Suns beat the 76ers lol

[tstorey_97]

Baynes + Suns = Western conf. title

Horford + Philly = cheesesteak sandwich

It isn't the player....it's where they end up.

[celticsclay]

I'm just glad Philly finally lost and Ben Simmons scored only 6 points (in 35 minutes) without Embiid even playing.  Simmons is a highly overrated NBA player and a punk.

He had 7 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.  That 7 steals is quite impressive (the highest single game since they kept that stat was Kendall Gill's 11 in 1999).

Also shot 2-8 and had 4 turnovers for the game. He is always going to end up with some nice counting stats cause he has a high usage rate (especially without embid on the floor), but this was objectively a pretty crappy game for him, steals aside. I think he would be the first person to tell you that. If he plays his normal game they probably win this. (On the flip side, Horford played out of his mind and deserves credit for that).

[GreenFaith1819]

In fairness to PHI, though - PHX is an improved team this year.

Rubio is the floor general they have lacked for a long time.

Baynes is bringing them toughness, some scoring and interior defense.

I love Oubre's game lately.

And Frank the Tank Kaminsky has been decent off the bench.

I wouldn't sleep on them - especially once they get Ayton back.

EDIT - Additionally - Rubio is making Booker's game WAYYYY easier....dude has to focus only on SCORING now - and he is ELITE at doing that.

The one single thing I'd attribute to PHX's rise is RUBIO - with Baynes being a big help as well.

[Fafnir]

Replacing the likes of Josh Jackson, Ariza, Jamal Crawford, Richaun Holmes, Dragan Bender, De'Anthony Melton, etc with actual solid to good NBA rotation players can do a lot for a team.

[seancally]

When's the last time Horford cracked 30 points?

[wiley]

poorly timed LOL

[gift]

I'm just glad Philly finally lost and Ben Simmons scored only 6 points (in 35 minutes) without Embiid even playing.  Simmons is a highly overrated NBA player and a punk.

He had 7 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.  That 7 steals is quite impressive (the highest single game since they kept that stat was Kendall Gill's 11 in 1999).

Those are impressive but at some point the game is decided by the ball going through the basket. While Simons is a very good athlete with great length he's not a freak in either regard, and although that combination can get you far he's gonna need to add at least some shooting ability to really reach his top end potential. Right now he's an all star level guy, with an average jump shot he'd be an MVP candidate.

Agreed. It all depends on what your expectations are. If we're grading Simmons on the
Rondo-curve, sure he's a valuable player. But he's a guy many hoped would be a franchise superstar. If that's the standard, then the expectations are too high based on what we've seen from him so far.

[Fafnir]

When's the last time Horford cracked 30 points?

He was still a Hawk!

http://bkref.com/tiny/427Qo

This includes playoffs too, really surprised he didn't get 30 as a Celtic ever.

[liam]

In fairness to PHI, though - PHX is an improved team this year.

Rubio is the floor general they have lacked for a long time.

Baynes is bringing them toughness, some scoring and interior defense.

I love Oubre's game lately.

And Frank the Tank Kaminsky has been decent off the bench.

I wouldn't sleep on them - especially once they get Ayton back.

EDIT - Additionally - Rubio is making Booker's game WAYYYY easier....dude has to focus only on SCORING now - and he is ELITE at doing that.

The one single thing I'd attribute to PHX's rise is RUBIO - with Baynes being a big help as well.

Washington dumping Oubre because they didn't want to pay him was a big mistake. Two way players are very valuable.

[BringToughnessBack]

When's the last time Horford cracked 30 points?

He was still a Hawk!

http://bkref.com/tiny/427Qo

This includes playoffs too, really surprised he didn't get 30 as a Celtic ever.

5 for 8 from 3 surely helps.

Interesting the amount they are using him so far as well. 33 minutes a game seems like a lot for a 33 year old Horford who has not seen this kind of usage since he was 27. Time will tell if that wears him down towards when they need him most. I say that cannot continue without paying the piper later in the year/playoffs.

On a different front, his plus minus this year is the highest it has ever been at almost 9 per game. Early on I know but still very impressive. Having that beast next to him I am sure makes a big difference.

He is thriving so far.

[Fafnir]

Washington dumping Oubre because they didn't want to pay him was a big mistake. Two way players are very valuable.

I think his unreliability as a defender soured the front office on him in Washington.

Somewhat like Jaylen his first few years Oubre had a lot of issues executing defensively despite having the physical tools to do so. (I haven't watched him close enough to say how he's doing for the Suns on that end, focusing my attention on Booker/Baynes when I do)

[Moranis]

I'm just glad Philly finally lost and Ben Simmons scored only 6 points (in 35 minutes) without Embiid even playing.  Simmons is a highly overrated NBA player and a punk.

