James Harden

Atlantic Notes: Young, Siakam, VanVleet, Harden, Pressure

April 15th, 2022 at 11:27pm CST by Rory Maher

Raptors veteran Thaddeus Young has mixed feelings about facing his former club in the first-round of the playoffs, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. Young was drafted by the Sixers back in 2007 and spent his first seven seasons with the team.

“Honestly, that’s where I grew up,” Young said. “That’s where I went from being a boy to a man. I started my family there, married my wife, (had my) two kids. I went from being a kid, getting drafted seven days after turning 19 years old, and then to leave there at 26 and go to another team, it was definitely a hard situation for me because I thought I would always be there.”

“Philly will always be another home for me. I still talk to people that sit courtside. I still talk to some of the people that work in the organization all the time. They’re family, but at the end of the day I’m with Toronto Raptors now and this is my new family. And I have to make sure that my new family is gonna get this win and get this series.”

As Lewenberg notes, Young is the only player in his thirties (he’s 33) on Toronto’s roster, and his experience and leadership has been invaluable to the young team.

“I think he’s been super vocal,” Pascal Siakam said of Young. “He’s been through a lot, he’s played in big games, and he’s been in the league for [a long time], so I think that’s another presence. Obviously, we (referring to himself and Fred VanVleet) like to think of ourselves as vets, but we have six years of experience in the NBA and he has 15. That’s so many games and I think that we can definitely learn from him.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

The Raptors need Siakam and VanVleet to lead the way in the postseason, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Siakam and VanVleet are polar opposites in terms of leadership styles, Smith notes. VanVleet is vocal and intense, holding teammates and himself accountable, while Siakam is a quiet, lead-by-example type. Both players will be critical to the team’s chances of making a deep playoff run.
Sixers guard James Harden claims he isn’t feeling any pressure to perform in the playoffs, as ESPN’s Tim Bontemps relays. “Pressure, no. I feel good,” Harden said with a smile after Thursday’s practice at the team’s facility. “I’m ready to hoop. There’s nothing to it.” Harden also gave credit to the Raptors, his first-round opponent. “They just fly around,” Harden said. “They play extremely hard. They kind of junk up the game. They have a lot of guys that are tall, athletic, long and solid defenders. They use their length very well, and they just have each other’s back. They run around, they scramble, and they fly around defensively, so for us we have to execute, making sure we’re crisp in our passes and if the shot’s available, take it.”
The stakes are extremely high for the Sixers after they made the major trade to acquire Harden, contends Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. If the 76ers have another early exit, they’ll have a tough decision to make with the 32-year-old former MVP, who’s expected to pick up his $47.4MM player option this summer and will be eligible for a massive four-year extension worth over $220MM.

Nets Notes: Simmons, Durant, Nash, Irving, Harden, Tsai

April 15th, 2022 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

As we relayed on Thursday, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during a TV appearance that Ben Simmons is aiming to return between Games 4 and 6 of the Nets‘ first-round series vs. the Celtics — Shams Charania of The Athletic later echoed that report (via Twitter).

However, despite the apparent optimism about Simmons’ playoff availability, Nets forward Kevin Durant isn’t counting on the three-time All-Star to play in the Boston series, telling reporters on Thursday that he doesn’t want to put any extra expectations on his new teammate.

“No, I’m not expecting him to play,” Durant said, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “That’s easier for me. I’m not putting any pressure on Ben to come out and hoop. I’m not expecting him to do anything except get his body right and get healthy as fast as he can. I’m preparing as if we’re playing with the team we have.”

Here’s more on the Nets:

Although the Nets’ 44-38 record this season fell fall short of their preseason projections, head coach Steve Nash shouldn’t shoulder the blame for the fact that the team ended up outside of the East’s top six, according to Durant. “I think he’s done a great job. The last two years, he’s been dealt a wild hand,” Durant said of Nash, per Ian Begley of SNY.tv. “Injuries, trades, disgruntled players, guys in and out of the lineup, stuff that he can’t control. … This is his first real opportunity as a coach, so I think he’s handled it all perfectly to be honest with you.”
Since arriving in Brooklyn in 2019, Kyrie Irving has appeared in just 103 of 226 total regular season games due to injuries, sabbaticals, and his vaccine-related ineligibility. Ahead of Irving’s potential free agency, the 2022 playoffs will go a long way toward determining whether the mercurial guard has been worth the trouble for the Nets, argues Ian O’Connor of The New York Post.
Speaking to Zion Olojede of Complex.com, former Net guard James Harden said there were “a lot of ups and downs” during his time in Brooklyn leading up his trade to Philadelphia. “I think my happiness is the most important thing, so I had to make the best decision for myself and for my family,” Harden said.
In an interesting report for ESPN.com, Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru take a deep dive into Joe Tsai‘s business ties to – and occasional defenses of – the Chinese government and explore how the Nets owner has become the face of the NBA’s uneasy relationship with China.

