Championship hopes

[youngcrev]

Watch on YouTube

Fake Coach Nick with a somewhat decent breakdown (ok, it's kinda half assed) of what the Sixers do wrong in the PnR.

[VDT]

I think these playoffs will likely heavily impact the future of the team.

If the team moves past the Celtics and is at least competitive in the second round while playing good it will probably motivate the FO to look for Simmons trades. Most people think that the fit between Simmns and Embiid is not that good, but if the team plays better (at least offensively) without Simmons then it will be hard to justify keeping Simmons and his contract here. In that scenario (SIxers move past the Celtics and look good and competitive in the playoffs) i would also expect Brown to stay.

If on the other hand the team looks bad and lose easily to the Celtics, Brown is gone (Brand should be gone regardless) and Embiid's status in the team is in question, as it would be the third year he will have disappointed.

I'd be pretty shocked if they moved on from Simmons regardless of what happens. And I've got Embiid as the safest person in the whole organization as long as he wants to be here.

Now... Any other player, who knows?

Agreed that Brown is coaching for job. EB might depend on what coach they bring in, but I don't think he'll get outright fired.

If the team looks better without Simmons and goes to the conference finals for example, SImmons long term position will be untenable. There are already discussions about the fit and the disappointing year of the team. If the team suddenly improves offensively without Simmons and beats the Celtics and the Raptors it will be hard to justify keeping him and paying him a max contract. At this point the only thing that could postpone his trade will be the lack of an appealing offer. Even if didnt trade him it would poison the locker room if next year they had a similar regular season. Embiid has already said that his vision for the team is to put 4 shooters around him. If he shows that he can lead the team this year it will be hard to bring non shooting Simmons again next year and try to run it back.

If they fail badly this year Embiid's status as a leader and as a player to build around will also be put in question. The reality is that Embiid has shown very little in the postseason and Simmons has shown even less. If anything Brown has been the best performer from this trio. At some point you require results from your stars and not just promises and this is going to be the third year in the postseason that they fail to provide them. If they regress and get eliminated in the first round and are not competitive there will have to be roster changes.

Also Brand should be the first to get fired, i literally think some people from realgm might have made better moves and built a better team.

[youngcrev]

I think these playoffs will likely heavily impact the future of the team.

If the team moves past the Celtics and is at least competitive in the second round while playing good it will probably motivate the FO to look for Simmons trades. Most people think that the fit between Simmns and Embiid is not that good, but if the team plays better (at least offensively) without Simmons then it will be hard to justify keeping Simmons and his contract here. In that scenario (SIxers move past the Celtics and look good and competitive in the playoffs) i would also expect Brown to stay.

If on the other hand the team looks bad and lose easily to the Celtics, Brown is gone (Brand should be gone regardless) and Embiid's status in the team is in question, as it would be the third year he will have disappointed.

I'd be pretty shocked if they moved on from Simmons regardless of what happens. And I've got Embiid as the safest person in the whole organization as long as he wants to be here.

Now... Any other player, who knows?

Agreed that Brown is coaching for job. EB might depend on what coach they bring in, but I don't think he'll get outright fired.

If the team looks better without Simmons and goes to the conference finals for example, SImmons long term position will be untenable. There are already discussions about the fit and the disappointing year of the team. If the team suddenly improves offensively without Simmons and beats the Celtics and the Raptors it will be hard to justify keeping him and paying him a max contract. At this point the only thing that could postpone his trade will be the lack of an appealing offer. Even if didnt trade him it would poison the locker room if next year they had a similar regular season. Embiid has already said that his vision for the team is to put 4 shooters around him. If he shows that he can lead the team this year it will be hard to bring non shooting Simmons again next year and try to run it back.

If they fail badly this year Embiid's status as a leader and as a player to build around will also be put in question. The reality is that Embiid has shown very little in the postseason and Simmons has shown even less. If anything Brown has been the best performer from this trio. At some point you require results from your stars and not just promises and this is going to be the third year in the postseason that they fail to provide them. If they regress and get eliminated in the first round and are not competitive there will have to be roster changes.

