Sixers without Simmons - addition by subtraction?

[bebopdeluxe]

This may seem like a silly post, but at 31-19 - only 0.5 games out of the 1 seed in the East - it is a question worth considering, IMO. It is now February - 50 games into the season. A meaningful enough period where some conclusions can be drawn. This can't be some kind of fluke - after 50 games, you are what your record says you are. And especially given the fact that the Sixers have felt the effects of COVID in terms of missed player-games as much as any team (including a 9 games stretch without Embiid where they went 2-and-7), the success of the Sixers without a 3x All-Star/1x All-NBA/DPOY level player should be considered.

Is it better chemistry without Simmons that is driving the team? Embiid growing into a true leader? The emergence of Maxey as an impact player? Doc Rivers pulling out UBUNTU from the history books?

Whatever it is, the team is playing at a level FAR above what the prognosticators expected. Rich Paul certainly cannot be happy with the Sixers doing so well; to say the least, the Sixers success right now does not speak well for Simmons' "brand".

And what does the Sixers great play this season do to Simmons trade value? Does it devalue it even more than his JABRONI HOLDOUT has done to damage it? I mean, even with his meltdown in the Atlanta series, Ben Simmons still does many things extremely well on the basketball court. However, the unexpected success of the team without him - last night's win over the Grizzlies without Embiid being another great win, along with wins at Brooklyn, Miami and Chicago and others - does seem to suggest that the team has "something" that it lacked when Simmons was there.

Finally, with the team playing as well as they are, does it change what Morey REALLY needs to get back for Simmons? Manbe they do just need a more complimentary player, and not a "top 25" (ha) player back in return. Would just a solid, two-way PG who can shoot the 3 be enough? And does the success of the team without Simmons impact what is already a distressed-asset valuation that Simmons already has on his head?

Discuss.

[kuclas]

1. Rich Paul and Ben Simmons do not care about the sixers and what they don period. I have come to figure that out

2. They just went out of Philadelphia and their strategies currently have not worked out.

3. This has become a soap opera the likes of the nba has never seen. A max player on long term deal on a team competing for real wins.

4. The sixers I always said if embiid is upright will be 3/4 seed in the east. The east is jammed packed. But sixers if embiid goes down can easily drop to the 6 or even 7 seed with a 3 week absence of the big guy. They have very little wiggle room to handle an embiid longer injury.

[Asianiac_24]

It shows that he isn’t as important as he seem to think he is.

He also shouldn’t be paid a single cent and is stealing from the Sixers. Ben Simmons is a joke.

[mademan]

And it’s not even one of those situations of “but you’ll see his value in the playoffs” either. Lol

[Tor_Raps]

Sixers are playing great and much better than expected without Simmons. A lot of that has to do with Embiid playing like a top 3 player and the emergence of Maxey.

Now if they can cash in on Simmons with a good trade at the deadline, they will be legit contenders. If they stick with their current roster, I can see them getting bounced in the playoffs regardless of where they finish in the regular season. Even as early as the first round if they get matched up with the wrong opponent.

Will Morey screw up the Sixers 2 years in a row by being passive at the deadline? Only a tampered Harden would help offset this but even then, who knows if the teams would be able to workout a sign and trade. If the Nets win a title this season, Harden might just decide to stay lol.

[whatisacenter]

but but.....Morey is a genius for holding onto Simmons and his value is only getting higher.

[bebopdeluxe]

Sixers are playing great and much better than expected without Simmons. A lot of that has to do with Embiid playing like a top 3 player and the emergence of Maxey.

Now if they can cash in on Simmons with a good trade at the deadline, they will be legit contenders. If they stick with their current roster, regardless of where they finish in the regular season I can see them getting bounced in the playoffs. Even as early as the first round if they get matched up with the wrong opponent.

Will Morey screw up the Sixers 2 years in a row by being passive at the deadline?

Are you implying that Morey screwed up at last years deadline by NOT trading Maxey AND Thybulle AND picks for a two month rental of Lowry and the PRIVILEGE of paying him a 3 year, $90 million contract? You think that Morey SCREWED UP by NOT paying that price - especially after watching what Maxey did to the Grizz last night?

Going by your handle, I am guessing the answer is yes.

[bebopdeluxe]

but but.....Morey is a genius for holding onto Simmons and his value is only getting higher.

What does this have to do with the question that my post is asking?

And while we are at it, how do you KNOW that Simmons' value hasn't gone up? Please post Woj/Shams level intel on the FABULOUS deals that we KNOW Morey passed on.

Thanks.

[DusterBuster]

It shows that he isn’t as important as he seem to think he is.

He also shouldn’t be paid a single cent and is stealing from the Sixers. Ben Simmons is a joke.

