Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid believes that the Miami Heat, who lost 93-80 to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, need another star player on the roster.

He also noted how Boston has simply overwhelmed the Heat with its multitude of options.

Six-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA player Jimmy Butler leads a Heat team that also includes 2020 All-Star Bam Adebayo and six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry.

However, Lowry has been significantly hindered by a hamstring injury. He's playing through it, but scored just three points total in his last two games.

Butler has also scored just 19 points on 7-of-32 shooting in his last two games. He notably left Game 3 with right knee inflammation.

Miami is also without second-leading scorer Tyler Herro (left groin strain).

Perhaps the Heat do need another star, as partially evidenced by the Heat averaging just 81 points per game in their last two matchups.

On the flip side, Miami is simply beat up right now, to the point where the Heat look nothing like the team that won 53 games and earned the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed. They trail Boston 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.

Miami isn't done yet, though, as the Heat can stay alive with a win in Game 6 in Boston on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. If the Heat win, Game 7 will be in Miami on Monday.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum came to the defense of the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid by taking aim at the All-NBA positional breakdown.

Embiid received second-team honors despite spending the entire 2021-22 season in the MVP discussion. That's because the rules only allow for one center on the first team, a spot that went to MVP winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

Tatum, a first-team selection, said Wednesday the situation "doesn't really make too much sense":

In an era where a lot more positionless basketball is being played, the simple breakdown of two guards, two forwards and one center on each All-NBA team doesn't fit as well as it did in the past.

Giannis Antetokounmpo spends a fair share of his playing time operating as a non-traditional center for the Milwaukee Bucks, but he still made the first team as a forward.

The role of center has also morphed in significant ways over the years. There are far fewer old-school post players who spend all their time around the rim as offenses seek bigs who can stretch the floor and, in the cases of Jokic and Embiid, help run the offense.

In March, Bill Simmons of The Ringer predicted voting issues related to the positional requirements:

The question is whether there's a solution beyond making it what amounts to a second MVP vote with the top 15 players from any position slotted anywhere on the three All-NBA teams.

That may be the only answer in order to avoid a snub like Embiid received this year, though. It took a season where the best two players were centers to further expose the obvious flaw in the system.

While it may not seem like the biggest deal on the surface, some players have All-NBA performance incentives in their contracts. Embiid had one related to his current deal before signing a four-year, $195.9 million supermax extension with the Sixers in 2021.

It'll be interesting to see whether the NBA addresses this before the 2022-23 campaign.

The 2021-22 All-NBA teams were revealed Tuesday night, and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was once again on the second team. 

The MVP finalist was left off the first team while Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum made the cut.

Embiid had more first-team votes than Tatum, having earned 12 first-team votes at center and 45 at forward. However, Tatum made the first team over Embiid because he had more votes than the big man as a forward.

There was a general consensus that Jokic was going to make the first team as a center, so a collection of voters attempted to get Embiid on the first team as a forward. 

Embiid instead made the second team alongside Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry and Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan. 

Embiid had a tremendous year for the 76ers, averaging a career-high 30.6 points, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game, in addition to 11.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.9 percent from the floor and 37.1 percent from deep.

Despite never making the first team, the 28-year-old now has four All-NBA Second Team selections to his name. Not making the first team is the least of his concerns, though, as he and the Sixers need to focus on making a deep playoff run in 2022-23. 

The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly likely to wait to cash in on part of their return from the Philadelphia 76ers in the James Harden and Ben Simmons trade.

Philadelphia sent the Nets an unprotected 2022 pick as part of the move, but Brooklyn can defer it to take the Sixers' unprotected 2023 first-rounder instead.

"It's relatively likely the Nets will opt to defer that pick to next season," PhillyVoice's Kyle Neubeck wrote of the pick that ended up being No. 23 in this year's draft.

It is a calculated gamble from Brooklyn's perspective, as it has to estimate which draft class will have a deeper pool of talent and what it expects from the 76ers next season. If Philadelphia is a championship contender again and delivers on elevated expectations, its pick could be even lower in the first round next year.

