Tobias Harris Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Joel Embiid Held Out Of Denver Game With Knee Soreness

January 27th, 2024 at 5:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

Today’s game between the Sixers and Nuggets doesn’t include a rematch of MVP candidates Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. Philadelphia’s training staff decided to hold Embiid out of the contest with left knee soreness after watching him in pregame warmups, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Embiid was dealing with pain in his knee during Thursday’s loss at Indiana, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He managed to play 31 minutes and score 31 points, but he took an awkward fall at one point and grabbed at the knee. Pompey observed that Embiid had difficulty moving on defense throughout the game, and despite his great scoring night, the team was minus-20 when he was on the court.

Embiid and Jokic, who have combined to win the last three MVP awards, had their only meeting of the season on January 16 in Philadelphia. Embiid posted 41 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists in the Sixers’ five-point victory, while Jokic countered with 25 points, 19 rebounds and three assists.

Every game that Embiid misses is significant, given that he needs to play in 65 to qualify for MVP honors under the NBA’s new guidelines. Today marks his 11th missed game of the season, and it appears the knee could be a lingering issue. Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris are also sitting out the game with injuries. Embiid hasn’t played in Denver since 2019, Pompey tweets.

Today’s game is featured on ABC as part of the NBA’s “Rivals Week” promotion, but it loses a lot of its appeal without the matchup between the league’s two best centers.

Atlantic Notes: Quickley, Raptors, Harris, Thibodeau

January 14th, 2024 at 2:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New Raptors starting point guard Immanuel Quickley is looking to an All-NBA superstar as a point of reference for his expanded role on Toronto, per Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Quickley has been watching game tape on Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.

“To see someone 6-foot-3, 190 pounds winning an MVP, it makes you ask yourself: ‘Why can’t I be great? If you have the work ethic, why can’t you go out and accomplish great things?’” Quickley said. “It’s always great to see great players do well, especially players who have the same kind of body type as you, it’s just cool to see that.”

Curry, meanwhile, had high praise for Quickley.

“He’s got so much potential in this league and the change of the scenery will be fresh for him,” Curry said. “He’s got a nice responsibility as a starting point guard now.”

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

These revamped Raptors are struggling on defense without OG Anunoby or Precious Achiuwa, writes Eric Koreen of The Athletic. In Koreen’s view, one part of the problem is the team’s decision to frequently play Quickley alongside reserve point guard Dennis Schröder, in undersized backcourt lineups.
Against the Kings on Friday, Sixers power forward Tobias Harris reminded Philadelphia fans why the team to sign him to a five-year, $180MM contract in 2019, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. His 37-point night vs. Sacramento came on the heels of a 32-point performance on Wednesday against the Hawks, marking the first time in his NBA career he has scored 30+ points in two straight games. With Embiid ailing from a sore left knee, Harris has taken on a bigger role in his team’s scoring attack.
After claiming his 500th career victory as a head coach, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau reflected on the retirement of 24-year Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “Growing up in New England, I appreciate what he brought, and what he did there was just incredible,” Connecticut native Thibodeau said. “That’s the mark of greatness to do it the way he did it for as long as he did. I grew up thinking the Patriots never win and then my nephews grew up thinking the Patriots win every year. So it’s completely different perspective. But I think a lot of coaches learn from him — coaching is leadership. He’s incredible. He’s at the top of my list.”

Injury Notes: Sharpe, M. Williams, Embiid, Sixers, Lowry

January 9th, 2024 at 12:06pm CST by Luke Adams

After leaving Sunday’s game vs. Portland due to a knee injury, Nets center Day’Ron Sharpe has been diagnosed with a hyperextended left knee, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. As Lewis relays, Sharpe is expected to be reevaluated by the club in about two weeks.

It’s an unfortunate setback for a player whose role has increased in his third season in Brooklyn. After averaging a modest 11.8 minutes per game in 80 appearances across his two NBA seasons, Sharpe has logged 16.0 MPG in 37 contests so far this season, posting career-best marks in points (7.5), rebounds (7.0), and assists (1.4), among other categories.

In Sharpe’s 592 minutes of action this season, the Nets have a net rating of +7.7. In Brooklyn’s 1,194 minutes without him on the court, that number plummets to -5.8. That’s easily the biggest on/off disparity among Nets rotation players so far in 2023/24.

