“I think the opportunity in the end was too hard to pass up,” said Broekhoff, who spent five seasons playing in Europe before signing a two-year deal with the Mavs on Aug. 6, 2018. He couldn’t pass up the chance to work with Brown, who in November started his second stint as the Australian national team coach. Broekhoff and Sixers point guard Ben Simmons are expected to play for the Boomers in the 2021 Olympics. But there’s another incentive for playing this summer. “I still feel like I’m on the cusp of finding somewhere steady in the NBA,” Broekhoff said, “and hopefully that will be Philly.”
Philadelphia 76ers Rumors
Check out Simmons these days on Instagram. He’s muscular, spry — and throwing down dunks without a wince on his face. The All-Star guard who watched the Philadelphia 76ers from the bench during the final days in March is now healthy, confident and ready to dominate. “I’m feeling better than I was at the start of the season,” Simmons said Thursday. “I’ve been working since I had the injury, working until now to be prepared for whatever happens and wherever we go. I’m feeling great and been rehabbing this whole time, so I’ve been feeling ready and I’m very comfortable.”
And if the Sixers win it all, the title will be unlike any other in league history. They’ll spend three months living in a quasi-bubble at the Disney complex after an entire postseason is played without fans, with most if not all of that time away from friends and family. “I trust in the NBA and those older vets like ’Bron, like CP3, who are ready to go down there,” Simmons said. “This is our job. I don’t have any problems with people who want to sit out. Everybody’s personal stuff is different. I want to get out there and play. I feel like it’s my responsibility to go down there and represent Philadelphia in the highest way possible. I think this is the right way to do it.”
Brian Seltzer: Mike Scott said he felt a lot of initial anger and frustration over George Floyd and racial injustice aftermath. Those emotions haven’t gone anywhere: “I’m more let’s just do it instead of talking about it.”
In the two years since, Colangelo has scarcely spoken publicly about the incident. When he spoke to the Herald from Arizona, he knew it was the elephant in the room. “I haven’t addressed it very much over the course of the last two years. I have stayed very much under the radar on the topic because it’s a sensitive topic, for a lot of reasons,” Colangelo said. “Family, personal, professional, or otherwise. I have to say I was dealt a pretty big blow, personally and professionally. And it’s been a difficult time dealing with the fallout. I was completely blindsided by the accusation and the storyline of the controversy.”
“Once that investigation was completed and I was absolved, I felt the appropriate thing to do – in conjunction with ownership there in Philly – was to mutually walk away. “It was a difficult decision and a difficult time for me. But I have to say, it was a very, very difficult time for my family. Because of some of the reasons that came to light, it was something I thought was important not to talk about, quite frankly. And we’re still dealing with that. “But the No.1 thing I thought needed to happen was trying to stay positive; preserve and love my family, protect their interests, emotionally or otherwise. And frankly, two years on, it’s gone. It’s in the past and I’m ready to move on.”
This answer also shows Colangelo doesn’t deserve credibility. He wasn’t absolved. It was untrue when Colangelo said it at the time, and it’s untrue now. The investigators concluded only that they found no forensic evidence that proved Colangelo knew of the Twitter accounts before they became public – and that they had a significant impediment to finding that evidence. Bottini deleted the contents of her phone before surrendering it for review.
Ky Carlin: Raul Neto says the team is excited to get back into the swing of things. He added that it’s almost like a “new season” for the team. #Sixers
Brett Brown has said his hope is that the 76ers will leave for Orlando with their fitness level at a B level, while looking to upgrade to an A during the official training camp portion of the ramp-up. It’s clearly a message he’s shared with his players too. “In a matter of two weeks, I feel like I’ve gotten back into really good shape,” said Thybulle. “I think it’s going to be easier to build on after this. Like Coach [Brown] said, being at a B, I feel like I’m definitely there, and once we start playing, it’s going to fall into place,” Thybulle said.
