NBA 2016-2017 Season Thread

[DSUrocks07]

Sent using Tapatalk because 89Hen hates this.

[93henfan]

Wow, Allen Iverson got a lot older, fatter, and whiter. And apparently still has enough money left after blowing it all to afford courtside tickets.

[GannonFan]

Joel Embiid. Trust the Process.

[GannonFan]

Sixers get to 10 wins by January 8th - last year it took the entire season to get to 10 wins. Although they didn't beat the Celtics on Friday night, they actually looked like a legitimately decent NBA team. Embiid is a flat out stud and a true difference maker. Crossing the fingers as he's managed to stay healthy so far through roughly 4 months of NBA play. Embiid now talking playoffs this year. Hard to decide what is crazier - that idea or his pursuit of Rhianna. If Simmons comes back around the all star break, who knows? Anyway you look at it, the Process is beginning to pay some dividends for the Sixers. Good chance of two picks in the lottery next year, and we can trade Okafor now that Embiid looks viable, so things should just keep getting better.

[Gil Dobie]

Sixers get to 10 wins by January 8th - last year it took the entire season to get to 10 wins. Although they didn't beat the Celtics on Friday night, they actually looked like a legitimately decent NBA team. Embiid is a flat out stud and a true difference maker. Crossing the fingers as he's managed to stay healthy so far through roughly 4 months of NBA play. Embiid now talking playoffs this year. Hard to decide what is crazier - that idea or his pursuit of Rhianna. If Simmons comes back around the all star break, who knows? Anyway you look at it, the Process is beginning to pay some dividends for the Sixers. Good chance of two picks in the lottery next year, and we can trade Okafor now that Embiid looks viable, so things should just keep getting better.

Is Embiid still limited to how many minutes he can play with is frail legs/ankles?

[93henfan]

Sixers get to 10 wins by January 8th - last year it took the entire season to get to 10 wins. Although they didn't beat the Celtics on Friday night, they actually looked like a legitimately decent NBA team. Embiid is a flat out stud and a true difference maker. Crossing the fingers as he's managed to stay healthy so far through roughly 4 months of NBA play. Embiid now talking playoffs this year. Hard to decide what is crazier - that idea or his pursuit of Rhianna. If Simmons comes back around the all star break, who knows? Anyway you look at it, the Process is beginning to pay some dividends for the Sixers. Good chance of two picks in the lottery next year, and we can trade Okafor now that Embiid looks viable, so things should just keep getting better.

Is Embiid still limited to how many minutes he can play with is frail legs/ankles?

Yep. I think it's like 28 min a game now. I only know that because I read an ESPN article that popped up yesterday. I don't even know what Embiid looks like, to be truthful.

[GannonFan]

Sixers get to 10 wins by January 8th - last year it took the entire season to get to 10 wins. Although they didn't beat the Celtics on Friday night, they actually looked like a legitimately decent NBA team. Embiid is a flat out stud and a true difference maker. Crossing the fingers as he's managed to stay healthy so far through roughly 4 months of NBA play. Embiid now talking playoffs this year. Hard to decide what is crazier - that idea or his pursuit of Rhianna. If Simmons comes back around the all star break, who knows? Anyway you look at it, the Process is beginning to pay some dividends for the Sixers. Good chance of two picks in the lottery next year, and we can trade Okafor now that Embiid looks viable, so things should just keep getting better.

Is Embiid still limited to how many minutes he can play with is frail legs/ankles?

They're holding him to something like 28 or 30 minutes right now, but that's up from much less earlier. He's setting records for the number of games scoring more than 20 points when playing less than 30 minutes, for what that's worth. Really, no sense to get all serious about it until Simmons comes back, and like I said, that could be around the All-Star break but there's been no timetable but out for him coming back. And frankly, they'll probably have Simmons on a minutes restriction when he comes back anyway. Can't deny so far it's all looking pretty positive.

[dal4018]

Is Embiid still limited to how many minutes he can play with is frail legs/ankles?

They're holding him to something like 28 or 30 minutes right now, but that's up from much less earlier. He's setting records for the number of games scoring more than 20 points when playing less than 30 minutes, for what that's worth. Really, no sense to get all serious about it until Simmons comes back, and like I said, that could be around the All-Star break but there's been no timetable but out for him coming back. And frankly, they'll probably have Simmons on a minutes restriction when he comes back anyway. Can't deny so far it's all looking pretty positive.

