Getty Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers added to their frontcourt depth when they signed Mo Bamba in free agency. During his introductory press conference, Bamba himself admitted that Joel Embiid was the one who convinced him to come to Philly.
“I think leading up into free agency, we chatted a little bit, and during it, we chatted, and he was like, ‘Listen, this might sound a little crazy because we’re playing against each other so much,’ but he was like, ‘I think the Sixers would be a great fit for you,’” Bamba said, per Ky Carlin of Sixers Wire.
Because both are centers, Bamba’s not sure of their fit together but explained how they could make it work.
“I don’t know exactly what it’ll look like as far as just like playing together, we’re not playing together, but I think we can play together because Jo, believe it or not, I believe he can be positionless.”
Bamba added that Embiid’s skillset could help them mesh if they played together.
“He’s such a scoring threat on the floor,” Bamba said. “He’s such a dominant force out there. It might open up things for other players, and the way I’ve been kind of progressed my game to be a stretch 5/stretch 4, I think it’s very much of a chance that we play together.”
Patrick Beverley Wants to Play With James Harden
During his introductory press conference, new Sixer Patrick Beverley explained why he wants to play with James Harden.
“Obviously, players are here to play,” Beverley said. “That decision is definitely above my pay grade, but you can’t re-do a James Harden. So, hell yeah, you want him here. Hell, yeah, you want him in the locker room. Hell yeah, you want him the first day of practice.”
Because of their friendship, Beverley pleaded for Harden to rescind his trade request and return to play for the Sixers.
“James, I love you, bro. Stay!” Beverley added. “But yeah, James is a really good friend of mine. A really, really, really good friend of mine. Our mom’s best friends. Me coming into the NBA with Houston, it was me and him. Six years, my star buddy. So I’m very familiar with James, and I’m excited. I’m excited to kind of get it going. He knows I’m here. So we’ll see.”
Joel Embiid Wants James Harden Back
Though he said he was “disappointed” in Harden’s trade request, Embiid told Rachel Nichols that he understands the business side of things and appreciates how Harden is approaching his request.
“I understand. It’s business. People make decisions, and I’m more appreciative of the way he’s handled the whole situation. We’re going to be boys forever.”
Though he says he and Harden will remain friends, Embiid would prefer Harden to be on the team more than anything.
“(I) want him to come back, obviously, so we can go out and accomplish what we want, which is to win a championship, so hopefully that his mindset can be changed. But, other than that, I’m just so happy to be his friend. We’re close, and we’ve grown since he got here. I’m excited to keep that for the rest of our lives.”
Spoke to Joel Embiid about James Harden’s trade request – Embiid said he’s hopeful Harden’s “mindset can be changed.” The two were partying with @MichaelRubin last night at the @Fanatics/@TheNBPA Summer League blowout.