Official Game Thread: Hawks at 76ers

[lethalweapon3]

“Welcome, to The City of Buddy Love!”

 

Watch for falling 76ers! Look out below!

‘Twas rough sledding for Landry Fields and our hey-big-spender Atlanta Hawks yesterday. Sometimes, after a full day stomping around at the big mall from sun up to sun down, you come away with absolutely nothing but sore feet. It didn’t help that many vendors didn’t bother to open for you, not until the noisy crowds rushed in. You find yourself going from shopping around, to getting shopped around.

About to cry in your Pinto, you glance at the dude with the fancy car one parking space over. The convertible is loaded with glow-in-the-dark rock-band posters and a lava lamp from Spencer’s, a solar-powered grandfather clock from Brookstone’s, and a giant Happy Groundhog Day cookie from the food court.

Advantage: You.

Daryl Morey still gets to drive off in the Lambo at every day’s end. But the guy in the Pinto came away with the better deal at the mall, and that was without actually buying or giving away anything.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ mover-and-shaker certainly made moves, reeling in Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne, but shedding Pat Beverley, Marcus Morris, Furkan Korkmaz, and Danuel House in a trio of deals involving Central Division teams. Jaden Springer was also sprung to Boston at Thursday’s 3 PM Trade Deadline buzzer. The net effect of all that shaking, in the short term, was probably a shakedown.

That wasn’t the scenario Sixers fans dreamed up when they awoke on Deadline Day. Morey has left a crack in this year’s championship window, his Sixers (30-20) falling further below the first apron, and clearing salary for some veteran waiver-wire pickups. A gunner like the contract-expiring Hield on the wing, for a subpar perimeter-shooting team (21^st in 3FG%, 27^th in 3FGM), won’t hurt at all.

Yet that window hinges on the health, several weeks from now, of the only 76er on the roster with a contract guaranteed for next season. Morey’s maneuvers yesterday were built with an eye more on rebuilding a contender around Joel Embiid, next season, than it does on making a run for the ring in this one.

Atlantic Division rival Boston rules the Eastern roost, while New York became the Deadline Day darlings. As for Philly? If the Sixers aren’t making traction toward the East’s Top-4, they will heed Big Perk’s sage advice, and put their MVP in mothballs until next fall. Daryl says: Respect His Process!

Along the way, Tyrese Maxey will get to fully enjoy the NBA life his fellow Eastern Conference All-Star, Trae Young, has in Atlanta. That is, being unable to conceal his scoring skillset behind All-NBA talents.

Including Philadelphia’s 139-132 OT loss last month in Georgia, the Sixers have fallen to 4-12 this season without Embiid on the floor. With Wednesday’s 127-104 home defeat at the hands of the Warriors, Philly’s latest 1-7 stretch includes six double-digit losses. Maxey and Tobias Harris, like Embiid notoriously, were also DNPs when the Sixers fell by just six points in Denver; five of the nine players who chipped in against the Nuggets all began packing their bags yesterday.

Maxey (last 3 games, playing despite an illness: 16.7 PPG, 35.8 FG%, 67.0 FT%, 5.0 APG) will have to be not merely a worthy All-Star, but a certifiable All-NBA performer, to keep coach Nick Nurse’s club (4.0 games ahead of current 7- and 8-seeds MIA and ORL) from subsiding all the way down to the Play-Ins. No matter what Morey says when his lips move, that All-NBA part is, frankly, what he is betting against.

Designated Player status, by virtue of Maxey getting plugged into at least the All-NBA third team, is what separates a 25%-of-the-cap offer, for this summer’s big-ticket restricted free agent, from a 30% offer, a heftier five-year differential of over $40 million as momentarily projected. Financial flexibility, with the more intensive second-apron punishments on the docket beginning this summer, is where it’s at in Philly’s front office.

As the Sixers $ort things out, their visitors this evening (7 PM Eastern, CW/Peachtree TV and 92.9 FM in ATL, NBC Sports Philly) have entered The We’d Still Rather Not Call It Wells Fargo Center with a little more clarity and, arguably, a better sense of near-term purpose. This weekend for the Hawks (22-29) shapes up as a neat little Must-Win Creature Double Feature.

Five 76ers on the roster as of Wednesday night are gone, and Payne had a knee hyperextension that he magically healed just in time for the trade from Milwaukee. Frontcourt starter Nicolas Batum (Out, strained hamstring) has missed the last ten days, while Robert Covington (Out, bruised knee bone) hasn’t played this calendar year. That, plus Embiid’s downturn, has been pressing former Philly-area blue-chipper Mo Bamba into essential minutes as the stopgap behind Tobias Harris and Paul Reed (2024-25 contract becomes non-guaranteed if PHI fails to reach the Playoffs’ second round… we see you, Daryl).

Maxey’s starting backcourt mate De’Anthony Melton returned to Philly’s lineup ahead of last month’s Hawks game, after missing the prior three. But a lingering back-stress issue had him out, again, by the end of their next game, a status which won’t change today.

Beyond the comic stylings of Kelly Oubre, Nurse has had to turn to stints among his two-way guards, like the fourth-quarter garbage-time allocated to Ricky Council (17 points in 10 minutes, 8-for-8 FTs) versus Golden State. Nurse will need to rely on Maxey to step up in his defensive assignments, a task that grows taller with Melton injured, Beverley (and Springer) gone and Hield (and Payne, both Out today, with trade particulars pending) arriving in his place.

