Bryan Colangelo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Sixers Notes: Simmons, Trade Talks, Colangelo

February 16th, 2017 at 10:11am CST by Luke Adams

Although head coach Brett Brown indicated earlier this week that Ben Simmons‘ recovery is progressing at a deliberately slow and careful pace, the Sixers still expect to get their No. 1 pick on the court at some point this season.

“Our plan is to still see him on the court, playing games,” Brown told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman on Wednesday. “We just don’t know when. … I fully expect him to play this season. He thinks that, and he’s motivated to play.”

Of course, as Goodman notes, even though Simmons and Brown are on board with the 20-year-old making his NBA debut this season, that decision will ultimately be made by Sixers management. Despite some promising stretches this season, the Sixers aren’t currently close to a playoff spot, with a 21-35 record placing them 13th in the East. As such, it makes sense for the franchise to be careful with Simmons and Joel Embiid in the season’s final two months.

Let’s round up a few more Sixers notes…

Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) has been told that the Sixers remain active in trade talks on “almost anyone not named Embiid or Simmons.”
Sixers general manager Bryan Colangelo hasn’t looked all that good lately, having been evasive about the nature of Embiid’s knee injury and then not completing a Jahlil Okafor deal as the team held him out of the lineup for two games due to swirling trade rumors. In separate pieces, John Smallwood of The Philadelphia Daily News and John Gonzalez of The Ringer examine Colangelo’s recent performance.
January was the Sixers’ best month in three years, but February has been dominated by off-court headlines so far, and Philadelphia fans deserve better, writes Mike Kern of The Philadelphia Daily News.

Eastern Notes: Gibson, Embiid, Booker

February 13th, 2017 at 9:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

With the exception of Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson is the Bulls‘ most valuable trade asset, Bobby Marks of The Vertical writes. Gibson is making $8.95MM in the final year of his contract and Marks cites the power forward’s contract along with his tremendous durability as the reasons why his value is so high.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo said that he doesn’t expect Joel Embiid‘s knee injury to linger long-term, though he added that the team’s medical staff will ultimately make the call on when he returns to the court, as Brian Seltzer of NBA.com relays. “If the injury presents as asymptomatic, and he can show he’s healthy and able to play basketball, there’s no reason he shouldn’t play,” Colangelo said. “I don’t think there’s any potential long-term effects. This is not thought to be a severe injury. It’s thought to be a complicated injury.”
Trevor Booker was recently moved to the bench and he’s handled coach’s decision extremely well, Zach Braziller of The New York Post writes. Booker felt it was important to show his younger teammates how to act in the face of adversity. “We got some younger guys that’s new to it,” Booker said. “For me, being that leader, showing them different things, that’s what the young guys need.” The Nets brought in the power forward to mentor the team’s youth and to help build a winning culture, as I detailed in the inaugural edition of Fantasy Hoops.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Noel, Colangelo

January 28th, 2017 at 5:27pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Joel Embiid wasn’t named to the All-Star team this season, but he’s got the attention of executives around the league. One anonymous executive told Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he believes Embiid can eventually become a top-3 player in the NBA.

“He’s a two-shoulder player, meaning when bigs play defense against each other, they choose a shoulder and determine a pivot foot and they guard that way,” the executive said. “You can’t do that against Embiid. He can go either way, off either foot. And the fact that he can hit outside jumpers is incredible. Bigs don’t like guarding that. And, like I said, once he really develops his power game and learns the game and learns himself, oh my God, is he going to be good. I don’t throw around the word superstar, but he’s that – a top-three player in the league down the road, in my mind.”

Another anonymous scout told Cooney that he believes Embiid can become the franchise player for the Sixers due to his love for the game, but the scout cautions that health will still determine the big man’s place in the league.

“The only thing that worries me is health. You can see what kind of playfulness and personality, that’s a big thing with bigs,” the scout said. “A lot are playing only because they are big. It’s rare to get a big that really loves the game and even rarer when he’s not from the United States. Those parameters, that doesn’t align. That’s why, even in the league where the big man is less than an integral part of the game over the past five years, someone like Embiid with his agility, explosiveness and ability to be a force inside, you have to look at like a young [Shaq O’Neal], a bigger [Alonzo Mourning], much more offensively skilled than [Dikembe Mutombo].”

