What Should the Sixers Expectations Be for This Season? Sixers Collab Stream with @RunItBackPhilly
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. There’s no way that’s true. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, Oh yes. Oh yes. We are back. You thought you could escape. You thought you were, Dude, you were having a good summer and you’re enjoying yourself and you were like, “Those dudes finally stopped talking about the 76ers, man. They finally stopped and now I don’t have to think about it. But the 76ers are just a couple weeks away from training camp and we are here. We are back. Run it back Philly and NZ for three. What is going on, my guy? Have you been enjoying uh I mean, you’ve been posting YouTube videos about the Sixers, but there hasn’t been a whole lot to talk about. Have you? I’ve been trying to. Yeah. I mean, my most recent one was about the Kawawaii situation, how that benefits the Sixers. I’m sure we’re going to get we’re going to get into that. But yeah, man, I’ve been trying to find things to talk about with this team. You know, got the Eagles 1 and0. You really had a pretty dull off season. You know, we’ve been waiting for Quen Grimes to get resigned. He’s not back yet. I mean, Cam Thomas recently got his qualifying offer signed. So, I thought that maybe that could start some momentum for the rest of the uh restricted free agents. But here we are again, man. Sixers sickos talking about this team when it seems that it’s just completely submerged in darkness. Yet, I feel some type of optimism. I know Phil Evans said that he was excited and I’m not excited when it comes to the Sixers being a contender for a championship team and then he commented saying that he was excited because of the young guys and that is why I I am optimistic about the Sixers because I think it’s going to be a lot of fun watching Jerry McCain Tyres Maxi and VJ Edgecomb share the floor together and uh yeah Joel Embiid Paul George I’m just kind of done with them at this point man I got to be 100% honest I’m sorry to start this off in such a negative way We got to be We got just got to keep it 100, man. That’s what we do. We keep it 100, man. And I feel like uh I feel like real Philly fans feel the same way, man. Everything that I hear from Philly fans, uh it feels Yeah. It feels like we’re Yeah. Not Twitter. Not Not Twitter or Reddit. Not Not there or threads or whatever else. No, real life Sixers fans. Uh I I feel like for the most part feel the same way that we do. It feels like a transition period. It feels like the 76ers are not accepting yet their fate, which is it’s time to move forward into a new generation of players. Uh yeah, I feel like I I feel like uh everybody kind of there there’s people that are optimistic, but you know, I feel like they are uh just lying to themselves. But that’s about about the contention. But I think you’re right. At least we do have something fun to look forward to, you know, as far as young players VJ Edgecom and everybody. Uh this show is brought to you by Game Time Ticket app. We’re going to get into everything uh Sixers related. We’re going to talk about if there’s any Quinton Grimes update or what we expect with Quinton Grimes. We’re going to talk about uh our overall expectations for the team this season. Paul George did say on a on a random Twitch stream that they are healthy. I don’t know if that counts as an actual report or not. Uh we’re going to talk about everything, but first this is brought to you by Game Time Ticket app. And NBA season is almost back. NFL season is back and the best app to use to get in the building is simply Game Time ticket app. With my promo code CLNS, you can get $20 off of your first purchase. The best things about Game Time is there’s no hidden fees. The price you see is the price you get. All the fees are included. So, you don’t see a price for a ticket, then check out, and then boom, boom, boom, boom, you get some kind of all these fees added up and the price is double what you thought it was. Also, they have a thing called zone deals where Game Time picks your seat for you. Basically, if you want the cheapest ticket in the house, bam, they’re going to give you that. You want the best overall deal, best view with the best price, boom, they’re going to give you that. You want the best seat in the house completely, they’re going to give you that. They do all the work for you. It’s so easy getting tickets from Game Time. Take the stress out of grabbing tickets. Download the Game Time ticket app today or go to gametime.co. Use code cls for $20 off your first purchase. Last year, Sixers tickets got down as low as $1. I never asked Game Time if you get a negative if you get a return on that $20 off when you’re buying a $1 ticket. Uh but you code CLNS for $20 off. Game time ticket app. Yeah. Uh first order of business, I guess, man. G um Quinton Grimes has until October 1st to sign a deal. I’m sure the 76ers have offered him a multi-year deal that, you know, they only have what a mid-level exception uh amount this season, right around like 14 million. He it’s been rumored plenty of times that his camp thinks that he’s worth 20 million a year,$25 million a year. Uh, so he could the Jake Fischer thing a couple like a month ago basically said there’s chatter about him signing the one-year qualifying offer which would then make him an unrestricted free agent next season. Um, also I didn’t know that that also automatically gives him a no trade clause. I had Yeah, I had been saying that the 76ers should sign him to the one-year deal and trade him at the deadline. You can’t even do that because if he signs the one-year deal, there’s a no trade clause. Uh, and then yeah, Cam Thomas first of all with same situation as Quinton Grimes really with the contract situation last year of his deal restricted free agent. Quinton Grimes camp feels like he’s worth 25. Cam Thomas thinks he’s worth 40 and he compared himself to, you know, the Jaylen Green contract and and and some other contracts. Uh, uh, Miami Heat, uh, Tyler Herro contract. Yep. Yeah. Um, and then he goes and signs a one-year qualifying offer, which is what I thought Quinton Grimes is going to end up doing. Not because it’s the right thing for him to do, not because it’s the best thing for him to do, because of how high he is on himself. That’s just what I think. I think he’s going to do that. Whether it’s whether we think it makes sense or not, I think that’s what he’s going to do. And he has until October 1st to do that. But if he does that, can’t trade him. So where where do the 76ers go with the Quinton Grimes thing? You know what I mean? Yeah. I mean, Quenta Grimes in the first place, he really had no leverage to begin with, just like all of these other restricted free agents like Josh Giddy, Cam Thomas, they were battling so hard to get these deals. But these teams weren’t budging. They didn’t have to budge cuz they can bring them back no matter what. And all these other teams, they did not want to bite and try and sign them to a contract and waste all that time when the Sixers or the Bulls