Tag: C.J. McCollum

C.J. McCollum gives thoughts on James Harden’s new Sixers contract

New Orleans Pelicans guard C.J. McCollum gives his thoughts on the new possible contract James Harden can get from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Free agency is right around the corner in the NBA, so it is time for the Philadelphia 76ers to figure out how they’re going to take care of James Harden while putting the right pieces around him and Joel Embiid.

It appears the Sixers will offer Harden a two-year contract extension after he picks up his player option for the 2022-23 season. That will keep Harden in Philadelphia for at least three more seasons, but how much money will he make?

The prevailing idea is the Sixers will give him roughly $150.8 million over the course of the three years, but New Orleans Pelicans guard C.J. McCollum joined ESPN’s “NBA Today” and said he believes Harden should leave some money on the table to help improve the team:

A very interesting point. We got a player here and talking about taking less money. You know, my saying is never take less from a billionaire, but I think in this situation, I think he will consider doing all he can to kind of make that team whole. Understanding that he forced his way out of Brooklyn. He thought it was a better situation in Philly playing alongside Embiid who arguably could have won MVP this season. So I think looking at the roster construction, looking at where he’s at in his career, how he plays now, he’s more of a facilitator, gets into the lane, likes to create for others. He definitely is going to want some players around him that kind of complement his strength which is to be more on the ball.

This might be the smart route at this point in Harden’s career. The star guard is not the same player he once was, although he is still an All-Star, and the Sixers should be focused on taking care of him while bringing in some good pieces to help both him and Embiid try and win a title in the 2022-23 season.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Without Devin Booker, the Suns are in trouble against the Pelicans

The Suns are about to fight for their season. Book it.

It was a dream season for the Suns.

64 wins. The No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs for the second consecutive year. One of the NBA’s snake-bitten franchises getting its first-ever title seemed inevitable. An all-time great like Chris Paul would finally be able to call himself a champion.

Losing Game 2 of the first round to the Pelicans doesn’t spell out immediate doom. You don’t win a title without facing some adversity along the way.

But losing the cool Devin Booker in the short-term — and perhaps even longer — might not be an obstacle even this juggernaut can overcome.

The Phoenix superstar, of course, left the loss to New Orleans a little after tweaking his hamstring. And now his series looks like it might be up in the air.

 

As anyone who follows sports of any kind knows, a hamstring tweak is a lot trickier than the surface might imply. Without putting my amateur stethoscope on, these are injuries that can fully heal in a couple of weeks, at best. At worst, you’ll recover, seem 100 percent, come back for full-throttle action, and then potentially tweak it again.

And that’s for an average, non-professional athlete. Not an NBA player running at lightning speed against some of the best athletes in the world.

Booker likely misses both upcoming games against the Pelicans this coming Friday and Sunday. It’s certainly no sure thing he even returns during this series. As a result, that dream season has a potential nightmare lurking.

After all, it was Booker and his top-10 individual scoring mark that kept the Suns afloat during Chris Paul’s absence earlier this season. It was Booker who finished the year as a legitimate MVP candidate and Phoenix’s inarguable best player.

The Suns might well be able to eventually overcome the Pelicans, who have their faults — they were a No. 8 seed for a reason. But C.J. McCollum, Brandon Ingram and Co. are more than talented enough to now turn this series into a dogfight.

Don’t be surprised if both squads head back to Phoenix with the Suns down 3-1. At a minimum, I would be shocked if the series isn’t tied. A healthy Booker is that good and that important to the Suns’ lofty dreams.

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CJ McCollum: Pelicans’ rookies have shown ‘tremendous growth’

Led by Herb Jones, the Pelicans’ trio of rookies helped the team knock off the Suns and even their first-round series.

On Tuesday, the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans tied up their first-round series versus the No. 1 seed Phoenix Suns thanks in large part to the efforts of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum.

Combined, they scored 60 points to lead the Pelicans to the 125-114 win.

Ingram had a game-high 37 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to finish just shy of his first career triple-double. McCollum added 23 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and Larry Nance Jr. chipped in 13 points and six rebounds off the bench.

Of course, there was also the rookies’ production.

The team has relied on three first-year players this season, and each has come up with big-time plays and contributions to help the Pelicans reach this point of the postseason: A tied-up series versus the top seed going back to New Orleans for Game 3.

Herb Jones led the way with 14 points, three assists and one steal. Trey Murphy III had nine points and three steals off the bench while Jose Alvarado scored all eight of his points in the fourth quarter to help keep the Pelicans ahead.