Here are a few more injury updates from around the NBA:

Hornets center Mark Williams, who has been sidelined by a low back ailment since December 8, will be out for at least one more week as he continues to rehab the injury, the team announced on Monday (via Twitter). Charlotte has a 1-14 record in games without Williams so far this season.
Sixers center Joel Embiid (left knee swelling) didn’t practice with the team on Monday or Tuesday and appears likely to miss a second consecutive game on Wednesday in Atlanta, per Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports (Twitter links). However, Tobias Harris (left ankle soreness) and De’Anthony Melton (back soreness) each practiced both days and head coach Nick Nurse is confident they’ll be available vs. the Hawks, Bodner adds. Harris sat out on Saturday, while Melton has missed Philadelphia’s past three games.
Heat point guard Kyle Lowry exited Monday’s game in the third quarter due to a sprained left hand, but the initial scan on Lowry’s hand came back clean, so he’s considered day-to-day for now, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes. Miami has taken a committee approach to the point guard responsibilities this season, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, so if Lowry – who is also battling an illness – does have to miss time, the ball-handling duties will be shared by Tyler Herro, Josh Richardson, and others.
In other Heat injury news, Jimmy Butler (toe) has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. It’ll be the ninth game in the last 10 that Butler has missed.

Pistons Notes: Cunningham, FA Targets, Losing Streak, Fixes

December 27th, 2023 at 4:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Clearly, not many things have been going well for the Pistons, who just broke the single-season NBA record on Tuesday with their 27th consecutive loss. If they lose again on Thursday in Boston, they’ll tie the all-time losing streak across multiple seasons, set by the Sixers in 2014/15 and ’15/16.

Despite their struggles, former No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham has been a bright spot for the Pistons of late, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. After an up-and-down first 19 games, Cunningham is averaging 24.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.3 steals on .500/.309/.847 shooting in 11 games this month, including two 40-point outbursts over his past four contests. He has also significantly cut down on his turnovers, going from a league-high 4.9 per game over his first 19 games to 2.9 per night this month.

As Sankofa writes, Cunningham did everything in his power to keep Detroit in the game on Tuesday, shooting 13-of-16 from the field (81.3%) and scoring 37 points in the second half, including the team’s final 12. The rest of the Pistons were a combined 7-of-26 (26.9%) in the second half, Sankofa notes.

“Everyday, I try to lead the squad,” Cunningham said. “I haven’t been successful with that. Two-and-28. I just felt like it’s only right that I come up and can speak for it, be the face for it. That locker room and everybody in there cares a lot. Everybody’s trying to do everything they can to win games and be successful. I put a lot of that weight on myself, for sure.”

Here’s more from Detroit:

On FanDuel TV’s Run It Back show (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of The Athletic said the Pistons are likely to target a power forward in free agency in 2024, with Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Tobias Harris and Miles Bridges among the names worth monitoring.
The Pistons have won three championships and have made the NBA Finals five times. But over the past 15 years, they’ve been “meh-to-bad,” with the current group on pace to be the worst team ever, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who takes an in-depth look at the sequence of events that has led Detroit to its historic ineptitude.
While there are no “quick fixes” for a team that’s 2-28, Keith Smith of Spotrac describes how he would go about changing the direction of the franchise, including trading away veterans for draft assets.

Trade Notes: Sixers, LaVine, Anunoby, Harris, Mitchell, OKC, Heat

December 22nd, 2023 at 12:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Bulls guard Zach LaVine and Raptors forward OG Anunoby continue to be two names to watch as possible trade targets for the Sixers, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, who said during an appearance on FanDuel’s Run it Back (Twitter video link) that Philadelphia has monitored both players and has “a level of interest” in them.

The Sixers have several expiring contracts that could be used as salary-matching pieces in a deadline trade. The biggest of those expiring deals belongs to Tobias Harris, who is earning $39.27MM this season before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2024.

According to Charania, while the 76ers value Harris and want to keep him around, there are “a lot of teams” keeping an eye on the veteran forward, whose scoring output has slowed down recently (11.3 PPG in his past 11 games) following a hot start (19.3 PPG in his first 16 games).