The Nets must make their decision by June 1.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected the pick to the Nets in his latest mock draft and predicted they would select MarJon Beauchamp from the G League Ignite.

"Beauchamp should interest Brooklyn for his wing defense, though his knack for off-ball scoring and finishing would work well alongside the Nets' stars," he wrote.

Neubeck noted the Sixers expect Brooklyn to defer until 2023 and are "actively preparing to be armed with that chip this summer." Such a pick would give them "one of their most important bartering chips to upgrade the roster around Joel Embiid and Harden."

They could either move it in a deal to get a high-profile player or draft someone who could fit in alongside the two stars and take advantage of the openings they create. 

The Nets and 76ers figure to be on the short list of realistic contenders in the Eastern Conference next season, but they will be connected this offseason as the fallout of the Harden and Simmons trade continues into the draft.            

Philadelphia 76ers wing Matisse Thybulle "is certainly not untouchable and the Sixers would entertain moving him," according to Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice.

Neubeck reported the team wouldn't offload Thybulle simply to shed the $4.4 million he's owed in 2022-23, though, especially after Danny Green tore his ACL and LCL in the 2022 NBA playoffs.

The Sixers' view of the 25-year-old has evolved a bit.

Ahead of this year's NBA trade deadline, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey reported in January that Thybulle was "close to being untouchable." That he might be more attainable this offseason is a reflection both of the team's needs and the player's declining stock.

Philadelphia's exit in the Eastern Conference Semifinals was a reality check for the organization. Even if James Harden returns and performs better after a full offseason with the team, the roster still isn't good enough to win a title. In pursuit of the necessary upgrades, Thybulle might be one of the few trade assets left after the front office leveraged Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond and Seth Curry in the Harden deal.

The 6'5" guard also isn't good enough to make him untouchable, which seemingly isn't the case for second-year guard Tyrese Maxey. Neubeck spoke to a source who said Maxey "is as close to untouchable as you could be."

Thybulle is basically a three-and-D player without the three. He averaged 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks in 25.5 minutes per game this season but shot just 31.3 percent from beyond the arc on low volume. 

His shooting problems become more glaring in the playoffs, when opponents routinely ignore him to send double-teams at Harden or star center Joel Embiid. In nine postseason games, he went 4-of-14 from beyond the arc, and the Sixers were 21.1 points per 100 possessions better with him on the bench, per NBA.com.

Thybulle's defensive skill has never been in doubt from the moment he entered the NBA. He was named a second-team All-Defensive player this season for the second straight year, and Neubeck noted how his perimeter defense will be even more valuable to Philly with Green unavailable.

Still, Thybulle's skill set might be too limited for a win-now team. The 76ers might be better off trading him for something of value or using him to help offload the $76.9 million owed to Tobias Harris over the next two years.

The Los Angeles Lakers have three finalists for their vacant head-coaching job, but it appears they're still hoping another potential candidate hits the market. 

The Lakers "have not completely abandoned hope" that Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers will become available this summer, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Rivers is the Lakers' preferred choice, Bill Plaschke reported on The Doug Gottlieb Show earlier this month. However, the 60-year-old might not be available despite the Sixers falling to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey said in his exit interview that Rivers would return for his third season behind the bench.

"I just think he's a great coach," Morey said. "I love working with him. I feel like I'm learning from him. I think [general manager] Elton [Brand] and I and him make a great team, and we're gonna see where this journey takes us.

"But we feel very good about where it's gonna take us, and it's gonna be where we have a very good chance to win the title."

Rivers also denied interest in the Lakers coaching position in April, telling reporters he was "very happy" as head coach in Philadelphia:

"We talk a lot here, and everybody is happy here. We want to get this right. I came here for one reason. Like I said when I took [the job], you're going to like some of the things I do and not gonna like, and from a coaching point, you really can't care about that. But I am committed to winning. I think if we can turn this around, which we have from when we first got here to now, but we want to win it. ... I'm not a candidate. I have a job — and I'm very happy at my job."

