Tag: Paul Millsap

New Sixers additions excited to play for, be led by coach Doc Rivers

The new additions for the Philadelphia 76ers are excited to be coached and led by Doc Rivers.

CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers have some really talented players, led by Joel Embiid and James Harden, but a big reason for the team’s level of success is coach Doc Rivers.

The Sixers swung a big deal at the deadline to acquire Harden, who admitted Philadelphia was his first choice, and four-time All-Star Paul Millsap. Both said they were excited to be coached and led by Rivers.

“It’s one of the best coaches who have ever coached the game of basketball,” Harden said. “Why wouldn’t I want to be led by that? I’ve been doing it for a very long time, and he’s been doing it way longer than me and he’s experienced way more than me.”

Obviously, the Sixers have been successful due to the talent they have amassed, but it also helps that Rivers has created a winning culture in Philadelphia. Everybody is held accountable.

“It’s a culture,” added Millsap. “Just coming into practice yesterday (Monday) and seeing Joel in the guys’ face and seeing how together everybody is and seeing the energy in the building, that’s what I love. That’s what I love to be around. That’s what I love to come to every day. And being on those good teams in the past that I’ve been on, they all had that same energy. To come in here with the talent, the players, and the coaching staff, organization mixed with that energy and talent, it’s unbelievable.”

Harden, who is a future Hall of Famer and a former MVP winner, is excited to learn more about the game from Rivers, who was recently named to the top 15 coaches of all-time list.

“The player that I am, I still need to learn, I still need to be helped and taught, and put in a position to be successful,” he finished. “So why not?”

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

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Doc Rivers unsure when James Harden, Paul Millsap make Sixers debut

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers is unsure when James Harden and Paul Millsap will make their debuts.

The Philadelphia 76ers are still looking to figure out what to do with James Harden and Paul Millsap as they are trying to work their two new additions toward a debut after the big trade that sent Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets.

As the Sixers continue their 4-game homestand with a matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, they still are not yet ready to join the team just yet. The positive thing is, they are both with the team in Philadelphia to undergo their physicals and they talked with coach Doc Rivers to begin moving forward with the process of a debut.

“Him (Harden) and Paul were here today and I had good talks with both of them,” said Rivers. “We’re gonna form our plan and as far as health for both and then go from there.”

Rivers is also not worried about Harden having to practice with the team before a game. As soon as he is cleared in terms of his hamstring injury, the Sixers will throw him out there and they will figure it out from there.

“The practice part probably won’t matter as much as the health,” Rivers added. “Let’s say he’s not ready to practice, but ready to play. We’d play him anyway. When you do trades this time of the year, there’s many times you put a guy on the floor with zero practice time. You just throw them out there and you’re gonna have to figure out how it goes. The moment he’s cleared to play whether we have practice in front of that or not, we’re just gonna throw him out there.”

Harden and Millsap will have their next chance to debut on Tuesday when the team hosts the Boston Celtics.

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

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Doc Rivers explains how Sixers plan to use Paul Millsap off the bench

Doc Rivers explains how the Philadelphia 76ers will use Paul Millsap.

The Philadelphia 76ers made a huge move on Thursday as they acquired James Harden. Big name, right? A former league MVP, an easy bucket, a playmaker, and a guy who instantly makes the Sixers title contenders with Joel Embiid.

While Harden is the obvious big name in this deal, the Sixers also got a solid veteran in the form of Paul Millsap in the deal with the Brooklyn Nets. Millsap is a 4-time All-Star in his own right, but the 16-year veteran has not played since Dec. 27 as the Nets and Millsap agreed that it was best for him to sit out while they find a new home for him.

Millsap has been to the conference finals three times with three separate teams, the Utah Jazz, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Denver Nuggets, and he will look to bring that to Philadelphia now. He has career averages of 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds.

“We can use him,” said coach Doc Rivers. “We want to see him. I told him on the phone, if we use him, it’ll be at the 5 because I think that’s where he’s at and I just think a vet, high, high, high character guy is never bad to put in your locker room.”

