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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
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  3.  <title>Liberty Ballers -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>Honestly have no idea what we’re arguing about anymore.</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50717/lb-fav.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2025-04-17T12:27:49-04:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.libertyballers.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2025-04-17T12:27:49-04:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2025-04-17T12:27:49-04:00</updated>
  12.    <title>Report: Departing Kings GM Monte McNair has ‘possible prospects’ in Philadelphia</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="Sacramento Kings Draft Press Conference" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5f8oXaxW_67IrLx7dXt5y8-VkAc=/0x0:5131x3421/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74028907/2159738276.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;Could Monte McNair join former co-worker Daryl Morey with the Sixers?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="a73k7t"&gt;The 2024-25 NBA regular season is over, the Play-In Tournament is underway, and the playoffs loom this weekend. Believe it or not, the &lt;a href="https://www.libertyballers.com"&gt;Philadelphia 76ers&lt;/a&gt; were not the only organization dissatisfied with how the season went. After losing the 9-vs-10 Play-In Tournament game to the &lt;a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com"&gt;Dallas Mavericks&lt;/a&gt; Wednesday night, the Sacramento Kings parted ways with general manager Monte McNair.&lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="28WGbL"&gt;Per &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6286283/2025/04/17/kings-general-manager-monte-mcnair-fired/?source=bsky_hq"&gt;reporting from Sam Amick and Anthony Slater for The Athletic&lt;/a&gt;, McNair is someone who could be in the Sixers’ future:&lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="AE4z5E"&gt;“League sources say McNair, who spent 13 years in Houston before joining the Kings, could return to the Rockets in a front office role with general manager, and close friend and former co-worker, Rafael Stone. He also has close ties and possible prospects in Philadelphia, where former Rockets president of basketball operations Daryl Morey runs the Sixers front office.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="ZGCq0R"&gt;While Daryl Morey went on the record during end-of-season availability stating he and head coach Nick Nurse would be returning, we did hear recently from &lt;a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-intel-pelicans-suns-kings-nuggets-and-76ers-front-office-and-coaching-changes/"&gt;Michael Scotto at HoopsHype&lt;/a&gt; to expect some new faces among the coaching staff:&lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="RuVvC2"&gt;“While Daryl Morey publicly stated he and coach Nick Nurse are both returning to Philadelphia next season, there’s an expectation that Nurse’s assistant coaching staff will see changes this offseason, league sources told HoopsHype.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  25. &lt;p id="pUKDkm"&gt;Certainly, that same ‘we need to change things up at least a little bit’ mentality would extend to the front office, which brings us back to McNair. Just two years ago, McNair won NBA Executive of the Year after the Kings made the playoffs for the first time since the 2005-06 season. One of his first moves was drafting Tyrese Haliburton at 12th overall, a home run of a value. The following year, however, he would draft Davion Mitchell with the ninth overall pick, who later wound up being traded away with draft capital as a salary dump. &lt;/p&gt;
  26. &lt;p id="C1trVN"&gt;Sacramento later traded Haliburton to Indiana for Domantas Sabonis and then De’Aaron Fox this past trade deadline to San Antonio as part of a three-team deal. Charitably, we could stretch and call these ‘win-win’ deals, but I think more people would side with Sacramento’s trading partners getting the better end of things. Regardless, the Kings look to be spinning their wheels and are much further away from contention than they were a few years ago.&lt;/p&gt;
  27. &lt;p id="eTknao"&gt;Still, as a long-time, respected executive, bringing McNair into the Sixers organization in a less high-profile role could certainly pay dividends. I’d be in on a buy low of Keegan Murray if McNair could open up that avenue of communications. We’ll see if anything comes of this reporting nugget in the coming weeks this offseason.&lt;/p&gt;
  28.  
  29. </content>
  30.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/17/24410540/report-departing-sacramento-kings-gm-monte-mcnair-has-possible-prospects-in-philadelphia-76ers-nba"/>
  31.    <id>https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/17/24410540/report-departing-sacramento-kings-gm-monte-mcnair-has-possible-prospects-in-philadelphia-76ers-nba</id>
  32.    <author>
  33.      <name>Sean Kennedy</name>
  34.    </author>
  35.  </entry>
  36.  <entry>
  37.    <published>2025-04-17T10:17:14-04:00</published>
  38.    <updated>2025-04-17T10:17:14-04:00</updated>
  39.    <title>Sixers offseason mailbag: So… what now?</title>
  40.    <content type="html">  
  41.  
  42.    &lt;figure&gt;
  43.      &lt;img alt="Tyrese Maxey Press Conference" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/r4ymkHekaIQa_vKBm1Mgh1vqch0=/0x0:8267x5511/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74028609/2162572848.0.jpg" /&gt;
  44.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  45.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  46.  
  47.  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Sixers plan to get “younger” and “more dynamic” this offseason. What questions do you have about that plan?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="OB3jtI"&gt;At long last, the &lt;a href="https://www.libertyballers.com"&gt;Sixers&lt;/a&gt;’ lost 2024-25 campaign is over. The good news is that team president Daryl Morey appears to have learned a valuable lesson from this dumpster fire of a season.&lt;/p&gt;
  48. &lt;p id="sovYRS"&gt;“I was very focused on finding veteran-type players who generally perform very well in the playoffs, and I didn’t put enough emphasis on the team getting through the regular season,” Morey said at &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvpWmMsgmKw"&gt;his end-of-season press conference&lt;/a&gt; Sunday. “So next season, for sure, we will be a younger, more dynamic group.”&lt;/p&gt;
  49. &lt;p id="ahWk6q"&gt;Head coach Nick Nurse also seems to be on board with that plan, which bodes well for his and Morey’s ability &lt;a href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/15/24405898/sixers-nick-nurse-daryl-morey-denver-nuggets-michael-malone-calvin-booth"&gt;not to be the next Michael Malone and Calvin Booth&lt;/a&gt;. It’s one thing to say that heading into the offseason, though. Given Nurse’s history of preferring veterans over young players—including at the beginning of this season—the jury remains out on whether this late-season experience genuinely did cause Morey and Nurse to see the light.&lt;/p&gt;
  50. &lt;p id="1q87F7"&gt;Now that we know the Sixers’ general offseason strategy/direction, what questions do you have about how they move forward? Drop them in the comments section below or send them to me on Bluesky &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/btoporek.bsky.social"&gt;(@btoporek.bsky.social&lt;/a&gt;) and I’ll answer as many as I can tomorrow.&lt;/p&gt;
  51. &lt;p id="njnj0T"&gt;In the meantime, enjoy the Chicago Bulls’ continued march toward becoming the late-2000s Sixers.&lt;/p&gt;
  52.  
