Word on Sixers: Effects of Possible James Harden Absence

Fall is finally upon us, and the Philadelphia 76ers are gearing up for another training camp, which is set to take place in Fort Collins this season.

With Doc Rivers parting ways with the team following another second-round burnout, former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse will take over at a rather interesting time for Philadelphia.

By now, we’ve heard every rumor in the book regarding James Harden. He’s leaving for Houston, he’ll get multiple max offers, and he might go back to Philly to compete with the Sixers for the foreseeable future.

While Harden ended up picking up his player option for the 2023-2024 season unexpectedly as interest from the Houston Rockets faded, it wasn’t with ideal intentions from the Sixers’ side of view.

Then came the other rumors. Harden’s going to LA — or maybe the New York Knicks will swoop in and be a dark horse candidate to land him.

Once again, none of the above happened as the Sixers shut down trade talks after failing to net a desirable offer.

The next rumored scenario in line is that Harden is expected to skip out on training camp. With the series of events still weeks away, we can’t be so sure whether a holdout will ensue or not.

But in the event Harden does hold out, resembling Ben Simmons’ move during the 2021-2022 season, how do the Sixers handle point guard duties this time around? That’s a key discussion this week, among other important topics surrounding the Sixers.

Here’s a rundown of some of the top stories surrounding the Sixers on Friday.

If Harden Holds Out, How Do Sixers Handle PG Duties? - Inquirer

"James Harden is still a 76er. But the disgruntled star’s uncertain status, with less than two weeks remaining before the start of training camp, means a bevy of questions still loom about the Sixers’ point guard situation.

Even with the flaws in Harden’s game and his aging body, he is a visionary playmaker who led the NBA in assists (10.7 per game) last season for an offense that ranked third in the league in efficiency (117 points per 100 possessions). That is not easy to replace with players acquired in a hypothetical trade — or with others currently on the roster."

Paul Reed, Jaden Springer Show Out Rico Hines Run - Clutch Points

"Hines stresses to the players that he wants them to play hard. Obviously, no one plays as hard as they would in the playoffs, but they also don’t loaf around and exchange open dunks like it's the All-Star Game. The runs are for real, full-speed basketball against high-level competition. Hines displays genuine appreciation for the players who come out to his gym to improve and wants to host a safe haven for those who match his passion for the game.

Paul Reed, Jaden Springer, De'Anthony Melton, Terquavion Smith, Mo Bamba and Ricky Council IV represented the Sixers across numerous days of scrimmages. For the purposes of examining how they perform, we'll be looking at a few games from Hines' YouTube page. The runs hold multiple games at a time but only one gets filmed up close, so we're just going to focus on those."

A Pre-Camp Forecast of Sixers’ Opening Night Roster - Delco Times

"Either because their eight-year-old, $82 million facility in Camden is not suitable for such basketball activity or because the townsfolk of some mountain town are so caught up in it all, the Sixers soon will depart for Fort Collins, Colo., for training camp.

In other words, after a courtesy media day on the New Jersey waterfront, they will run to Colorado State University and hide. But wherever he camps, new coach Nick Nurse must shave a 21-man offseason roster to 15, then reduce that to 13 for the Oct. 26 Opening Night visit from Milwaukee. And if he wants to save the travel and the trouble, he is invited to simply refer to this roster forecast and spend his off time in Colorado on the slopes."

Is Patrick Beverley the Sixers’ Best Signing? - Liberty Ballers

"While the Sixers’ starting backcourt situation is in limbo, the Sixers signed 11-year veteran Patrick Beverley to bolster their depth at the guard position after they lost Shake Milton to the Minnesota Timberwolves in free agency.

Not only does Beverley meet last offseason’s quota for Having That Dawg in Him, he is also now the third different player on this team with a podcast. If nothing else, there will be plenty of juicy stories coming out of the locker room for this season."

Iguodala Didn’t Realize 76ers Weren’t Trying to Win Until He Was Traded - Bleacher Report

"I didn't realize until I left that the organization wasn't trying to win, so what do you do in that scenario?" Iguodala said. "You gotta be selfish, right? Because now...this is survival. I gotta eat. I'm going into a contract year."

Led by general manager Sam Hinkie, the 76ers dismantled a team that reached the playoffs and came one win away from making the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.