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Sixers Notes: Okafor, Brown, Colangelo, Embiid

April 14th, 2017 at 11:51am CST by Arthur Hill

Center Jahlil Okafor wasn’t among the players identified as “keepers” for next season by Sixers coach Brett Brown in a news conference today. Brown listed Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Richaun Holmes, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Nik Stauskas and T.J. McConnell, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Okafor was the subject of numerous trade rumors prior to February’s deadline. and his future with the organization remains uncertain. Brown said Okafor understands this is an important offseason for him (Twitter link), adding, “Our mission this summer is to get his body right.” (Twitter link). GM Bryan Colangelo, who also spoke to reporters today, didn’t say that trading Okafor will be a priority, but he noted, “If a deal comes along that makes sense for both, we’ll listen.” (Twitter link).

There’s more today out of Philadelphia:

Brown and Colangelo both identified shooting as the Sixers’ most pressing offseason need. Brown said the team also needs to find a backup power forward, sign some veterans, assess Simmons’ abilities as a point guard and find the right shooting guard to play alongside him, tweets Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.
Brown added that early-season injuries to Simmons and Jerryd Bayless were the biggest obstacles the Sixers faced in their 28-54 season (Twitter link). Simmons fractured a bone in his right foot during training camp and missed the entire year. Bayless, who signed a three-year, $27MM deal last offseason, tore a ligament in his left wrist during camp and was limited to three games. “You felt like you just blew out your backcourt in about a week,” Brown said.
The Sixers are expecting a much healthier version of Embiid next season, Pompey tweets. After missing his first two NBA seasons, Embiid was limited to 31 games in his rookie year. Although he played spectacularly, averaging 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game, Embiid was on a minutes restriction and Philadelphia’s medical staff was very cautious about his availability. “I don’t think back-to-backs will be an issue” for Embiid next season, Colangelo said.
Colangelo promises an aggressive approach in free agency, saying, “If there is the right free agent to spend money on, we will.” (Twitter link). The Sixers will enter the July bidding with more than $50MM available under the salary cap. Colangelo also vowed to be “prudent and wise” with any signings (Twitter link).

Sixers Notes: Simmons, Saric, McConnell

April 11th, 2017 at 10:39pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Sixers lost to the Celtics in Game 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals and Lavoy Allen believes that if Philadelphia had prevailed in that contest, the franchise would be in a much different position, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays.

“We would have had a couple of more years with [Nikola Vucevic], Andre Iguodala, and a few of the guys,” said Allen. “We would have had some more good years if we would have kept that team together.”

Instead, the team pivoted, making a trade for Andrew Bynum. The big man wasn’t able to stay on the court and a year later, The Process was born.

Here’s more from Philadelphia:

Coach Brett Brown would like to see Ben Simmons participate in summer league, but it’s unclear if the 2016 No.1 overall pick will be healthy enough to play, Pompey passes along in the same piece. “His health and the judgment of his health rules the day. I don’t know what that looks like when we are talking about the summer league,” Brown said.
Brown would like to see the Sixers add shooters this offseason, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News relays. “We need shooters,” Brown said. “That’s kind of the bottom line. We need to get Ben Simmons the ball, we need to have Joel be Joel, and get a bunch of shooters around them.”
Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes Dario Saric is best suited for a role off the bench next season. The scribe believes Joel Embiid needs someone who can shoot from behind the arc next to him in the frontcourt and Saric only made 31.1% of his 3-point attempts this season.
If the Sixers want to win next season, T.J. McConnell may give them the best chance to do so, Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News opines. Hayes is a fan of the point guard’s defense and he believes McConnell will return better immediate value at the position than Simmons or a first-round draft pick would.

Atlantic Notes: Rodriguez, Lowry, McConnell

April 7th, 2017 at 8:09pm CST by Milo Taibi

Sergio Rodriguez, who has been a rotation mainstay in his first NBA season since 2009/10, stated his desire to remain with the Sixers beyond this season.

“It’s going to be a special thing in the coming years in Philadelphia,” Rodriguez told Keith Pompey of Philly.com. “You always want to be a part of that. It’s been a good season for me, a great season for the team.”

