I supported the Embiid deal at the time (loudly). But ultimately a GM's job is to be a step ahead of the competition and consensus. Morey was a step ahead on Simmons imo. And he was a step (maybe a half step) behind on Embiid.
👀👀👀👀
(i'm surprised @franciszomes.bsky.social was't the first to this post lol)
Did anyone ask Skrilla if he was referring to the number of counties in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania when he said 6-7???
i think the tough part would be faking enjoyment...which would have to somehow be incorporated
i don't have the full concept hammered out...but I think your punishment should somehow involve enjoying a nice bottle of J Harden Red...and perhaps even a glowing review on the RTRS website?
j-hardenwines.com
well more the fact that she's aware of them and may support them someday
from what's come out since...i think it's clear Daryl wanted to trade him the first year (pretty bold considering they were in first place at the time).
lmao. ok let me think about it. bet creativity is not my forte but i will try to think of something. and please...encourage your networks to do the same
i will die on Harden Hill. and a Cavs title run this year will vindicate me!!
one thing i don't think pre-23 Morey gets enough credit for...identifying *immediately* that they needed to find a way off of Simmons. back then 90% of GMs would've been doubling down on Simmons-Embiid because of their talent, track record and age. he didn't.
i think finding a future superstar in the late first while weaving through three contracts that ended up being various levels of bad (Horford, Tobias, Simmons) is pretty damn impressive.
and while his thought process may be OK the last few years...the execution has been wretched
well i'd argue the job of the GM is to predict future performance...not make moves that are defensible in the moment (see draft picks, Colangelo).
but even so...swapping Harden for PG while taking a gap year in the process was a risk in the moment and a disaster in retrospect
it's really incredible. the tale of the two Daryls.
From 2020-23 he did a masterful job pulling them from the abyss and setting up another window of contention. Really an A-level GMing job.
Then from 23-26 I'd give him like a D or F. A total whiff.
if Tyrese comes to them and says "i'm leading the league in minutes...pouring in points....grinding myself to dust...act with some effing urgency and trade one of these guys for dudes who will actually play..."
then i think you could see a shift. until then i expect them to buy time
it feels to me like they're already in nothing-matters mode unless/until Tyrese forces their hand.
i do think at some point you risk angering Maxey if you half-ass it down the stretch and don't make the playoffs as a result. but perhaps we haven't reached that point yet
I think Jo needs to play at least 2/3rd of the remaining games...maybe 75%...to give them an even decent shot of finishing top 6.
I guess the question for the org is: how much does making the playoffs matter?
yep. they're overall net rating (which factors a lot into those bball reference projections) is getting dragged down a ton by all the blowouts they've suffered without PG and Embiid.
But still...like you said...never elite.
There's been a "when they make the playoffs" vibe around the Sixers for a couple months now. But I'm not sure fans or even the org realize the kind of risky territory they've entered.
I love the *idea* of being cautious with Embiid. But I'm not sure there's room for caution anymore.
This is a pretty crude tool that doesn't account for injuries and whatnot...but Basketball Reference gives the Sixers a 62% chance of making the playoffs.
That's well behind the Heat and Raptors...and basically even with the Hornets and Magic:
www.basketball-reference.com/friv/playoff...
With 20 games left, the Sixers only have a 2.5-game lead on the teams in 9th and 10th place in the East. And they don't have the tiebreaker against either.
Oh and they have the worst net rating of any team in the top 10.
ok i just saw it....WHAT?!?!?!?
lol i missed this
In a way this is your fault
In the worst way
this video inspired me to google "joe lunardi bracketology" for the first time this year.
that old feeling is coming back around...
saving that for when she hits three-and-a-half
i tried to explain but she says we can't keep banking on hits late in the draft!
Column text from AU on the Rights To Ricky Sanchez substack: "While I’m still deeply disturbed by how bad the Sixers have been since the trade deadline — 1-5 in their last six, including double-digit losses to the Blazers, Hawks and now of course the Fly the Processed Pelicans — I am no longer stupefied by it. I have Sixers Bluesky luminary Avi Wolfman-Arent to thank for that, since he pointed out the simple fact that while we now remember the first couple months of the season as halcyon days for the Sixers thriving while shorthanded, the team in fact was never that good when both Paul George and Joel Embiid were out. Losing Embiid as we have for the past four games is predictably devastating to this team’s ability to compete at the highest levels, but without George on the wing to at least credibly space the floor for their guards and generally provide two-way competence, it’s very difficult for them to compete, period. I get it, kinda."
Truly, I have never been more honored by a description than this one from @augetoffmygold.bsky.social
As always, the entire column is worth your time:
www.rightstorickysanchez.com/p/when-a-tea...
😂😂😂😂
Even at 3 she has too firm a grip on reality
