All Things Philadelphia 76ers (merged Sixers threads)

[tazzmaniac]

Embiid is the predominant reason that the Sixers are winning both from his performance and attitude.  With Embiid on court, the Sixers team +/- is 2.2.  With him off court, the Sixers team +/- is -6.6.  In January, Embiid has blocked 21 shots while only allowing 15 shots made at the rim.  Here's a comparison of Embiid's recent rim protection with Smart's 3pt shooting.  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3MFV6NWIAAS_TL.jpg   

The vet argument is weak.  The Sixers have 4 vets on their team.  Bayless who only played 3 games and is out for the season.  Rodriguez who is horrible defensively and lost his staring job to a 2nd year undrafted player.  The Sixers recent winning streak coincides with Rodriguez getting injured and McConnell taking over.  Henderson's been decent but the team's +/- is actually better with him off court (-1.6 vs -3..  He's been coming off the bench recently behind Stauskas.  Ilyasova is really the only vet that has made a significant positive impact. 

As for Simmons coming back, I'd expect him to take minutes from Stauskas and Rodriguez.   I'd expect their starting lineup to be McConnell, Covington, Simmons, Ilyasova and Embiid.   Simmons should be a great fit with Embiid and the other Sixers bigs.  His elite passing/court vision will get them a lot better shots at the basket.  Embiid isn't going to have to work as hard offensively and I'd expect his turnovers to come down a lot.

Don't expect that lineup to work at all. Covington is more of a 3/4 not a 2/3, and I don't think he can guard 2 guards consistently. And Simmons is pretty clearly a 4 not a 3, just as that famous saying goes - "If you have to question whether a player is a 3 or a 4, he's a 4." I also don't see how that works defensively with Simmons and Ilyasova either. Neither of them can guard the quicker small forwards in the league, and switching off Covington onto a quicker forward puts Simmons of Ilyasova on a guard, which is also doomed to fail.

This is going to be just like the twin towers lineup where it's clear right off the bat that Simmons is a 4, can't play the 3 successfully for long bouts, and Embiid and Simmons must be at the 5 and 4 together, respectively.

EDIT: Completely different games and skill levels, but Simmons is a lot like Jerebko positioning and body-wise. His body suggests he can be a big 3, but he's not effective there and is clearly a quicker 4. Simmons is certainly a bit more athletic than Jerebko, but he weighs significantly more and doesn't have the foot speed or lateral movement to defend small forwards. Griffin is also a very good comp for Ben, and he's also a clear 4 rather than a 3.

Covington has been playing great defense which is why Brown kept him in the starting lineup even though his 3pt shooting has been horrible until recently.  He's been guarding SGs quite a bit and even occasionally PGs.  Simmons would be replacing Stauskas who is a pretty bad defender.  McConnell will guard the PG, Ilyasova the PF, Covington will guard the better wing and Simmons will guard the lesser wing.  It really doesn't matter much because they have Embiid backstopping them. 

Personally being of the Hinkie mindset, I'd trade Ilyasova before the deadline if I could find a GM stupid enough to trade a protected 1st for him.  He's easily replaceable so I'd have little desire to re-sign him this off season.  I think Simmons can defend SFs but PF defensively is better because he'll be better able to use his excellent defensive rebounding and fast break talents.

[chilidawg]

Embiid is the predominant reason that the Sixers are winning both from his performance and attitude.  With Embiid on court, the Sixers team +/- is 2.2.  With him off court, the Sixers team +/- is -6.6.  In January, Embiid has blocked 21 shots while only allowing 15 shots made at the rim.  Here's a comparison of Embiid's recent rim protection with Smart's 3pt shooting.  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3MFV6NWIAAS_TL.jpg   

The vet argument is weak.  The Sixers have 4 vets on their team.  Bayless who only played 3 games and is out for the season.  Rodriguez who is horrible defensively and lost his staring job to a 2nd year undrafted player.  The Sixers recent winning streak coincides with Rodriguez getting injured and McConnell taking over.  Henderson's been decent but the team's +/- is actually better with him off court (-1.6 vs -3..  He's been coming off the bench recently behind Stauskas.  Ilyasova is really the only vet that has made a significant positive impact. 

