Did Philly just hand Brooklyn the keys to the title?

[gouki88]

Not sure why anyone would think the Embiid/Harden pairing is going to be successful. Harden hasn't had any ultimate success with any stars he has been teamed up with.

Whether it's KD and Russ in OKC or Howard in Houston or CP3 in Houston or Russ in Houston or KD and Kyrie in Brooklyn, Harden has never played well enough with others to win anything. All those breakups ended badly.

Why does anyone think being with Embiid is going to be any different? There is just as good a chance that by trading deadline next year Harden is asking to be traded again.

Glad Boston was smart enough to not send Brown and Smart and 3 1st rounders out for Harden as some were suggesting

This seems like a weird argument to me. Was KD unable to have success before joining the Warriors because of something inherently wrong with him? I can't seriously understand how anyone is not fearful of a team with two of the most unstoppable offensive weapons in the league next to one another.

[nickagneta]

Not sure why anyone would think the Embiid/Harden pairing is going to be successful. Harden hasn't had any ultimate success with any stars he has been teamed up with.

Whether it's KD and Russ in OKC or Howard in Houston or CP3 in Houston or Russ in Houston or KD and Kyrie in Brooklyn, Harden has never played well enough with others to win anything. All those breakups ended badly.

Why does anyone think being with Embiid is going to be any different? There is just as good a chance that by trading deadline next year Harden is asking to be traded again.

Glad Boston was smart enough to not send Brown and Smart and 3 1st rounders out for Harden as some were suggesting

This seems like a weird argument to me. Was KD unable to have success before joining the Warriors because of something inherently wrong with him? I can't seriously understand how anyone is not fearful of a team with two of the most unstoppable offensive weapons in the league next to one another.

History gouki. It's not like Harden hasn't been paired with "unstoppable" weapons before. Former MVPs and multiple time scoring leaders Westbrook and Durant teamed with him twice without titles. CP3 is the best PG of this generation...nothing. Dwight was still a monster his first year in Houston....more nothing.

We've seen this before. We've heard about how Harden's team was going to run away with the title before. It hasn't happened.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me 4 more times, shame on me.

I predict this goes badly in Philly, especially with known coaching choke artist since 2008, Doc Rivers, at the helm.

[celticsclay]

Not sure why anyone would think the Embiid/Harden pairing is going to be successful. Harden hasn't had any ultimate success with any stars he has been teamed up with.

Whether it's KD and Russ in OKC or Howard in Houston or CP3 in Houston or Russ in Houston or KD and Kyrie in Brooklyn, Harden has never played well enough with others to win anything. All those breakups ended badly.

Why does anyone think being with Embiid is going to be any different? There is just as good a chance that by trading deadline next year Harden is asking to be traded again.

Glad Boston was smart enough to not send Brown and Smart and 3 1st rounders out for Harden as some were suggesting

This seems like a weird argument to me. Was KD unable to have success before joining the Warriors because of something inherently wrong with him? I can't seriously understand how anyone is not fearful of a team with two of the most unstoppable offensive weapons in the league next to one another.

History gouki. It's not like Harden hasn't been paired with "unstoppable" weapons before. Former MVPs and multiple time scoring leaders Westbrook and Durant teamed with him twice without titles. CP3 is the best PG of this generation...nothing. Dwight was still a monster his first year in Houston....more nothing.

We've seen this before. We've heard about how Harden's team was going to run away with the title before. It hasn't happened.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me 4 more times, shame on me.

I predict this goes badly in Philly, especially with known coaching choke artist since 2008, Doc Rivers, at the helm.

Nick I agree with you 100% and I said this in a thread about bringing him to the Celtics. Harden is fat by nba standards and has been constantly injured the last few years. He also is probably the most notorious partier currently playing. Is he gonna change at 32? I doubt it.

[pokeKingCurtis]

I'm a terrible NBA historian and mostly know about the Celtics

But Harden at the height of his powers was with the Pocket Rockets - CP3, starting PJ Tucker? Almost upset the Warriors with this team.

[gouki88]

Not sure why anyone would think the Embiid/Harden pairing is going to be successful. Harden hasn't had any ultimate success with any stars he has been teamed up with.

Whether it's KD and Russ in OKC or Howard in Houston or CP3 in Houston or Russ in Houston or KD and Kyrie in Brooklyn, Harden has never played well enough with others to win anything. All those breakups ended badly.

Why does anyone think being with Embiid is going to be any different? There is just as good a chance that by trading deadline next year Harden is asking to be traded again.

Glad Boston was smart enough to not send Brown and Smart and 3 1st rounders out for Harden as some were suggesting

This seems like a weird argument to me. Was KD unable to have success before joining the Warriors because of something inherently wrong with him? I can't seriously understand how anyone is not fearful of a team with two of the most unstoppable offensive weapons in the league next to one another.