  53. </content>
  54.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/17/24409543/sixers-offseason-mailbag-so-what-now"/>
  55.    <id>https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/17/24409543/sixers-offseason-mailbag-so-what-now</id>
  56.    <author>
  57.      <name>Bryan Toporek</name>
  58.    </author>
  59.  </entry>
  60.  <entry>
  61.    <published>2025-04-16T14:24:17-04:00</published>
  62.    <updated>2025-04-16T14:24:17-04:00</updated>
  63.    <title>Mavericks GM Nico Harrison ‘valued Caleb [Martin] more’ than Quentin Grimes</title>
  64.    <content type="html">  
  65.  
  66.    &lt;figure&gt;
  67.      &lt;img alt="Los Angeles Lakers v Dallas Mavericks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/34eNR5dZVtzfnlzSU2T8FS9rtds=/0x0:4497x2998/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74027202/2209460134.0.jpg" /&gt;
  68.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  69.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  70.  
  71.  &lt;p&gt;Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison met with select media this week and doubled-down on his decision to trade Quentin Grimes to Philadelphia for Caleb Martin.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="EaJwz9"&gt;The only NBA fandom that has had a worse year than those that care about the &lt;a href="https://www.libertyballers.com"&gt;Philadelphia 76ers&lt;/a&gt; is that of the &lt;a href="https://www.mavsmoneyball.com"&gt;Dallas Mavericks&lt;/a&gt; — and with every passing day, the organization seems to twist the knife in further. &lt;/p&gt;
  72. &lt;p id="XrUADo"&gt;Mavericks president of basketball operations and general manager Nico Harrison emerged from the shadows to speak to the media this week for just the second time since trading away Luka Doncic to the &lt;a href="https://www.silverscreenandroll.com"&gt;Los Angeles Lakers&lt;/a&gt; in the middle of the night on Feb. 1. &lt;/p&gt;
  73. &lt;p id="sOdO4T"&gt;And in that spirit of complete transparency, Harrison held the meeting with select media members and stipulated that no cameras or recording devices would be allowed. Because that’s normal. &lt;/p&gt;
  74. &lt;p id="ht6LDS"&gt;I’m not sure that limiting the media or the recording of it helped in any way, as the &lt;a href="https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports/nba/mavericks/dallas-mavericks-gm-nico-harrison-speaks-meeting-full-transcript/287-d627c699-1ffe-416f-8532-f6c47e696f2d"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;full transcript of the meeting&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; reveals Harrison’s comments and replies to reporters questions that somehow continue to make things look even worse on behalf of the organization. Such highlights include doubling-down on his February blockbuster, with Harrison stating “there’s no regrets on the trade”.&lt;/p&gt;
  75. &lt;p id="elgOHN"&gt;The full transcript is long but wildly entertaining, for what it’s worth. Well, it’s entertaining as long as Harrison isn’t the general manager of the team you love and support.&lt;/p&gt;
  76. &lt;p id="mdZCcm"&gt;But what does any of it have to do with the Sixers? Not much! So let’s focus on the other trade the Mavericks made that garnered less attention on the outset, but is looking like another extremely questionable move from Harrison — Caleb Martin for Quentin Grimes. &lt;/p&gt;
  77. &lt;p id="wSX6Rv"&gt;Just a few days after the league-shocking Doncic trade, the Mavericks acquired Martin from the Sixers and, in return, sent Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round pick to Philadelphia. At Tuesday’s meeting, Harrison was asked about the move. &lt;/p&gt;
  78. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  79. &lt;p id="AlQ5BG"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tim Cato, DLLS: &lt;/strong&gt;Nico, you didn’t speak following the trade deadline, having addressed the Quentin Grimes trade. I think I understand loosely why that trade was made. You guys did not feel that you were going to retain Quentin Grimes as he went into free agency. Why was a draft pick attached to that trade, and what were the logic behind the negotiations of that deal in general?&lt;/p&gt;
  80. &lt;p id="ka0jo5"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nico Harrison&lt;/strong&gt;: Well, it was really about getting Caleb Martin. It was less about Grimes. We, obviously, we traded for Grimes, and we got a good look at Grimes. Great player. I think it worked out for both teams. It worked out for him. He’s a free agent situation, so we got to go to a team where he could shoot all the balls and really display his offense. And for us, we weren’t interested in that. We were interested in how he could help us win games. And we had the opportunity to get Caleb, which the opportunity only afford itself because Anthony Davis, he gave us that ability, because he had a trade clause, a trade kicker, and he opted out of that. And so that gave us the room to be able to do that.&lt;/p&gt;
  81. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  82. &lt;p id="ORBQsl"&gt;(Am I supposed to be able to take the phrase “he could shoot all the balls” seriously?)&lt;/p&gt;
  83. &lt;p id="H0PZ47"&gt;Well, shoot all the balls, Grimes did! He played 28 games for the Sixers, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per contest shooting 46.9% from the floor and 37.3% from long range. And that’s all while no stat line is going to show the other things Grimes did for Philadelphia, including keeping the Sixers afloat physically and mentally throughout the final weeks of the season, practically single-handedly.&lt;/p&gt;
  84. &lt;p id="D7rpmi"&gt;Martin, meanwhile, played in just 14 contests for the Mavericks, averaging 5.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists shooting 38.9% from the floor and 25.0% from three-point range. At the time of the trade, Martin had missed the previous dozen games for the Sixers due to a hip injury that ultimately kept him sidelined another whole month before taking the floor for Dallas.&lt;/p&gt;
  85. &lt;p id="xewyFM"&gt;When pressed further about the specifics of the trade, especially the Mavericks’ decision to give up what is now a high-value 2025 second-rounder in addition to Grimes, Harrison didn’t mince words. &lt;/p&gt;
  86. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  87. &lt;p id="OHpUsE"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tim Cato, DLLS&lt;/strong&gt;: “The perception is that Grimes is a younger, better player than Caleb Martin. Maybe you disagree, but why was a second-round pick, a valuable second round pick attached to that deal?”&lt;/p&gt;
  88. &lt;p id="jblnLd"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Nico Harrison: “&lt;/strong&gt;Well, if you don’t like Caleb, then you’re not going to like the trade. But we valued Caleb more so, and we also got a second-round pick back.”&lt;/p&gt;
  89. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  90. &lt;p id="NmEl4I"&gt;Alright then. &lt;/p&gt;
  91. &lt;p id="FxYol2"&gt;First, let’s get it out of the way that the second-round pick that the Mavericks got “back” was not originally in the trade deal at all. That concession was made only after there were concerns with Martin’s hip after his physical for his new team. The original deal that Harrison was happy to take was simply getting Martin in return for Grimes and the 2025 second, so I’m not sure Harrison should even get credit for the pick added later. Plus, that second-rounder the Sixers coughed up for Dallas to take Martin is their own for 2030 — where in the draft order that 2030 second-rounder will ultimately fall is completely up in the air as well. &lt;/p&gt;
  92. &lt;p id="AvqBcz"&gt;The 2025 second they sent to Philadelphia, however, has settled at 35th overall — just five picks into the later round. Second-round players do not always pan out well in the league, but it is a high-value pick with big potential that the Sixers got out of the deal. &lt;/p&gt;
  93. &lt;p id="gMiss2"&gt;To recap: the Mavericks traded away the better, younger player in Grimes and a valuable second-rounder for a struggling, hobbled Martin that is on a contract that doesn’t expire until after the 2027-28 season (with a player option for that final season) and a 2030 second-rounder that could end up being the last overall pick in that draft. &lt;/p&gt;
  94. &lt;p id="wsVu2r"&gt;The Sixers not only got Grimes for the latter half of this season, but will have a chance to keep Grimes around as he is due to be a restricted free agent, giving Philadelphia the chance to match any offer sheet he may sign with another team to retain him. &lt;/p&gt;
  95. &lt;p id="wFwzmR"&gt;All because Harrison “valued” Martin more... OK then. Well, on behalf of the Sixers, thanks, Nico! &lt;/p&gt;
  96. &lt;p id="Si2yAF"&gt;Daryl Morey (and all other general managers) should really send Harrison a fruit basket, because he’s making them all look better by comparison. &lt;/p&gt;
  97.  
