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MEMO TO THE NBA: YOU ARE ON NOTICE

If it wasn’t before, it is official now: the league, national media, in fact the entire world is on notice: the Sixers are here to win.

Philadelphia stands alone as the single most feared team in the East, if not, at this point, all of the NBA. The 76ers are riding a 16-game win-streak to end the regular season, a new record, winning eleven of those games handedly, by double-digits.

The Sixers won eight of those games without their all-star center, Joel Embiid. Philly also won two of those games without Dario Saric, one of the most fluid overseas transitions in history.

Ben Simmons took on LeBron James without Embiid, he proved that he can win big games without his superstar teamate. Simmons stuffed the box score, dropping 27 points, reeling in 15 rebounds, and dishing out 13 assists. Ben turned the ball over only three times, five fewer than LeBron in the game.

The naysayers are now all in favor and are all aboard the bandwagon. Whether they will admit it or not, they finally, “Trust the Process.”

Charles Barkley said, “smart guys who wanted to fit in made up a term called analytics, because they had no talent and wanted to be a part of the game.” Soon after, Chuck claimed Simmons wasn't ready for the NBA. His tone has changed recently as he was quoted saying, “The Eagles won, Villanova won, the 76ers are going to win the championship.”

I agree, and we forgive you prior misgivings, Chuck.

Some clown, named Colin Cowherd, said the Sixers would not even win 40 games in, “the miserable East.” Cowherd suggested that Philadelphia may be the single worst defensive team in history. And yet, the Sixers have held opponents to the lowest field-goal percentage in the NBA. Cowherd compared Embiid to Greg Oden, touted as one of the greatest busts in NBA history, as his career quickly wilted due to injuries. Embiid made the all-star game this year while dominating games, averaging 22.9 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Recently, Colin took his licks, as the 76ers proved him wrong, and to his credit, he donned a Sixers jersey on national television, accepting defeat.

Is there a better way to end the regular season then with a 130-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, a playoff team. A team owner Wes Edens was quoted as saying, "guys in Philly want to talk about the process, I'd rather talk about the results” as recently as June 19, 2017.

So let’s talk about results, Wes. The Sixers are the three-seed and the hottest team entering the playoffs, your boys are a lowly seven-seed. If youse manage your way past a battered Celtics team, Philly will be happy to eliminate you in round two.

Nick Wright, one of LeBron James’s biggest advocates, admits, “If there is any threat in the east to the Cavs it is not Toronto, it is certainly not Boston, it is not the plucky Pacers, or the defensive minded Heat, it is these Philadelphia 76ers.”

From where I stand, there is no threat in the east to our PHILADELPHIA 76ERS.

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Ben Simmons: Unanimous Rookie of the Year

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Ben Simmons

THE PRINCE THAT WAS PROMISED

The Prince that was Promised is a prophesized leader or savior. The prince may be part of an ancient prophecy told by Samuel Hinkie, former Maester of House Philadelphia. 

This prophecy foretells the coming of a hero to deliver House Philadelphia from darkness. A “bleeding celtic” is supposed to herald the coming of the prince. 

The prince is said to have “a song”, the song of ice and fire. This song is said to refer to the ice in his veins, while he is “on fire” in The Great War to come. 

The prince was brought to the realm to dethrone LeBron James of House Cleveland, First of his Name, The Chosen One, King of the East. 

On April 5th, 2018 a raven has brought the news of the bleeding celtic, one day before House Philadelphia is scheduled to face off against House Cleveland. 

Ben Simmons, The Prince that was Promised was born again. It’s time for Simmons to complete his prophecy, and deliver House Philadelphia from the Age of Darkness. It is known. 

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11 IN A ROW

The Philadelphia 76ers have won 11 games in a row for the first time since 1990. The Sixers accomplished this incredible feat, missing two of their top-three players for the last two games in Dario Saric and Joel Embiid. Two years ago the 76ers won a total of 10 games.

Ben Simmons was told countless times by the media that he is, “not a winner,” or “he doesn’t have what it takes to lead a team.” However, something the media may have not considered, a question I ask: did LSU use him properly?

Simmons is a natural point guard, who just so happens to be 6-foot-10; in short, he is a freak of nature. Imagine had LSU built the team around him, surrounding him with shooters, allowing him to work what now seems almost like an innate ability and just let him run point. The Tigers would have been unstoppable. 

Now with Philly, Simmons is proving he can run a team, even without Embiid, as long as he is in his niche, that is, surrounded by shooters.

Simmons has averaged a triple double during the 76ers 11-game winning streak. Averaging 18.3 points per game, 11.3 assists per game, 10.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 58.6 percent from the field. He appears to be unstoppable driving the lane, doing so at will it seems, and his Stephen Hawking-level basketball IQ leads to Einstein-esque play development. 

