Mixed messages as Beard and Ben both meet the media | Sports Daily newsletter
James Harden and Ben Simmons were introduced by their new teams Tuesday, and there were a lot of similarities.
After last week’s blockbuster James Harden-Ben Simmons trade, both the Sixers and Brooklyn Nets chose Tuesday for introductory press conferences to unveil their new stars.
While Ben Simmons’ was mostly about the reasons he asked for a trade and ultimately moved on from Philadelphia, James Harden’s focused on how he got to Philadelphia. The common theme? Players who made power plays to ultimately get what they want and have no desire to get into the specifics of why.
Simmons, who cited mental health throughout his press conference, said “it was about myself getting to a place where I need to be,” acknowledging that he at least partly felt that he couldn’t do that in Philadelphia.
In Philadelphia, principal owner Josh Harris opened by thanking Harden for “choosing Philly to play,” an acknowledgment of what we all already knew: Harden gave the Sixers permission to come get him.
Simmons and Harden both got what they wanted, and they used every channel possible to ensure they got it. The only thing neither did was expand on why he did what he did.
As Mike Sielski writes: “It’s fine. In some ways, it’s good. Just own it, guys.”
Do you think athletes have the responsibility to be more up front and accountable during media obligations? Tell us why or why not at sports.daily@inquirer.com
Off the Dribble
With James Harden now in the fold, are the Sixers “well-positioned to go on a run?”
Daryl Morey believes so, citing the importance for a championship-caliber team to have at least two “great players.”
“The way this league works, you have to get players the caliber of a James Harden to pair with a Joel Embiid and a Tobias [Harris],” Morey said Tuesday. “You can win without it. But you look historically in the league, you’re looking at pretty long odds if you don’t have two great players of that level of play out there.”
Morey believes the move puts the Sixers into “another tier,” as with Harden, Embiid, Harris, and youngsters Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle, they not only are contenders this season but also have an extended championship window.
“All the hard work happens from here,” Morey said. “We haven’t accomplished anything yet.”
Harden was on the bench Tuesday night to witness an ugly loss for the shorthanded Sixers, who were smoked by the Boston Celtics, 135-87.
On the Fly
Eighteen seconds. That’s all it took for the Flyers to throw away a 4-2 lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period Tuesday night. They had a two-goal lead with less than eight minutes to play but ultimately squandered it — and eventually the game, 5-4, in overtime.
The loss marked the third straight for the Flyers, who surrendered the 500th goal of nemesis Sidney Crosby’s NHL career in the first period.
Next: The Flyers host Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP).
Do you have a Flyers-related question you want answered? @ReinerOlivia and @giana_jade are doing a mailbag and would love to hear from you! Please email all questions to sports.daily@inquirer.com
Extra Innings
Matt Vierling experienced quite a whirlwind over a five-month span last year. He went from persuading Phillies instructional league coaches that he could play multiple positions to getting an invite to spring training as a nonroster invitee to batting seventh and playing center field right next to Bryce Harper in the Phillies lineup down the stretch of the 2021 season. As nearly 60 minor leaguers gather this week in Clearwater, Fla., for a minicamp, it got us thinking: Which of these players might be the 2022 version of Vierling? Scott Lauber has a few contenders.
At the Tyler Skaggs trial, Phillies reliever Cam Bedrosian testified that he was one of four MLB players who got drugs from former Angels employee Eric Prescott Kay.
Olympics
Olympic TV schedule: The U.S. women’s hockey team faces off with Canada in a highly anticipated gold-medal game.
Controversial competition: Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva is in first place after the women’s short program. The 15-year-old was controversially reinstated after it was revealed she tested positive for a banned heart medicine in December.
Worth a Look
Exciting ending: Sick of the late-game parade to the foul line to end basketball games? We’ve got something for you: the Elam Ending. The alternate ending in which every game ends with a made basket was made popular in recent years at an annual summer showcase, The Basketball Tournament. Last week, it made its way to Philly and high school basketball for one night. Manning Snyder details how it was received.
Beasts of the Big East: In a battle that lived up to its billing, No. 10 Villanova rode 33 points by Collin Gillespie to an 89-84 victory over No. 8 Providence.
“The Mayor” of Lexington: James “Bruiser” Flint is Philly to his core but is now an assistant under John Calipari at Kentucky. The former Drexel coach has found a second home in the Bluegrass State. Mike Jensen catches up with the man they call Bruiser to see how life is going down in Lexington.
Road warriors: Roman Catholic is known for its historic gym, but this season, while a new gym is being built, the Cahillites are playing all their games on the road. It hasn’t fazed them as they remain a hoops powerhouse despite being basketball vagabonds.
Wednesday Wisdom
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby scored his 500th career NHL goal Tuesday. The goal was his 50th career tally against the Flyers, the most he has scored against any opponent and the second-highest total ever by any player against the franchise. The most? Mario Lemieux, who scored 51 in 71 games against the Orange and Black.