Here’s more from Philadelphia:

Embiid still isn’t playing back-to-backs, though the Sixers are winning games without him on the floor. Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer (video link) credits the team’s ball movement for its success. Ford also believes Nerlens Noel, whom Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors profiled as a trade candidate, has elevated his game over the last few weeks.
Former GM Sam Hinkie will always receive some credit for the Sixers‘ promising future, but ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Mark Jones believes current GM Bryan Colangelo deserves credit for the team’s surprising run, as Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “The Colangelos in the front office, Bryan in particular, has laid the foundation for things going forward, they’re in a good place right now,” Jones said.

Atlantic Notes: Sixers, Bradley, LeVert

January 22nd, 2017 at 8:10pm CST by Austin Kent

After starting the season with a 7-24 record, the Sixers have reeled off eight wins in their past 11. The emergence of Joel Embiid has reinvigorated the franchise and the rookie big man has helped to anchor a rapidly improving defensive presence.

Now that the Sixers have shown an ability to win games, they’ve clawed their way out of the basement and up the standings. Such momentum has general manager Bryan Colangelo reconsidering the team’s willingness to make a short-term splash.

“[Winning] does lead you to want to explore other opportunities that might accelerate where we are in this. It gives us some opportunity to explore some big deals,” Colangelo told Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com. “We may be one of the only teams in the league that’s prepared with the resources and the assets to acquire a star level player.”

The Sixers have long been in rebuilding mode, but the strides that the team has taken this season under the guidance of Brett Brown suggest that this team may be ready to compete sooner than initially expected.

“My responsibility is to make sure I do the right thing for the organization,” Colangelo added. “I’ve had a lot of dialogue with a lot of teams. I know what’s out there in the marketplace.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

The Celtics have been exposed on defense without shooting guard Avery Bradley, writes Josue Pavon of WEEI 93.7 FM. While Isaiah Thomas‘ defensive shortcomings are not new, the team has seen just how much of a drop off there is between Bradley and fill-in Marcus Smart.
The Nets have seen seen a noticeable improvement in their third-quarter performance of late and credit the decision to bump Sean Kilpatrick from the lineup in favor of the more defensively inclined Joe Harris as part of the reason why, says Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “Listen, we’re demanding that those guys — anybody that steps on the floor — we’re demanding them to defend,” says head coach Kenny Atkinson. Harris sprained his ankle Friday and his absence will give Kilpatrick one more opportunity to improve on that side of the ball.
Not much has gone well for the Nets this season, injuries to Jeremy Lin a major factor in their first-half struggles, but the promising play of Caris LeVert has been one of the few bright spots. Nets Daily discusses the first half of Brooklyn’s season.

Sixers Notes: Noel, Embiid, Colangelo, Simmons

December 21st, 2016 at 6:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers coach Brett Brown gave fans what they were asking for Tuesday night, and the Nerlens Noel situation took another twist, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Two days after Brown announced that Noel was out of the rotation, he entered the game midway through the third quarter. Brown explained it was because of foul trouble, but Philly fans were loudly chanting, “We want Nerlens” just before he got off the bench. Noel played the final 6:49 of the quarter and finished with four points. “I think holistically [the Sixers have] to find a way to take these bigs and manage them,” Brown said after the game. “We have to try to find a way that is going to help our team moving forward, get some wins, develop our guys.”

There’s more out of Philadelphia:

Starting center Joel Embiid was happy to see Noel back on the court and referred to him as his “best friend on the team,” relays Shamus Clancy of LibertyBallers. Clancy urges Philadelphia to try to re-sign Noel this summer to ensure that there is always at least one rim protector on the court.
The Sixers aren’t going to let Noel talk his way into a trade, claims Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Noel has been critical of the franchise for having three young centers on the roster who all need playing time and lashed out after playing just eight minutes in a game last week. GM Bryan Colangelo held a news conference Monday and delivered the message that Noel should keep quiet to avoid further damaging his trade value. “At this point, in order for us to fairly evaluate Nerlens and for Nerlens to be fairly evaluated [by other teams],” Colangelo said, “he needs to show that he’s healthy, and that he’s professional and he’s got a good attitude to everything that’s going on and that may lead to ultimately something that would lead to a move.”
No. 1 pick Ben Simmons is making progress in his recovery from the right foot fracture he suffered in October, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly. The team hasn’t placed a timetable on Simmons’ return because it wants to avoid any temptation to rush him back before he is ready. In the meantime, he is getting a classroom-style education about the NBA game and is preparing to be the Sixers’ primary ballhandler. “We’re going to play with probably a considerable amount of pace [with Simmons],” Colangelo said. “He tends to grab and go … rebound the ball and push the ball up the floor, pass ahead, all the things that he demonstrated not only in college, but quite clearly in summer league. I think that the desire of this team and this organization to play a certain style of play incorporates some of that.”

