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Made the mistake of saying I wouldn't have slapped Chris but would've talked to him afterwards and had to sleep with one eye open
The Official Off-Season NBA Thread
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by pmatic,
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Jim looked washed again. Embiid, Book put on a show
I agree. Let's start with these three games.
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Wonder what the window will look like for y’all after he signs that extension
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Even with out injury, wouldn't take them over Nets, Bucks, Sixers or Heat in a 7 game series.
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Bucks look like the only sure things in the east
But still good series to be had by all
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The Blazers been doing a good tank job the past couple weeks, they been running their G League out there too
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I would honestly let him rest and recover all summer. Tobi might get moved for “better pieces” but if the team runs it back sans changes to the Green/Furk/Shake trio, PG Jim with Maxey taking another step and Tobi becoming the 19 ppg 3&D player, window is still open, a lil draft coming in
Maltese still needs to improve his shot and I guess getting rid of Milsapp and Jordan for Drummond lol
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I’d take them over the Heat. Only team where Tatum would be the best player on the court in a matchup
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I know the Blazers are sick form that mini-win streak after the CJ trade.The Blazers been doing a good tank job the past couple weeks, they been running their G League out there too
big j 33
Supporter
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The slap has dominanted my attention, but Kyrie still lame as hell.
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Is this what we're calling it now lmaoooooo?
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yea just looked at their roster. Yikes.The Blazers been doing a good tank job the past couple weeks, they been running their G League out there too
Trey Mann, Darius Bazley, and Theo Maledon would be the best player on POR if they got traded. Wonder what Presti gonna do to ensure this loss. Might have to shut down Maledon, he been out here having a couple 20+ games in a row.
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Joel Embiid unplugged: On the MVP, trusting Daryl Morey, his new partner James Harden and still having a ‘long way to go’
Joel Embiid is tired.
Another Sixers win, this time against the Lakers on March 23. Another 30-point, 10-rebound night. Another MVP campaign speech from the coach, Doc Rivers, with whom he survived the Ben Simmons saga that threatened their season — and sanity — along the way. And Embiid, whose gray sweats and white, long-sleeved shirt reflect a desire to decompress after his latest productive night at the office, is looking for a place to let his massive legs rest while we talk about it all.
“Can we sit?” he asks while scanning the hallway at Crypto.com Arena.
He posts up on the edge of a metal garbage can that’s nearby, and the comedic irony of his chosen seat is not lost on me. Embiid, the 28-year-old mountain of a man whose trash-talking skills are as renowned as his significant basketball ability, has created an art-imitating-life visual of his one-of-a-kind profile.
Welcome to trash talking, with Joel “Troel” Embiid. Literally. Except for one thing: With the Sixers on the verge of the playoffs, and with the James Harden arrival in the last month reviving the title hopes they’d all fought to hold onto during the six-month long stalemate with Simmons, Embiid isn’t in that kind of mood at the moment because, well, he knows how close this season came to being tossed away in the dumpster.
His shirt, a “Team Rock” get-up from his Under Armour partners that is part of Dwayne Johnson’s popular line, might say it best.
“Grind. Gratitude. Growth,” it reads.
Or the pants.
“Earn Greatness.”
Or, best of all, Embiid himself.
Yet just as we’re about to begin, there’s a man nearby who clearly knows Embiid personally and who jumps in to say hello. The brief delay — which is standard fare for these types of postgame discussions with players — is just long enough for an Embiid memory to come rushing back before we speak.
Back on Sept. 28, I’d reported that Simmons was not only done playing for the Sixers but also was done playing with Embiid. As I was told back then, their All-Star pairing had — in Simmons’ eyes — “run its course.” Embiid fired back in the media, sharing his opinion that the organization had bent to Simmons’ will in recent years while building the roster.
He highlighted the Jimmy Butler departure in the summer of 2021 that he said “was a mistake” and that was inspired, in large part, by the fact that Simmons “needed the ball in his hands.” When Simmons returned to the team but still wasn’t playing, Embiid said on Oct. 19 that “at the end of the day, our job is not to babysit somebody.”
But all in all, in between those rare soundbites about Simmons and all the uncertainty that surrounded them all, he focused on being the best player and leader that he could be while putting together a unique and special season that may well win him the league’s MVP award.
Embiid, who is hailed by his coaches and teammates alike for getting them through this challenging campaign, is one of two players averaging at least 29 points, 11 rebounds and four assists (Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is the other; Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP and fellow short-list candidate this season, is averaging 26.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists).
He has missed 13 games, with nine of them the result of a COVID battle early this season that he said was so serious he “really thought I wasn’t going to make it.” That alone, as he would later explain, is a reason for celebration after those early years when foot injuries robbed him of his first two seasons.
The Sixers, meanwhile, find themselves just a half game out of the top spot in the East with their 46-28 record. In terms of Embiid’s value, Philadelphia has a plus-7.5 net rating when he’s on the court and a minus-3.1 when he’s off (a 10.6-point swing).
Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
So before the game, Joel, (Sixers coach) Doc (Rivers) was talking about your MVP candidacy and the idea that the way you led this whole group during (the Simmons saga) should be a major factor. It made me wonder how you look back on it all. All season long. I’m watching you from the outside looking in and was really curious about how in the hell you kept your head. Seriously, how did you do it?
It was a tough situation to navigate and go through (with Simmons). Even to this day, I don’t have any hard feelings towards everything that happened. But being in my position, having to answer questions about that whole thing every single day, it was kind of draining. And I’m sure it was draining for my teammates. So the drama was pretty crazy, but my whole thing going into the season was to come in and try to be a better leader. In the past, I was trying to lead on the court, by my play, and I was never really focused on off the court and what I could bring to the table.
So, you know, I knew the situation we were in, and I didn’t know what was going to happen, so I had to make sure that I brought it off the court and on the court. On the court, just try to play at an even higher level than I did last year. The knock on me was last year that I wasn’t healthy enough. So to come back, take another step (with his play), and then also stay on the floor, that was a big goal for me. When you look at this year, sure it looks like I missed, what, 12 games or whatever. But nine of them were due to COVID and all that stuff. So I’m really happy, and I’m excited for myself.
Some pride there?
