2017-18 NBA Season

[GannonFan]

I almost wanted to title this the "Trust the Process" season. Embiid finally plays in the preseason last night and drops 22 points in 14 minutes and is just dominant. Sixers also see Saric show up. Should be a fun year for the Sixers. Bring on the Cavs!

[Gil Dobie]

Timberwolves looked a lot better in the few exhibition games they had. Passing has greatly improved, but still need to get better on defense. Rated at #8 on some webpages with an over-under of 50 wins. Still have to see it to believe they can improve 19 wins from last season.

[VictorG]

I almost wanted to title this the "Trust the Process" season. Embiid finally plays in the preseason last night and drops 22 points in 14 minutes and is just dominant. Sixers also see Saric show up. Should be a fun year for the Sixers. Bring on the Cavs!

Hope they can take care of the Cavs.....Celtics are picked to win the East from what I saw.

[dbackjon]

Just go straight to the Finals, Cavs-Warriors

Celtics just took a blow

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO


https://screengrabber.deadspin.com/gord ... 1819634497

[tribe_pride]

Just go straight to the Finals, Cavs-Warriors

Celtics just took a blow

https://screengrabber.deadspin.com/gord ... 1819634497

WARNING: Do not watch videos of this or pics unless you want to see something nasty.

[GannonFan]

Yeah, watching that live was awful. My kids wanted to keep rewinding the TiVo to see it and I told them to stop. Just disturbing (both the injury and my kids wanting to see it over and over again). Figure he's likely out for the year - most ankles are at least 3-4 months just to walk on them again, let alone play NBA-level basketball. Big blow to the Celtics. Hopefully he can recover completely.

I was amazed that he looked pretty composed considering the gruesomeness of the injury. Tough dude.

[AZGrizFan]

Yeah, watching that live was awful. My kids wanted to keep rewinding the TiVo to see it and I told them to stop. Just disturbing (both the injury and my kids wanting to see it over and over again). Figure he's likely out for the year - most ankles are at least 3-4 months just to walk on them again, let alone play NBA-level basketball. Big blow to the Celtics. Hopefully he can recover completely.

I was amazed that he looked pretty composed considering the gruesomeness of the injury. Tough dude.

Looked amazingly like the UM QB's ankle injury against Valpo....

[clenz]

Yeah, watching that live was awful. My kids wanted to keep rewinding the TiVo to see it and I told them to stop. Just disturbing (both the injury and my kids wanting to see it over and over again). Figure he's likely out for the year - most ankles are at least 3-4 months just to walk on them again, let alone play NBA-level basketball. Big blow to the Celtics. Hopefully he can recover completely.

I was amazed that he looked pretty composed considering the gruesomeness of the injury. Tough dude.

Shock is a hell of a pain killer.

[GannonFan]

Will be interesting on the actual injury and recovery. Was initially described as a broken ankle, but it now being called a dislocated ankle with a tibia fracture, and potentially no ligament damage. I would think that would be a better diagnosis if that's the case. A broken ankle and he's likely done for the season. Just a dislocation and a straight break of the leg bone, with no other damage, and maybe it's just 2-3 months and back after the all-star break. Obviously will know more later.

[SDHornet]

Just go straight to the Finals, Cavs-Warriors

Celtics just took a blow

WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO


https://screengrabber.deadspin.com/gord ... 1819634497

[bluehenbillk]

My kids wanted to see it as well, they have no filter at that age.

[Gil Dobie]

Will be interesting on the actual injury and recovery. Was initially described as a broken ankle, but it now being called a dislocated ankle with a tibia fracture, and potentially no ligament damage. I would think that would be a better diagnosis if that's the case. A broken ankle and he's likely done for the season. Just a dislocation and a straight break of the leg bone, with no other damage, and maybe it's just 2-3 months and back after the all-star break. Obviously will know more later.

My wife rolled her ankle and broke her tibia in a similar place in January. Have to see what kind of hardware they insert to hold the tibia together and if the metal bothers him after the bone heals.

[tribe_pride]

Yeah, watching that live was awful. My kids wanted to keep rewinding the TiVo to see it and I told them to stop. Just disturbing (both the injury and my kids wanting to see it over and over again). Figure he's likely out for the year - most ankles are at least 3-4 months just to walk on them again, let alone play NBA-level basketball. Big blow to the Celtics. Hopefully he can recover completely.

I was amazed that he looked pretty composed considering the gruesomeness of the injury. Tough dude.

Didn't realize people still used TiVo

[GannonFan]

Yeah, watching that live was awful. My kids wanted to keep rewinding the TiVo to see it and I told them to stop. Just disturbing (both the injury and my kids wanting to see it over and over again). Figure he's likely out for the year - most ankles are at least 3-4 months just to walk on them again, let alone play NBA-level basketball. Big blow to the Celtics. Hopefully he can recover completely.

I was amazed that he looked pretty composed considering the gruesomeness of the injury. Tough dude.

Didn't realize people still used TiVo

Love TiVo - we have one on every TV in the house. It's Hulu interface is slow but it still has one of the best user interfaces around. Quality DVR.

[Gil Dobie]

Melo hits a three with 4.8 left to put OKC up 1. Then KAT screens for Wiggins who banks home a 30-footer at the buzzer for a Timberwolves win at OKC.

