Around the NBA (and other Sports) 2021-22, Part 3

[Larry_Russell]

Kyrie can play defense, at least in practice. Who knew?

Read on Twitter

Harden is a pussy

[bisme37]

So... do Harden and Embiid actually work together?

My tiny pea brain originally assumed it was a good fit since you've got a top player at guard and a top player at big. But Stan Van Gundy was on NBATV yesterday and took a big dump on the pairing and made me wonder about it.

Sixers offense runs through MVP candidate Joel, throwing him the ball in the post or on the elbow and letting him go to work and either score or pass it out. But Harden is either first or second (behind Luka) in every stat category as far as dominating the ball. Most touches, length of touches, number of dribbles, etc etc.

And Harden has played the same way everywhere he's gone. He straight up dominates the ball and the offense. But the Sixers still need to remain "Embiid's team" and run through him.

So maybe it's an awful fit? And losing Seth Curry's shooting hurts them quite a bit. Would be pretty cool of the Sixers are actually worse now.

[Joshyjess]

So... do Harden and Embiid actually work together?

My tiny pea brain originally assumed it was a good fit since you've got a top player at guard and a top player at big. But Stan Van Gundy was on NBATV yesterday and took a big dump on the pairing and made me wonder about it.

Sixers offense runs through MVP candidate Joel, throwing him the ball in the post or on the elbow and letting him go to work and either score or pass it out. But Harden is either first or second (behind Luka) in every stat category as far as dominating the ball. Most touches, length of touches, number of dribbles, etc etc.

And Harden has played the same way everywhere he's gone. He straight up dominates the ball and the offense. But the Sixers still need to remain "Embiid's team" and run through him.

So maybe it's an awful fit? And losing Seth Curry's shooting hurts them quite a bit. Would be pretty cool of the Sixers are actually worse now.

Problem is, both players have emotional baggage. IF everything is hunky Dorey, than I think it will be good for Philly. However, if things get a little shakey, I think you are looking at some potential fireworks. I also don't think they are necessarily the best fit for each other. They are definitely talented enough to make it work, but I do see some potential problems with that team. I guess we shall see!
Now Brooklyn - BOOM!!!!

[Theocy]

Kyrie can play defense, at least in practice. Who knew?

Read on Twitter

Harden is a pussy

U know this story is just bull and just click bait when you describe that kyrie locked down someone.

In this case Harden isnt a pussy. He’s a professional after a title and had to play with kyrie who was a part time player. Tell me that’s fine in any way.

[playa-hater]

So... do Harden and Embiid actually work together?

My tiny pea brain originally assumed it was a good fit since you've got a top player at guard and a top player at big. But Stan Van Gundy was on NBATV yesterday and took a big dump on the pairing and made me wonder about it.

Sixers offense runs through MVP candidate Joel, throwing him the ball in the post or on the elbow and letting him go to work and either score or pass it out. But Harden is either first or second (behind Luka) in every stat category as far as dominating the ball. Most touches, length of touches, number of dribbles, etc etc.

And Harden has played the same way everywhere he's gone. He straight up dominates the ball and the offense. But the Sixers still need to remain "Embiid's team" and run through him.

So maybe it's an awful fit? And losing Seth Curry's shooting hurts them quite a bit. Would be pretty cool of the Sixers are actually worse now.

except for maybe a Lob type of center, Harden and any star is a bad fit. Same for Luka.. same for Westbrook. ball dominators kill everything but their own stats.

[Fencer reregistered]

So... do Harden and Embiid actually work together?

My tiny pea brain originally assumed it was a good fit since you've got a top player at guard and a top player at big. But Stan Van Gundy was on NBATV yesterday and took a big dump on the pairing and made me wonder about it.

Sixers offense runs through MVP candidate Joel, throwing him the ball in the post or on the elbow and letting him go to work and either score or pass it out. But Harden is either first or second (behind Luka) in every stat category as far as dominating the ball. Most touches, length of touches, number of dribbles, etc etc.

And Harden has played the same way everywhere he's gone. He straight up dominates the ball and the offense. But the Sixers still need to remain "Embiid's team" and run through him.

So maybe it's an awful fit? And losing Seth Curry's shooting hurts them quite a bit. Would be pretty cool of the Sixers are actually worse now.

except for maybe a Lob type of center, Harden and any star is a bad fit. Same for Luka.. same for Westbrook. ball dominators kill everything but their own stats.

Both Embiid and Harden have had stamina problems in the past being The Man. So a bit of My Turn, Your Turn could be helpful to them.

[keevsnick1]

BRK is gonna be fascinating. I think Irving/Simmons/Durant is a really nice combo in theory, but when are those guys actually gonna play together?

There's no timetable on Durant's return right now, it wouldn't surprise me if he's out another week or two AFTER the break. Meanwhile Irving can't play home games and Simmons might or might not take time to ramp up after sitting out. Will he play before Durant comes back? I find it hard to believe the nets will throw him out there like that.

