January 09, 2017
The Sixers aren’t practicing on Monday, but that doesn’t mean it’s an off day for the front office and coaching staff. According the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey, the team plans to bring in Chasson Randle, Briante Weber, and Cat Barber for a workout on Monday:
PGS Chassan Randle, Briante’ Weber, Yogi Ferrell and Cat Barber are all scheduled to work out for #Sixers Monday, according to source.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) January 8, 2017
Pompey’s intel was then followed up on by Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski chimed in later with three more point guards that the Sixers are looking at, Jordan Farmar, Yogi Ferrell, and Nate Robinson:
Sources on @TheVertical: Among point guards on 76ers scouting radar for 10-day contracts: Nate Robinson, Jordan Farmar, Yogi Ferrell.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) January 8, 2017
After Hollis Thompson was shown the door, it seems like the Sixers are set on adding a point guard with their 15th roster spot. Randle, Weber, Ferrell and Barber are all younger players in the D-League, with Barber plying his trade nearby in Delaware after playing for the Sixers in the preseason. Farmar and Robinson are NBA vets, one of which robbed Andre Iguodala in what remains the biggest travesty in the history of the NBA slam dunk contest.
We will now see if any signings come out of these workouts.
1. We’re starting to recap games in a more detailed manner, and you can see the “Sixers-Celtics x-ray” here.
2. Joel Embiid is a foul drawing machine, in part because of the rip through move.
3. Here’s the first installment of the Sixers playbook series: Iverson STS.
4. The Sixers won’t give timeline for Simmons’ return, but his rehab seems to be progressing.
Ten things I like and don't like, including LeBron-Kyrie magic: Zach Lowe, ESPN
My name is Rich Hofmann and I approve this message:
Man, this is brutal. I get that Covington is slumping; he's shooting 28 percent on 3s, but he's still launching six per game. That is frustrating to watch for fans who just want every Philly player to pass the damn ball to Joel Embiid.
But booing every miss, as Sixers fans have started to do, seems excessive. Covington is an undrafted surprise locked into a four-year minimum-salary contract. Literally any NBA-level production from that player type is an unexpected positive. Covington wildly outperformed that contract for three years as an above-average 3-point shooter, and now (some) Philly fans are punishing him for building up expectations.
How Joel Embiid and a new wave of mobile big men are changing the game: Michael Lee, The Vertical
Over the past few months, there has been a lot of talk about “unicorns,” big guys that function like guards and wings. Embiid and Wednesday’s opponent (Kristaps Porzingis) are a couple of them:
Towns feels fortunate to be part of a game-changing movement for a position that once appeared to be near extinction. “I just think that people’s perspective of the way the bigs roamed the world in the NBA years ago has changed, and that’s why I feel people said the big man is dead,” Towns told The Vertical. “It’s not dead, it’s just changed as time went on. I don’t know. It’s so many bigs now that can do so many things. I think right now we just have to step back and wait and see how it changes with us.”
Embiid already knows where he expects the game – and this process – to take him. “By the end of my career,” Embiid said, “I want to be a point guard.”
Embiid: Sixers have a chance of making playoffs: Keith Pompey, Philadelphia Inquirer
The Sixers are playing better basketball, but they still sit 7.5 games out of the playoffs. Don’t tell this to Embiid, though:
"We are seven or eight games out of the playoffs, so we have a chance," the rookie center said in the visitors' locker room at the Barclays Center. "We are learning. We are coming together. We are learning how to play with each other.
"We are just great now."
Finally, Sam Hinkie checked in with a reading rec of sorts:
Mike Zarren is really, really good at his job.
— Sam Hinkie (@samhinkie) January 4, 2017
Wouldn't underestimate him in his next one. https://t.co/EXCHRYYJ2v pic.twitter.com/2h9SheaAUD
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