  98. </content>
  99.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/16/24409870/dallas-mavericks-philadelphia-sixers-luka-doncic-nico-harrison-quentin-grimes-caleb-martin"/>
  100.    <id>https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/16/24409870/dallas-mavericks-philadelphia-sixers-luka-doncic-nico-harrison-quentin-grimes-caleb-martin</id>
  101.    <author>
  102.      <name>Erin Grugan</name>
  103.    </author>
  104.  </entry>
  105.  <entry>
  106.    <published>2025-04-16T12:15:00-04:00</published>
  107.    <updated>2025-04-16T12:15:00-04:00</updated>
  108.    <title>Editor-in-chief: Let’s try to let the healing begin</title>
  109.    <content type="html">  
  110.  
  111.    &lt;figure&gt;
  112.      &lt;img alt="Chicago Bulls v Philadelphia 76ers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ssG7QtZ2ND9l9DQeb8mHhBDGsUk=/0x0:7448x4965/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74026898/2209561391.0.jpg" /&gt;
  113.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  114.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  115.  
  116.  &lt;p&gt;A lot of you are understandably still reeling from this past season and concerned about what the future holds. Let’s get into your questions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="GErsYQ"&gt;This was a rough season. I can feel the pain through the comments section of the mailbag.&lt;/p&gt;
  117. &lt;p id="lDyfGi"&gt;What started as a prompt for questions quickly devolved into a group therapy session. Trust me, it was a rough year for all of us. Answering your questions has actually been cathartic.&lt;/p&gt;
  118. &lt;p id="nOVhNo"&gt;Anyways, let’s dive into the questions you did present.&lt;/p&gt;
  119. &lt;div id="aOpNTa"&gt;
  120. &lt;div class="coral-comment-embed coral-comment-embed-simple" style="background-color: #f4f7f7; padding: 8px; position: relative" data-commentid="c7bc6021-4ad5-404e-a966-ce71b76710aa" data-allowreplies="true"&gt;
  121.  &lt;a target="_blank" style="position: absolute; z-index: 0; top: 0; bottom: 0; left: 0; right: 0" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/15/24408882/editor-in-chief-mailbag-at-last-its-finally-over?commentID=c7bc6021-4ad5-404e-a966-ce71b76710aa"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  122.  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 8px"&gt;archneme&lt;/div&gt;
  123.  &lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Should the NBA not allow teams to improve their positioning via lottery more than once or twice in a 5 year period?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  124. &lt;/div&gt;
  125. &lt;/div&gt;
  126. &lt;p id="ABJUsZ"&gt;It’s an interesting thought. This season featured some of the most brazen tanking efforts the NBA has seen. &lt;/p&gt;
  127. &lt;p id="cpa6Yf"&gt;I think the trouble with your proposed idea is how exactly you enforce it. What Sam Hinkie and Sam Presti did can’t really be combatted ... short of the league forcing a team to take on a couple Colangelos. A lot of teams, especially in smaller markets, have trouble luring free agents of all kinds. I’m not sure how you can force them into building competitive rosters, outside of maybe raising the salary floor, but even that’s not a deterrent as teams can simply take on bad contracts.&lt;/p&gt;
  128. &lt;p id="MVJ6Pk"&gt;But that’s not to pick on your idea. None of the ideas the league has tried have worked and I haven’t heard anyone propose anything that makes sense. &lt;/p&gt;
  129. &lt;p id="MqTF4W"&gt;Adam Silver installing the Colangelos set the &lt;a href="https://www.libertyballers.com"&gt;Sixers&lt;/a&gt; back. Bryan Colangelo squandered most of the assets Hinkie had accumulated. It was only the star power of Joel Embiid that kept the team on a positive trajectory. Flattened lottery odds, player participation policy — none of it has stopped teams from trying to improve their lottery odds. And when you have a team like the Thunder looking like a juggernaut, why would a franchise not look to replicate that?&lt;/p&gt;
  130. &lt;p id="6RsG3b"&gt;I’m not sure what the solution is, but the league will likely implement more measures to try to stifle tanking. &lt;/p&gt;
  131. &lt;div id="YZTciE"&gt;
  132. &lt;div class="coral-comment-embed coral-comment-embed-simple" style="background-color: #f4f7f7; padding: 8px; position: relative" data-commentid="8b5b0ade-e399-4e45-b037-68b4e0dfa62a" data-allowreplies="true"&gt;
  133.  &lt;a target="_blank" style="position: absolute; z-index: 0; top: 0; bottom: 0; left: 0; right: 0" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/15/24408882/editor-in-chief-mailbag-at-last-its-finally-over?commentID=8b5b0ade-e399-4e45-b037-68b4e0dfa62a"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  134.  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 8px"&gt;noahflax&lt;/div&gt;
  135.  &lt;div&gt;
  136. &lt;div&gt;What effect would the conveyance of the pick to OKC have on next years's Sixers in regards to tanking?&lt;/div&gt;
  137. &lt;div&gt;a. They are more likely to tank because they now outright own their pick?&lt;/div&gt;
  138. &lt;div&gt;b. They are less likely to tank because there are no fears of losing their pick?&lt;/div&gt;
  139. &lt;div&gt;c. It will have no bearing on their decision to tank or not.&lt;/div&gt;
  140. &lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  141. &lt;div&gt;Follow up:  If the Sixers do, if fact, decide to tank from day 1, what decisions will they make over the summer to facilitate that direction?&lt;/div&gt;
  142. &lt;/div&gt;
  143. &lt;/div&gt;
  144. &lt;/div&gt;
  145. &lt;p id="TJezTp"&gt;I think the answer is “c.” The only reason they tanked this season is because of the injury situation they found themselves in. As I’ve often joked, most teams chose the tank, the tank seemed to choose the Sixers.&lt;/p&gt;
  146. &lt;p id="FSkyOM"&gt;When I think about the process they’d have to undergo to tank, I’m not sure there’s a realistic path. If you want to move off Embiid and Paul George, you’re likely going to have to attach assets to do so. That will help the tank but hurt your overall long-term team building if you’re giving up young players or future picks.&lt;/p&gt;
  147. &lt;p id="07cCK5"&gt;The other thought is moving Tyrese Maxey for as much as possible. I also don’t see this one as feasible at all. You likely won’t get proper value for Maxey because he is coming off a slight down year and his max contract is just kicking in. Plus, you might not care about optics, but I assure you the team does. Moving on from one of the few bright spots for this team over the last few seasons would likely lead to a revolt — especially if Embiid and George are unmovable and remain here.&lt;/p&gt;
