data-mm-id=”_bzr1j5p2m”>I imagine many Philadelphia 76ers fans' hearts dropped on Wednesday evening around 6 PM, when Ben Simmons limped off the floor while battling against the Washington Wizards. It was a frightening moment because it was one of those non-contact injuries where it didn't look like anything was wrong until Simmons grimaced and then immediately headed to the locker room. The Sixers would eventually come back and defeat the Wizards, but the fate of Simmons was unknown. It became known today as all your favorite NBA insiders tweeted that Simmons was out indefinitely with a "subluxation of the left patella," which a quick Google search reveals is a partial dislocation of the kneecap. Definitely not great, but by no means a devastating injury. Official diagnosis on Ben Simmons: Subluxation of the left patella, listed out and treatment options are currently being considered. https://t.co/aoSXS0XUjR— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 6, 2020Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, and the Sixers are losing their best perimeter defender and playmaker. But this may very well be a net positive for Philadelphia. They aren't more talented sans Simmons, but the pieces will fit better together, and there's a strong possibility we see proof of that sooner rather than later. Simmons' downsides are given more attention than his upsides, which isn't fair. But it's also true. His inability to even try to shoot clogs the lane for the Sixers, which is a problem since Joel Embiid isn't all that great of a three-point shooter. It's why their super-jumbo lineup with Simmons/Embiid/Tobias Harris/Al Horford didn't work. Horford and Embiid are average-at-best from deep and when you have all those big bodies hanging out inside the arc, well… It's not terribly difficult to gameplan for them. Now, though, the equation changes. Everyone knows Embiid is now the top option on offense, and everyone will get in line behind him. The Horford-Embiid frontcourt pairing is suddenly a lot more viable when you have Josh Richardson, Shake Milton, and Tobias Harris behind them as decent shooters. Mixing and matching bench units will become tougher with no Simmons, but that doesn't matter nearly as much once the playoffs start. With enough room to operate, there aren't many centers in the league who can go toe-to-toe with Embiid. He now has that. That could be all the difference in the world for a Sixers team that has struggled mightily all season. The defense will get worse, because Simmons is an All-NBA-level defender. But with Embiid still back there, they'll manage to tread water. The offense opening up could be the difference between a first-round exit and a deep playoff run.
Related Posts
According to a recent report from Calciomercato, Inter Milan attempted to sign Franck Kessie from city rivals AC Milan during the January transfer window but couldn’t quite get a deal over the finish line.
The 23 year old midfielder was at the heart of great speculation during the month of January and for a good few months prior to that, with Wolverhampton Wanderers being heavily linked during the summer transfer window.
As it turns out, though, while he may have wound up staying at the San Siro, the closest threat came from within the city with Inter Milan throwing their name into the hat.
They’ve been on something of a rampage across the last six months whereby they’ve gone after every notable name in European football. While they’ve manag…
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed he will hand first senior starts to academy trio Ethan Laird, Di Shon Bernard and Dylan Levitt in Manchester United s Europa League clash with Astana on Thursday.
United have travelled to Kazakhstan knowing they are already assured of a place in the knockout phase of the competition, having taken 10 points from their four matches.
With the Red Devils still nine points adrift of the top four in the Premier League, Solskjaer has taken the opportunity to rest key players and thus taken an extremely young squad to Nur-Sultan.
While United have not confirmed the full squad, it has been reported 14 of the 18 are teenagers.
James Garner, Tahith Chong, Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood have all been photographed and are expected to fe…
Favourites Morocco missed their chance to seal a place in the next stage of the Africa Cup of Nations after being held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo in San Pedro.
The 2022 World Cup semi-finalists grabbed a sixth-minute lead through Achraf Hakimi but rode their luck when Cedric Bakambu hit a post with a 41st-minute penalty.
The visitors pressed forward in the second half and got their reward when substitute Silas swept home a 76th-minute equaliser that keeps Congo’s hopes of qualifying from Group F alive.
Hakimi’s world-class volley from a Hakim Ziyech corner suggested Morocco, who had cruised through their opening match against Tanzania, would have enough to claim a second straight win.