McCollum admired their commitment and growth this season.

They’ve just showed tremendous growth, not just from the two play-in games and the six games we used to close the season out but from when they were 1-12. That takes a courageous group led by a courageous coach who did what it took to get the best out of his players and then they went and put the work in so we could have success.

With Jose knocking down shots, with Herb locking up (on defense) and making his free throws, with Trey knocking down shots. We had a lot of guys who were in the G League finishing this game.

The three players have often been commended by their veteran teammates for the poise they display, and their ability to compete on a nightly basis. They have rarely been afraid of the moment and that has shown on the game’s biggest stage as of late.

There is no question the Pelicans are led by Ingram and McCollum, but the contributions of their rookies, and the rest of the roster, are a huge reason why they are currently tied up with the Suns.

Game 3 is scheduled to tip off on Friday at 9:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Stephen A. Smith says Sixers should have traded for C.J. McCollum

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith says the Philadelphia 76ers should have traded for C.J. McCollum instead of James Harden.

As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for what they hope will be a deep run into the playoffs, all eyes are going to be on James Harden who essentially forced his way to Philadelphia after a tough ending with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Sixers made the big move at the deadline back on Feb. 10 and it will be on him to make this all work with Joel Embiid and get the Sixers to where they want to go. Harden will certainly be facing a lot of scrutinies although he says he doesn’t feel any pressure.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has his doubts as he believes the Sixers should have acquired C.J. McCollum from the Portland Trail Blazers before he was sent to the New Orleans Pelicans:

It makes me think about the Philadelphia 76ers and why Daryl Morey should be under the gun right now. The Philadelphia 76ers had an opportunity to send Ben Simmons to Portland for C.J. McCollum and Robert Covington. Now looking at the way James Harden has looked thus far, you trying to tell me the veteran that is C.J. McCollum, what he’s capable of giving you with this perimeter shooting the imagination that you can utilize to fantasize about him paired with Joel Embiid, that was something that sneeze at? I did say that if it was someone other than Daryl Morey, almost any other GM would have strongly considered that, but Daryl Morey obviously had his eyes on the prize that was James Harden, and that compromise and that’s what I think about.

McCollum has made an immediate impact in New Orleans averaging 24.3 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 49.3% from the floor and 39.4% from deep and helping them make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

With the playoffs set to begin on Saturday for Philadelphia, they will have to hope that Harden is able to take his game to another level and help Philadelphia get the job done in the postseason.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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C.J. McCollum gave NBA bettors an edge by warning them about his limited minutes

This was great (for bettors!)

It’s the final day of the NBA regular season, which could wreak havoc on bettors and fantasy basketball players everywhere.

But C.J. McCollum is here to help.

His New Orleans Pelicans have clinched the No. 9 spot on the Western standings, meaning they know what their fate is in the play-in tournament. So it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see the Pels keep some of their stars on the bench on Sunday when they face the Golden State Warriors.

Enter McCollum, known for being great on social media (“I’m trying Jennifer”), tweeted — then deleted — that he would be playing a few minutes then sitting.

“Don’t take me in your parlays tonight,” he said, which must have helped bettors:

The Lakers hit rock bottom, again, after blowing a 23-point second half lead to the Pelicans

The depths Laker-Land will go to this year are bottomless.

At this point in the year, you’d think we’d have run out of ways to chronicle the Lakers’ levels of failure.

They’re on the edge of the playoff picture. Their fans have started to lose semblances of rationality, even for LeBron James. It’s been the arguable worst year of Russell Westbrook’s career, in more ways than one. The list, truly, goes on.

But despite their many, many, many struggles, LeBron and Co. still controlled their destiny. For the most part. All they had to do on Sunday night was beat the Pelicans (-4). A win would’ve given L.A. a two-game lead in the loss column and likely kept them buoyed enough to qualify for the play-in tournament.

A 23-point first-half lead was a fantastic start. Laker-Land was rocking somewhere. LeBron looked unstoppable. What could go wrong?

You’d only ask that oh-so-naive question if you haven’t been paying attention to the Lakers’ plight. Let me refresh you.

As has been their M.O. this season, the Lakers cratered. Then, naturally, the Pelicans, led by Brandon Ingram (26 points), took advantage in a 116-108 comeback win.

Rinse, repeat. The same story of the 2021-2022 Lakers, but finally happening at the worst possible time. I’ll spell it out for you again.

