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NBA
Oct 11, 2021 17:12:51 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Oct 11, 2021 17:12:51 GMT
B.E., couldn't agree more. Then again, I've been anti-Kyrie at least since his trade demand to get out of Cleveland (and I wasn't really a fan of his ever, even before that). I just think his phenomenal basketball gifts are not worth enough to ignore his constant problems, be they injuries, fake injuries, lack of motivation, lack of team chemistry, competing priorities, etc. I mean, on a human level, it's fine: you can focus on whatever you want to. But damned if I'm going to pay you north of $30 million a year to play occasionally, bail occasionally, stir up shit occasionally, annoy your teammates somewhat regularly (pre-Nets), and so on. I would absolutely prefer a solid, steady player with great leadership skills.
Sheriff John Stone, looks like there might be news out of Philly soon. And it could get interesting...
"Discussions have gained momentum on All-Star Ben Simmons returning to the Philadelphia 76ers, likely as soon as this week, sources told ESPN on Monday.
"Philadelphia management and coach Doc Rivers progressed in talks over the weekend with Simmons' agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, on a resolution for Simmons to report to the team, sources said."
The first home game appearance would be pretty entertaining...
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NBA
Oct 12, 2021 0:11:56 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 12, 2021 0:11:56 GMT
Sheriff John Stone, looks like there might be news out of Philly soon. And it could get interesting...
"Discussions have gained momentum on All-Star Ben Simmons returning to the Philadelphia 76ers, likely as soon as this week, sources told ESPN on Monday.
"Philadelphia management and coach Doc Rivers progressed in talks over the weekend with Simmons' agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, on a resolution for Simmons to report to the team, sources said."
The first home game appearance would be pretty entertaining...
I want to backtrack first. Last week there were rumors of a trade with Sacramento which would make some sense, at least on Simmons' part, because he recently purchased a $17.5 million mansion in Los Angeles.
On this recent rumor about Simmons returning to Philly...I heard two things. First, yes, there is a rumor of talks with the Sixers about Simmons returning to the team. I find that hard to believe. Not only would Simmons have to make his peace with the team/teammates, but he would have to accept playing in Philadelphia, and that's a much harder task. The Philly fans don't forget, and Simmons already burned some bridges there. And, even if the fans are temporarily forgiving, you know that whenever Simmons goes into his "act", meaning not shooting and/or not making free throws, and/or not showing up in tough games, the fans - and the media - will make his life unbearable.
Second, I just heard on a Philly talk show that the talks were actually initiated by Simmons' agent to discuss a way to avoid the fines that are accumulating, though I have no idea what specifics there are to discuss in that area.
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NBA
Oct 12, 2021 0:50:53 GMT
Post by B.E. on Oct 12, 2021 0:50:53 GMT
I haven't heard or read much about the new developments, but it sounds like Simmons still has ZERO interest in being a Sixer, but also wants his money. So, he's willing to come back and play with the understanding that the Sixers will trade him ASAP. I wouldn't want him back under those conditions because it's doubtful he'll be giving appropriate effort. But, if he shows up, you basically have to pay him. Even if he all but forces Doc to sit him due to lack of preparedness and effort. Anyway, long story short...Ben is blinking first (but he still wants out).
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NBA
Oct 12, 2021 11:39:49 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2021 11:39:49 GMT
He's back. Ben Simmons reports to Philly. Now what? (Seems to me it's a scheme to try to recoup some of the money he's been fined and yes, bolster his trade value back up.) I really want to see how he responds to Philadelphia fans, if he ever does.
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NBA
Oct 12, 2021 13:27:38 GMT
via mobile
Post by B.E. on Oct 12, 2021 13:27:38 GMT
He's back. Ben Simmons reports to Philly. Now what? (Seems to me it's a scheme to try to recoup some of the money he's been fined and yes, bolster his trade value back up.) I really want to see how he responds to Philadelphia fans, if he ever does. I don’t see how he could/should recoup any money lost due to missing practices and games.
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NBA
Oct 12, 2021 13:34:40 GMT
B.E. likes this
Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2021 13:34:40 GMT
He's back. Ben Simmons reports to Philly. Now what? (Seems to me it's a scheme to try to recoup some of the money he's been fined and yes, bolster his trade value back up.) I really want to see how he responds to Philadelphia fans, if he ever does. I don’t see how they could/should recoup any money he lost due to missing practices and games. Oh, I don't either. I've just read that his team may have that in mind and/or the team might be amenable to it. As far as I'm concerned he shouldn't get a penny back, or be paid another penny, either, unless or until he is a full member of the team, practicing and playing.