Also Brand should be the first to get fired, i literally think some people from realgm might have made better moves and built a better team.

Yeah, I don't agree with any of those conclusions.

If they make it to ECF without Ben, I think there will be optimism about what they can accomplish once he's back. They'll lean into the "built for the playoffs" notion. Brown likely saves his job in that scenario.

I don't know what would be considered "failing badly" in the playoffs. The Celtics are going to be favorites. There are almost zero expectations at the moment. I don't see what would happen where the Sixers would consider moving on from Embiid

[Kobblehead]

I think another Embiid/Simmons failure in the playoffs would have lead to change. Simmons getting injured just extends their window another year.

Tobias is the asset we need to purge. Trading either of Embiid/Simmons this soon would be hasty. Unless you're blown away by an offer for Simmons.

[76thBearCub]

We had Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Jimmy Butler on the same team. Ouch.

[VDT]

I'd be pretty shocked if they moved on from Simmons regardless of what happens. And I've got Embiid as the safest person in the whole organization as long as he wants to be here.

Now... Any other player, who knows?

Agreed that Brown is coaching for job. EB might depend on what coach they bring in, but I don't think he'll get outright fired.

If the team looks better without Simmons and goes to the conference finals for example, SImmons long term position will be untenable. There are already discussions about the fit and the disappointing year of the team. If the team suddenly improves offensively without Simmons and beats the Celtics and the Raptors it will be hard to justify keeping him and paying him a max contract. At this point the only thing that could postpone his trade will be the lack of an appealing offer. Even if didnt trade him it would poison the locker room if next year they had a similar regular season. Embiid has already said that his vision for the team is to put 4 shooters around him. If he shows that he can lead the team this year it will be hard to bring non shooting Simmons again next year and try to run it back.

If they fail badly this year Embiid's status as a leader and as a player to build around will also be put in question. The reality is that Embiid has shown very little in the postseason and Simmons has shown even less. If anything Brown has been the best performer from this trio. At some point you require results from your stars and not just promises and this is going to be the third year in the postseason that they fail to provide them. If they regress and get eliminated in the first round and are not competitive there will have to be roster changes.

Also Brand should be the first to get fired, i literally think some people from realgm might have made better moves and built a better team.

Yeah, I don't agree with any of those conclusions.

If they make it to ECF without Ben, I think there will be optimism about what they can accomplish once he's back. They'll lean into the "built for the playoffs" notion. Brown likely saves his job in that scenario.

I don't know what would be considered "failing badly" in the playoffs. The Celtics are going to be favorites. There are almost zero expectations at the moment. I don't see what would happen where the Sixers would consider moving on from Embiid

I doubt there will be much optimism unless they find a way, that no one has thought yet, to have two paint players fit together or if Simmons somehow fixes his shot. In any other situation the locker room will explode at the first sign of adversity. I am pretty sure Embiid is already frustrated with the whole situation. If he leads the Sixers to the, lets say, conference finals without Simmons and with a team that fits him better it will be hard to force him to go back to what didnt work this year. He is in his prime years and wants to compete not bang his head against the wall year after year with the terrible fits around him.

If on the other hand the Sixers fail to show anything, it is not so much that they will trade Embiid immediately but people will start seriously doubting if Embiid can lead a team anywhere. And if you are not really a player to build around, you are just a trade asset.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

The window for winning is so small in the NBA and if it isn't getting done, then changes will be made. I personally will be devastated if we trade either player, but put a gun to my head and i'm going to say "trade Simmons." I think Simmons will leave us eventually anyway once his contract is up. There's just no way he's going to stay in Philly and if Brown is canned after this season, I think the likelihood of a Simmons trade goes up quite a bit. I think the two are tied together in terms of tenure here in Philly. I'm not going to get into who we could get in return for Simmons, but if a trade is made, it better be for a Kings ransom, because Simmons...Is going to have an incredible NBA career by the time it's all said and done. It's going to be a sad breakup if it happens and trading him for the "wrong" return will have historical negative consequences for this franchise. I'd rather give it another year and see if we can make it work. The circumstances surrounding this weird, screwed up season/year should be taken into consideration.

