The Nets/Sixers matchup has the making of the league’s next great rivalry, Brian Lewis of The New York Post opines. There could be some bad blood between the two sides after the James Harden/Ben Simmons trade, as Harden and Simmons both clearly left on poor terms.
Simmons refused to suit up for the Sixers this season and didn’t exactly get along well with Joel Embiid, while Harden appeared to stop trying towards the end of his stint in Brooklyn after becoming frustrated with the team’s performance and Kyrie Irving‘s part-time status.
The two teams clashed in the playoffs in 2019, creating some animosity, but Brooklyn’s roster is very different now. Lewis thinks a feud could be great for the league.
“Yeah, it could,” Patty Mills said. “Or not; we’ll have to see. And if it is, then, awesome, it’s great. I mean, we’re trying to get better as a team; if that brings the best out of us, great. Vice versa. Good for the fans. Good for TV. Good for basketball around the world.”
Here’s more on the Nets:
- Seth Curry and Andre Drummond are integrating quickly with their new team, as NetsDaily.com relays. Brooklyn has gone 2-1 since the trade was officially completed, and both players have started all three contests. “I think in our league today it’s so important to have shooters who can space the floor [and] having him to do so for Kevin [Durant], Ky [Kyrie Irving] and Ben [Simmons] is really important,” coach Steve Nash said of Curry. “It gives us depth in shooting, spacing, but I think he’s a better player than just that. He’s pretty good in pick-and-roll, pretty good at scoring out of pick-and-roll situations or playing that game taking space to create offense and he can deliver the ball pretty well in those scenarios as well.” Curry is eligible for an extension this summer. He’ll earn $8.5MM in 2022/23, the final year of his four-year deal.
- Nash expects Drummond to play a larger role with Brooklyn than he did with Philadelphia, per the same article from NetsDaily. “I think he fills needs that our group is looking for, and we’re excited for him to continue to get more comfortable in the way we play and also really get in great shape,” Nash said. “He’s going to play more minutes for us as far as the way we project things to go, so he’s used to (playing behind Embiid, but we’re going to ask him to) play more. I think part of it is adapting to the new role.” The Nets were interested in Drummond last season after he reached a buyout agreement with the Cavaliers, but he ultimately finished the season with the Lakers before signing with the Sixers on a minimum deal as a free agent last summer. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
- ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Insider link) ponders what the future holds for Irving. He has a player option for 2022/23, but no one knows what his plans are. Only a few teams project to have money to spend on free agents this summer, and given Irving’s volatility, Lowe questions whether other teams would even offer a long-term deal. Will the Knicks make another run at Irving if he opts out? A short-term contract with the Nets could make sense if Irving opts out, Lowe posits, assuming they want him back.
If NYC allows Kyrie to play home games, then the 76ers don’t want to see Brooklyn in the Playoffs. We will whip that behind
Friend you haven’t seen curry at crunch time on D. Friend you haven’t noticed Ben on the bench at crunch time. Friend did you watch the defending nba champion bucks send 3 on D at jojo as he put up 41 without the BEARD!!
Harden won’t instantly make the 76ers any better. There’s definitely going to he an adjustment period.
Now, Harden has the potential to make an excellent pairing with Embiid (any playmaker that can shoot from deep pairs perfectly with Embiid) Still though, Harden has to take a backseat to Embiid, and funnel the offense through him.
It remains to be seen whether or not Harden can do that successfully just yet. They could gel right away, but the odds are much greater that it will take them a good amount of court time to really work well enough together to make the 76ers a title contender…
Harden still has to prove he’s their missing piece and worth the trade.
Ok homer.
I don’t deny this, and I’m right
Lol how is it even close? Nets at full strength would destroy 76ers. If they even lose one game it’s a fluke or refs.
Or this thing called ‘defense’
Friend the nets are a sub 500 team full of head cases. Never healthy with a incompetent head coach. They dont play D and sadly have nobody who can stop the best player in the world, jojo.
@OJDIDDOIT Why are we bring the Lakers into this?