or the Nets can just bring them right back. And yeah, that no trade clause, it definitely throws another element into this mix for Quentyn Grimes and the situation he is trying to uh you know capture with him getting a big deal given that he did have a great season with the 76ers in the half that he got. Everyone was saying that he was you know stab padding and just shot chucking like yeah he was doing that. He was the focal point of the offense, but he was putting up great numbers on good efficiency and doing some uh you know great uh having some great games against some great defenses like the Houston Rockets where he almost single-handedly ruined the Sixers tank in a couple games with how good he was playing. And yeah, Quentyn Grimes with his fit on the 76ers. Yeah, like the money it that’s one thing. I think that’s something I kind of like I think that’s something we could worry about for the future since that’s something organization has to do, man. I think he’s going to be he’s going to be brought back eventually. They’re it’s most likely probably going to be on that qualifying offer. It makes sense given sort of how front-loaded the Sixers are when it comes to uh the guards that they have. Edgecomb, Maxi, uh you know, J McCain, of course, like forwards as well. If you want to slot uh Quentyn Grimes as your small forward at times, you got like Justin Edwards still Paul George is still here and so Kelly Ubé. So, I mean, yeah, Quincy Grimes, I think he’s a good fit on the Sixers team when you consider he is an a defensive-minded, you know, three-level shot creator that could play next to Tyrese Maxi. However, you you still have a future with McCain and Edgecom. You got to consider, hey, should we get a player who’s maybe of Quinton Grimes of, you know, skill set with his youth, but also someone who kind of fits more of a positional need, and it just he doesn’t really have any leverage in the situation. You might as well just get that qualifying offer. Or maybe he does want to stay in Philly and just take maybe like that $72 million deal over four years and contend with the 76ers and then maybe a season after if he if he really breaks out then he can get traded to another team and they will probably give him like a good extension or something. Yeah, for Quincy Grimes there’s not really much room for him to maneuver and I think he will be brought back eventually. Yeah. Well, is is there room for the 76ers to maneuver? You know what I mean? Do you think the Sixers have the upper hand in this situation? Because the the the no trade clause on a qualifying offer is what worries me because I think they should trade him. You know, if he doesn’t want to be in Philly, if he doesn’t want to sign long term, I think they should trade him and get something in return for him because they traded a first round pick for him, did they not? Or or no, that was just That’s Jared Butler, right? No, it was like or something. It was Yeah, they traded Kale Martin. Yeah. To the Mavericks for Quentyn Grimes. And I mean, like the CBA is the CBA. I mean, if he has to sign the qualifying, if he wants to sign the qualifying, if I mean, it kind of depends on what his camp wants. If he wants to go right into restricted free agency, he can do that. Maybe the the Sixers will be fine with that cuz then they get some more time off, you know, money off the books, given that they are already financially strapped. Maybe if they want to go towards a more of a positional need, they could do that. So, it’s kind of it just sort of depends on the conversations between the Sixers front office and Quentyn Grimes’s camp. I mean, I think he was great last season. And I think he’s a good pairing next to Tyrese Maxi. But is he necessarily a piece for the future when the Sixers, they continue to struggle with finding forwards, power forwards, small forwards, you know, big men for the future, you need to get those positions as well. You have your guard lineups set up. And maybe if the Sixers want to go with Maxi McCain, Grimes, uh, and VJ Edgecom, I think there’s a future they could do that, but they got to spend their money well. And the Sixers, you know, historically speaking, are not very good at doing that. Well, you can’t really start all of those guys, right? And if and if we’re expecting Jared McCain to be as good as I think he can be, and if we’re expecting VJ Edgecom to be as good as we think he can be, and Tyrese Maxi is an all-star level player, and then say Quinton Grimes signs for four years, next year or two, you end up with four guys that potentially should be starting caliber NBA players. You can’t start all four of those guys. You know what I mean? Yeah. No, you can’t. But, however, the Sixer I mean, Sixers fans have always been complaining about not having enough juice on your bench. And we have seen in the NBA how valuable solid guards are. I mean, the Indiana Pacers, the OKC Thunder, they have elite guard rotations. And the fact that you can bring a Jar McCain off of the bench, a guy who is a fantastic shooter and has shown so much more as a three-level score. I mean, he was great going to the basket, you know, some a good decent mid-range game. Jeremy McCain, he has it and I don’t think it’s very taboo to say that he can have start his first couple years in the NBA off the bench. I mean, he’s a humble guy. He just loves to hoop and he won’t have a problem with that. He’s young. And Jire McCain and Tyrese Maxi, there are some concerns. Of course, we we need definitely need to see it more, but there is, you know, those defensive concerns with them as a backcourt pairing. But to have Jire McCain coming off the bench, he could sort of play like, you know, the role Jobi was. you know, he was still starting, you know, he was still playing with the Spurs at the end of games, but they always brought him in like seven minutes left in the quarter, giving him rest, but he was always running with, you know, the top starters. And if he could start as a, you know, a great bench player or a sixman, the Sixers, they could finally help address a need they have had for so long, and that is a lack of bench depth. Yeah. Well, that is true. Every every single year, we talk about the bench every single year. Um, so we probably talked about it on the last stream, but so we’re saying Grimes signs and we start Maxi and Grimes because I think that’s a good starting pairing because Grimes a little bit bigger is a good defender. Uh, you know, a lot of times we talk about the fact that like the future, can you start Maxi and McCain together with their with their lack of size and defensive liabilities? So that makes sense. And then VJ Edgecom and Jared McCain off the bench. Yeah, you’re right. That’s a good deep guard rotation and and or or are you saying VJ Edgecomb eventually in the starting lineup? But either way, McCain and VJ off the bench is a good uh is a good guard rotation for sure. I mean, I think Yeah. I mean, the it’s the future is Maxi, VJ, and McCain. However, I don’t know if having that three guard pairing that will work for like the long-term future. I