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NBA
Oct 12, 2021 13:36:41 GMT
Post by B.E. on Oct 12, 2021 13:36:41 GMT
Yeah, I’ve heard that from a few places. Just doesn’t make any sense to me.
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NBA
Oct 12, 2021 13:39:58 GMT
B.E. likes this
Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2021 13:39:58 GMT
Yeah, I’ve heard that from a few places. Just doesn’t make any sense to me. I think it's because everyone involved knows Simmons' trade value goes down as long as he's away, so it is in Philly's best interests for him to play. He personally isn't likely to care what Philly gets back in return, and in fact if he were smart he'd want them to get as little back as possible (so the team he goes to has more to work with).
But with that understood on both sides, what will entice him to return and help them boost his value? That money... It's shitty, but I get it. Does he deserve it? Hell no.
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NBA
Oct 12, 2021 17:14:34 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2021 17:14:34 GMT
Meanwhile the World B. Flat (Kyrie Irving) saga continues... Now the Nets no longer plan to have him practice or play away games, even though technically he could. Meanwhile, while the league says he should be docked pay for every home game he misses, the union apparently wants to fight that decision. Why in the world a player should be paid (in this case, tens of millions of dollars) for not doing the thing he is contractually obligated to do, just because he decided he didn't want to conform to local law (not to mention obvious best practice in almost every situation)?
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NBA
Oct 12, 2021 19:31:44 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 12, 2021 19:31:44 GMT
Just follow the money...or huge losses of it:
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn Sources: Sixers were unaware Simmons was flying into Philadelphia today. The organization was in constant contact with agent Rich Paul, but Simmons simply showed up at arena to take his Covid test prior to Sixers-Nets tip -- and that's when team officials knew he was in town
And for good ol' Kyrie, now he'll have a lot more time to continue his research. You don't know how much I want the Nets to just throw their arms up in the air...and cut him (though I can't see it happening).
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Post by B.E. on Oct 16, 2021 7:02:50 GMT
Knicks came back from 19 down (and had their first lead of the game with less than a minute left) to finish the preseason 4-0. Mitchell Robinson is back. Obi Toppin looks like he could have a breakout year. Looking at the Knicks schedule, I could see them starting off 7-3. Last year the Knicks were 41-31 (56.9%), which was good enough for 4th seed. And I think they'll be better this year, so are we looking at 50 wins (60.9%)? Which might not be good enough for the 4th seed this year, but that's OK. I'm expecting the East to fair a little better this year, for the Hawks and Heat to be a little better, the Bulls to be in the thick of it, the Celtics, too. Still, as a Knicks fan, I'm not afraid of those teams and my (realistic) goal is to make the playoffs with a real shot of advancing to the 2nd round.
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NBA
Oct 16, 2021 12:33:01 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Oct 16, 2021 12:33:01 GMT
Just going through last night's boxes, and from this game, the individual stat that jumped out at me was Wizards' backup PG Raul Neto. Holy cow, 10-13 FG for 25 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 0 TO in 24 minutes. Toss in fellow backup PG Aaron Holiday's 6-10 FG for 14 pts, 7 reb, 4 ast, and just 1 TO, and that's quite an impressive bit of play from two bench guys. I don't know if Neto ever approached that kind of game in all his years in the NBA!
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NBA
Oct 19, 2021 16:30:16 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Oct 19, 2021 16:30:16 GMT
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NBA
Oct 19, 2021 17:05:25 GMT
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 19, 2021 17:05:25 GMT
Yeah, it got ugly in a hurry. I know Daryl Morey is looking to get value, but he has to do something soon. This is a distraction - in many ways - that the team doesn't need right now.
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NBA
Oct 19, 2021 17:13:44 GMT
Post by Kapitan on Oct 19, 2021 17:13:44 GMT
I know the question is stupid, but ... who would want to trade for him now? Not the player--a flawed but supremely talented and very productive player--but the person, now, after all this?
What team would think this is the guy who is going to lead them to a title? The guy who will inspire teammates? The guy who will give 100%, sacrificing for the team? This guy, who has steadfastly refused to change his game despite it being an obvious Achilles heel to him and his team? This guy, who signed a 5-year max only to almost immediately bail on his team? This guy, who came back despite obviously having no real investment in the team?
"Hey, my team is good, but not great," nobody ever said. "We need a high-character leader to put us over the top. Hey! What about that prima donna who's scared to shoot layups and just forced his way out of a championship-contending franchise on account of he'd sad people noticed he's scared to shoot layups despite the team massaging his ego his entire career? He seems dependable!"
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