Minnesota Sports Forum

Fun poll, Lip. I'm with Abe that I want to pick the wolves, but Wig's metrics make this a poor choice. Then I wanted to go with the Bucks, but I'm just not a Bledsoe guy (interesting how the Suns have gotten so much better since he left). So I joined Khans in going with the Sixers...their win in LA last night is more evidence of how quickly they are coming on.

I went with the 76ers. Covington might not be the strongest 3rd wheel but if Simmons and Embiid stay healthy it really doesn't matter. I'd like to go with the Wolves too, but too many questions currently. Is KAT going to improve on the defensive end? Is this all we get with Butler? In my opinion despite the metrics, Wiggins has been our best player this year. He's playing good defense, shooting well, and making more hustle plays. I don't like how much standing he's doing on offense, but I'm not sure that's not by design.

Good poll Lip and good conversation guys. Have a good one.

khans2k5 wrote:Honestly though it's the 76ers for me. Their 3 in this situation have the most balance outside of the Thunder only they are much younger than the Thunder. Simmons can do all the offensive playmaking. Embiid is just a monster. Covington is a great 3 and D guy who is probably one of the best role players in the league this year. Just put shooting and defense around them and you already have a really good team. Giannis is great at 31/10/5. Simmons is quietly at 18/8/7 with Embiid at 20/11/3. And they are both in year 1 and 2 of playing in the league. 2 young studs outweigh 1 MVP caliber stud IMO.

I voted the wolves initially but immediately wanted change to Philly. If Embiid stays healthy it's a no brained in my opinion.

I went with Westbrook, George and Adams. Obviously because of my homerism towards Steven Adams :thumb:

I'd put the Wolves trio as a close second.

Duke13 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:Honestly though it's the 76ers for me. Their 3 in this situation have the most balance outside of the Thunder only they are much younger than the Thunder. Simmons can do all the offensive playmaking. Embiid is just a monster. Covington is a great 3 and D guy who is probably one of the best role players in the league this year. Just put shooting and defense around them and you already have a really good team. Giannis is great at 31/10/5. Simmons is quietly at 18/8/7 with Embiid at 20/11/3. And they are both in year 1 and 2 of playing in the league. 2 young studs outweigh 1 MVP caliber stud IMO.

I voted the wolves initially but immediately wanted change to Philly. If Embiid stays healthy it's a no brained in my opinion.

Remember when Philly fans were booing Covington last season for his dismal shooting... until he hit a game-winning shot vs. the Wolves?

I found that crazy at the time. Here was a rangy plus defender learning how to be a great 3-and-D guy while making close to the league minimum... and was being booed not for his constant effort... but because he didn't shoot well enough.

Philly fans are much more ruthless than Wolves fans.

Honestly there are too many factors to really pick 1 of these over another there are a lot of very good options which proves Q's point he has been making for a couple years that the league's depth of talent is Tre best ever. The team I would eliminate first very easily is Denver. Jokic is amazing, I love Millsap but how many years does he have and Murray a guy I liked going into that draft has not looked that enticing.

khans2k5 wrote:Honestly though it's the 76ers for me. Their 3 in this situation have the most balance outside of the Thunder only they are much younger than the Thunder. Simmons can do all the offensive playmaking. Embiid is just a monster. Covington is a great 3 and D guy who is probably one of the best role players in the league this year. Just put shooting and defense around them and you already have a really good team. Giannis is great at 31/10/5. Simmons is quietly at 18/8/7 with Embiid at 20/11/3. And they are both in year 1 and 2 of playing in the league. 2 young studs outweigh 1 MVP caliber stud IMO.

Good point, Kahns. I forgot to offer my thoughts on the Sixers. While I believe Giannis is the best of all 30 players, like you I see Embiid and Simmons as the best twosome. So as I think about it again, there's a good argument that's the Sixers threesome is the most talented. And as Abe mentioned, adding Fultz in place of Covington should tip the scales decidedly in favor of the Sixers core three. I left Fultz out because we haven't seen him yet at the NBA level. But I'm still not sold on Embiid's health. I just don't think he's going to hold up. Too many physical issues, including both knee and back. If I didn't have such serious doubts about his long-term health, I would probably pick the Sixers core three over any other. IF Embiid stays healthy, the Sixers will be a team to be reckoned with down the road.

lipoli390 wrote:

khans2k5 wrote:Honestly though it's the 76ers for me. Their 3 in this situation have the most balance outside of the Thunder only they are much younger than the Thunder. Simmons can do all the offensive playmaking. Embiid is just a monster. Covington is a great 3 and D guy who is probably one of the best role players in the league this year. Just put shooting and defense around them and you already have a really good team. Giannis is great at 31/10/5. Simmons is quietly at 18/8/7 with Embiid at 20/11/3. And they are both in year 1 and 2 of playing in the league. 2 young studs outweigh 1 MVP caliber stud IMO.

Good point, Kahns. I forgot to offer my thoughts on the Sixers. While I believe Giannis is the best of all 30 players, like you I see Embiid and Simmons as the best twosome. So as I think about it again, there's a good argument that's the Sixers threesome is the most talented. And as Abe mentioned, adding Fultz in place of Covington should tip the scales decidedly in favor of the Sixers core three. I left Fultz out because we haven't seen him yet at the NBA level. But I'm still not sold on Embiid's health. I just don't think he's going to hold up. Too many physical issues, including both knee and back. If I didn't have such serious doubts about his long-term health, I would probably pick the Sixers core three over any other. IF Embiid stays healthy, the Sixers will be a team to be reckoned with down the road.

Yep health is what holds those guys back for me but that's certainly not unique.

Something interesting is the Dunc'd on guys mentioned some stat about how ineffective Embiid is in post ups. I don't remember the numbers but it was really bad. Still he is a good offensive player and a legit factor defensively but it was interesting info and Based on one game I watched this year I can see that being a problem. Towns hasn't seemed as effective in the post this year for some reason.

I have the lone vote for Celtics. I picked them primarily because I know they are coached by Stevens.

monsterpile wrote:Honestly there are too many factors to really pick 1 of these over another there are a lot of very good options which proves Q's point he has been making for a couple years that the league's depth of talent is Tre best ever. The team I would eliminate first very easily is Denver. Jokic is amazing, I love Millsap but how many years does he have and Murray a guy I liked going into that draft has not looked that enticing.

I think Gary Harris would be considered part of the core over Murray.

The knock on him though is that he improved A LOT his first three years... signed a big extension... and then has seemed to level off this season. It's early, but you need to have your young promising players to get better every season if they're going to be difference makers.