[GannonFan]

Sixers finally play a team that wasn't a top 4 seed in the playoffs last year and take care of the Pistons on the road for the first win of the year. Embiid drops 30 points, Simmons continues his ROY campaign with his first triple double. Tough early season schedule continues with the Rockets on Wed but early encouraging signs will help us to ignore the potential disaster that Fultz could be.

[SDHornet]

Kings lose to the Suns...that team that fired its coach 3 games in.

[GannonFan]

Kings lose to the Suns...that team that fired its coach 3 games in.

Gotta love the Kings. The Sixers still have the Kings #1 pick in 2019 (assuming that the Sixers give Boston the Lakers pick in 2018 - if the Sixers keep the Lakers pick - if it's #1 or worse than #6, then the Celtics will get the Kings pick) - that pick in 2019 is bound to be pretty good as the Kings will never be good.

[Gil Dobie]

Kings lose to the Suns...that team that fired its coach 3 games in.

Gotta love the Kings. The Sixers still have the Kings #1 pick in 2019 (assuming that the Sixers give Boston the Lakers pick in 2018 - if the Sixers keep the Lakers pick - if it's #1 or worse than #6, then the Celtics will get the Kings pick) - that pick in 2019 is bound to be pretty good as the Kings will never be good.

I just hope the Timberwolves are done worrying about picks for a few years.

[GannonFan]

Gotta love the Kings. The Sixers still have the Kings #1 pick in 2019 (assuming that the Sixers give Boston the Lakers pick in 2018 - if the Sixers keep the Lakers pick - if it's #1 or worse than #6, then the Celtics will get the Kings pick) - that pick in 2019 is bound to be pretty good as the Kings will never be good.

I just hope the Timberwolves are done worrying about picks for a few years.

Oh, I'm not worried about the Sixers actual own pick - they shouldn't be in the lottery anymore themselves. But we still have the Lakers pick in 2018 and the Kings pick in 2019 and Boston will get one of those and we'll get the other. Just a little icing on the Process cake, if you will.

[GannonFan]

The Fultz drama continues in Philly - agent giving two different stories of Fultz either having a cortisone shot to his shoulder or fluid being taken from his shoulder. Says he can't lift his arms above his head. Sixers still playing him, although he shoots free throws worse than Shaq and he's a three point shooter that has failed to take a three point shot yet this year. Considering that the Sixers gave the Celtics a 1st round draft pick and let them take Tatum while we took Fultz, this could end up being a colossal bust of a trade. Granted, may have to still wait until year 2 to fully make that determination, but having Simmons and Embiid at the starting line of the Process right now it stinks having Fultz look so disastrous right now. Tatum would look so much better in a Sixers uniform right now. Actually anyone that could shoot more than 50% from the line would look better. Fultz better be the real deal or Colangelo will have a lot to answer for, especially from the Hinkieites.

[clenz]

A Philly rookie getting hurt?

Shocking

All part of the process.

Hopefully they get another top 2 pick for the next 3 years and the process can almost complete

[GannonFan]

A Philly rookie getting hurt?

Shocking

All part of the process.

Hopefully they get another top 2 pick for the next 3 years and the process can almost complete

They won't get a top 2 pick as they are making the playoffs this year. East is bad, and Simmons and Embiid (and Reddick and Saric and Covington and others) are good enough to make the playoffs. Simmons may win ROY right now - the kid's a beast. And Embiid is Embiid. Health will always be a concern but he's a top 10 player when healthy and playing.

They'll get the Lakers pick this year if it's #1 (unlikely) or worse than 6th (possible). Or they get the Kings pick in 2019 (likely top 5 pick). Otherwise they aren't in the lottery going forward.

Fultz was supposed to be the pick of a guy ready to play now since they have all the other pieces. Colangelo gave away a future #1 (to a division opponent nonetheless) and picked Fultz over anyone else, especially when it was likely that the Celtics were never going to take Fultz (they were always going after Tatum). It was an anti-Hinkie trade - Hinkie never would've made that trade. If Fultz is a player, then it all works out. If Fultz is a bust, well, it will take it's place among some of the worst trades ever. Especially when the Process is starting to deliver in Simmons and Embiid, swinging and missing on the third piece by the guy who's supposed to be the NBA insider/grownup brought in to replace Hinkie would be a mighty miss. Still time for it not to be but certainly worrisome right now.

[GannonFan]

Sixers show some growth as they sweep a two game road trip to Texas, beating Mavs and the Rockets, and both with JJ Redick on the bench. The Rockets game was particularly good - Sixers led the whole way as they had done last week against the same team (although Nani was back for the Rockets in this one) and this time, rather than choking up the lead as they did at home last week, they played better down the stretch, got the ball in to Embiid more, and held on to the "W". Simmons continues to look like a runaway rookie of the year candidate, Embiid has played every game but the road game back end of a back to back, and TJ McCullough is doing his best Fultz imitation (the good one, not the hurt one) and filling in nicely. Sixers get a reprieve over the next 4 games as they play teams they should beat (Hawks and Pacers at home, Jazz and Kings on the road) before seeing the Warriors twice in two weeks with the Clippers and Lakers in the middle of that at the end of a 5 game West coast swing. All in all, so far so good with the Process.

[clenz]

The process has seen the Sixers declind the option on Okafor today.

The Mavs are also 1-7...