2018-19 Sixers Season

bigegypt0417 2018-10-16 13:39:48 UTC #1

It all starts tonight...In Boston

Over/under for wins?

I'm going with over 48

bkeich 2018-10-16 16:00:18 UTC #2

So much depends on health of a couple key guys.

I am going to go with 50 wins.

phillychuck 2018-10-16 22:17:26 UTC #3

Bovada over/under is 53.5. I'm hoping for over, which I think we'll do if the injury bug doesn't keep biting us. Muscala, Chandler, Smith, and Bayless all out tonight. Smith, of course, is out until Dec/Jan at least. Chandler probably out another week, Muscala maybe a game or two more. I don't know about Bayless, but he hasn't been able to earn time in the pre-season, so he might not even play if healthy.

zambonir 2018-10-17 02:06:34 UTC #4

Looks like the Phillies might be closer to the Braves than the Sixers are to the Celtics.

phillychuck 2018-10-17 02:25:13 UTC #5

One game means nothing in the NBA. Let's at least wait until December to make this pronouncement.

zambonir 2018-10-17 03:13:02 UTC #6

Did I need an emoji?

phillychuck 2018-10-17 09:38:00 UTC #7

Yup. Can't read tone on the 'net.

Lawman 2018-10-17 12:37:11 UTC #8

Agreed that 1 game means nothing, but I will say this. Simmons still needs jump shot, and I'm not 100% sure I see a long term fit with Embiid and Simmons. They play two different games. One needs to play fast and doesn't space the floor, the other requires slower pace of play and space.

VoteForKalas 2018-10-17 17:04:47 UTC #9

Bench did almost nothing, 76ers were awful from long distance, Saric struggled and Fultz was pretty much a no show.

Simmons still needs a jump shot and Embiid continues to turn the ball over.

We stayed with Boston for a little over 2 quarters and then they ran away with the game. Tough first opponent, but this one of the teams we're going to need to beat.

phillychuck 2018-10-17 17:43:40 UTC #10

They need to beat them in April/May, though. The October loss stinks, but there is a long way for the team to go before the playoffs.

Patchmk88 2018-10-17 18:04:58 UTC #11

The 76ers are the one Philly team I’m not a fan of. I’ve never really enjoyed th NBA till last year when Louisville finally put a good player in the league. If I had to choose I’m a Jazz fan because of Mitchell and like the Celtics a bit because of Rozier. However, I’ve watched a lot of NBA the past few years. This will be an interesting year for the 76ers. Does Embid stay healthy enough to play 30 plus minutes a game? Does Simmons expand his game? He’s really really really good, but without a jumper he may be close to his ceiling. Does Fultz become the third star that it seems a team needs to be championship quality? It would have never happened but think of Mitchell was picked instead of Fultz. I see the 76ers winning about 55 games in the weak East (not much after them Boston and Toronto - The Bucks May almost be in that group). I do think this season will tell us if Simmonsxand Embid’s styles can coexist - they are obviously a very good combo but can they feed off each other enough to be championship quality. Should be a fun season for you guys though.

VoteForKalas 2018-10-17 18:12:17 UTC #12

That is an excuse IMO. The whole season counts and the 76ers need to improve on all fronts to even have a chance to achieve their goals. They needed to improve during the off-season, but looked like the same team who got embarrassed by the Celtics last year.

They looked awful, totally unprepared, unable to counter Boston's depth and skill and confused about how Boston was defending them. Does Brown understand why Boston is pulling Embiid away from the basket? Is he ever going to adjust and counter that strategy? Did he expect Boston to suddenly stop doing that? Why did he not have an answer after 5 months of the off-season?

They still cannot shoot nor can they run an efficient half court offense or play consistent defense.

Their talent mix is flawed and I fear the process under this ownership and management group has stalled and they will miss their window to win with Embiid & Simmons. We'll see what happens, but the next time we play Boston we need to have better answers.

phillychuck 2018-10-17 18:15:21 UTC #13

Sixers, Bucks, Raptors, Celtics, and Pacers are all good teams in the East. I think the Sixers could finish anywhere from 1-5, depending on Fultz's development, Embiid's health, Simmons offense, and trade acquisitions. And, of course, on how the opposition plays.

NBA basketball is a lot more fun to watch these days than it was 20 years ago, Patch, so I'd suggest giving it a chance. Last night was not a good example...

zambonir 2018-10-17 19:05:44 UTC #14

My sarcasm was more directed at the Phillies, i.e., the Sixers are closer to the Celtics, for now.

I think both things can be true. It's early and lot can change between now and April. But not much has changed between last April and now.

bigegypt0417 2018-10-17 20:58:44 UTC #15

That's an awful lot of thought after 1 game.

Oh yeah, it was one game.

flyers19rw 2018-10-17 21:18:57 UTC #16

The team needs a point guard who can handle the ball, set up the offense, shoot enough to make the defense honest and be able to defend on the other end. Right now they do not have a player that can do all four of these things. Some guys can do two or possibly three of them but not all four.
Simmons needs to have a reliable mid range shot which, so far, he does not have. He can do everything else but if he can't shoot well enough to draw defenses to him, they'll back off of him, play his passing lanes and clog the middle of the lane. When he gets that shot, he'll be the scourge of the NBA.

bigegypt0417 2018-10-19 12:53:30 UTC #17

better game although it was against a very bad Bulls team.

Fultz is going to be a work in progress and hopefully will continue to become more confident in his shot...

Triple double for simmons.

Squire 2018-10-19 12:56:41 UTC #18

Embiid and Simmons are the real deal. Fultz played better but still looks completely lifeless and passive when he's on the floor and (exuberant when he's on the bench). He's just an odd kid to me. Covington playing better was the key last night. Shamet looks better than his draft position and seems like a little of just what we needed. Even Amir Johnson looked good last night. Chicago is not a good team but they played out of their heads for the first quarter or so.

bigegypt0417 2018-10-19 13:17:38 UTC #19

Philadelphia fans get a bad rep for small incidents but those attending the games are really rooting for Fultz.

As usual, the national media was trying to tell the opposite story.

bkeich 2018-10-19 13:32:00 UTC #20

I dont think I have ever seen a place so happy with a missed shot. They genuinely applauded merely the attempt to shoot, even when it didnt go in (and mostly it didnt). Fultz was clearly feeling it, he was giving effort, but he just needs to stay within himself and not try and do what he is supposed to do and do what he can. He is still very, very young and is coming off a very strange season.

Best moment was when he stole a ball after a missed shot and fed Embiid 2 feet away for a stuff. Embiid was fouled on the way up, but the crowd went nuts for the hustle by Fultz. This is the stuff he can do to get his confidence and win over the crowd. The crowd is with him right now, but this will change if it takes to long for him to get going.

Look at Covington, Philly fans have had a love/hate with him for years. We love his hustle, the fact that he is an underdog and his defense. We love his shot when it is on and hate it when it is off, and he is a strange shooter in that his hot and cold periods are not quarters, halves or even games but weeks and months. He can look like a future HOF player for a month and then go cold for a month, but his defense and hustle are always there and he does seem to take the booing in stride when he just can't hit anything.