I’m extremely excited because I’ve come a long way from missing those first two years (and) really the first three years. (From) being on minute restrictions and all that stuff, to be able to really say that I could have played, you know, 70 to 80 games this season — it was hard to deal with. But you’ve got to do what you got to do. Be a leader, look at both sides (in the Simmons situation). I supported him (Simmons) throughout everything because I kind of understood the human side of it, too. But then again, you know, it’s a business.
Yes, it is…
We get paid to deliver on the court, so I can’t use that excuse and be like, ‘Well, we didn’t’ have our second-best player … so we should not have been as good as (this).’ You look at it, and before James got here we were still the third seed. But you know, I’ve got great teammates. It’s not about me. The coaches, they’ve been doing a fantastic job the whole season trying to make sure that everybody is on the same page. But I always say with basketball, I can’t win alone. I can’t win one on five. I need all my teammates, so it’s not about me. I think my teammates, the coaching staff, and even the front office deserve a lot of credit.
When it comes to Embiid’s relationship with the Sixers front office, the Cameroon native has had quite an eight-year run. He was drafted third overall out of Kansas in 2014 by Sam Hinkie during the “Trust the Process” experience, then played under Bryan Colangelo (before his ill-fated exit in June 201
, former Sixers coach Brett Brown (for just three months after Colangelo’s resignation), Elton Brand (who headed the front office from September 2018 to November 2020 and remains on board as the team’s general manager) and Daryl Morey (the former Houston executive who worked alongside Hinkie with the Rockets from 2007 to 2012 and was officially hired as president of basketball operations by the Sixers in early November 2020).
So on that point, help me understand some of the relationships with this group. I covered Houston a lot during the Harden years, and got to know Daryl really well, Tad (Brown, the former Rockets CEO who joined Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment as CEO in April and oversees the Sixers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils). I covered James and all those Rockets teams closely. But you don’t have history with any of them, I don’t believe, and all of a sudden these are extremely important people around you. It seems like you trusted them a lot all the way through. Is that the case? And if so, where did that come from?
Well, when we got Daryl, I didn’t know him at all. I just knew him obviously because he was the GM of the Rockets. I sat down with him when we got him, and we just had a conversation about what he thought — what were his goals? And after having a conversation — you know, I don’t do anything with my life other than family. That’s what I do (Embiid and his fiancé, supermodel Anne de Paula, have an 18-month-old son, Arthur). And just talking to (Morey, Embiid could tell) how smart he was and I kind of related to him. So from that first conversation…
Where were you when you had this sit-down?
It was actually one of the owner’s houses that I went to.
Michael’s?
Yes, (Sixers billionaire co-owner) Michael (Rubin). And then from that first conversation, I was (impressed). …He’s extremely smart. We just kept talking and talking and talking. And the thing that I liked was that it wasn’t about basketball. It was about life. Whether it’s crypto, or all the smart people stuff.
He got you on crypto, huh?
I’m not big on it. I don’t believe in it. I just like to learn a little bit about everything. Now, after that conversation, I just felt (confident). And then as the year went along, what he was able to do (was impressive). Where he fully gained my trust was…
A quick admission here, for the sake of context: When I pursued this interview with Embiid, I was very curious to learn more about the relationship between Embiid and Morey and the patience that the franchise centerpiece showed throughout this — wait for it — process of finding a trade for Simmons. This dynamic was front and center in mid-January, when he told reporters that there was “no urgency to change” the team and thus ensured that Morey didn’t lose any leverage with Simmons suitors.
At the time, there was skepticism from the Simmons camp that Embiid had truly been speaking for himself.
“Joel is Daryl, and Daryl is Joel,” one source had said back then.
From the outside looking in, that sort of synergy was counterintuitive. Especially considering Embiid’s history with injuries that, one could presume, made him hungrier than ever to maximize this moment when he was healthy.
Obviously the previous year, we had Al (Horford) and J-Rich (Josh Richardson) — great guys, but the team just didn’t fit. That’s why in the (Orlando) Bubble, we just couldn’t do anything.
Philadelphia was swept by Boston in the first round of the playoffs. A day after the Sixers season came to an end, Brown was fired after seven seasons as head coach. Rivers, who won the title with Boston in 2008 and had spent his previous seven seasons with the Clippers, was hired as his replacement six weeks later.
And then (Morey) just came in (a month later), obviously, and what we were missing was shooting. He went in and he got Seth Curry (in a deal with Dallas that sent Richardson and the 36th pick to the Mavericks) and then obviously from there it just looked like everything just all fit together. So I was like, ‘OK.’ We started playing well, and obviously you add that with the number one seed last year. And in the playoffs, if we all played at the level that we were supposed to, we should have at least gone to the conference finals.
Instead, of course, they fell to Atlanta in the seven-game East semifinals series that served as Simmons’ unofficial end in Philadelphia.
So that’s where the trust really came.
So what about the James aspect of all this? When did the idea of James being the guy next to you come along? He’s now an extremely important part of your story. And given his age (32), your age, what you guys have been through on your own, when did it start to be an idea? And did you like it right away? When did you start trusting that this was the right way to go?
Honestly, I didn’t know anything was going to happen, really, until it happened.
But it got close before (when the Sixers lost out to Brooklyn in the Harden sweepstakes with Houston and he was traded to the Nets on Jan. 14, 2021)….
Last year, it got close. I mean I heard a little bit obviously, from the outside, you know, what was going on. I don’t know how close it was, but just hearing from the outside…
I mean (Simmons’ camp) will tell you that Ben was shopping for houses in Houston…
I guess it got pretty close, then. So looking at that, then I still wasn’t expecting it. And then this year, when it actually happened, I was like, ‘Yo, this is crazy…’
But you had to tell them that you were good with it at some point, right?
I don’t really like to get in those conversations, because I don’t want to be responsible for, you know, choosing guys and not succeeding. … (But) when it did happen, ultimately, I was like, ‘You know what? That’s James Harden. We know what he’s done in the past.’
Did you know each other at all?
Not really. We obviously played against each other, and I always tried to talk trash to him during games when we played against each other. But I didn’t really know him. But from the time that we got him, I can see the excitement. I was just happy, because we had a big hole. And we replaced that hole with James Harden.
