Joel Embiid Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: MVP Race, I. Thomas, Draft, I. Clark

February 17th, 2022 at 9:46am CST by Luke Adams

The top two finishers in last season’s MVP voting appear to be the top two candidates for this year’s award too, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Bontemps recently conducted a straw poll of 100 media members and found that Sixers center Joel Embiid narrowly – and unofficially – leads Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic in the MVP race.

As Bontemps details, Embiid received 45 first-place votes from the poll respondents, while Jokic got 43. Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (nine), Suns guard Chris Paul (two), and Warriors guard Stephen Curry (one) were the other players who got first-place votes. Interestingly, Embiid was the only player to show up on all 100 five-player ballots, while Jokic was left off five.

Curry received 94 first-place votes when Bontemps conducted a similar straw poll in December, but the veteran sharpshooter has slowed down since his hot start, while players like Embiid, Jokic, and Antetokounmpo have made stronger MVP pushes.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Free agent guard Isaiah Thomas is expected to rejoin the Grand Rapids Gold – the Nuggets‘ G League affiliate – after the All-Star break, league sources tell Marc Stein (Twitter link). Thomas had a very brief stint in Grand Rapids in December, scoring 42 points in his only NBAGL game before getting called up to the NBA. Thomas signed 10-day contracts with the Lakers and Mavericks before returning to the open market.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has published a new 2022 mock draft, while Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has updated his top-50 big board. Both draft experts currently have Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren at No. 1 and Jabari Smith of Auburn at No. 2, with Purdue’s Jaden Ivey moving up to No. 3 ahead of Duke’s Paolo Banchero.
Veteran guard Ian Clark, who has 330 regular season appearances on his NBA résumé and won a title with Golden State in 2017, has signed with the Sydney Kings, the Australian team recently announced in a press release. Clark played in 60 games for New Orleans in 2018/19, but has been out of the NBA since then.

Ben Simmons: No One To Blame For Situation With Sixers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eastern Notes: Suggs, Heat, Hornets, Harden, Embiid

February 13th, 2022 at 6:32pm CST by JD Shaw

Magic rookie Jalen Suggs is pushing the pace for his team this season, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Orlando lost to Phoenix 132-105 on Saturday, but Suggs still finished with a 20-point, 10-assist effort.

“I liked the pace of the game,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said of Suggs. “His ability to push the ball up the floor. He got a lot of guys easy shots being able to get out in transition [and] attacking before the defense was set. I really like his aggressiveness.”

Suggs also grabbed six rebounds in the contest, immediately pushing to run the break. His work came in just 26 minutes of action. The 20-year-old is holding per-game averages of 12.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists on the season, shooting 37% from the floor.

Here are some other notes from the Southeast Division:

The Heat were content with standing pat at the trade deadline, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. The team did clear a roster spot by trading KZ Okpala to Oklahoma City, but Victor Oladipo‘s looming return should serve as a valuable upgrade. “I thought everyone was pretty safe this year on our team,” Tyler Herro said. “In past years, we’ve made pretty significant moves and people didn’t really know what move we were going to make. But I felt like this trade deadline was a little bit more clear. We’re first in the East. We feel like we made all our moves in the offseason and I think this roster is good enough to compete with anybody. I think that’s why we didn’t make any moves.”
The upcoming All-Star break is coming at a good time for the Hornets, Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes, noting how the team could use a reset. Charlotte is 3-7 in its last 10 games. “I feel like we just got to put it together,” Terry Rozier said. “Whatever that means, however people take it. But the season is about ups and downs and at home we’re just not getting wins right now.”
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer examines why he believes the James Harden–Joel Embiid pairing will flourish for the Sixers at first. Pompey also explores whether it could advance past the initial stage, as both Harden and Embiid don’t hold championship experience. Philadelphia acquired Harden and veteran Paul Millsap last week, sending Ben Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to Brooklyn.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Harden Directly Asked Nets’ Marks, Tsai For Trade To Sixers

February 11th, 2022 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

For much of the 2021/22 season, Nets guard James Harden insisted during conversations with general manager Sean Marks and team owner Joe Tsai that he wanted to remain in Brooklyn beyond this season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne (Insider link). And initially, signing a long-term deal with Brooklyn was Harden’s preferred option, since he could always force a trade down the road if he needed to.

However, as the season progressed, Harden began talking to various player agents to get advice about how best to make his way to Philadelphia, according to ESPN’s duo. As Wojnarowski and Shelburne detail, the Nets would often quickly learn what Harden – who has a reputation for being passive-aggressive rather than confrontational and was worried about the optics of making another trade request – was saying to agents and other third parties.

Finally, with the trade deadline fast approaching, Harden directly told Marks and Tsai that he would prefer to play for the Sixers, asking the GM and team owner on a FaceTime call to send him to Philadelphia, sources tell ESPN.

The Nets told him they would only make a deal if it was a good one for the organization, which Harden understood. While the two sides agreed at that point that Harden wouldn’t play until after Thursday’s deadline, the former MVP appeared to have already checked out on the team, according to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, who say Harden informed management he was headed to Houston on Wednesday to wait out the deadline.

