The Weekend of Harden

What a weekend of basketball we just saw. James Harden and the rest of the Sixers were fantastic. Friday was one of the most fun games I have ever witnessed. We were dominant and the game just looked easy. Sunday’s game was a little closer, but the Sixers pulled it out when it mattered. Frankly, it was clear the entire game who was the better team. It felt throughout the game like the Sixers were toying with the Knicks. There were a few surprises for me while watching these first two games and a few things I am super excited about.

James Harden’s Passing
Harden has always had big assist numbers. I had always assumed that his assists came from his ball dominant style from back when he was in Houston. He would dribble until he was double or triple teamed and then pass to another player if he could not score. Watching him these first few games I am incredibly impressed with his court vision and passing ability. James Harden is a next level passer. He sees what is coming and his passes are on the money. I only saw two passes during Friday’s game that were not perfectly placed by him. I used to love Ben Simmons passing, but Harden is another level. He has better vision and his passes are always right to the chest.

Accurate passes that come where players want them have a huge impact on the likelihood of a shot being made. First, catching the ball where you want to allows the shooter to get a rhythm. Second, catching a well thrown pass allows the shooter to get it off sooner. The players in the NBA are so long and fast, an open shot goes away quickly. A perfectly placed pass gives the shooter a longer window to get their shot off. All of this doesn’t even take into account the double teams Harden creates which makes players even more open. The game is going to be easier for everyone else on the team and that is special.

Offense over Defense
Basketball is an offensive game. The days of defenses win championships is long gone. You cannot win a championship without playing good defense, but the best teams have a stellar half court offense. The combination of Harden and Embiid give the Sixers an incredible offense whenever they need it. In prior years, the Sixers would stop a run by a great defensive play and a fast break basket. This team can still do that, but they now have other options.

The pick and roll of Harden and Embiid looks almost too easy. I have no idea how teams can possibly guard it. Harden always makes the right pass and both Harden and Embiid can score at any time. It is almost funny to watch Embiid roll to the foul line and take a wide open 15 foot jumper. More than that, when the bench is in, Harden can hit a step back 3-pointer whenever the team needs a shot. Other teams are going to get some tape on these two and find more ways to cover them. Harden and Embiid will also continue to adjust. It is going to be fun watching how easy it is for this team to score for the next few years.

Still Growing
Harden and Embiid are playing together as if they have been together for years. Some of that is their elite talent and some of that is just how well they fit together. They will continue to get better together, but the thing that should really scare the rest of the league is how much better the rest of the team is going to get.

Tobias Harris is a proven 20 ppg scorer and a lethal three point shooter. He is still uncomfortable and finding his way. He will get comfortable and start to take off. Right now Tobey is passing up wide open three point shots. He is not accustomed to being this open. Once he gets comfortable (and he will) this offense is going to be that much better. Tobey and Harden are playing together with the second team. They can be lethal together. What that means is there will be less of a drop off when Embiid is off the floor and less pressure on Harden. The first two teams made runs against our bench. That won’t happen when Tobey is comfortable and playing like has has for the past 3-4 years. Tobey has the second highest scoring average over the past three years of any player that has not made the all star game. He is nearly and all star and combined with Embiid, Harden, and Maxey makes them an incredible combination.

With the exception of George Niang who has almost no conscious when he shoots, the bench players are still trying to figure it out. Shake Milton is coming off a long injury and is trying to figure out where he belongs. Shake is a great set shooter when he is open. Remember, he set a record two years ago by making 14 straight three-pointers. He just needs space to get his shot off. Harden will give him that space. We are also not yet seeing the pick and roll lob pass that Harden is famous for. I am sure they will bring that into the game and we will see more ways for the bench to score. Look for their confidence to grow in the coming weeks and you will have an idea as to how good this team can become.

Conclusion
It has been a fun two games with Harden so far. Things will only get more fun in the coming weeks. I can’t wait to watch this team come together. Barring injury, the Sixers should be considered one of the favorites to win the championship.

Sixers Positives – Week ending 02/26/2022

It has been a fun week as we all prepare for the first game with James Harden. The week began with the All Star game where we watched Embiid prove himself to be one of the very best players in the NBA. He had 34 points and if not for Curry going wild, would have been the MVP. The week ended with Harden’s debut where the Sixers were amazing and won by 31 points against a good Minnesota team. Here are some of my favorite posts of the week.

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What the team looks like with Harden

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

The trade finally happened. Ben Simmons is a Net, along with Andre Drummond and Seth Curry. The two first-round picks will be so late they will not matter at all. The Nets likely asked for them so that they could trade them in the future.

