R2G3 - 76ers vs Celtics - May 5 7:30pm ET ESPN

[elchengue20]

The Sixers are the Dirk Mavs. We just have to keep making incremental progress roster building & bank on continued improvement from Embiid. We’re never gonna be the favorite because we made too many bad decisions during the Colangelo years.

But I don’t think you can throw away a punchers chance at a title while you still have a franchise legend playing at his peak. If we blow it up, it could take 10 years to even get back to the level we’re at now.

I agree with the comparison but that team only won 1 championship that was really an outlier and depended on an historic meltdown from one the greatest players of all time.

After that run they were never again in the conversation. It's doesn't give me that much hope. Also Dirk game traslated way better in his era and wasnt as injury prone as Biid.

To win they needed to Dirk to go absoultely crazy and carry them, something Biid has never been close to do in the Playoffs to this point. It's not like we are losing but hes going nuts, it has never been the case.

[Negrodamus]

Joel wins an MVP and is at the pinnacle of his marketability? Yeah, I'm sure Josh Harris is ready to ship him off and start over.

[elchengue20]

Joel wins an MVP and is at the pinnacle of his marketability? Yeah, I'm sure Josh Harris is ready to ship him off and start over.

Yeah, probably won't happen. It doesn't means it should happen tho.....

[mjkvol]

Anyone moving more toward my idea that if they drop this series they should blow it up this summer?

I still implore anyone to give me a specific plan that could get the Sixers over the hump with their current position.

The only rebuttals I see are "They're still a good team so let's see what happens next year" which isn't an actual plan it's just hope.

Realistically what players could they add in the summer to make them a team that can win a title?

I think people don't have the stomach for another rebuild so they'll just keep going "Not ready to blow it up this year, let's see what happens next year" over and over until Embiid starts to decline, you can't get anything for him in trade, and then everyone will be like "Crap, we just wasted this guy's career, should've traded him when we could've gotten a haul for him and at least he could've maybe won a title somewhere else."

I haven't seen anyone say simply "they're still a good team so let's see what happens next year". What a lot are saying is that you don't trade a player off of an MVP season for a multitude of reasons, and blowing it up means moving Embiid.

How do you sell to your fan base that you're trading one of the great players in franchise history and tanking off of a 50+ win season? Most fans aren't nerds like us who analyze the hell out of every little detail and think of things only from an on-court perspective. This is a business first and foremost, and moving a player like Embiid right now is committing PR suicide.

What you can do is make some roster moves around the fringes, but primarily it would be to change the face of the leadership and bring in a fresh approach with new ideas and schemes to incorporate. This isn't a broken roster, but one that needs some alterations but mainly a different perspective from a coaching standpoint. There are no guarantees, but it's the easiest way to make a substantial change without tearing apart the roster again.

Starting over again might appeal to a small percentage of hard core fans like those on a forum like this, but would go over like a lead balloon to the vast majority that go to games and buy the merchandise.

[elchengue20]

Anyone moving more toward my idea that if they drop this series they should blow it up this summer?

I still implore anyone to give me a specific plan that could get the Sixers over the hump with their current position.

The only rebuttals I see are "They're still a good team so let's see what happens next year" which isn't an actual plan it's just hope.

Realistically what players could they add in the summer to make them a team that can win a title?

I think people don't have the stomach for another rebuild so they'll just keep going "Not ready to blow it up this year, let's see what happens next year" over and over until Embiid starts to decline, you can't get anything for him in trade, and then everyone will be like "Crap, we just wasted this guy's career, should've traded him when we could've gotten a haul for him and at least he could've maybe won a title somewhere else."

I haven't seen anyone say simply "they're still a good team so let's see what happens next year". What a lot are saying is that you don't trade a player off of an MVP season for a multitude of reasons, and blowing it up means moving Embiid.

How do you sell to your fan base that you're trading one of the great players in franchise history and tanking off of a 50+ win season? Most fans aren't nerds like us who analyze the hell out of every little detail and think of things only from an on-court perspective. This is a business first and foremost, and moving a player like Embiid right now is committing PR suicide.

What you can do is make some roster moves around the fringes, but primarily it would be to change the face of the leadership and bring in a fresh approach with new ideas and schemes to incorporate. This isn't a broken roster, but one that needs some alterations but mainly a different perspective from a coaching standpoint.

Starting over again might appeal to a small percentage of hard core fans like those on a forum like this, but would go over like a lead balloon to the vast majority that go to games and buy the merchandise.

I think nobody disputes that probably its not going to happen.

