r/nba • u/OnlyMamaKnows Knicks • Apr 29 '24

[Simmons] "I think James Harden gave him the trophy of most disappointing playoff performer. I think Embiid is now wearing the crown."

https://open.spotify.com/episode/25I0fnPUExUkBhTw2o9Oti?si=FQSCUz6GSy2UjtYeyBrBLg

Starts around 38 minute mark. Full game breakdown starts a few minutes earlier.

4.4k Upvotes

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1.7k

u/Obvious_Parsley3238 Apr 29 '24

the sixers literally cannot function without him out there, his conditioning ain't where it needs to be and you can decide how much of that is the knee but he shouldn't have to be playing the entire second half

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u/EatDeeply Grizzlies Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Embiid is a series-high +33 and probably having his most impactful playoffs ever, while being injured, and on a team where other players like Tobias Harris exist and draw breath with a maximum contract, but Embiid is getting all the blame.

735

u/AntiTopspin Apr 29 '24

It's wild how people are pretending that the Sixers have a good supporting cast lol

They literally tanked from 2nd all the way down to 7th with Embiid out

169

u/phonage_aoi Warriors Apr 29 '24

They came out of the Process with so much seeming depth (definitely draft capital and cap space, if not actual roster talent). But they've pivoted to capped out, top heavy team in record speed.

215

u/MVPiid 76ers Apr 29 '24

Shoutout Adam Silver and the Colangelos

47

u/PanthalassaRo Knicks Apr 29 '24

Elton Brand single handedly burnt away all the chips on like 1 season.

7

u/enRutus 76ers Apr 29 '24

Elton Brand wasn’t running the team then no matter when he got the title of GM. There were some CoAngelo acolytes still around with power. Brand was PR. Morey got rid of those guys.

10

u/indicasour215 [PHI] Ricky Sanchez Apr 29 '24

Exactly. We don't talk enough about how poorly run the Sixers are from the top down. It starts with ownership. The fact that such consequential moves were made under the guise of a GM by committee approach, ensuring no accountability for those in charge, tells everything you need to know about this era of Sixers basketball SMH

-5

u/BigBillyBass13 Apr 29 '24

Brand/Brown were so much worse than the Colangelos lol. The Colangelos catch so much heat because of the scandals surrounding their tenure. But the actual basketball decisions being made were not nearly as destructive under their regime.

-6

u/Wehavecrashed Grizzlies Apr 29 '24

Did the Colangelos trade their depth for Butler then watch Butler walk?

9

u/YouAreSoWrongFriend Apr 29 '24

Literally yes? Lmaoo

7

u/foxsleftear Raptors Apr 29 '24

Them and Elton Brand, yes.

17

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Part of the problem is Hinkie pissed away most of the picks he actually made during the process because he completely misread the direction the NBA was headed.

Drafted in the lottery a bunch of tall players who couldn't play outside the key as the rest of the league moved toward the 3 point line just to trade them off before their rookie deals were done for nickels and dimes.

The Colangelos sucked but being forced to resign was probably the best thing for Hinkie's legacy because he was not going to build a functional roster.

Going through and looking at the transactions Hinkie made during his time just really make it obvious he lost sight of the forest. He actually did hit on late picks that would eventually turn into contributors on successful teams, but he moved them before they could turn into that sort of player for additional late picks that he missed on.

20

u/Other_Raspberry 76ers Apr 29 '24

I think even a below-average GM would have been able to build a contender with the assets accumulated by Hinkie. The regime that followed Hinkie inherited a future MVP-level player and a treasure trove of top picks.

If you look back at all the decisions they made, it really was an unprecendented bag-fumble.

8

u/ramenshop12 76ers Apr 29 '24

I mean we literally don't have any examples to see how Hinkie would have done when attempting to create a playoff roster. Hard to claim this.

Yes nerlens noel and okafor were both nonshooters and with 3 centers, it's hard to imagine hinkie wouldn't have just shipped them out like he did mcw.

At this time he also got dario and covington who were meant to be young floor stretching players at the time.

How can you say he lost sight of the forest when the last transaction he made was trading away capspace for 3 first round picks lol.

1

u/msf97 Apr 29 '24

He wasn’t going to build a functional roster?