  148. &lt;p id="xg1jLt"&gt;My personal two cents is that I also wouldn’t look to move Maxey. He’s still only 24, has shown plenty of growth, and he’s the exact type of player you want as the leader of your franchise. That’s an intangible thing, but to hear Kyle Lowry gush over Maxey and his makeup, trading guys like that is often a mistake. I know Maxey and Jared McCain might not be the ideal backcourt fit — and adding Quentin Grimes and possibly another guard in the draft only muddies things — but if you’re truly going to rebuild, the goal should be to acquire as many good players and assets as possible and then sort it out.&lt;/p&gt;
  149. &lt;p id="rxi5d5"&gt;Short answer is I don’t see a realistic path to tanking, regardless of if the pick conveys to OKC now or next year.&lt;/p&gt;
  150. &lt;div id="RadbeW"&gt;
  151. &lt;div class="coral-comment-embed coral-comment-embed-simple" style="background-color: #f4f7f7; padding: 8px; position: relative" data-commentid="96df1967-b70f-48a9-a5af-a95b96aed845" data-allowreplies="true"&gt;
  152.  &lt;a target="_blank" style="position: absolute; z-index: 0; top: 0; bottom: 0; left: 0; right: 0" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/15/24408882/editor-in-chief-mailbag-at-last-its-finally-over?commentID=96df1967-b70f-48a9-a5af-a95b96aed845"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  153.  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 8px"&gt;JojoTheProcessEmbiid&lt;/div&gt;
  154.  &lt;div&gt;
  155. &lt;div&gt;Here’s a few, take what you want for an article:&lt;/div&gt;
  156. &lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  157. &lt;div&gt;In your opinion, who was the best and worst coach during the Embiid years?&lt;/div&gt;
  158. &lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  159. &lt;div&gt;In your opinion, who was the best and worst GM during the Embiid years?&lt;/div&gt;
  160. &lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  161. &lt;div&gt;In your opinion, what was the best Embiid team?&lt;/div&gt;
  162. &lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  163. &lt;div&gt;Can a contender be built working around Maxey on a maximum contract?  How about working around Maxey, George and Embiid all on max contracts?&lt;/div&gt;
  164. &lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  165. &lt;div&gt;How many more years before Morey and Nurse will be fired? &lt;/div&gt;
  166. &lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  167. &lt;div&gt;Does Josh Harris care about the Sixers at all beyond the monetary value they provide him?&lt;/div&gt;
  168. &lt;/div&gt;
  169. &lt;/div&gt;
  170. &lt;/div&gt;
  171. &lt;p id="PBQHFt"&gt;I’m going to do this semi-rapid fire to avoid making this unbearable to read.&lt;/p&gt;
  172. &lt;ul&gt;
  173. &lt;li id="xvDx1x"&gt;I lean Brett Brown as the best coach but I will say that Nick Nurse had Embiid well on his way to his second MVP and Maxey won Most Improved Player in Nurse’s first season. Doc Rivers was the coach who allowed Embiid to operate at the elbow and nail for the first time, but just about every other decision was bad. I would genuinely like to see Brown get another NBA shot and see what Nurse can do with a healthy roster.&lt;/li&gt;
  174. &lt;li id="KEZJFP"&gt;Hinkie was the best and Colangelo was the worst in a freaking landslide. I’ll always be curious where Hinkie would’ve taken them or what would’ve happened if the team hired someone competent to replace him.&lt;/li&gt;
  175. &lt;li id="qNXt3Z"&gt;Oh, this is a little tricky. As far as pure talent it would be close between the 2018-19 and the 2022-23 teams. What’s funny is one big factor in both teams falling short was Tobias Harris. If the teams got more from him in either series they lost, they likely would’ve reached the Eastern Conference Finals. Then, who knows? Honorable mention for the 2020-21 team. They had the best path to reaching the ECF and simply choked, though I don’t believe they were as talented as the other groups.&lt;/li&gt;
  176. &lt;li id="G6CqdZ"&gt;I’m a little confused by the souring on Maxey (not saying you’ve soured, just in general). I’m not certain that a team can win with him as the No. 1 option but I’d like to know for sure before considering any type of move. With Embiid and George, I’m just so uncertain about their health going forward that I can’t even project out that far. I would say if Embiid and George are unable to regain anything close to their All-Star level play, it’ll be nice to have a guy like Maxey to start over with.&lt;/li&gt;
  177. &lt;li id="J6AUmJ"&gt;Morey, Nurse, Embiid and George are seemingly all tied together. I would buckle up for all of them to be here through 2027-28 — though another season like this past one could change that outlook in a hurry.&lt;/li&gt;
  178. &lt;li id="JEMbD2"&gt;Josh Harris is a businessman so even with the &lt;a href="https://www.hogshaven.com/"&gt;Washington Commanders&lt;/a&gt; his goal is to make money. For the most part, Harris has put forth the resources to help Morey build a contender, but moves like trading KJ Martin and attaching valuable second-rounders in a salary dump are disappointing.&lt;/li&gt;
  179. &lt;/ul&gt;
  180. &lt;div id="qbYXnB"&gt;
  181. &lt;div class="coral-comment-embed coral-comment-embed-simple" style="background-color: #f4f7f7; padding: 8px; position: relative" data-commentid="b9581310-e157-41b9-ac8a-33ff4c117c60" data-allowreplies="true"&gt;
  182.  &lt;a target="_blank" style="position: absolute; z-index: 0; top: 0; bottom: 0; left: 0; right: 0" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/15/24408882/editor-in-chief-mailbag-at-last-its-finally-over?commentID=b9581310-e157-41b9-ac8a-33ff4c117c60"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  183.  &lt;div style="margin-bottom: 8px"&gt;Ken Davis1&lt;/div&gt;
  184.  &lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Why are there so many mailbags?  A legit ? for the mailbag?&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  185. &lt;/div&gt;
  186. &lt;/div&gt;
  187. &lt;p id="1BWuiz"&gt;I’m sorry, you don’t like the mailbags?!&lt;/p&gt;
  188. &lt;p id="V7NjcY"&gt;In all seriousness, Twitter/X has become horrible for any kind of discourse and the LB community is all right here. I’d rather engage you all here than weed through bullshit on there. &lt;/p&gt;
  189. &lt;p id="1U2Hsc"&gt;What a time to be alive where the discourse in a comments section is infinitely better than social media!&lt;/p&gt;
  190.  