Congo captain Chancel Mbemba almost turned the ball into his own net…
Milan spent much of the previous decade battling Manchester United to decide which of Europe s grandest clubs could fall hardest from their perches.
Such has been their relative misery that each team was linked with bringing back a former star, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to inject a little optimism at the start of 2020.
It was Milan who made that particular move, Ibrahimovic returning this week to much fanfare to the club he led to the 2011 Serie A title. He came on as a substitute against Sampdoria on Monday, the self-professed lion greeting the San Siro cheers with an encouraging roar of this own.
If bravado bought points, Ibrahimovic s arrival would have Milan pushing Juventus at the top of the table before the season is out. As it is, his 35 minutes on the pitch ser…
Arsenal have announced that head of football Raul Sanllehi is leaving the club.
The former Barcelona director was appointed by the Gunners in November 2017 as head of football relations before being promoted following the departure of Ivan Gazidis.
Vinai Venkatesham, our current managing director, will lead us going forward, the club said in a statement announcing Sanllehi s exit.
The decision comes amid a move to streamline Arsenal s behind-the-scenes structure, partly influenced by the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen the club announce plans to make 55 non-playing staff redundant and led to the departure of figures in the scouting department, including long-time recruitment specialist Francis Cagigao.
Owners Stan Kroenke a…
Market: Both teams to score No
Odds: 11/10 @
Two sides who are seeking a Super League boost on Wednesday night, Zurich will welcome Lausanne to the Letzigrund.
Starting with the hosts, while Zurich might have come flying out of the traps when opening up the 2023/24 campaign, the Swiss giants have drastically struggled to find a similar level. Last seen suffering a late collapse away at Grasshoppers as they slumped to a 2-1 defeat, Bo Henriksen’s men are without a win from any of their previous five Super League appearances a run that stems back to a stellar 3-1 victory against Young Boys on November 25th. Although FCZ might still be sat firmly in the driving seat to book a top-half return in 2024, the former Midtjylland boss will have a mounting headache over …
Mikel Arteta is unsure whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thomas Partey will be fit for Arsenal s Premier League trip to Liverpool on Saturday.
The in-form Gunners travel to Merseyside without a win at Anfield since September 2012, but with the longest unbeaten run in the top flight of eight matches.
Captain Aubamayang has emerged as a doubt for the clash with the Reds after returning from international duty with Gabon early, while Ghana midfielder Partey s fitness is also a concern for the London club due to a muscle injury.
Asked about Aubamayang s early return, Arteta said on Friday: No, it wasn t pre-planned, we have to assess him and see how he is and make a decision.
We have a lot players who have been through some different games, issues, li…
Burnley moved eight points clear of the Premier League relegation zone with a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.
Ashley Barnes atoned for an early own goal by adding to quickfire first-half strikes from Chris Wood and Ashley Westwood as Sean Dyche s men sealed a second straight victory that lifts them comfortably away from next weekend s opponents Cardiff City.
Bournemouth were clearly second best after letting their lead slip amid a frenetic opening 20 minutes and, outside of a wayward Callum Wilson header, offered little response on the way to a sixth loss in nine matches.
Asmir Begovic, recalled for last weekend s loss to Leicester City, was at fault for two Burnley goals and his team have now failed to win an…
Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow League One promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday.
A game dubbed the Hollywood derby was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock.
But Birmingham s £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May s effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo.
The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew s.
However, Blues dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield s header picking out the far corner fol…
Kylian Mbappe stated his Paris Saint-Germain team-mates must respect themselves after an insipid performance in the 3-0 defeat at Monaco on Sunday.
Mbappe s former club dominated the first half at Stade Louis II, before expertly picking PSG off on the counter-attack in the second.
Goals from Wissam Ben Yedder (two) and Kevin Volland sealed the win, with an exasperated Mbappe seen removing his shirt and under-shirt after Monaco took a 25th-minute lead.
This made it four away defeats in a row in all competitions for Mauricio Pochettino s men, including the recent humiliation in the Champions League when the Parisians threw away a two-goal aggregate lead over Real Madrid thanks to a second-half Karim Benzema hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabeu.
20 Wissam Ben…