Al Horford Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: C-F
Born: 06/03/86
Height: 6-9 / 2.06
Weight:246 lbs. / 111.6 kg.
Salary: $28,000,000
Born: 06/03/86
Height: 6-9 / 2.06
Weight:246 lbs. / 111.6 kg.
Salary: $28,000,000
But opponents can game plan during the playoffs and strategically time pressure and double-teams more than they can during the regular season. No matter the matchup, Embiid will need to maintain his efficiency and make opponents suffer when they double by finding cutters and shooters. But then it’s on those players to hit shots. You’d think a team led by two limited perimeter threats would be littered with knockdown shooters, but the Sixers have none. Horford, Richardson, and Thybulle are average shooters. Richardson tied a season high with six 3-pointers on Sunday, but he’s made only 34.4 percent of his 3s off the catch, per NBA Advanced Stats. Harris has made only 37 percent of his spot-up 3s in his career, per NBA Advanced Stats. Burks and Furkan Korkmaz can shoot, but they aren’t reliable defenders. A post-centric style of play could expose some of the Sixers’ existing flaws.
Derek Bodner: Al Horford will start tonight in place of Ben Simmons #sixers
Noah Levick: Brett Brown says when he plays Al Horford and Joel Embiid together will still be primarily driven by matchups and situations. Those two played 9 minutes together last night, none in the fourth period. pic.twitter.com/tbGSE0NLBh
“There’s going to be zero that I think or do that puts whatever number I’ve spoken about as it relates to minutes in the playoffs at any level of risk for Joel,” Brown said. “We hope to be here for a long time. “Incrementally, I hope to move him toward a direction that you could understand as it relates to the minutes, but it will not be anything that’s reckless or done without direction from the people that we pay to give that type of advice.” It’ll be interesting to see how close Brown can get Embiid to 38 minutes. While backup center Al Horford has a great deal of playoff experience, he doesn’t have near the impact Embiid does at both ends of the floor.
What has puzzled players, coaches, executives and doctors is the coronavirus, the faceless opponent that brought the league to Orlando, Fla., in the first place. For all of the safety rules enacted to pull off a restart they hope will remain viable into October, there are ample concerns, and few answers, about whether contracting COVID-19 could lead to health problems for players well after they depart the Disney World campus. Philadelphia big man Al Horford called it something “I personally worry [about] and not only career-wise, but just the rest of your life.” “Yeah, that’s discussed,” Clippers star Kawhi Leonard said. “If you do get it, will it affect you to be able to play again? Everyone knows it hits everybody’s body different. But I don’t know. I’m not a doctor. I can’t really say what’s going to happen to players.”
Brian Seltzer: Ben Simmons on Al Horford following today’s scrimmage: “He’s a great player, team-first guy. His IQ is amazing. Defensively, he can move his feet, so having him has been great. We’re only getting better, more confident. Our chemistry is getting a lot better the more we play.”
Ky Carlin: Philly can’t hang on to a 24 point lead and they fall to the Thunder 102-97 in scrimmage action. Ben Simmons 14, 11, and 9 Al Horford 13 and 9 4/5 from deep Alec Burks 13 and 6 Shake Milton 11 Josh Richardson 10 and 4 steals Tobias Harris 9 and 4 #Sixers
Tim Bontemps: Brett Brown was happy with Ben Simmons carrying over his willingness to shoot in practice to today’s scrimmage. “He didn’t flinch,” Brown said. He added Joel Embiid and Al Horford are likely to continue playing together in the late 1st/3rd and early 2nd/4th going forward.
Noah Levick: Al Horford said he hasn’t had a conversation with Brett Brown about if he’ll be playing with Joel Embiid when games start, but his expectation is that will happen. He says high-level defense is the key for that pairing being successful.
Derek Bodner: Al Horford, asked whether the time off would be beneficial given his history of knee tendinitis, said the best he felt all year was right before the season was suspended. Said he felt like he was turning a corner, health wise, in the final few games back in March.
Jon Johnson: Al Horford on bench role:”This is the way that coach wants to go about it.” “Teams are going to have to deal with the depth that we have.”
Tim Bontemps: Brett Brown says that Joel Embiid and Al Horford have not played together at all in practice thus far. He says Horford has been “great” in accepting what likely will be a significantly lesser role in the new arrangement Philadelphia is operating under.
Derek Bodner: Brown says that he had Simmons playing point today, in a group that includes Tobias Harris, Al Horford, Furkan Korkmaz and Matisse Thybulle. He says that’s a 5-man group that he plans to have in his rotation.
Mark Medina: Sixers forward Al Horford does not plan to have any phrase on back of his jersey. Horford: “I thought that was a good idea initially by the NBA. But ultimately I’m not going to have one.” Why? Horford: “Having the ability to say what you want to say and leave it like that.”
Ky Carlin: Joel Embiid adds that he and Al Horford are fine. He doesn’t see the pairing as a problem and that they just need some shooting around them. #Sixers
01 Jun
09 May
There are parks nearby, but on rainy and cold days, the Horfords invent ways to keep Ean and his 3-year-old sister, Alía, active and engaged. Horford has become a master designer of indoor obstacle courses, and he times both Ean and Alía. “They get really into it,” Horford said. “Ean loves trying to break his own records.” The family couch breaks apart, and Horford sometimes uses the pieces as obstacles to run around. Some courses include stations for 20- or 30-piece puzzles. Others are almost household versions of the NBA’s Skills Challenge at All-Star Weekend. Ean will have to score a soccer goal before advancing, pick up toys stationed around the apartment and drop them into buckets elsewhere, or even execute a few pushups. “We are getting pretty creative,” Horford said, laughing.