I personally think Elton Brand has made some horrible moves as GM of this team. I like Tobias Harris on most teams, but not on ours. I like Al Horford on most teams, but not on ours. I don't know why the HELL we didn't bring back JJ, I hated seeing Butler leave but I understood it, I don't understand why we didn't go after D'Angelo Russell...A player that makes perfect sense for this team... and for the life of me I cannot understand or fathom why we drafted Mikal Bridges only to trade him for Zhaire Smith! This organization has made some awful moves in the draft and in free agency and now with the injury to Simmons...Joel Embiid is basically being forced to carry this team... things aren't looking so good. We'll see how the playoffs turn out....Hopefully Embiid can stay healthy. He appears to be made of glass at times. This Boston series is going to be huge!

[youngcrev]

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[youngcrev]

If the team looks better without Simmons and goes to the conference finals for example, SImmons long term position will be untenable. There are already discussions about the fit and the disappointing year of the team. If the team suddenly improves offensively without Simmons and beats the Celtics and the Raptors it will be hard to justify keeping him and paying him a max contract. At this point the only thing that could postpone his trade will be the lack of an appealing offer. Even if didnt trade him it would poison the locker room if next year they had a similar regular season. Embiid has already said that his vision for the team is to put 4 shooters around him. If he shows that he can lead the team this year it will be hard to bring non shooting Simmons again next year and try to run it back.

If they fail badly this year Embiid's status as a leader and as a player to build around will also be put in question. The reality is that Embiid has shown very little in the postseason and Simmons has shown even less. If anything Brown has been the best performer from this trio. At some point you require results from your stars and not just promises and this is going to be the third year in the postseason that they fail to provide them. If they regress and get eliminated in the first round and are not competitive there will have to be roster changes.

Also Brand should be the first to get fired, i literally think some people from realgm might have made better moves and built a better team.

Yeah, I don't agree with any of those conclusions.

If they make it to ECF without Ben, I think there will be optimism about what they can accomplish once he's back. They'll lean into the "built for the playoffs" notion. Brown likely saves his job in that scenario.

I don't know what would be considered "failing badly" in the playoffs. The Celtics are going to be favorites. There are almost zero expectations at the moment. I don't see what would happen where the Sixers would consider moving on from Embiid

I doubt there will be much optimism unless they find a way, that no one has thought yet, to have two paint players fit together or if Simmons somehow fixes his shot. In any other situation the locker room will explode at the first sign of adversity. I am pretty sure Embiid is already frustrated with the whole situation. If he leads the Sixers to the, lets say, conference finals without Simmons and with a team that fits him better it will be hard to force him to go back to what didnt work this year. He is in his prime years and wants to compete not bang his head against the wall year after year with the terrible fits around him.

If on the other hand the Sixers fail to show anything, it is not so much that they will trade Embiid immediately but people will start seriously doubting if Embiid can lead a team anywhere. And if you are not really a player to build around, you are just a trade asset.

You doubt there will be much optimism if this team manages to make it to the ECF? I think you're just projecting your current mindset about the team onto what would be a very exciting (and highly unlikely) scenario

[kuclas]

It’s put up on shut up for embiid and sixers. Embiid is as healthy as he will be. The ankle and wrist are minor. We all know that. I’m as big an embiid fan as there is. But the guy can’t stay healthy. He gonna to have to play through this.

Even without Simmons. We still have a 30% shot beating Celtics. Everyone talks about brown Tatum and Hayward creating problems.

Walker is not 100% healthy. But he can cause problems and no Simmons

So embiid is gonna to have to bring it every game. And I mean every minute of every game. If he doesn’t. Trade him. I think we can get two more useful years out of horford at the 5. We only need to play him 25-28 minute anyways. We need to target draft assets like Edwards. We need shot creators in the half court.

[ProcessDoctor]

I’m sorta torn. I’d love to show the Celtics up. I also see how an embarrassing loss would force major changes. Thinking long-term, Id prefer the latter, but it’d be sweet to crush the C’s.