The point is if you think it's what it should happen or not. That's why we have forum like this, so we can analyze the current situation a little deeper.

[FireMorey]

Anyone moving more toward my idea that if they drop this series they should blow it up this summer?

I still implore anyone to give me a specific plan that could get the Sixers over the hump with their current position.

The only rebuttals I see are "They're still a good team so let's see what happens next year" which isn't an actual plan it's just hope.

Realistically what players could they add in the summer to make them a team that can win a title?

I think people don't have the stomach for another rebuild so they'll just keep going "Not ready to blow it up this year, let's see what happens next year" over and over until Embiid starts to decline, you can't get anything for him in trade, and then everyone will be like "Crap, we just wasted this guy's career, should've traded him when we could've gotten a haul for him and at least he could've maybe won a title somewhere else."

I haven't seen anyone say simply "they're still a good team so let's see what happens next year". What a lot are saying is that you don't trade a player off of an MVP season for a multitude of reasons, and blowing it up means moving Embiid.

How do you sell to your fan base that you're trading one of the great players in franchise history and tanking off of a 50+ win season? Most fans aren't nerds like us who analyze the hell out of every little detail and think of things only from an on-court perspective. This is a business first and foremost, and moving a player like Embiid right now is committing PR suicide.

What you can do is make some roster moves around the fringes, but primarily it would be to change the face of the leadership and bring in a fresh approach with new ideas and schemes to incorporate. This isn't a broken roster, but one that needs some alterations but mainly a different perspective from a coaching standpoint. There are no guarantees, but it's the easiest way to make a substantial change without tearing apart the roster again.

Starting over again might appeal to a small percentage of hard core fans like those on a forum like this, but would go over like a lead balloon to the vast majority that go to games and buy the merchandise.

You don't have to sell the fan base on anything. If it ends up working out in their favor, that's all that matters. The Eagles fan base was pissed when the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts, now you don't hear anyone complaining. If it works out in the end and leads to a great team, fans will be on board when it matters.

And frankly, I think the fan base is starting to get tired of this team anyway. No one believes in them. No one thinks they're good enough. I think it's only a matter of time as-is before fans stop going to the games. Right now you have a superstar player on a flawed roster that no one believes in and no means available to them to get to the next level.

I actually think this fan base right now low key hates the Sixers(as an organization) and loves Embiid that a lot of fans would actually be happy if Embiid went to another team and won a title.

Rebuilds are always hard to stomach no matter if you have an Embiid caliber player or not. But they're like surgery, ultimately you can try rehabbing for a while, but when the injury doesn't heal you need to bite the bullet and go under the knife.

[Mik317]

We should trade Springer for Steph Curry

Sure it’s not happening but we can talk about it

[Negrodamus]

Whatever we do, I feel like we're going to begin next season with Terry Rozier at PG, lol. He feels like a very Sixers move to me.

[Iverson Armband]

Anyone moving more toward my idea that if they drop this series they should blow it up this summer?

I still implore anyone to give me a specific plan that could get the Sixers over the hump with their current position.

The only rebuttals I see are "They're still a good team so let's see what happens next year" which isn't an actual plan it's just hope.

Realistically what players could they add in the summer to make them a team that can win a title?

I think people don't have the stomach for another rebuild so they'll just keep going "Not ready to blow it up this year, let's see what happens next year" over and over until Embiid starts to decline, you can't get anything for him in trade, and then everyone will be like "Crap, we just wasted this guy's career, should've traded him when we could've gotten a haul for him and at least he could've maybe won a title somewhere else."

Wait, I thought we’ve been clearly better than Boston the last few years?

[Embiid P]

I used to think this team was a Tobias Harris trade away from being a real contender.

Now, IDK if even that will matter given Harden and Maxey's struggles in games 2 and 3.

Specifically with Harden, I can't pinpoint the root cause of his struggles. Maybe it's because he was overworked during the regular season due to our lack of secondary playmakers. Maybe it's because he is too distracted by the Houston rumors among other things. Maybe it's simply because he chokes in the playoffs.

In any case, IDK if the answer is to bring him back or let him walk. The ideal scenario is a sign and trade, but IDK if that's feasible at this stage in his career.

We could hypothetically let him walk, let Tobias expire in 2024 and make a splash in free agency but that would effectively mean punting another season of Embiid's prime which I could totally understand if he doesn't agree to and thus wants a trade. Then we'd obviously have to do a complete rebuild.

[mjkvol]

Anyone moving more toward my idea that if they drop this series they should blow it up this summer?