That said, L.A.'s interest in Rivers isn't surprising, considering he has a lengthy resume that includes an NBA title. 

Rivers has been coaching in the NBA since 1999, leading the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers, in addition to the Sixers. He is 1,043-735 in the regular season and 104-100 in the playoffs across 23 seasons as a head coach. 

L.A.'s current finalists include Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. Ham has made the "strongest impression" of the three, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Sam Amick. 

The City of Brotherly Love has lived up to its name again.

According to Anna Orso of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia City Council voted in favor of naming Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid its MVP: the Most Valuable Philadelphian.

Embiid had a monster 2021-22 season, leading the NBA in scoring (30.6 points per game) and averaging 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 blocks. With the 7'0" center leading the way, the Sixers finished fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Still, that wasn't enough for Embiid to capture the NBA's top individual honor. He finished runner-up to the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, earning 39 fewer first-place votes.

At least the 28-year-old's value is unmatched in his home city.

It seems unlikely, though, that this MVP will wind up on his Basketball Reference page.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Danny Green isn't sure the Minnesota Timberwolves' Patrick Beverley has a leg to stand on with his criticism of Chris Paul's defense.

Beverley took shots at Paul after the Phoenix Suns were crushed by the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series, saying the 12-time All-Star "literally can't guard."

Green provided his take on those remarks on NBC Sports Philadelphia's Inside the Green Room.

"People target you too, Pat Bev. You ain't playing no f--king defense out there," Green said. "You ain't stopping Luka [Doncic]. It's time and time again I see Luka call your ass 'little man' and 'he's too f--king small' and go right at you every chance he got. When you play Luka you're a cone, too. How would you like that?"

The three-time NBA champion added he believes Beverley took advantage of a situation on national television (the comments came on ESPN's Get Up) to deliver unprovoked jabs at Paul.

"I think [Beverley] just used that platform because he has an issue with Chris, and he used it as a personal vendetta to take out a lot of his anger on the set at that moment," Green said. "I thought it was unfair to Chris, and I'm sure a lot of people felt the same, a lot of guys in the league."

Green's comments didn't go unnoticed by Beverley:

It's a unique situation because all three players (Green, Beverley and Paul) have some defensive accolades on their resume.

Paul is a seven-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection. He also earned two appearances on the All-Defensive Second Team, but none of those nine honors have come since 2016-17.

Beverley was voted to the first team once and second team twice, and Green also made the second team on one occasion.

Here's how they performed on that end of the floor in 2021-22, per FiveThirtyEight's defensive RAPTOR metric: Beverley (+1.9), Green (+1.3) and Paul (-0.4).

So perhaps the Suns star isn't the defender he was in his prime. That said, it's probably also unfair to expect a shutdown performance from Paul (6'0'', 175 pounds and 37 years old) against Doncic (6'7'', 230 pounds and 23 years old).

One thing's for sure: Paul and Beverley are among the NBA's most fiery competitors, and the comments are going to add ample intrigue to their head-to-head battles next season.

Based on Green's remarks, there may be other players looking to take on Beverley, too.

James Harden is tuning out the discussion centered around his performance for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2022 playoffs.

Harden wrote in an Instagram story on Sunday that he's going to "just let the people talk," seemingly referencing the ongoing discourse at which he is the center (warning: image contains profanity):

There isn't much more that needs to be said about the 10-time All-Star. He averaged 18.6 points and 8.6 assists in 12 playoff games for Philadelphia. When the team needed him to assume a leading role with Joel Embiid clearly less than 100 percent, he simply couldn't deliver.

To some extent, this might be the nadir of Harden's career so far. Having hit rock bottom, perhaps he'll look to atone in the offseason and show up a far different player when the 2022-23 season tips off.

Until that happens, though, Harden's skeptics will probably roll their eyes a bit when reading something like Sunday's comments.