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Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks traded All-Star James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in the final hours of last month’s NBA trade deadline. Harden and 4-time All-Star Paul Millsap were traded to the Sixers on February 10. But the Nets were not willing to let Harden go for cheap. In exchange, they received two of the Sixers’ key role players in big man Andre Drummond and veteran sharpshooter Seth Curry.
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Doc Rivers Sent NSFW Text to Andre Drummond After Nets Win
The Nets snapped an 11-game losing streak following the Harden trade with a 109-85 win over the Sacramento Kings. Drummond was a key contributor in the win as he finished with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in the contest. But everything was not peaches and cream for the Nets’ newest big man. Drummond, who is a much-improved passer, tried to get tricky and throw a behind-the-back pass during the Nets blowout. His trickery led to a turnover and bucket for the Kings. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers says that he sent a text to his former big man, scolding him about the play.
“My comments may seem sarcastic, but he [Drummond] made a behind-the-back left-handed pass the other night that went out of bounds and I just text him like ‘what the f***?’ and he texts back ‘I had to try it.’” Rivers told reporters per Nets Wire.
“He’s playing well, man, and I’m happy for him. The last couple of years, he struggled, he came to us and I thought we really got his motor going again and now you’re watching him, he’s still doing it. I’m really happy for him. I don’t want him to play too well, at least against us, but I’m really happy for him.”
Rivers Sounds off on Drummond’s Adjustment to New Role
Drummond has bounced around the NBA in the last few years, playing for 5 different teams in the last 4 seasons including stops in Cleveland and Los Angeles. But the New York native is still one of the NBA’s best rebounders as he averages more than 13 boards per game for his career. Despite Drummond gaining the reputation of a journeyman, Rivers says that the Nets center still can hold tremendous value for any NBA team.
“I don’t get into the whole shift in that, but he’s a guy who has value in the NBA and needed to be valued. That’s what we sold to him. How important he would be to us and what he can do and he can still dominate the game from what he does. We asked him to think of himself in certain ways like not a post player, but a conduit, and once he got into that, you saw it. He was phenomenal for us,” Rivers continued.
“These are the little things you talk about, chemistry, he’s a great guy to have in the locker room. He’s funny as hell and he just keeps things light enough for your team.”
With the Nets roster still being rocked by multiple injuries, Drummond has become even more important to the Nets’ playoff success. With the postseason just around the corner, his veteran presence could pay major dividends.
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