Atlantic Notes: B. Brown, Nets, Celtics, Rivers, Joerger

April 13th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

After Brooklyn defeated Cleveland on Tuesday to secure the No. 7 seed and lock in a first-round matchup against Boston, Nets guard Bruce Brown expressed confidence about how the team matches up against the Celtics.

“They don’t have Robert Williams, so they have less of a presence in the paint,” Brown said, per Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. “We can attack Al Horford and (Daniel) Theis. Them not having Robert Williams is huge.”

Although Brown expressed a little enthusiasm about how the Nets could attack the Celtics’ defense, his comments weren’t especially spicy — it’s not as if he was guaranteeing a series win. Still, his star teammate Kevin Durant wasn’t thrilled about Brown giving any extra bulletin-board material to their first-round opponents.

“That’s caffeine pride talking, taking some before the game,” Durant said when he addressed reporters following Brown’s media session. “Them two dudes (Horford and Theis) can do the same stuff (as Williams). It ain’t going to be that easy, I’ll tell you that.”

Asked why Brown’s comments rubbed him the wrong way, Durant explained that the Nets “respect their opponents,” as Nick Friedell of ESPN relays.

“We don’t need to talk about what we’re going to do to them,” Durant said. “I just don’t like that, but that’s how Bruce is. He comes in and keeps the same energy throughout the whole season so — but we don’t need to say s–t like that. Let’s just go out there and hoop.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

In an in-depth Insider-only story, Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN traces the evolution of the Nets from the young upstart team coached by Kenny Atkinson to the current veteran-heavy squad seeking a championship. Sources tell Arnovitz, whose feature includes several behind-the-scenes tidbits from over the years, that the disconnect between James Harden and the Nets began when the former MVP showed up to training camp out of shape, which irked Kevin Durant.
Multiple recent reports have identified Doc Rivers as a possible candidate for the Lakers‘ head coaching job, but the Sixers head coach dismissed those rumors on Tuesday and said he and his staff are happy with in Philadelphia. “I have a job,” Rivers said (Twitter link via Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times). “We want to win here.”
Sixers assistant Dave Joerger was away from the team for over two months this season, leaving in November to undergo cancer treatments before returning to the bench on a full-time basis in February. Speaking to Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Joerger opened up on what he has gone through in the last year. “Where I’ve been, it runs the gamut,” he said. “There’s times you feel, ‘This is not going to stop me. There’s nothing that can stop me. I’ve got such a great support system,’ and then there’s times you just don’t know if you can go on anymore. Physically, mentally, it’s like, ‘This hurts.’ It’s given me a great appreciation for all the gifts and all the things that we have been given.”

Atlantic Notes: Durant, Nash, Barrett, Siakam, Knicks

April 10th, 2022 at 6:48pm CST by JD Shaw

Nets superstar Kevin Durant praised head coach Steve Nash for the job he’s been doing in his second season, as Chris Milholen of NetsDaily relays. Nash, hired in 2020, has pushed through a tumultuous season, which has included Durant missing time due to injury, Kyrie Irving‘s part-time availability and James Harden‘s trade request.

“I think he’s done a great job. The last two years, he’s been dealt a wild hand: injuries, trades, disgruntled players, guys in and out of the lineup, and stuff that he can’t control,” said Durant, his “disgruntled” player comment apparently referring to James Harden. “I felt like he’s handled it the best as he could.”