  191. </content>
  192.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/16/24409740/editor-in-chief-lets-try-to-let-the-healing-begin-sixers"/>
  193.    <id>https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/16/24409740/editor-in-chief-lets-try-to-let-the-healing-begin-sixers</id>
  194.    <author>
  195.      <name>Paul Hudrick</name>
  196.    </author>
  197.  </entry>
  198.  <entry>
  199.    <published>2025-04-16T10:00:00-04:00</published>
  200.    <updated>2025-04-16T10:00:00-04:00</updated>
  201.    <title>It’s only going to get better from here for the Sixers, even if they lose their first-rounder</title>
  202.    <content type="html">  
  203.  
  204.    &lt;figure&gt;
  205.      &lt;img alt="NBA: Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hUBo4jytmVXnwmCnOcR1Q-oNcjM=/0x0:6919x4613/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74026599/usa_today_25921533.0.jpg" /&gt;
  206.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Kyle Ross-Imagn Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  207.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  208.  
  209.  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The 2024-25 season is over. Thank God.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="qW3uJ7"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.libertyballers.com"&gt;Sixers&lt;/a&gt;’ 24-58 record for 2024-25 is their fourth-worst record of the 21&lt;sup&gt;st&lt;/sup&gt; century. The only three seasons that were worse were The Process years in which Sam Hinkie intentionally designed for the team to lose games. A strong argument can be made that the 2012-13 season, infamously marked by the zero games Andrew Bynum played for the Sixers, was worse than this season. Both 2012-13 and this season were marred by nonstop injury updates and a lot of losing in between updates that made fans wonder if better health was even a serious remedy.&lt;/p&gt;
  210. &lt;p id="Py3BFh"&gt;When you look back on the season that was over the last six months, and look ahead to what might be next for the Sixers, it’s simply impossible to envision things getting worse. Yes, I’m aware of the slightly better than one in three chance that Philadelphia sends what would be the seventh or eighth overall pick in this summer’s draft to Oklahoma City during next month’s lottery. If that is to happen, it would only be one final punctuation mark on this atrocious season. For an academic analogy, the body of the essay has already been written and the paper’s going to get a bad grade whether the last sentence is punctuated correctly or not.&lt;/p&gt;
  211. &lt;p id="2H80Vj"&gt;The Sixers could retain their pick and it would be a springboard into an offseason that hopefully gets things turned around. But, even if they lose their pick, now that we know Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse are returning, don’t think for one second that the franchise is about to peel back on its efforts to win next season and beyond. Morey and Nurse simply don’t have the security to scale things back and engineer any kind of larger rebuild.&lt;/p&gt;
  212. &lt;p id="2FFALK"&gt;Knowing that the Sixers will make every attempt to return to next year’s playoffs, is it really possible for them to have ANOTHER terrible offseason? Heck, the cap space isn’t even available for Morey to make another Paul George-sized mistake. Even if the summer is a mostly quiet one from the Sixers and they opt for a run it back approach, is it really possible for them to have ANOTHER year of terrible injury luck? &lt;/p&gt;
  213. &lt;p id="fCUFgS"&gt;Morey stated in his exit interview on Sunday that he anticipates Joel Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey to all be 100% at the start of next season. Even if that is not the case, surely there’s a middle ground in which next season is healthier than this season was for Embiid and George especially. Jared McCain will also factor into the equation next season, likely in a big way. &lt;/p&gt;
  214. &lt;p id="PFb70l"&gt;If Philadelphia is to have all four of the above players more available than they were last year, it will make the various marginal victories from this season be more apparent next season. This obviously assumes the returns of Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele, who are set to hit free agency. But if both players are Sixers next season and Justin Edwards and Adem Bona can take steps forward in 2025-26, then there’s no way it’s a worse season than the one we just suffered through. All of what we just said has nothing to do with adding a rookie drafted in this summer’s top six into the fold because the point is that even with forfeiting the pick to the Thunder, next season will be better than this season.&lt;/p&gt;
  215. &lt;p id="PYx4c4"&gt;I hope the month in between Sunday’s regular season finale and the draft lottery allows for fans to come to this realization. Don’t tense up over the 36% chance the Sixers lose this year’s first-rounder. Tankathon is a great website, but don’t do a bunch of simulations between now and the lottery. It’s probably best to just take a step back and think about how EVERYTHING went wrong for the Sixers this season and realize that there is no way that happens again next season.&lt;/p&gt;
  216. &lt;p id="1PD05z"&gt;Given how bad this season was, there is of course the possibility that next season is still pretty bad, rife with injuries and the Sixers win anywhere from 30-40 games and we’re still shrugging our shoulders saying, “Now, what?” It would still be more wins than this season but it wouldn’t have anyone feeling any better. But, let’s cross that bridge when we get there. &lt;/p&gt;
  217. &lt;p id="CmCC1X"&gt;For now, everyone should take a deep breath and be relieved this dreadful season is over. The lottery will either be the final blow to a season that’s already had lots of stabs to various body parts, or it will be a happy launch into an offseason that allows us all to turn the page with some excitement. Either way, the worst of all of this is over.&lt;/p&gt;
  218.  