I still implore anyone to give me a specific plan that could get the Sixers over the hump with their current position.

The only rebuttals I see are "They're still a good team so let's see what happens next year" which isn't an actual plan it's just hope.

Realistically what players could they add in the summer to make them a team that can win a title?

I think people don't have the stomach for another rebuild so they'll just keep going "Not ready to blow it up this year, let's see what happens next year" over and over until Embiid starts to decline, you can't get anything for him in trade, and then everyone will be like "Crap, we just wasted this guy's career, should've traded him when we could've gotten a haul for him and at least he could've maybe won a title somewhere else."

I haven't seen anyone say simply "they're still a good team so let's see what happens next year". What a lot are saying is that you don't trade a player off of an MVP season for a multitude of reasons, and blowing it up means moving Embiid.

How do you sell to your fan base that you're trading one of the great players in franchise history and tanking off of a 50+ win season? Most fans aren't nerds like us who analyze the hell out of every little detail and think of things only from an on-court perspective. This is a business first and foremost, and moving a player like Embiid right now is committing PR suicide.

What you can do is make some roster moves around the fringes, but primarily it would be to change the face of the leadership and bring in a fresh approach with new ideas and schemes to incorporate. This isn't a broken roster, but one that needs some alterations but mainly a different perspective from a coaching standpoint. There are no guarantees, but it's the easiest way to make a substantial change without tearing apart the roster again.

Starting over again might appeal to a small percentage of hard core fans like those on a forum like this, but would go over like a lead balloon to the vast majority that go to games and buy the merchandise.

You don't have to sell the fan base on anything. If it ends up working out in their favor, that's all that matters. The Eagles fan base was pissed when the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts, now you don't hear anyone complaining. If it works out in the end and leads to a great team, fans will be on board when it matters.

And frankly, I think the fan base is starting to get tired of this team anyway. No one believes in them. No one thinks they're good enough. I think it's only a matter of time as-is before fans stop going to the games. Right now you have a superstar player on a flawed roster that no one believes in and no means available to them to get to the next level.

I actually think this fan base right now low key hates the Sixers(as an organization) and loves Embiid that a lot of fans would actually be happy if Embiid went to another team and won a title.

Rebuilds are always hard to stomach no matter if you have an Embiid caliber player or not. But they're like surgery, ultimately you can try rehabbing for a while, but when the injury doesn't heal you need to bite the bullet and go under the knife.

No offense, but you aren't in the real world with this. You're taking the frustrated ranting of posters on here and talk radio callers and extrapolating that to mean the fan base as a whole.

WFC routinely sells out, and Embiid is in the top 15 in jersey sales in the league. Maybe Bum Adebayo wants to see him win elsewhere, but I guarantee the average fan doesn't think like that - hell, the average human doesn't think like that.

The Eagles didn't dump a franchise legend and rip the team apart when they drafted Hurts, so I have no idea where that comes from.

As long as the Sixers are a playoff team and have marketable stars the average fan will go to games and buy merchandise. I was a huge supporter of The Process because the team was dull and barely competitive, with no one that you really had to watch on the roster. This is a far cry from that - maybe not championship level, but not that far off that a tear down is anything but a half baked idea.

[mjkvol]

Anyone moving more toward my idea that if they drop this series they should blow it up this summer?

I still implore anyone to give me a specific plan that could get the Sixers over the hump with their current position.

The only rebuttals I see are "They're still a good team so let's see what happens next year" which isn't an actual plan it's just hope.

Realistically what players could they add in the summer to make them a team that can win a title?

I think people don't have the stomach for another rebuild so they'll just keep going "Not ready to blow it up this year, let's see what happens next year" over and over until Embiid starts to decline, you can't get anything for him in trade, and then everyone will be like "Crap, we just wasted this guy's career, should've traded him when we could've gotten a haul for him and at least he could've maybe won a title somewhere else."

I haven't seen anyone say simply "they're still a good team so let's see what happens next year". What a lot are saying is that you don't trade a player off of an MVP season for a multitude of reasons, and blowing it up means moving Embiid.

How do you sell to your fan base that you're trading one of the great players in franchise history and tanking off of a 50+ win season? Most fans aren't nerds like us who analyze the hell out of every little detail and think of things only from an on-court perspective. This is a business first and foremost, and moving a player like Embiid right now is committing PR suicide.

What you can do is make some roster moves around the fringes, but primarily it would be to change the face of the leadership and bring in a fresh approach with new ideas and schemes to incorporate. This isn't a broken roster, but one that needs some alterations but mainly a different perspective from a coaching standpoint.

