Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons sustained a right foot injury that will reportedly keep the 6-foot-10 rookie out for at least three months.
While his injury certainly is a huge blow to Philadelphia’s overall depth, it still doesn’t add a tremendous amount of clarity to what’s still a pretty clogged up middle.
Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid all play center, although Noel can slide over and play some at power forward.
The cluster of bigs was at the heart of Noel’s frustration with the Sixers and his role in their plans.
“I feel like it definitely needs to be figured out,” Noel told the Philadelphia Inquirer recently. “At the end of the day, again, you have three starting-caliber centers. And it’s just not going to work to anybody’s advantage having that on the same team. That’s how I’m looking at it. I’m not opposed to anything, but things need to be situated.”
Noel has been clear from the jump that with the glut of big men on the roster, all he wanted was clarity as to how Philadelphia would proceed and what his role would be going forward.
But multiple sources told CSNNE.com that the 6-foot-11 from Malden, Mass., was open to the idea of being traded and that the Celtics were a team he wouldn’t mind joining.
However, that becomes more of a moot point in light of Simmons’ injury which will mark the fourth straight year that Philadelphia will be without one of its prized, lottery-pick (top-14) big men due to an injury for an extended period of time.
First off, the latest news from Ben Simmons’ camp is that he might sit out the entire season. Double ouch.
I wholeheartedly disagree with Sherrod’s take. Simmons may be a PF but he has a playmaker’s skillset. Removing him from the equation will release minutes into the rotation but it doesn’t solve the problem that Noel and Okafor are an ineffective pairing.
It’s also possible that rookie Dario Saric earns more minutes with Simmons out.
Look for Philly to stand pat, at least until the trade deadline. They’ll have a sense of Embiid’s health by that point and can then pull the trigger on a deal (with Boston). Old friend Kevin O’Connor agrees:
I wrote last week that the Sixers are biding their time in the trade market, and that stance hasn’t changed as a result of Simmons’s injury. While the frontcourt logjam has been relieved, Noel and Okafor are still on the table. The Sixers are willing to pull the trigger on the right deal, which simply hasn’t come along yet.
The Sixers coveted Kris Dunn before the draft, and there were draft-night rumors that they were trying to position themselves to acquire the Providence point guard. Even when Simmons was healthy, point guard was an area of need for Philly. It acquired Sergio Rodriguez and Jerryd Bayless, but those guys are merely veteran stopgaps, providing stability for a developing roster, not long-term fixtures. So keep an eye on blossoming young point guards this preseason, since Noel or Okafor could be used as a trading chip. Teams like the Nuggets, Celtics, and Suns have a surplus of guards.
After all these injuries, you’d think I’d have some sympathy for 76ers fans. Nah…
On Page 2, there’s a game tonight!
There is one thing that the Boston Celtics look forward to more than everything else come Tuesday.
“Playing against somebody else,” Jae Crowder said Monday morning with a sigh of relief and pleasure.
Crowder and the Celtics will board a bus shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon to head to Amherst, Mass., where they will take on the Philadelphia 76ers at 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center. It will be their first time seeing a color other than green or white this season.
“You go a week of beating up each other, you just want to play against somebody else and see different sets and different looks,” Crowder added. “Just get observation of what we need to work on.”
Go down the list of members of the Celtics and everyone will have things to work on Tuesday night. That includes Brad Stevens.
“I haven’t drawn up a play in a huddle with a clock on me in five months, and I think those are good things to do,” said Stevens.
Was this the longest summer or what?
In addition to watching our guys, I’m curious to see what Joel Embiid looks like.
Boston vs Philly. 7pm on CSNNE.
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