Simmed Game
DET - 26 17 20 25 79
PHI - 22 18 20 25 85
POTG: Joel Embiid (17pts, 8reb, 1stl, 2blk)
Record: 21-7
Lamrock wrote:Stay away from the bowling alley, Andrew!
Martti. wrote:Wow, I remember when they got him and Philly was ranked at #3 in the East. Hopefully this time around things work out.
Vespasian92 wrote:The turnaround has been pretty quick for you with a great starting 5. Frankly, any production from guys like Bynum would just be gravy on the side
Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant has put to bed all the rumours about his future in the most emphatic way possible; by signing a five-year contract extension worth just over $119 million. General manager Sam Presti called a press conference today to announce the good news. It's the second long-term deal he has signed during his career with the 2012 NBA Finalists and it will see him spend the prime years of his career with the Thunder. With LeBron James now in his thirties, many people regard Durant as the best player in the world right now.
Speculation linking Durant with a free agency move to his hometown Washington Wizards next season seemed to have been becoming more and more possible with each month that passed without his signature with the Thunder. Sadly for Wizards fans it now seems unlikely that they will see Durant playing for their team. For the next five years at least. Who knows, maybe he will copy what LeBron did and "go home" for the final part of his career.
The twenty-seven year old forward is truly one of the few players in the NBA who you can honestly call underpaid, even with his astronomical salary. He is the two-time reigning Most Valuable Player winner, a six-time All-Star (including being named the 2012 All-Star game MVP), a six-time All-NBA first team, the 2008 Rookie of the Year and a four-time NBA scoring champion. It's an impressive résumé indeed, but it lacks the one thing that every player covets above all else - a championship.
This season is looking good for Durant and the Thunder as they currently lead the western conference standings with a league best 21-6 record. Durant himself is averaging 25 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals per game. He definitely is not looking to give up his MVP crown without a fight.
Simmed Game
TOR - 27 36 26 25 114
PHI - 28 32 20 29 109
POTG: Kyle Lowry (22pts, 3reb, 11ast)
Record: 22-8
mp3 wrote:Well I think Bynum owes the Sixers something!
Hope he can stay on court and repay the fans in Philly
_The high-flying Philadelphia 76ers have today traded former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams to the Utah Jazz in a five-player deal. The Sixers agreed to send Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel and Jerami Grant to the Jazz in exchange for Dante Exum, Enes Kanter and Utah's 2017 first round pick. It's an move that has caught a lot of people by surprise given how well the team has done up to this point of the season. Changing the primary playmaker is a risky move, but GM Sam Hinkie has got a good record with his recent transactions.
The Sixers have confounded many experts' pre-season expectations that they would have another lacklustre year by putting together an impressive 22-8 start, which sees them tied with Washington as leaders of the eastern conference. Their meteoric rise has been built on the back of their decision making on recent draft nights. They have added the likes of Carter-Williams, Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, KJ McDaniels, Dario Saric, Mario Hezonja and Kelly Oubre in the past few years. The off-season acquisitions of Jimmy Butler and Harrison Barnes have also proved very wise moves by Hinkie.
This trade allows Hinkie to maintain cap flexibility in the near future. Kanter is locked into a very manageable contract for the next three and a half years and Exum will remain on his rookie contract for a year longer than Carter-Williams would have. Preserving enough cap space to re-sign Joel Embiid and Kelly Oubre in a few years' time is the top priority for the Sixers' management. Completing this deal will give them more wiggle room, without significantly compromising their on-court performance.
In fact, it could be argued that Exum has a higher ceiling than Carter-Williams in the long-run. He is certainly a better athlete and possesses a more consistent outside shot. As for Kanter, he certainly offers a big improvement over Nerlens Noel at the offensive end of the court. He is a great inside scorer and could form a nice low-post tandem with Joel Embiid in the future. Kanter is a solid rebounder and his defensive weaknesses will be less evident playing alongside a shot-blocker like Embiid.
Philadelphia also pick up another potential lottery pick in this trade. Given their recent record at the draft, it could come in very handy.
