Sixers open with best eastern title odds next year

[Erik]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

[Celtics4ever]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

The tune right now is he is a great talent without a shot who likes playing a position that isn't his strongest.   


If one is truly honest they were at times better with McConnell at PG against us.

[Vermont Green]

I don't think the Sixers would be a good bet.  If they get LeBron, of course and maybe these guys know something about that but it does not seem like something you should bet on.  LeBron could end up anywhere or nowhere (stay in CLE).

There have been a number of statements that the Celtics exposed Simmons.  I think the story is that the Celtics exposed the Sixers.  The Sixers were no better than Milwaukee.  Both teams have some good young players but without major change, neither is going to contend for a title next season.

As for Simmons, I remain high on him.  I see a 6'-10" Rondo.  He probably never will be a good shooter but I think he will be able to shoot well enough to be a very productive player.  Probably not carry a team on his shoulders for title good, but still very good.

[johnnygreen]

The idea of LeBron on the Sixers does not make any sense to me. Two ball dominant guys like LeBron and Simmons on the same team just doesn't work in my opinion, especially when Simmons can't shoot. There is only one team in the East that would scare me if LeBron went there, and that is Milwaukee.

As for Simmons, I think the Celtics exposed him simply because they slowed the game down and made them a half court team. Simmons' style is made for an up and down game, and not necessarily for the half court. To be honest, I forgot Simmons was even playing half the time because he was having that little impact against the Celtics in the playoffs.

[Moranis]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

exposed?  He had 1 bad game.  It was an all time epically bad game, but Simmons was just fine in the other 4 games against Boston (17.8 ppg on 51% shooting) and had an incredibly good series against Miami (18.2/10.6/9/2.4). 

[colincb]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

exposed?  He had 1 bad game.  It was an all time epically bad game, but Simmons was just fine in the other 4 games against Boston (17.8 ppg on 51% shooting) and had an incredibly good series against Miami (18.2/10.6/9/2.4).

Simmons had a bad series including the second lowest offensive rating at 92 among the Sixer rotation in the series but for Covington. Covington couldn't hit the side of a barn door with a 38.6 TS%  that would have been in the bottom 7% during the NBA's regular season. 

Most notable were was Simmons 26.8% turnover rate which would have been in the bottom 3% during the NBA's regular season and his 1.33 assist to turnover ratio which is brutal for a primary ballhandler. By reference, Smart had a 2.0 ratio during the regular season and he's one of most turnover prone ballhandlers in the NBA. Simmons TS% was below average too.

The Sixers were outscored by 15 in the series led by his team worst -63. He didn't do that in one game either as he had the worst +/- among Sixer starters in 3 of their 5 games and 2nd worst in the other 2. Plus/minus is an iffy stat, but not with results this consistent. Simmons was thoroughly outplayed by Tatum, a true rookie, during the series, by Rozier as our primary ballhandler, and arguably by Smart, a backup ballhandler.

Worse yet, he was exposed. Put a human wall up in front of him and he's no longer special. Secondly, his sloppy ballhandling was heavily responsible for the Sixers choking repeatedly at the end of games, a trend noticeable during the regular season when the Sixers were the worst among playoff teams in close games. IOW, not only can the kid not shoot beyond 10 feet, but his playmaking and judgment leave a lot to be desired.

[celticsclay]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

exposed?  He had 1 bad game.  It was an all time epically bad game, but Simmons was just fine in the other 4 games against Boston (17.8 ppg on 51% shooting) and had an incredibly good series against Miami (18.2/10.6/9/2.4).

Simmons had a bad series including the second lowest offensive rating at 92 among the Sixer rotation in the series but for Covington. Covington couldn't hit the side of a barn door with a 38.6 TS%  that would have been in the bottom 7% during the NBA's regular season. 

Most notable were was Simmons 26.8% turnover rate which would have been in the bottom 3% during the NBA's regular season and his 1.33 assist to turnover ratio which is brutal for a primary ballhandler. By reference, Smart had a 2.0 ratio during the regular season and he's one of most turnover prone ballhandlers in the NBA. Simmons TS% was below average too.

The Sixers were outscored by 15 in the series led by his team worst -63. He didn't do that in one game either as he had the worst +/- among Sixer starters in 3 of their 5 games and 2nd worst in the other 2. Plus/minus is an iffy stat, but not with results this consistent. Simmons was thoroughly outplayed by Tatum, a true rookie, during the series, by Rozier as our primary ballhandler, and arguably by Smart, a backup ballhandler.

Worse yet, he was exposed. Put a human wall up in front of him and he's no longer special. Secondly, his sloppy ballhandling was heavily responsible for the Sixers choking repeatedly at the end of games, a trend noticeable during the regular season when the Sixers were the worst among playoff teams in close games. IOW, not only can the kid not shoot beyond 10 feet, but his playmaking and judgment leave a lot to be desired.