He had 7 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.  That 7 steals is quite impressive (the highest single game since they kept that stat was Kendall Gill's 11 in 1999).

Those are impressive but at some point the game is decided by the ball going through the basket. While Simons is a very good athlete with great length he's not a freak in either regard, and although that combination can get you far he's gonna need to add at least some shooting ability to really reach his top end potential. Right now he's an all star level guy, with an average jump shot he'd be an MVP candidate.

Agreed. It all depends on what your expectations are. If we're grading Simmons on the
Rondo-curve, sure he's a valuable player. But he's a guy many hoped would be a franchise superstar. If that's the standard, then the expectations are too high based on what we've seen from him so far.

For years this board claimed Rondo was a superstar and a franchise level player.  Simmons is already better than Rondo ever was. 

[PhoSita]

I'm just glad Philly finally lost and Ben Simmons scored only 6 points (in 35 minutes) without Embiid even playing.  Simmons is a highly overrated NBA player and a punk.

He had 7 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.  That 7 steals is quite impressive (the highest single game since they kept that stat was Kendall Gill's 11 in 1999).

Those are impressive but at some point the game is decided by the ball going through the basket. While Simons is a very good athlete with great length he's not a freak in either regard, and although that combination can get you far he's gonna need to add at least some shooting ability to really reach his top end potential. Right now he's an all star level guy, with an average jump shot he'd be an MVP candidate.

Agreed. It all depends on what your expectations are. If we're grading Simmons on the
Rondo-curve, sure he's a valuable player. But he's a guy many hoped would be a franchise superstar. If that's the standard, then the expectations are too high based on what we've seen from him so far.

For years this board claimed Rondo was a superstar and a franchise level player.  Simmons is already better than Rondo ever was.

Ehhhh ....


Show me a playoff series that Simmons dominated against an MVP caliber opponent and we'll talk.


Rondo's thing all along was that he was much better in the playoffs than during the regular season.

[celticsclay]

I'm just glad Philly finally lost and Ben Simmons scored only 6 points (in 35 minutes) without Embiid even playing.  Simmons is a highly overrated NBA player and a punk.

He had 7 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.  That 7 steals is quite impressive (the highest single game since they kept that stat was Kendall Gill's 11 in 1999).

Those are impressive but at some point the game is decided by the ball going through the basket. While Simons is a very good athlete with great length he's not a freak in either regard, and although that combination can get you far he's gonna need to add at least some shooting ability to really reach his top end potential. Right now he's an all star level guy, with an average jump shot he'd be an MVP candidate.

Agreed. It all depends on what your expectations are. If we're grading Simmons on the
Rondo-curve, sure he's a valuable player. But he's a guy many hoped would be a franchise superstar. If that's the standard, then the expectations are too high based on what we've seen from him so far.

For years this board claimed Rondo was a superstar and a franchise level player.  Simmons is already better than Rondo ever was.

Hmm. Rondo was 2 time all-defensive first team, two time all defensive second team. Ben Simmons has not made an all defensive team.
Rondo led the league in assists twice and steals once (as far as I know Simmons has not done anything like this yet)
Rondo made an all-NBA third team. Simmons has never made an all-nba team

I realize at some point Simmons could equal these accomplishments, possibly even this year, but the comment is a bit silly right now. It is easy to forget how good ROndo was for a few years before injuries and his attitude really changed the trajectory of his year, but you can't take away his accomplishments.

Edit: Also to phosita's point, the playoff comparisons make this even worse of a comparison for the time being.
Edit 2: For the time being also worth pointing out that Simmons numbers and advanced stats are all down across the board this season, and that is with Embid missing half the games. He had a great opening game against us where he was really effective, but has not been playing well overall.

[footey]

I'm just glad Philly finally lost and Ben Simmons scored only 6 points (in 35 minutes) without Embiid even playing.  Simmons is a highly overrated NBA player and a punk.

He had 7 steals, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.  That 7 steals is quite impressive (the highest single game since they kept that stat was Kendall Gill's 11 in 1999).

Those are impressive but at some point the game is decided by the ball going through the basket. While Simons is a very good athlete with great length he's not a freak in either regard, and although that combination can get you far he's gonna need to add at least some shooting ability to really reach his top end potential. Right now he's an all star level guy, with an average jump shot he'd be an MVP candidate.

Agreed. It all depends on what your expectations are. If we're grading Simmons on the
Rondo-curve, sure he's a valuable player. But he's a guy many hoped would be a franchise superstar. If that's the standard, then the expectations are too high based on what we've seen from him so far.

For years this board claimed Rondo was a superstar and a franchise level player.  Simmons is already better than Rondo ever was.

This board?? Care to clarify?