It also proves Simmons isn’t worth the price Morey has placed on him in trades and the league as a whole was much closer to his real value in their trade offers.

Even if they can pull off Simmons for Harden, it’s not going to be because Simmons had the value of a Harden level player. It’ll be because the Nets won’t want to lose Harden and everything they traded for him for nothing.

[Flash4thewin]

This may seem like a silly post, but at 31-19 - only 0.5 games out of the 1 seed in the East - it is a question worth considering, IMO. It is now February - 50 games into the season. A meaningful enough period where some conclusions can be drawn. This can't be some kind of fluke - after 50 games, you are what your record says you are. And especially given the fact that the Sixers have felt the effects of COVID in terms of missed player-games as much as any team (including a 9 games stretch without Embiid where they went 2-and-7), the success of the Sixers without a 3x All-Star/1x All-NBA/DPOY level player should be considered.

Is it better chemistry without Simmons that is driving the team? Embiid growing into a true leader? The emergence of Maxey as an impact player? Doc Rivers pulling out UBUNTU from the history books?

Whatever it is, the team is playing at a level FAR above what the prognosticators expected. Rich Paul certainly cannot be happy with the Sixers doing so well; to say the least, the Sixers success right now does not speak well for Simmons' "brand".

And what does the Sixers great play this season do to Simmons trade value? Does it devalue it even more than his JABRONI HOLDOUT has done to damage it? I mean, even with his meltdown in the Atlanta series, Ben Simmons still does many things extremely well on the basketball court. However, the unexpected success of the team without him - last night's win over the Grizzlies without Embiid being another great win, along with wins at Brooklyn, Miami and Chicago and others - does seem to suggest that the team has "something" that it lacked when Simmons was there.

Finally, with the team playing as well as they are, does it change what Morey REALLY needs to get back for Simmons? Manbe they do just need a more complimentary player, and not a "top 25" (ha) player back in return. Would just a solid, two-way PG who can shoot the 3 be enough? And does the success of the team without Simmons impact what is already a distressed-asset valuation that Simmons already has on his head?

Discuss.

The regular season and the playoffs are two different beast. Morey would be foolish to trade Simmons for complimentary players, if he has a chance at Harden you take it.

[whatisacenter]

but but.....Morey is a genius for holding onto Simmons and his value is only getting higher.

What does this have to do with the question that my post is asking?

And while we are at it, how do you KNOW that Simmons' value hasn't gone up? Please post Woj/Shams level intel on the FABULOUS deals that we KNOW Morey passed on.

Thanks.

Well, if you think if the Sixers are better without Simmons like the title of your thread, addition by subtraction, then I think the longer Morey holds onto to Simmons the lower his value will get.

Do I have intel....no, but the reported asking price for Simmons has been astronomical.

[Tor_Raps]

Sixers are playing great and much better than expected without Simmons. A lot of that has to do with Embiid playing like a top 3 player and the emergence of Maxey.

Now if they can cash in on Simmons with a good trade at the deadline, they will be legit contenders. If they stick with their current roster, regardless of where they finish in the regular season I can see them getting bounced in the playoffs. Even as early as the first round if they get matched up with the wrong opponent.

Will Morey screw up the Sixers 2 years in a row by being passive at the deadline?

Are you implying that Morey screwed up at last years deadline by NOT trading Maxey AND Thybulle AND picks for a two month rental of Lowry and the PRIVILEGE of paying him a 3 year, $90 million contract? You think that Morey SCREWED UP by NOT paying that price - especially after watching what Maxey did to the Grizz last night?

Going by your handle, I am guessing the answer is yes.

Please share the article that shows the Raptors were wanting Maxey/Thybulle/2 First round picks? Everything I saw was that the Raptors wanted 2 first round calibre players or picks so it could have been 2 1st round picks or Thybulle and a 1st pick, etc.

And you might want to see how great Lowry has looked with the Heat by helping them to the 1st seed while the team has been incredibly injured. His value is much more than what he puts on the stat sheet by being a pass first PG. He would have taken the pressure off Simmons in last years playoffs and who knows where that relationship would be. I'm confident the Sixers would have won a title last season with Lowry on their team.

[Eyeamok]

Embiid is healthy and is becoming more of a leader. A leader that leads by example and expects the rest of the troops to fall in line and work hard. Ben was always willing to work but only up to a point. Another poser wrote a few weeks ago. Embiid got on Maxey to up his game and Maxey did. Embiid got on BS to up his game and BS retired. Also Embiid is allowed to play inside an out without Ben clogging up his flow. That is huge. Embiid had to fit his game around Ben's because Ben was unwilling to expand his game. So yes it is addition by subtraction in some areas. But BS rebounding and passing are missed.

[dhsilv2]

It shows that he isn’t as important as he seem to think he is.