History gouki. It's not like Harden hasn't been paired with "unstoppable" weapons before. Former MVPs and multiple time scoring leaders Westbrook and Durant teamed with him twice without titles. CP3 is the best PG of this generation...nothing. Dwight was still a monster his first year in Houston....more nothing.

We've seen this before. We've heard about how Harden's team was going to run away with the title before. It hasn't happened.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me 4 more times, shame on me.

I predict this goes badly in Philly, especially with known coaching choke artist since 2008, Doc Rivers, at the helm.

This seems like you’re intentionally being oblivious to context. James Harden is multiple top-3 MVP seasons removed from the 6MOY he was in OKC - not at all the same.

If Chris Paul doesn’t get injured, they win a title. Seems hardly like that’s Harden’s fault. James Harden carried that weak Houston team further than it should ever have gone - who besides CP3 was on that team?

Ignoring the threat that a team with a top 2 big and a top 5 guard in the comp poses seems weird.

I do agree that Doc will likely fumble this team.

[ozgod]

[Moranis]

I said it when he first reported and got criticized heavily on this board for saying it, but a large part of his mental health issues were him being in an environment and with coworkers he didn't like.  While a change of environment and coworkers isn't going to fix everything, when your issues are brought on and significantly exacerbated by your environment, changing your environment does wonders for your mental health.

[RJ87]

Philly
I also think they're going to miss Curry more than is being let on.

Dallas sure did after Curry left him. He was much more valuable than they realized although .... I do wonder whether he is the type of player who is more valuable in the regular season than in the playoffs where defensively he can get picked on more frequently reducing the net benefit of his offense.

I think Dallas missed Curry so much because Josh Richardson struggled. On paper, he should've been a great complement to Doncic as a 3&D type. But Josh got Covid and never seemed to find a rhythm after that. If they had this year's version of him, they would've have missed Curry so much.

[pearljammer10]

wait is this serious?

no, trading the Nets a guy who hasn't played since the time he had an epic playoff choke on national television almost a year ago is not "handing Brooklyn the keys to the title"

Not playing simply makes him fresh

He did not choke, he passed the ball to a teammate

He was not the only player traded in the deal…

How did Simmons not choke? He took THREE 4th quarter shots in 56 4th quarter minutes in seven games against the Hawks last year. He shot 34% from the free throw line in the playoffs. His scoring numbers dropped off significantly each year of the playoffs.

I think this is a win for both teams but the Sixers by no means gave the Nets the keys to the title. The Nets now have their best player injured, their second best player is a headcase who can’t play home games, and a player who has refused to play an NBA minute this season.

Philly is in much better position to be a contender this year IMO.

[nickagneta]

I said it when he first reported and got criticized heavily on this board for saying it, but a large part of his mental health issues were him being in an environment and with coworkers he didn't like.  While a change of environment and coworkers isn't going to fix everything, when your issues are brought on and significantly exacerbated by your environment, changing your environment does wonders for your mental health.

What an absolute bunch of crap this is.

If you have mental health issues, you can change scenery but you bring those health issues with you. So many people with mental health problems move to different cities, change jobs, change where they hang out and who they hang out with in attempts to deny their issues and blame it on where they are and who they are with. But the same issues come out and persist, eventually leading those people to do it all over again. This is extremely common.

If Simmons had an actual mental health issue, such as social anxiety(which encompasses workplace anxiety), he wouldn't suddenly be cured and ready to go right away. It would take time. And his issues, if untreated would come screaming back into his life after a while.

My guess is he will be fine and have no further issues because he faked it all along in an attempt to get paid.

If my guess turns out true, that makes Simmons and his representation absolute scum. If he has some issues going forward, I will apologize to him here and admit I am wrong, but I don't think I am.

[Who]

I said it when he first reported and got criticized heavily on this board for saying it, but a large part of his mental health issues were him being in an environment and with coworkers he didn't like.  While a change of environment and coworkers isn't going to fix everything, when your issues are brought on and significantly exacerbated by your environment, changing your environment does wonders for your mental health.

What an absolute bunch of crap this is.

If you have mental health issues, you can change scenery but you bring those health issues with you. So many people with mental health problems move to different cities, change jobs, change where they hang out and who they hang out with in attempts to deny their issues and blame it on where they are and who they are with. But the same issues come out and persist, eventually leading those people to do it all over again. This is extremely common.

If Simmons had an actual mental health issue, such as social anxiety(which encompasses workplace anxiety), he wouldn't suddenly be cured and ready to go right away. It would take time. And his issues, if untreated would come screaming back into his life after a while.