Nash spent 18 seasons in the league as a player, retiring in 2014. That career included eight All-Star appearances, though the former MVP never served as an assistant coach after retirement. Still, Brooklyn owns the seventh-best record in the East (44-38) and won four straight games to end the season.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division tonight:

Knicks swingman RJ Barrett suffered a knee injury against the Wizards on Thursday, but Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Twitter link) hears it isn’t serious. New York ruled Barrett out for its finale on Sunday, calling it a right knee sprain. The 21-year-old raised his scoring average from 17.6 to 20.0 points per game this season, but his shooting numbers slipped from last year (44% to 41% from the field and 40% to 34% from deep).
Michael Grange of Sportsnet examines how Raptors star Pascal Siakam reclaimed his place among the NBA’s elite players. Siakam finished the regular season, the best of his professional career, averaging 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. The 28-year-old also shot 49.4% from the floor and 34.4% from three-point range, leading Toronto to the fifth-best record in the East.
Marc Berman of the New York Post explores the potential futures for each player on the Knicks, terming the roster as “broken.” New York failed to make the play-in tournament after a successful season last year, finishing the campaign on a disappointing note.

Atlantic Notes: Harden, Simmons, Dragic, R. Williams

April 2nd, 2022 at 6:23pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers scored 144 points in beating the Hornets this afternoon, easing concerns that the offense has stagnated since James Harden arrived. Philadelphia snapped a three-game losing streak as Harden reverted to the playmaker role he adopted after being acquired from the Nets in February, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He took just 10 shots from the field and handed out 13 assists while playing three quarters in the blowout.

“Like I said, it’s possession by possession, game by game,” Harden said. “Some games I need to be a little more aggressive. But with all that said, I think when all of us are playing well together and on the same page, we got a very, very good chance to win.”

Coach Doc Rivers compared Harden’s situation to what Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen experienced when they joined the Celtics. It’s harder to put up impressive stats on teams with multiple scoring options.

“His numbers are not going to be like his numbers in Houston, because he’s playing with a pretty good player [Joel Embiid],” Rivers said. “So those types of numbers I would never compare him to or anybody to.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Rivers was relieved the Sixers were able to work out a deal for Ben Simmons at the deadline, saying his standoff with the team was becoming too much of a distraction, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. “The guys were just over it,” Rivers said. “We were winning games, and, every town we went to, we were talking about Ben. I don’t know if we could have gotten through the second half of the season with that hanging over our heads. I was praying something happened.”
Simmons traveled with the Nets for tonight’s showdown in Atlanta, but he was limited to “light shooting” before the game and didn’t move around much, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Coach Steve Nash said nothing has changed with Simmons’ status, adds Nick Friedell of ESPN (Twitter link).
Nets guard Goran Dragic, who has entered health and safety protocols, is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, Nash said in a pregame meeting with reporters (Twitter link from Lewis). Nash added that Bruce Brown has the flu and hopefully will return soon. Seth Curry will miss tonight’s game because of soreness in his left ankle (Twitter link).
Celtics center Robert Williams was happy with the results of his meniscus surgery, tweets NBA writer A. Sherrod Blakely. “Everything went as well as we wanted to (with the surgery),” Williams said. “We have to take our time, make sure I’m healthy … everyone here cares about me long-term.”

Harden Reportedly Told Durant He Would Sign Extension With Nets

March 31st, 2022 at 5:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

James Harden told Kevin Durant twice during the offseason he’d sign an extension agreement with the Nets, league sources tell Logan Murdock of The Ringer.

Harden made those assurances when they took a trip to Greece. However, Harden began to sour on his situation in Brooklyn after Durant injured his knee in January. Harden was also upset by Kyrie Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated, which led to a nosedive down the Eastern Conference standings.

Durant took a philosophical approach about Harden’s decision not to stay with Brooklyn long-term and instead pushing for a trade to the Sixers.

“It wasn’t like it was a disconnect between us as individuals. I felt like we liked each other,” he says. “But I was focusing on rehab and he was focusing on the team. Naturally, I wasn’t around the group, but I can’t control how everybody feels about their situation.”

Durant and Irving have grown closer and there’s little doubt Irving will re-sign with Brooklyn, even if he opts out this summer and re-enters free agency. Irving stated that publicly over the weekend.

“We’re building something cool over here,” Durant said. “Kyrie’s a huge, huge part of it, even though this year he was in and out of the lineup, but he’s still a huge part of what we’re trying to do. It’s one of those obstacles that has been fun to climb over, to be honest.”