He also shouldn’t be paid a single cent and is stealing from the Sixers. Ben Simmons is a joke.

It also proves Simmons isn’t worth the price Morey has placed on him in trades and the league as a whole was much closer to his real value in their trade offers.

Even if they can pull off Simmons for Harden, it’s not going to be because Simmons had the value of a Harden level player. It’ll be because the Nets won’t want to lose Harden and everything they traded for him for nothing.

That's literally why Morey has been waiting....he's waiting for another player's value to drop to match it with Simmons.

[Cookin Baskets]

This why a Simmons trade now would be huge. We need someone to help this team now. Embiid needs someone to help him now. Who knows how long this championship window will last, we should be wary of dragging this Simmons thing for multiple seasons.

[6ersfolife]

The only thing this post will do is get the fans of teams who morey won't let steal simmons from us to tell us how their mediocre pieces are perfect and Morey is crazy not to give Simmons to them. I've literally called it that a Raptors fan would come on here screaming that Morey was crazy not to give Maxey and a few picks to them so we could pay a 35 yr old 90 million. Simmons will be traded and good riddance, whether in two weeks or 3 months is all to be determined. I trust Morey, he has been great for us thus far, and I don't see that changing. And to answer your question, I believe it is definitely addition by subtracting the entitled brat of a player whom I won't say his name. Thank you Shaq!

[Eyeamok]

This why a Simmons trade now would be huge. We need someone to help this team now. Embiid needs someone to help him now. Who knows how long this championship window will last, we should be wary of dragging this Simmons thing for multiple seasons.

It's funny. The 76ers played the Lakers on TNT and Charles said they 76ers are not going anywhere until they resolve this Simmons situation, even though Embiid is playing well. After the game they interviewed Embiid and Charles never even brought up the need help with a Simmons trade situation up. Anyway you are right the championship window is small. But I honestly believe there is nothing being done about Simmons without significant input from Embiid. Embiid is the process and he has bought into Morey's process. But I honestly believe one way or another this situation will be resolved by the summer of 2022.

[BullyKing]

Sixers are playing great and much better than expected without Simmons. A lot of that has to do with Embiid playing like a top 3 player and the emergence of Maxey.

Now if they can cash in on Simmons with a good trade at the deadline, they will be legit contenders. If they stick with their current roster, regardless of where they finish in the regular season I can see them getting bounced in the playoffs. Even as early as the first round if they get matched up with the wrong opponent.

Will Morey screw up the Sixers 2 years in a row by being passive at the deadline?

Are you implying that Morey screwed up at last years deadline by NOT trading Maxey AND Thybulle AND picks for a two month rental of Lowry and the PRIVILEGE of paying him a 3 year, $90 million contract? You think that Morey SCREWED UP by NOT paying that price - especially after watching what Maxey did to the Grizz last night?

Going by your handle, I am guessing the answer is yes.

Please share the article that shows the Raptors were wanting Maxey/Thybulle/2 First round picks? Everything I saw was that the Raptors wanted 2 first round calibre players or picks so it could have been 2 1st round picks or Thybulle and a 1st pick, etc.

Read on Twitter

Crazy thought I know but perhaps consider making sure you know what you're talking about before spouting off your next hot take.

[DusterBuster]

The only thing this post will do is get the fans of teams who morey won't let steal simmons from us to tell us how their mediocre pieces are perfect and Morey is crazy not to give Simmons to them. I've literally called it that a Raptors fan would come on here screaming that Morey was crazy not to give Maxey and a few picks to them so we could pay a 35 yr old 90 million. Simmons will be traded and good riddance, whether in two weeks or 3 months is all to be determined. I trust Morey, he has been great for us thus far, and I don't see that changing. And to answer your question, I believe it is definitely addition by subtracting the entitled brat of a player whom I won't say his name. Thank you Shaq!

Genuine question (not meant as a bash), what has Morey done for the Sixers yet? He just took the Sixers job Nov 2020, I can't think of any significant (or even insignificant) roster move the Sixers have made from then til now.

[stormi]

Are you implying that Morey screwed up at last years deadline by NOT trading Maxey AND Thybulle AND picks for a two month rental of Lowry and the PRIVILEGE of paying him a 3 year, $90 million contract? You think that Morey SCREWED UP by NOT paying that price - especially after watching what Maxey did to the Grizz last night?

Going by your handle, I am guessing the answer is yes.

Please share the article that shows the Raptors were wanting Maxey/Thybulle/2 First round picks? Everything I saw was that the Raptors wanted 2 first round calibre players or picks so it could have been 2 1st round picks or Thybulle and a 1st pick, etc.

Read on Twitter

Crazy thought I know but perhaps consider making sure you know what you're talking about before spouting off your next hot take.

This is worse than any Morey demand i've seen.