As for Simmons coming back, I'd expect him to take minutes from Stauskas and Rodriguez.   I'd expect their starting lineup to be McConnell, Covington, Simmons, Ilyasova and Embiid.   Simmons should be a great fit with Embiid and the other Sixers bigs.  His elite passing/court vision will get them a lot better shots at the basket.  Embiid isn't going to have to work as hard offensively and I'd expect his turnovers to come down a lot.

They just won 2 in a row with Embiid not playing.

[LarBrd33]

Embiid is the predominant reason that the Sixers are winning both from his performance and attitude.  With Embiid on court, the Sixers team +/- is 2.2.  With him off court, the Sixers team +/- is -6.6.  In January, Embiid has blocked 21 shots while only allowing 15 shots made at the rim.  Here's a comparison of Embiid's recent rim protection with Smart's 3pt shooting.  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3MFV6NWIAAS_TL.jpg   

The vet argument is weak.  The Sixers have 4 vets on their team.  Bayless who only played 3 games and is out for the season.  Rodriguez who is horrible defensively and lost his staring job to a 2nd year undrafted player.  The Sixers recent winning streak coincides with Rodriguez getting injured and McConnell taking over.  Henderson's been decent but the team's +/- is actually better with him off court (-1.6 vs -3..  He's been coming off the bench recently behind Stauskas.  Ilyasova is really the only vet that has made a significant positive impact. 

As for Simmons coming back, I'd expect him to take minutes from Stauskas and Rodriguez.   I'd expect their starting lineup to be McConnell, Covington, Simmons, Ilyasova and Embiid.   Simmons should be a great fit with Embiid and the other Sixers bigs.  His elite passing/court vision will get them a lot better shots at the basket.  Embiid isn't going to have to work as hard offensively and I'd expect his turnovers to come down a lot.

They just won 2 in a row with Embiid not playing.

That's why people should feel downright foolish for believing their "losing culture" was permanent.  As if they learned nothing from watching teams like the Cavs with LeBron (twice), the Clippers pre-CP3,, the Thunder before Durant emerged, or the Celtics pre-KG, etc.   Embiid erased that "losing culture" in a couple weeks.  Now they are even pulling out some wins without him.  Make no mistake, though... they have been utterly dominant with him on the court and close to their 10 win selves without him.

I have a feeling they lose big to the Rockets tonight, though.  They are definitely due for a big loss and the Rockets are due for a big win.

[trickybilly]

I would say Šarić brings a lot to a team considering he is a NBA rookie.
Embiid is next Hakeem.
Socialy inteligent, he has it all.
I am rooting for them. My 2nd favorite team to watch.

Androv, is there an easy way to get Balkan script with a regular English keyboard?

Want to start writing Zizic correct..

[GreenFaith1819]

The Process I will trust, says Yoda.

[tazzmaniac]

Embiid is the predominant reason that the Sixers are winning both from his performance and attitude.  With Embiid on court, the Sixers team +/- is 2.2.  With him off court, the Sixers team +/- is -6.6.  In January, Embiid has blocked 21 shots while only allowing 15 shots made at the rim.  Here's a comparison of Embiid's recent rim protection with Smart's 3pt shooting.  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3MFV6NWIAAS_TL.jpg   

The vet argument is weak.  The Sixers have 4 vets on their team.  Bayless who only played 3 games and is out for the season.  Rodriguez who is horrible defensively and lost his staring job to a 2nd year undrafted player.  The Sixers recent winning streak coincides with Rodriguez getting injured and McConnell taking over.  Henderson's been decent but the team's +/- is actually better with him off court (-1.6 vs -3..  He's been coming off the bench recently behind Stauskas.  Ilyasova is really the only vet that has made a significant positive impact. 

As for Simmons coming back, I'd expect him to take minutes from Stauskas and Rodriguez.   I'd expect their starting lineup to be McConnell, Covington, Simmons, Ilyasova and Embiid.   Simmons should be a great fit with Embiid and the other Sixers bigs.  His elite passing/court vision will get them a lot better shots at the basket.  Embiid isn't going to have to work as hard offensively and I'd expect his turnovers to come down a lot.

They just won 2 in a row with Embiid not playing.

So what.  They are 13-17 when Embiid plays which includes the early season games when he was more restricted on playing minutes and the games spent experimenting with the Embiid/Okafor combo.   Without Embiid they are 4-10.  When Embiid is off the court, they are statistically pretty close to last year's 10 win team.   