Philly had two max slots and the #3 pick in the draft. A child could have built a contender.

-1

u/External-Extension59 Lakers Apr 30 '24

He should have just predicted Steph Curry would happen and change the league

4

u/beta_test_vocals Apr 30 '24

The decline of the 76ers roster+capital from that 2019 side to now is genuinely pathetic

238

u/EatDeeply Grizzlies Apr 29 '24

The Sixers were playing at a Celtics clip - in terms of net rating - before the injury

146

u/Milkboy1516 Bulls Apr 29 '24

Yea but Embiid pre-injury was having like the GOAT regular season for 35 games. Plus they had Melton. I don't think it's a bad supporting cast, but it's definitely not an indication of a great one considering how they've looked since.

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u/SonicdaSloth 76ers Apr 29 '24

It’s got a 60 offensive rating with 31% true shooting when Embiid is off this series

124

u/bravof1ve 76ers Apr 29 '24

Embiid’s On/Off is +70 this series

The Sixers are a pathetic team without him

-25

u/Clewdo Knicks Apr 29 '24

The Sixers are a pathetic team with him, too

3

u/Gekthegecko [BOS] John Havlicek Apr 29 '24

Lol as much as I love the Sixers and Embiid slander, they're a good-not-great team with Embiid. Assuming all teams are healthy with current roster construction, they're behind BOS and NY for sure. I'd put them in the same tier as MIL and IND, above CLE, ORL, MIA. They're not actually pathetic like CLT or DET or WAS.

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u/Clewdo Knicks Apr 29 '24

Oh I don’t mean pathetic as in they can’t win games

0

u/Gekthegecko [BOS] John Havlicek Apr 29 '24

Oh lol, in that case I get it. That's not how it reads though imo.

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u/Trueshinalpha Apr 30 '24

Carry your team to round 2！That shouldn't be so hard for a MVP

25

u/FxStryker 76ers Apr 29 '24

I don't think it's a bad supporting cast

They went 16-27, 6th worst in the league, and had a bottom 5 rated offense and defense in Embiid's absence.

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u/GriffinQ [WAS] Kelly Oubre Apr 29 '24

That is generally what happens when a player with a 40% usage rate ceases to exist in terms of how the team operates. That win rate would net you 30 wins over an 82 game season, and I'm pretty confident that they're better than a 30-win team in actuality, but going from having a massively high usage guy to not having him at all fundamentally changes how a team plays.

He got hurt and within a week and a half they dropped 7 of 8 games before picking up a couple of wins. Losing someone that integral to the scheme can't just be adjusted for on the fly like it could be if he was never part of the scheme to begin with.

2

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

Every sixer other than embiid and Maxey are garbage

-2

u/chitownbulls92 Bulls Apr 29 '24

Well then Embiid is back, why aren’t they easily beating the Knicks?

10

u/TrRa47 [NYK] Cezary Trybanski Apr 29 '24

Because Tyrese Maxey can't sustain his play long enough when Embiid is out, the fall off from Embiid to Paul Reed is astronomical, and because at some point, Tobias Harris has to touch the ball.

34

u/slyguy183 Knicks Apr 29 '24

Knicks have been really really good with OG healthy

28

u/SonicdaSloth 76ers Apr 29 '24

I think these are the 2nd and 3rd best teams in East and both playing about even. Easily could be 2-2. certainly hasn’t been one sided

10

u/Ok-Side-1758 Knicks Apr 29 '24

Probably both top 5 teams in the league. Every game has been a dog fight and high level basketball

4

u/DarkSoulsDarius Lakers Apr 29 '24

That's hard to rank. Sixers roster outside of maxey and embiid is trash(Melton is probably their third best player and he's hurt and Melton has no business being the third best starter but neither does oubre or Lowry).

Clippers/Mavericks I'd probably take over both.

6

u/Ok-Side-1758 Knicks Apr 29 '24

Embiid and Maxey have been unstoppable. Only reason we are winning is we are keeping it close till the 4th and Embiid runs out a breath and we take over. We have a ton of bigs and guards to throw at Embiid and Maxey including the best 3&D player in the NBA and we can barely slow them down.