It has become clear to 76ers’ fans, that the addition of Ilyasova and Belinelli has led the team from a 7-8 seed to a legitimate contender; the Sixers lack of depth has since vanished. The pair give Philly desperately needed production from the bench and seem to do so 20 points at a time.

The Sixers surrounded Ben with shooters, silencing the haters. It could be argued that the 76ers are the single-most feared team in the East; no team wants a piece of Philly. And the NBA is now aware, Simmons and Embiid cannot be contested. 

The 76ers won 22 of their last 27 games. Philly is red hot going into the playoffs. Yesterday, the 76ers became the 9th team in the 71-year history of the NBA to win nine consecutive games by 10-or-more points; the all-time record is 10. The 76ers aren’t just winning games, rather beating opponents to a pulp. It is time for anyone (who has not already) to hop on the bandwagon and finally, “Trust the Process”

Philadelphia fans have been tortured for years.

“There’s always next year,” has been uttered year-after-year. And after the Eagles finally brought the insatiable Philadelphia fan base a parade down Broad, the 76ers look poised to take a turn. As Jason Kelce has said “Hungry dogs run faster.”

It may not happen this year, but the time will come soon enough, you just have to “Trust the Process.”

Source: Aaron Chandler

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Ben Simmons vs. Donovan Mitchell

FAKE NEWS!

The media has created a narrative: Ben Simmons vs Donovan Mitchell. 

Simmons should be, by the unbiased eye, unarguable and objectively, the unanimous Rookie of the Year. It is time to stop punishing Philadelphia for, “The Process.” Malcolm Brogdon (who the fook is that guy?) was punishment enough, though that wrong can never be righted, we can prevent history from repeating itself. Ben Simmons is not only the standalone rookie in the NBA this season, but the best rookie the league has seen in a long time. I am a Sixers fan, but objectively, this is a generational talent-something I, among most others, am not willing to call Donovan Mitchell. 

Simmons, a 6-foot-10 point guard, can guard all five positions. Mitchell can guard three positions, at most. Simmons is not a one-dimensional player. He can score at will (even without a jump shot), he facilitates, rebounds, runs the floor, defends, leads his team vocally, but most importantly...he knows how win basketball games. 

Mitchell is a scorer, a good one, but thats it. He is an excellent rookie, showing a lot of promise, but to reaffirm, he is not a, “once in a generation talent.” While Mitchell scores more often and eclipses the arbitrary plateau of 20.0 points-per-game, Simmons scores more efficiently, as you can see in the picture below. 

Simmons is not only putting up better numbers than any rookie in the league, his stats rival some of the greatest rookies in basketball history.

I see Simmons as the next Magic Johnson. He may even be putting up better numbers than Magic did during his rookie season. And recall, Magic played alongside three would-be Hall of Famers in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and Jamaal Wilkes.

If Simmons finishes the season averaging 15 points eight assists and eight rebounds, all totals he currently eclipses, he will be the first rookie with such numbers since Oscar Robertson in 1960. Simmons is already the first rookie since Robertson to tally 600 assists and 600 rebounds in his first 75 games. 

To add insult to Mitchell’s injury, Simmons has talled eleven triple doubles in his rookie year, the only player with more in a rookie season is...Oscar Robertson, in 1960, before Simmons’ parents were born.

The loudest voice is the room might shout, “Mitchell is more responsible for his team’s success,” I whisper back, Mitchell ranks just fourth on his team in win-shares, fifth on his team in box plus-minus, fourth on his team in value over replacement player, and third on his team in player efficiency rating. Simmons, on the other hand, ranks first on his team in win shares, box plus-minus, and value over replacement player, while ranking second behind Embiid-who will likely receive MVP votes.

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Dario Saric has no ceiling

The Homie is a work horse! 

It goes without saying that the skill-level in Turkey cannot hold a candle to NBA’s greatest talents.

The game is faster, the players are better, sure, but the level of fatigue one faces from traveling coast-to-coast is immeasurable.

It is unfathomable that Dario has maintained his production. It takes a generational talent, work ethic, and mindset for an overseas-born player to adjust to the pace of the NBA game and do so as quickly as Saric has. 

Dirk Nowitzki, unquestionably one of the greatest power forwards to step on the court, struggled with his transition to the NBA, Nowitzki said "I was so frustrated I even contemplated going back to Germany. ... [the jump from Second Bundesliga to the NBA] was like jumping out of an airplane hoping the parachute would somehow open."

Dirk played 20.4 minutes per game, averaging 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists. He shot .206 from three point range, and .405 from the field. All of these numbers are career lows, even his stats to PER 36. The following year Dirk came in 2nd place for “Most Improved Player” voting. 

Saric is almost undeniably a top-five power forward and likely has not sniffed his ceiling. Dario’s awareness is similar to that of Draymond Green. He plays his role and adapts when necessary. He has a similar work ethic to that of Dirk Nowitzki, whom also came from overseas, though an entirely different location, of course, and he will only get better. Don't just take my word for it, though, learn, by the numbers provided.