2023-24 Team Developments: Trades / Free Agents / News / Rumors / Ideas

Absolutely we have a squad don’t gut the team

 

LOL … EFF him too!!!!!

 

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2023/8/14/23832146/james-harden-daryl-morey-76ers-drama

really annoyed that i'm defending harden in this, but man, morey's media tendrils piss me off. this whole piece is clearly written to paint morey in a positive light.

uh, because it was already obvious by then that morey wasn't going to honor it? all it would have taken was a slight tone shift--anyone who's lived in the world knows you get a sense when someone has changed the way they're talking/thinking about something. could be something as simple as harden's agent being like "you're still factoring in james's 50 million into your cap plans next year, right?" and morey being non-commital.

this is what i mean:

i promise harden didn't take a 14 million dollar haircut to have some sort of guardrails like this put on the restitution. my a**, man. morey said he'd make him whole on the next contract and didn't say boo about "if we win the title" or some b*******. shut up.

yeah, morey's a real stickler for the rules all of a sudden.

yes, it does suggest he's been misled! love that second to last line, too, as if morey himself just dictated it to o'connor, right down to using the word "could" when he knows they won't.

and i didn't plan to quote the whole thing, but it's just obvious at every turn. here's morey threatening harden:

now, he's like, i'll tell daddy silver on you!

problem is that harden will just come in and play lazy. you can't get in trouble for not trying hard. best part is morey knew this about harden the whole time! lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas.

then it's "baby, come back, please"

morey's desperate. he's hoping for another simmons situation (though that's how he ended up here, ironically), but that's unlikely.

he finishes with a suggestion of firing his agent. that's rich, man. you know what you did.

morey really bungled this one; huge miscalculation with someone he should have known better.

 

I think they'll move him sooner than later because Harden creating a toxic environment throughout the season will be worse than whatever they can get for him -- expirings, maybe a cheap young player, and a little pick compensation.

Two pieces of the pro-Morey narrative that don't add up: 1) Harden can't phone it in, he needs to show out this season to get that next and final contract. He doesn't. Anyone dumb enough to pay him will do that even if he tanks in Philly all year. Harden is who he is, I don't think this year will impact that at all for anyone willing to pay him. You know who you're getting in bed with. 2) if Harden doesn't play, the CBA protects the Sixers and he won't be able to be a FA next year. That doesn't benefit the 6ers. They're in position to have over $70m in spending power next year, they're not going to want Harden's money on the books next year (Larsuel pointed this out on Irwin's pod and confirmed I wasn't going crazy in not seeing how that benefit them with an expiring player on a team looking to be a FA spender).

Is Morey really going to waste a year of MVP level Embiid who's on the verge of wanting out himself? You should be able to sell him on a 4 for 2 deal that'll keep you in the mix for year and that you'll hit a homerun for him next summer. Siakam and DeRozan?

For those purposes, a Harden + Tucker for Mann, Covington, Morris, and Batum (+ some 2nds) deal is fine. Sure on paper Harden is worth more but no team is going to trade for a Harden rental. When you factor in all the Harden-ness to it, that's a fine deal.

Why is Mann even a fake sticking point? Where is he getting minutes? If they get Harden, here's the guard rotation: Harden, Westbrook, Powell, Martin, Hyland. George and Kawhi can also eat minutes at SG.

For Philly, this would be their rotation:
Embiid/Mo/Trezz
Morris/Batum/Covington
Harris/House
Mann/Melton
Maxey/Human Feces

That's not better than the Bucks, C Bags, Heat (with Dame) but I think they're squarely in the mix with the rest.

 

The truth eventually comes out, but it's clear who the classier person is at this point.

 

Not all of them*

Couple of them will just be traveling to and from the couch

 

Wholeheartedly disagree. That combined with their number of games of 3 in 4 nights will be very beneficial for Load managed stars.

 

What ever happened to the "calcified quad' .... was that really a thing with Snake? More interesting than a run of the mill "knee" thing.

 

The NBA may launch an investigation into Harden's situation. If it is proven that the player was promised a "maximum wage", action against the Sixers can be taken


Insider Mark Stein has shared information that the League may launch an investigation into the situation of point guard James Harden and Philadelphia.

“The league is being called to reinvestigate Philadelphia to try to find out what Maury allegedly lied to Harden about.

If Harden is implying that the Sixers made some sort of contractual promise last summer—which the team vehemently denies—then they will certainly face disciplinary action from the league.

If Harden claims that Maury promised to trade him at the end of June after Harden took a player option for next season for 35.6 million, and then reneged on this promise, then this is not a violation of league rules, even if it is true. , - writes an insider.

 

yeah, i think the real sticking point is, yet again, morey's ego. he'll take another shot at a declining asset with a big name before biting the bullet on a financial flexibility deal.

again, i side with portland management on dame because he signed an extension. i side with harden over philly because he took a paycut.

o'connor and morey will have me believe harden's just a dolt, but i don't think so. i'm president of the harden haterz club, but he's not dumb, man.

oh, they won't be able to prove anything, because morey--as much as i hate him, too--also isn't an idiot.

this is a case of two shrewd operators who found their match in so many ways, imo. it would always end like this, with one trying to get over on the other and using the press in different ways to win the war.

i actually love it because i don't like either guy. i just happen to think harden is right in terms of who broke the code here.

 

A few years ago everyone was talking that Mauri is some kind of math genius ,in fact he's just some crook and big fat liar

 

My hope is that it leads to Embid asking out.

 

doesn’t matter if you are a math genius, doctor, lawyer or priest. A human being is always capable of rationalizing if need be. And most of the time, when a person rationalizes, they usually will rationalize in their own best interest regardless of the situation and ethics.

 

Why? Let him suffer in Philadelphia, guy is a d***.