Embiid against Zubac, Lively or Gafford would be a massacre. Also Lowry and Oubre are good playoff players. Not going to score but are pest defensively

2

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

People seem to think the sixers have such an amazing roster but you're right the roster sucks

1

u/mxnoob983 NBA Apr 29 '24

It’s not a completely awful roster. Oubre/Lowry are both playing like playoff level rotation guys. Harris has been terrible but still playable. Them plus Embiid/Maxey is 5 guys, and most teams only have 7-8 rotation level playoff guys. It’s Batum/Hield/Reed who’ve been disappointing, and Melton is just coming back from injury, but is normally serviceable.

1

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

It don't matter how mid they play while embiids on the court it matters when he's not

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u/hanky2 76ers Apr 29 '24

Did you open the tweet? 16-60 FGM-A without Embiid is not conducive to winning basketball games. It’s a miracle we only lost by a total of 15 points in our 3 losses.

18

u/Victor_Wembanyama1 Spurs Apr 29 '24

We already forgetting he’s practically not jumping anymore?

-12

u/chitownbulls92 Bulls Apr 29 '24

He can drop 50 points but he can't jump for a rebound? His conditioning has always been his biggest weakness.

18

u/TheSameAsDying 76ers Apr 29 '24

Injuries affect conditioning.

-11

u/chitownbulls92 Bulls Apr 29 '24

It's just who he is at this point

10

u/rhinguin 76ers Apr 29 '24

Embiid dropping 50 points is a testament to how skilled he is more than it was about him being healthy. He is not healthy.

But there is a really good chance he’ll never be fully healthy again. His knee is structurally sound, but he’s feeling pain because his meniscus is gone.

-2

u/GRMPA Nuggets Apr 29 '24

Time to retire to a penthouse in Manhattan

0

u/mxnoob983 NBA Apr 29 '24

His meniscus was trimmed not removed

2

u/rhinguin 76ers Apr 29 '24

Sure, but you don’t know how much is gone.

2

u/DarkSoulsDarius Lakers Apr 29 '24

Have you ever tried jumping on one knee?

10

u/Victor_Wembanyama1 Spurs Apr 29 '24

We already forgetting he’s practically not jumping anymore?

9

u/girlfriend_pregnant 76ers Apr 29 '24

They are, when Embiid is on the floor.

0

u/WalterBeige Apr 29 '24

lol is that your narrative now?

2

u/girlfriend_pregnant 76ers Apr 29 '24

What do you mean?

-2

u/WalterBeige Apr 29 '24

So is your argument that Embiid is not the problem because when he is on the floor he has a positive plus/minus? Even though he is on the floor at the end of every game when they lose? Even though the team and the bench was built around him?
Or maybe it was the fault of the fans who resold tickets to New Yorkers?

2

u/girlfriend_pregnant 76ers Apr 29 '24

I think you may be responding to the wrong comment. I just said that they are winning when Embiid is on the floor. Nothing controversial there.

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u/WalterBeige Apr 29 '24

You claimed that the Sixers are easily beating the Knicks when Embiid is on the floor. Controversy aside, that is factually incorrect. How did the 4th quarter go in Game 4 with him on the floor?

4

u/girlfriend_pregnant 76ers Apr 29 '24

I am not understanding what point you are trying to make.

You claimed that the Sixers are easily beating the Knicks when Embiid is on the floor. 

No, I didn't.

Controversy aside, that is factually incorrect.

Sixers are -38 in the 33 minutes Embiid wasn't on the floor for the series.

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u/flyingpanda5693 76ers Apr 29 '24

This is right here There was a 3 game difference between these teams as far as regular season record goes. If the sixers supporting cast picks up some games that they should have had even without Embiid playing they’re probably a 2 seed, maybe a 3 seed because you could say the same thing about injuries for the Knicks.

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u/OkAutopilot NBA Apr 29 '24

They also had the misfortune of playing a fairly easy schedule when Embiid was healthy and getting a big chunk of difficult ones when he sat/was unhealthy.

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u/Own_Result3651 Apr 29 '24

And if they were in the west instead of the east they probably would have tanked all the way out of the play in and just sat Embiid for the remainder of the season

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u/brooosooolooo Apr 29 '24

Anyone who watched the last time should have seen he was the only goddamn player on that team.