With only three games remaining this season, Rodriguez was uncertain whether he would play again in 2016/17.

“It’s feeling better. But the injury is kind of tricky because you never know when you are 100 percent,” Rodriguez said of his hamstring injury. “The way that we are not practicing, it makes it hard to recover well.”

Eastern Rumors: Butler, Raptors, Magic, Celtics

February 21st, 2017 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

Although he acknowledges that posturing goes on at this time of year, and that one blockbuster offer could change everything, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter links) says the Bulls are telling teams that Jimmy Butler isn’t available. While Chicago is open to listening to calls on Butler, the club is rebuffing all offers and isn’t actively shopping its star forward, says Johnson. The report is in line with what we heard on Monday from Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, who said that Butler’s camp has a growing belief that the Bulls’ All-Star won’t be moved.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the Eastern Conference, with the NBA’s trade deadline just two days away:

Jake Fischer of SI.com passes along a number of notable updates in his league-wide look at the trade landscape. Among Fischer’s notes? Before they acquired Serge Ibaka, the Raptors made a play for Pistons center Andre Drummond with a package centered around Jonas Valanciunas. Additionally, Fischer reports that the Sixers have no interest in moving T.J. McConnell.
It doesn’t appear that the Magic and Pistons have any traction on a Reggie Jackson swap at this point, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Kyler notes that things could change by Thursday, but the latest round of Jackson rumors had the Pistons in talks with the Timberwolves and Knicks. While they’re not on the verge of anything with Jackson, the Magic are on the lookout for a point guard upgrade, Kyler tweets, adding that Suns guard Brandon Knight is on Orlando’s radar to a lesser extent.
The Celtics have identified a “small group of role players” that would interest them, including P.J. Tucker, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe. However, the club has no plans to give up a first-round pick for a modest piece like Tucker, a source tells Himmelsbach. The Globe reporter adds that Sixers big man Jahlil Okafor isn’t presently on Boston’s radar, though ESPN’s Marc Stein said in a recent radio appearance that the C’s hadn’t entirely closed the door on that possibility.
Beat reporters in Boston haven’t suggested that the Celtics are close to any deal, but Isaiah Thomas put fans on high alert with a tweet on Monday night. As Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com notes, the last time Thomas sent the eyes-wide-open emoji in a tweet, it happened right before the C’s agreed to sign Al Horford.

Hoops Links: Lowry, Embiid, Antetokounmpo, Porzingis, Nicholson

February 19th, 2017 at 4:24pm CST by Milo Taibi

On Sundays, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown:

Brian Boake of Raptors Rapture wonders if Toronto GM Masai Ujiri will retain Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka at the end of the season.
John Jarosik of The Hardwood Nation argues that despite their 19-39 record, this season should not be viewed as a disappointment for the Lakers.
Kwame Fisher-Jones of The 76er Files states the case against Bryan Colangelo offering Joel Embiid a max extension, citing the big man’s injury history.
Mark Suleymanov of Inquisitir Sports conducted a one-on-one with Metta World Peace.
Kaiser Linderman of Deep(ish) Thoughts took an analytical look at T.J. McConnell‘s success.
Adam Paris of Brew Hoop answered the question we’ve all been asking: can Giannis Antetokounmpo fly?
Kristaps Porzingis gave Knicks fans a reason to cheer, Mike Cortez of Hardwood and Hollywood writes.
Francis Adu of Ridiculous Upside detailed Alfonzo McKinnie’s ascension toward becoming an elite D-Leaguer.
Bradley Beal was more deserving of Kevin Love‘s All-Star spot than Carmelo Anthony, Christopher Church of The Baltimore Wire argued.
Fim Oshin of Bullets Forever outlined four ways the Wizards may be able to move Andrew Nicholson at the trade deadline.

Atlantic Notes: McConnell, Rose, Nogueira

January 29th, 2017 at 5:53pm CST by Austin Kent

The Sixers have rejected a trade offer from the Cavaliers that would have sent starting point guard T.J. McConnell to the defending champions, says Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The proposed Philly-bound package was said to have included Jordan McRae.