Outstanding post. Tp. I find it hard to believe that anyone that watched the series would say Simmons had 1 bad game and was great aside from it.

[droopdog7]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

exposed?  He had 1 bad game.  It was an all time epically bad game, but Simmons was just fine in the other 4 games against Boston (17.8 ppg on 51% shooting) and had an incredibly good series against Miami (18.2/10.6/9/2.4).

I'm sure everyone would agree that simmons is a unique talent.  And, I think he's getting his proper due as a player, perhaps even a little more than he's earned thus far. 

But that jump shot is going to weigh him down his entire career.  He's even worse that rondo was when he came into the league, and I don't envy what sixer fans will experience while he is there.  He's going to be as polarizing as rondo was here, and will always have trouble getting his team over the top.

[Moranis]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

exposed?  He had 1 bad game.  It was an all time epically bad game, but Simmons was just fine in the other 4 games against Boston (17.8 ppg on 51% shooting) and had an incredibly good series against Miami (18.2/10.6/9/2.4).

Simmons had a bad series including the second lowest offensive rating at 92 among the Sixer rotation in the series but for Covington. Covington couldn't hit the side of a barn door with a 38.6 TS%  that would have been in the bottom 7% during the NBA's regular season. 

Most notable were was Simmons 26.8% turnover rate which would have been in the bottom 3% during the NBA's regular season and his 1.33 assist to turnover ratio which is brutal for a primary ballhandler. By reference, Smart had a 2.0 ratio during the regular season and he's one of most turnover prone ballhandlers in the NBA. Simmons TS% was below average too.

The Sixers were outscored by 15 in the series led by his team worst -63. He didn't do that in one game either as he had the worst +/- among Sixer starters in 3 of their 5 games and 2nd worst in the other 2. Plus/minus is an iffy stat, but not with results this consistent. Simmons was thoroughly outplayed by Tatum, a true rookie, during the series, by Rozier as our primary ballhandler, and arguably by Smart, a backup ballhandler.

Worse yet, he was exposed. Put a human wall up in front of him and he's no longer special. Secondly, his sloppy ballhandling was heavily responsible for the Sixers choking repeatedly at the end of games, a trend noticeable during the regular season when the Sixers were the worst among playoff teams in close games. IOW, not only can the kid not shoot beyond 10 feet, but his playmaking and judgment leave a lot to be desired.

Outstanding post. Tp. I find it hard to believe that anyone that watched the series would say Simmons had 1 bad game and was great aside from it.

so just fine now equals great.  some solid logic on that one.

[celticsclay]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

exposed?  He had 1 bad game.  It was an all time epically bad game, but Simmons was just fine in the other 4 games against Boston (17.8 ppg on 51% shooting) and had an incredibly good series against Miami (18.2/10.6/9/2.4).

Simmons had a bad series including the second lowest offensive rating at 92 among the Sixer rotation in the series but for Covington. Covington couldn't hit the side of a barn door with a 38.6 TS%  that would have been in the bottom 7% during the NBA's regular season. 

Most notable were was Simmons 26.8% turnover rate which would have been in the bottom 3% during the NBA's regular season and his 1.33 assist to turnover ratio which is brutal for a primary ballhandler. By reference, Smart had a 2.0 ratio during the regular season and he's one of most turnover prone ballhandlers in the NBA. Simmons TS% was below average too.

The Sixers were outscored by 15 in the series led by his team worst -63. He didn't do that in one game either as he had the worst +/- among Sixer starters in 3 of their 5 games and 2nd worst in the other 2. Plus/minus is an iffy stat, but not with results this consistent. Simmons was thoroughly outplayed by Tatum, a true rookie, during the series, by Rozier as our primary ballhandler, and arguably by Smart, a backup ballhandler.

Worse yet, he was exposed. Put a human wall up in front of him and he's no longer special. Secondly, his sloppy ballhandling was heavily responsible for the Sixers choking repeatedly at the end of games, a trend noticeable during the regular season when the Sixers were the worst among playoff teams in close games. IOW, not only can the kid not shoot beyond 10 feet, but his playmaking and judgment leave a lot to be desired.

Outstanding post. Tp. I find it hard to believe that anyone that watched the series would say Simmons had 1 bad game and was great aside from it.

so just fine now equals great.  some solid logic on that one.

I get that you want to argue with me here, but it would make a lot more sense to argue with Colin than with me. I agree with Colin (and Erik), but they are Colin's points and not mine. If you take into account things like the plus minus and the fact that the 76ers were doing better with McConnell on the floor that series he didn't have a great or even fine series, he was poor and a net negative. I would love to hear what you think of Colin's take cause I think it had great points.

[celticsclay]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

exposed?  He had 1 bad game.  It was an all time epically bad game, but Simmons was just fine in the other 4 games against Boston (17.8 ppg on 51% shooting) and had an incredibly good series against Miami (18.2/10.6/9/2.4).