A bit of contractual bookkeeping for those who aren’t aware. While Harden can become a free agent this summer, he’s widely expected to stay put in some (expensive) form. He could opt-in for the 2022-23 season ($47.4 million) and add four more years by way of an extension for another $223 million. Or, as some asserted in those days leading up to the Nets-Sixers deal, Harden could sign for less than the max as a way of allowing Philly to add more talent and improve the Sixers’ title odds.
Spin it forward for me a little bit. You guys have had a few tough games since James arrived, but it’s been good overall. What’s your evaluation of this new thing?
We’ve got a long way to go.
In the 14 games in which Harden and Embiid have both played, the Sixers have gone 10-4 (with losses to Brooklyn, Denver, Toronto and Phoenix). While Embiid has been his MVP-caliber self in those games, Harden (22.4 points, 9.9 assists and 7.4 rebounds per) has struggled a bit from the field (41.5 percent shooting overall and 34.8 percent from 3 on 6.4 attempts).
Overall, though, the early results of the league’s newest dynamic duo have been elite. In 389 minutes in which the two have played together, the Sixers have a net rating of 13.8 (the Suns, for context, have a league-leading net rating of 8.5).
Does it feel like you can win it all this year?
We have a chance. But we’ve all got to play at the highest level possible. I’ve got to be as dominant as ever. Obviously (Harden) has to be extremely good too, whether it’s scoring the ball or setting up guys. Everybody else has got to come in together and believe in it and really buy-in. Tyrese (Maxey) has been great. Tobias (Harris) has been great. Matisse (Thybulle) has been great. Georges (Niang) and guys coming off the bench, they’ve been great. So I think it’s all about — even nights like tonight. I’m not happy about the way we played. Honestly, it should have been a blowout. We started off not good, didn’t get stops and didn’t do what we were supposed to do. It should have been a blowout, but it is what it is. And that’s why I say that we’ve got work to do.
Joel Embiid is tired.
Another Sixers win, this time against the Lakers on March 23. Another 30-point, 10-rebound night. Another MVP campaign speech from the coach, Doc Rivers, with whom he survived the Ben Simmons saga that threatened their season — and sanity — along the way. And Embiid, whose gray sweats and white, long-sleeved shirt reflect a desire to decompress after his latest productive night at the office, is looking for a place to let his massive legs rest while we talk about it all.
“Can we sit?” he asks while scanning the hallway at Crypto.com Arena.
He posts up on the edge of a metal garbage can that’s nearby, and the comedic irony of his chosen seat is not lost on me. Embiid, the 28-year-old mountain of a man whose trash-talking skills are as renowned as his significant basketball ability, has created an art-imitating-life visual of his one-of-a-kind profile.
Welcome to trash talking, with Joel “Troel” Embiid. Literally. Except for one thing: With the Sixers on the verge of the playoffs, and with the James Harden arrival in the last month reviving the title hopes they’d all fought to hold onto during the six-month long stalemate with Simmons, Embiid isn’t in that kind of mood at the moment because, well, he knows how close this season came to being tossed away in the dumpster.
His shirt, a “Team Rock” get-up from his Under Armour partners that is part of Dwayne Johnson’s popular line, might say it best.
“Grind. Gratitude. Growth,” it reads.
Or the pants.
“Earn Greatness.”
Or, best of all, Embiid himself.
Yet just as we’re about to begin, there’s a man nearby who clearly knows Embiid personally and who jumps in to say hello. The brief delay — which is standard fare for these types of postgame discussions with players — is just long enough for an Embiid memory to come rushing back before we speak.
Back on Sept. 28, I’d reported that Simmons was not only done playing for the Sixers but also was done playing with Embiid. As I was told back then, their All-Star pairing had — in Simmons’ eyes — “run its course.” Embiid fired back in the media, sharing his opinion that the organization had bent to Simmons’ will in recent years while building the roster.
He highlighted the Jimmy Butler departure in the summer of 2021 that he said “was a mistake” and that was inspired, in large part, by the fact that Simmons “needed the ball in his hands.” When Simmons returned to the team but still wasn’t playing, Embiid said on Oct. 19 that “at the end of the day, our job is not to babysit somebody.”
But all in all, in between those rare soundbites about Simmons and all the uncertainty that surrounded them all, he focused on being the best player and leader that he could be while putting together a unique and special season that may well win him the league’s MVP award.
Embiid, who is hailed by his coaches and teammates alike for getting them through this challenging campaign, is one of two players averaging at least 29 points, 11 rebounds and four assists (Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is the other; Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP and fellow short-list candidate this season, is averaging 26.3 points, 13.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists).
He has missed 13 games, with nine of them the result of a COVID battle early this season that he said was so serious he “really thought I wasn’t going to make it.” That alone, as he would later explain, is a reason for celebration after those early years when foot injuries robbed him of his first two seasons.
The Sixers, meanwhile, find themselves just a half game out of the top spot in the East with their 46-28 record. In terms of Embiid’s value, Philadelphia has a plus-7.5 net rating when he’s on the court and a minus-3.1 when he’s off (a 10.6-point swing).
Editor’s Note: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
So before the game, Joel, (Sixers coach) Doc (Rivers) was talking about your MVP candidacy and the idea that the way you led this whole group during (the Simmons saga) should be a major factor. It made me wonder how you look back on it all. All season long. I’m watching you from the outside looking in and was really curious about how in the hell you kept your head. Seriously, how did you do it?
It was a tough situation to navigate and go through (with Simmons). Even to this day, I don’t have any hard feelings towards everything that happened. But being in my position, having to answer questions about that whole thing every single day, it was kind of draining. And I’m sure it was draining for my teammates. So the drama was pretty crazy, but my whole thing going into the season was to come in and try to be a better leader. In the past, I was trying to lead on the court, by my play, and I was never really focused on off the court and what I could bring to the table.
So, you know, I knew the situation we were in, and I didn’t know what was going to happen, so I had to make sure that I brought it off the court and on the court. On the court, just try to play at an even higher level than I did last year. The knock on me was last year that I wasn’t healthy enough. So to come back, take another step (with his play), and then also stay on the floor, that was a big goal for me. When you look at this year, sure it looks like I missed, what, 12 games or whatever. But nine of them were due to COVID and all that stuff. So I’m really happy, and I’m excited for myself.
