Official 2020-21 Season Thread #1: To Beard or not To Beard?

[Arsenal]

Griffin is a terrible contract and a bad fit. We dont need to get bigger. He is slower than Tobias and a bigger liability defensively.

He is also rapidly declining. What is left now is not a very good player and that's before taking into account his horrendous contract.

It's also almost a certainty he will get injured during the year.

And he s not opting out, dont kid yourself. No one is giving him anything close to what he is getting now.

All of that may be true, but I'm still pulling the trigger on Tobias for Blake straight up. To shave 2 years off the contract is extremely valuable.

My man may not be able to jump over Kia's anymore, but he just hit EIGHT 3's in a game! Took SIXTEEN 3's! That's exactly what we need, someone to chuck from 3 without a conscience!

[VDT]

Griffin is a terrible contract and a bad fit. We dont need to get bigger. He is slower than Tobias and a bigger liability defensively.

He is also rapidly declining. What is left now is not a very good player and that's before taking into account his horrendous contract.

It's also almost a certainty he will get injured during the year.

And he s not opting out, dont kid yourself. No one is giving him anything close to what he is getting now.

All of that may be true, but I'm still pulling the trigger on Tobias for Blake straight up. To shave 2 years off the contract is extremely valuable.

My man may not be able to jump over Kia's anymore, but he just hit EIGHT 3's in a game! Took SIXTEEN 3's! That's exactly what we need, someone to chuck from 3 without a conscience!

He is just chucking 3s (career average 33%), which everyone can do, because he cant do anything else.

When (not if) he will get injured again you will have a 40 mil anchor for the next 2 years.

I dont really see any benefits in trading for him. Harris has flaws but at least he is healthy, he tries to play defense and he doesnt have the attitude of the former star that will demand touches.

[Skates]

I have never been all that concerned about Simmons not developing a three point shot, or not shooting it in games since we all see him hit them in warm ups. Pre=shutdown last year he seemed to be truly attacking the basket with more ferocity and determination, hitting his FT's and becoming a freight train drive or drive and kick, but this year, except in spurts, he is back to curling laterally in the lane in the half court, looking pass first and still hasn't developed an array of finger rolls, floaters and other reliable shots, like angled bank shots, that he can use when he drives and rises above the defenders. With just that kind of shot and shot selection/shot seeking, he could easily average 20 ppg, as he did for a stretch last season, and only shoot a three now and again. That is the place that his lack of improvement baffles me, Threes aren't part of his natural repertoire, driving to the basket is, but he is again picking the ball up too soon and getting into pass or awkward, unplanned shot territory. I thought he moved past that as the season progresses last year, but now it only seems to happen maybe five minutes a game where aggressive Ben comes out on offense.

Short offseason I know, and while we added shooting around him, Simmons as a passer does better with a mix of shooters and cutters, not just three point shot kick outs (even though he lead the league in passes to three point shooters, his passes to cutters are really sweet). Seems like an awkward fit to some extent.

[Arsenal]

Lowkey benefit of trading for Blake - he can share his secrets of learning to shoot with Ben.

Back to Tobi - he's up to 40% on 3PT for the year after going 0-4 in the 1st game. Also .405 3PAr. Early, but those metrics are encouraging.

[Arsenal]

I have never been all that concerned about Simmons not developing a three point shot, or not shooting it in games since we all see him hit them in warm ups. Pre=shutdown last year he seemed to be truly attacking the basket with more ferocity and determination, hitting his FT's and becoming a freight train drive or drive and kick, but this year, except in spurts, he is back to curling laterally in the lane in the half court, looking pass first and still hasn't developed an array of finger rolls, floaters and other reliable shots, like angled bank shots, that he can use when he drives and rises above the defenders. With just that kind of shot and shot selection/shot seeking, he could easily average 20 ppg, as he did for a stretch last season, and only shoot a three now and again. That is the place that his lack of improvement baffles me, Threes aren't part of his natural repertoire, driving to the basket is, but he is again picking the ball up too soon and getting into pass or awkward, unplanned shot territory. I thought he moved past that as the season progresses last year, but now it only seems to happen maybe five minutes a game where aggressive Ben comes out on offense.

