Sixers get tougher by adding P.J. Tucker | Sports Daily Newsletter
They’ll sign another Houston connection in Danuel House
After the Miami Heat finished off the 76ers in their playoff series in May, Joel Embiid talked about his desire to play alongside someone as gritty as P.J. Tucker.
“He’s just physical and he’s tough, and they have a few of those guys,” Embiid said. “Since I’ve been here, I’d be lying if I said we’ve had those types of guys. Nothing against what we have, it’s just the truth. We never have P.J. Tucker. That’s really what I’m trying say. ... You need those guys that are really tough.”
Well, Joel, now you have him. According to sources, the Sixers agreed to a three-year, $33.2 million deal with the Heat power forward on Thursday as NBA free agency got underway. The 6-foot-5 Tucker turned 37 in May, but he shot a career-best 41.5% from beyond the three-point line last season. And yes, he brings a toughness that the Sixers lacked. He adds a physical presence on defense and can guard multiple positions while battling for rebounds.
In addition, sources said the Sixers agreed to a to a two-year, $8.5 million deal with small forward Danuel House, who played for the Rockets, Knicks, and Jazz last season. He is known as a three-and-D player.
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— Jim Swan, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
As The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell noted, in the journalism business, an old adage suggest you should “write what you know.” Could president of basketball operations Daryl Morey be applying that approach to his retooling of the 76ers roster? If not, it certainly looks like it.
Every player Morey has added since free agency opened — P.J. Tucker, De’Antony Melton, Danuel House, and Trevelin Queen — has ties to his former team, the Houston Rockets. And it can’t be discounted that James Harden, his “Basketball Jesus,” was the first major acquisition of his time in Philly. This will be a trend worth watching, as Morey was also said to have his eye on Rockets guard Eric Gordon.
In other news, former Sixers coach Brett Brown is heading back to San Antonio, where he’ll be an assistant coach for the Spurs. So the Texas theme continues.
Tazena Kennedy never got to see her grandfather, John Irvin Kennedy, play in a major-league ballpark. She was born 10 years after Kennedy, the Phillies’ first African American player, debuted in 1957. His shot at the bigs lasted only five games. Sixty-five years later, Tazena, along with members of her family including her 11-year-old grandson Elijah Cooper, were there at Citizens Bank Park to watch Kennedy finally get his due. “This was a chance for me to see him in the major leagues,” Tazena said. “Not actually in action, but this was the next best thing.”
Injured pitcher Zach Eflin, out with a bruised right knee, received a cortisone shot and will be reevaluated this weekend.
Darick Hall went yard for his first big-league hit, and then added another home run for good measure, as four Phillies homered to close out June with a rout of the Braves.
Next: The Phillies open a home series against St. Louis at 6:05 p.m. Friday (NBCSP). Bailey Falter (0-2, 4.50 ERA) will be opposed by Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas (5-5, 2.57).
The Flyers hold the No. 5 pick in next Thursday’s NHL draft, and while there still are a number of directions they could go, they absolutely need to get the pick right, given the team’s current situation.
While names like Šimon Nemec, David Jiříček, and Cutter Gauthier have been consistently thrown around regarding the Flyers’ pick, there’s an argument that the team should take a “big swing.” Olivia Reiner profiled a dynamic offensive player who fits that description — if Chuck Fletcher and Co. were so inclined to go off the board a little bit.
Barring sudden injury, Christian Pulisic is going to the World Cup as captain of the United States men’s soccer team, but aside from that, there are quite a few viable options, especially at striker.
It comes down to which players have seized opportunities in recent games, so it’s worth a discussion about who has impressed.
Jonathan Tannenwald, Andrea Canales, and Gus Elvin hold a conversation on their World Cup roster projections.
Worth a look
Sports betting: When sportsbooks posted their preseason odds on who’ll win the National League’s MVP Award, Paul Goldschmidt was not high on the list. He is now. Ed Barkowitz takes a look at how baseball odds have changed in several categories.
Basketball road show: Philadelphia’s Team Rumph Classic joined five leagues from across the country in the Pro-Am Basketball Classic last month in Los Angeles.
Power play: UCLA and Southern Cal are leaving the Pac-12 and headed for the greener ($$$$$) grass of the Big Ten. Anything goes anymore, Mike Jensen writes.
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We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Mike Jensen, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Alex Coffey, Olivia Reiner, Jonathan Tannenwald, Andrea Canales, Ed Barkowitz, Gus Elvin, and Sam Cohn.