Some pride there?
I’m extremely excited because I’ve come a long way from missing those first two years (and) really the first three years. (From) being on minute restrictions and all that stuff, to be able to really say that I could have played, you know, 70 to 80 games this season — it was hard to deal with. But you’ve got to do what you got to do. Be a leader, look at both sides (in the Simmons situation). I supported him (Simmons) throughout everything because I kind of understood the human side of it, too. But then again, you know, it’s a business.
Yes, it is…
We get paid to deliver on the court, so I can’t use that excuse and be like, ‘Well, we didn’t’ have our second-best player … so we should not have been as good as (this).’ You look at it, and before James got here we were still the third seed. But you know, I’ve got great teammates. It’s not about me. The coaches, they’ve been doing a fantastic job the whole season trying to make sure that everybody is on the same page. But I always say with basketball, I can’t win alone. I can’t win one on five. I need all my teammates, so it’s not about me. I think my teammates, the coaching staff, and even the front office deserve a lot of credit.
When it comes to Embiid’s relationship with the Sixers front office, the Cameroon native has had quite an eight-year run. He was drafted third overall out of Kansas in 2014 by Sam Hinkie during the “Trust the Process” experience, then played under Bryan Colangelo (before his ill-fated exit in June 201
, former Sixers coach Brett Brown (for just three months after Colangelo’s resignation), Elton Brand (who headed the front office from September 2018 to November 2020 and remains on board as the team’s general manager) and Daryl Morey (the former Houston executive who worked alongside Hinkie with the Rockets from 2007 to 2012 and was officially hired as president of basketball operations by the Sixers in early November 2020).So on that point, help me understand some of the relationships with this group. I covered Houston a lot during the Harden years, and got to know Daryl really well, Tad (Brown, the former Rockets CEO who joined Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment as CEO in April and oversees the Sixers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils). I covered James and all those Rockets teams closely. But you don’t have history with any of them, I don’t believe, and all of a sudden these are extremely important people around you. It seems like you trusted them a lot all the way through. Is that the case? And if so, where did that come from?
Well, when we got Daryl, I didn’t know him at all. I just knew him obviously because he was the GM of the Rockets. I sat down with him when we got him, and we just had a conversation about what he thought — what were his goals? And after having a conversation — you know, I don’t do anything with my life other than family. That’s what I do (Embiid and his fiancé, supermodel Anne de Paula, have an 18-month-old son, Arthur). And just talking to (Morey, Embiid could tell) how smart he was and I kind of related to him. So from that first conversation…
Where were you when you had this sit-down?
It was actually one of the owner’s houses that I went to.
Michael’s?
Yes, (Sixers billionaire co-owner) Michael (Rubin). And then from that first conversation, I was (impressed). …He’s extremely smart. We just kept talking and talking and talking. And the thing that I liked was that it wasn’t about basketball. It was about life. Whether it’s crypto, or all the smart people stuff.
He got you on crypto, huh?
I’m not big on it. I don’t believe in it. I just like to learn a little bit about everything. Now, after that conversation, I just felt (confident). And then as the year went along, what he was able to do (was impressive). Where he fully gained my trust was…
A quick admission here, for the sake of context: When I pursued this interview with Embiid, I was very curious to learn more about the relationship between Embiid and Morey and the patience that the franchise centerpiece showed throughout this — wait for it — process of finding a trade for Simmons. This dynamic was front and center in mid-January, when he told reporters that there was “no urgency to change” the team and thus ensured that Morey didn’t lose any leverage with Simmons suitors.
At the time, there was skepticism from the Simmons camp that Embiid had truly been speaking for himself.
“Joel is Daryl, and Daryl is Joel,” one source had said back then.
From the outside looking in, that sort of synergy was counterintuitive. Especially considering Embiid’s history with injuries that, one could presume, made him hungrier than ever to maximize this moment when he was healthy.
Obviously the previous year, we had Al (Horford) and J-Rich (Josh Richardson) — great guys, but the team just didn’t fit. That’s why in the (Orlando) Bubble, we just couldn’t do anything.
Philadelphia was swept by Boston in the first round of the playoffs. A day after the Sixers season came to an end, Brown was fired after seven seasons as head coach. Rivers, who won the title with Boston in 2008 and had spent his previous seven seasons with the Clippers, was hired as his replacement six weeks later.
And then (Morey) just came in (a month later), obviously, and what we were missing was shooting. He went in and he got Seth Curry (in a deal with Dallas that sent Richardson and the 36th pick to the Mavericks) and then obviously from there it just looked like everything just all fit together. So I was like, ‘OK.’ We started playing well, and obviously you add that with the number one seed last year. And in the playoffs, if we all played at the level that we were supposed to, we should have at least gone to the conference finals.
Instead, of course, they fell to Atlanta in the seven-game East semifinals series that served as Simmons’ unofficial end in Philadelphia.
So that’s where the trust really came.
So what about the James aspect of all this? When did the idea of James being the guy next to you come along? He’s now an extremely important part of your story. And given his age (32), your age, what you guys have been through on your own, when did it start to be an idea? And did you like it right away? When did you start trusting that this was the right way to go?
Honestly, I didn’t know anything was going to happen, really, until it happened.
But it got close before (when the Sixers lost out to Brooklyn in the Harden sweepstakes with Houston and he was traded to the Nets on Jan. 14, 2021)….
Last year, it got close. I mean I heard a little bit obviously, from the outside, you know, what was going on. I don’t know how close it was, but just hearing from the outside…
I mean (Simmons’ camp) will tell you that Ben was shopping for houses in Houston…
I guess it got pretty close, then. So looking at that, then I still wasn’t expecting it. And then this year, when it actually happened, I was like, ‘Yo, this is crazy…’
But you had to tell them that you were good with it at some point, right?
I don’t really like to get in those conversations, because I don’t want to be responsible for, you know, choosing guys and not succeeding. … (But) when it did happen, ultimately, I was like, ‘You know what? That’s James Harden. We know what he’s done in the past.’
Did you know each other at all?