mean, we don’t know yet. I don’t want to give any, you know, predictions hot takes right now cuz we I want to see them play first. But, you know, I think historically, I don’t think, yeah, a guard rotation is elite, but, you know, it’s usually like, you know, a great backcourt pairing and having three small guard. Not I mean, uh, I would consider VJ Edgecom, you know, undersized, but you would definitely like some more size because I don’t think like would it be like Maxi as a point guard, McCain shooting guard, then VJ as your small forward? I don’t really know how sustainable that will be. Or maybe if McCain, of course, we don’t know how good McCain is. It kind of depends on how he develops, but the Sixers, at least they have valuable assets. Eastwood, that’s what we have been talking about for years with the Sixers and them piling up on terrible assets like Joel Embiid’s contract extension, he can’t be traded. Paul George can’t be traded. Bringing Al Horford in and Josh Richardson and stuff, just terrible decisions and wasting all those draft picks. and just, you know, if there Daryl my very controversial right now. Uh, but if there’s one thing he did really well, I think it is, you know, get off that James Harden deal and get those two picks from the Clippers. So, you do have ammo. You also have Justin Edwards, a Dem Boner. So, the Sixers, they’re getting lined up for, you know, some pretty fun basketball. I don’t know if they’re going to win much, but, you know, they have room to do a full reset. And it’s really, I think, compared to other teams in the league like the Phoenix Suns, just flatout atrocious situation for them. They got mile watch for sure, but I don’t think they own their next draft pick until 2031. 2031. And they’re they’re trying to have Jaylen Green and Devin Booker as to pair them and it’s not going to work. And uh I think the Sixers, they have a little bit, you know, there’s a little bit more hope to what for them in the future. They just really have some huge obstacles obstacles that they got to get through right now. Well, I just made a video on the salary cap situations, and the 76ers were ranked, it was a Bleacher Report article, and the 76ers were ranked last in the NBA. Uh they were ranked the worst uh salary cap situation in the NBA. So, uh I reacted to it. I made a video about it, too, and I I said, you know, I mean, it made sense why the Sixers would be, but like in general, I I said the Phoenix Suns are the worst situation because they got no drafts. Right. Right. They Yeah. And they they It’s wild. The Suns were in the championship. They were in the NBA finals like three years ago. I know, right? I mean, it kind of got me thinking, man. Like them trying to play Devin Booker as their point guard, it’s not going to work. Devin Booker, he is a really smart player. He’s a great ball handler, good passer, but he’s definitely not a point guard. Just in the same way Tyrese Maxi is not a point guard. And there’s been a lot of, you know, discussion in the NBA about what the value of a true point guard is nowadays. And uh I think you know the fact that we have such great tall big guards like it’s Shay Gilligas Alexander just a flatout anomaly scoring machine I think is kind of blurring the line between some of these other guards in the league. Like I think Tyresese Maxi he’s a lot closer to Devin Booker than he is SGA. I mean SJ he’s just something else. And I think in the NBA you need someone who can distribute the you know can distribute passes passes in the offense and maximize other players skill sets and make them better. I don’t know. I mean, Jerem Kane, you mentioned a lot that you have seen that potential in him. I would personally like to see more of a sample size and I hope he does get more run as a point guard because what do the Sixers have to lose, man? They have this young core. They need to see how it works immediately so they can make changes as needed. But I still think going into the future, you definitely have some you have you have a good start, but it’s all about, you know, managing it well. And if Sixers fans think Daryl my has the confidence to do that or not like the ability to do that, I think that’s they can go have like a three-hour stream about whether he’s capable of doing that. Yeah. Uh my guy Zah, what up Zah? He says, “What if McCain is too good to bring off the bench?” Yeah. I I still think that no matter what, you know, him being a secondyear player just coming off of a a MCL, not MCL, a meniscus tear. Y uh you know, even if Jared McCain looks like an absolute scoring machine like he looked like in those couple of games before he uh got injured, he’s still so young that you would just bring him off the you could just bring him off the bench anyway. I mean, you don’t have to start Jared McCain. You know what I mean? I also uh you know, we can’t forget about the fact that Nick Nurse is the coach. And I think that I think that you know, he reminds me so much of Doc Rivers, dude. said it a thousand times. Doc Rivers 2.0. It reminds me so much of Doc Rivers where like a lot of times I think us fans and content creators and everybody, we’re in this world of opinion that we think is the general opinion that we think makes sense and we don’t realize it until we see it. But a lot of times Doc Rivers style coaches like Nick Nurse or Tom Tibido and some others, they’re very stubborn. number one and they’re not reading Twitter or listening to podcasts or anything like that. So, it’s the the chances of them having the same opinion about players as us is very slim. And we’re always shocked because we have opinions. We think what makes we think we know what makes sense. We think we know what rotations make sense. We think we know what players should be playing and what players shouldn’t be playing. And then we see the coach do the exact opposite and we’re like, “What the hell is he doing? This guy’s an idiot.” and we’re so shocked, but it’s because this guy is not on the same page as us. He’s not even, you know, he’s not listening to or talking to the same people we talk to. It’s totally different perspective. And so, I think you’re, you know, we think Justin Edwards should should have a lot of small forward minutes. I think you’re going to see a lot more Kelly Ubé than you are Justin Edwards. I think you’re going to see a lot more Andre Drummond than you should ever see. I think you’re going to see a lot more Andre Drummond than you should ever see. It’s just a fact. He’s on a $5 million contract. And Nick Nurse loves veterans. And he’s never been there’s there hasn’t been like some kind of press conference yet where Nick Nurse is like, “Yeah, you know what? I shouldn’t be playing the old guys. I should play the young guys.” He’s never said it. We said it. He hasn’t said it. So, I have no reason to expect Nick Nurse to go into the season and play a bunch of young guy lineups and and be playing a Dembona and Justin Edwards and VJ Edgecom and all these guys in these lineups. I think you’re going to see Kyle Lowry. I think you’re going to see Eric. I think you’re going to see