2024-2025 Sixers Season

[bkeich]

Enough blame to split:

Embiid's health ~70%
Morey's roster composition ~15%
Nurse's lack of coaching ~10%
George and Maxey playing below expectations ~5%

Despite his bad stats, I can’t blame Maxey even 1%. He is not a primary scorer, he is simply mis-cast in that position. He is a very, very good #2 guy, his speed can break down any defense as long as all 5 guys aren’t keying on him.

George is just too old to handle this load also. His game was once elite, now he is just good. If he wasn’t forced to take shots as a primary guy his numbers would be better.

[zambonir]

If Maxey was truly a second star or fully-rounded player - not just a #2 scorer - they wouldn't have been so desperate to add George (or anyone) in the first place. The idea was not just to have a trio that would put the Sixers close to Boston but to have two players who could make up for the absence of either George or Joel on any given night.

Life without Joel is almost easier to contemplate than life with him. But who knows, maybe this one is just a write-off and they take a shot next year. I don't see where things are tense with the the team, it almost seems like the team has gone out of its way to accomodate him, and/or be careful with him. He probably wants to play.

[zambonir]

Harold Katz, former Sixers owner and founder of Nutrisystem, dead at 87

[bkeich]

Little surprised that George is playing in a back-back tonight.

[phillychuck]

Little surprised that George is playing in a back-back tonight.

He played 12 minutes, then injured his finger, possibly seriously. Having an MRI Sunday.

[zambonir]

Which is why George also isn't "fine." He played between 48 and 56 games in the four seasons before last year. Joel played more often than that two of those seasons. The fact that George played 74 last year probably should have been a red flag not something to build around.

I guess at this point we will just never know if the idea of this roster muddling through the season as a 5 or 6 seed with those guys playing 50 games each and then flicking the switch was viable, since it's not going to happen.

[phillychuck]

I don't think last night's injury can be blamed on George to any extent. It's just one of those things that happens in a physical sport. Any player in the same situation could have been hurt.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1ujC8-4cV5Q

[zambonir]

No player is to "blame" for being injured. But he is an older and injury-prone player that the Sixers chose to sign to a max contract, and that is a choice the GM made, for which he is to "blame."

And doing that with the understanding that George might only play 50 or 60 games due to load management or injury or both was also a choice.

Doesn't mean it wasn't the best move given the other options and certainly nobody thought the floor would be this low, but the fact that it might not work, and that Joel would also get hurt again, was also kind of a given.

[zambonir]

David Aldridge (who was once a DC-based guy) interviewed Josh Harris for stories about both the Commanders and the Sixers. The short version - neither Harris nor Paul George (it's implied) would be on board for tanking, they believe in Joel, and they don't think picking 5th or 6th would be that great (though it's still better than having no pick at all, no?)

Commanders (and 76ers) owner Josh Harris knows what awaits him in Philadelphia

With or without Joel Embiid, 76ers will trudge on, even if it costs them in the...

[VoteForKalas]

Exactly right, Morey and the 76ers organization management and ownership overall are to blame.

The GM's since Hinkie have done this franchise few favors and the ownership is responsible for those poor hires, whether it be Colangelo or Brand or everyone else.

Who knew Harold Katz would look good in comparison? Yikes, that says a lot.

We all knew they had painted themselves in a corner again and had no other viable options, but to triple down on going all in. They did that and it has blown up in their faces. As much as it pains me to watch it, I think it is appropriate they get totally exposed as the buffoons they are and hopefully Harris will sell the team and we can run these clowns out of town.

[zambonir]

I don't think there's much of chance he will sell the team now that he has his real estate deal, unfortunately. But he probably still wouldn't have. He really is the worst possible combination of a guy with money and a guy with passion who makes bad choices and/or interferes.

[phillychuck]

Hard to blame Harris for the current mess. Morey and Nurse were the consensus top guys available for both positions. Once you get to last offseason you have to go all in. Sometimes you go all in and lose.

[zambonir]

Morey and Nurse weren't bad hires but that doesn't make Harris a good owner especially given how bumbling he was during the Process and post-Process years. No GM even wanted to work for him during that one year when Brown had to run one draft (when they traded Bridges, I believe, to make it even worse), and Morey's only here because he wore out his welcome in Houston (ditto Nurse in Toronto).

It's pretty much an elementary fact, if the team has the same problems regardless of the roster, the GM or the coach, it's the owner. And it has been that since Bynum.

[Docs]

What’s crazy is the best team in the league owns the sixers likely lottery pick and that team was able to complete their process of tanking for draft picks without the league interfering.

[schillingfan]

With only five guys on the floor, basketball is so different from football or baseball which are team sports that can rebuild from the draft. To me, tanking is the best way any team can get out of middling hell. You can really only get a star by having a top draft pick and you can’t win without a star. It’s hard to get stars by trades or free agency.

[zambonir]

Well, this exists

Should the Sixers consider a Paul George for Jimmy Butler swap? - PHLY Sports

[jimbomill]

Yes - I am in support of this.

[bkeich]

Just shuffling of deck chairs. One over the hill, now average player wildly overpaid player for another. I doubt Butler would be very happy coming to a bottom half of the league team.

[zambonir]

Would actually be a great deal for the Sixers just because Jimmy is only signed through '26 and George is signed through '28. Jimmy is also cheaper and would probably be a spark. He would probably come here, he loves Joel and he took a play-in team to the finals just two years ago. He also might not have that many choices where it's both a good team and a team that can make the trade numbers work.

Still probably a longshot. But meanwhile Sixers have won three in a row and are much closer to a playoff spot than to the #6 draft pick (and even if they finished 6th lottery could push them out of the protection if they aren't one of the top four winners). So just what kind of deals do you think they'll make? I reckon if they aren't selling they are buying, can't do nothing.

[bkeich]

I would assume they are going to make moves if only because the roster was setup to make moves (KJ Martin was signed to trade, etc). Clearly they will buy I assume just because of the huge PR Hit of selling at this point. Problem is that there just isn’t much they can do to get to the Conference Finals without Embiid, and he just isn’t going to make it that far.

I fear it is a lost season, but as you pointed out, we don’t even have our own draft pick, so falling in the standings is pointless.

Pitchers and Catchers in 13 days. That is the best news for the Sixers.