My guess is he will be fine and have no further issues because he faked it all along in an attempt to get paid.

If my guess turns out true, that makes Simmons and his representation absolute scum. If he has some issues going forward, I will apologize to him here and admit I am wrong, but I don't think I am.

This take on Simmons seems more like happiness and mental well-being rather than a mental illness.

And it is only mental illness that should matter here (in terms of being able to show up to work), not mental well-being.

[Moranis]

I said it when he first reported and got criticized heavily on this board for saying it, but a large part of his mental health issues were him being in an environment and with coworkers he didn't like.  While a change of environment and coworkers isn't going to fix everything, when your issues are brought on and significantly exacerbated by your environment, changing your environment does wonders for your mental health.

What an absolute bunch of crap this is.

If you have mental health issues, you can change scenery but you bring those health issues with you. So many people with mental health problems move to different cities, change jobs, change where they hang out and who they hang out with in attempts to deny their issues and blame it on where they are and who they are with. But the same issues come out and persist, eventually leading those people to do it all over again. This is extremely common.

If Simmons had an actual mental health issue, such as social anxiety(which encompasses workplace anxiety), he wouldn't suddenly be cured and ready to go right away. It would take time. And his issues, if untreated would come screaming back into his life after a while.

My guess is he will be fine and have no further issues because he faked it all along in an attempt to get paid.

If my guess turns out true, that makes Simmons and his representation absolute scum. If he has some issues going forward, I will apologize to him here and admit I am wrong, but I don't think I am.

This take on Simmons seems more like happiness and mental well-being rather than a mental illness.

And it is only mental illness that should matter here (in terms of being able to show up to work), not mental well-being.

No one said Simmons has a mental illness.  He has stated he has mental health issues, that doesn't mean illness.  Mental well-being and happiness are both absolutely factors in your mental health.  As is your environment.  There are all sorts of medical journals out there on this subject and how a change of environment and greatly increase your overall mental health. 

For example, this article: https://nationalcounsellingsociety.org/blog/posts/how-your-environment-affects-your-mental-health#:~:text=%20How%20your%20environment%20affects%20your%20mental%20health,not%20as%20easy%20to%20classify%20neatly...%20More%20

SOCIAL FACTORS
Social factors are issues in the immediate family or wider community which can have an impact upon mental health.

Stigma. Experiencing stigma such as racism, sexism, homophobia, or other, perhaps more insidious forms of prejudice is known to majorly increase a person’s risk of mental illness.

Discord. Strife and violence in the home or the community is a big cause of anxiety, stress, depression, and even conditions like PTSD.

Abuse. Abuse - physical, sexual, or emotional – can encompass anything from domestic violence to bullying within the community to catcalling. Experiencing it regularly within your environment can be very bad for you.

Poverty. Poverty attacks mental health from a great many angles. It can restrict access to the kind of nutritious diet which benefits mental health. It can make it harder to get good jobs or other opportunities, which results in frustration, stress, and a lack of self-worth. It brings the constant stress of worrying about where the next rent payment will come from. And it often forces people into unhealthy environments

Lack of social support. Humans are social animals, designed to rely on one another. Feeling ostracised, or alone, or otherwise unsupported within your community has a major impact upon mental health.

Toxic relationships. Toxic relationships can lower self-esteem, increase irritability, cause anxiety, contribute to depression, and even foster conditions like PTSD.

Lack of safety. Feeling unsafe in your environment will bring with it a great deal of stress and anxiety.

The bolded could all very easily apply to Simmons in Philly.  Heck he might even be taking verbal/emotional abuse much worse behind the scenes than what has publicly been stated.

The good news, however, is that getting help for the one aspect often helps the other along. Finding a counsellor who can help you to come to terms with mental health problems or affected by (and affecting) your environment can enable you to make the positive changes needed both to improve your mental health and to break out of a toxic space.

In other words, if your environment is causing you mental strife, anxiety, etc., changing your environment can alleviate a large part of that strife, anxiety, stress, etc.

[celticsclay]

I said it when he first reported and got criticized heavily on this board for saying it, but a large part of his mental health issues were him being in an environment and with coworkers he didn't like.  While a change of environment and coworkers isn't going to fix everything, when your issues are brought on and significantly exacerbated by your environment, changing your environment does wonders for your mental health.

You were rightfully criticized. I know we disagree on a lot of topics, but you are just flat out wrong on this one, and ben simmons has done some degree of damage to stigma surrounding mental health with his actions. It really is an awful thing he did to try and get money. Some issues really don’t need a contrarian take.

[Who]

I said it when he first reported and got criticized heavily on this board for saying it, but a large part of his mental health issues were him being in an environment and with coworkers he didn't like.  While a change of environment and coworkers isn't going to fix everything, when your issues are brought on and significantly exacerbated by your environment, changing your environment does wonders for your mental health.