Harden is a top 10 player and one of the greatest one-on-one scorers of all time. He and Joel are instantly the best 1-2 punch of any team in the league. The Sixers are now a real title contender and Vegas odds have them as a top 4 team right after the Nets, Suns, and Warriors. We wanted a championship contender and now we have one. What does the inclusion of Harden do to the dynamics of the team? The starting line-up is obvious. It will be Maxey, Harden, Thybulle, Harris, and Embiid. This is an easy one and everyone is expecting it. The big changes will be the rotations and how different players are utilized.

Joel Embiid
I do not expect a big change for Joel Embiid. He is the number one option and will continue to be that way. Harden showed that he does not have to be the number one option when he joined the Nets. He was comfortable setting up Irving and Durant. I am sure he will be equally comfortable setting up Embiid. Harden will likely play a lot of point guard. Embiid will take the ball up the court when it makes sense for a break, but otherwise either Harden or Maxey will bring the ball up. The big difference will be spacing for Joel. Harden draws multiple defenders. Joel should get many more one-on-one opportunities. The biggest worry will be the back-up center position. I hope that Rivers uses more staggered line-ups so that players like Bassey and Paul Reed can play meaningful minutes without hurting the team.

Tobias Harris
Toby has been in a tough position this season. He is an ideal off the ball third scorer. When he is in that position he is an All Star. Allow Toby to catch and shoot or quickly drive and he will score at a very high percentage. This season Toby has had to be the #2 option and at times a shot creator. That is not his strong point. He ends up dribbling too long and getting in trouble. Also, he is not a great passer and that shows when he is forced to lead the offense. Harden will change all of that. Harris is likely to be the big winner in this trade. I expect to see a lot of Harden drives with kickouts to Harris for a three. He will also play with Maxey who can do the same thing. Tobias should have a great end to the season.

Matisse Thybulle
I hear a lot of people worried about Matisse’s offense. He is an elite defender, quite possibly the best perimeter defender in the game. When he played with Simmons, it mattered that he could not shoot. Now he is playing with two of the top 10 scorers in the NBA and two strong scorers in Maxey and Harris. Like Draymond Green, his offense will not matter. Thybulle’s man can leave him to help out, but who is he going to help on? If he helps on Embiid then Harden has a one-on-one. If he helps on Harden then Embiid is going to be one-on-one. Harden is not a good defender. Thybulle’s defense becomes more important with Harden on the floor. I think that Thybulle is now a perfect fit with this new line-up.

Tyrese Maxey
Harden’s inclusion on the team will have the biggest impact on Maxey. Tyrese was the second option as a one-on-one player and played a lot of point guard on this team. Harden will take over both of those roles. Maxey will continue to start, but his role will change a lot. When he is with the starting line-up, I expect to see Maxey spending a lot more time in the corner looking to catch and shoot. He will likely lead some fast breaks, his role in the half court offense will be much more off the ball.

In addition, his rotations will likely change a lot. I expect to see Milton or Korkmaz joining the starting line-up early so that Maxey can play with the second team. With the loss of Drummond, it will be important to have starters who can create offense with the second team. Maxey will have to split time to make sure that they have a scorer when Embiid and Harden are resting. Harden and Embiid may stagger as well, but I think that Maxey is the more likely option during the regular season so that Harden and Embiid can rest.

Shake Milton
Shake has been out for a while and we have missed him. Shake is a very solid player who should be greatly helped with this trade. Shake is good at driving and an elite shooter when he has space. Don’t forget he had a streak of 14 straight three point shots just last year. His jump shot is a little low and slow, so he cannot create his a shot. With Harden and Embiid, he won’t have to. I expect the Sixers to play him more with the starters and he will love the open shots. He is a better catch and shoot player than Maxey and then can now use him that way. Shake will love this change.

Can the Sixers win the championship? I don’t know. What I do know is that in the near term Harden makes this team much better. I am excited for the second half of this season.

Ben Simmons Trade Update

The trade deadline is coming on quickly. Last week Daryl Morey was on the Mike Missanelli show saying that it was very likely that nothing would happen until the summer. Morey is a pro and he knows the importance of letting people know that he is not in a hurry. Throughout this process, Morey has played it smart by being patient. He knows that Simmon’s value is lessened because he wants out. He also knows that given enough time other stars will be in the same position. Now we are seeing his vision come to fruition. We are now hearing about three possible deals about three elite or borderline elite players:

  • James Harden,
  • Bradley Beal, and
  • John Collins.