Atlanta will continue to soldier on without Clint Capela (strained adductor) starting at center. But they also didn’t have him available last month in the win over the Sixers. But for some missed freebies, Bruno Fernando nearly became the seventh Hawk to score in double figures, doing just enough to spell Onyeka Okongwu (19-and-11 plus a pair of timely blocks in OT). The Hawks also squeaked by without the services of another 215 blue-chipper, De’Andre Hunter (Probable, knee injury management).

In Morey’s old stomping grounds of Houston, the Rockets, like the Hawks, did nothing to turn heads ahead of the Deadline yesterday. But they will be racing the Hawks south to Atlanta for Saturday’s game after playing whomever suits up in Toronto tonight (FWIW, Philly plays tomorrow as well, in D.C.). Since rising to a respectable 13-9 in mid-December, Houston (23-27, 12^th in NBA West) has had problems they’ve struggled to solve, particularly away from home (road wins only @ CHA and @ DET since Jan. 1, the latter by 2 points; 1-5 in road SEGABABAs).

Atlanta’s engine ran out of hawkspower in the second half, particularly without Dejounte Murray, in Wednesday’s otherwise valiant 125-117 loss in Boston. But even recent losses of late, to teams like the Celtics, the Mavs and the Clippers, have shown that there’s a competitive esprit de corps among the Hawks that coach Quin Snyder hasn’t fully untapped.

Now that there’s some sense of stability in status, among Murray (Questionable, tight lower back, less-gritted teeth) and the Hawks’ rank-and-file, with a little finer tuning on the defensive end, the efforts displayed over the past week ought to be enough to outlast a Philly team in flux, and a Rockets team that hasn’t been flying so high.

Carry some needed victories, and a hopefully healthier roster, through the All-Star Break and Atlanta, despite its virtual ceiling as a Trae-In squad once again, might even find Southeast rivals Miami and Orlando within their sights. The aim should be to no longer allow bad and/or down-trending teams – the Bulls and the Hornets, and then the Raps, straddle Atlanta’s All-Star Break schedule – to come up for air.

If they take care of business going forward to the end of this season, then the Hawks can look to Miami as their South Star. And yes, perhaps even Philadelphia, as their North Star.

A warning, to all you Lambo drivers out there: Pintos in Side Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

Trae makes it look easy.

 

 

[AHF]

Most of what the article says makes sense (although I'd quibble with some of it) but I honestly think the author accidently switched the names in this sentence because it really makes no sense even in the context of the article:

Quote

In contrast to Young, Maxey has always carried the weight of the world on his shoulders — and he’s been dragged for it.

The article makes the point that Maxey has been able to flourish playing behind some huge talents and hasn't been exposed to the type of focus that Young has for his career.  It makes it clear that he hasn't had to carry the heavy load since Embiid did it for the team.  The article says that Maxey is now feeling what it is like to be Young and failing at it.  So what the heck could this sentence be trying to convey unless the names are switched?

[JayBirdHawk]

4 minutes ago, AHF said:

Most of what the article says makes sense (although I'd quibble with some of it) but I honestly think the author accidently switched the names in this sentence because it really makes no sense even in the context of the article:

The article makes the point that Maxey has been able to flourish playing behind some huge talents and hasn't been exposed to the type of focus that Young has for his career.  It makes it clear that he hasn't had to carry the heavy load since Embiid did it for the team.  The article says that Maxey is now feeling what it is like to be Young and failing at it.  So what the heck could this sentence be trying to convey unless the names are switched?

Yep...mixed that up.

[Gray Mule]

Maxey looked great (Made the all-star team) with Embiid.  

Trae looks better than Maxey without Embiid.

[AHF]

11 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

Maxey looked great (Made the all-star team) with Embiid.  

Trae looks better than Maxey without Embiid.

Trae looked better than Maxey with Embiid too.  People just weren't watching closely.  

Maxey is a really good player but not in Trae's class.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[macdaddy]

First game after the trade deadline is always fun.  Interesting to see who is motivated and if the rotation changes at all.  

[REHawksFan]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Trae makes it look easy.

 

 

I like the intent of the article but that was really poorly written.  So many misstatements and weird sentences.  I think I know what they were trying to convey, but it was a tough read.  

[shakes]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Trae makes it look easy.

 

 

I'd rather stick needles dipped in ghost peppers into my eyes than click on anything from F-ing Deadspin!   F that scum.

[shakes]

2 hours ago, REHawksFan said:

I like the intent of the article but that was really poorly written.  So many misstatements and weird sentences.  I think I know what they were trying to convey, but it was a tough read.  

it;s Deadspin.   They have an editor who is the biggest [EDIT: insert lightly hyphenated genitalia here ~lw3] in the world. And she's basically illiterate.   She might also be teh single worst person in the entire world.  On my Chicago sports fan message board we have a thread dedicated to what a POS Julie Dicaro is and right now that thread is over 1500 pages long.  

 

Pleaes don't even click on anything there.  Right now they are being sued because they accused a Kansas City 10 year fan of being racist because he wore black and red face paint to a game.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[shakes]

48 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

only reason to watch this game is to hopefully see Trae destroy Maxey.

[lethalweapon3]

~lw3

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Dnice]

I'm sure they'll struggle for 48 minutes.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Trae, Bogi, Bey, JJ, OO are the starters.

Bench - Hunter, Fernando, G. Mathews, Forrest, Griffin

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]