[VDT]

Yeah, I don't agree with any of those conclusions.

If they make it to ECF without Ben, I think there will be optimism about what they can accomplish once he's back. They'll lean into the "built for the playoffs" notion. Brown likely saves his job in that scenario.

I don't know what would be considered "failing badly" in the playoffs. The Celtics are going to be favorites. There are almost zero expectations at the moment. I don't see what would happen where the Sixers would consider moving on from Embiid

I doubt there will be much optimism unless they find a way, that no one has thought yet, to have two paint players fit together or if Simmons somehow fixes his shot. In any other situation the locker room will explode at the first sign of adversity. I am pretty sure Embiid is already frustrated with the whole situation. If he leads the Sixers to the, lets say, conference finals without Simmons and with a team that fits him better it will be hard to force him to go back to what didnt work this year. He is in his prime years and wants to compete not bang his head against the wall year after year with the terrible fits around him.

If on the other hand the Sixers fail to show anything, it is not so much that they will trade Embiid immediately but people will start seriously doubting if Embiid can lead a team anywhere. And if you are not really a player to build around, you are just a trade asset.

You doubt there will be much optimism if this team manages to make it to the ECF? I think you're just projecting your current mindset about the team onto what would be a very exciting (and highly unlikely) scenario

I doubt there will be much optimism about fitting Embiid and Simmons on the same team, especially if the team performs now better than it did all year.

[youngcrev]

I doubt there will be much optimism unless they find a way, that no one has thought yet, to have two paint players fit together or if Simmons somehow fixes his shot. In any other situation the locker room will explode at the first sign of adversity. I am pretty sure Embiid is already frustrated with the whole situation. If he leads the Sixers to the, lets say, conference finals without Simmons and with a team that fits him better it will be hard to force him to go back to what didnt work this year. He is in his prime years and wants to compete not bang his head against the wall year after year with the terrible fits around him.

If on the other hand the Sixers fail to show anything, it is not so much that they will trade Embiid immediately but people will start seriously doubting if Embiid can lead a team anywhere. And if you are not really a player to build around, you are just a trade asset.

You doubt there will be much optimism if this team manages to make it to the ECF? I think you're just projecting your current mindset about the team onto what would be a very exciting (and highly unlikely) scenario

I doubt there will be much optimism about fitting Embiid and Simmons on the same team, especially if the team performs now better than it did all year.

Why? They've racked up individual accolades and the team has played very well with both on the floor throughout their short careers together so far. Fixing a poor roster construction by trading a talent of that caliber doesn't make much sense unless you're getting back a similarly talented, better fitting player (and when does that ever happen?).

[76ciology]

You doubt there will be much optimism if this team manages to make it to the ECF? I think you're just projecting your current mindset about the team onto what would be a very exciting (and highly unlikely) scenario

I doubt there will be much optimism about fitting Embiid and Simmons on the same team, especially if the team performs now better than it did all year.

Why? They've racked up individual accolades and the team has played very well with both on the floor throughout their short careers together so far. Fixing a poor roster construction by trading a talent of that caliber doesn't make much sense unless you're getting back a similarly talented, better fitting player (and when does that ever happen?).

I’m not here to argue and i just want to know your opinion.

What’s the set-up you think that would be realistically perfect with our team?

[76ciology]

Right now, and this may change.

I see Ben and Biid like LMA and Dame. LMA is Ben.

I think you’ll end up with an overall better roster (not just in talent) by trading one of them.

Ben is special. But I think we can replace what he can provide and get more on other aspects or other parts if we trade him.

Like Blazers lose LMA. But they got Nurkic and Whiteside to replace his role. While in the process get CJ to pair with Dame.

[76ciology]

I’m sorta torn. I’d love to show the Celtics up. I also see how an embarrassing loss would force major changes. Thinking long-term, Id prefer the latter, but it’d be sweet to crush the C’s.

I’m kind of excited with our team now.

We’re underratedly very good IMO. And I like rooting for the underdog team that plays beautiful basketball.

[youngcrev]

I doubt there will be much optimism about fitting Embiid and Simmons on the same team, especially if the team performs now better than it did all year.