I'm sure everyone would agree that simmons is a unique talent.  And, I think he's getting his proper due as a player, perhaps even a little more than he's earned thus far. 

But that jump shot is going to weigh him down his entire career.  He's even worse that rondo was when he came into the league, and I don't envy what sixer fans will experience while he is there.  He's going to be as polarizing as rondo was here, and will always have trouble getting his team over the top.

He is probably getting a little too much right now. The 76ers had a unique circumstance where their schedule was very very freakishly tilted to play all lottery and tanking teams at the end of the season when those teams were giving auditions to young players, resting others, and in many caseS trying to lose (I believe they finished the season sub .500 against eastern playoff teams). That team was probably a 46 or 47 win team with a normal schedule. Yet the streak and 52 wins created a lot of hype that has carried over into the summer despite our gentlemen's sweep of them minus two all-stars.

That being said I do think Simmons will be an awesome player and have faith he can become at least Rondo level servicable as a shooter. It is just going to take a few seasons, by which time Lebron will be a fossil.

[celticsclay]

I did the math really quick so it may be off by a game or something, but to put their end of season streak in perspective the 76ers were something like 11-16 against teams that made the playoffs in the east over the course of the season. They really were not a normal 52 win team last season.

Cavs were 15-10
Pacers 14-12

We were above .500 against east playoff teams all season before collapsing down the stretch with the loss of Smart, Irving etc and going 1-6 in our last 7 games.

[Moranis]

I thought after Moranis was humbled by Simmons getting exposed that he’d change his tune on how good he is. I guess not.

exposed?  He had 1 bad game.  It was an all time epically bad game, but Simmons was just fine in the other 4 games against Boston (17.8 ppg on 51% shooting) and had an incredibly good series against Miami (18.2/10.6/9/2.4).

Simmons had a bad series including the second lowest offensive rating at 92 among the Sixer rotation in the series but for Covington. Covington couldn't hit the side of a barn door with a 38.6 TS%  that would have been in the bottom 7% during the NBA's regular season. 

Most notable were was Simmons 26.8% turnover rate which would have been in the bottom 3% during the NBA's regular season and his 1.33 assist to turnover ratio which is brutal for a primary ballhandler. By reference, Smart had a 2.0 ratio during the regular season and he's one of most turnover prone ballhandlers in the NBA. Simmons TS% was below average too.

The Sixers were outscored by 15 in the series led by his team worst -63. He didn't do that in one game either as he had the worst +/- among Sixer starters in 3 of their 5 games and 2nd worst in the other 2. Plus/minus is an iffy stat, but not with results this consistent. Simmons was thoroughly outplayed by Tatum, a true rookie, during the series, by Rozier as our primary ballhandler, and arguably by Smart, a backup ballhandler.

Worse yet, he was exposed. Put a human wall up in front of him and he's no longer special. Secondly, his sloppy ballhandling was heavily responsible for the Sixers choking repeatedly at the end of games, a trend noticeable during the regular season when the Sixers were the worst among playoff teams in close games. IOW, not only can the kid not shoot beyond 10 feet, but his playmaking and judgment leave a lot to be desired.

He also had the 2nd best DRTG on his team (Tatum had the worst DRTG among the regular rotation on the Celtics).  Simmons TOV% was 25.8 and his AST% was 28.6 so about a 1.108 ratio (the last 3 games he had 4 turnovers in each game, it wasn't like he was cracking double digits here).  Tatum's ratio was only 1.161 (against the Cavs Tatum was 0.778 so god awful).  Horford's was worse than Simmons at 1.106.  Simmons as a primary ball handler (and a rookie no less) turned the ball over a lot.  Not surprising (I mean even the best player in the world had a 17.2 TOV% against Boston in the playoffs). 

Simmons, even with his 0-4 game, 1-2 from the line game, was 4th on the Sixers in TS% in the series.  You take out that game and his TS% was 55.3% or right inline with his season average of 55.7%. 

He obviously had a terrible +/-, but he had a terrible +/- against Boston in the regular season also.  Boston just isn't a very good matchup for him.  It doesn't mean he was exposed or played awful or any such nonsense.  It just means he has a bad matchup (I would argue it is because of the speed of the Boston PG's).  Against the much slower Dragic in the Miami series he played incredibly well with very strong +/- numbers. 

[Erik]

You keep mentioning TS%. His entire FG% consists of wide open dunks. Don't make him out to be Curry. He's a liability on offense and his defense isn't good enough to balance it. You think teams aren't going to know how to guard him after seeing the blueprint? He's exposed.

[Moranis]

You keep mentioning TS%. His entire FG% consists of wide open dunks. Don't make him out to be Curry. He's a liability on offense and his defense isn't good enough to balance it. You think teams aren't going to know how to guard him after seeing the blueprint? He's exposed.

You think they couldn't have seen those same games in the regular season when he was awful against Boston also.  It is just plain nonsense.