Harden and Beal have led the league in scoring; while John Collins is a very athletic up and coming star. I am going to review each player, what the rumors are, and the pros and cons of a deal.

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James Harden
James Harden is far and away the most likely option. Shams Charania, who is very plugged in broke the news yesterday. We all know that Morey has always loved Harden and he pursued him last year as well. Harden forced his way out of Houston when Morey left. He felt that they were no longer trying. The option of reuniting with Morey and getting to play with Joel Embiid has to intrigue him. Given the mess that we all saw coming in Brooklyn, it is no surprise that he would want out.

The pros of this move are obvious. Harden is one of the best one on one offensive players in NBA history. He is now 32 years old and no longer the same player as he was when he was setting records in Houston, but he is still an elite player who is a top 10 scorer. People worry about how ball dominant he can be, but I am not at all worried about that. Last season Harden chose to be a distributor with Kyrie and Kevin Durant and he was excellent. He can be the point guard on this team and teach Maxey how to play the position. Harden can also be that end of game clutch scorer that can work alongside Embiid. They would be nearly unstoppable during the playoffs when things get tighter. Adding Harden to this team makes the Sixers an immediate favorite for the title.

There are, however, a number of concerns with a deal for Harden. First, we would likely have to include another player or two to make it work. I would hate to lose players like Maxey, Curry, or Thybulle. Second, I worry about team chemistry. Part of the success of this team has been how close they are. They all trust and support one another. This is not something that Harden is known for. Does his presence change the way the team plays? Third, Harden is best off the dribble. I like how we are running the offense through Embiid so smoothly. Can Harden be a great catch and shoot player? That is something we have to see. Finally, Harden is a free agent next year and he is going to want BIG money. We still have a very young team and Embiid is just coming into his own. I would hate to trade away our biggest trade chip for a partial year rental.

Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal won the scoring title last year. He is the lone superstar on the Wizards, a team going nowhere. The Wizards started strong, but have fallen back recently. Beal has recently started questioning his long term fit with the Wizards. The Sixers have made no secret as to their desire for him, so the Beal/Simmons rumors have taken off. Scott Rafferty of The Sporting News has a good article on this topic.

There are a number of reasons that the Sixers should pursue Bradley Beal. He might be the best possible fit on anyone for this team. Beal is an elite scorer and shooter. He can break down defenders and beat people one-on-one and he can catch and shoot as well as anyone in the game. Beal would be a perfect scoring guard and would open up space for Embiid; while also being a great shot-creator when things slow down in the playoffs. Harden is still a better one-on-one scorer and passer, but Beal can catch and shoot as well as anyone in the league. Teams trying to defend Embiid and Beal would be in trouble. This move would also make Tobias better as he could focus on what he does well and not have to create as much. Also, from a chemistry stand point Beal trains with the same trainer as Embiid. I am sure that they have spent a lot of time together. As with Harden, adding Beal immediately makes the Sixers one of the favorites to win it all.

There are some concerns with Beal. He is a horrible defender. One of the worst in the NBA statistically. If we add him, we must have Thybulle to counterbalance his poor defense. Harden is not a great defender either, but he is much better than Beal. Beal is also much shorter and not as good of a passer and rebounder. It is possible that some of this is because of the team he was on. Maybe Doc Rivers and the Sixers culture would make him better, but this is definitely a concern. Beal is also going to be a free agent next year. He has shown more loyalty than Harden, so he is likely not as big a risk, but he could still leave. Finally, Beal is getting older and his numbers have dipped a lot this year. Is age catching up with him?

John Collins
John Collins is the last name on this list. He is not as established as Harden or Beal, but he is an up and coming player with a very high ceiling. He was a big key to the Hawks defense, rebounding, and though play last year. He is also becoming a better shooter. The Hawks are definitely shopping him and the Sixers have shown interest. The Hawks have been discussing a potential deal around John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and draft compensation. Read more about this on Yahoo Sports.

There are a number of reasons to like John Collins. He is young and would grow with this team. The window to win with him is 3-5 years long which aligns with the window for Embiid and the growth of the other young players. Collins is an elite rebounder and would instantly fix a part of the game that the Sixers struggle with. He is an excellent defender as you could see when he shut down Tobias Harris during the playoffs last year. He is also a decent three-point shooter. Collins would instantly make the Sixers a more athletic team and better defensively and as a rebounder. He could make the team better this year, but I am not sure that it would be enough to make them a title favorite.