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

I think that having some grown ups in that lineup is more helpful than most are acknowledging.  Ilyasova, Rodriquez, Henderson, and Covington are providing much needed experience and steady leadership.

Yeah, it's not the tanking that's paid dividends, other than Embiid, it's that they have some decent vets.  McConnell has been much better than anyone anticipated.

Embiid has been the difference between the team having a warriors level net rating and the team playing at a 2015-16 Sixers net rating... (in 2017 that is)

It's not the vets, it's Embiid. Well that and Okafor not playing.

Certainly explains why they just won two in a row without Embiid, huh?

It's having actual vets on this team and not blatantly tanking that's played a large part in making this team not a laughingstock and a respectable team now. Embiid has certainly been fantastic, but he's not the sole reason they're playing better now, as evidenced by the two recent back-to-back wins without Embiid or Okafor.

And regarding Okafor. He's certainly terrible, but I don't think you can blame this on him just not playing. It's more about having actual GOOD fits on their roster rather than trying to play the "twin towers" lineup or force bad fits elsewhere, like Noel and Okafor. By having a good fit at the 4 next to Embiid and Noel, they actually have lineups that are functional both offensively and defensively. It's part of the reason why many assume there will be a drop-off in play a bit when Simmons comes back, because A) he's going to be on a major curve being his first NBA experience against NBA level competition, and B) he's not the same quality of fit at the 4 next to Embiid/Noel, especially Noel offensively, as Ily or Saric is.

I'm still not 100% confident that's a great fit long-term either. Having another big playmaker like that might take the ball out of Embiid's hands too frequently, which I don't think Philly wants.

So I'd say there's three main reasons they're a respectable ball team this year rather than a joke like the last few years:
1) Embiid's great play
2) Having actual vets on the roster
3) Having a good-fitting roster

I like how we're pretending this team never had vets on the roster before this year. It's not true, but why let facts get in the way? In a season

Ersan and Henderson have been good, but they're not making this team remotely competitive without Embiid.

As far as why they won two in a row? They played a depleted Clippers team on a B2B, and Milwaukee imploded for a close game.

They're not going to make the playoffs, they've been winning close games at a completely unsustainable rate and requiring Embiid to basically play like a DPOY to do so. But they're competitive because of their young guys, which is good.

Without Embiid they are probably post-MCW 2015 Sixers level good, which was about a 25 win pace. That mostly stems from no Okafor. Nothing about them winning two in a row is really all that unprecedented, especially when Okafor doesn't play and they have something resembling NBA PG play.

[tazzmaniac]

Embiid is the predominant reason that the Sixers are winning both from his performance and attitude.  With Embiid on court, the Sixers team +/- is 2.2.  With him off court, the Sixers team +/- is -6.6.  In January, Embiid has blocked 21 shots while only allowing 15 shots made at the rim.  Here's a comparison of Embiid's recent rim protection with Smart's 3pt shooting.  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3MFV6NWIAAS_TL.jpg   

The vet argument is weak.  The Sixers have 4 vets on their team.  Bayless who only played 3 games and is out for the season.  Rodriguez who is horrible defensively and lost his staring job to a 2nd year undrafted player.  The Sixers recent winning streak coincides with Rodriguez getting injured and McConnell taking over.  Henderson's been decent but the team's +/- is actually better with him off court (-1.6 vs -3..  He's been coming off the bench recently behind Stauskas.  Ilyasova is really the only vet that has made a significant positive impact. 

As for Simmons coming back, I'd expect him to take minutes from Stauskas and Rodriguez.   I'd expect their starting lineup to be McConnell, Covington, Simmons, Ilyasova and Embiid.   Simmons should be a great fit with Embiid and the other Sixers bigs.  His elite passing/court vision will get them a lot better shots at the basket.  Embiid isn't going to have to work as hard offensively and I'd expect his turnovers to come down a lot.

They just won 2 in a row with Embiid not playing.

That's why people should feel downright foolish for believing their "losing culture" was permanent.  As if they learned nothing from watching teams like the Cavs with LeBron (twice), the Clippers pre-CP3,, the Thunder before Durant emerged, or the Celtics pre-KG, etc.   Embiid erased that "losing culture" in a couple weeks.  Now they are even pulling out some wins without him.  Make no mistake, though... they have been utterly dominant with him on the court and close to their 10 win selves without him.

