team activities.

Simmons had been set to receive the first of 12 upcoming pay checks starting on November 15, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

There’s 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.” As such, Simmons’ camp will likely fight back against the new fines he’s facing. If the two sides can’t reach an amicable agreement, it’s possible they’ll have to eventually take the matter to an arbitration hearing.

Despite having to deal with the Simmons drama and a handful of health issues, including Joel Embiid battling knee soreness and Tobias Harris testing positive for COVID-19, the 76ers are off to a strong start this season. They have a 7-2 record so far.

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.