Sixers Offseason Thread Part 5

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I will explode with anger if we trade Joel Embiid. It's simply not going to happen. We're talking about a generational talent at the center position. I think some of you take that for granted. We're not giving him away nor are we just trading just because "it's time do it." The only way we trade him is if he demands it. The only way we were going to trade Charles Barkley or Allen Iverson was when they asked out. I know Barkley definitely did and I'm willing to bet Iverson did so behind closed doors. Barkley, Iverson, and Embiid. That's three franchise players in a thirty-eight-year span.

With Joel Embiid and four scrubs on the floor, this team is a playoff team. With Joel Embiid and the current supporting cast (minus fata$$ Harden) this is a fifty-win roster. I'm sure Morey and company will at the very least critique any offer thrown their way for Embiid, and obviously we will also, but at the end of the day, this is not something that should go beyond just general discussion.

We should know by now that talent means jack **** if the brain and desire is not there. Simmons was also an inmensely talented player, but he just didn't care at all other than collecting paychecks and refusing to improve. Embiid is very talented but has that South African choking gene, along with disappointing basketball IQ. Yeah it's amazing how smooth and skilled he is at what he does, but with proper defense in a playoffs setting, he just gets exposed, he ain't a generational player. Jimmy Butler is a better basketball player than Embiid where it matters, yet he has like 1/10 of the talent.

Also, point is proven when you keep talking about "fifty-win" and "playoff team", you are basically admitting we have no chance of truly competing for a championship.

Wow, you're on ignore for a reason. You need to do better. Maybe rethink what you just wrote before this conversation goes into an uncomfortable territory for you.

[phillynative]

No more roster spots . I was hoping we could cut Mo Bumba and and pick up a prospect off waivers

[Eyeamok]

Looks like the potential for a short-term reunion and truce until the trade is dead in the water.

It's unfortunate because I really did think with an engaged Harden this was the best Embiid team of them all, even the Butler version. Better teams in the conference compared to that year so less championship equity, but still a pretty damn good shot to win one. It sucks.

No Harden is playing checkers Morey is playing chess. Your kid or little sibling acts up, you give them a time out or you just ignore then for a while. Hopefully they will get the message. It's quite obvious James loves the attention. When you take it away, then what?

[Decipher]

Isn't Cameroon central Africa?

South Africa is a country not a region

[Negrodamus]

Isn't Cameroon central Africa?

South Africa is a country not a region

Which makes it more confusing since Joel isn't from South Africa.

[eyeatoma]

Clown show

Read on Twitter

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[Negrodamus]

Oh boy, this is getting uncomfortable.

[Stanford]

Don't know why we're memeing on the Sixers here. Seems like they're doing everything right. "Clown town" would have been saying "shucks, James, I know we told you to not come on the trip, but here you are at the airplane, so what the hell, pal, hop on!"

SpongeBob meme font, cope, copium, clown emoji, etc.

[eyeatoma]

Don't know why we're memeing on the Sixers here. Seems like they're doing everything right. "Clown town" would have been saying "shucks, James, I know we told you to not come on the trip, but here you are at the airplane, so what the hell, pal, hop on!"

SpongeBob meme font, cope, copium, clown emoji, etc.

I think we are doing the right thing, I'm just frustrated and want it to be over.

Meanwhile...

The Sixers season went to hell with the coaches decided not to make him an allstar. But then again, James does himself in by taking too long to respond to the league when they tried to sub him in as an allstar and James pride was hurt.

It's just hilarious that that **** keeps happening to this franchise. I suppose Doc had a lot to do with it, but truly bizarre stretch of events during the process.

Read on Twitter

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Ok, so here is how I see it, and I most definitely could be wrong.

We all know Harden made a big deal this summer about wanting to be traded. He publicly went out of his way to call Morey a liar which I thought was extremely petty on his part. I mean that's some pro wrestling type drama right there. After that, he refused to participate in anything team-related and sat out the entire preseason. Yes...He did show up on the plane, but I think the front office saw it as "WTF are you even here at this point? IF you're only here to do the bare minimum in order to keep getting paid, then the hell with you, just GTF home!" Harden made a complete ass out of himself all summer long and chose to be unprofessional about ALL of this! I feel like at this point, it's an addition-by-subtraction type of situation with this team.

Now since Harden is part of this new generation of people who immediately shift blame and play victim, he's going to clearly, obviously say "hey man, I showed up to get on the plane and be with my team, and they kicked me off the plane and told me to go home." I've come to conclusion that Harden is a calculated master of manipulation and Daryl Morey is simply calling him on his BS by sending him home and letting him sit it out. I couldn't be more happier with how Morey has handled this. You don't cave to these entitled babies making 40+ million a year! Not when they don't show up when you need them in the postseason, not when they cry and demand a trade and saturate the entire offseason with their drama, and certainly not when they trash the entire organization along with the GM in front of the entire world to see. Sorry, but GFYS James Harden.

Classic Harden though...Show up on the plane like "yo bruh, I'm here"...No...You don't show up to work just because you don't want to get fired, and you don't show up to work and be a cancerous A-Hole to your surrounding teammates who are here actually putting in work. I can only imagine how this looks to a young player practicing and playing his heart out to simply make the roster on a minimum-level contract. Some of these guys are fighting for a job in the league and James Harden is making a cool 35+ million to act like a spoiled, entitled little biatch about not getting traded to the Clippers.