McConnell has become a significant part of the Sixers’ rotation of late, averaging 7.5 points and 8.9 assists per game in January. The Cavs are in the market for a backup point guard, at least according to LeBron James, so it’s not surprising to hear that they’ve inquired about the 24-year-old sophomore.

Under contract for just $800K, McConnell has quickly become one of the best bargains in the NBA. His role in the Sixers’ recent success — the team has won 10 of their past 14 — is one of the major reasons why he’s become a possible trade target ahead of the February 23 trade deadline.

There’s more out of the Atlantic Division:

After a healthy first few months of the season, Derrick Rose has come up limping. The point guard sprained his ankle Friday night and has been wearing a protective walking boot. According to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek is doubtful he’ll see the guard return before Tuesday.
Though they lost Bismack Biyombo to free agency over the summer, the Raptors have a suitable replacement in Lucas Nogueira, says Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. Nogueira rivals Biyombo in terms of rim protection, Ganter says, but their playing styles deviate from there. Nogueira’s offensive awareness and soft hands are traits Biyombo never displayed in Toronto.
The fact that the Celtics need to improve their rebounding is not lost on general manager Danny Ainge, says A. Sherrod Blakeley of CSN New England. “I knew going into the year that rebounding would be an issue for us,” Ainge said. The reporter adds that Ainge wasn’t ready to start discussing possible trade scenarios, however.

Sixers Notes: Embiid, Okafor, Noel, McConnell

December 30th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Sixers may be ready to abandon their experiment of pairing Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor in the starting lineup, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The move has come under heavy criticism as Philadelphia is just 1-5 with both big men starting. Pompey notes that the pairing forces Embiid to play out of position at power forward, where he has looked uncomfortable on offense and often gets pulled away from the basket on defense. Embiid sat out Thursday’s game at Utah because it was the first of a back-to-back, and coach Brett Brown wouldn’t commit to starting him and Okafor tonight in Denver. “We’ll figure that out,” Brown said. “I feel like when you study the numbers, look at gut feel, it has not been, at the moment, successful.”

There’s more this morning out of Philadelphia:

Backup big man Nerlens Noel played 22 minutes Thursday, the most court time he has seen this season, according to Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly. Since returning from a knee injury, Noel has been unhappy with his lack of minutes and has been a frequent critic of the team’s abundance of big men. While he is considered a likely candidate to be traded before the February 23rd deadline, Noel is trying to help the team however he can while still in Philadelphia. “I’m just thankful,” Noel said. “Coach gave me an opportunity and I wanted to go out there and play my game. That’s what my focus was the whole night. Whenever I was in there, I wanted to contribute to the team’s winning efforts. When I wasn’t, I wanted to support my teammates to the best of my ability.”
Injuries have left T.J. McConnell as the only healthy point guard for tonight’s game, Pompey writes in a separate story. A sprained left ankle suffered by Sergio Rodriguez means McConnell will be in the starting lineup tonight, with shooting guard Nik Stauskas as his backup. What looked to be a position of strength in training camp has been decimated by Ben Simmons‘ broken foot and Jerryd Bayless‘ season-ending wrist surgery.
Thursday’s Sixers-Jazz game was a reminder of the impact of international basketball, Pompey states in another story. The teams have a combined 14 players on their rosters from outside the United States. “Basketball is all over the world,” said Turkish native Ersan Ilyasova. “Obviously in Europe, it’s still more like a soccer thing. But still, a lot of kids play and follow basketball, especially the NBA.”

Sixers Notes: Okafor, Noel, McConnell, Rodriguez

October 15th, 2016 at 5:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

Sixers coach Brett Brown expects second-year center Jahlil Okafor to be ready by opening night, tweets Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly. Okafor is still experiencing soreness in his right knee related to the operation he had in March. Brown said his progress is encouraging, but he will probably begin the season with a minutes restriction (Twitter link). The team is less optimistic about Nerlens Noel, who was scratched from a game last week with a strained groin and may not be able to play in the October 26th opener.