Not really. We obviously played against each other, and I always tried to talk trash to him during games when we played against each other. But I didn’t really know him. But from the time that we got him, I can see the excitement. I was just happy, because we had a big hole. And we replaced that hole with James Harden.
A bit of contractual bookkeeping for those who aren’t aware. While Harden can become a free agent this summer, he’s widely expected to stay put in some (expensive) form. He could opt-in for the 2022-23 season ($47.4 million) and add four more years by way of an extension for another $223 million. Or, as some asserted in those days leading up to the Nets-Sixers deal, Harden could sign for less than the max as a way of allowing Philly to add more talent and improve the Sixers’ title odds.
Spin it forward for me a little bit. You guys have had a few tough games since James arrived, but it’s been good overall. What’s your evaluation of this new thing?
We’ve got a long way to go.
In the 14 games in which Harden and Embiid have both played, the Sixers have gone 10-4 (with losses to Brooklyn, Denver, Toronto and Phoenix). While Embiid has been his MVP-caliber self in those games, Harden (22.4 points, 9.9 assists and 7.4 rebounds per) has struggled a bit from the field (41.5 percent shooting overall and 34.8 percent from 3 on 6.4 attempts).
Overall, though, the early results of the league’s newest dynamic duo have been elite. In 389 minutes in which the two have played together, the Sixers have a net rating of 13.8 (the Suns, for context, have a league-leading net rating of 8.5).
Does it feel like you can win it all this year?
We have a chance. But we’ve all got to play at the highest level possible. I’ve got to be as dominant as ever. Obviously (Harden) has to be extremely good too, whether it’s scoring the ball or setting up guys. Everybody else has got to come in together and believe in it and really buy-in. Tyrese (Maxey) has been great. Tobias (Harris) has been great. Matisse (Thybulle) has been great. Georges (Niang) and guys coming off the bench, they’ve been great. So I think it’s all about — even nights like tonight. I’m not happy about the way we played. Honestly, it should have been a blowout. We started off not good, didn’t get stops and didn’t do what we were supposed to do. It should have been a blowout, but it is what it is. And that’s why I say that we’ve got work to do.
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pmatic did you read last week's Reggie Jackson article. I saw a teaser for it I know he talk about his time in OKC and I believe how/why he has beef with Westbrook. Was mildly interested in that
Reggie Jackson unplugged: On his Clippers comeback tale, dominating the Lakers and his relationship with Russell Westbrook
The Clippers are going to be scary.
It won’t be this week, or in the Play-In Tournament that awaits them next month. But the day will come when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are back among the Western Conference elite again, with all that 3-and-D depth around them and coach Tyronn Lue directing their program deftly like he has these past two seasons. Yet when they all look back on the 2021-22 campaign, this under-the-radar season of success in which it was so important to keep the mood up and the organizational momentum intact, Reggie Jackson will go down as their MVP.
The non-Clippers-fan audience might find this statement confusing. Sure, the 31-year-old point guard looked like an All-Star on those viral clips of him toying with his old teammate, Russell Westbrook, when the Clippers embarrassed the Lakers on March 3.
And yes, his connection with Clipper Nation was easy to see on March 9, when bags full of his favorite snack, PB&J, were heaved into the stands whenever the fans chanted “Reg-gie” while he was at the free-throw line (even if the moment didn’t materialize until the end). But if all you saw was the Clippers’ record (36-36 entering Friday) and Jackson’s production (17.1 points, 4.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds per game), then the level of affection and appreciation that surrounds him might not make sense.
As he discussed with The Athletic recently, it’s about much more than that. Eleven seasons in, from being drafted 24th overall out of Boston College by Oklahoma City in 2011 to those years (reluctantly) backing up Westbrook with the Thunder to the injury-riddled Detroit days and this Clippers chapter that has inspired a new appreciation for his imperfect journey, there’s a sense from all involved that better basketball days are ahead. For Jackson, whose health struggles left him pondering early retirement after the Clippers’ ill-fated run inside the Orlando bubble in 2020, it’s as holistic a hoops experience as he has ever had.
“Thank you for saving me,” he told his teammates in an emotional postgame scene after the Clippers fell to Phoenix in the Conference Finals last season.
In a way, he’s spent these past six months trying to return the favor.
There’s still no clarity on when Leonard (torn ACL last July) or George (elbow injury suffered in mid-December) might return, but their future is bright. Again. And Jackson is thrilled to be a pivotal part of it.
I’ve seen your interviews where you talk about how special this Clippers experience has been, but was hoping to go just deeper there. You made your free-agency choice last summer (signing that two-year, $22 million deal) when you had a lot of other interest. It’s such a unique story and opportunity with Kawhi and PG out, so how gratifying has this whole thing been?
Honestly, the gratifying thing has been (being in) a similar role (compared to) Detroit at first — especially with people being out. It’s trying to be a leader with the way that we play, trying to establish a way we play each and every night — especially offensively. Make sure guys get the ball. We want to play free flowing and a way that’s fun. For myself, just watching the growth of the young guys and watching us older guys build continuity throughout the year, that’s been the gratifying thing. It’s fun, you know, with a challenge of unfortunately having our top two guys out (and) us being counted out by media expectations of what we were going to do this season.
It’s going through the journey with the team through our ups and downs of the season. That’s been the gratifying part of seeing our spirits, how we were a little shaky earlier with our belief at times, but through the wins, the losses, you can still feel our spirit. We truly believe that we’re gonna win each and every night that we go out there. And we believe that we’re gonna give our best effort. That’s the standard here with our culture. Being in my 11th season and while being in the moment to still be able to take a step back and reflect as we go along the journey (is key). I think that’s been something with the maturation throughout the years. I’m enjoying the right now with this group.
Hit the rewind button for me a little bit and go back to the Detroit ending. Every guy knows the runway is only so long in your career, and you try to make the most of it. To be in that situation where (after signing a five-year, $80 million extension with the Pistons in July 2015), you’re staring at a minimum coming out of Detroit. Where was your head?