Robert Covington is one of the Sixers top defenders at the small forward spot he needs to bone up on his long distance shooting his calling card into the NBA.

[GannonFan]

They're holding him to something like 28 or 30 minutes right now, but that's up from much less earlier. He's setting records for the number of games scoring more than 20 points when playing less than 30 minutes, for what that's worth. Really, no sense to get all serious about it until Simmons comes back, and like I said, that could be around the All-Star break but there's been no timetable but out for him coming back. And frankly, they'll probably have Simmons on a minutes restriction when he comes back anyway. Can't deny so far it's all looking pretty positive.

Robert Covington is one of the Sixers top defenders at the small forward spot he needs to bone up on his long distance shooting his calling card into the NBA.

He's a guy you'd be fine with as a deep bench player. He's shooting under 30% from deep this year and his FG %, even over his career, is just mediocre. As a defensive substitute he's fine, but to ask anything more from him is just foolish. He's not an NBA-level shooter at this point in his career. He's a guy that goes by the wayside with this year's draft pick(s).

[93henfan]

I may have to start paying attention again.

[GannonFan]

Yup, believe it, the Sixers are real.

Cool stat, when you normalize scoring to points per minute, Embiid has the second highest PPM among rookies in the history of the NBA. Who scored more per minute as a rookie than Embiid? Just Wilt Chamberlain. So, to sum it up, we basically drafted the next Wilt Chamberlain.

Saric looks like a player, getting Illyasova for Jeremi Grant was a steal, Ben Simmons should be on the floor in about a month, if the Lakers finish out of the top 3 for the draft we get their first round pick (it's going to be close - Lakers are sitting with 4th worst record in the NBA right now), and even if the Sixers get hot and play themselves either into very few ping pong balls in the lottery or, gasp, make the playoffs, they'll still get a decent lottery pick because the Sixers own a swap with the Kings and can take their pick instead. Kings currently would have the 9th pick, but the Sixers are surging and are in front of them for the lottery right now, and the Kings just lost Rudy Gay for the season and could get rid of Cousins before year end as well. And further, the Sixers could still move Okafor, and that could either improve one of their picks (say trade their first and Okafor for a high in the draft first) or bring in someone else.

Furthermore, Embiid looking like a star in the making is just going to make Philly a place where people want to play. Sixers have the most salary cap space of anyone in the NBA.

Trust the Process. It's happening.

[Gil Dobie]

Wolves are within 2.5 games of the final playoff spot. They are starting to win more and learning how to finish games.

[tribe_pride]

Wolves are within 2.5 games of the final playoff spot. They are starting to win more and learning how to finish games.

That 8th seed in the West is horrible. Denver at 18-25.

[GannonFan]

Sixers now winning even without Embiid in the lineup as they take down the Clippers last night and stay unbeaten at home in 2017. Will likely lose tonight on the back end of a back to back as they travel to Milwaukee to face a Bucks team they beat last week on the road. No Embiid again. Big game coming up Friday night, at home, on national TV, against Harden and the Rockets. Embiid expected to play in that one.

May not get that Lakers pick, again, this year. For all the talk of the Sixers tanking in the past, there's been scant mention of the Lakers doing the same thing. Sixers have had the rights to the Lakers first round pick for awhile now but because of very high lottery protection, and the Lakers repeatedly tanking, the pick has not conveyed yet. On the bright side, if the Sixers keep winning they should move past the Kings and they can always swap those picks and be somewhere in the middle of the lottery around 7 or 8. Not sure if Lonzo Ball lasts that long but he'd be a good addition.

[clenz]

Wolves are within 2.5 games of the final playoff spot. They are starting to win more and learning how to finish games.

That 8th seed in the West is horrible. Denver at 18-25.

Yup.

And a team that has a core that is barely old enough to get into the nightclubs in America getting that 8 seed would be a big boost of "See, things can happen here. Let's keep it rolling".

[Gil Dobie]

[clenz]

That 8th seed in the West is horrible. Denver at 18-25.

Yup.

And a team that has a core that is barely old enough to get into the nightclubs in America getting that 8 seed would be a big boost of "See, things can happen here. Let's keep it rolling".

