Harden To The Sixers?
The Opening Tip
Hello and Happy Thursday, it's the Corner Three!
"If we're up 10, beat em by 20, we're up 20, beat em by 30, we're up 30, we are not gonna let up" -The Honorable Doc Rivers
It'sss beginningggg to look alot like...a normal basketball roster
Let's get going!
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This Week In The Pod
Speaking of James Harden, the guys talked Harden trades and the ESPN 100 last night.
Ben and Jo are already the odd couple, but now, roommates?! Spike and Mike discuss bits and pieces from Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid's first media availability of the year, Simmons cancelling his initial media availability and dive into the Sixers first half schedule.
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Oh Yeah,The Sixers
In the words of the greatest Joker of all time, "anddd here...we..go"
Harden?
Earlier this week, James Harden, increasingly aware of the lack of traction of a deal to pair him with his former teammate Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn, let it be known that he would also be open to a trade to the Sixers or possibly another contender. I won't say anything that hasn't already been written or tweeted but I think if there's a deal to be had that does not include Joel Embiid, there needs to be serious conversation amongst team Morey about getting something done. I love Ben Simmons, I think he's an incredible player and could be part of a championship core, but I also lived this same scenario 3 years ago when the Spurs asked for either Ben or Joel (Nobody's getting Joel, fuck off) in any potential Kawhi Leonard trade, as it was rumored the Sixers had dangled a package centered around former number 1 pick, Markelle Fultz, yes THAT Markelle Fultz, in trying to pry away Leonard from the Spurs.
Leonard eventually got shipped to Toronto in exchange for Demar Derozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2019 first round pick. What happened during is time in Toronto I actually can not speak about as I've made some leaps and bounds in processing trauma and don't want to tell my therapist about a backslide.
Harden is on a whole other planet than the entire Sixers roster right now and obviously doesn't come without his baggage but if Houston is telling me to take a swing I'm serving up the best I have. There's also the idea that the Rockets wouldn't even WANT to trade Harden to Philly. Rockets owner and career jackass, Tilman Fertitta, isn't exactly the biggest Daryl Morey fan right now and word around the league is might not jump at all at anything from him unless it included a considerable haul.
To put a bow on this bad boy, do the fucking deal, it's James Harden
*Or wait to see if Steph Curry gets grumpy after another tough Warriors season
Training Camp!
So far so good for our lads, 5 days away from preseason action. My biggest takeaway so far is that alot of guys are mentioning energy. Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Dwight Howard and so on, all mentioned the energy level and intensity. You could probably say the same for the rest of the league given that teams have only been given 3 weeks to ramp up, but for a team that looked like it was stuck in the mud and playing with its head in the clouds most nights last year, it's good to hear that everyone is flying around and dialed in to start.
What I'd look for in the preseason games next week is how much Doc actually uses Simmons and Embiid in pick and roll actions and how active and vocal they both are on defense. I'll also be interested in rotations and playing time for starters. In such a condensed timeline Doc and staff won't have a ton of time to get creative and will probably use the first of two games to literally play as many lineups as possible, should be some fun crazy shit!
Charity Spotlight
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The Rest From The Best
Sixers Adam is giving you 12 players that the Sixers can get with their $8 million trade exception. Brought to you by Adam Ksebe, the Process Realtor.
We know what they said and how they answered, but what the hell did they really mean? Mike O'Connor broke down a busy week in interviews and rumors. Brought to you by our official pet food, By Nature Slow Cooked with Superfusion Pet Food (use code RTRS20 at Chewy).
Ben Simmons (jokingly, sorry guys) gave us the thumbs up that him and Joel Embiid were moving in together to get a little closer and get to know each other better. Team Ricky's Andrew Unterberger put on his Director of Student Housing hat and handed out the rest of the room assignments on the roster. Brought to you by Kinetic Skateboarding.
Peace, Love and Process
Be good to yourself, each other and shop local
-Zo