Bryan Colangelo On Noel, Frontcourt Logjam

December 19th, 2016 at 1:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

GM Bryan Colangelo said he doesn’t feel the need to make a trade, as Derek Bodner of the Philadelphia Magazine passes along in a series of Twitter links. “If [all the centers are on the roster at the end of the season], so be it. I will not make a bad deal for this organization,” Colangelo said. The GM added that he’s aware everyone will be lined up to criticize any deal he should make involving Nerlens Noel.

Colangelo believes the root of the logjam in the frontcourt has been the health of Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid. “I don’t think we’ve been at a point where we could actively pursue a trade with any of the centers,” the GM said. He added that the team is “fascinated” with the Noel-Embiid combination.

[RELATED: Trade Candidate: Nerlens Noel]

The Sixers took Noel out of the rotation this week and the team maintains that it was not a direct response to Noel’s comments. Colangelo said the decision was made because they realized that there is a lot of talent on the team and not everyone can play, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter links).

Colangelo added that the team needs to play faster once Ben Simmons returns, but he didn’t provide a timeline for when that would happen, Jessica Camerato of Comcast Sportsnet tweets.

Atlantic Notes: Colangelo, Rose, Uthoff, Early

September 24th, 2016 at 2:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers executive Bryan Colangelo wasn’t a fan of the team’s culture when he was hired, as he told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on his podcast. “There was a losing culture,” Colangelo said of the team before he arrived. “There was a losing mindset. It had been ingrained partly due to the undertaking of rebuilding that they had been going through. It becomes part of the fabric of the team,” Colangelo said. “I think more than anything the mindset needed to shift, the mindset needed to change. And that’s why we’ve been talking about winning. Doing everything we can to promote winning, to promote a culture of excellence.”

Colangelo also told Wojnarowski that he had little interest in working under former GM Sam Hinkie, which was the arrangement first pitched to him by team ownership. “The first time that I met with David Blitzer and Josh Harris I basically told them I’m not the guy for this job. I suggested a few other people, one in particular that I thought would be ideal, to come in and compliment Sam to help take this thing to that next level. They were a little bit stunned at my reaction and my suggestion,” Colangelo said.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

The crew over at Basketball Insiders previewed the Celtics‘ upcoming season, with the general opinion being that Boston will finish first or second in the Atlantic Division in 2016/17.
The Knicks are hoping that Derrick Rose‘s upcoming civil suit involving an alleged sexual assault won’t impact his season, Ian Begley of ESPN.com writes. “I think we’re just going to let the process work itself out,” team president Phil Jackson said when asked about the possibility of Rose missing training camp. “We’re not concerned with it. We understand this is a serious subject we’re talking about. But this has to be done outside of our control. It’s something we can’t control. Derrick has expressed that he’s not concerned with it. I mean, he’s quite aware of it. It’s not keeping him up at night. So we’re going with that, OK?“
Undrafted free agent Jarrod Uthoff is excited to be joining a Raptors team that made it to last season’s Conference Finals, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders relays. “It’ll be a great chance to learn from experienced NBA guys that play at a very high level,” Uthoff said. “Being around that every day, you can’t replace that. It’s a really professional organization that handles themselves with class in whatever they do. I think that’s showing on the court as well. It starts from the top down. They really created a special organization there.”
Former second round pick Cleanthony Early won’t be attending the Knicks‘ training camp and the forward remains a free agent, Marc Berman of The New York Post notes.

Eastern Rumors: J.R. Smith, Sixers, Knicks

July 22nd, 2016 at 5:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Making J.R. Smith a competitive offer might not be a bad idea for the Celtics, Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com argues. Boston could use another shooter and Smith made 40% of his 3-point attempts with the Cavaliers last season, Forsberg points out. The Celtics could renounce their rights to Tyler Zeller and craft a one-year deal somewhere in the ballpark of the $15MM that Smith is seeking. Smith opted out of the final year of his contract in June, though Cleveland still holds his Bird rights. The Celtics could weaken their chief Eastern Conference rival by signing Smith to a short-term contract while not sacrificing any of their future flexibility, Forsberg adds.