Andre Drummond and they’re going to get ran off the floor and Nick Nurse is going to be doing the same thing he was doing last year, which is standing on the sideline confused as [ __ ] like, “Oh my god, how is this not working? What is going on?” And we’re all like, “What?” I ser I have no reason to think that Nick Nurse isn’t going to do the same thing he did last year and uh probably get fired in the first two weeks to be honest with you. I don’t think I mean maybe I’m being too optimistic when it comes to Nick Nurse but I don’t think Josh Harris is going to accept that. I mean, he knows what happened last season, how disin interested the fan base was if he sees Nick Nurse be playing Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon over a great young player that they drafted last year and Jiren McCain and their fancy third overall pick who could jump out of the gym and really make some amazing highlight reels. Nick Nurse, he’s done if he does that, man. I I don’t think the Sixers, they have nothing to lose. They might as they they’re probably going to fire him if he prioritizes those three. I mean, Cal Lowry, Gordon, and Drummond. I think Drummond is the most likely one to be getting playing time. Uh given that, you know, there’s the excuse that he, you know, was injured with his toe or whatever, but you know, he’s getting up there in age. I don’t know why they get so surprised when Let’s do that. No, go ahead. Finish. No, go ahead. Finish. And then I got something. Go ahead. Right. No, I mean with uh Andre Drummond like he was he was a decent backup center when we got him like two years ago. He was putting up some great numbers, but last season, bro, he was so bad protecting the paint. And I have never seen a player at his size miss so many wide open layups. You just can’t have that. Especially when you have a Dona who’s young, who could be, you know, a good pick and roll big man who could defend the paint, who could jump over a credit card, he can do things. And Andre Drummond, I don’t I mean, maybe maybe recovers, maybe he has a decent season. I mean, he was decent uh you know, in Chicago, but Kyle Lowry, Eric Gordon, we got to stop with them, man. That’s No, you I I better not see those two be playing substantial minutes in a 76ers uniform next season. Was Andre Drummond decent in Chicago? Because I remember we were talking about like we were like, we need Andre Drummond. We’re like, he’s rotting away in Chicago. He’s coming off the bench. He’s playing 10 minutes a game. We couldn’t figure out why. And then we see him play uh the next season for the 76ers. like, “Oh, this is why Chicago wasn’t putting on him on the floor. He can’t guard anybody. He can rack up rebounding numbers. That’s kind of all he’s ever done really is rack up rebounding numbers. Uh, but he used to be at least a much better defender. Now it’s like he can’t move laterally. He can’t move side to side. Guys just blow right by him and it’s just a layup line.” Uh, and last year the the combination of Yabiselli, who’s not a center and shouldn’t have been trying to protect the rim, and Andre Drummond, it was uh it was not good. But um let’s do this. Let’s make a prediction. Who will be everything aside like your well not everything aside everything uh taken into account uh your prediction for like the health of Joel Embiid your prediction for uh what Nick Nurse will do all of these things who will be the starting center game one season game one. So, opening night or I don’t Are we away or I don’t know. But, uh I know I think we’re in we’re at Boston in that game. Starting center Andre Drummond. Andre Drummond. Uh I think yeah he had we have you know Nick Nurse he has the excuse that Drummond he was dealing with injuries last year and he’s not as old as Kyle Lowry and Eric Gordon. So, I mean, there’s that they can throw out and, you know, he’s an experienced veteran, whatever, and you could have Bona come off the bench cuz, hey, he’s still young and whatever. But, uh, yeah, I think it’s going to be Andre Drummond. I think when when did they give us the official Joel Embiid update? Did they they actually do that or cuz after surgery, they said they give us an update in like six weeks. It’s been a lot more than that or Yeah, I think like three weeks or something. I I mean, I have no clue. It’s been so long, but they haven’t really given us any information about Joel Embiid. Surprise, surprise. because yeah that that situation I just think it’s so far gone. Yeah, maybe it was by the same doctor who cleaned up who helped Kawhi Leonard but you know Shella B man he’s like he’s so much taller like he’s so much heavier. It’s just not the same thing. There has been no update. Uh, the only time we heard anything about Joel LMBB was in a 4-hour long ESPN article talk him listing off everything terrible that happened throughout the process to get everyone to feel bad for him so that he can justify uh collecting $50 million a year until 2029 without playing basketball. Uh, yeah, game one starting center. It should be a Dembona. And we’re watching. We just saw highlights of a Dembona playing for France in Euro Basket. Was it Turkey? How did I look up How did he end up playing for Turkey? Cuz he’s No, I mean I just saw the highlights that he was playing for Turkey and uh I mean yeah, he was looking great like just block you know blocking shots from the other side uh weak side and uh really showing some great bounce and I think in the time that he did get last season he he was raw for sure. I mean, fouling like crazy. I mean, if we thought Paul Reed was bad at fouling, I mean, Adma, he definitely has that issue that he needs to address, but I think I think his size, his athleticism, I think it’s so much more than Paul Reeds. I think you have way more upside with a Demona than you do Paul Reed. Yeah. Yeah. um a Demona if Joel Embiid isn’t ready game one which I don’t see any reason for anyone to expect Joel Embiid to be ready for game one uh which and again at least we’re going into the season with that expectation. Last year we just thought we were healthy and then we were like wait a minute where’s Joel Embiid? At least we know that now so we’re not completely caught off guard that Joel Embiid is uh ramping up for the foreseeable future. Um it should be a Dembona. It should because should because because two reasons. Number one, without Joel Embiid, you’re not winning a championship. Everybody knows that with this roster currently constructed, you’re not a championship contender. If Joel Embiid’s not healthy and back to close to his MVP form, you’re not winning. So, going into a season and Joel Embiid not playing game one, your interest should be getting players developed still and letting a Damona work out the kinks and letting a Damona get the playing time. uh you know, you can’t stop fouling if you just get thrown into the game for six minutes here and there. You know what I mean, right? Um so that should be the strategy going into game one if Joel Embiid’s not there. Let a Demona play. Let him figure it out. Um but it’s not going to happen because Nick