What an absolute bunch of crap this is.

If you have mental health issues, you can change scenery but you bring those health issues with you. So many people with mental health problems move to different cities, change jobs, change where they hang out and who they hang out with in attempts to deny their issues and blame it on where they are and who they are with. But the same issues come out and persist, eventually leading those people to do it all over again. This is extremely common.

If Simmons had an actual mental health issue, such as social anxiety(which encompasses workplace anxiety), he wouldn't suddenly be cured and ready to go right away. It would take time. And his issues, if untreated would come screaming back into his life after a while.

My guess is he will be fine and have no further issues because he faked it all along in an attempt to get paid.

If my guess turns out true, that makes Simmons and his representation absolute scum. If he has some issues going forward, I will apologize to him here and admit I am wrong, but I don't think I am.

This take on Simmons seems more like happiness and mental well-being rather than a mental illness.

And it is only mental illness that should matter here (in terms of being able to show up to work), not mental well-being.

No one said Simmons has a mental illness.  He has stated he has mental health issues, that doesn't mean illness.  Mental well-being and happiness are both absolutely factors in your mental health.  As is your environment.  There are all sorts of medical journals out there on this subject and how a change of environment and greatly increase your overall mental health. 

For example, this article: https://nationalcounsellingsociety.org/blog/posts/how-your-environment-affects-your-mental-health#:~:text=%20How%20your%20environment%20affects%20your%20mental%20health,not%20as%20easy%20to%20classify%20neatly...%20More%20

SOCIAL FACTORS
Social factors are issues in the immediate family or wider community which can have an impact upon mental health.

Stigma. Experiencing stigma such as racism, sexism, homophobia, or other, perhaps more insidious forms of prejudice is known to majorly increase a person’s risk of mental illness.

Discord. Strife and violence in the home or the community is a big cause of anxiety, stress, depression, and even conditions like PTSD.

Abuse. Abuse - physical, sexual, or emotional – can encompass anything from domestic violence to bullying within the community to catcalling. Experiencing it regularly within your environment can be very bad for you.

Poverty. Poverty attacks mental health from a great many angles. It can restrict access to the kind of nutritious diet which benefits mental health. It can make it harder to get good jobs or other opportunities, which results in frustration, stress, and a lack of self-worth. It brings the constant stress of worrying about where the next rent payment will come from. And it often forces people into unhealthy environments

Lack of social support. Humans are social animals, designed to rely on one another. Feeling ostracised, or alone, or otherwise unsupported within your community has a major impact upon mental health.

Toxic relationships. Toxic relationships can lower self-esteem, increase irritability, cause anxiety, contribute to depression, and even foster conditions like PTSD.

Lack of safety. Feeling unsafe in your environment will bring with it a great deal of stress and anxiety.

The bolded could all very easily apply to Simmons in Philly.  Heck he might even be taking verbal/emotional abuse much worse behind the scenes than what has publicly been stated.

The good news, however, is that getting help for the one aspect often helps the other along. Finding a counsellor who can help you to come to terms with mental health problems or affected by (and affecting) your environment can enable you to make the positive changes needed both to improve your mental health and to break out of a toxic space.

In other words, if your environment is causing you mental strife, anxiety, etc., changing your environment can alleviate a large part of that strife, anxiety, stress, etc.

I agree with what you are saying about well-being and changing environments. I disagree that mental well-being (happiness) is a justifiable cause for not showing up to work.

[celticsclay]

I said it when he first reported and got criticized heavily on this board for saying it, but a large part of his mental health issues were him being in an environment and with coworkers he didn't like.  While a change of environment and coworkers isn't going to fix everything, when your issues are brought on and significantly exacerbated by your environment, changing your environment does wonders for your mental health.

What an absolute bunch of crap this is.

If you have mental health issues, you can change scenery but you bring those health issues with you. So many people with mental health problems move to different cities, change jobs, change where they hang out and who they hang out with in attempts to deny their issues and blame it on where they are and who they are with. But the same issues come out and persist, eventually leading those people to do it all over again. This is extremely common.

If Simmons had an actual mental health issue, such as social anxiety(which encompasses workplace anxiety), he wouldn't suddenly be cured and ready to go right away. It would take time. And his issues, if untreated would come screaming back into his life after a while.

My guess is he will be fine and have no further issues because he faked it all along in an attempt to get paid.

If my guess turns out true, that makes Simmons and his representation absolute scum. If he has some issues going forward, I will apologize to him here and admit I am wrong, but I don't think I am.

You are not wrong Nick. It was a scummy and shameful tactic and one that may have made a significant negative impact
On stigma for mental health, especially among pro athletes.