Short offseason I know, and while we added shooting around him, Simmons as a passer does better with a mix of shooters and cutters, not just three point shot kick outs (even though he lead the league in passes to three point shooters, his passes to cutters are really sweet). Seems like an awkward fit to some extent.

He needs to stay ultra aggressive and drive with the intent to score or draw fouls. Since his natural inclination is to pass out, he needs to consciously focus on doing the opposite of that, scoring. Even if the shots aren't falling, he needs to keep firing. Westbrook mentality.

He gets discouraged when he misses a couple and becomes less aggressive. That's what happened last night.

[Negrodamus]

Lowkey benefit of trading for Blake - he can share his secrets of learning to shoot with Ben.

Back to Tobi - he's up to 40% on 3PT for the year after going 0-4 in the 1st game. Also .405 3PAr. Early, but those metrics are encouraging.

Maybe that's Tobias's secret: shoot 66% from three on a night where your team loses by 24.

[ConstableChaos]

I reckon Rivers should be staggering Embiid/Simmons, unless they're giving it till the trade deadline to figure it out

[Skates]

I have never been all that concerned about Simmons not developing a three point shot, or not shooting it in games since we all see him hit them in warm ups. Pre=shutdown last year he seemed to be truly attacking the basket with more ferocity and determination, hitting his FT's and becoming a freight train drive or drive and kick, but this year, except in spurts, he is back to curling laterally in the lane in the half court, looking pass first and still hasn't developed an array of finger rolls, floaters and other reliable shots, like angled bank shots, that he can use when he drives and rises above the defenders. With just that kind of shot and shot selection/shot seeking, he could easily average 20 ppg, as he did for a stretch last season, and only shoot a three now and again. That is the place that his lack of improvement baffles me, Threes aren't part of his natural repertoire, driving to the basket is, but he is again picking the ball up too soon and getting into pass or awkward, unplanned shot territory. I thought he moved past that as the season progresses last year, but now it only seems to happen maybe five minutes a game where aggressive Ben comes out on offense.

Short offseason I know, and while we added shooting around him, Simmons as a passer does better with a mix of shooters and cutters, not just three point shot kick outs (even though he lead the league in passes to three point shooters, his passes to cutters are really sweet). Seems like an awkward fit to some extent.

He needs to stay ultra aggressive and drive with the intent to score or draw fouls. Since his natural inclination is to pass out, he needs to consciously focus on doing the opposite of that, scoring. Even if the shots aren't falling, he needs to keep firing. Westbrook mentality.

He gets discouraged when he misses a couple and becomes less aggressive. That's what happened last night.

That and he is just by nature a pass first player, it is his primary instinct. The one play where he got that cheap offensive foul called on him when Osman flopped and he hit the pop up bank shot was beautiful. He could do that all night long and either make a high percentage and/or get fouled. I have always hoped Ben would become a backboard loving guy, perfect for a player who does not have a natural sweet touch and stroke like Simmons. Have him watch some Tim Duncan highlights.

[sixers hoops]

Griffin is a terrible contract and a bad fit. We dont need to get bigger. He is slower than Tobias and a bigger liability defensively.

He is also rapidly declining. What is left now is not a very good player and that's before taking into account his horrendous contract.

It's also almost a certainty he will get injured during the year.

And he s not opting out, dont kid yourself. No one is giving him anything close to what he is getting now.

All of that may be true, but I'm still pulling the trigger on Tobias for Blake straight up. To shave 2 years off the contract is extremely valuable.

My man may not be able to jump over Kia's anymore, but he just hit EIGHT 3's in a game! Took SIXTEEN 3's! That's exactly what we need, someone to chuck from 3 without a conscience!

He is just chucking 3s (career average 33%), which everyone can do, because he cant do anything else.

When (not if) he will get injured again you will have a 40 mil anchor for the next 2 years.

I dont really see any benefits in trading for him. Harris has flaws but at least he is healthy, he tries to play defense and he doesnt have the attitude of the former star that will demand touches.