Nurse is Nick Nurse and he’s it’s it’s they play politics, too. Let’s call it what it is. They’re, you know, they they build relationships with guys. They like uh Andre Drummond and I’ve heard him speak before. He’s like eloquent. He’s like soft-spoken. He’s a nice guy. So, there’s that like they just like when he went when he went after him on X. Uh yeah, he responded emoji, man. Yeah, dude. For those who don’t know, I tweeted uh Andre Drummond and I said something like, you know, hey, man, it was uh what did I say? I was like, it was nice having you, but you’re washed. You know what I mean? And he responded like, “Damn, that’s harsh.” with like a crying emoji and was like, “I was injured. I’m going to prove y’all wrong next season.” And I was like, “Why was he so nice? Now I feel like an [ __ ] you know what I mean? But uh yeah, I think they I think they like him and I think Kelly Ubé is the same way. He’s a likable guy and they just I I feel like they they can’t make the like this is the guy we should be playing. They’re always going to kind of, you know, give the minutes to the veteran that’s been around that they like as a as a person, I feel like. And so it’s going to be Andre Drummond game one. So prepare fans game one. I also think Kelly is gonna be the starting power forward or if that’s if that’s assuming if Paul George is starting game one, which uh I don’t think so. Well, let’s talk about that. Paul George starting on the uh Paul George was randomly on uh what’s the dude’s name? I show speed Twitch stream in the latest episode of Paul George, how can I get Philly fans to hate me more? uh episode five, he was like, “I know what I’ll do. I’ll randomly show up on a Twitch stream and just act like everything is all good.” Um, and he said, “We healthy.” That’s all I said. It wasn’t a real like conversation. Speed was just saying like, “How’s it going? How’s the team look?” or something like that. And he was like, “We good. We healthy.” Do we believe that? I’ll believe it when I see it. That’s what I’ve learned about being a Sixers fan. Believe it when I see it. PG is fine. Phil Evans said, “Whoa, pause, man.” Um, listen. I got you good with that one. Uh, if Paul George is healthy, he’s still a really good 3 and D player. You know what I mean? He’s a great perimeter defender. He was the highest he was a 45% catch and shoot three-point shooter two years ago in LA. He played 74 games. right when he put on a 76ers jersey. He broke his knee in half four different times and sat out basically the whole season. If he’s healthy, he’s still, you know, he’s not a superstar. He’s not even an all-star level anymore probably, but he’s a really good 3 and D player. And the only reason we signed him was to be better than Tobias Harris cuz we had just lost the year before in the in the first round against the Knicks. And Tobias Harris put up a goose egg. And Paul George isn’t gonna lead a team anywhere at this point, but he’s gonna give you more than zero points in a playoff game, I would think, and good defense. So, that’s why they signed him. And if he’s healthy, he’s he’s at least still giving you that. And I do expect Paul George to be playing game one. Okay. I mean, I hope he plays game one. I mean, as much as we bash the Sixers, they are lined up to contend for a championship. And the Eastern Conference is weak. if they can somehow figure it out with Embiid and Paul George. I mean, I’d be so happy if they could find a way to contend in the Eastern Conference. Regarding Paul George, he is purely a jump shooter. Now, Eastwood, if you remember last season when he was going to the rim, he was getting walloped. And what we’ve been saying about Tobias Harris was that he was really soft going to the rim and had a whole bunch of bunnies and important moments. Paul George, he’s getting to the rim. I don’t think Paul George, he’s really that uh P, you know, I think Paul George can accept physicality. It’s just that he doesn’t have any lift anymore. He’s getting blocked left and right. Paul George, he’s just a flatout a jump shooter at this point. And the catch and shoot shot, that is something that has makes him really superior to Tobias Harris when he’s clicking though. I mean, Paul George, he’s be he’s become a really streaky he was a really streaky shooter in Philly so far. You know, injuries or whatever, him just being washed. He is a jump shooter at this point in his career. He’s not going to be the defender that he was in Indiana or OKC. If he can still at least be above average, that’s better than Tobias Harris. Because Tobias, what was so frustrating about him was that the Sixers would have almost have a successful defensive play. But like right at the end, he’d be doubling someone uh for no reason, overhelping or just get blown by and collapse the defense and they find a pass and the other team scores. Tobias Harris was so irritating on both ends of the floor. But just to be honest, man, and Paula George though, yeah, he is a great catch and shoot player, but he we kind of brought him here to be better than Tobias Harris, but he still kind of cuz Tobias that’s what he kind of had to do a c he was a catch and shoot guy given that you need the spacing next to Joel Embiid and it still made no sense given that he was more of an interior player. So yeah, Paula George, he I think he could still be better than Tobias Harris, but I don’t think it’s going to be by much. I still have to go back to that one preseason game that I watched before he hyperextended his knee. We only got one game of healthy Paul George realistically. Like, you know, yeah, throughout the season he couldn’t get off the ground. He he was soft attacking the rim and everything, but that was after he hyperextended his left knee two different times and he had a giant knee brace on and all these things. I feel the same way about Paul George that I do Joel Embiid. He’s hurt. You know what I mean? There’s no other way to explain what he looked like throughout the season. He was he wasn’t healthy. You know, he was trying. I actually commend, as much [ __ ] as I’ve talked on Paul George, I actually commend him last season going out there after hyperextending his knee, especially the way that he broke his leg back in 200 what 12. And so it’s a mental thing and you could kind of tell like after he hyperextended that knee, he was timid mentally in attacking the rim and going hard. And I think that messed with him a little bit. I don’t know if he goes into this season uh any more ready to attack the rim mentally. But that one preseason game before he hyperextended his knee, he looked great. He did. He looked great and then boom, all all [ __ ] hit the fan when he hyperextended his knee. And um it’s tough. I don’t know. And then and then he has another surgery now uh to clean up some kind of swelling or whatever. I don’t think that surgery was anything really to like talk about to be honest. I don’t think it was a major surgery at all. Um maybe it helped him. Maybe maybe he looks better game one than he did at any point last season. Am I being optimistic right now? A