Here are a few more trade-related notes from around the NBA:

Zach Lowe of ESPN (Insider link) is the latest reporter to confirm that the Cavaliers have shown no inclination to make Donovan Mitchell available via trade. That stance may not change unless Mitchell expresses unhappiness in Cleveland, Lowe adds.
Within the same ESPN story, Lowe makes a case that the Thunder should be active on the trade market this season, pointing out that there’s plenty of middle ground available between standing pat and trying to land a superstar. Oklahoma City is good enough that even overpaying for one starter-caliber player could make the team a legitimate title contender, Lowe argues.
In the third article in a series examining the Heat‘s trade options, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald takes a closer look at 10 Eastern Conference rivals, exploring which of them might make the most sense as trade partners for Miami.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks Frontcourt, Skapintsev, Embiid, Harris, Smith

December 21st, 2023 at 5:21pm CST by Tristan Tucker

As the Knicks grapple with injuries to Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims, they’re beginning to look for options to add to their frontcourt depth — which currently consists of Isaiah Hartenstein and Taj Gibson — according to SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). One such option, per Begley, is Dmytro Skapintsev, who is currently playing for New York’s G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks.

Skapintsev, 25, went undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft after spending his young professional career in Ukraine. He began playing for the Knicks’ G League affiliate in 2022 and has played there since. Skapintsev played in the 2023 NBA Summer League for the Knicks, then signed an Exhibit 10 contract with New York over the summer before being waived and re-joining Westchester.

In 12 Showcase Cup games with Westchester, Skapintsev averages 5.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 18.9 minutes per game.

The Knicks don’t currently have a standard contract opening, but a feasible way to have Skapintsev join the rotation could be by replacing one of their two-way contract players with him until Sims, who is expected to be out one-to-two weeks, comes back.

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid is on a tear over the past month, averaging 41.4 points and 12.9 rebounds through eight games in December. Embiid scored 51 points against the Timberwolves — the top defensive team in the league — in a 14-point Sixers victory on Wednesday. “He’s unstoppable, man,” guard Anthony Edwards said per Star Tribune’s Chris Hine. “I don’t see how they lose a game, honestly. I don’t see how they lose.“
After a strong start to the season, Sixers forward Tobias Harris has regressed on the offensive side of the ball, writes The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. Harris finished with nine points in Wednesday’s win over the Wolves and he’s averaging 11.3 points in his past 11 games. Pompey opines that while Philadelphia’s two-man game of Embiid and Tyrese Maxey is working well now, they need Harris to step up in order to find long-term success.
Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. was upgraded to probable for Brooklyn’s Friday game against the Nuggets, tweets the New York Post’s Brian Lewis. Smith hasn’t played since Dec. 6 while dealing with a back injury. On the year, he’s been limited to 13 games and is averaging 6.7 points and 3.5 assists in those outings.

Pistons Among Teams Eyeing OG Anunoby

December 16th, 2023 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pistons are expected to be active in the trade market prior to this season’s deadline and have interest in acquiring a forward, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who identifies Raptors forward OG Anunoby as one of the players Detroit has its eye on.

Of course, as Edwards acknowledges, Anunoby is a trade target who will appeal to most teams across the NBA, given his three-and-D skill set and his seamless fit on virtually any roster. There’s also no guarantee that Toronto will make him available on or before February 8.

Even if Anunoby ends up on the trade block, it’s possible Detroit won’t aggressively pursue him during the season in the hopes that he could be signed in free agency next summer, Edwards adds. The 26-year-old has a player option for 2024/25 that he’s extremely likely to decline, while the Pistons are well positioned to create a significant amount of cap space in July.

Edwards identifies Sixers forward Tobias Harris as another veteran on an expiring contract who would be of interest to the Pistons, though Harris has played an important role in Philadelphia this season following James Harden‘s exit and seems unlikely to be traded unless it’s for an upgrade.

Losers of 22 consecutive games, the Pistons obviously aren’t looking to make a win-now move that will propel them to playoff contention this season. With that in mind, it may seem counterintuitive that they’d be interested in trading for players like Anunoby and Harris, who can become free agents in 2024.