Meanwhile the Nets have lost 10 straight. They have @MIA, vsSAC, @NYK, vsWAS to finish before the break. That's a tough road game with Irving then three games in NY where they wont have Kyrie all without Durant and probably Simmons. They could conceivably lose all four and be 29-30 by the break.

That's not a lot of time to make up games, it probably close to locks BRK into the play in tournament. Their road in the playoffs could be VERY hard.

[bisme37]

I like the Simmons fit in BK if Durant and Irving are playing. If one or both or out (which, Ky is mostly out), you wonder where the scoring will come from. Curry and Drummond will help them though. Gotta say it was a good trade for both teams.

[Fencer reregistered]

Kevin Love has now scored more points as a Cav than as a Timberwolf. Who knew?

Kevin Love scored 14 points to give him 7,001 since joining the Cavs. He needs 10 more to reach 14,000 in his career.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/33270582/caris-levert-strong-finish-helps-cleveland-cavaliers-rally-pacers-return-indiana-following-trade

[sam_I_am]

BRK is gonna be fascinating. I think Irving/Simmons/Durant is a really nice combo in theory, but when are those guys actually gonna play together?

There's no timetable on Durant's return right now, it wouldn't surprise me if he's out another week or two AFTER the break. Meanwhile Irving can't play home games and Simmons might or might not take time to ramp up after sitting out. Will he play before Durant comes back? I find it hard to believe the nets will throw him out there like that.

Meanwhile the Nets have lost 10 straight. They have @MIA, vsSAC, @NYK, vsWAS to finish before the break. That's a tough road game with Irving then three games in NY where they wont have Kyrie all without Durant and probably Simmons. They could conceivably lose all four and be 29-30 by the break.

That's not a lot of time to make up games, it probably close to locks BRK into the play in tournament. Their road in the playoffs could be VERY hard.

The Sixers basically upgraded their SG position by trading Curry for Harden. That upgrade in talent is far and away the largest in the whole NBA. Remains to be seen how it works out but one thing is certain…..the Sixers are going to get >30 free throws per game.

The Nets downgraded their talent this year but given the inability of their players to stay healthy, the addition of a young elite physical talent like Simmons is huge. Long term this trade will look like highway robbery. They no longer look unbeatable like they did when they rolled out Kyrie, Harden, Harris and KD and rained 3s from everywhere but given health situation they couldn’t get by with Harden and Kyrie as part time players.

The sad fact for Celtics fans however is that 3 teams with better records than Celtics - Sixers, Nets and Cavs (adding La Vert) - got better without giving up much. The Celtics gave up a lot to get a better fit and will be a tougher out because of it but they didn’t gain enough ground on Bucks and Heat and they lost ground versus Sixers, Nets and Cavs. When Dragic gets bought out and signs with Heat and Schroeder goes to Bucks we might lose ground to them too.

Edit: Although we “lost” ground to Cavs and Cavs have a better record….I do think Celtics underperformed until now and are more talented/experienced team. Same goes for Bulls a team we have a good chance of catching before end of season.

[ParticleMan]

BRK is gonna be fascinating. I think Irving/Simmons/Durant is a really nice combo in theory, but when are those guys actually gonna play together?

There's no timetable on Durant's return right now, it wouldn't surprise me if he's out another week or two AFTER the break. Meanwhile Irving can't play home games and Simmons might or might not take time to ramp up after sitting out. Will he play before Durant comes back? I find it hard to believe the nets will throw him out there like that.

Meanwhile the Nets have lost 10 straight. They have @MIA, vsSAC, @NYK, vsWAS to finish before the break. That's a tough road game with Irving then three games in NY where they wont have Kyrie all without Durant and probably Simmons. They could conceivably lose all four and be 29-30 by the break.

That's not a lot of time to make up games, it probably close to locks BRK into the play in tournament. Their road in the playoffs could be VERY hard.

The Sixers basically upgraded their SG position by trading Curry for Harden. That upgrade in talent is far and away the largest in the whole NBA. Remains to be seen how it works out but one thing is certain…..the Sixers are going to get >30 free throws per game.

The Nets downgraded their talent this year but given the inability of their players to stay healthy, the addition of a young elite physical talent like Simmons is huge. Long term this trade will look like highway robbery. They no longer look unbeatable like they did when they rolled out Kyrie, Harden, Harris and KD and rained 3s from everywhere but given health situation they couldn’t get by with Harden and Kyrie as part time players.

The sad fact for Celtics fans however is that 3 teams with better records than Celtics - Sixers, Nets and Cavs (adding La Vert) - got better without giving up much. The Celtics gave up a lot to get a better fit and will be a tougher out because of it but they didn’t gain enough ground on Bucks and Heat and they lost ground versus Sixers, Nets and Cavs. When Dragic gets bought out and signs with Heat and Schroeder goes to Bucks we might lose ground to them too.

Edit: Although we “lost” ground to Cavs and Cavs have a better record….I do think Celtics underperformed until now and are more talented/experienced team. Same goes for Bulls a team we have a good chance of catching before end of season.