Here’s more from Wojnarowski and Shelburne on the Harden/Ben Simmons blockbuster:

Marks and Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey engaged in plenty of posturing in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline before eventually getting more serious late on Wednesday night, sources tell ESPN. Up until that point, Marks had listened to a couple of Morey’s trade pitches, but rebuffed them.
According to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, when the two sides reengaged and eventually neared the finish line on Thursday, Marks told Morey he needed to hang up the phone to run the proposed deal by Tsai, prompting Morey to yell, “Stay on the f—ing phone!” Marks jokingly replied, “We’re dropping F-Bombs now, Daryl?” He ultimately got Tsai’s approval to move forward on the trade.
Simmons’ agent Rich Paul met with Nets star Kevin Durant and Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman nearly a month ago and pitched the idea of a Harden/Simmons swap, per Wojnarowski and Shelburne. Durant initially wasn’t interested in the idea, but the equation changed after he injured his knee and Harden became increasingly disengaged during his absence.
Harden doesn’t have a direct history with Sixers star Joel Embiid, but has always been a fan of the center and pushed Morey to trade for him when they were both in Houston, according to ESPN’s duo. “James respects players who do a good job defending him,” one source said. “And Joel has always done that.”
Although Simmons never got over what he viewed as a lack of public support from head coach Doc Rivers following last spring’s playoff loss to the Hawks, the two men had been speaking again in recent weeks, with conversations “increasing in substance,” per Woj and Shelburne. However, their final conversation on Thursday was mostly just an exchanging of pleasantries, sources tell ESPN.

LeBron Chooses Giannis, Curry In All-Star Draft; Durant Picks Embiid, Morant

February 10th, 2022 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After James Harden was traded away from the Nets on Thursday, former teammate Kevin Durant opted not to pick him in the All-Star draft conducted on Thursday night. Harden was the last player chosen by LeBron James for Team LeBron, as the league announced (via Twitter).

LeBron’s starters, besides himself, are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokic.

Durant, who won’t play in the All-Star Game at Cleveland due to his knee injury, chose Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young and Andrew Wiggins as Team Durant’s starters.

James selected Luka Doncic as his top reserve. His guard-heavy team also features Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet and Harden.

Team Durant’s bench includes Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert.

Thus, numerous teammates will be on opposing clubs for the All-Star game, including the Jazz’s Gobert and Mitchell and the Suns’ Paul and Booker.

The game will be played February 20 in Cleveland.

Embiid “Fine” With Simmons Staying, Playing For Sixers

February 7th, 2022 at 6:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Star center Joel Embiid left the door open for Ben Simmons returning to action with the Sixers if Simmons isn’t traded, as he told Mike Missanelli of 97.5 The Fanatic (hat tip to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.com). Embiid says he’ll do whatever it takes to win a championship and that the Sixers are a better team with Simmons on the floor.

“Whatever that’s going to help me achieve that, I’m fine with whatever. I’ve always said, obviously, we’re a better team with [Simmons] on the floor. I’m sure a lot of people agree, even if they don’t want to agree, it doesn’t matter, we still are a better team with him on the floor,” Embiid said. “Let’s say – I don’t hate anybody and I don’t have any problems with anybody around the league – [but] let’s say I really hated someone in another team and the front office went and traded for that guy because they believed that we could win a championship. You know what? I have no pride. My goal is to win a championship, I would be fine with it…I don’t know about how everybody else feels, but to me, I’m trying to win a championship, and whatever it takes to accomplish that, I’m fine with that.”

The Most Valuable Player candidate also addressed Simmons’ sensitivity, including an item in a recent story from ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Sources close to Simmons told Shelburne that he was upset Embiid seemed to blame him for last season’s playoff loss when Simmons didn’t blame Embiid for his “poor showing” in the 2019 postseason against Toronto. Embiid wasn’t apologetic, instead pointing out that he even criticized himself for the team’s playoff failure last season.

“Everybody’s at fault. But at the end of the day, you got to look at yourself. When we lost, I looked at myself. I knew I wasn’t good enough, I knew I wasn’t healthy enough,” Embiid said. “So I just looked at myself and tried to find ways that I can be better and I can help the team just be better. … So I think at the end of the day, you got to have some self-awareness and kind of look at yourself and see how you can help the team. It’s never about one player, you can’t win basketball one-on-five. You need your teammates, you need everyone to do their part.”

Asked about the rumors that James Harden might become his teammate, either prior to the trade deadline or in the offseason, Embiid said he welcome any top-level player joining the team and puts Harden in that category. However, he also feels the Sixers already have the pieces to compete for a championship.

“He plays for the Brooklyn Nets, and there’s nothing I can do about that,” Embiid said. “That’s like you asking me a question like, ‘Would you love playing with Steph Curry?’ Obviously the top players all make each other better, and he’s in that category of just being able to — and he’s gotten close before. He’s gotten to the conference finals, he’s gotten close to making it to the Finals, but that’s something I really can’t comment about because he plays for another team, and it’s not realistic. We all see the same thing on the Internet, and I don’t know what’s true and what’s not.