Now, my guess is that yes...He did participate in some team activities. I mean he was probably there in the physical form, but not spiritually or with his heart. Nurse, Morey, whoever was monitoring the situation probably saw things going south really quickly based on his attitude/body language and decided that it would be best to not even include him at this point. I mean, had Harden simply gone behind closed doors and politely asked for a trade while still remaining a professional until a trade was made, then none of this would be happening. I completely understand that this IS a business, but at what point do you humble the f**K up and show some gratitude for the gifts you've been blessed with? I remember when Michael Jordan came back to play for the Wizards in the early 2000s. The dude donated his entire paycheck that year to the 9/11 relief.

At the end of the day, Harden is a greedy, petty, self-centered, outwardly selfish human being and I hope we NEVER see him in a Sixers uniform again.

[Negrodamus]

James was a huge all star snub, possibly an all timer, but does that really affect the rest of the season and post season for him? Seems like a weird excuse.

[NYSixersFan]

Fire Morey!

[76ciology]

Fwiw, its weird how the league disrespects Harden. Its like he just doesnt exist. And it kind of make you realize how powerful hype machine media is. Its almost the same thing they did to Kanye, but Harden hasnt done any “kanye level” stuffs off the court.

Harden was a top 20 player as per advanced stats. A league leader in assists. One of the runner ups in MVP, as per MVP tracker of BKREF.

It might be some mandate from the owners after Harden just played with them where he jumps from one team to another

[HardenGoat]

It didn’t affect his playing or his role. Seems Doc is a little salty.

Harden before All-Star:
21.4 pts 10.8 assists 6.2 rebs on 45/39/86 14.5 shot attempts

Harden after All-Star:
19.9 pts 10.2 assists 5.9 rebs on 42/38/88 14.6 shot attempts

One other thing about what Doc said. I remember after a game him saying he wanted Harden to be more aggressive and score the ball. Which is it?

[Mik317]

Fwiw, its weird how the league disrespects Harden. Its like they both just doesnt exist. And it kind of make you realize how powerful hype machine media is. Its almost the same thing they did to Kanye, but Harden hasnt done any “kanye level” stuffs off the court.

Harden was a top 20 player as per advanced stats. A league leader in assists. One of the runner ups in MVP, as per MVP tracker of BKREF.

It might be some mandate from the owners after Harden just played with them where he jumps from one team to another

Harden has always been a bit of a tough sell to the masses. His playstyle in its prime wasn't always visually pleasing and he isn't the most personable guy to the media

your point stands tho

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I don't know man, I mean so what, you got snubbed. Winning is all that should have mattered at this point in his career.

[Jailblazers7]

Harden was one of the NBAs top stars with his own shoe deal & a constant stream of endorsements. He just exposed himself to be a massive loser over & over again so now the media & fanbase treats him like one.

[M2J]

Fwiw, its weird how the league disrespects Harden. Its like they both just doesnt exist. And it kind of make you realize how powerful hype machine media is. Its almost the same thing they did to Kanye, but Harden hasnt done any “kanye level” stuffs off the court.

Harden was a top 20 player as per advanced stats. A league leader in assists. One of the runner ups in MVP, as per MVP tracker of BKREF.

It might be some mandate from the owners after Harden just played with them where he jumps from one team to another

Harden has always been a bit of a tough sell to the masses. His playstyle in its prime wasn't always visually pleasing and he isn't the most personable guy to the media

your point stands tho

I don't quite get the point. He did it in his prime to leave Houston every team still wanted him. He did it to leave Brooklyn after statically declining that season after what was a leg injury the postseason before. Prior to said leg injury James was a MVP candidate and anyone with eyes could see that. Afterwards, he started having old man statistical impact, but the athleticism never returned.... Morey still gave up lots to get him.

He's a guy that should be willing to play a lesser, yet similar role to what he did last year (just less usage) and should be willing to accept pay that mirrors that role. Yet he's behaving like a petulant child at the age of 34. Hell the league did choose him to play in the game he put them on hold for multiple days. He's not opening up his services to the league, just one team and that team is taking advantage of that... Plus they don't know if they really want him. He's 34, not willing to fully buy in to any teams concept that doesn't make him look good, and very much so behaving unprofessionally.

Plus the media is actually supporting his behavior. Many still are reporting (Stephen A Smith) by clarifying it is their opinion and claiming that people around basketball believe that James is telling the truth about Morey (who I said at the time should never get hired to Philly) lying and claiming that it's regarding a max contract without even saying he has a source. This happened today on first take. Then on NBA countdown he did the same thing and the top insider in the league (Woj) tried to clarify with him that you can't say Daryl needs to speak up for himself if Harden won't say what he's lying about. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't it come out that James clearly told the league during an NBA investigation that he's referring to being traded immediately to the Clippers? Not about money? The media is acting clueless. Of course it started over money, but the Christmas news and Harden's actions show that his "paycut" was forced

[Negrodamus]

New Orleans committing to Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum as the "PG" is really crazy. They won last night against a short handed Grizz but I think that's going to become a problem for them as the season progresses.

[Stanford]

New Orleans committing to Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum as the "PG" is really crazy. They won last night against a short handed Grizz but I think that's going to become a problem for them as the season progresses.

Right. I spent 90 seconds trying to find the point guard in the boxscore last night.