  219. </content>
  220.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/16/24408509/its-only-going-to-get-better-from-here-for-the-sixers-even-if-they-lose-their-first-rounder"/>
  221.    <id>https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/16/24408509/its-only-going-to-get-better-from-here-for-the-sixers-even-if-they-lose-their-first-rounder</id>
  222.    <author>
  223.      <name>Greg Frank</name>
  224.    </author>
  225.  </entry>
  226.  <entry>
  227.    <published>2025-04-15T13:41:24-04:00</published>
  228.    <updated>2025-04-15T13:41:24-04:00</updated>
  229.    <title>What Nick Nurse and Daryl Morey can learn from Michael Malone and Calvin Booth</title>
  230.    <content type="html">  
  231.  
  232.    &lt;figure&gt;
  233.      &lt;img alt="Philadelphia 76ers Open Practice" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pdF6Gkbld7-URlnjgK-Jm6snqAM=/0x0:4778x3185/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74025125/2179516362.0.jpg" /&gt;
  234.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo byJesse D. Garrabranty/NBAE via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  235.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  236.  
  237.  &lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The Nuggets parted ways with both Michael Malone and Calvin Booth because of a ‘cold war’ that was brewing behind the scenes. Can Daryl Morey and Nick Nurse avoid the same fate?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="9YJvPp"&gt;Last Tuesday, the Denver Nuggets made the shocking decision to fire title-winning head coach Michael Malone with only three games left in the regular season. They also &lt;a href="https://www.nba.com/nuggets/news/denver-nuggets-relieve-head-coach-michael-malone-of-duties-will-not-extend-calvin-booth"&gt;announced&lt;/a&gt; that they wouldn’t be extending the contract of general manager Calvin Booth, which expires after this season.&lt;/p&gt;
  238. &lt;p id="gEDTvQ"&gt;ESPN’s &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/44588997/nuggets-fire-coach-michael-malone-stunner"&gt;Ohm Youngmisuk&lt;/a&gt; reported “there was growing tension between Malone and Booth” heading into the season that “grew into a ‘cold war.’” According to Tony Jones, Sam Amick and Zach Powell of &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6264653/2025/04/08/michael-malone-fired-nuggets-head-coach/"&gt;The Athletic&lt;/a&gt;, Malone and Booth “had been at odds over everything from roster construction to the way players were used, creating tension that started to bleed into the rest of the organization.”&lt;/p&gt;
  239. &lt;p id="lUYhHt"&gt;“Booth wanted Malone to use younger players that he drafted and to stray away from using veterans for so many minutes,” they wrote after the news broke. “Jalen Pickett is a good example of this, according to league sources. Booth was dismayed that Malone went with Russell Westbrook over Pickett down the stretch of multiple games last week. On a macro level, Booth and Malone disagreed on several things.”&lt;/p&gt;
  240. &lt;p id="Spp6vV"&gt;The Sixers haven’t run into that issue yet with head coach Nick Nurse and team president Daryl Morey. If anything, the Sixers’ relentless wave of injuries this year forced Nurse to lean more heavily on young players than anyone anticipated coming into the year. Although that didn’t translate to many wins, it could have positive downstream effects for the Sixers once they get closer to full health.&lt;/p&gt;
  241. &lt;p id="KPJjnF"&gt;Before tearing his meniscus in mid-December, Jared McCain showed flashes of stardom while emerging as the early Rookie of the Year front-runner. When Quentin Grimes arrived at the trade deadline, he seized the opportunity in front of him and established himself as a clear starting-caliber player moving forward. And with the Sixers playing out the string on a lost season in recent weeks, rookie second-round big man Adem Bona has been demonstrating the developmental strides he’s made throughout the year.&lt;/p&gt;
  242. &lt;p id="NjZ8Ix"&gt;All three could be game-changers for the Sixers, who project to be well over the salary cap as long as they have the trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey on their books. The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement is effectively designed to hamper teams with multiple max contracts by limiting what they can do in trades and free agency. Teams like the Nuggets and Sixers not only need to hit on their draft picks, but they also have to lean on them more than a win-now team typically would under the old paradigm.&lt;/p&gt;
  243. &lt;p id="nLBGbP"&gt;That’s been an issue with Nurse dating back to his Toronto days. It was on full display early this season, too. Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson were clear net negatives, but Nurse continued to play them over some of the Sixers’ other young options off the bench. Playing Justin Edwards or Ricky Council IV over either of them wouldn’t have saved the Sixers’ season, but the ineffectiveness of the Sixers’ AARP bench unit didn’t help with their early-season tailspin.&lt;/p&gt;
  244. &lt;p id="CEqRFO"&gt;Morey and Nurse need to be in philosophical alignment about the balance of veterans and young players both on the roster and in the rotation moving forward. It’s going to become increasingly difficult for them to replenish their supporting cast around their Big 3.&lt;/p&gt;
  245. &lt;p id="TbgOYc"&gt;Luckily, they both seemed on board with the same vision at their end-of-season press conference on Sunday.&lt;/p&gt;
  246. &lt;p id="3rc4of"&gt;“I would say one of those things is I was very focused on finding veteran-type players who generally perform very well in the playoffs, and I didn’t put enough emphasis on the team getting through the regular season,” Morey said. “So next season, for sure, we will be a younger, more dynamic group.”&lt;/p&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="4SUPjV"&gt;Nurse added that the “game keeps getting faster and more dynamic,” and that the Sixers needed to be “a little bigger, longer, stronger, more athletic” for “really basic things like defensive transition or defensive rebounding.” (They finished &lt;a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/league/context#tab-defense_transition"&gt;28th this season&lt;/a&gt; in defensive efficiency in transition and &lt;a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?dir=A&amp;amp;sort=DREB_PCT"&gt;30th&lt;/a&gt; in defensive rebound rate.)&lt;/p&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="GfR7FM"&gt;The Nuggets are the perfect cautionary tale for the Sixers in that regard. Since they won the 2022-23 championship, they’ve experienced a talent drain. Key reserves Bruce Brown Jr. and Jeff Green both left for richer deals in 2023 free agency, while starting 2-guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed with the Orlando Magic this past offseason. &lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;p id="9fWjhC"&gt;Christian Braun has adequately filled KCP’s shoes in the starting lineup this year, but the Nuggets are short on reliable bench depth. Their other young players have yet to pop in the way that Booth planned.&lt;/p&gt;
  250. &lt;p id="WFDN1z"&gt;The emergence of McCain and Grimes gives the Sixers a head start over the Nuggets in that regard. But given their expected roster-building restrictions this offseason—they’ll likely be limited to the $5.7 million taxpayer mid-level exception and only minimum contracts beyond that—they might struggle to add an impact player via free agency. That puts a premium on both internal development and the signings that they do make.&lt;/p&gt;