Going further

The Wolve's have the 5th youngest roster but that's skewed a bit by:
Nikola Pekovic who is 31 and hasn't played at all this year and is taking a medical retirement and will come off the roster/books on Jan 31st

Brandon Rush who is 32 and has played in just 16 games this year


If you look at contributors the Wolves roster is

Gogui Dieng - 27 (birthday last week)
Nemanja Bjelica - 27
Cole Aldrich - 27
Ricky Rubio - 26
Shabazz Muhammad - 25
Kris Dunn - 22
Andrew Wiggins - 21
Karl Anthony Towns - 21
Zach Lavine - 21
Tyus Jones - 20

That gives the "core" of the roster that plays an average age of 23. For key building pieces moving forward the average age is 21.

That 8 seed would be a big win this year, especially with how the season started and how they have had to fight back to get there

[GannonFan]

Sixers now winning even without Embiid in the lineup as they take down the Clippers last night and stay unbeaten at home in 2017. Will likely lose tonight on the back end of a back to back as they travel to Milwaukee to face a Bucks team they beat last week on the road. No Embiid again. Big game coming up Friday night, at home, on national TV, against Harden and the Rockets. Embiid expected to play in that one.

May not get that Lakers pick, again, this year. For all the talk of the Sixers tanking in the past, there's been scant mention of the Lakers doing the same thing. Sixers have had the rights to the Lakers first round pick for awhile now but because of very high lottery protection, and the Lakers repeatedly tanking, the pick has not conveyed yet. On the bright side, if the Sixers keep winning they should move past the Kings and they can always swap those picks and be somewhere in the middle of the lottery around 7 or 8. Not sure if Lonzo Ball lasts that long but he'd be a good addition.

Sixers doing the unthinkable. With last night's road win against the Bucks (second win in Milwaukee in two weeks) and the Sixers win both ends of a back to back, with the second game on the road even. Crazy stat too - last night in the first half (just the first half) the Sixers as a team had 25 assists on 28 made FG's on the way to 72 first half points. That's just crazy. And they did these two games without Embiid who comes back Friday, and now there's talk of Simmons maybe as early as the second week in February. Trust the Process.

[dal4018]

Robert Covington is playing a major role in the team's success he is one of the Sixers top defenders.

[dal4018]

Robert Covington is one of the Sixers top defenders at the small forward spot he needs to bone up on his long distance shooting his calling card into the NBA.

He's a guy you'd be fine with as a deep bench player. He's shooting under 30% from deep this year and his FG %, even over his career, is just mediocre. As a defensive substitute he's fine, but to ask anything more from him is just foolish. He's not an NBA-level shooter at this point in his career. He's a guy that goes by the wayside with this year's draft pick(s).

His 1st year he was the Sixers best long distance shooter.

[GannonFan]

He's a guy you'd be fine with as a deep bench player. He's shooting under 30% from deep this year and his FG %, even over his career, is just mediocre. As a defensive substitute he's fine, but to ask anything more from him is just foolish. He's not an NBA-level shooter at this point in his career. He's a guy that goes by the wayside with this year's draft pick(s).

His 1st year he was the Sixers best long distance shooter.

He's still too hot and cold for my liking. His defense is very good and clearly his biggest contribution to the Sixers. They'll need to replace that when he's pushed to the second team.

[GannonFan]

Embiid gets screwed out of the All-Star game in favor of Paul Millsap. Will probably be a trivia question in the future after a long an glorious career by Embiid.

Oh, after finishing I think 3rd or 4th overall in the East with votes, Embiid's tweet after being snubbed was great - "Once again the popular vote didn't matter...". Quality stuff right there.

[dal4018]

His 1st year he was the Sixers best long distance shooter.

He's still too hot and cold for my liking. His defense is very good and clearly his biggest contribution to the Sixers. They'll need to replace that when he's pushed to the second team.

Covington's problem is he's thinking too much just launch!!!!

[Ivytalk]

Embiid gets screwed out of the All-Star game in favor of Paul Millsap. Will probably be a trivia question in the future after a long an glorious career by Embiid.

Oh, after finishing I think 3rd or 4th overall in the East with votes, Embiid's tweet after being snubbed was great - "Once again the popular vote didn't matter...". Quality stuff right there.

Paul who? Is he related to Ronnie?

[Gil Dobie]

T-Wolves lose LaVine for the season with blown ACL. Maybe that will give someone like Muhammad a chance to step up.