“I do believe with the guys we have, my teammates, I do believe that we have a chance together. It’s going to take all of us to play at the highest level possible to compete. Who’s not a fan of, you know, Kevin Durant or Steph Curry or James Harden? They’re all top players in this league.”

Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid Named Players Of The Month

February 2nd, 2022 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of All-NBA centers have earned Player of the Month honors for January, with Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic winning the Western Conference award, while Joel Embiid of the Sixers was named the winner in the Eastern Conference (Twitter link).

Jokic appeared in all 17 of the Nuggets’ January games and led the team to an 11-6 record. He averaged 26.2 PPG, 13.4 RPG, and 8.9 APG in 33.5 minutes per contest, posting a scorching-hot shooting line of .596/.420/.881. Jokic earned Player of the Week honors on January 24, but this is his first Player of the Month award this season.

Embiid, meanwhile, is the East’s Player of the Month for a second straight time, having also won the award in December. He appeared in 14 games, including 11 Sixers victories, in January and averaged an eye-popping 34.0 PPG to go along with 10.8 RPG, 5.1 APG, and 1.5 BPG in 32.1 minutes per game.

Jokic and Embiid are firmly in contention for this year’s Most Valuable Player award after finishing first and second, respectively, in voting a year ago. Embiid’s Sixers are currently 31-19, just one game out of first place in the East. Jokic’s Nuggets rank sixth in the West at 28-22, but are only 1.5 games out of fourth place.

According to the league (Twitter links), the other Player of the Month nominees were Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, Jaren Jackson, Ja Morant, Dejounte Murray, Anfernee Simons, and Karl-Anthony Towns in the West, and Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan, Darius Garland, Pascal Siakam, Jayson Tatum, and Trae Young in the East.

Chris Paul, Joel Embiid Named Players Of The Week

January 31st, 2022 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns guard Chris Paul and Sixers center Joel Embiid have been named the Players of the Week for the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively, the NBA announced today (via Twitter).

Paul led the Suns to a 4-0 week from January 24-30, averaging 22.3 PPG, 12.8 APG, and 7.5 RPG on .542/.588/.714 shooting in 38.5 minutes per contest. He posted his second triple-double of the season on Friday vs. Minnesota, with 21 points, 14 assists, and 10 boards.

The 76ers, meanwhile, enjoyed a 3-0 week, with their star center leading the way. Embiid put up 34.7 PPG, 11.7 RPG, and 5.7 APG in victories over over the Pelicans, Lakers, and Kings. He’ll get a breather following his big week, sitting out Monday’s game vs. Memphis for rest purposes. It’ll be the first game he has missed since December 13.

Both Paul and Embiid would likely show up on plenty of MVP ballots if the season ended today, so it’s a little surprising that neither star had won a Player of the Week award yet this season. Embiid was named the East’s Player of the Month for December.

Devin Booker, Jaren Jackson Jr., Ja Morant, Nikola Jokic, and Karl-Anthony Towns were this week’s other nominees in the West, while Jimmy Butler, Darius Garland, Jayson Tatum, Franz Wagner, and Trae Young received consideration in the East, according to the league (Twitter link).

Atlantic Notes: Embiid, Simmons, Smart, Banton

January 30th, 2022 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers need to make the best possible deal for Ben Simmons before the trade deadline or they’ll risk wasting a remarkable season from Joel Embiid, argues Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Embiid is putting up MVP-level numbers with 29.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 blocks per night. He has scored at least 25 points in 17 straight games and has Philadelphia in contention for the top spot in the East even though Simmons hasn’t played.

There has been speculation that Sixers president of basketball operation Daryl Morey is hoping to use Simmons to land James Harden during the offseason, but Pompey sees that as too great a risk. He notes that there’s no guarantee that Harden or any other star will be available this summer, meaning the offers for Simmons won’t be much different from what they are now. He also points out that the Bucks won a title last season after making minor improvements around Giannis Antetokounmpo.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Celtics guard Marcus Smart is a supporter of coach Ime Udoka, who has come under criticism during his first season in Boston, per Jay King of The Athletic. Smart complimented Udoka on the job he’s done so far and said he trusts his coach to act in his best interests. “Being in Boston and coaching for Boston, it’s not easy, especially for your first year,” Smart said. “So we just have to continue to help him. I’ve gotta continue to help him. I’ve been here the longest. I know the guys more than he does. And I’ve gotta be that quarterback out there for him.”
Smart admitted Saturday that he still has pieces of glass in his right hand after punching a picture frame four years ago, tweets Keith Smith of CelticsBlog. “Yeah, it gets like this ever since the picture frame incident,” Smart said. “There’s still some glass in there. The doctors said it would cause more issues to take it out, so I still have glass in there. Sometimes I can’t really feel my hand.”
Raptors rookie Dalano Banton doesn’t mind the extra work of playing in the NBA and the G League at the same time, according to Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “Going up and down to the G League and playing up here with the Raptors, I feel like I’m putting myself in a position to have a good, long career,” Banton said. “Everybody here looks out for me. They never let nothing slide with me. Everybody holds me accountable.”’