Millsap is obviously not the All-Star player he used to be, but he is still a useful veteran who can help in short spurts and he is a guy who can bring a voice to the locker room. Millsap will be helpful as a calming influence for this team.

With that being said, Rivers is unsure when both Millsap and Harden will be here with the team.

“Paul’s been in Atlanta working out,” Rivers added. “For us, I got to just see them. Once they come in, we’ll do something and we’ll make decisions. I don’t want to put either one of them out there until they are really ready. I just don’t want to go down that rabbit hole of injury and stuff.”

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

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NBA Twitter reacts to Nets trading James Harden to Sixers in big deal

This represents the conclusion of a drawn out divorce between Ben Simmons and Philadelphia, while Harden gets what had become clear that he desired — a trade to the Sixers.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. After Shams Charania reported last week that the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets were expected to engage in discussions around a James Harden-for-Ben Simmons deal ahead of Thursday’s deadline, he broke the trade less than 2 hours before the deadline:

This represents the conclusion of a drawn out divorce between Ben Simmons and Philadelphia, while Harden gets what had become clear that he desired — a trade to the Sixers.

The deal will send Harden and disgruntled forward Paul Millsap to Philadelphia, while Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and draft compensation will go to Brooklyn.

After the trade, the community of NBA-obsessed Twitter users — from analysts to fans — reacted to the rapidly-developing deal:

2021-22 Philadelphia 76ers roster after the big James Harden trade

Here is a look at the new Philadelphia 76ers roster with the trade of James Harden.

The Philadelphia 76ers made their big move. They moved Ben Simmons away to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire James Harden and they will look to continue to grow a championship team around Harden and Joel Embiid as they move forward.

The trade does not come without risk as the Sixers moved their best shooter in the form of Seth Curry as well as their backup big man in Andre Drummond to the Nets in this deal. However, they were able to now bring in a superstar perimeter player to team up with Embiid and Tobias Harris in order to try and get the job done moving forward.

With that being said, let’s now take a look at this team’s roster with Harden here now to team up with the big fella:

James Harden trade instantly boosts Philadelphia’s 2022 title odds as the Nets’ odds get longer

A look at updated NBA title odds after the Philadelphia 76ers swapped Ben Simmons for the Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden

Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said he wouldn’t move disgruntled guard Ben Simmons for anything less than top dollar.

Well, the former Rockets general manager certainly got that on Thursday just hours before the NBA trade deadline—and he reunited with his last superstar in the process.

The Sixers shipped Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond and two first-round picks to Brooklyn for James Harden and Paul Millsap early Thursday afternoon, a bombshell deal that will reverberate across the league.

In fact, it already has.

At Tipico Sportsbook, NBA title futures have already seen massive line movement. Here’s a look at how oddsmakers are processing the blockbuster trade:

Feb. 9 NBA Championship Outrights 

Philadelphia 76ers: +1200

Brooklyn Nets: +425

Feb. 10 NBA Championship Outrights 

Philadelphia 76ers: +700

Brooklyn Nets: +450

The deal will also impact the MVP candidacy of Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, who is the current favorite at +200. Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant lags behind at +3000, but the trade could free up Durant on offense and defense to improve his chances.

Feb. 10 NBA MVP odds:

Embiid: no change +200

Durant: no change +3000

Harden: moved from +10000 to +6000

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Report: Lakers could target Paul Millsap in buyout market; Kent Bazemore being shopped

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly could be suitors for Paul Millsap while Kent Bazemore is being shopped.

The Los Angeles Lakers are three games below .500 at 24-27, and roster moves need to happen if the franchise hopes to make a serious push for the title this season.

Two nuggets of news dropped Wednesday involving the buyout market and a possible trade the Lakers could make.

Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report has the details:

The Lakers are searching to find Kent Bazemore a new home after he opened the season as a starter. And while it’s believed Paul Millsap would prefer to land in Chicago, having a connection to Bulls lead executive Arturas Karnisovas from their shared Denver days, Los Angeles has been mentioned as a suitor for Millsap should he reach the buyout market.