The biggest problem with Collins is that he plays the same position as Harris. Harris is a great team leader, a borderline all star (he has the second highest scoring average of anyone not to make the all star game of the past three years), and a virtually untradeable contract. The Sixers would have to make a second deal with Harris for this to work out. I have one other concern about Collins. He has been vocal about wanting the ball more quite often as a Hawk. Would he be happy with his role on the Sixers?

My Thoughts?
Embiid looks healthy and he is having an incredible season. Assuming you do not have to give up Thybulle or Maxey for Beal or Harden and I think you have to consider those deals. I trust that Morey will make sure that he can lock these players up if they decide to come. My slight preference is Beal because I do not worry about him affecting the culture, but either player would be a big add.

Eagles Season in Review

It was a great season. The Eagles were predicted to win 6.5 games this year. Many expected even fewer wins. The team was coming off a 4 win season. They had a new coach and new Quarterback who had a lot of questions surrounding his ability. In the end, the Birds won 9 games, made the playoffs, and did this will starting a youth movement that has a ton of great players under 25 years old. Some of my favorite moments or accomplishments from the season are below.

Kiel Leggere/Philadelphia Eagles

Game 1: A blowout
The expectations were low until the Eagles came out and beat the Falcons 32-6. Jalen Hurts threw for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns. Miles Sanders ran for 74 yards, and Devonta Smith had 6 catches for 71 yards. The defense was dominant and the offense was both creative and fast. It was a near perfect start to the season. Fans went from expecting 6 wins to 10 or 11. All was good. Unfortunately, it was one of the only positive games during the start of the season. Teams did not know what to expect from Sirianni and Gannon and they used that to their advantage. Once teams were able to watch film the season got much tougher.

Youth Movement
The Birds won the Super Bowl just a few years ago, but they had gotten old. They had no starts 25 or younger and the team was not winning. It was time for a big draft and a need to develop a new foundation that can carry the team into the next big run. They were able to accomplish that this season in a big way.

Jalen Hurts is a 23 year old quarterback with special legs that is improving almost every game. He is a natural leader who helped carry this team into the playoffs this season. There is no game too big for him and he has shown that he can be a very solid starting quarterback. Now the question becomes can he become an elite quarterback that allows the Birds to be in the playoffs every year.

Devonta Smith set the the Eagles rookie receiving yards record this season. He showed the route running and hands that make it appear that he can be an elite receiver for the foreseeable future. The Eagles got it right with this first round pick.

Jordan Mailata is a special player who should be a perennial pro bowler and maybe much more. He is still learning the game and is already playing at a Pro Bowl level. He is big, fast, and has incredibly light feet. There is no limit to how good he can be. On one play this year, Jordan pushed a D-linement down with one hand an another one down with his other had. That just doesn’t happen. Mailata reminds me of the movie “The Blind Side”.

The Blind Side

Miles Sanders is another player who is often forgotten as a potential elite player. When healthy, he averages over 5 yards per carry which is amazing. With this line and a healthy season, it would not be a surprise to see him run for over 1500 yards. Reuben Frank talks about this is in season wrap-up (see number 4).

We also had a great draft bringing in a number of players that have already shown they can start and potentially do even more. Landon Dickerson is already an above average guard in the NFL. He could easily become a regular pro bowler. Milton Williams has incredible athleticism and has already shown that he can play both tackle and end. He gets better every game. Kenny Gainwell has shown very impressive flashes and should be the #2 running back on this team next year.

Overcoming Adversity
The Eagles were in a big hole, sitting at 2-6 and it looked like all was done. They held together through a combination of positive coaching, great veterans, and confident younger players. The team got on a run and won seven of the last 9 to finish the season at 9-8 and make the playoffs. This showed a lot about Sirianni’s ability to keep the team together and to change the way he ran the offense. A season like this says a lot more about this coach and this team than a season with less adversity.

Exciting Future
You cannot help but be excited for the future of this team. They have a creative young coach who knows how to connect with players. They have a nucleus of young and up and coming players who are good enough (with a little more help in this years draft) to compete for championships. Best of all, you look around the division and things look very promising. The Giants are a reminder as to how hard it can be to rebuild a team. It has been years and there is no end to the losing insight. The Redskins are only marginally better and have an owner that cannot do anything right. The Cowboys are the class of the division, but they continue to show that they cannot win the big ones and their Dak Prescott’s big salary is about to kick in. Things are about to get a lot harder for them.

This is likely my last Eagles article until the draft. Let’s hope they can have a second successful draft and build out the rest of this team. Fly Eagles Fly!!

