[Russillo] 76ers waiting on Rockets for Simmons / Harden deal; also PJ Tucker wants out

Post so good, wish I could rep

 

Cue the Lloyd Christmas GIF saying, "So you're telling me there's a chance?" or the Ron Paul "It's Happening" GIF.

 

Still against a Harden trade but if it must come with the 76ers, this is how I see it...

PJ Tucker is worth a 1st, and I think the 76ers would want him.

Ive thought form some time that Harden would probably get Simmons, Thybulle and all of their available picks and swaps.

So Tucker = Maxey

Houston in: Simmons, Thybulle, Maxey and all picks.

for

Philly In: Harden and Tucker

that is “fair” for both teams, and puts them both in good positions.

Philly becomes the clear favorite in the East. Houston is set up well for the future.

Curry / Milton
Harden / Korkmaz
Green / Ferguson
Harris / Tucker
Embiid / Dwight

Wall / Maxey
Gordon / McLemore
Thybulle / House
Simmons
Wood / Cousins

 

This is the deal and I’m sure morey has it on the table just others prolly within the Sixers are hesitant.

 

its an easy deal for the 76ers IMO. That team becomes the CLEAR favorite in the East, and would instantly put them on par with the Lakers. They have all the shooting, defense and size necessary to avoid any trap matchups.

My thought on this for the Rockets is that not only do you need Simmons, but this move must put you in position to get a 2nd star to pair him with. So the additional assets matter.

Im looking squarely at Beal a year from now. Use Maxey and all those picks as the foundation of a deal.

 

Honest question man.....how often have you watched Ben Simmons play?? Putting him and Westbrook in the same sentence comes off a little ignorant in terms of what Ben's game looks like. Ben impacts the game in WAY more areas than Westbrook, and is a HUGE net positive on the court. He led the Sixers to a 16 game winning streak when Joel went down with injury recently. The guy puts his fingerprints all over the game when he's on the court. Ben is WAYYYY more similar to Giannis than Westbrook. He's 6'10 and athletically freakish...if somebody wants to back up on him, they'll 100% get put on a poster.

 

Maybe.... there is a possibility he's just a better 6'10" MCW...... But I don't think so. I'd rather build a team around Simmons than Embiid and Butler as I see an elite floor general in Simmons. If Simmons could shoot, he wouldnt even be available.

 

thats the hope if you’re a Rockets fan. I don’t think any non-center that can’t shoot is a championship piece. The game has evolved to place tons of value on shooting and spacing...look what happened to Westbrook against the Lakers.

so if you’re trading for Simmons, you must think there’s a chance he will be able to shoot at some point. You have him for 5 years, so there’s some hope there. But my instincts tell me he won’t be a good shooter.

 

If this trade is actually on the table.. I don't see why the Rockets wouldn't take it. Which makes me think it's not.

Simmons will never be Harden.. but that's still a pretty strong asset for Harden who clearly wants out, and could potentially ruin the upcoming season for us by not being traded. Rockets can't be THAT committed to keeping Harden here. He's been amazing for us for the most part, but it's not like he's going to lead us to a championship. I think it's the right time for both sides to move on. Now if Simmons ISN'T on the table, I agree with everything the Rockets are doing at the moment. Wait it out until a good offer comes up. And if still nothing comes up, do the BKN trade next off season.

 

Codman, welcome back. Don't be a stranger here! Is there ANY chance, Harden can be convinced to stay? To give Silas and this roster a CHANCE?

 

This gives me hope. Just want Harden TO GIVE SILAS A FCKING CHANCE HERE. JUST A CHANCE.

 

He's getting bad advice from his mom. He needs a real agent. He needs to take the $100 M guaranteed and work for a trade next offseason if it doesn't work this year. It's his best chance to win this year and he'll have guaranteed money if god forbid he's injured.

 

Can you elaborate on this a little bit?? I'm not sure I understand how Tucker affects the Harden situation other than the fact that they are tight. Ultimately if the Rockets offered PJ an extension, I'm guessing he takes it. Harden was already offered an extension, and he rejected it.

 

Yeah, let's build our franchise around a player that cant shoot after just getting rid of a player that cant shoot.

 

Harden can change his mind and sign an extension.

If Harden gets an extension signed before 12/22, the Rockets will extend Tucker immediately. It's a package. Tucker cannot get one without James though because it hurts flexibility if a two year retool/rebuild is needed. Tucker also probably wouldn't want to be on a non-championship contending team to end his career.

 

And let's pretend they are the same type of player that can't shoot rather than one being literally elite at every other facet of the game from bball iq to defense.

 

Ok, so my initial assertion is still correct then? Tucker has no impact on this situation. I mean....no offense to Codman in the slightest, but this isn't really news, is it?? Or am I still misreading what's being said?

 

And let's pretend that it is Westbrook that is being traded for Simmons and not Harden (a top 3 player in the league).

Enjoy years of mediocrity with Ben Simons instead of Harden running the show in a Western Conference.

 

Thank you. A real insider talking facts unlike a bunch of cry babies here with zero facts

 

I'll name it - Shooting. It's literally the most important skill in basketball. You can win without defense, you can't win if you can't put the ball in the hoop.

Would be nice to see Simmons improve as a shooter but there is a looooonnnnngggg list of guys who came into the league with promising upsides(Hi, ex Rocket Michael Carter Williams!!) that just needed to become an average shooter and most of them didn't pan out and the exceptions who did(Jason Kidd comes to mind - maybe Eric Bledsoe who is at least less terrible now) weren't able to do it while they still had their elite athleticism.

Frankly you can't be a #1 guy in this league if you can't hit tough shots. Yeah you could trade Harden for Simmons but then you are still asset poor and looking for a #1 guy and given that everyone who meets Tillman wants to punch him in his smug little face, I wouldn't count on Houston being a destination for marquee alpha guys who really like the chemistry of Simmons/Wood/Coach Silas. It's just not going to happen. You can only trade Harden for a #1 guy or for draft picks that give you a reasonable chance at one - neither scenario would happen in a Philly deal - especially not one with Darryl Morey.