Around The League: 2021-2022 Season 1.0

[FireMorey]

Max Strus and Kyle Lowry were one Jimmy Butler away from knocking off your vaunted Celtics.

The Sixers are a really good team when Embiid is healthy, and have potential to be much better next year if Maxey continues his progression, Harden gets better(if the hamstring as the/an issue) and they add talent to the bench.

The Sixers absolutely have NBA Finals potential, but if you want to fap over the Celtics all summer long, be my guest.

[stormi]

Averaging an "if" per sentence. And that was along with you last post on "if" Morey got a whole new bench.

I personally need a bit more concreteness than that, sorry. It's just too many questions for me personally about this teams depth, defending - specifically from the wing position, coaching and the health of our top two stars.

The Bucks will be back next season, the Celtics are still young and the Heat will likely consolidate for another star around Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. It isn't going to get any easier. The Warriors are in the finals right now sitting on James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. That's being in a great position, win or lose.

I think we're like 3 legit pieces that can hold their own on both ends in a playoff setting on top of Maxey/Embiid/Harden away from being a team that is ready to compete.

Praying on some critical development from Paul Reed and Charles Bassey as well.

[FireMorey]

lol, you tell me I'm averaging an if per sentence, then you sneak in the Heat "will likely" consolidate for another star... nice touch.

I don't know what your definition is of "legit pieces" but if it's the same definition of mine, that's utterly absurd and would be super team territory, which is not needed to win in today's NBA being there are no other super teams to get by. The Sixers have the best player in the league, and yes he's injury prone and needs help, but that goes a long way, and as long as they have that unstoppable force, the Sixers will always be in the mix.

Every team has if's every summer. The Sixers are no different.

[stormi]

The Celtics have Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Robert Williams, Grant Williams, Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Jaylen Brown as guys that can contribute on both ends. I consider that 7 legit pieces.

The 76ers have Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and James Harden. That's it. I would throw Danny Green in there as well, but he's 35 on one ACL.

Legit pieces are simply guys that can elevate a team on either offense or defense in a high intensity setting. If they're doing it on both ends, they're a superstar.

Guys like Jae Crowder, DFS, Jalen Brunson, KCP, Derrick White, Danny Green, Tyus Jones, Patrick Beverley, DeAnthony Melton, PJ Tucker can apply even as 5th-8th men on their rosters.

[FireMorey]

No no no... stop it now. Harris is a legit piece. Now you're being disingenuous or you're trolling me. You can't add Robert Williams, Al Horford, and Derrick freaking White... and Danny Green on the Sixers for that matter, but leave out Tobias Harris as a legitimate piece. Harris is a good player. An overpaid player, but a good player. You're letting personal biases get in the way of objectivity now.

The Sixers have the best top 4 of any team in the East as it currently stands. That's a good start. It's the stuff after that needs work. I'll take a strong top 4 any day. Teams fill out their benches all the time, it isn't difficult.

[stormi]

Harris as a playoff performer with a 54% TS, a 13% FT rate and a sub 1.5% steal and block rate is not a playoff elevator.

What in the world are we talking about here. This guy is atrocious.

Would trade Harris for Derrick White, Al Horford or Robert Williams in a microsecond btw.

[FireMorey]

lol ok you're definitely trolling me now, I got played.

[stormi]

Simping for the worst wing defender in the league with negative athleticism, no playmaking and no shot creation skill.

Praying my people are freed from the stockholming shackles of Doc Rivers and Tobias Harris one day.

[FireMorey]

He'll get you 18-20 a night, changed his game on the fly to accommodate Harden by taking more catch 3's, and was the Sixers' best defender during their entire playoff run.

And your hyperbolic takes are "he's atrocious" and "he's the worst wing defender in the NBA" and you want your arguments to be taken seriously. Like I said, you're letting personal biases cloud objectivity. Harris is a good NBA player. No one would dislike him if Brand didn't give him that ridiculous contract, which isn't his fault. Can't knock a dude for making bank.

[stormi]

"pointz" argument.

That line of thinking trades Kyle Kuzma and KCP for Russell Westbrook. You have to value playoff caliber skillsets over being distracted by statlines. Elite shooting, shot creation, playmaking, defending / toughness / transition scoring.

Maxey brings shooting. Harden brings elite playmaking and shot creation and playmaking. Embiid brings shot creation, defending and shooting. Green (RIP) brought defending and shooting.

For the Celtics rotational pieces -> White brings playmaking and defending. Horford brings shooting, defending and toughness. Grant Williams brings defending and shooting.

Tobias categorically doesn't check any of those boxes. He's scared to shoot on volume and has a twisted jumper. Makes no plays defensively, cannot pass / suffers from tunnel vision.

He's simply just not good at the game of basketball and hinders those around him for cohesive purposes. We cannot take a step forward until he's traded.