  251. &lt;p id="0YlrMW"&gt;That’s another area where the Nuggets whiffed in recent years. They signed Reggie Jackson to a two-year, $10.3 million contract with their taxpayer mid-level exception in 2023 and wound up spending three second-round picks to salary-dump him the following offseason. They spent their taxpayer MLE this past offseason on Dario Sarić, but The Homie has played only 210 total minutes for them to date.&lt;/p&gt;
  252. &lt;p id="2wL9sd"&gt;Again, Morey and the Sixers’ front office have an advantage over the Nuggets in that regard. They nailed a pair of minimum signings over the past two years—Kelly Oubre Jr. in 2023 and Guerschon Yabusele this past offseason—and have found other inexpensive contributors via the draft (McCain, Bona) and free agency (Edwards, Patrick Beverley). In fact, Morey cited the front office’s ability to work the margins as one of the main reasons why he was comfortable building a Big 3 while other teams look to shed costs in the second-apron era.&lt;/p&gt;
  253. &lt;p id="xkphim"&gt;“In those situations, I like having the challenge,” he &lt;a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryantoporek/2024/05/13/sixers-president-expects-a-lot-of-change-during-2024-nba-offseason/"&gt;told reporters&lt;/a&gt; last May. “To me, finding the guys that are overlooked [for lesser deals]. The Kelly Oubres of the world. Getting a Kyle Lowry. Getting players like that. I like that challenge. I think that’s something that the front office is very good at.”&lt;/p&gt;
  254. &lt;p id="Y3iJvh"&gt;The Sixers need to look no farther than the 2024 &lt;a href="https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/"&gt;Philadelphia Eagles&lt;/a&gt; for a crystal-clear example of how the front office/coaching staff dynamic can propel a team to a championship. General manager Howie Roseman knocked it out of the park last offseason both in the draft (Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean) and free agency (Saquon Barkley, Zach Baun). From there, head coach Nick Sirianni pushed the right buttons throughout the year to get his team to the promised land.&lt;/p&gt;
  255. &lt;p id="R4HCc2"&gt;Heading into last offseason, Roseman said the Eagles needed to embrace more of a youth movement and that Sirianni was on board.&lt;/p&gt;
  256. &lt;p id="rqqY4E"&gt;“I think that for us to play our young players, to develop them, I think that’s something that Coach and I have talked about to not be afraid of,” Roseman &lt;a href="https://allphly.com/what-howie-roseman-nick-sirianni-said-and-meant-about-haason-reddick-jason-kelce-jalen-hurts-a-j-brown-new-coaches-more/"&gt;told reporters&lt;/a&gt;. “That’s why you draft them. That’s why you sign them.”&lt;/p&gt;
  257. &lt;p id="slogR3"&gt;Morey and Nurse seem to be on a similar page heading into this offseason. But if they deviate from that plan or begin to clash at some point, they could find themselves suffering the same fates as Malone and Booth if the Sixers underachieve again next year.&lt;/p&gt;
  258. &lt;p id="ZgGHoC"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Unless otherwise noted, all stats via &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://stats.nba.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;NBA.com&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.pbpstats.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;PBPStats&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Cleaning the Glass&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; or &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.basketball-reference.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Basketball Reference&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;. All salary information via &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.salaryswish.com"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Salary Swish&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; and salary-cap information via &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://basketball.realgm.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;RealGM&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  259. &lt;p id="Mv0mbG"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Follow Bryan on &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/btoporek.bsky.social"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Bluesky&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  260.  
  261. </content>
  262.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/15/24405898/sixers-nick-nurse-daryl-morey-denver-nuggets-michael-malone-calvin-booth"/>
  263.    <id>https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/15/24405898/sixers-nick-nurse-daryl-morey-denver-nuggets-michael-malone-calvin-booth</id>
  264.    <author>
  265.      <name>Bryan Toporek</name>
  266.    </author>
  267.  </entry>
  268.  <entry>
  269.    <published>2025-04-15T10:00:49-04:00</published>
  270.    <updated>2025-04-15T10:00:49-04:00</updated>
  271.    <title>Editor-in-chief mailbag: At last, it’s finally over ...</title>
  272.    <content type="html">  
  273.  
  274.    &lt;figure&gt;
  275.      &lt;img alt="NBA: Detroit Pistons at Philadelphia 76ers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/burlEhqRmHuHPTvOHBByGxEL9x0=/0x0:5138x3425/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74024631/usa_today_22112641.0.jpg" /&gt;
  276.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  277.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  278.  
  279.  &lt;p&gt;... now I’m ready to be free! (Shoutout if you get the reference.) Hit me with your questions as the Sixers’ offseason begins in earnest.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="ngtjoR"&gt;Hello, friends.&lt;/p&gt;
  280. &lt;p id="RIETFG"&gt;We freaking did it. We made it through one of the most disappointing seasons in &lt;a href="https://www.libertyballers.com"&gt;Sixers&lt;/a&gt; history. The only saving grace is the terrific tank job the team did down the stretch to secure the fifth-best lottery odds in the 2025 &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft"&gt;NBA Draft&lt;/a&gt;. Remember, the Sixers’ first-round pick will convey to the Oklahoma City Thunder if it falls outside the top six.&lt;/p&gt;
  281. &lt;p id="8dvcya"&gt;The lottery will take place on May 12 (should we throw a watch party?) with the draft on June 25. With plenty of time to kill between those two dates, hit me up with some questions!&lt;/p&gt;
  282. &lt;p id="vbC0Cu"&gt;(Bonus points if you understood the headline reference.)&lt;/p&gt;
  283.  
  284. </content>
  285.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/15/24408882/editor-in-chief-mailbag-at-last-its-finally-over"/>
  286.    <id>https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/15/24408882/editor-in-chief-mailbag-at-last-its-finally-over</id>
  287.    <author>
  288.      <name>Paul Hudrick</name>
  289.    </author>
  290.  </entry>
  291.  <entry>
  292.    <published>2025-04-14T14:34:02-04:00</published>
  293.    <updated>2025-04-14T14:34:02-04:00</updated>
  294.    <title>Paul George hoping a summer of health and stability will lead to a bounce-back season</title>
  295.    <content type="html">  
  296.  
  297.    &lt;figure&gt;
  298.      &lt;img alt="Chicago Bulls v Philadelphia 76ers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yJRjCKI6GBNwYqaRVXy-6YxBk_Q=/0x0:6310x4207/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74023211/2209496227.0.jpg" /&gt;
  299.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  300.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  301.  