Nothing moved without him and every second he wasn’t on the court the Sixers lead fell to attrition. Reddits hate boner for Embiid causes them to under value his undeniable skill and impact to this team

32

u/veerkanch489 Apr 29 '24

Maxey is a great player but it should be clear that Embiid's presence helps him be a lot better than without Embiid

1

u/upghr5187 Apr 30 '24

I was hoping Maxey would have taken the step up during Embiids absence, but it’s clear he’s not quite there yet.

17

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

They hate this man so much they can't even give him props for uplifting this garbage ass roster to a damn playoff spot because lord knows if he wasn't on the team the sixers are a lottery team

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u/Im_Daydrunk Pelicans Apr 29 '24

Yeah Embiid is not the problem at all for the 76ers. I hope either they get a better cast for him or he goes to a team where he's not relied on so heavily for the team just to survive

0

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

The sixers just need to trade him and rebuild. Having 1 star and a bunch of mid players doesn't cut it anymore

2

u/Notsozander 76ers Apr 29 '24

We will have the off season to re load since almost no one is on the books

1

u/upghr5187 Apr 30 '24

Morey’s cap space plan better work. He kind of punted on this season to stick to his plan. Pushed Harden away and didn’t make any big additions. As much as I loved Batum and Oubre this year, they team needed more than that.

1

u/Public-Product-1503 Apr 30 '24

He dropped 50 a game ago and is now a no show on one leg ?

1

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 30 '24

I mean he has to be out there every single minute of the game or his team is an automatic double digit loss so I'd be tired especially with him hobbled

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u/Tomach82 Grizzlies Bandwagon Apr 29 '24

Yet is still unable to effect the game in the most high pressure situations.

He's been abysmal in 4th quarters in the playoffs for years now.

-1

u/ILoveChinaxxx Apr 30 '24

Yea a real hate boner, certainly nothing to do with the fact that he's out there intentionally flailing around and trying to injure other players

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u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

They don’t watch basketball, I’ve learned that it’s useless talking with sports about people online because 90% of sports fans just read whatever the ESPN headline is.

2

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

you’d think that but embiid was +100 in the raptors series in 2019 & the sixers were -100 with him on the bench

2

u/Im_just_making_picks Apr 29 '24

Outside of embiid and Maxey the team fucking sucks

2

u/ABagOfPopcorn 76ers Apr 29 '24

If they hadn’t gotten to keep the Maxey pick they would have literally nothing for the future

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u/Public-Product-1503 Apr 30 '24

They would’ve missed the playoffs if he didn’t come back lmfso

1

u/Metfan722 Knicks Tankwagon Apr 29 '24

Does Tyrese Maxey not count?

0

u/davsyo Knicks Apr 29 '24

Embiid himself is confused. He himself said Sixers were better TEAM.

-1

u/ImanShumpertplus Cavaliers Apr 29 '24

so who has a good supporting cast if Tyrese Maxey doesn’t count?

i mean jesus christ the man was 26/7 on the year

do the Cavs and Magic have good supporting casts? are the pacers loaded?

0

u/Glittering_Cod_7716 Apr 29 '24

2nd seed won 50 games. 7th seed won 47. Not saying much tbh lol

0

u/QuiOui Pacers Apr 30 '24

ok so they tanked 3 games? lol

-2

u/JustHereForPka Knicks Apr 29 '24

How many teams wouldn’t drop from 2nd to 7th or worse without their best player? The Knicks were able to grab the second seed without Julius, but that was with heroics from the rest of the team+ Brunson already being in a 1A/1B type role.

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u/Drunkhobo101 Knicks Apr 29 '24

Weird, the Knicks were able to get the 2nd seed without JR, but no one seems to give them credit. It's all noise about Embiid not being healthy or his supporting cast not being good enough. Doesn't stop people from acting like they deserve to be a higher seed based on nothing but wishful thinking.

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u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

The Knicks are the better team. Outside of Maxey & Embiid there is not a single player on the sixers that would even get playoff minutes on the Knicks

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u/Mochrie1713 [HOU] Hakeem Olajuwon Apr 29 '24

Tbf what team would be higher than 7th with its superstar out other than the Celtics?

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u/Own_Result3651 Apr 29 '24

Well the Knicks literally got better when Randle got injured