Posts Tagged ‘Sixers Rumors’

NBA leaning toward non-guaranteed playoff spot for division champion

July 23rd, 2015 by Sam Shipley | Comments Off on NBA leaning toward non-guaranteed playoff spot for division champion | Filed in General, NBA, TalkSportsPhilly

Winning a division championship is a main goal for every team in the NBA, however, the only reward those teams may receive is a banner going forward.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday that the league is leaning toward not guaranteeing a playoff berth to division champions. In the past the division champion has been guaranteed a top-4 conference finish no matter what their record was.

No NBA division winner has never had a record that would have not placed in the top eight, and there is less than a five percent chance of that happening, according to Silver.

In fact there have only been two instances where this rule would have changed the playoff format in recent years. The first was in 2011-12 when the Atlanta Hawks finished with a better record than the Boston Celtics, but instead finished as the fifth seed in the playoffs. It just so happens that in those playoffs the Hawks played the Celtics in the first round and did not have home court advantage, despite finishing with the better regular season record. Atlanta lost that series in six games.

The second instance was this past year, as the Portland Trail Blazers finished with the sixth best record in the Western Conference, but were awarded the fourth seed. As a result the San Antonio Spurs finished as the sixth seed and were forced to play the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, two premier championship contenders with top four records in the conference.

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Who should the Sixers take with the third pick?

June 26th, 2015 by Sam Shipley | Comments Off on Who should the Sixers take with the third pick? | Filed in General, NBA, Sixers

With the NBA Draft just three hours away there is a lot of anxiousness in the city of Philadelphia. The Sixers, as everyone knows, are in the midst of the craziest rebuild in NBA history.

It all started by trading away a point guard in Jrue Holiday, who was coming off of his first All Star appearance, for Nerlens Noel and a future first round pick. In that same night the Sixers drafted Michael Carter-Williams.

In last years NBA Draft the Sixers selected Joel Embiid, who some believe has the chance to be the best player in that draft class when all is said and done. They also selected Dario Saric, who we may not see for another two years.

As we all know, Carter-Williams would go on to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award, and was traded in February of this year for a future first round pick. The move shocked many around the NBA for obvious reasons, “Why would the Sixers trade away the Rookie of the Year, especially when they are rebuilding?”.

The answer is simple: Sam Hinkie does not think like the rest of the world.

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2015 NBA Mock Draft

June 25th, 2015 by Ryan Waterman | Comments Off on 2015 NBA Mock Draft | Filed in Basketball, General, Sixers

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In just about seven hours, the next generation of hopefuls will fulfill their dreams, hearing their names called on the biggest stage of all, the NBA Draft. The highly anticipated No.1 overall pick looks to join elite company such as LeBron James, Tim Duncan, and Patrick Ewing, amongst others as franchise changing players. The Minnesota Timberwolves have been on the clock since May 19th, and are widely expected to select Kentucky Wildcats big man Karl-Anthony Towns. However, we know from experience that there is no such thing as a sure thing, until his name is officially called. With that said, Anthony-Towns isn’t the only elite talent in this class. KAT, as he’s known is also joined by Duke big man Jahlil Okafor, and highly touted Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell as the top prospects in this deeply talented draft class. Keeping all of this in mind, let’s get down to business on the real reason why you’re here….the mock draft.

1.) Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl Anthony-Towns (PF/C- Kentucky)

Towns has been viewed as the “overwhelming” favorite to go No.1 overall, ever since his dominant performance during Kentucky’s pursuit of history this past season. Pretty close to the “perfect” big man, Anthony-Towns comes with his fair share of flaws….no matter how minor they may be. At 7’0″, he has the size and he certainly has the skill.  Towns also possesses a great basketball I.Q. This kid has something special, and is just starting to scratch the surface of his true potential.

2.) Sacramento Kings (via L.A. Lakers): Jahlil Okafor (PF/C- Duke)

The Kings acquire this pick in the first draft-day blockbuster.  By shipping all-star center DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins to “Tinseltown”, the Kings set themselves up nicely for the future by acquiring 2014’s 7th overall pick Julius Randle, 2014’s 46th overall pick Jordan Clarkson, the Lakers 2nd overall pick in 2015, and a top 10 protected pick in 2018, amongst other assets. This selection would give the Kings a dynamic duo in the front-court of Randle and Okafor for years to come.  Jahlil is arguably the most polished player in this draft, and stands a legitimate chance of sneaking into the No.1 spot.  However, I just don’t see the T-Wolves passing on a talent like Towns.