As a side effect of the long layoff, a number of players have recovered from injuries that slowed them down or kept them out back in March. Among teams invited to Orlando, the Milwaukee Bucks (+74 rating points), Philadelphia 76ers (+66) and Portland Trail Blazers (+55) gained the most points in our talent ratings (which estimate the current state of each team). For the Bucks, the reason is simple: MVP front-runner Giannis Antetokounmpo has recovered from a sprained knee that was affecting him around when the break happened. Likewise, Portland will get back a healthier Jusuf Nurkic; Nurkic, whom RAPTOR considered an elite player last season but who hasn’t played yet in 2019-20, was set to come back in limited fashion in March, and our depth charts have him set to play normal minutes now.2 And for Philly, Ben Simmons should be at 100 percent again after a back injury had landed him on the injured list in February.
For all the focus on the many imperfections of the Simmons-Joel Embiid duo in Philly these past three seasons, or the style of play tug of war that has taken place in their Kobe-Shaq Lite environment, the fact remains that they’re the two most pivotal pieces on a team that some scouts still see as capable of being the surprise team in the East. And Simmons, it seems, is not only fully recovered from the “nerve impingement” that was threatening their chances at a long playoff run back in mid-March but he’s bigger and stronger too.
For all the focus on the many imperfections of the Simmons-Joel Embiid duo in Philly these past three seasons, or the style of play tug of war that has taken place in their Kobe-Shaq Lite environment, the fact remains that they’re the two most pivotal pieces on a team that some scouts still see as capable of being the surprise team in the East. And Simmons, it seems, is not only fully recovered from the “nerve impingement” that was threatening their chances at a long playoff run back in mid-March but he’s bigger and stronger too.
Kyle Neubeck: On Zoom call with reporters, Ben Simmons says he feels “better than I was when I started the season.” Says he put on a lot more muscle during the downtime
Keith Pompey: #Sixers’ Ben Simmons: “I’m feeling better than I was when I started the season.”
Tim Bontemps: Ben Simmons says he trusts the NBA and trusts older veterans like Chris Paul and LeBron James for putting the players in the best possible position to be healthy in Orlando. Says he feels he has a responsibility to play, though has no issue with anyone who decides not to play.
Tim Bontemps: Ben Simmons says he’s feeling great, and has added more muscle during his rehab for his back injury. Said overall he’s added “more strength.” Says he feels more explosive and more controlled in what he’s trying to do with his body. Says he’s ready to go when team can practice.
Brian Seltzer: Simmons on expectations with season restarting: “We’re not worried about what other people are saying. We’ve beaten the best teams in the league. We’re looking to grab this opportunity and go all the way. We know what we’re capable of.”
Brian Seltzer: Ben Simmons’ media session begins with him reflecting on racial injustice: “It’s not fair. I believe in equality. At the end of the day, everybody deserves the same opportunities.”
Facebook is also donating $20,000 to the charity of choice for Ayton, Griner and nine other athletes – Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz), Julian Edelman (New England Patriots), Allie Long, (U.S. Soccer/Reign FC), Alex Caruso (Los Angeles Lakers), Bogdan Bogdanović (Sacramento Kings), JaVale McGee (Los Angeles Lakers), Josh Richardson (Philadelphia 76ers), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls) and Tacko Fall (Boston Celtics).
Kyle Neubeck: Brown offers a strong endorsement of Embiid’s work during quarantine: “There is nobody on our team that has put in more time than Joel Embiid.”
Serena Winters: Brett Brown on Joel Embiid: “The respect & applause I give him for putting in time. There is nobody that has put in more time than Joel Embiid…I’m looking for Joel to come in, in as good as shape as I have coached him.” #Sixers 👀👀👀
Tom Moore: #Sixers coach Brett Brown: ‘I feel like we have as good a chance as any (team to win in Orlando).’
Kyle Neubeck: Brown says vast majority of recent conversations with his team have been about racial injustice. “The truth of the matter is my last two zoom calls with my team were 1 percent basketball.” Says they have also talked a lot about a simple question: “Do you really want to be there?”
Tom Moore: #Sixers coach Brett Brown: ‘He’s doing a lot better than (previous tentative comments) would indicate. He’s good to go. He’s put in a tremendous amount of work.’
