2019-2020 Sixers Season/Offseason

[teabag259]

I just wish Simmons would take a 15 foot jumpshot let alone make one.

[zambonir]

But how many coaches in the NBA want any player to take a 15-foot jump shot? Or is that the new Moneyball?

[xogfog]

If Simmons could make consistent 10 to 15 foot jumpshots and shoot 70% from the line, he would be a perennial all-star, and highly valued.

[zambonir]

I get that he needs to shoot, and be a shooting threat, but do they actually want him (or anyone who is not an elite shooter) taking mid-range jumpshots? I'm actually asking.

Of course if he's also not taking threes all you have left is what he is so far.

[VoteForKalas]

Hey, we all wish Simmons was Magic or LeBron.

We all wish he worked at developing his game like Magic and LeBron....

[bigegypt0417]

Sixers are not playing like a very good basketball team.

Joel Embiid is not a very smart basketball player.

At some point Brett Brown is going to pay for this all.

[arpax]

I'm shocked at how ordinary this team is. Can't win on the road and taken to the limit to beat Charlotte and the Cavs at home recently. It's about to get ugly in Sixerville if things don't change imho

[frylock]

Yeah, I hope at some point he's ousted, I still doubt it happens this year (probably happens at a time it's too late for this team to realistically contend).

This team (and even last year's -- especially as it relates to Ben and his offense and volume of turnovers) seems to lack discipline and accountability under Brown. Not sure if a tougher coach realistically changes anything (somebody pointed out about how the NBA is a bit different in that coaches probably don't yield as much power over the players as others sports), but at some point it's going to be apparent to the front office that they're going to have to try something different to see if someone new can get Simmons to reach his potential. That, or have the guts to trade Simmons, regardless of his perceived potential for someone who can actually be an asset on the offensive end.

The shooting and cohesion should still continue to improve, but annoying to see the state this team is in at the moment. Not going to help either with all of the load management games for Horford / Embiid to take away chances to increase cohesion, and home court advantage is probably going to be critical for this team to succeed in the playoffs and we continue to watch that fade with each "load management" game (if this type of play continues, for sure ... edit: speaking generally, I know this loss of course wasn't load management related).

[phillychuck]

Just take Brett's suggestion and ignore this team until January.

[Dirk41]

Super surprised at how poorly Embiid and Horford play when they are on the court at the same time.

[VoteForKalas]

That is pathetic if Brown said that. Are the games free to attend until January? Do the games not count in the league standings?

[zambonir]

He said something like the team wouldn't gel fully until Christmas, which is fine, but that is still supposed to mean better overall results in the meantime.I guess I have remained optimistic since I was at the only road game tbey won/did not blow late.

Raps were 17-5 without Kawhi last year...if load management costs you too much in the standings then you aren't going to play the games you are saving your guys for.

But a ticket doesn't buy you wins. Were the Nats fans in April cheated?

[phillychuck]

He said it would take until Christmas for the team to start playing well together. I was joking about ignoring them until January, although I might find other things to do if they keep losing to bad teams. The Thunder are just bad, I don't know how a team this talented can lose to them.

For the first time as a fan I 'm wondering if Brett has lost the attention of the team. Sometimes athletes need a new voice. You can't move on from Brown, though, unless you are pretty certain you have a viable, effective replacement. And the players still say they love him.

[zambonir]

Well, certainly the Flyers and the Phillies have both shown that sometimes you just move on.

When you say he's maybe lost the attention of "the team" you're really only talking about two players, right? Has he coached any others for more than 13 months?

[Dirk41]

Korkmaz and Bolden. They must carry a lot of pull!

[zambonir]

lol but yeah their 2017 seasons barely count.

[Dirk41]

Especially how they essentially cut Korkmaz before circling back

[phillychuck]

When you say he's maybe lost the attention of "the team" you're really only talking about two players, right? Has he coached any others for more than 13 months?

The team has a personality--it either respects and responds to the coach, or it starts not paying attention, possibly due to the long-term members of the team tuning out. I don't know if that's happening, but the game they played in OKC was just a mess of bad decision-making, and I can't believe Brown condoned most of it. So it seemed they were not getting the message, either because he's not communicating well (hard to believe of Brett Brown) or because they are tuning out. Mine is a very long-distance perspective, of course.

[zambonir]

I mean, I kind of think that's what Brown was talking about though - he's got a roster full of guys who have never played together or never played for him, plus one returning hopefully-star being asked to take on a completely different role (and essentially replace two players, both Butler for overall scoring and Reddick for three-point shooting). The first two months is where the team finds its personality, and the coach helps them find it.

No excuse for losing some of these games overall, and load management can't be an excuse either because you can't go .500 in those games, but even so, prior to the last loss they were still on pace to win just as many games as last year, and 9 of their first 13 games are on the road. I might worry a bit more on December 1, and a lot more at Christmas if things actually do look bad then. But it's hardly panic/fire the coach time. It's not even that in Portland (though signing Melo is pretty panicky).

[phillychuck]

I agree that it's not time to fire Brett, but I also think that, for the first time, Brett's relationship with the team and his willingness and ability to adjust the system he uses to accommodate the talent needs to be scrutinized. This team has too much talent to founder around .500. I think you're right, z, that the time to look closely and evaluate their progress is probably around Christmas (as Brett himself has stated). Until then, they need to start taking baby steps toward playing better together.