_For Utah, this trade signals the end of the Favors-Kanter experiment. The duo were supposed to be the future of the franchise, but never really gelled together. It's a shame given that veterans Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap were allowed to leave as free agents in order to give the younger duo more playing time. With Kanter now gone, Favors can go back to playing in his more favoured power forward position, with Nerlens Noel also reverting to his natural center position with the Jazz.
They also replace Exum with a more established NBA point guard in Michael Carter-Williams. He will provide the Jazz with the on-court leadership and playmaking ability that they have lacked since Deron Williams was traded to the Nets back in 2011. Carter-Williams and Noel will also significantly tighten up the Jazz's defensive play with their length and competitiveness. Noel won't have to worry about scoring too much playing alongside a good inside scorer like Favors.
Utah are also defying critics this season and currently sit in fourth spot in the western conference with a 16-12 record. And much like Philadelphia, they have put together a good core of young players. Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, Trey Burke, Alec Burks, Rudy Gobert, Kristaps Porzingis, Rodney Hood and Jerami Grant are have the potential to have long and successful NBA careers.
Perhaps even an NBA Finals meeting between these two teams in the next few years isn't outside the realms of possibility._____PLAYER STATS
Exum - 15.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.5 SPG
Kanter - 12.1 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.5 BPG
MCW - 12.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.5 SPG
Noel - 7.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.3 BPG
Grant - Only played 2 games this season
Utah receive
Michael Carter-Williams - 24 - PG - $2.40m - 1 year (TO) (84)
Nerlens Noel - 21 - C - $3.46m - 1 year (TO) (81)
Jerami Grant - 21 - SF - $816k - 1 year (72)
Projected line-up:
Nerlens Noel - Derrick Favors - Gordon Hayward - Alec Burks - Michal Carter-Williams
Bench:
Trey Burke, Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood, Kristaps Porzingis, Jerami Grant, Trevor Booker, Steve Novak
Philadelphia receive
Dante Exum - 20 - PG - $3.94m - 1 year (2TO) (78)
Enes Kanter - 23 - PF - $19.42m - 4 years (76)
Jazz's 2018 first round pick
Projected line-up:
Joel Embiid - Enes Kanter - Harrison Barnes - Jimmy Butler - Dante Exum
Bench:
Kelly Oubre, Dario Saric, Tony Wroten, KJ McDaniels, Andrew Bynum, Mario Hezonja, Greg Oden
Simmed Game
LAC - 16 21 25 30 92
PHI - 23 19 20 16 78
POTG: Chris Paul (22pts, 3reb, 8ast, 2stl)
Record: 22-10
Vespasian92 wrote:I thought MCW's defense and passing would fit with Barnes and Butler, but in the end I think the trade will work out. Kanter gives you offense than Noel and Embiid don't have.
Andrew wrote:Sometimes, it's worth taking slightly less in return (Overall Rating-wise, at any rate) in order to get players who better fit your style, and still have the potential to get better. Hope Exum works out for you!
Simmed Game
LAL - 29 27 22 29 107
PHI - 22 38 24 13 97
POTG: Jeremy Lin (18pts, 6reb, 7ast, 1stl, 1blk)
Record: 22-12
Martti. wrote:Very unlike the real Sixers to get something back for trading their best players. I would never have traded Noel though.
Simmed Game
PHI - 23 18 12 37 90
CHI - 14 20 24 27 85
POTG: Dante Exum (19pts, 3reb, 6ast, 5stl)
Record: 23-13
Simmed Game
CHA - 17 26 17 21 81
PHI - 23 22 19 27 91
POTG: Joel Embiid (20pts, 12reb, 1blk)
Record: 25-13
Simmed Game
PHI - 25 16 37 15 93
MIA - 13 23 29 17 82
POTG: Joel Embiid (14pts, 13reb, 2stl)
Record: 27-13
Kevin wrote:Oubre
Lamrock wrote:Still looking good, man! I don't like the Noel/Exum deal at all for you, but clearly it hasn't had adverse effects on the court. Keep it up!
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