little bit. Uh I wish to be optimistic too because I’m a Sixers fan. I want to see my team win. And we have had so many just heartbreaking playoff exits. And I think enough is enough at this point. I mean, I’m leaving it. I’m not completely banking on the Sixers just having a another season where everyone just gets injured because I think there’s a sliver of hope, you know? I mean, I don’t think it’s like a 0% chance that it’s completely over. I mean, you never know. Uh maybe they’re just hiding just they’re just trying to keep Embiid on the down low. Paul George on the down low. Maybe they might miss the first game or so. That’s not gonna that’s not going to go well with the fan base and will say a lot about setting the tone with the season. But you know I there’s still something inside of Eastwood thinking that the Sixers if they can just get it right. The Eastern Conference is weak, the the Celtics are out, the uh Pacers are out. If they can, if this can somehow be that year where Embiid plays consistently, Paul George plays consistently, they got I think they have the roster. I mean, you have Maxi who could who’s an all-star level player. You got Jared McCain, a fantastic floor spacer, Justin Edwards, who had a great rookie season, a Demona who can be your backup center, or maybe Andre Drummond if he has a resurgence, and Quenty Grimes coming back too. I mean, you still have that elite four guard rotation and uh you got some other nice pieces as well that sort of addresses the Sixers issues when it comes to I think some more playmaking with Trenon Wadford and how good he is as a passer and uh Jabari Walker too. I mean, everyone forgot about him, but his main thing rebounding the basketball. So, the Sixers, they kind of got some more utility players, too. I think the roster, if Embiid and Paul George can get right, it’s not a bad roster all things considered. It’s just the health concern that is uh it’s become more apparent and I think the chances of them reaching that level of health is slim, but I really hope that they can somehow get it together. Yeah, I think I totally agree with that. I think I mean when when when people say if healthy, I mean yeah, if healthy, you know, so anytime somebody ranks them, you know, uh middle of the pack or bottom of the NBA or whatever, that’s assuming that they’re not healthy because if healthy Yeah. You know, they should be contenders if healthy. We just have a hard time believing that they are healthy for Eastwood. Notice I did not I did not say that phrase once during this live stream because I promise myself I challenge myself to not say it throughout the entire season. I’m going to try and hold on to it. No, you’re not going to get me. Not today. But Sixers, there’s still something within me, man. I just really want them to compete in the Eastern Conference. It’s just chances are slim. You know what I’m disappointed about? I am disappointed that Josh Harris with all of his, you know, assumed uh tax evasion and things like that, offshore accounts and things like that. Tricks to get around uh shelling out as much money as he potentially is legally obligated to do. He’s a smart businessman. He knows finance. I am disappointed that Josh Harris didn’t beat Steve Balmer at uh salary cap circumvention. How how did they pull it off with Kawhi Leonard and we go over here and give Paul George a 4-year $212 million fully guaranteed max contract? We couldn’t give him three years and invent some kind of fraudulent tree company and sign him pay him the rest of the money under the table. The Sixers have no cap space at all cuz Josh Harris doesn’t know how to circumvent the cap by money laundering. Yeah. I mean, I feel I feel like if there was a situation where an NBA owner would set up like a heavily invest into a fake company to pay a player under the table, it would be the Sixers given our history. It’s just tampering in the NBA loving to investigate us. But no, this time it is another team that is going under siege. And that Clippers situation is crazy, man. And I mean, when you look more into it, because it was Kawhi Leonard’s camp that was demanding to the Toronto Raptors uh owner that they that alongside his like his new contract, they give him like an extra $50 million in endorsements and stuff. It’s just really sketchy with how Kawawaii, of course, yeah, he’s from LA. He, you know, would love to play in LA. At least that’s what we thought. That was uh, you know, his goal. He signed there for less money. the Raptors and the Lakers were giving him more a bigger contract yet. I mean, now what’s with the whole Pablo Tore report, it’s going to be really interesting to see what the NBA does because we know that way back when when uh Joe Smith uh had that agreement with the Timberwolves, they g they g uh really laid down the hammer, took away five of the uh Wolves first round picks. They gave back a couple of them, but still like that president is pretty insane. And it’s going to be really fascinating to see what the Clippers do or the NBA does to the Clippers. Yeah. And Pablo Tori, man, you you got some you got some kahonas on you, okay? Cuz you’re messing with very rich people. All right. I just listen, man. A month from now, all of a sudden, Pablo Tori is a missing person. I’m just saying. I’m just saying there’s a reason he said all of it. Nobody else said all of it. You know, he’s like, I’ll do it. I’ll investigate it if nobody else is gonna do it. Uh yeah, right. And then Mark Cuban like responded and then Mark Cuban uh went on Pablo Tor’s show to talk about how he doesn’t believe Steve Balmer wasn’t was involved in it or knew about it and he I felt like Mark Cuban was just defending NBA owners because Mark Cuban’s probably done the same thing a hundred times probably. I mean, yeah, it’s just I think a lot of other teams are doing it. I think some are just better than others. I mean, the one report it showed with like the who like where the money is owed, it literally showed Kawhi Leonard’s company within the like aspiration report KL2. Like yeah, it’s I mean there’s nothing I mean the NBA I think the most recent news we got in it was that they hired like a professional law firm to look into it, but there has not been an official, you know, judgement from the NBA yet. Yeah. The 76ers would have already been arrested by by every They would have been relegated. They would have been kicked out of the NBA playing like the Euro League or something. Yeah, they the NBA would have already banned the 76ers franchise uh for the rest of ever uh in the They would have been like, “Finally, there’s a way we can get rid of this Philadelphia 76ers team.” But the Clippers, they’re like, “Uh, I don’t know. We’ll let Steve Balmer go on ESPN and talk to Ramona Shelbourne and make up some excuses.” And I don’t even think anything’s going to happen. I wouldn’t be shocked if the only thing that happens is the Clippers lose their 2028 first round pick and it actually disappears and goes nowhere and then the 76ers don’t even have they better not do that man. I mean uh that’s I mean because it’s the Sixers