A Deranged Fan’s Thoughts on the Sixers: What Went Wrong, Who’s to Blame, and What the Future Holds
Getting swept by Boston in the first round, not what I had in mind coming into the season. Maybe we should have expected this. As a Philadelphia sports fan I’m used to getting my heart ripped out year in and year out, I shouldn’t have expected anything else from this Sixers roster. In one of the most frustrating seasons from a team from our city, the complete ridiculousness of beating the Lakers at home to then going on and losing to the Hawks in the same week. A team that never lived up to expectations no matter how much we believed they’d figure it out come play off time. This roster was built for the playoffs, they’ve beaten the best teams in the league, they’ll figure it out.
After all the craziness of a suspended season and months without sports, a bubble in Orlando was where the Sixers were gonna do it. A healthy Ben Simmons and a rested Joel Embiid with newfound energy, it was fair to think they could do it. Then, the reports of Ben Simmons being used at power forward and Shake running the point, and how good the guys looked. The videos of Ben continuing to work on his jumper, the corner three he hit in the teams first scrimmage game. It all seemed too good to be true, and of course it was.
For the 37th straight season the Sixers will not be lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy. Now, with the disappointing end to this season, we’re forced to look toward the future of the Sixers, which is absolutely terrifying. During the Process we always had the future, that’s why we were willing to endure those awful teams, because there was a light at the end of the tunnel. All we had to look forward to was the future. The future stars that were going to be wearing Sixers jerseys because the organization and fan base bought into this crazy Process together. At least after Kawhi broke our hearts, we had an exciting free agent class to look forward to, one that was going to shape the future of the franchise. For the first time in a long time, the future of the Sixers is bleak.
The Sixers had arguably the best situation in the NBA with the combination of their roster, assets, and cap space. Yet, the front office went all in, trading a large portion of those assets for two guys who weren’t under contract for the next season. Instead of being patient, Brand went all in with pocket tens and went to showdown against aces in the Toronto Raptors and lost. They lost their lead over the rest of the NBA. There was nobody saying it was championship or bust last season. When you look up the term “incompetent” the Sixers front office should be the first thing that comes up. There is absolutely no excuse for the Sixers being in the current situation they’re in right now given what the roster looked like just two seasons ago. It goes beyond Elton Brand though, it’s the ownership and the rest of management. It’s the remnants of the Colangelo era that ownership forced Brand to keep. It’s Ned Cohen, Alex Rucker, and Marc Eversley. It’s Josh Harris and his ownership group. After the brilliant work by Sam Hinkie to put the Sixers in the situation they had, one that looked almost to perfect to fuck up, Sixers management somehow did fuck it up.
Did Brett need to be fired? Yes, absolutely. He wasn’t creative enough given the roster’s construction and ultimately failed at his job. It doesn’t end with Brett though, the issues with this organization begin at the top, and the fanbase can’t let ownership get away with just letting Brett go. Given the opportunity to fire Brown or the front office I’m choosing the front office every single time. A coach can only do so much when a roster was put together like this Sixers one was. The situation the Sixers had in 2018 was the closest its been to perfect, the future was looking bright. If you asked a fan after the playoff loss to Boston in 2018, if the Sixers would make the Finals in the next five years I would’ve bet the house they would. How could they not, Ben, Joel, and cap space; Philly was looking like a desirable location for a star player to come and compete for a championship. Now, with this roster, and how tough the East is looking for the next few years, it’s hard to imagine how they get back to that place.
Looking at potential guys to replace Brett you’ll hear a bunch of names floating around, Ty Lue, Kenny Atkinson, Jason Kidd, Sam Cassell, Mark Jackson, Jay Wright, and even Stan Van Gundy looks interested based on his commentary during the series. And to be honest, it’s hard to know who the right choice is. There’s pros and cons on each of those guys and with every potential candidate. But what is most important for Brett’s replacement is leadership and establishing a culture. Jimmy Butler talked about not knowing who was in charge when he went on JJ Redick’s podcast back in March, His exact words were, “As a player I didn’t know who the fuck was in charge. I think that was the biggest thing. I didn’t know what the fuck to expect whenever I’d go into the gym, whenever I’m going to the game. I think I was lost as the next motherfucker.”
Whoever gets the job, I don’t want there to be a question on who is running the show. I think a lot of people underestimate how important the locker room and culture is in the success of a team. There’s definitely problems with leadership going on in the organization right now, and that might be even more of a problem than the roster construction. Getting to play Boston so many times we get to see what a well run organization looks like. That really hurts to say but it’s the truth. Danny Ainge and Brad Stevens are in charge. You don’t hear stories about guys not knowing who’s running the show in Boston. That needs to be at the top of the priority list for ownership to fix before next season.
After rambling about how awful the Sixers organization has become, let’s try and be a little positive. We still have Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and as long as those two are together there’s hope to be had. I do believe that there is someone out there that can get the most out of this tandem. Nick Nurse came out of nowhere after coaching low level collegiate programs to getting the assistant job in Toronto, and then to winning a title in his second season and coach of the year in his third. Is there another Nick Nurse out there? There could be. Do I trust the Sixers ownership to find this guy, absolutely not. But maybe there is hope. Getting out of Horford’s and or Tobias’ contract will be difficult. In order to do so the Sixers will likely have to attach the ever dwindling draft capital and possibly even a young talent too. Horford will likely be easier to move given his deal is only three more years compared to Tobi’s four, and it’s for less money. The roster needs change and in order for that to happen one of these guys are going to have to be moved. With the right people in charge it could happen. Are the Sixers completely hopeless? No, but some serious changes have to be made starting at the top of the organization if we are ever going to see Sam Hinkie’s envisions come to fruition.