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Rumor: Sixers and Knicks talking Amare Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert deal

July 8th, 2014 by Sam Shipley | Comments Off on Rumor: Sixers and Knicks talking Amare Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert deal | Filed in Basketball, General, Sixers

This summer the NBA Free Agency period has been talked about since last season began, with the likelihood of superstars such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, opting out of their contracts to become free agents. Before free agency began, both Anthony and James opted out of their contracts to go into the open market to see what is out there.

However, they are still looking.

Neither James or Anthony has signed with a team yet, causing numerous rumors about teams moving cap space to sign one of the two superstars. The Sixers have been involved in a few rumors so far, none bigger than the Jeremy Lin trade rumor, which was reported here on TSP just under a week ago.

Now it seems there is another rumor involving the Sixers, perhaps even a bigger one. On ESPN’s First Take this morning, Stephen A. Smith reported that the Sixers and New York Knicks have had discussions about a trade that would send Amare Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert to Philadelphia. What they Knicks get in return would more than likely be a draft pick or a non-guaranteed player.

The move comes corresponding with rumors swirling around the league of the Knicks having a good enough vision in the future to have made Carmelo Anthony’s return to New York a real possibility. The trade would clear close to $25 million in cap space for the Knicks, which means even if Anthony would sign for the max contract (five-years, $129 million) the team would still have roughly $10 million in cap space to sign other players.

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Rumor: Sixers express interest in Kent Bazemore

July 3rd, 2014 by Sam Shipley | Comments Off on Rumor: Sixers express interest in Kent Bazemore | Filed in Basketball, General, Sixers

Could Kent Bazemore be the Sixers next shooting guard?

The Philadelphia 76ers are not looking to be big players in free agency this year, that just seems obvious considering the way they have handled this rebuild. Since free agency has started the only name who was linked to the Sixers was Avery Bradley, however he signed a 4-year, $32 million contract with the Celtics earlier today. Bradley is a shooting guard, a position that the Sixers desperately need help at.

Help may be on the way.

Alex Kennedy, has reported that the Sixers have “expressed interest” in former Los Angeles Laker guard Kent Bazemore.

Bazmore has played two seasons in the NBA, after playing his college ball at Old Dominion. He was undrafted but later signed with the Golden State Warriors in 2012, and was traded to the Lakers last season. Bazemore didn’t play much with the Warriors, averaging only six minutes a game in 44 appearances with Golden State in 2013. Once traded to Los Angeles he averaged 28 minutes a game in 23 games with the Lakers, starting in 15 of those games. Bazmore averaged 13.1 points, 3.1 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game with the Lakers, and showed he can shoot the ball by knocking down 37% of his three pointers.

There is no question that Bazemore would come in right away and challenge for the starting shooting guard position. He is a talented young player who fits what the Sixers are trying to accomplish at this point in the rebuild, and he would benefit from playing time he wouldn’t get on most teams.

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Should the Sixers pursue Kevin Love?

June 20th, 2014 by Kyle Lutz | Comments Off on Should the Sixers pursue Kevin Love? | Filed in Basketball, General, Sixers

(AP Photo/Mike Fuentes)

Per USA Today, Timberwolves’ star forward Kevin Love is involved in trade talks with the Warriors, potentially for forward David Lee, shooting guard Klay Thompson, and a future first-round pick. That’s Minnesota general manager Milt Newton’s proposal to Golden State’s GM Bob Myers. It’s Myers’ call at this point on whether or not to approve or nix the proposal.

And if he doesn’t, or if things remain the same anyway due to various circumstances, does Sixers’ GM Sam Hinkie get involved then in potentially acquiring the All-Star forward?

It will take a lot, and rightfully so considering the talent level of Love, to acquire Love from Minnesota; but the Sixers have adequate pieces in order to be in the hunt to pursue him. Perhaps more than any team in the NBA at the moment does. This year’s upcoming draft — which will air a week from today at the Barclays Center in New York — the 76ers have two first-round picks; both within the top 10, including the third-overall pick; five second-round picks, and seven picks total spanning the first two rounds. That’s a ton of picks for any team to select from, in terms of mapping out a return piece(s) in a trade.

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