With the loss to New Orleans, the Lakers sit in 10th in the West. There are eight regular-season games left, including bouts against six playoff teams (the Suns, Warriors, Jazz, Nuggets, and Mavericks). They also play the Pelicans, again, on the road later next week.

Given their gauntlet of a schedule, if the Lakers lose that game, I have to tell you: I don’t feel all that confident they even qualify for the play-in. An unthinkable prospect in October for a “title contender” has now become a reality.

I want to retract my rock bottom descriptor of these Lakers. They’re in a purple and gold abyss — dark, depressing, and endless,

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The Pelicans’ impressive play of late should intrigue Zion Williamson to stick around

Zion should at least think about leaving New Orleans.

As one of the NBA’s brighter young superstars, Zion Williamson is one of the few players in the league who truly gets to dictate his future. Because of the singular influence he can have on any game as a physical power forward, the Pelicans are in a bind where they have to hope he wants to stay in New Orleans, rather than leave for perceived greener pastures.

Williamson hasn’t played in a game since last season due to a foot injury. Naturally, that means tension over his future will build gradually.

Charles Barkley questioned his fitness on national television. The Pelicans themselves didn’t include a mention of Williamson in a message to their season-ticket holders. One of Zion’s former teammates, J.J. Reddick, took issue with Williamson reportedly not reaching out to C.J. McCollum after the Pelicans acquired him at the trade deadline. Even before the madness of this season started, many questioned Williamson’s long-term commitment to New Orleans.

If Williamson is thinking down the road about forcing a trade from the Pelicans, he would do well to reconsider for a bit longer. Or at least hesitate long enough to think about what he could do and what he could win in New Orleans.

Since late February, five games into McCollum’s New Orleans career, the Pelicans have won four-straight contests over the Suns, Lakers, Kings, and Jazz. Your eyes do not deceive you. They beat the Suns and Jazz (who were five-point favorites over the Pels), two West powerhouses, and pretty decisively.

Blocks, or should I say, swats, like this don’t usually happen in close games. And most teams usually don’t have 30-point leads, three times somewhere, in a short week. Most teams are not the Pelicans.

Well, actually, most teams are not the Pelicans except for the Spurs. But that’s amazing, unique company to keep and says even more about how well New Orleans is gelling of late.

A 124-90 blowout over the Jazz, who were the West’s top seed last year, is impressive enough. Having a 30-point lead in three straight games is something not even the established contenders do.

Williamson is one of a kind and has a bright future ahead of him, whether he stays in New Orleans or — as some have speculated — perhaps thinks of being The One who finally drags the Knicks out of basketball Purgatory. But the Pelicans with McCollum in the fold are showing real potential. The kind of potential, with Zion leading the way to a team that becomes a high roller in the West for years. They will, of course, have to dominate longer than a sample size consisting of a short stint through late February and early March.

Still, wins over Phoenix and Utah speak to some magic brewing. There’s enough to mold, enough Play-Doh to make Zion’s Pelicans a top attraction.

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Report: Sixers not interested in a C.J. McCollum trade with Trail Blazers

The Philadelphia 76ers are not interested in acquiring C.J. McCollum from the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are still in a weird spot as the team continues forward with the 2021-22 season. A lot of their issues are still centered on the status of Ben Simmons and what to do with him as they try and find the right value for one of the game’s bright young stars.

Things may have gotten more clear for Philadelphia as the Portland Trail Blazers fired GM Neil Olshey recently that could open up the Blazers for trades. The Sixers will be first in line should Damian Lillard become available, but Lillard’s loyalty to Portland remains steadfast and he would like the organization to acquire Simmons and bring him to Portland rather than be swapped for him.

That then opens the door for a possible C.J. McCollum deal. The veteran out of Lehigh is averaging 20.6 points for the Blazers and he would bring a lot of perimeter scoring and a go-to guy from the perimeter to put next to Joel Embiid. While he is not Lillard, the Sixers could do much worse.

However, per Kyle Nuebeck of The PhillyVoice, president Daryl Morey and the Sixers have their eyes on a bigger fish to catch in exchange for Simmons:

a source familiar with the situation spoke to PhillyVoice on Monday evening and said the Sixers have had no recent discussions with Portland regarding a CJ McCollum trade, and a package centered around the Blazers’ guard is not currently of interest to the Sixers.

The Sixers are expected to continue dialogue with teams across the league about potential opportunities as December 15th nears closer and more trade scenarios become available league-wide.

