Posts for Sixers Category

Couple of press releases from the 76ers this afternoon.

Here’s the blurb on Tobias Harris, who inked a 5 year, $180 million contract:

“Signing Tobias and solidifying him as a foundational piece of our core for years to come was a top priority for our organization this summer,” said (Elton) Brand. “His impact in our city extends far beyond his elite talents on the floor. He has ingrained himself in the community and established himself as a leader and driver of positive change. Tobias is a fierce competitor with a tireless work ethic and embodies all of the qualities of a franchise cornerstone. I couldn’t be happier to welcome Tobias and his entire family back to the 76ers and we all look forward to continuing our quest to win a championship for this city and our amazing fans.”

And here’s the quote on Horford, who signed a four year, $109 million deal:

“We’re excited to welcome one of the NBA’s best frontcourt players in Al Horford to Philadelphia,” said Brand. “He has built his reputation around hard work and a tradition of winning, which are the same qualities that have formed the foundation of the 76ers. Al’s playmaking, elite defensive talents and veteran leadership confirm why he is a crucial addition to our roster. We have gained a championship-level teammate that will not only complement our current makeup, but will help grow our young core as we strive for the highest level of success.”

The Josh Richardson press release went out last week, so looks like we’re good now. We’re officially official on the three biggest moves of the Sixers offseason.

Really the only remaining order of business is to fill that 14th roster spot (Kyle Korver?) and then the Sixers will likely leave the 15th spot open for flexibility, as they did last season.

Good morning.

The proposed NBA coach’s challenge is now reality, with the Board of Governors approving that change as part of two rule tweaks for the 2019-2020 season.

Via NBA.com:

The first change is the introduction of a Coach’s Challenge to trigger instant replay review of a limited set of matters.  A version of the Coach’s Challenge that has been in effect in the NBA G League for the last two seasons and is being used at MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2019 will be adopted in the NBA on a one-year trial basis during the 2019-20 season.

All teams will be given one challenge per game, which can be used on the following:

• a foul call against your squad
• out of bounds calls
• goaltending or basket interference

Anything taking place within the last two minutes of the game is not challengeable, as referees will trigger those reviews instead. Coaches, to challenge, will have to call timeout and then “twirl their finger” to signal the refs.

Here’s the other tweak to the rules, after the jump:

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Kyle Korver was waived by the Suns on Monday.

That means the 38-year-old veteran shooter is an unrestricted free agent, now capable of choosing where he plays in 2019. How about your town, your team, your 76ers, who have two open roster spots and could use some scoring off the bench?

Korver was linked to the Sixers by Adrian Wojnarowski, who said this last week:

Suns are planning to buyout the partially guaranteed contract of Kyle Korver, league sources tell ESPN. Lakers, Sixers and Bucks are frontrunners to sign Korver once he clears waivers, sources said.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 3, 2019

Korver on a veteran minimum would make a lot of sense here. He’s a Southern California native, so the Lakers might be appealing, but if he wants a ring before retiring I think he’s probably got a better chance of doing that with the Sixers coming through the lesser of the two conferences.

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Two weeks ago, I wrote a short column titled “Opinion: NBA Use of the Term “Governor” Instead of “Owner” is PC Nonsense. I believe this to be nonsense because NBA owners don’t actually OWN THE PLAYERS, they simply own equity in the team that player currently represents.

The beef was started by Draymond Green and others, who felt like the term was racially insensitive. As such, the NBA no longer uses the word owner, but prefers “governor” instead.

Right, so it’s rather corny, and Stephen A Smith agrees:

Stephen A Smith goes off on the NBA for moving away from the term ‘Owner’ pic.twitter.com/TTOjDcA23p

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) July 8, 2019

He’s right:

“Y’all are smoking crack. Something is wrong with you people. What the hell has this world come to?”

Good morning.

JJ Redick is no longer a Sixer.

He took out a newspaper ad to thank Philadelphia for the two years he spent in town.

Ironically enough, he didn’t actually live here full time while playing here. He lived in Brooklyn, and his wife was mentioned in a recent New York magazine article about a “class riot among the one percent at a Brooklyn preschool.”

Here’s the passage of relevance:

1) this article on bonkers uber-rich Brooklyn parents is great and 2) why yes, JJ Redick is mentioned https://t.co/NSj59kJZMq pic.twitter.com/eJX2oQigGH

— Robert Silverman (@BobSaietta) July 8, 2019

Gold bathroom sinks?

A $4.25 million Brooklyn penthouse?

Turns out JJ Redick is not a blue collar Philly guy. Also, I had no idea there was a neighborhood in Brooklyn named “Dumbo.” Sounds like a nice place to live, but it’s no Fishtown.

The Sixers signed Shake Milton and Marial Shayok this weekend, which I think we all knew was coming down the pike. Milton was given a four-year deal while Shayok, the second round draft pick, will occupy a two-way spot.

That brings the team to 13 players, plus the two-way guys:

1. Joel Embiid
2. Ben Simmons
3. Al Horford
4. Josh Richardson
5. Tobias Harris
6. Mike Scott
7. Zhaire Smith
8. Jonah Bolden
9. Matisse Thybulle
10. Kyle O’Quinn
11. James Ennis
12. Raul Neto
13. Shake Milton
14. ??
15. ??
16. Norvel Pelle (two-way)
17. Marial Shayok (two-way)

You can leave one of those spots open, as the Sixers did last season, using that 15th slot for flexibility. And it doesn’t result in an incomplete roster charge, since the penalty only applies if your roster is fewer than 12 players.

I still think the Sixers could use a veteran shooter. Kyle Korver is a possible buyout candidate, with Woj reporting that the Lakers, Bucks, and Sixers are a possible landing spot. Avery Bradley is another guy who should be available after buyout. You could take a stab at Trey Burke or bring in Jamal Crawford for some ultra-veteran influence. Hard to believe he played 64 games last year at age 38.

Ten thoughts on the roster, after the jump:

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