Why play with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid when you can run the floor alongside Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma instead?
I guess LeBron James was thinking more about the lifestyle and family and weather and business stuff when he decided to sign a four year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.
But apparently he DID give Philly some thought, if you believe Sixers ownership.
Josh Harris, speaking from Vegas, was quoted in an ESPN article with the franchise’s first public comments about the LeBron pursuit that I’m aware of:
“I think they considered us very strongly,” Harris said of James’ group Monday at the Las Vegas Summer League. “I think he — I would be speculating on how he makes his decisions, and I don’t want to do that — but I think that they were really serious [about Philadelphia]. The fact that they took the meeting with us was something that they didn’t view lightly, so I think that they were very serious about it.”
I know, I know, who “gives a shit” what Ben Simmons is doing with his private life?
Nobody does and nobody should, but your private life becomes a public life when you get involved with a Kardashian, and that’s why the Sixers point guard keeps popping up in entertainment news.
He’s been spending time with Kendall Jenner this summer, and that ALLEGEDLY isn’t going over well with his ex, Tinashe, who TMZ reports is “following” Simmons.
From the story:
Ben Simmons believes his ex, Tinashe, has been tailing him and showing up at the same places he parties with gf Kendall Jenner … and it’s gotten so bad he’s seriously thinking of significantly beefing up security.
Sources close to Simmons tell us … Tinashe’s been suspiciously popping up regularly at places he goes with Kendall … way past the point of coincidence. You’ll remember, the singer showed up at Delilah Thursday, and a couple weeks prior she surfaced at Poppy in WeHo when Ben was there.
We’re told Ben is convinced Tinashe cannot accept the fact he ended their relationship and has moved on with Kendall. He believes she’s showing up to keep tabs on him so she can see if there’s a chink in the armor between him and Kendall.
Kyle and Russ talk about WIP and the Fanatic’s Fultz/Simmons outrage, NBC Sports Philadelphia’s lack of direction, the need for a local 30-for-30, how MLB is hurting the sport on social media, eSports vs. MLB age, where baseball ranks with young fans, attendance, and apparel.
You can go down the shore, stay in town and drink some beers, or watch Furkan Korkmaz drop 40 in Summer League action.
My observations from game one:
Jonah Bolden
Really liked the early block, the pin against the backboard that led to the run out and Korkmaz three Bolden had a couple of tough offensive rebounds on the same possession, but lost the handle while trying to kick the ball out and gave Boston a transition opportunity instead. Just some bad luck on that one I think.
He tried a third quarter three pointer and had a nice drive to the rack for a foul later in the period, using those long arms to extend over the defender and try to lay one off the glass. I saw a nice pick and roll lay-in in the fourth quarter, though he whiffed on a late put back attempt had some defensive trouble with Guerschon Yabusele on two of the Celtics’ last three possessions.
In the words of Sixers’ radio play-by-play host Tom McGinnis, GET EXCITED!
It’s time for Summer League basketball.
Tonight your team, your town, your minicamp Sixers kick it off against the Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN, and while this year’s iteration of Summer League doesn’t feature the excitement of a top five draft pick, I think there are still some interesting players to keep an eye on.
Jonah Bolden
I originally had Bolden listen as my main focus for Summer League, but with Amir Johnson re-signing, my interest wanes slightly. Brett Brown was high on Amir last season as a capable veteran backup, so it seems less likely that a guy like Bolden or Richaun Holmes plays a lot of second unit center minutes this season.
Still, you’re gonna see Bolden in some scraps with Texas A&M rookie Robert Williams, the 27th overall pick who already missed a flight and a summer league practice. The 6’10” center matches Bolden for height and is listed about 10-15 pounds heavier. He’s also going to run into Guerschon Yabusele, the experienced 6’8″ power forward who played 33 games for the Celtics last year. Semi Ojeleye, the 6’7″ defensive specialist, is also on the Boston roster.
Playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv as an overseas stash this past season, Bolden put up 6.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 21.1 minutes per game. He didn’t shoot the ball amazingly well and tried 2.5 three point attempts per contest, hitting at just 31.9% –
Joel Embiid he is not, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be. At the risk of running the Bolden hype train off the rails, I want to see if he can become an energetic C/PF hybrid who can spell Embiid in a smaller second unit lineup or even play alongside him. I know the addition of Nemanja Bjelica and the possibility of going to a Saric/Bjelica small ball shooting look makes that unlikely right away, but it’s something to think about for the not-so-distant future:
I think I’d prefer to see Bolden start at center with Cam Oliver playing power forward, but Keith Pompey says he’ll be at the four tonight:
The Sixers starting lineup for tomorrow: Demetrius Jackson, Zhaire Smith, Furkan Korkmaz, Jonah Bolden and Chris McCullough, Keith Pompey reports. Zhaire has been impressing ahead of his summer league debut: https://t.co/Zdv9KYFi8y
That’s fine. As long as we get a good sample size of Bolden also playing the five, I’d have no problem seeing him out there battling with Yabusele and others.
After two-and-a-half years, my time at NBC Sports Philadelphia covering the Sixers has come to an end. Thank you to all those who have followed along and welcomed me to Philly. Stay tuned.
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) July 5, 2018
I’m told her contract wasn’t renewed.
Jess did pretty much everything in her role, essentially functioning as the network’s Sixers beat reporter while also appearing on the anchor desk in pregame, halftime, and post-game roles. She was one of the few traveling media members and was a regular at practices, press conferences, and shoot around. Jess was one of the more active reporters when it came to asking questions and getting video clips and quotes up on social media.
Makes a lot of sense. Bjelica can replace Ersan Ilyasova as a power forward who can space the floor and shoot the basketball. Brett Brown LOVES a European stretch four, and Bjelica, a 30 year old with three years of NBA experience, fits the bill perfectly.
And Kawhi Leonard is still out there, if the Sixers decide to package players and picks for the disgruntled San Antonio superstar. I don’t think it happens though, and a summer of star hunting instead shifts to Plan B: running it back.
That might be disappointing to most fans, and I can understand why you might be underwhelmed with yesterday’s reports that Amir Johnson will be re-signing with the team. The pro-Richaun Holmes crowd and the portion of folks who would really like to see what Jonah Bolden has to offer – myself included – saw the Amir thing as another lateral move at best. At least Amir will give you good defense, be a veteran leader, execute the game plan, and set solid screens, though you’d like to see some growth at the backup center position as the season progresses.
Still, lateral moves aren’t bad for a 52 win team that really only has to deal with the Celtics and the Raptors in the east. LeBron’s westward move removes the Cavaliers from the equation but brings Toronto back into the picture as a team that no longer has to run face-first into their playoff kryptonite next spring.
Among the Sixers other “lateral moves” is the re-signing of JJ Redick to a one-year deal reportedly in the $12 to $13 million range. That’s super value for your second leading scorer, a veteran shooter who was critical to this past season’s success. Getting a 34 year old on a single-year deal at that price range doesn’t junk up your future cap and confirms to me that JJ was being honest when he told us that he really did enjoy playing here.
On draft night, I was one of the people who thought they should stay put and take Mikal Bridges as a two-way wing who could play switchable and erudite defense while being able to shoot a bit. I think Mikal would have made the Sixers a better team THIS YEAR, but it’s hard to deny the athleticism and upside Zhaire Smith possesses, and from what little we’ve seen of him in minicamp, his shooting form looks better than I remember it being at Texas Tech. Plus, the future 1st round pick acquired in the draft-night trade provides a ton of value going forward and might be the asset that tips the scales if the Sixers do re-enter the Kawhi sweepstakes this summer or mid-season.