There’s more news out of Philadelphia:

Brown is still working out roles for backup point guards T.J. McConnell and Sergio Rodriguez, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Jerryd Bayless, who signed a three-year, $27MM deal this summer, is still projected as the starter, although he will be sidelined for a while with a wrist injury. McConnell has been announced as the starting point guard for opening night, but Rodriguez will get the start in tonight’s preseason game with the Pistons. The coach warned fans not to read anything into the decisions. “There’s no sort of madness from a discipline standpoint, from a performance standout,” Brown said. “It’s just that we’ve got a few [preseason] games left. I want to see Sergio more at the start of a game with that group we have been looking at, bring T.J. off the bench and really let him be bothersome defensively as he is. That’s the only motive behind that.”
The Sixers are still planning to take it easy with Joel Embiid, but they haven’t ruled out playing him in back-to-back games, Pompey tweets. Philadelphia plans to keep Embiid on a minutes restriction to reduce the risk of problems with the foot injury that cost him his first two NBA seasons.
Former Sixers guard Pierre Jackson will play in Croatia this season, tweets international basketball writer David Pick. Jackson signed with Cedevita Zagreb, the defending champions in Croatia. Philadelphia waived the 25-year-old point guard before the start of the past two seasons.

Sixers Notes: Point Guards, McConnell, B. Brown

October 13th, 2016 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Although they’ll be missing No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons to start the season, the Sixers are still a team worth keeping an eye on this fall. Former top pick Joel Embiid is set to finally make his NBA regular-season debut, as is top international prospect Dario Saric. The club also remains on the lookout for a potential trade involving Jahlil Okafor or Nerlens Noel, though that may happen closer to the deadline.

Here’s the latest out of Philadelphia as the Sixers prepare for the regular season:

Asked today about the Sixers’ point guard situation with Jerryd Bayless sidelined, head coach Brett Brown said the team is “obviously looking at the market place.” Does that mean Philadelphia is exploring possible trades or signings to add depth at the position? Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines that question.
As long as Bayless remains out of action and the Sixers don’t make any notable additions, T.J. McConnell appears to be the favorite to start at the point when the season gets underway, Pompey writes in a separate piece. McConnell doesn’t have a guaranteed salary, but his spot in the rotation makes him a near-lock to earn a spot on Philadelphia’s 15-man roster.
With a new management group in place in Philadelphia, there has been speculation that 2016/17 could be a make-or-break year for the club’s head coach. However, in an interview with Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk, Brown said he feels “so aligned with Jerry and Bryan [Colangelo] and what we’re trying to achieve.” Brown, who has three years remaining on his contract, added that he and the Colangelos are “on the same page,” and that the franchise is heading in a positive direction.

Atlantic Notes: Pierce, Rose, Jennings, Sixers

October 12th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Paul Pierce confirmed last month that 2016/17 will be his final NBA season, writing in a piece for The Players’ Tribune that he intends to retire next year. Pierce’s story for The Players’ Tribune didn’t mention how exactly he plans to go out, but in in a conversation today on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Pierce announced that he’ll retire as a member of the Celtics (Twitter link via Justine Termine of SiriusXM).

That decision comes as no real surprise — Pierce has played for a few different teams in recent years, but spent 15 seasons in Boston, winning a championship with the Celtics and making 10 All-Star appearances as a member of the franchise. He figures to join the team one last time during the 2017 offseason when he signs a one-day ceremonial contract to announce his retirement.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

According to various reporters, including Nancy Dillon of The New York Daily News (Twitter link), the judge in Derrick Rose‘s civil trial denied motions from the defense to dismiss the case or rule it a mistrial. The trial will continue this week, and Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek said today that Rose won’t rejoin the club until it wraps up, per Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link).
Carmelo Anthony feels like the Knicks got a “steal” in free agency by landing Brandon Jennings, who still believes he should have been drafted by the franchise seven years ago. Berman has the quotes and the details in a piece for the Post.
Derek Bodner of PhillyMag.com examines the battle for the Sixers‘ final roster spot, noting that injuries to Nik Stauskas and Brandon Paul have muddied the waters in that competition. Philadelphia technically only has 11 players on fully guaranteed contracts, but Bodner views T.J. McConnell, Jerami Grant, and Elton Brand as near-locks.