The Sixers would likely have to add a first to make this deal happen. Blake expires after next season. Tobias has three more years after this on his deal. It’s not even close from a value standpoint. Frankly, if I didn’t like Blake, I’d still do this trade and just use him as a contract to expire or include in trades. You’re still getting out of Tobias’ crippling contract two years early.

[76ciology]

Another issue with this team is defense.

We know offensively, they’re not good. When teams turn up the defense or when teams have length at the 4&5 positions that they can afford to not send much help from the perimeter.

But against the Wiz, we were forced to put Seth on Avdijia. If you watch the tape, Wiz turned it up in the second half. Avdijia attacked Seth at the post. He didnt score much but it broke down our defense and lead to some easy baskets.

Most teams trends toward this double combo guard set-up. The Dame-CJ model. And it makes Seth unplayable unless you run an elite offense to match the scoring.

Then against the Cavs. Cavs played with a big frontcourt, comparable to our size last season where they have a Love-Nance-Drummond at 3-4-5 positions. We saw Love just bulldozed Tobi at the paint. While if Ben will be on Love, Love would pull him out.

With the size of our squad, we’re not as lengthy to cover holes on defense. So we had to be much better on offense to compensate.

[76ciology]

How to build around Ben?

1.) pair him with a duo of high scoring combo guard. Then let the that duo have a bigger role on offense. Ben will have lesser role but the offense will be in a much better flow. Be a rich man’s Draymond Green. Not blake griffin, because Griffin is a much talented and skilled scorer.

2.) win with size and defense, similar to our squad last season. Ben’s biggest asset is his defense. The best scenario is him locking down point guards and attacking guards at the post. Similar to what we see against the Wiz game when Beal defended him at the post in some possessions. You win by means of bullyball.

3.) surround him with shooters who can shoot deep 3s or shoot with little opening. The 2017-2018 squad.

[M2J]

Hopefully one of Maxey or Thybulle can take Korks minutes during this stretch

[76ciology]

Griffin is a terrible contract and a bad fit. We dont need to get bigger. He is slower than Tobias and a bigger liability defensively.

He is also rapidly declining. What is left now is not a very good player and that's before taking into account his horrendous contract.

It's also almost a certainty he will get injured during the year.

And he s not opting out, dont kid yourself. No one is giving him anything close to what he is getting now.

All of that may be true, but I'm still pulling the trigger on Tobias for Blake straight up. To shave 2 years off the contract is extremely valuable.

My man may not be able to jump over Kia's anymore, but he just hit EIGHT 3's in a game! Took SIXTEEN 3's! That's exactly what we need, someone to chuck from 3 without a conscience!

Griffin for Tobias would not be a good fit.

Imagine ben initiating the offense. Then kicking it out to him. He’s less trigger happy than Tobi. He will try to create off the dribble. The problem now is when he’s driving to the rim he will meet 4 guys in the paint Ben, Biid and their defenders.

This is why you see Seth taking floaters when he drives off close outs

[stormi]

Tobias for anyone else is a good deal, and a better fit

[76ciology]

Tobias for anyone else is a good deal, and a better fit

Yes, if you factor in the Ben for Harden trade.

[VDT]

All of that may be true, but I'm still pulling the trigger on Tobias for Blake straight up. To shave 2 years off the contract is extremely valuable.

My man may not be able to jump over Kia's anymore, but he just hit EIGHT 3's in a game! Took SIXTEEN 3's! That's exactly what we need, someone to chuck from 3 without a conscience!

He is just chucking 3s (career average 33%), which everyone can do, because he cant do anything else.

When (not if) he will get injured again you will have a 40 mil anchor for the next 2 years.

I dont really see any benefits in trading for him. Harris has flaws but at least he is healthy, he tries to play defense and he doesnt have the attitude of the former star that will demand touches.

The Sixers would likely have to add a first to make this deal happen. Blake expires after next season. Tobias has three more years after this on his deal. It’s not even close from a value standpoint. Frankly, if I didn’t like Blake, I’d still do this trade and just use him as a contract to expire or include in trades. You’re still getting out of Tobias’ crippling contract two years early.