that looks like that would be a probable because of course something always bad has to happen to the Sixers even if it doesn’t really directly involve them. Yeah, we do have their picks, which I mean I, you know, I wake up every morning and I’m saying to myself, you know, the Sixers, they might not have a chance to win a championship and we just got to accept that. But at least they have those Clippers picks. I don’t I the Clippers, they’re I don’t really think they’re going to be good in 2028. I mean, you can make the argument that Steve Balmer because he’s the richest owner in all of sports and he loves to spend money on his team that he’s going to spend so much money that the Clippers aren’t going to be bad enough to tank that hard. But, you know, having money is one thing and but spending it is another. We’ll see what happens. But, I mean, the Clippers, they’re not going to be I don’t think with how their roster is right now, they have no really that good like young upcoming players. They have a bunch of veterans kind of like the Sixers like Kawhi Leonard who isn’t what he used to be. James Harden isn’t what he used to be. They brought Bradley Beal and Chris Paul. I mean, they got like some good players like John Collins and Derrick Jones, but I don’t know if the Clippers with how old they are if they’re going to compete in the Western Conference. And I really hope Oh, yeah. They’re the oldest they’re the oldest uh team in in NBA history. Oh, actually. Yeah. By average age. Yes. They’re the oldest in NBA history. Yeah. Geez. And uh yeah, I think the Sixers, they fleeced the Clippers. I mean, yeah, we the Clippers, they kind of got back at us for not paying Paul George and they gave us the avenue to pay Paul George, but I mean, regardless, I think the fact that we got those two picks, those are assets that you can use to build towards the future or you could trade them. And if Tyrus Maxi McCain and Edgecom, if you want to compete right now, that’s some good ammo to have to get some more serious talent. All right, let’s let me know what you think about this prediction because I’m thinking about the the the timing of the 2028 unprotected Clippers pick. Um, and then the 76ers have their own 2029 first round pick. They don’t have their own 2028 first round pick, I don’t think. Or maybe they do. Uh, if they do, do they? I don’t know. Oh, I honestly I’m not very that familiar with the either way. I don’t think they have one for 27 because that was a part of the James Harden trade to the Nets. I think they might have 2028. Let me let me see. Oh, they have their they have their own 2027 first round pick. Do they have 2028? Uh, no. It’s just we have the Clippers unprotected in round one and then we have a pick via the Pistons for round two and a pick from the Warriors from for round two. I think that was from the Buddy Heel trade, the signing trade. So, let me know what you think about let me know what you think about this prediction cuz 2028 we’re going into the 2026 season, right? And then this upcoming draft after this season would be the 2026 NBA draft. So, we’re about two and a half years away from the 2028 NBA draft. In those two and a half years, the 76ers fire everybody. The coach, the GM, uh Elton Brand finally, he’s been just in back corner making coffee for five years anyway. They fire everybody. Josh Harris sells the team. Uh the new owners and new GM trade uh Tyrese Maxi at because they they want to go into absolute tank mode before they get to the 2028 draft. Uh and Tyrese Maxi is going to be good enough. I know a lot of people say that he’s not, but he’s going to You can’t tank with Tyrese Maxi. what he’s going to do this upcoming season people are underestimating and then the next three years Tyrese Maxi is going to be an absolute star and I don’t think you can tank successfully with Tyrese Maxi on your roster. So they fire everybody, they sell the team, the new ownership trades Tyrese Maxi, they do a complete tank and they get the number one overall draft pick in 2028. The uh I mean yeah the Sixers. So, I mean, yeah, they don’t have their own Oh, yeah. They only have their Clippers pick. So, I mean, yeah, if they I think the 2028 pick that was a part of the James Harden trade and that that belongs to the Nets. So, if the Sixers suck that much, then the Nets will actually get that pick. But, if the Clippers if they if they flat out suck, then that’d be awesome. The Sixers can get a top pick given the situation that you laid out. and trading Tyrese Maxi, man. I mean, that’s going to be cuz I think Tyrese Maxi, like the Sixers put as much trust in him, I think, as I think the Eagles put into Jaylen Herz. I mean, like that’s their guy to lead them for the next year. I mean, when he signed that contract, he they had like that big ceremony with like giving him like the 01 uh black jersey and stuff like Dr. there and like I don’t know if AI was there but I mean still it seems like they’re trying to hand Tyrese Maxi the keys but they can’t really do it from a basketball perspective because Joel Embiid is still there and I think Philly fans love Tyrese Maxi and his attitude his work ethic his leadership style I mean Embiid said that you know he likes to lead more kind of like in the same way you know Kevin Durant sometimes says that he miss himself that he’s not really that much of a vocal leader but with same thing with Embiid said that like he kind of likes to lead more on the court but the thing is and he’s never on the [ __ ] court. So Tyres Maxi on the other hand, he’s a guy who’s playing alongside everyone else. You know, he is expressive, he’s vocal, and it seems like he’s a great teammate. And it’s awesome for Tyres for Tyrese Maxi to be setting that culture with the way his work ethic has been for how long we have gotten to know him as Sixers fans and how he carries himself. I’m excited for that. Especially when VJ Edgecomb and Jeremy Kane, they reciprocate that, man. They just want to be in the gym. They just want to get at it. They want to grind and they want to beat teams and hopefully the Sixers they can get off the Embiid Paul George contracts as soon as they can and build towards the future because we got to see I want to see this new Sixers era really in full action with them as the build you would have to build around Tyrese Maxi and to do that you would have to give Tyrese Maxi another young star and is if BJ Edgecom becomes that then that’s one thing but you know Tyrese Maxi is turning 24 I think I think 256. Look that up. I mean, I don’t know. Like, I’m not saying that the Sixers can like you can win a championship with Tyrese Maxi, but you you should at least try. Yeah. He’s going to be turning 25. You got to at least try and build a good team with Tyrese Max and compete. Exactly though. So, two and a half years from now, he’s going to be 27, turning 28. I it’s not it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the 76ers at that point are dead in the water and everybody will be talking about they need to trade Tyrese Maxi because he would be their only valuable asset and he will be an NBA