Starting over again might appeal to a small percentage of hard core fans like those on a forum like this, but would go over like a lead balloon to the vast majority that go to games and buy the merchandise.

I think nobody disputes that probably its not going to happen.

The point is if you think it's what it should happen or not. That's why we have forum like this, so we can analyze the current situation a little deeper.

I get what the forum is about, but that idea is so bonkers that it really isn't worth discussing IMO.

[mjkvol]

I used to think this team was a Tobias Harris trade away from being a real contender.

Now, IDK if even that will matter given Harden and Maxey's struggles in games 2 and 3.

Specifically with Harden, I can't pinpoint the root cause of his struggles. Maybe it's because he was overworked during the regular season due to our lack of secondary playmakers. Maybe it's because he is too distracted by the Houston rumors among other things. Maybe it's simply because he chokes in the playoffs.

In any case, IDK if the answer is to bring him back or let him walk. The ideal scenario is a sign and trade, but IDK if that's feasible at this stage in his career.

We could hypothetically let him walk, let Tobias expire in 2024 and make a splash in free agency but that would effectively mean punting another season of Embiid's prime which I could totally understand if he doesn't agree to and thus wants a trade. Then we'd obviously have to do a complete rebuild.

To me, the cleanest and easiest way to see if this core can improve is to keep it intact and move Harris for a better fitting piece or two, and maybe a couple more incremental roster moves, but mainly to change the perspective and approach by bringing in a new coach. Could it possibly be that having this stubborn dinosaur is a root cause of a lot of this group's issues? Only one way to find out.

I'd go so far as to say that if the choice was running it back with Rivers, I would side with Fire Morey and just tear the whole damn thing down. We aren't getting better or winning anything beyond a playoff round as long as this albatross is running things.

[FireMorey]

I haven't seen anyone say simply "they're still a good team so let's see what happens next year". What a lot are saying is that you don't trade a player off of an MVP season for a multitude of reasons, and blowing it up means moving Embiid.

How do you sell to your fan base that you're trading one of the great players in franchise history and tanking off of a 50+ win season? Most fans aren't nerds like us who analyze the hell out of every little detail and think of things only from an on-court perspective. This is a business first and foremost, and moving a player like Embiid right now is committing PR suicide.

What you can do is make some roster moves around the fringes, but primarily it would be to change the face of the leadership and bring in a fresh approach with new ideas and schemes to incorporate. This isn't a broken roster, but one that needs some alterations but mainly a different perspective from a coaching standpoint. There are no guarantees, but it's the easiest way to make a substantial change without tearing apart the roster again.

Starting over again might appeal to a small percentage of hard core fans like those on a forum like this, but would go over like a lead balloon to the vast majority that go to games and buy the merchandise.

You don't have to sell the fan base on anything. If it ends up working out in their favor, that's all that matters. The Eagles fan base was pissed when the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts, now you don't hear anyone complaining. If it works out in the end and leads to a great team, fans will be on board when it matters.

And frankly, I think the fan base is starting to get tired of this team anyway. No one believes in them. No one thinks they're good enough. I think it's only a matter of time as-is before fans stop going to the games. Right now you have a superstar player on a flawed roster that no one believes in and no means available to them to get to the next level.

I actually think this fan base right now low key hates the Sixers(as an organization) and loves Embiid that a lot of fans would actually be happy if Embiid went to another team and won a title.

Rebuilds are always hard to stomach no matter if you have an Embiid caliber player or not. But they're like surgery, ultimately you can try rehabbing for a while, but when the injury doesn't heal you need to bite the bullet and go under the knife.

No offense, but you aren't in the real world with this. You're taking the frustrated ranting of posters on here and talk radio callers and extrapolating that to mean the fan base as a whole.

WFC routinely sells out, and Embiid is in the top 15 in jersey sales in the league. Maybe Bum Adebayo wants to see him win elsewhere, but I guarantee the average fan doesn't think like that - hell, the average human doesn't think like that.

The Eagles didn't dump a franchise legend and rip the team apart when they drafted Hurts, so I have no idea where that comes from.

As long as the Sixers are a playoff team and have marketable stars the average fan will go to games and buy merchandise. I was a huge supporter of The Process because the team was dull and barely competitive, with no one that you really had to watch on the roster. This is a far cry from that - maybe not championship level, but not that far off that a tear down is anything but a half baked idea.