This makes a lot of sense for Philadelphia. While McCollum would give the Sixers a lot of help in terms of being a perimeter scorer and a guy who can create offense for himself as well as others, the Sixers will suffer defensively for it. He fits the team on offense, but he is not a guy who would fit this team like a glove. They have to stay patient and find the right move for Simmons.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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New trade suggestion has Sixers moving Ben Simmons for C.J. McCollum

A new trade suggestion has the Philadelphia 76ers moving Ben Simmons to acquire C.J. McCollum.

The Philadelphia 76ers are still looking to move forward from the Ben Simmons saga whether it ends with him finally taking the court for the Sixers and moving on from all of the drama or they finally accommodate his trade request so everybody can move on.

The Sixers have had their eyes on Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard throughout this process and it does appear that that move could be possible with the Blazers firing GM Neil Olshey. Maybe that’s the move that pushes Lillard over the top of his breaking point.

However, if not, then going after C.J. McCollum would work as well. He is a guy averaging a little over 20 points per game while also shooting it well from deep on a high number of attempts. He would be a nice fit in Philadelphia.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor has come up with a trade suggestion that would swap McCollum for Simmons as Portland needs more size and the Sixers need more scoring:

To me, the big move is blatantly obvious. It’s doing what it takes to go get Ben Simmons by building a significant trade package around C.J. McCollum. Keep in mind that in October The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Sixers asked the Blazers, the Sixers asked the Blazers, for McCollum, three firsts, and three first round pick swaps. It was Portland, who denied but Philly made the offer so negotiations indicate at least that there’s some level of interest on Philadelphia’s end in receiving McCollum. Now, should Portland dump six future firsts for C.J. for Simmons? No, but that’s what negotiations are about and you hope to meet somewhere in the middle. And for the Blazers, Simmons could be an elite perimeter stopper against every position and though, he wouldn’t solve every issue, Portland’s defense would be much better.

At this point, the Sixers need some help for Joel Embiid. While McCollum is not Lillard, this is a move that would help both sides. The Blazers are a mess on defense and Simmons would immediately help in that regard while McCollum would be a big help to a Sixers team that is in serious need of an offensive playmaker and scorer.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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What does Trail Blazers firing of Neil Olshey possibly mean for Sixers?

What could the Philadelphia 76ers possibly gain from the Portland Trail Blazers firing Neil Olshey?

The Portland Trail Blazers made a bit of a splash on Friday when they announced that they were firing general manager Neil Olshey. After being on the job since 2012, Olshey was fired due to an investigation that he created a toxic workplace.

What does this possibly mean now for the Philadelphia 76ers? Well, it means a couple of things. The biggest factor in all of this remains Blazers star Damian Lillard who has remained fiercely loyal to the Blazers, but maybe this is his breaking point.

Portland has not gotten off to a good start as they are just 11-12 and they were just blown out at home by 31 points to the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs. The team’s defense has been tough to watch and the Olshey firing could be the icing on the cake for Lillard who desperately wants to win.

This would be a pretty big change for the star point guard as he has not been one to ask for a trade. Lillard has expressed frustrations, but he has remained loyal to the organization. However, this could possibly mean that he wants out and that is where Daryl Morey and the Sixers would swoop in as they have had him at the top of their wish list in a possible Ben Simmons trade.

Another possibility is the acquisition of C.J. McCollum. While he is no Lillard, McCollum brings what the Sixers need, and that is shot creation from the perimeter. He is averaging 20.4 points and shooting 39.6% from deep on 8.1 attempts per game.

Blazers coach Chauncey Billups has recently expressed concerns about the team being too small at the 1, 2, and 3 positions on the floor.

Per Jason Quick of The Athletic’s story:

“We give up size every night, man,” Billups said. “We are a small group, especially at 1, 2 and 3. They are all pretty much 6-3. But you have to find a way to just make multiple efforts defensively.”

Maybe a move of McCollum for Simmons in a multi-team deal of some sorts would work out. Billups gets the size he wants for his team’s new defensive scheme and the Sixers get a guy who helps out Embiid on the offensive end of the floor.

Joe Cronin will replace Olshey as the interim GM in Portland, per Yahoo!’s Chris Haynes, but they have their eyes on Chicago Bulls GM Marc Eversley and New York Knicks GM Scott Perry to replace Olshey in the long term.

Eversley is an interesting name due to his connections with the Sixers before heading over to take Chicago’s job. He was the assistant GM with Philadelphia before moving on to the Bulls and that could play a factor in any possible Portland-Philadelphia move. This is a situation that many should keep their eye on as the season continues.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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