In other developments around the Eastern Conference:

Bryan Colangelo’s overt attempts to trade either Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor has backfired, Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer opines. The Sixers’ GM should have taken a more low-key approach and now has undermined his ability to trade either big man, Sielski continues. Both young players know that Colangelo is shopping them, and while it makes sense to now keep them into the regular season to improve their trade value, that might lead to discord in the locker room, Sielski adds.
The Knicks are one of three teams pursuing point guard Chasson Randle, Marc Berman of the New York Post reports. Randle, who went undrafted in 2015, made a favorable impression on the Knicks’ brass while playing for their summer-league team. He could be New York’s No. 3 point guard behind Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings but the club is out of cap space and can only offer the rookie minimum of $565K, Berman adds.
Combo guard Tomas Satoransky expects to go through a significant adjustment period when he joins the Wizards this season, Gene Wang of the Washington Post reports. The 2012 draft-and-stash prospect officially joined Washington Thursday on a three-year, $9MM deal. “The game is quicker,” Satoransky told Wang and other media members during a conference call. “For sure, it’s better athleticism in the NBA than what I’m used to Europe, so I’ll have to adjust as soon as possible for that.” Satoransky could emerge as John Wall‘s primary backup at point guard, Wang adds.

Sixers Notes: Barnes, Simmons, Colangelo, Workout

June 19th, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Free agent Harrison Barnes might be the Sixers’ solution at small forward, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia is hoping to upgrade its perimeter defense, and the only wings currently on the roster are Nik Stauskas, Robert Covington and Hollis Thompson, who are all more valuable as shooters than defenders. The 6’8″ Barnes would bring a mix of offense and defense that coach Brett Brown is looking for, and at 24 he is just entering the prime of his career. Barnes will be a restricted free agent, so Pompey says a max offer may be necessary to discourage the Warriors from matching. The Sixers will have plenty of money available, with a little more than $33.3MM in guaranteed salary against a cap projected at about $94MM.

There’s more news out of Philadelphia:

Ben Simmons has all the tools to be a great NBA player except outside shooting, Pompey writes in a separate piece. Pompey, who advocates Simmons as the No. 1 pick, says the Sixers are excited about the prospect of having an elite passer at power forward because it creates more options in the pick-and-roll. Cavaliers star LeBron James has become a mentor to Simmons, and he sees great things ahead for the LSU freshman. “I think we all don’t know just yet how great of a kid he is and how down to earth he is with the game of basketball and life in general,” James said.
This week presents the first opportunity for new team president Bryan Colangelo to put his stamp on the franchise, Pompey writes in another story. With the draft on Thursday and free agency a week and a half away, Colangelo will have opportunities to make the type of bold moves he became famous for with the Raptors and Suns.
Six players are scheduled to attend a workout Monday in Philadelphia, tweets Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com. The Sixers will welcome Villanova point guard Ryan Arcidiacono, Kansas power forward Perry Ellis, Old Dominion point guard Trey Freeman, former Buffalo power forward Justin Moss, New Mexico State power forward Pascal Siakam and Stony Brook power forward Jameel Warney.

Draft Notes: Sixers, Richardson, Cook, Forbes

June 15th, 2016 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

As Sharon Katz and Paul Sabin of ESPN.com detail, ESPN Analytics’ projection model for draft prospects views Brandon Ingram as a safer pick than Ben Simmons. While the two players’ odds of developing into All-Stars are even, Simmons has a much higher bust potential than Ingram, according to the model. Jakob Poeltl, Deyonta Davis, Cheick Diallo, and Chinanu Onuaku are among the prospects viewed far more favorably by the ESPN Analytics model than by traditional scouts. This info won’t shake up teams’ big boards significantly, but it’s worth keeping in mind on draft night. Especially with Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo claiming that his team’s plan for the No. 1 pick “changes every day” (link via ESPN.com).

Here’s more on next Thursday’s draft:

ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider-only link) has updated his top 100 rankings for this year’s draft now that 2016’s early entrant class has been finalized. Ford also broke down the first round and examined what a grade-A draft for each team would look like (Insider link).
Former Syracuse wing Malachi Richardson is taking part in workouts with the Bulls, Bucks, and Raptors this week, writes Mike Waters of Syracuse.com.
In addition to his previously reported workouts, Oregon’s Elgin Cook has gotten a look from the Hawks and Warriors, and still has workouts on tap with the Jazz, Mavericks, Kings, and Pistons, per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
According to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link), Michigan State guard Bryn Forbes has also been busy in recent weeks, having worked out for the Celtics, Magic, Hawks, Bulls, Wizards, and Lakers in addition to four more teams that were previously reported. Forbes still has workouts with the Pistons and Spurs on his schedule.
French draft hopeful Boris Dallo has signed with Chris Patrick of Relativity Sports for representation as he looks to make the leap to the NBA, according to Sportando (Twitter link).