Since taking over as Philly’s in 2018, Brand tried to build a championship contender around Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. He traded for Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris. Then after Butler left in free agency, Brand acquired Josh Richardson and Al Horford. The results have been mixed.
Ky Carlin: Philly is now 29-2 at home with a 124-106 win over the Pistons. Joel Embiid with 30 and 14 in his return, Al Horford with 20, 10, and 6, Furkan Korkmaz with 14, Tobias Harris with 15, 7, and 6, Shake Milton with 12. #Sixers
I took the question of Horford’s trade value to a veteran team executive. “I would be shocked if he has value,” the exec said. “They might have to include an asset for someone to take him off their books. He has not looked good this year. His movement, it just seems a step slow, on both ends. I think they have to try to trade him. He obviously can’t play with Embiid. The goal should be to divide that salary over a couple of players and make them deeper. But I don’t know how they are going to do that.”
Korver likely suspected Antetokounmpo knew he was at P3 because he has worked out there for over a decade. Regardless, Korver invited Antetokounmpo to shoot with him later at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “And we start the workout and I’m like, ‘OK. Kyle, look, this is how I can get you open shots,’ ” Antetokounmpo said. ‘We can run this. We can do this. I know Al Horford is your best friend. I know you’d love playing with Al Horford in Philly, but look, I can (get you shots). I can find you easier.’ He loved it.” They enjoyed their time together so much the first time around, they decided to do it again.
It is hard to shake the feeling of dread watching Al Horford play basketball for the Sixers right now. Even if you were optimistic about his ability to fit alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in an oversized starting lineup, you have to wonder if Horford is in the process of joining a storied history of free-agent failures in Philadelphia sports. When the fully healthy Sixers have been on the floor together, rare as the occasion has been, there was cover for Horford not looking like himself. Fingers have been pointed at the poor fit in the frontcourt, the system used by the head coach, and the dropping coverage on defense that allegedly didn’t play to his strengths. All the while, Horford played the good soldier in public, offering the same professional musings he had throughout a productive and impactful career.
And while all of those factors may play a role in Horford’s struggles to date, the excuses have been laid to rest in this stretch of time without Philadelphia’s two best players. Freed from the poor fit with Embiid, thrust into the role he should allegedly thrive in, Horford has simply not been good enough. It is how he has not been good enough that is shocking. Horford’s decline on offense has been nothing short of a disaster this season: at every single measured distance, he has declined in effectiveness compared to last season, which all adds up to a 10.3 field-goal percentage drop.
The three-point number is the most significant, as that’s where Horford’s shot distribution has grown the most, but the declines elsewhere have been almost, if not more shocking. That mark from between 16 feet and the three-point line is the worst for Horford since the 2011-12 season, and his effectiveness from 3-10 feet would go down as his worst ever year from that area of the floor. It’s simultaneously confusing and sensible — he no longer seems able to leverage his strength as well when he gets his low-post opportunities, and that compromises the quality (and thus, success rate) on his shots.
The Sixers likely will have a tough time moving his contract. Horford’s 11.7 scoring average is the lowest since his second year with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2008-09 season (11.5). “All I can say is I am focused on right now,” Horford told The Inquirer in response to the report. “I can’t control speculation. That is a decision they would have to make when the time is right. “Right now, I am focused on getting some wins for our team.”
The Sixers likely will have a tough time moving his contract. Horford’s 11.7 scoring average is the lowest since his second year with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2008-09 season (11.5). “All I can say is I am focused on right now,” Horford told The Inquirer in response to the report. “I can’t control speculation. That is a decision they would have to make when the time is right. “Right now, I am focused on getting some wins for our team.”
Sixers to move Al Horford?
Short of a deep and surprising run in the playoffs, where do the Sixers go from here? Though the Sixers did not try to move Horford at the trade deadline, that might be a possibility in the off-season – if they can send that contract to another team and get shooting in return – a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about Philadelphia’s plans.
Derek Bodner: Final: Sixers win 115-106. 28-2 at home. Tobias Harris and Al Horford, who pretty much disappeared last night, combined for 49 points, 14 rebounds and 16 assists. Shake Milton with 19 points on 6-7 shooting as a starter. Furkan with 11 off the bench.
Tim Bontemps: Brett Brown tried to give Al Horford a full endorsement today after he struggled mightily last night, as Philly was outscored by 26 points in his 19 minutes. “I want to help him help us,” Brown said. Reminded everyone they signed him to help them in April, May and June.
Tim Bontemps: Brett Brown also tried to compare Al Horford’s current role to what Manu Ginobili did for Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. There’s one significant difference, though: Ginobili was always going to play in the most important minutes at the end of games. Horford has no such guarantee.
“There’s a lot of bad contracts they could have traded him for. The Sixers would have traded Al Horford for him, but why would Cleveland do that? They want expiring money and picks,” the former GM said. “Portland could have made a deal work, but for what? They would have really had to look at their cap space and tax money for next year and asked how far a trade for Love would really push them. Would it make them a top-four seed in the West? I don’t think so.”
OK so there is really only one way to read that, right? Problems in Sixerland. At least, that’s how Horford’s comments were perceived nationally. I asked him about it Thursday morning and he said, “No, not at all. Every year that I’ve been in the league, teams, internally, there’s always stuff that I guess goes on. What I was referring to was, I always like keeping that stuff in the group. People shouldn’t know the things that we are addressing or that we’re talking about. Sometimes the reality is people take things how they want to take them. Right now, everyone, all eyes are on us. We’re not performing to a level that we’re expected to, so people are just firing away.”