Sixers Positives – Week Ending 1/22/2022

This week was all about Joel Embiid. He is coming off a player of the month award and started the week with a historic 50-point game in only 27 minutes of play. Joel has become more than a center. He is a point forward, wing, and center all wrapped in one. There is no one that has ever had that skill set as big as he is.

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Eagles Positives – Week Ending 1/22/2022

The season is now over, but it was a good one that deserves to be appreciated. The articles below are all about the success of the season or the excitement about a draft where we have 3 first round picks.

Hunter Martin/Philadelphia Eagles

The Latest on Ben Simmons

Posidelphia

Nothing has changed yet in the Ben Simmons saga, but we are starting to see signs of desperation that show Daryl Morey was right. As teams start to struggle, the thought of starting fresh with a talent like Simmons is becoming more and more attractive. In this article, I share the teams I am hearing about and my thoughts on each rumor.

Sacramento Kings. The Kings have completely underperformed this year. They started the year with a strong stance that their two best young players, Tyrese Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox, were untouchable. It sounds like all that has changed. The Kings are convinced that they need to make a change and are willing to trade either of those players. Before the season started I would have been very interested in De’Aaron Fox. The play of Tyrese Maxey has changed that. While he is not as good as Fox, he is young and quickly improving. The Sixers should value strong shooting wings over quick point guards. Clutch Points has a great article on a potential deal (https://clutchpoints.com/nba-trade-rumors-reason-kings-are-favorites-in-sixers-ben-simmons-sweepstakes/) in which the Kings get Simmons and Harris and the Sixers get Fox, Buddy Hield, and Harrison Barnes. While I am not sure that this is enough to get the Sixers over the top, it would open up a lot of money for them to go after a mega free agent this summer.

Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are another team that is underperforming. They looked so promising in the playoffs last year, but they are simply not gelling. They are now interested in potentially trading John Collins. Collins is young, athletic and getting better every year. The only problem is that he completely overlaps with Tobias Harris. I love Tobias Harris, but value John Collins athleticism and potential more. The problem is that we would be trading Simmons for Collins and not Harris. While I like the idea of this trade, I just don’t see how it works unless we can include Harris and get another scoring wing in the deal. CBS Sports had a good article on this rumor. https://clutchpoints.com/nba-trade-rumors-reason-kings-are-favorites-in-sixers-ben-simmons-sweepstakes/

Boston Celtics. The Celtics continue to underperform. They just lost to the Sixers in a blowout and both Tatum and Brown were ineffective. While they remain strong that they do not want to break their two stars up, I hope that they continue to struggle and get desperate. Jaylen Brown would be a perfect fit with the Sixers and Simmons could improve the defense and the ball movement of the Celtics. I really think it could be a good thing for both teams. This is now my favorite option. I never like the Celtics, but this year I am rooting against them more than ever before.

Washington Wizards. The Wizards started strong this year, but have come back down to earth. They are just a little above .500 as an 8th seed and are clearly not ready to challenge the best teams in the East. Bradley Beal would be a perfect fit with Embiid, Maxey, Thybulle, and Harris. His one-on-one scoring ability would make everything easier for the team. If Bradley Beal truly wants to win, it is a very short ride up I-95 for him to land in a place where he can challenge for a championship in a city that would love him. Unfortunately, at this point this idea is similar to the Celtics and Jaylen Brown, more wishful thinking than real.

James Harden. James Harden and Joel Embiid could be an unstoppable pair. Putting these two together would instantly make the Sixers one of the teams to beat and a favorite to win it all. Unfortunately, that would not happen this season. Harden did not sign an extension and does not look like he will stay with the Nets. He left the Rockets because they got rid of Morey, so the Sixers would be a location he would be interested in. In order to make this happen, the Sixers would have to get rid of Simmons and Harris and then make a play over the summer. Keep an eye on how things play out this season as this signing is a very likely scenario if Morey is clearing cap space. Bleacher Report has a good article on this at https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10023468-james-harden-rumors-execs-think-76ers-want-ben-simmons-sign-and-trade-for-nets-star.

Ben Simmons will not be on the Sixers next season. The fact that the team has played so well without him gives Morey a lot of flexibility as to when he needs to make a trade. It will be both frustrating and fun to see what happens in the coming months.

Eagles Positives – Week ending 1/15/2022

It’s a playoff week. There are plenty of fun articles talking about the Eagles and all that they have accomplished. Some of my favorites are below.

Sixers Positives – Week ending 1/15/2022

The Sixers came into the week with a 5 game winning streak. They continued their hot streak and moved to 6 straight wins. While they lost against the Hornets, they came back with a big win against the Celtics. They are now solidly the 5 seed.

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