Durant has no regrets about signing a four-year max extension last summer, despite how this season has played out with Harden’s departure.

“I’m settled,” he says. “It’s good to know that I don’t have to look over my shoulder and worry about the next season or the next two years. Just knowing that three or four years that I’m locked in, I can start living my life on and off the floor with a little bit more ease. It’s a good place to be in.”

Sixers Notes: Maxey, Embiid, Harden, Title Chances

March 27th, 2022 at 3:58pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

While All-Stars Joel Embiid and James Harden will play larger roles, the contributions of second-year Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey could be an X-factor in determining the postseason ceiling for this star-studded Philadelphia club, writes Jared Dubin of FiveThirtyEight.

Maxey’s true shooting numbers have risen dramatically since Harden joined the team and Maxey shifted to off-ball duties more often, Dubin notes. His scoring averaged has increased, even as his usage and assist numbers have dropped a bit. Maxey, who has yet to be a net positive defender, will need to maximize his abilities on that end for Philadelphia to make a playoff push, Dubin adds.

There’s more out of Philly:

Sixers All-Star guard James Harden thinks his teammate, All-Star center Joel Embiid, is worthy of 2022 MVP honors, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “He deserves it, man,” Harden said. “I’ve only been here for a few weeks, but I already see his mindset. He wants to win. Some guys just want numbers, but he has both. He has the mentality of winning, and he scores the ball at a high level. I think he’s prepared himself, especially coming off last year, for this year to be one of his best years.” Through 60 games for Philadelphia, Embiid is averaging 29.8 PPG, 11.3 RPG and 4.3 APG. With a 46-27 record, the Sixers are currently the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference.
Harden continues to work through lingering left hamstring tightness, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “He’s still not there,” Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said. “But [in] three weeks, we really feel at the time, he’ll be there at 100%.” Harden has put up solid numbers in the games he has been able to play for Philadelphia, averaging 23.0 PPG, 9.9 APG, and 7.6 RPG across 13 contests.
The Sixers now sit atop the Eastern Conference by percentage points over the Heat, losers of four straight. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders if, record aside, Philadelphia is truly ready reach the NBA Finals this year. “Our focus is getting better every single day,” Joel Embiid reflected on the team’s development throughout the season. “We are not worried about the standings. We just want to get to a point where we know what we know we are doing at all times on the court, especially on the offensive side.”

Atlantic Notes: Curry, Siakam, Sixers, Fitts

March 22nd, 2022 at 7:44am CST by Luke Adams

In his second game back from a left ankle injury, Nets guard Seth Curry re-injured the same ankle, leaving Monday’s game late in the second quarter with what the team has initially diagnosed as a sprain, per Mark W. Sanchez of The New York Post. Brooklyn is hopeful that Curry’s latest injury isn’t too significant.

“We’ll see what it’s like [Tuesday], but speaking to him at halftime, it didn’t sound like he thought it was doom and gloom,” head coach Steve Nash said after the Nets’ win over Utah. “Hopefully, it’s a quick recovery, but you never know how these things respond, if they balloon up over night. … I think he feels optimistic that it’s not too bad.”

Although Ben Simmons was ostensibly the centerpiece of the Nets’ James Harden trade last month, Curry has provided the most value so far, averaging 15.5 PPG on .493/.471/.846 shooting in 13 games (30.3 MPG) since arriving in Brooklyn.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Raptors forward Pascal Siakam has reemerged as an All-NBA candidate this season, averaging 22.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 5.1 APG with a .488 FG% through 59 games (37.7 MPG). However, as Eric Koreen of The Athletic outlines, Siakam’s odds of making an All-NBA team will be slim if voters view DeMar DeRozan as a forward and/or list Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid at forward to squeeze both onto the First Team.
The Sixers have performed very well when both Embiid and Harden are on the court, but have struggled in recent weeks with just one of their two stars playing, according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com, who says the team will need to find a way to address that issue. Both Embiid (back soreness) and Harden (left hamstring injury recovery) missed Monday’s game, but Philadelphia pulled out a 113-106 upset over the top-seeded Heat.
Malik Fitts‘ new two-year contract with the Celtics is, as expected, worth the minimum salary and is non-guaranteed for next season. Fitts will receive a partial guarantee of $50K if he’s still under contract beyond September 1, tweets Keith Smith of Spotrac.

Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Embiid, VanVleet, Robinson

March 20th, 2022 at 5:31pm CST by JD Shaw

Sixers coach Doc Rivers disagrees with the perception that his bench needs to score more, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Many league observers believe Philadelphia’s depth could be an Achilles heel, especially after the team gave up Seth Curry and Andre Drummond in last month’s deal for James Harden.

“All year, we were playing with five bench guys. I think that was too many for people,” Rivers explained. “Now, we are playing three bench guys. That’s not enough for people.”

Philadelphia’s bench consists of Shake Milton, Danny Green, Georges Niang and DeAndre Jordan, which likely isn’t better than other Eastern contenders such as Miami or Milwaukee. The team’s starting group certainly makes up for it, however.

“I think the biggest thing everyone is missing is since James has come, we play two starters with the bench,” Rivers continued, alluding to his new substitution pattern. “So when you do that, the bench guys aren’t going to score as much.

“The reason they aren’t going to score as much is because the two starters that are playing with the bench are probably scoring more when they are playing with the bench. So it does change it a little bit for sure.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers superstar Joel Embiid is eager to play in every game before the playoffs, but he understands the importance of being healthy, Pompey writes in a separate article for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid has been playing through a sore back. Philadelphia will need his production in the playoffs, as he’s currently averaging a career-high 30.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (right knee injury management) will miss the team’s game against Philadelphia on Sunday, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports tweets. VanVleet played nearly 47 minutes against the Lakers in an overtime game on Friday. He leads the team in minutes per game (38.2) and is in the midst of his first All-Star campaign.
Mitchell Robinson has provided a boost for the Knicks on the offensive glass, Pette Botte of the New York Post writes. The seven-footer has averaged just over four offensive rebounds per game this season, trailing only Grizzlies center Steven Adams. “Huge … those effort plays, they inspire your team,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Our rebounding has been off the charts, that’s a big part of winning. You have to keep improving … keep fighting, scratching. Whatever we gotta do, we gotta do right now.”

Atlantic Notes: Harden, Sixers, Barnes, Nesmith

March 19th, 2022 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers have been successful since trading for James Harden last month, but he’s still trying to find the right balance between scoring and setting up teammates, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Harden has averaged 13.7 shots per game since coming to Philadelphia, which would be his lowest total in a decade.

“You have another guy [Joel Embiid] right now who’s leading the league in scoring on my team,” Harden said after Friday’s win over the Mavericks. “Night-in and night-out, he’s used to, he’s confident of getting buckets.”

Coach Doc Rivers said earlier this week that he would like to see Harden shoot more frequently, and Embiid expressed the same sentiment on Friday, saying the former MVP needs to be more aggressive heading into the playoffs. The two players spread out the scoring duties against Dallas, with Embiid contributing 21 of his 32 points in the first half and Harden scoring 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.

“I’m just trying to find a balance like I talked about before, when to be a play-maker,” Harden said. “I think tonight especially in that fourth quarter, me attacking, attacking, attacking, the play-making ability is going to come because we got lobs, we got threes. So that’s going to come with my aggressiveness. You just got to read the game. And tonight, I felt I read the game well.”

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Rivers indicated that he might consider resting some of his players, particularly with a tough back-to-back looming for the Sixers Sunday and Monday against the Raptors and Heat, per Gina Mizell of The Philadelphia Inquirer. That wraps up a stretch of six games in nine days with two back-to-backs and a pair of one-game road trips. “You’d rather have this at the beginning of the year,” Rivers said. “But every team, at some point, goes through a stretch like this.”
A crucial mistake in Friday’s loss to the Lakers should be a learning experience for Raptors rookie Scottie Barnes, states Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Although Barnes had a great game with 31 points and 17 rebounds, his late inbounds pass was intercepted by Russell Westbrook, who hit a three-pointer to send the game to overtime. “It wasn’t just him,” Fred VanVleet said. “He really gave us a chance to be in the game, dominated both ends of the floor, had a couple unfortunate plays but … I’ve certainly had my share of them (and) it sucks in the moment but all you can do for those times is grow and get better at it, and Scottie will do that.”
Celtics guard Aaron Nesmith has been upgraded to questionable for Sunday’s game, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic. Nesmith has missed the past two weeks with a sprained right ankle.

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