Doing the buyout, honestly, I never wanted to do one. I’m a guy where when I sign up, I’m going to give you all I’ve got for that time. … Honestly, it was just about playing basketball. It was trying to find a spot to get healthy. When Paul (George, who Jackson has called his best friend) called me, it was that safety net and that feeling of comfort having somebody that I knew was going to have my back in the locker room and somebody who understood me. At the time, I felt like I was very misunderstood. I just needed somebody in my corner. My brother (Travis Jackson) thought it was one of the best moves, so just sitting down and talking to him as we evaluated everything. So I decided to sign, and then we had the unfortunate ending — the 3-1 loss that we had against the Nuggets. And then after that, honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’m gonna play basketball.
But my brother kind of talked some sense into me. It was a time during the pandemic where people unfortunately didn’t have jobs still. The job market was very brutal, so just the idea of coming back for another year and not knowing what was going on in the world and knowing I had some joy (for the game). Really, I came back with an idea that I was just going to enjoy waking up each and every day being around the game that I love. And honestly, I didn’t expect to even play. … I just thought I was going to probably be more of a mentor, a senior statesman role, trying to vie for a position if I can get on the court. I was going to be OK watching the development of the young guys, especially after developing the relationship in the bubble with guys like Terance Mann, Amir Coffey — post-bubble and before signing that minimum, again, it was more so about just coming back understanding the world landscape, the job market, people not really having an idea of what’s going on.
I still had love for (the game). … After how much the game has given to me, how it changed my life, changed the projection of my family’s lives for generations, and just the relationships I’ve built and the knowledge I gained through it, and learning life through basketball, I honestly just wanted to come back. for one, to be here with Paul to try to watch him on his journey and help guide (him), just to try to be a brother to him. I know he had a tough time in the bubble. So I wanted to be with him for another year. … And like I said, if I didn’t play, I really wanted to be here for guys like Amir and Terance. After getting to know them in the bubble, and after playing and working out with them, it reminded me of myself in my younger days. I started thinking about the Royal Iveys (from his Thunder days), (a veteran) who kind of took me under his wing. Even thought of myself in that role. So I’ve been blessed to still be able to play, to still have something in the tank. But that was my thinking as well, was just to give back to the game because the game gave back to me.
Very cool, man. Hey, listen, I know you guys are about to take off and I’ve got to make sure I ask you about this LA dynamic that I think is so entertaining. Admittedly, it’s hilarious to me how you lean into it. You guys have won 17 out of 23 against them in the last five years, as you know, and seven straight. Just give me a read of that room. Watching you have that game against Russ, and considering how much he has struggled and considering the history between you, I’m sitting there thinking back to you writing “SPG” on your sneakers and feeling like that (Thunder) organization didn’t believe in you the way you were hoping. Unpack all of that for me.
The long and sordid history between Jackson and Westbrook needs to be detailed for context here. As our Anthony Slater chronicled years ago, Jackson once wrote the letters “SPG” on his sneakers — Starting Point Guard — during his Thunder days as a sixth man because he believed he was a starter in this league. Never mind that the actual starter — Westbrook — was at the height of his point guard powers.
The move spoke volumes about how Jackson saw his situation, and likely expedited his ending in Oklahoma City. As he neared restricted free agency in 2015, and after failed extension talks that had come before, the Thunder’s trade with Cleveland for Dion Waiters lessened Jackson’s role even more and made it clear his next contract would need to come from elsewhere. A month later, he had been sent to Detroit.
Fast forward to March 29, 2016, when Jackson’s Pistons beat Westbrook’s Thunder 88-82 in Auburn Hills, and that personal history was front and center in much the same way it was when Jackson’s Clippers routed Westbrook’s Lakers on March 3.
“(Jackson) skipped and gyrated down the sidelines” after that Pistons win, as Slater wrote back then while covering the Thunder for The Oklahoman. “Hands in the air, he pleaded for more noise from the home fans. Then he turned to the visiting bench and shot a sly glance at his former teammates.”
Westbrook, to the surprise of no one, wasn’t having it.
“I thought it was some real ******** for our team and our organization,” Westbrook said. “I don’t like it at all. But it is what it is. We’ll see him down the line. We’ll take care of that when we get there.”
The March 3 game had a similar level of animosity — especially when it appeared that Westbrook tried to trip Jackson after his killer crossover midway through the fourth quarter.
Oh it was good (laughs). I kind of understood the moment once the yell and all that kind of happened (after that play), but it was more so frustration. People don’t understand how I felt. … Honestly, people had missed (what happened). I definitely feel like protecting my teammates at all times, and that’s what I’ve tried to do, so what had angered me was that people had missed how when (Clippers forward Marcus Morris’) big shot the game before (in a Clippers win over the Lakers on Dec. 3), (Westbrook) he had tried to trip him, and then Zu (Clippers big man Ivica Zubac) got tripped a play earlier so when I felt like (when he) tried to (trip him) I was pretty upset. That’s always been big brother, (and) letting all the emotion out, being excited.
But people don’t understand, like, I had a great time when I was in OKC. Russ was my biggest advocate. … I know when people (talk about) the ‘SPG’ thing, or things like that — I just wish we had dealt (with things) better as a team, as an organization. I thought we were highly talented. … It was just frustrating. At the time, even being young, I felt like I’d seen just how talented we were, so it was not really being able to deal with my emotions young. I feel like that helped paint a narrative of me young, but really my frustration was that I felt like I’d seen titles possibly in our future, but you could see them slipping away just from little minuscule things that we weren’t building, I felt, in the right way. So I definitely feel like I know I played a part in us not (reaching peak potential). That was more so my frustration when I was young because that was my vision when I first went to OKC.
So you’re almost leaving me feeling like you and Russ have an okay relationship these days. So what is that now?
No, nah. I mean I see him around. We play pick up and all (during the offseason). There’s no problem (laughs) — at all. I always wish him well, always tell him to tell his family what’s up for me. He was definitely — even though we were around the same age — he was definitely my vet, showing me the ropes, taking me around, making me comfortable. I think a lot of my aggression and my fire, and the way I play is because we’re all a product of our environment. So I also felt like I was raised under him as well. I’m always appreciative of Russ and thankful for all he’s done for me during my career. He raised me and showed me the ropes, especially preparing me for… what it was going to be like being a starter in the league and taking your lumps, the ups and downs and staying confident in yourself and even keel. I think a lot of that was from watching him and just getting to pick his brain and talk to him. But when we get out there and it’s time to compete, there’s no friends (laughs).