a 28-year-old NBA star in the middle of his prime would get you the most return and then they tank it out for 2028, right? I mean, yeah, that kind of makes the most sense. Sucks to talk about. Hopefully that doesn’t happen by the way. Uh but I it could it could happen. Um, last thing here. Well, maybe a couple things. Charles Bassie is still available. Did you know this? Charles Bassie, man. I mean, that’s that that was that was from a while ago, man. Uh, Charles Bassie, I mean, I’m glad he escaped the clutches of Doc Rivers. I think uh I was high on him coming into the NBA with him getting drafted by the Sixers. Just a big backup center with some, you know, juice, some legs under him. Uh, I think he played a couple of years with the Spurs. He didn’t really get much run, but you know, he’s he can’t be worse than um Durjan Yabasali was playing center. Well, Charles Bassie is 610 250. Uh he showed promise as a backup center with the 76ers. He had a a great couple of games defending Giannis Antidmpo, defending Noola Joic. He had a he had uh something like 10 rebounds and six blocks uh against the Nuggets in November a couple of years ago and we were like you need to play Charles Bassy and Doc Rivers was like who’s that you know give me uh some wash guy instead. The 76ers release him alongside Isaiah Joe, right? The Oklahoma City Thunder sign Isaiah Joe for free. Basically, the Spurs sign Charles Bassie. He then becomes the first player in NBA history with 10 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks off the bench in an NBA game. And the Spurs signed him to a four-year guaranteed contract. So, I’m sitting here talking trash on the Sixers like the Spurs found a diamond in the rough that the Sixers didn’t want. and now he’s not even in the NBA. So maybe Doc Rivers was right the whole time. Or maybe everyone’s still sleeping on Charles Bassie and the 76ers need to sign him. He is 24 years old, by the way. 610, 250, can defend, has a little bit of an offensive game, and is 24 years old. Man, I thought he’d be like 26. I I mean, we I guess we really got him when he was young. What? It was like the 2022 NBA draft. I mean, yeah, Isaiah Joe, that was ridiculous. I mean, the Sixers have always needed floor spacing and that was that’s his bread and butter that it’s shooting the basketball. That was ridiculous. Yeah, I I saw more in Isaiah Joe than I did Charles Bassie. And it’s just so reflective of Doc Rivers. I mean, Nick Nurse, if there’s one thing, Doc Rivers, he loves to argue with uh like the media more and like even if that’s at the expense of throwing shade at his players, like going to like saying we’re not going on a Paul Reed victory tour. Like what coach says that? That’s ridiculous, man. Just let go of your ego. Nick doesn’t really get it. I think Charles Bass is better than Andre Drummond right now. It’s not really a high bar. I seriously do. If Joel Embiid is not going to play game one and you don’t want to play a Damon, give me Charles Bassie. Yeah. Uh I mean, as long as it’s not like Kamatress Herald, Dwayne Deadman, anything at this point. I mean, we got a Demona. I I am excited for a Dembona. Uh he he he just loves dunking. The Sixers, they have not had enough players who just dunk the basketball. Really cool about having uh VJ Edgecom, too. I mean, that’d be really cool if the Sixers, they could find a player. Maybe Maxi uh McCain, they really develop a uh you know, some pick and roll skills to throw lobs and uh that would be a treat for sure. Hey, um listen man, this was fun. Thanks for coming through again, NZ. We’re live on both channels. Uh go subscribe to NZ for3 on YouTube if you’re not subscribed already. Give us the likes. Hit the like button, everybody watching right now. Hit the like button for us. Um, the last thing is the 76ers training camp is in New Jersey, so they’re not trying to do some fancy They were in the Bahamas last year, which maybe maybe that’s why their season was terrible because they started the season on vacation in the Bahamas. You know what I mean? They’re like, “No games this time. We’re not going on vacation. We’re not hanging out at Buddy He’s house. We’re going to New Jersey to the practice facility and get training camp.” So maybe we have a much more serious start this year. Uh that’s all I got, man. You got anything else? Yeah, I mean I just I you know get being negative all the time eventually just gets super boring, especially when the Sixers, they have they sort of have somewhat of a future. You know what I mean? I always think there are other teams like the Phoenix Suns, they just that it is just void of any happiness over there given what they what they have done. Especially cuz they since they made the finals a couple years ago. Yeah. The 76ers, they uh they have two of the worst contracts in the league. They have a coach that just does not like to play young players. You try to get away from Doc Rivers, but you got Doc Rivers 2.0. Paul George, he just seems like he cares more about podcasting than playing basketball. He only has one foot out the door. Embiid, we have not gotten any updates on him in that situation. It just we don’t know. We just have no idea. And the more they it gets prolonged, I think the worse Sixers fans are going to feel and right out the gate how disinterested they’re going to be. Yeah. You know, I’m looking my goal for this season is I’m going to just enjoy VJ Edgecomb, Tyrese Maxi, and Jarro McCain. And especially McCain and Edgecomb in their development because Jerry McCain, he impressed me so much, man. Last season, he was really like the shining beacon of hope for the Sixers. He was going on a great run, having great shooting performances and looked like a legit NBA player as a rookie and he’s like what 19 20 like two as well. So he’s got plenty of time to grow. I mean he was better than Tyrese Maxi was as a rookie and it took it didn’t really take that long for Maxi to become an effective NBA player. I mean I think the sky’s is the limit uh you know for Jeremy Kane especially with his work ethic as well got VJ Edge come too. It’s uh you know it’s it’s very the Sixers are kind of bipolar but you know I’m trying to I’m trying to look at the bright side. You know you got these great young players got Justin Edwards a Dona too just kind of get off I just want them to finish this era as soon as possible. It’s going to be a process for sure no pun intended but uh BJ Edgecom Tyres Maxi Jeremy McCain those are the three players I’m looking for for next season. Hey it’s kind of nice to go into a season with no expectations. Oh yeah. Yeah, it too. I agree with that. I agree with that. All right, man. Thanks for coming through. We’ll do this again soon. Training camp is on October 1st and the first preseason game, I think, is the next day, October second, against the Knicks in uh Abu Dhabi. In Abu Dhabi. I don’t know where that is, but shout out to Abu Dhabi. We out. Peace.
RunItBackPhilly and I will be giving our thoughts on the Sixers a month before preseason. #sixers #76ers #nba
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