Bazemore’s news isn’t surprising. He’s been linked to a trade for about a month now, though it’s not clear which NBA team would want his services. He showed against the Charlotte Hornets he still has gas in the tank as a 3-and-D role player, and those are always wanted around the league.

The other is Paul Millsap, the longtime veteran who wants out of the Brooklyn Nets. The soon-to-be 37-year-old small-ball big man wants a bigger role with a new team. He last played on Jan. 13. Before that, Millsap appeared in 24 games and averaged 3.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.5 blocks in 11.2 minutes per game. He shot 37.6% overall and 22.2% from deep.

The Lakers would have competition with the Chicago Bulls for his signature, but there’s a role for Millsap on this team. He could slot in at the 4 or 5 depending on if LeBron James and Anthony Davis are playing. Trevor Ariza, 36, hasn’t worked the way L.A. hoped, but there’s also no guarantee Millsap would be any better.

L.A. will definitely be linked to more names as the trade deadline nears.

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Report: Nets looking for perimeter shooting in Paul Millsap trade

The Brooklyn Nets are looking for more shooting in a potential Paul Millsap trade.

The Feb. 10 trade deadline in the NBA is quickly approaching and it is time for the Brooklyn Nets to begin making their move in order to get the right pieces around their stars to contend for a championship in 2022.

In the offseason, the team signed Paul Millsap as they believed that the former veteran All-Star could help the team reach their goals. However, Millsap has not lived up to the team’s expectations and the Nets are looking to move on from the former star forward.

Per NBA veteran reporter Marc Stein via his Substack, the Nets are looking for more perimeter shooting as a goal in any potential Millsap trade:

The Nets have pledged to find Paul Millsap a new home and have granted the former All-Star forward, who turns 37 on deadline day, leave from the team as they scour the market for a suitable trade. Swapping Millsap for more perimeter shooting, sources say, is among the Nets’ goals.

Millsap is averaging only 3.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 24 games for Brooklyn and he and the franchise have agreed to sit him out while the Nets find a trade for him. Brooklyn ranks 13th in the league in 3-point shooting at 35.1% from deep per basketball-reference and they would like to add more shooting with Joe Harris still out with the ankle issue.

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

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Report: The Nets are looking to trade veteran Paul Millsap

The Nets will reportedly find a trade for Paul Millsap to allow him to have a bigger role elsewhere.

The Paul Millsap experiment in Brooklyn hasn’t produced any tangible on-court results for the Nets, and according to a new report, the organization looking for a trade partner to allow Millsap to pursue a role with another team.

Millsap, now 36, has played in only 24 of the Nets 44 games this season, and has posted averages of just 11.3 minutes, 3.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

According to Shams Charania, the Nets have agreed to try and find a deal that would give Millsap the chance to play elsewhere. Millsap has been listed as out for the Nets due to personal reasons, and will likely not make another appearance for the team.

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Nets news: James Harden and Paul Millsap cleared from health and safety protocol

More reinforcements are on the way for the Nets as their Christmas Day showdown approaches.

The Nets have endured multiple game postponements this week, but key reinforcements are on the way ahead of a Christmas Day showdown with the Lakers. After Nets star James Harden and veteran Paul Millsap missed the last four games due to COVID, head coach Steve Nash announced on Thursday that the two players have been cleared from health and safety protocol.

Harden is slowly rounding into form to start this season off, playing nowhere close to his peak. With averages of 21 PPG, 10 APG and 8 RPG on 40% shooting from the field it’s hard to believe that this is just a mere taste of what’s to come. Plus, when you add the fact that he’s fresh with the rest he’s been getting in the last two weeks, the former MVP is going to be rejuvenated and determined in his return.

As for Millsap, the four-time All-Star has also not played close to his peak this season. At about 11 MPG, the Los Angeles native has put up 3 PPG and 4 RPG on 36% accuracy. His three-point percentage has had a drop off of 10% compared to last year’s campaign, so there is no doubt that Millsap will try to change that as the season goes on.

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