Tom Moore: #Sixers coach Brett Brown: ‘I haven’t seen these guys for five months. The beginning of training camp is going to be eye-opening.’
Injured Zhaire Smith out for the season
Derek Bodner: Philadelphia 76ers wing Zhaire Smith has a bone bruise in his left knee, per source. He will not travel to Orlando. Smith began experiencing pain prior to the Sixers resuming workouts last week, and he started treatment immediately. He is expected to make a full recovery.
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Ky Carlin: Looks like Ben Simmons approves of the Ryan Broekhoff addition #Sixers
Tobias Harris: "We haven’t had the best chemistry"
When the discussion shifted to basketball, Harris assessed what went wrong for the Sixers this year and why the team sits at 39-26, sixth in the Eastern Conference and below where it expected to be heading into the season. “I’ll just say, and I’ll keep it real, we haven’t had the best chemistry throughout the whole year. It took us a while to kind of get everyone together, we battled injuries from the start to the end. And right now, if we’re the sleeper, then we’re the sleeper. Truth be told, how we’re viewed, that’s someone else’s opinion, but I know when I look my guys in the eye and we have conversations, we have one goal in mind, and that’s to go out there and play and win a championship.”
“That’s the only view that matters to me. What people have to say about our team, I get it, because we haven’t met our expectations so far this year. But we have a new opportunity in Orlando to go out and just play ball, and really scratch a new surface of what we can accomplish.
“I would say that if we’re going to be safe, then let’s play. If the league, if my fellow brothers in the NBA want to go out and play, I’m with playing. I know my teammates, they want to go hoop, so I’m with my team to go hoop. “Do I think necessarily it’s the safest thing? No. That’s just straight up and down. I don’t think it’s the safest thing. You look around the world, the cases continue to rise. But that’s also on the NBA to make sure we’re in a safe environment.”
Tim Reynolds: Using that metric — counting only the games involving the 22 teams left — here’s who has the hardest schedule in the seeding round … 1. Denver 2. Toronto 3. Lakers 4. Heat 5. Blazers … and the easiest 18. Celtics 19. Nets 20. Magic 21. 76ers 22. Pelicans
Ryan Broekhoff to Philadelphia
Adrian Wojnarowski: Free agent F Ryan Broekhoff is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, agent Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tells ESPN.
Shams Charania: Sources: Travel dates for 22 NBA teams to Orlando: – July 7: Nets, Nuggets, Magic, Suns, Jazz, Wizards – July 8: Celtics, Mavericks, Clippers, Grizzlies, Heat, Pelicans, Thunder, Kings – July 9: Rockets, Pacers, Lakers, Bucks, 76ers, Trail Blazers, Spurs, Raptors
During his time in Philadelphia, Colangelo was caught up in a bizarre Twitter “burner” account scandal. It led to his resignation. Almost simultaneously, he disappeared from the public eye. At the time, an investigation by American sports and pop culture website The Ringer revealed five Twitter accounts that were critical of 76ers players, other NBA executives and released sensitive team information. Colangelo’s wife admitted to running three of the accounts.
“I haven’t addressed it very much over the course of the last two years. I have stayed very much under the radar on the topic because it’s a sensitive topic, for a lot of reasons,” Colangelo said. “Family, personal, professional, or otherwise. I have to say I was dealt a pretty big blow, personally and professionally. And it’s been a difficult time dealing with the fallout. I was completely blindsided by the accusation and the storyline of the controversy.”
Bryan Colangelo: “Once that investigation was completed and I was absolved, I felt the appropriate thing to do – in conjunction with ownership there in Philly – was to mutually walk away. It was a difficult decision and a difficult time for me. But I have to say, it was a very, very difficult time for my family. Because of some of the reasons that came to light, it was something I thought was important not to talk about, quite frankly. And we’re still dealing with that. But the No.1 thing I thought needed to happen was trying to stay positive; preserve and love my family, protect their interests, emotionally or otherwise. And frankly, two years on, it’s gone. It’s in the past and I’m ready to move on.”