Not sure the Nets are better on paper. Simmons is not as good as Harden, in a vacuum. The real question is who is actually motivated to play and who fits better. Simmons is saying the right things but he has never been a guy who cares about basketball, and requires a unique style of play to be effective. Harden is a slowly eroding me first superstar, not sure that’s a great fit with Embiid. Sure he is talented enough to make it work, but will he? Also, this isn’t NBA2K, guys will need time to adjust to each other, including Kyries eventual return. There isn’t a lot of season left for that to happen.

The Cavs and Bulls worry me more, they are legit. But I don’t think they are head and shoulders above us. Let’s see where we’re all at come playoff time. Sixers and Bucks are still the teams to beat.

[bisme37]

Someone posted this on the GB. Pretty funny.

Read on Twitter

[jmr07019]

So... do Harden and Embiid actually work together?

My tiny pea brain originally assumed it was a good fit since you've got a top player at guard and a top player at big. But Stan Van Gundy was on NBATV yesterday and took a big dump on the pairing and made me wonder about it.

Sixers offense runs through MVP candidate Joel, throwing him the ball in the post or on the elbow and letting him go to work and either score or pass it out. But Harden is either first or second (behind Luka) in every stat category as far as dominating the ball. Most touches, length of touches, number of dribbles, etc etc.

And Harden has played the same way everywhere he's gone. He straight up dominates the ball and the offense. But the Sixers still need to remain "Embiid's team" and run through him.

So maybe it's an awful fit? And losing Seth Curry's shooting hurts them quite a bit. Would be pretty cool of the Sixers are actually worse now.

except for maybe a Lob type of center, Harden and any star is a bad fit. Same for Luka.. same for Westbrook. ball dominators kill everything but their own stats.

Kobe… LeBron…. MJ….

I don’t disagree with you about Westbrook but Harden is a different case. Would’ve beat the dubs had Chris Paul stayed healthy and I don’t think that trade is good for Brooklyn. If Brooklyn had Harden Kyrie and Durant healthy they were the easy title favorites.

[jmr07019]

Maxey Harden Thybull Harris Embiid is a damn good starting 5.

How good is Embiid in PnR? It seems to me he has not played that role much so there’s hope it’s less effective than him on the block but realistically a Harden Embiid PnR will wreck teams. I guess you double off of Thybull and hope for the best.

Nets I think are worse but still damn scary. Reee, Curry, Harris, Durant, Simmons is a damn good 5 as well. Picking Drummond over Bembry was a terrible idea tho.

East playoffs are gonna be a lot of fun to watch. East looks harder than the west for the first time in forever. And if we can’t win anyone beside Philly and Brooklyn is cool with me.

[playa-hater]

So... do Harden and Embiid actually work together?

My tiny pea brain originally assumed it was a good fit since you've got a top player at guard and a top player at big. But Stan Van Gundy was on NBATV yesterday and took a big dump on the pairing and made me wonder about it.

Sixers offense runs through MVP candidate Joel, throwing him the ball in the post or on the elbow and letting him go to work and either score or pass it out. But Harden is either first or second (behind Luka) in every stat category as far as dominating the ball. Most touches, length of touches, number of dribbles, etc etc.

And Harden has played the same way everywhere he's gone. He straight up dominates the ball and the offense. But the Sixers still need to remain "Embiid's team" and run through him.

So maybe it's an awful fit? And losing Seth Curry's shooting hurts them quite a bit. Would be pretty cool of the Sixers are actually worse now.

except for maybe a Lob type of center, Harden and any star is a bad fit. Same for Luka.. same for Westbrook. ball dominators kill everything but their own stats.

Kobe… LeBron…. MJ….

I don’t disagree with you about Westbrook but Harden is a different case. Would’ve beat the dubs had Chris Paul stayed healthy and I don’t think that trade is good for Brooklyn. If Brooklyn had Harden Kyrie and Durant healthy they were the easy title favorites.

By ball dominate is I mean guys who spend a lot of clock dribbling the ball. Jordan didn't Kobe didn't lebron sometimes.

[zoyathedestroya]

God are the Knicks a mess right now*! Up 15 heading into the 4th and they're about to lose to the Blazers G-League team.

*past two decades

EDIT:

Read on Twitter

[zoyathedestroya]

Read on Twitter

I still don't want to face them in a play-in game if they're all healthy and available.

[bisme37]

God are the Knicks a mess right now*! Up 15 heading into the 4th and they're about to lose to the Blazers G-League team.

*past two decades

EDIT:

Read on Twitter

Yeah I checked on that game a couple times and the Knicks were in full control. Then they lost.

[zoyathedestroya]

God are the Knicks a mess right now*! Up 15 heading into the 4th and they're about to lose to the Blazers G-League team.

*past two decades

EDIT:

Read on Twitter

Yeah I checked on that game a couple times and the Knicks were in full control. Then they lost.

Made me nostalgic of the 2021 Celtics.

[Marvel]

Embiid is on another level now. Hope Harden ruins him lmao.