Why? They've racked up individual accolades and the team has played very well with both on the floor throughout their short careers together so far. Fixing a poor roster construction by trading a talent of that caliber doesn't make much sense unless you're getting back a similarly talented, better fitting player (and when does that ever happen?).

I’m not here to argue and i just want to know your opinion.

What’s the set-up you think that would be realistically perfect with our team?

Meaning what? Roster build around those 2?

I think you want a primary perimeter option that can run PnR at a high level and shoot off ball, and then a bunch of quick trigger 3 point guys.

If Markelle would have panned out, I think you'd be in a damn near optimal situation right now.

If Jimmy was a more willing shooter you would have had a pretty ideal build last year too (just needed a bench).

Simmons and Embiid give you a foundation for a great defense. Ben gives you transition offense, Jo gives you post offense. Just need perimeter guys that can help them in the half court.

[sixers hoops]

Why? They've racked up individual accolades and the team has played very well with both on the floor throughout their short careers together so far. Fixing a poor roster construction by trading a talent of that caliber doesn't make much sense unless you're getting back a similarly talented, better fitting player (and when does that ever happen?).

I’m not here to argue and i just want to know your opinion.

What’s the set-up you think that would be realistically perfect with our team?

Meaning what? Roster build around those 2?

I think you want a primary perimeter option that can run PnR at a high level and shoot off ball, and then a bunch of quick trigger 3 point guys.

If Markelle would have panned out, I think you'd be in a damn near optimal situation right now.

If Jimmy was a more willing shooter you would have had a pretty ideal build last year too (just needed a bench).

Simmons and Embiid give you a foundation for a great defense. Ben gives you transition offense, Jo gives you post offense. Just need perimeter guys that can help them in the half court.

Yeah. The Sixers are so close to championship level, yet so far away. I’ve never been a Brett fan, and think a good GM and coach could build around Joel and Ben fairly quick.

I think Shake and Thybulle are both good fits and solid rotation guys.

I loved the Josh Richardson trade, but Joel and Ben can’t survive with a streaky perimeter shooter like that. Was never a big fan of the Hortford trade, but rather than use a pick to dump him, we may be able to utilize him while we ride out the remainder of the contract. Tobias almost seems untradeable to me.

I’m not sure who would be available as a guard to pair with Shake, but someone like a Kemba would probably make a huge difference in our offense. Most of the guys that come to mind are unattainable all-stars.

[Negrodamus]

I’m not sure who would be available as a guard to pair with Shake, but someone like a Kemba would probably make a huge difference in our offense. Most of the guys that come to mind are unattainable all-stars.

CU Buffs connection, Dinwiddie and Burks.

[VDT]

You doubt there will be much optimism if this team manages to make it to the ECF? I think you're just projecting your current mindset about the team onto what would be a very exciting (and highly unlikely) scenario

I doubt there will be much optimism about fitting Embiid and Simmons on the same team, especially if the team performs now better than it did all year.

Why? They've racked up individual accolades and the team has played very well with both on the floor throughout their short careers together so far. Fixing a poor roster construction by trading a talent of that caliber doesn't make much sense unless you're getting back a similarly talented, better fitting player (and when does that ever happen?).

I dont think they see it that way. They know that the team has disappointed this year ( and last year also other than the series against the Raptors which was surprisingly closer than most expected) and they are aware that the fit between them is lacking. Embiid has already expressed his frustration with the team building and the other day said that he wants a team with four shooters around him. He is still polite regarding Simmons shooing issues but how long is he willing to wait for Simmons to fix his shot, particularly if the team plays better in the playoffs without Simmons? I am not saying that they will trade Simmons for whatever they can get but that they will actively start looking for trades.

The fit issues are there but are overblown to a degree. Because if a good fit for this team is good defenders that can shoot the three well and in volume and a perimeter star that will create for himself and others while still being a good shooter himself that is an unrealistic goal and to me it shows that the issue is with the building blocks. If you had two real building blocks and future or current superstar you shouldnt need nearly as much to become competitive.