However, if the Pistons were to acquire Anunoby, Harris, or someone else with a similar contract situation, the player’s Bird rights would be traded along with him, putting the Pistons in a strong position to extend or re-sign him.

Still, I’d be surprised if a lottery-bound team like Detroit is prepared to give up the sort of assets it would take to acquire an established impact player — the Pistons may be better off selling off some of their own veterans at this season’s deadline and taking the same approach next summer that Houston did this past offseason, adding vets in free agency instead of via trade.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Harden, Morris, Covington, Green, Harris

November 3rd, 2023 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

Responding to James Harden‘s claim that the Sixers had him “on a leash” last season, Joel Embiid said on Thursday that he didn’t get the sense his former teammate was unhappy with his role, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic and Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Embiid also questioned the idea that the 76ers’ game plan held Harden back in any way.

“In my opinion, we gave him the ball every single possession, because he’s really good. He’s an amazing player,” Embiid said. “Obviously being that great of a passer, we gave him the ball. If you watch the game we gave him the ball every single possession to go out there and do his thing. From there he had to make decisions as far as getting guys open or looking out for himself.

“I thought he did a pretty good job of just getting us into the offense and just passing the ball, getting guys open. That’s the reason why he won the assists title last year. I think maybe that might have been a discussion between coaches and him, but from our point of view I think we allowed him to have the ball every single possession.”

Speaking to reporters after the Sixers’ win over Toronto, Embiid added that he was happy the situation got resolved and that Harden got what he wanted, joking that he hopes the Sixers get to beat the Clippers in the NBA Finals next spring.

Asked about what move the 76ers might make next to strengthen their roster and make them a legitimate title contender, Embiid deferred to the front office, stressing that he has no complaints about the current roster.

“That’s not my job,” Embiid said, per Bontemps. “My only job is to try to win. I just want to make that clear. I just want to be in the best position to win. I’m always going to believe in myself anyways. It doesn’t matter who I play with. I love the guys that we have. We’re going to go and fight every single night like we’ve been doing, and we’re always going have a chance to win.”

Here’s more out of Philadelphia:

Veteran forward Marcus Morris, who had fallen out of the rotation in Los Angeles, is thrilled to be joining his hometown team in Philadelphia and said he didn’t feel like himself on the West Coast, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Me coming here is like everything for me,” Morris said.
A Sixer from 2014-18 during the “Process” years, Robert Covington expressed excitement about returning to Philadelphia and beginning a second stint with the club, according to Pompey. “This is where I put my name on the map,” Covington said. “It feels great to be back. I’ve been in this building (the Sixers’ practice facility) when it first opened. Seeing the amount of hours spent into the development here, it’s just amazing to be back.”
Danny Green was “disappointed by how the final days of his tenure” with the Sixers played out, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link). However, Haynes says the two sides still have an affinity for one another and haven’t ruled out the possibility of the veteran swingman returning to the team. Green’s contract originally called for him to receive a $500K partial guarantee if he made the opening night roster, but he agreed to reduce that figure to $200K and then was waived before November 10, when his guarantee would have increased to $500K.
As good as Tyrese Maxey has been in the early going this season, Pompey believes forward Tobias Harris has actually been the biggest beneficiary of Harden’s absence so far. Through four games, Harris is shooting 63.8% from the floor and is averaging 20.5 points per game, which would be a career high.

Sixers Notes: Trade Targets, Harden, Maxey, Embiid, Harris, Martin

November 2nd, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors forward OG Anunoby is a player to watch as the Sixers try to remake their roster following the James Harden trade, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says in a conversation with Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Scotto states that Nick Nurse is a huge fan of Anunoby after coaching him in Toronto, and he would be a good fit with the current roster on both offense and defense. Scotto also points out that the Sixers would have plenty of cap room to re-sign Anunoby when he becomes a free agent next summer.

Sources tell Scotto that Philadelphia may eye a few other trade targets such as Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic. He hears the Sixers aren’t interested in pursuing Karl-Anthony Towns to play alongside Joel Embiid because he hasn’t meshed well with Rudy Gobert on the Timberwolves. Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan would provide scoring punch, but he also brings spacing issues to the offense. Scotto doesn’t believe Philadelphia currently has interest in either Raptors forward Pascal Siakam or Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant.