I have a feeling they lose big to the Rockets tonight, though.  They are definitely due for a big loss and the Rockets are due for a big win.

I expect them to lose also.  Harden is a really tough match up for them. 

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

Embiid is the predominant reason that the Sixers are winning both from his performance and attitude.  With Embiid on court, the Sixers team +/- is 2.2.  With him off court, the Sixers team +/- is -6.6.  In January, Embiid has blocked 21 shots while only allowing 15 shots made at the rim.  Here's a comparison of Embiid's recent rim protection with Smart's 3pt shooting.  https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3MFV6NWIAAS_TL.jpg   

The vet argument is weak.  The Sixers have 4 vets on their team.  Bayless who only played 3 games and is out for the season.  Rodriguez who is horrible defensively and lost his staring job to a 2nd year undrafted player.  The Sixers recent winning streak coincides with Rodriguez getting injured and McConnell taking over.  Henderson's been decent but the team's +/- is actually better with him off court (-1.6 vs -3..  He's been coming off the bench recently behind Stauskas.  Ilyasova is really the only vet that has made a significant positive impact. 

As for Simmons coming back, I'd expect him to take minutes from Stauskas and Rodriguez.   I'd expect their starting lineup to be McConnell, Covington, Simmons, Ilyasova and Embiid.   Simmons should be a great fit with Embiid and the other Sixers bigs.  His elite passing/court vision will get them a lot better shots at the basket.  Embiid isn't going to have to work as hard offensively and I'd expect his turnovers to come down a lot.

They just won 2 in a row with Embiid not playing.

That's why people should feel downright foolish for believing their "losing culture" was permanent.  As if they learned nothing from watching teams like the Cavs with LeBron (twice), the Clippers pre-CP3,, the Thunder before Durant emerged, or the Celtics pre-KG, etc.   Embiid erased that "losing culture" in a couple weeks.  Now they are even pulling out some wins without him.  Make no mistake, though... they have been utterly dominant with him on the court and close to their 10 win selves without him.

I have a feeling they lose big to the Rockets tonight, though.  They are definitely due for a big loss and the Rockets are due for a big win.

I expect them to lose also.  Harden is a really tough match up for them.

Yeah, and their offense shreds inexperienced defenses like ours.

[Neurotic Guy]

I wonder if the myth of "losing culture" is still alive in people's minds.  Breathe some new blood/talent into the system, win a few games, get a little momentum for a few weeks - losing culture is history.  Not saying this team will turn their rebirth into a playoff berth, but it's pretty clear to me that the Sixers will eventually - this year or next - say good-bye for good to "losing culture". 

[oldtype]

If losing culture doesn't matter, shouldn't the Sixers just sabotage the team by trading Noel and Covington so they can have a shot at Fultz?

[esel1000]

Embiid going off vs the Rockets

[SHAQATTACK]

LeBron is going to be their son one day

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

If losing culture doesn't matter, shouldn't the Sixers just sabotage the team by trading Noel and Covington so they can have a shot at Fultz?

Losing Culture exists, take a look at the Knicks. Take a look at Chicago. Dealing away players for nothing to lose games is what leads to a losing culture. Now if they get a great return then anybody is movable.

What losing culture is not... A young team that plays hard losing games because of talent and inexperience. That's not a losing culture, it's a lack of talent. Once the talent issue improved, so did team performance.

One of the reasons anybody who has used that argument against the Sixers has no idea what they are talking about.

[jpotter33]

If losing culture doesn't matter, shouldn't the Sixers just sabotage the team by trading Noel and Covington so they can have a shot at Fultz?

Losing Culture exists, take a look at the Knicks. Take a look at Chicago. Dealing away players for nothing to lose games is what leads to a losing culture. Now if they get a great return then anybody is movable.

What losing culture is not... A young team that plays hard losing games because of talent and inexperience. That's not a losing culture, it's a lack of talent. Once the talent issue improved, so did team performance.

One of the reasons anybody who has used that argument against the Sixers has no idea what they are talking about.

Are you trying to say that the blatantly tanking Sixers of the past three years didn't have a losing culture?

If you're talking about this year, then I agree with you. They're trying to win games, but they're just young and inexperienced, similar to Minny. But if you're saying they didn't have a losing culture the past several years while blatantly tanking, then that's a delusional perspective.