Curry and Drummond are welcomed additions to the team. They help solidify the foundation. We need Ben raises the floor and Kyrie raises the ceiling. Kevin Durant makes everything complete
Ben ? Bwaaaaaaa bwaaaaaaa bwaaaaaaa bench ben son .can’t and wont shoot ben ? Hack the Ben Ben? You live the illusion Sixers fans have son.
I can’t see Kyrie declining his player-option this summer because I don’t see Brooklyn offering a contract longer than one season to him. He’s too much of a variable to rely upon for championship success.
I wonder what Kevin thinks…
It’s a media-manufactured rivalry, nothing more. Harden disliking the Nets doesn’t make the rest of the Philly roster dislike them as well – same for Simmons and the Nets. But it’s good for a few headlines
You don’t think the rest of the 6ers have a certain distaste for Simmons after his failure in the playoffs and then sitting out? You don’t think the Nets players might be a little pissed that Harden came in and played 2 half seasons of ball (still technically more games than KD has played in a Nets jersey but I digress) and then forced his way to play with this years MVP? The media creates a lot of bs but rivalries are determined by fan interest and this is the match up everyone wants to see
Yes, plus there already was heat between Embiid and KD.
Recent events would add to the intrigue of a BKN-PHI playoff series this year, from all corners of the league and its fanbases, but that’s not a rivalry. Rivalries are not about FO’s or players, they’re about fanbases. BKN doesn’t have enough of a fanbase to sustain one.
All I want is Simmons to get switched onto Embiid and have to take him in the low block.
It is a rivalry. Harden ran off on Nets. Ben ran off on Sixers. So each team wants to beat other team. You really think Ben is not going to relish locking down Harden. This is great for NBA. I even see NY lifting its COVID mandate.
The Sixers actually have a team. The nets hmmmmm?hmmmmm?.
You really need to read up on Harden. Sixers haven’t won anything. And they might have the MVP this yr. But Nets have one of best players ever in KD. You really can’t believe Ben will hide in Bklyn. Bklyn will toughen him up. Like Biggie flowed …….
“Brooklyn represent y’all, hit you fold
My Bed-Stuy flow’s malicious, delicious”
I just hope Ben plays March 10 in Philly.
Harden got tired of Kyrie and he is all iso ball. Not at all what Nash wants to run. All of that and he still almost averaged a triple double in Brooklyn.
Haven’t seen Ben play in half a year. Have seen him shoot jumpers in practice for like 4 yrs now and he’s done it in the game a handful of times. Curry and Drummond are pros. They will be asked to do their one trick and that’s it.
Sixers tho, will play 5 on 5 for the first time on both sides of the court.
Yeah with Har en …….
Always said this was a great deal for the Nets.
Surprised it took so long.
Everyone was talking down Ben’s value and saying we should get Heild and Bagley from the kings. What a joke.
We got back a top 10 player in the league
But back to the Nets. They got some great role players. Seth is one of the best shooter in the league, Ben is one of the best defenders in the league and Drummond is one of the best rebounders in the league. You’ve added three players that are amazing at their specific roles. However they all also have weaknesses.
It’ll be up to Nash and KD to make this all work and that where my doubt comes in. Nash hasn’t had the experience of other top coaches and KD isn’t exactly a strong leader.
If they had say Mike Dantoni and LBJ it would be a completely different story.
Add on top of that Kyrie as a part time player and full on head case plus Ben Simmons and his attitude aswell it could all be a waste of time for Brooklyn.
On paper I think they have the best roster in the league, as a Sixers fan I also think he improved our team but overall in terms of a title I’m not sold on Brooklyn being able to put it all together and win. Not saying Philly will take it out, I think we definitely improved our chances but it’s still anyone’s guess. My guess is GSW tbh
Haliburton is better long term. He gives them 10 chances at a ring. Cause you add players and don’t give up any but Ben. Harden window is 2 yrs.
Considering we already have Maxey I don’t think it moved the needle enough. He’s a great player and all but I don’t think he would’ve been a great fit. As for our window I think realistically with Embiid he’s not going to okay like an MVP for 6 straight years. He’s been phenomenal for 2 years and your adding Harden to him. I think it’s one of the best duos in the league and then after Harden we can plan around Maxey Thybulle or other youngsters