Pompey doesn’t see another ball-dominant scorer as an ideal fit because of Tyrese Maxey‘s strong play to open the season. Anunoby’s defense and Bogdanovic’s outside shooting would be more valuable, according to Pompey, and they’re likely to cost less than some of the other hypothetical targets.

Scotto and Pompey offer more on the Sixers:

The Clippers‘ offer that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey accepted for James Harden was the only legitimate one he received, according to Pompey. He speculates that the organization wanted to unload Harden before he was reintroduced to the team and possibly caused a distraction, and there was concern that L.A.’s interest in Harden might lessen if the team got off to a strong start. Scotto hears that the Knicks called about Harden but never made a serious offer, while the Heat weren’t involved at all.
The Sixers believe it will take a max contract to keep Maxey in free agency next summer, Scotto hears. The fourth-year guard has excelled as the leader of the offense with Harden sidelined, but Scotto believes the organization has to determine whether he’s best suited as a point guard or shooting guard.
Embiid is “monitoring the situation” to see if Morey can build a legitimate contender before making any decisions about his future, Pompey states. The Sixers are currently optimistic about keeping him happy, but Pompey warns that another early playoff exit could prompt him to ask for a trade during the offseason.
The Sixers will be interested in re-signing Tobias Harris, but they can’t give him close to a max contract because of how much they’ll have to pay Maxey and possibly others, Pompey adds. He points out that Philadelphia has Harris’ Bird rights, which will help with his next contract but would eat into the club’s cap room.
Sources tell Scotto that the Sixers are “intrigued” with Kenyon Martin Jr., who was part of the return from the Clippers in the Harden deal, and may consider re-signing him next summer if he plays well.

Sixers Notes: Morey, Harden, Maxey, Harris

October 23rd, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers‘ standoff with James Harden is the latest challenge for president of basketball operations Daryl Morey as he faces a career-defining season, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Former head coach Doc Rivers took most of the heat for the team’s second-round exit in last season’s playoffs, but the blame for another disappointing finish will fall on Morey, Pompey adds. He made a coaching change this summer, bringing in Nick Nurse, who’s more aligned with Morey’s approach to the game. However, the roster remained largely the same, and the Sixers appeared to lose ground in the Eastern Conference arms race as the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard while the Celtics added Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

“I do believe what Milwaukee and Boston have done is very good,” Morey said, “but this is why we play the games. We’ve got the MVP of the league (Joel Embiid). We have an up-and-coming, star-level player in (Tyrese) Maxey. We’ve got great, great winning-type players on this roster.”

The Sixers’ fortunes will depend heavily on how Morey resolves the situation with Harden, who has been demanding a trade ever since he picked up his $35.6MM option in late June. Harden has indicated that he plans to make things uncomfortable in Philadelphia until he gets his way, and he has already publicly called Morey a liar and stated that he’ll never play for him again. Morey has mostly remained silent about their broken relationship.

“This year, regardless of what happens with James, we’re going to be a very (bleeping) good team,” Morey told Pompey. “If James is here, we’re going to be even better. If James isn’t here or we trade him for something, we’re going to be very good.”

There’s more from Philadelphia:

Harden is still away from the team and there’s no clarity on whether he will be available for Thursday’s season opener, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Embiid believes Maxey is ready to take over the playmaking duties if Harden doesn’t show up, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire. “If he wants to lead the league in assists, he can, but that was great to see,” Embiid said after Maxey handed out 12 assists in Friday’s preseason finale. “I just wanted to get everybody going and just work on our two-man game, the timing of everything. I thought we did a pretty fine job. … The ball wasn’t sticking. It was just moving.”
Nurse may be the right coach to turn Tobias Harris into a star, just as he did with Pascal Siakam in Toronto, Pompey suggests in a separate story. Nurse wants Harris to have a larger role in the offense, and Harris is enjoying the changes that he’s brought. “Every day we’re in the lab, working on different looks, different reads, different options,” Harris said. “And I think this is probably the most excited I’ve been throughout my whole career of a team and a great situation. Every day that we come on that court, I’m generally being pushed and coached and excited for the opportunity.”