  302.  &lt;p&gt;Paul George was the prize of the Sixers’ last offseason, but played in just 41 injury-riddles games. He believes a summer to recuperate will help him regain his form.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="j44Zom"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.libertyballers.com"&gt;Sixers&lt;/a&gt; signing 34-year-old Paul George to a four-year max extension was risky. He’s dealt with injuries in the past and the team was signing him to play next to Joel Embiid, a player with his own interminable injury history.&lt;/p&gt;
  303. &lt;p id="d0LDPU"&gt;But even the most Negadelphian among us couldn’t have seen &lt;em&gt;this&lt;/em&gt; coming.&lt;/p&gt;
  304. &lt;p id="qQQ3ss"&gt;George played in only 41 injury-marred games, struggling to resemble his nine-time All-Star self for most of them. As frustrated as fans might be, this was not the season George was hoping for in his cross-country move to Philly.&lt;/p&gt;
  305. &lt;p id="qj7XDJ"&gt;“This is an amazing fan base, amazing city to play for,” he said, “and obviously there were great interactions with fans and ... I won’t even say bad interactions, but there are interactions that as a player, you can only put yourself in their shoes and respect their opinion. &lt;/p&gt;
  306. &lt;p id="jGEMEG"&gt;“Again, it definitely left me with, ‘alright, I wanna get to work this summer’ and this is a place that you want to win.”&lt;/p&gt;
  307. &lt;p id="en4tPQ"&gt;Putting aside George’s age, the fit seemed ideal. The six-time All-NBA pick is a two-way wing, perfectly suited to play off of a former MVP center in Embiid and an ascending star guard in Tyrese Maxey. George would likely be the third option on most nights, but at this stage of his career, that seemed appropriate.&lt;/p&gt;
  308. &lt;p id="WrM1Rx"&gt;Instead, George averaged just 16.2 points per game, his lowest mark since 2011-12 (not including the year he came back from a catastrophic leg injury and played only six games). It was far from his most efficient season, shooting 43% from the field on his lowest volume since 2011-12, and 35.8% from three, the third-worst mark of his career. George was actually most productive on the defensive end, racking 4.0 deflections per game — a top-five mark — in Nick Nurse’s havoc-wreaking schemes. &lt;/p&gt;
  309. &lt;p id="jIMiQo"&gt;But suffice it to say, the Sixers were looking for a whole lot more.&lt;/p&gt;
  310. &lt;p id="Z59FAo"&gt;So was George, who dealt with two knee hyperextensions, a torn ligament in his pinkie and a groin injury that seemed to linger all season. He didn’t realize the full extent of those injuries until late in the season.&lt;/p&gt;
  311. &lt;p id="dj0Hqu"&gt;“Again, the injury stuff was some stuff that I didn’t necessarily know I had going on until deep diving,” he said, “and finding out like there was other stuff that I didn’t know was going on that was causing a little limitation which was frustrating — not being able to do things that I normally could do and then finding out the reasons why. Those things are being addressed, so that’s the positive.”&lt;/p&gt;
  312. &lt;p id="SyXZEl"&gt;The biggest two obstacles for George were his health and the health of everyone else.&lt;/p&gt;
  313. &lt;p id="Fw1O46"&gt;The team’s Big 3 played in only 15 games together. There were a few glimpses of hope in those games. The biggest win was on Christmas Day against the defending champs in Boston. Maxey and Embiid starred — along with the now-Dallas Maverick Caleb Martin. &lt;/p&gt;
  314. &lt;p id="92jCOm"&gt;George struggled from the field but was excellent in helping to slow down the &lt;a href="https://www.celticsblog.com"&gt;Celtics&lt;/a&gt;’ star wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who got theirs but also combined for eight turnovers. George had three steals and a block on the day.&lt;/p&gt;
  315. &lt;p id="q6dc03"&gt;After wins in Utah and Portland, the Sixers melted down in Sacramento and got demolished by Golden State. They took an easy win against Brooklyn but that would be the last game Embiid played for a while.&lt;/p&gt;
  316. &lt;p id="hZGpYA"&gt;George’s healthiest and most productive time of the season was in January when his knee seemed to be in a good place and before issues cropped up with his finger and groin. In nine games, George averaged 21.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.3 steals. He shot 46.8% from the field and 45.2% from three.&lt;/p&gt;
  317. &lt;p id="PPIWDy"&gt;The player the Sixers signed is still in there. How much health allows that player to come out is the big question moving forward. The 15-year NBA vet is hoping a summer of health and already being acclimated to his new home will help.&lt;/p&gt;
  318. &lt;p id="7Af4mM"&gt;“I think it’ll be a different summer — at least for me,” he said ahead of the team’s season finale Sunday. “I’m not deciding where my future is or who I’m gonna play for in the upcoming season. I know exactly where I’m at, what I need to do this summer and kind of go from there.”&lt;/p&gt;
  319. &lt;p id="TdFAgm"&gt;The last time the Sixers signed a big-name free agent away from the Clippers it was the team’s current GM, Elton Brand. Brand signed what was dubbed the “Philly Max” in 2008 ahead of his age 29 season. He was a two-time All-Star and the type of star player the Sixers needed after trading away Allen Iverson in 2006.&lt;/p&gt;
  320. &lt;p id="C9UUCM"&gt;Unfortunately, Brand was coming off a serious Achilles injury and played only eight games for Los Angeles in 2007-08. In his first year with the Sixers, Brand only managed to suit up for 29 games. Though Brand did play in more contests during his Sixers tenure, he was never the same player.&lt;/p&gt;
  321. &lt;p id="HyyyMj"&gt;Brand unretired in 2015-16 to mentor the Process Sixers and has since moved to the front office. It’s likely Sixers fans are hoping for a much different fate for George.&lt;/p&gt;
  322. &lt;p id="YRHqpz"&gt;“I know what level I can play at when I am healthy,” he said. “Obviously it’s a struggle when I’m not healthy. For me, it’s just try to get my body in best shape as possible [this summer], get as healthy as possible, and continue to do the work that I’ve been doing as far as basketball training to prepare for a season.”&lt;/p&gt;
  323. &lt;p id="w1BWkQ"&gt;Will George regain All-Star form? Or will his time in Philly be sullied by injuries and ineffectiveness?&lt;/p&gt;
  324. &lt;p id="PmHcmK"&gt;For 2025-26 and beyond, the Sixers would gladly take something in the middle of those outcomes.&lt;/p&gt;
  325. &lt;p id="S7nYpU"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  326. &lt;p id="Jyj9qx"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  327.  
  328. </content>
  329.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/14/24408105/paul-george-injury-sixers-clippers-joel-embiid-tyrese-maxey-daryl-morey"/>
  330.    <id>https://www.libertyballers.com/2025/4/14/24408105/paul-george-injury-sixers-clippers-joel-embiid-tyrese-maxey-daryl-morey</id>
  331.    <author>
  332.      <name>Paul Hudrick</name>
  333.    </author>
  334.  </entry>
  335. </feed>
  336.  

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