You might have to add a pick because the Pistons are tanking and dont care what team they put on the floor so the duration of the contract is the only parameter they care about.

However, Blake is probably a worse player than Tobias nowadays, he makes the team even slower and is perennially injured. We would be wasting another 2 years doing nothing essentially.

[sixers hoops]

He is just chucking 3s (career average 33%), which everyone can do, because he cant do anything else.

When (not if) he will get injured again you will have a 40 mil anchor for the next 2 years.

I dont really see any benefits in trading for him. Harris has flaws but at least he is healthy, he tries to play defense and he doesnt have the attitude of the former star that will demand touches.

The Sixers would likely have to add a first to make this deal happen. Blake expires after next season. Tobias has three more years after this on his deal. It’s not even close from a value standpoint. Frankly, if I didn’t like Blake, I’d still do this trade and just use him as a contract to expire or include in trades. You’re still getting out of Tobias’ crippling contract two years early.

You might have to add a pick because the Pistons are tanking and dont care what team they put on the floor so the duration of the contract is the only parameter they care about.

However, Blake is probably a worse player than Tobias nowadays, he makes the team even slower and is perennially injured. We would be wasting another 2 years doing nothing essentially.

The reason we would have to add a pick isn’t because the Pistons are tanking. We would be adding a pick because we are getting a significantly more valuable asset. Tobias is one of the worst contracts in the NBA. Blake Griffin becomes an expiring contract at seasons end, which is a neutral to positive asset. For the Sixers it would be positive, as we will be looking to add players via trade.

The “Blake is probably a worse player than Tobias nowadays argument” isn’t well-thought out. You have two players who are comparable, however, contracts aside I prefer Tobias, yet Blake’s contractual situation would allow the Sixers to add much better fits a year from now.

You say we would be wasting two years. What are your expectations for Tobias over the next two years? Championship difference maker? If you think Tobias is that good, then we strongly differ on our opinion of Tobias Harris. I don’t think we are winning as currently constructed and getting out from Tobias on a straight up swap for Blake would be a godsend for this team.

[Iverson Armband]

The Sixers would likely have to add a first to make this deal happen. Blake expires after next season. Tobias has three more years after this on his deal. It’s not even close from a value standpoint. Frankly, if I didn’t like Blake, I’d still do this trade and just use him as a contract to expire or include in trades. You’re still getting out of Tobias’ crippling contract two years early.

You might have to add a pick because the Pistons are tanking and dont care what team they put on the floor so the duration of the contract is the only parameter they care about.

However, Blake is probably a worse player than Tobias nowadays, he makes the team even slower and is perennially injured. We would be wasting another 2 years doing nothing essentially.

We wouldn’t have to add a pick because the Pistons are tanking. We would be adding a pick because we are getting a significantly more valuable asset. Tobias is one of the worst contracts in the NBA. Blake Griffin becomes an expiring contract at seasons end, which is a neutral to positive asset. For the Sixers it would be positive, as we will be looking to add players via trade.

The “Blake is probably a worse player than Tobias nowadays argument” isn’t well-thought out. You have two players who are comparable, however, contracts aside I prefer Tobias, yet Blake’s contractual situation would allow the Sixers to add much better fits a year from now.

You say we would be wasting two years. What are your expectations for Tobias over the next two years? Championship difference maker? If you think Tobias is that good, then we strongly differ on our opinion of Tobias Harris. I don’t think we are winning as currently constructed and getting out from Tobias on a straight up swap for Blake would be a godsend for this team.

Yeah, a Tobias for Blake trade would be a no brainer. Most certainly a pick would have to be included on our end.

[Arsenal]

People are stuck in the past re: Blake. He just took SIXTEEN 3’s in a game and made eight. He’s far more willing to catch and shoot now than Tobias is.

[youngcrev]

Blake would be interesting if you truly wanted to test the bully ball waters since he'd eat if you dared to put a smaller player on him in the post, while being able to stretch when it's not there. I hate the idea of building around that ugly style, but he'd help more than Tobias does when he's healthy, and his deal is 2 years shorter. You'd have to take that swap if it was on the table.