[FireMorey]

He is good at the game of basketball. He's not as bad of a defender as you make him out to be, he's a solid rebounder, he's one of the few players on the Sixers who can get points in the mid range, is a solid 3 point shooter, he can put the ball on the floor a little bit. He's a very quality NBA player. I have to keep saying it, but you're letting personal bias get in the way of objectivity. Shown by you adding "shooting" to Al Horford, when Tobias Harris is a better shooter than Al Horford is. He's a better shooter than Derrick White is too for that matter. Is a better shot creator than Horford and White.

You're ignoring all the things Harris does well. The problem with him is his contract, not the player. Which is why the Sixers will look to move him. He'd be a welcome addition to any team on a sensible contract. He brings a lot to the table.

Harris isn't a speciality player, it's not his game. He's more of a jack of all trades type player, and they always have a place in the NBA. He does a lot of things well as opposed to doing one thing exceptionally well.

[Iverson Armband]

Lol this guy thinks a team who lost in the 2nd round with basically the same team two years in a row is “close” to a team 3 games away from winning a title. Stop it. Hell, if we’re gonna play the if game, we might not make it out of the first round if Scottie Barnes and FVV weren’t playing on two legs combined between the both of them. The Celtics swept a team that dismantled us at home when we had all the motivation in the world to curb stomp them.

It’s ok to give other teams credit. We’re not a bad team per se, we’re ok, but we are nowhere near the calibur of the Celtics top to bottom. The Heat totally outclassed us. Even the games we won were close.

The Warriors would beat us in 4, guaranteed. As stated, Morey has a good 2-3 moves to make to get us in contention.

[stormi]

My gripe with Harris is that he doesn't tangibly excel in any core playoff category. I see those as: shooting, defending, playmaking and shot creation.

Being mediocre at best to bad in most every single category outputs diminishing returns on those around him. For example, the Celtics can throw Derrick White on Steph Curry or Kyrie Irving and feel confident in his ability to shadow them with his length and athleticism. He's tangibly providing defensive returns on a play to play basis. He can also be relied upon as being an offense initiator.

Harris being a "jack of all trades" type that you can't trust to guard his position, isn't an elite 3 point shooter and can't isolate to get a bucket grants him as being relatively useless in a playoff setting.

It's not even about his contract. He's just not a good or impactful basketball player. His acquisition hasn't raised the ceiling of this team, nor did alter the trajectory of the Clippers team he was on when he got traded mid season as their leading scorer and they went on comfortably to still make the playoffs.

[Jailblazers7]

I think Boston actually is a special team and we (for like the 5th straight year) maybe sort of have the potential to be one. It’s not woah is me whining to admit that difference. We’re closer to the level of Chicago & Cleveland than we are Boston. Maybe a great offseason changes that but until that happens it’s all hypothetical for us.

[FireMorey]

He can be trusted to guard. He was a good defensive player in the playoffs, and they really leaned on him to get stops for them. He can be trusted to knock down 3’s when it matters, that is just a baseless narrative. People just make that up.

And again with the hyperbole. “Relatively useless.” C’mon now, you’re not being objective. If you can’t even admit that the guy has positive qualities to add to a team there really is no sense in arguing with someone who is blinded by their own dislike for a player. He adds 3 point shooting, shot creation, rebounding, better defense than you care to admit. He can help in the mid range, he can post up when he needs to.

And there is a difference between being a good player and altering the trajectory of a team. Most players don’t alter a team’s trajectory. Superstars do that. But if you can’t even count him in as a quality piece and are going to go as far to lost Danny Green ahead of him, then you’re not being objective here.

[sixers4real]

Bold prediction, and I hate it: Celtics will win it all.

I made that prediction with Dubs leading 3-0, and Miami leading 2-1.

I’ll stick with it

Still feel like it

[76thBearCub]

I think Boston actually is a special team and we (for like the 5th straight year) maybe sort of have the potential to be one. It’s not woah is me whining to admit that difference. We’re closer to the level of Chicago & Cleveland than we are Boston. Maybe a great offseason changes that but until that happens it’s all hypothetical for us.

Boston is a special organization. They don't have more talent than us, they just use it way better.

[mjkvol]

Celtics lead the NBA Finals, Rangers lead the NHL Conference Finals...

It might be time to just step away.

I was thinking the same thing.

[GoSixersBro]

I think Boston actually is a special team and we (for like the 5th straight year) maybe sort of have the potential to be one. It’s not woah is me whining to admit that difference. We’re closer to the level of Chicago & Cleveland than we are Boston. Maybe a great offseason changes that but until that happens it’s all hypothetical for us.

Hard pill to swallow, but you may be right.

[Embiid P]

The real killer about Boston potentially winning it all aside from being our biggest rivals historically is that their rebuild aligned with the Process though not nearly as extreme yet it netted them better players except Embiid though he alone isn't enough to overcome Tatum, Brown and Smart.