3 Steps to Save the Sixers This Offseason

1. Find the RIGHT coach

Without a doubt this will be the most important decision the Sixers make this offseason, one they can not afford to mess up. Brett Brown was a terrific coach for “The Process”, as he took terrible rosters designed to lose and got them to buy in and play hard. Along the way his style helped develop a culture of grit and toughness that resonated with the city of Philadelphia. Unfortunately, when the Process paid off and the roster evolved into one ready to compete for titles, Brown failed to evolve with it. Elton Brand must take his time, do his homework, and select the RIGHT coach for this roster. Whoever gets the job must come equipped with a plan that maximizes the talents of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid together, something Brown was never quite able to do. 

2. Get Rid of the Al Horford and Tobias Harris Contracts (Any Means Necessary)

Tobias Harris was brought in through a trade to be the 4th option behind Embiid, Simmons, and recently acquired Jimmy Butler. When Jimmy Butler decided to leave in the summer, the Sixers were forced to max out Harris or else all the assets they gave up would have been for nothing. Panic move. Then Philly continued to break the bank by signing Al Horford to a near max deal from their arch nemesis Boston Celtics. Both deals have proved to be catastrophic. With Simmons not being much of a scorer, the pressure of being the primary wing scorer seemed to get to Tobias and led to frustrating inconsistency. Horford came in and gave an already clunky roster even more problems. Had Jimmy stayed, I believe Harris would have fit comfortably in that role of the third scoring option. If the Sixers roster was filled with shooters, I believe Horford would have provided the veteran leadership and become the defensive anchor the Sixers were hoping for. But Jimmy didn’t stay. Al Horford will not fit. All that is left are two massive contracts that make it impossible for Philly to make any adjustments with the roster. Philadelphia must find a way to move at least one of these contracts if they want to have a chance to compete in the East once again. It will likely take draft picks to get rid of these contracts, which makes it impossible to grow in the meantime. Gotta go back to move forward. 

3. Don’t Panic

Breathe, Sixers fans. We’ve gone through more suffering in the last decade than most fanbases do in a lifetime. But, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are all of 24 and 26 years old. That is what the Process was about. While there were several whiffs during all those years in the lottery, Philly now sports two All-Star level talents who are just now reaching their prime. The potential of an Embiid-Simmons duo is immense. Think of modern day Magic and Kareem, they’re that good. But we have yet to see them with a coach or front office who is capable of building a system around them that maximizes their potential. With a shaky Brett Brown and other questionable pieces on the roster, this team was one Kawhi Leonard miracle shot away from the Eastern Conference Finals. If they find the right coach, trade one or both of those ridiculous contracts, sign some shooters, Philly will be back in the driver’s seat. The Sixers must tune out the media chatter that is sure to come this offseason and– you know what’s coming– Trust the Process.