I know you guys want to make some noise in the playoffs this year, so I’m not trying to have you skip ahead. But if you look at next season, and you talk about having a healthy Paul, a healthy Kawhi, Ty Lue coaching his *** off, Norm Powell (who has been out since fracturing his foot in mid-February) part of this thing, (Robert) Covington and how deep the whole crew is, just how fired up are you for what that looks like next season?
Yeah, it is hard to look into the future and look too far into it. But if we’re healthy, it’s definitely something that constantly brings a smile to my face.
But you guys are planning to not have Kawhi and PG though, yeah? Do you have any clarity there?
I don’t have any at all. I just prepare every day like they’re coming back tomorrow. But I’m one of those people where I prepare for the worst and then hopefully the best (happens). I live in both worlds, so right now if they come back tomorrow and they become Supermen for us, then I don’t care what seed we get, we’re trying to win a championship. … I always believe we’re building something, and as long as you keep that mentality, then I think eventually we’ll be where we want to be.
The Clippers are going to be scary.
It won’t be this week, or in the Play-In Tournament that awaits them next month. But the day will come when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are back among the Western Conference elite again, with all that 3-and-D depth around them and coach Tyronn Lue directing their program deftly like he has these past two seasons. Yet when they all look back on the 2021-22 campaign, this under-the-radar season of success in which it was so important to keep the mood up and the organizational momentum intact, Reggie Jackson will go down as their MVP.
The non-Clippers-fan audience might find this statement confusing. Sure, the 31-year-old point guard looked like an All-Star on those viral clips of him toying with his old teammate, Russell Westbrook, when the Clippers embarrassed the Lakers on March 3.
And yes, his connection with Clipper Nation was easy to see on March 9, when bags full of his favorite snack, PB&J, were heaved into the stands whenever the fans chanted “Reg-gie” while he was at the free-throw line (even if the moment didn’t materialize until the end). But if all you saw was the Clippers’ record (36-36 entering Friday) and Jackson’s production (17.1 points, 4.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds per game), then the level of affection and appreciation that surrounds him might not make sense.
As he discussed with The Athletic recently, it’s about much more than that. Eleven seasons in, from being drafted 24th overall out of Boston College by Oklahoma City in 2011 to those years (reluctantly) backing up Westbrook with the Thunder to the injury-riddled Detroit days and this Clippers chapter that has inspired a new appreciation for his imperfect journey, there’s a sense from all involved that better basketball days are ahead. For Jackson, whose health struggles left him pondering early retirement after the Clippers’ ill-fated run inside the Orlando bubble in 2020, it’s as holistic a hoops experience as he has ever had.
“Thank you for saving me,” he told his teammates in an emotional postgame scene after the Clippers fell to Phoenix in the Conference Finals last season.
In a way, he’s spent these past six months trying to return the favor.
There’s still no clarity on when Leonard (torn ACL last July) or George (elbow injury suffered in mid-December) might return, but their future is bright. Again. And Jackson is thrilled to be a pivotal part of it.
I’ve seen your interviews where you talk about how special this Clippers experience has been, but was hoping to go just deeper there. You made your free-agency choice last summer (signing that two-year, $22 million deal) when you had a lot of other interest. It’s such a unique story and opportunity with Kawhi and PG out, so how gratifying has this whole thing been?
Honestly, the gratifying thing has been (being in) a similar role (compared to) Detroit at first — especially with people being out. It’s trying to be a leader with the way that we play, trying to establish a way we play each and every night — especially offensively. Make sure guys get the ball. We want to play free flowing and a way that’s fun. For myself, just watching the growth of the young guys and watching us older guys build continuity throughout the year, that’s been the gratifying thing. It’s fun, you know, with a challenge of unfortunately having our top two guys out (and) us being counted out by media expectations of what we were going to do this season.
It’s going through the journey with the team through our ups and downs of the season. That’s been the gratifying part of seeing our spirits, how we were a little shaky earlier with our belief at times, but through the wins, the losses, you can still feel our spirit. We truly believe that we’re gonna win each and every night that we go out there. And we believe that we’re gonna give our best effort. That’s the standard here with our culture. Being in my 11th season and while being in the moment to still be able to take a step back and reflect as we go along the journey (is key). I think that’s been something with the maturation throughout the years. I’m enjoying the right now with this group.
Hit the rewind button for me a little bit and go back to the Detroit ending. Every guy knows the runway is only so long in your career, and you try to make the most of it. To be in that situation where (after signing a five-year, $80 million extension with the Pistons in July 2015), you’re staring at a minimum coming out of Detroit. Where was your head?
Doing the buyout, honestly, I never wanted to do one. I’m a guy where when I sign up, I’m going to give you all I’ve got for that time. … Honestly, it was just about playing basketball. It was trying to find a spot to get healthy. When Paul (George, who Jackson has called his best friend) called me, it was that safety net and that feeling of comfort having somebody that I knew was going to have my back in the locker room and somebody who understood me. At the time, I felt like I was very misunderstood. I just needed somebody in my corner. My brother (Travis Jackson) thought it was one of the best moves, so just sitting down and talking to him as we evaluated everything. So I decided to sign, and then we had the unfortunate ending — the 3-1 loss that we had against the Nuggets. And then after that, honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’m gonna play basketball.
But my brother kind of talked some sense into me. It was a time during the pandemic where people unfortunately didn’t have jobs still. The job market was very brutal, so just the idea of coming back for another year and not knowing what was going on in the world and knowing I had some joy (for the game). Really, I came back with an idea that I was just going to enjoy waking up each and every day being around the game that I love. And honestly, I didn’t expect to even play. … I just thought I was going to probably be more of a mentor, a senior statesman role, trying to vie for a position if I can get on the court. I was going to be OK watching the development of the young guys, especially after developing the relationship in the bubble with guys like Terance Mann, Amir Coffey — post-bubble and before signing that minimum, again, it was more so about just coming back understanding the world landscape, the job market, people not really having an idea of what’s going on.
I still had love for (the game). … After how much the game has given to me, how it changed my life, changed the projection of my family’s lives for generations, and just the relationships I’ve built and the knowledge I gained through it, and learning life through basketball, I honestly just wanted to come back. for one, to be here with Paul to try to watch him on his journey and help guide (him), just to try to be a brother to him. I know he had a tough time in the bubble. So I wanted to be with him for another year. … And like I said, if I didn’t play, I really wanted to be here for guys like Amir and Terance. After getting to know them in the bubble, and after playing and working out with them, it reminded me of myself in my younger days. I started thinking about the Royal Iveys (from his Thunder days), (a veteran) who kind of took me under his wing. Even thought of myself in that role. So I’ve been blessed to still be able to play, to still have something in the tank. But that was my thinking as well, was just to give back to the game because the game gave back to me.
Very cool, man. Hey, listen, I know you guys are about to take off and I’ve got to make sure I ask you about this LA dynamic that I think is so entertaining. Admittedly, it’s hilarious to me how you lean into it. You guys have won 17 out of 23 against them in the last five years, as you know, and seven straight. Just give me a read of that room. Watching you have that game against Russ, and considering how much he has struggled and considering the history between you, I’m sitting there thinking back to you writing “SPG” on your sneakers and feeling like that (Thunder) organization didn’t believe in you the way you were hoping. Unpack all of that for me.
The long and sordid history between Jackson and Westbrook needs to be detailed for context here. As our Anthony Slater chronicled years ago, Jackson once wrote the letters “SPG” on his sneakers — Starting Point Guard — during his Thunder days as a sixth man because he believed he was a starter in this league. Never mind that the actual starter — Westbrook — was at the height of his point guard powers.
The move spoke volumes about how Jackson saw his situation, and likely expedited his ending in Oklahoma City. As he neared restricted free agency in 2015, and after failed extension talks that had come before, the Thunder’s trade with Cleveland for Dion Waiters lessened Jackson’s role even more and made it clear his next contract would need to come from elsewhere. A month later, he had been sent to Detroit.
Fast forward to March 29, 2016, when Jackson’s Pistons beat Westbrook’s Thunder 88-82 in Auburn Hills, and that personal history was front and center in much the same way it was when Jackson’s Clippers routed Westbrook’s Lakers on March 3.
“(Jackson) skipped and gyrated down the sidelines” after that Pistons win, as Slater wrote back then while covering the Thunder for The Oklahoman. “Hands in the air, he pleaded for more noise from the home fans. Then he turned to the visiting bench and shot a sly glance at his former teammates.”
Westbrook, to the surprise of no one, wasn’t having it.
“I thought it was some real ******** for our team and our organization,” Westbrook said. “I don’t like it at all. But it is what it is. We’ll see him down the line. We’ll take care of that when we get there.”
The March 3 game had a similar level of animosity — especially when it appeared that Westbrook tried to trip Jackson after his killer crossover midway through the fourth quarter.
Oh it was good (laughs). I kind of understood the moment once the yell and all that kind of happened (after that play), but it was more so frustration. People don’t understand how I felt. … Honestly, people had missed (what happened). I definitely feel like protecting my teammates at all times, and that’s what I’ve tried to do, so what had angered me was that people had missed how when (Clippers forward Marcus Morris’) big shot the game before (in a Clippers win over the Lakers on Dec. 3), (Westbrook) he had tried to trip him, and then Zu (Clippers big man Ivica Zubac) got tripped a play earlier so when I felt like (when he) tried to (trip him) I was pretty upset. That’s always been big brother, (and) letting all the emotion out, being excited.
But people don’t understand, like, I had a great time when I was in OKC. Russ was my biggest advocate. … I know when people (talk about) the ‘SPG’ thing, or things like that — I just wish we had dealt (with things) better as a team, as an organization. I thought we were highly talented. … It was just frustrating. At the time, even being young, I felt like I’d seen just how talented we were, so it was not really being able to deal with my emotions young. I feel like that helped paint a narrative of me young, but really my frustration was that I felt like I’d seen titles possibly in our future, but you could see them slipping away just from little minuscule things that we weren’t building, I felt, in the right way. So I definitely feel like I know I played a part in us not (reaching peak potential). That was more so my frustration when I was young because that was my vision when I first went to OKC.
So you’re almost leaving me feeling like you and Russ have an okay relationship these days. So what is that now?
No, nah. I mean I see him around. We play pick up and all (during the offseason). There’s no problem (laughs) — at all. I always wish him well, always tell him to tell his family what’s up for me. He was definitely — even though we were around the same age — he was definitely my vet, showing me the ropes, taking me around, making me comfortable. I think a lot of my aggression and my fire, and the way I play is because we’re all a product of our environment. So I also felt like I was raised under him as well. I’m always appreciative of Russ and thankful for all he’s done for me during my career. He raised me and showed me the ropes, especially preparing me for… what it was going to be like being a starter in the league and taking your lumps, the ups and downs and staying confident in yourself and even keel. I think a lot of that was from watching him and just getting to pick his brain and talk to him. But when we get out there and it’s time to compete, there’s no friends (laughs).
I know you guys want to make some noise in the playoffs this year, so I’m not trying to have you skip ahead. But if you look at next season, and you talk about having a healthy Paul, a healthy Kawhi, Ty Lue coaching his *** off, Norm Powell (who has been out since fracturing his foot in mid-February) part of this thing, (Robert) Covington and how deep the whole crew is, just how fired up are you for what that looks like next season?
Yeah, it is hard to look into the future and look too far into it. But if we’re healthy, it’s definitely something that constantly brings a smile to my face.
But you guys are planning to not have Kawhi and PG though, yeah? Do you have any clarity there?
I don’t have any at all. I just prepare every day like they’re coming back tomorrow. But I’m one of those people where I prepare for the worst and then hopefully the best (happens). I live in both worlds, so right now if they come back tomorrow and they become Supermen for us, then I don’t care what seed we get, we’re trying to win a championship. … I always believe we’re building something, and as long as you keep that mentality, then I think eventually we’ll be where we want to be.
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More time to build his Legos.
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CP3 with a masterful performance against an actual good team. Payne with 5 and 3 to help the squad.
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Hmm, I wonder what Tobias would get you
If y'all didn't come up on Maxey I feel like y'all be in a world of hurt. He's found gold for real
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