You're missing the most important part - that it doesn't matter whether the fans are on board with it or not. You have to do what's best for the franchise.

And I agree that they will never do it, but that's part of the reason why they haven't won a title in 40 years. They are a poorly run organization across multiple owners and make bad decisions. Bad decisions are why they are where they are right now.

[Bum Adebayo]

The Sixers are the Dirk Mavs. We just have to keep making incremental progress roster building & bank on continued improvement from Embiid. We’re never gonna be the favorite because we made too many bad decisions during the Colangelo years.

But I don’t think you can throw away a punchers chance at a title while you still have a franchise legend playing at his peak. If we blow it up, it could take 10 years to even get back to the level we’re at now.

I agree with the comparison but that team only won 1 championship that was really an outlier and depended on an historic meltdown from one the greatest players of all time.

After that run they were never again in the conversation. It's doesn't give me that much hope. Also Dirk game traslated way better in his era and wasnt as injury prone as Biid.

To win they needed to Dirk to go absoultely crazy and carry them, something Biid has never been close to do in the Playoffs to this point. It's not like we are losing but hes going nuts, it has never been the case.

It also was not in this 3pt spamming era and Heat needed more time to gel, the game is played so differently from 2015-2016 or so compared to before that, Embiid would fare better 10 to 13 years ago and of course even better 15 to 20 years ago.

[Mik317]

what is best for the franchise is to keep collecting the playoff money, jersey sales, and the off chance for a chip.

people keep acting like this is the Iggy Sixers...because it isn't. Back then we legit were hyped over a fluke second round appearance . The fact that we are mad about second round exits alone is a major difference....

but lets say we do go the reboot route....the upcoming draft classes aren't great, and unlike the process we HAVE to hit on them because we will owe picks shortly....is that off chance at contention that much better than now? Now ask yourself which path an owner would choose? The unknown or the current frustrating but profitable situation that still can end in winning it all albeit not as probable?

i get it we are all frustrated and because of past mistakes it feels like there is no out. IIRC I said as much a few days ago lol. BUT again I don't think the blow up is realistic as of right now. Embiid will dictate that and I think there is more of a chance he retires early than asking for a trade based off of what he has shown and said. So its not something worth worrying about or talking about. Its not pretty but letting Harden walk or snt him; seeing what you can get for Tobias' expriring, looking for some under the radar type guys is more than likely the path forward....hell just getting a different coaching staff and overall philosophy change may help.. who knows I just think its more likely than the pie in the sky trade Biid for a bunch of picks and youth and we will totally still contend soon plan as of right now.

[Embiid P]

I used to think this team was a Tobias Harris trade away from being a real contender.

Now, IDK if even that will matter given Harden and Maxey's struggles in games 2 and 3.

Specifically with Harden, I can't pinpoint the root cause of his struggles. Maybe it's because he was overworked during the regular season due to our lack of secondary playmakers. Maybe it's because he is too distracted by the Houston rumors among other things. Maybe it's simply because he chokes in the playoffs.

In any case, IDK if the answer is to bring him back or let him walk. The ideal scenario is a sign and trade, but IDK if that's feasible at this stage in his career.

We could hypothetically let him walk, let Tobias expire in 2024 and make a splash in free agency but that would effectively mean punting another season of Embiid's prime which I could totally understand if he doesn't agree to and thus wants a trade. Then we'd obviously have to do a complete rebuild.

To me, the cleanest and easiest way to see if this core can improve is to keep it intact and move Harris for a better fitting piece or two, and maybe a couple more incremental roster moves, but mainly to change the perspective and approach by bringing in a new coach. Could it possibly be that having this stubborn dinosaur is a root cause of a lot of this group's issues? Only one way to find out.

I'd go so far as to say that if the choice was running it back with Rivers, I would side with Fire Morey and just tear the whole damn thing down. We aren't getting better or winning anything beyond a playoff round as long as this albatross is running things.

True. I think that bringing back Harden (even if it punishes us on the back end of his contract) and moving Tobias and/or letting other dead weight (Niang, Harrell, Shake, Korkmaz, etc.) walk is the most realistic scenario.

Obviously Maxey is going to get his extension (yeah I know that Bum, 76iology and others won't be happy about it but it is what it is) and Morey should make it a priority to re-sign B-ball Paul if possible. I also wouldn't mind bringing McDaniels and House back solely for their length and athleticism.

Keep Melton, move PJ to the bench, make Springer a regular part of the rotation and try to acquire a couple of starting caliber 3 and D wings and a taller backup PG to lessen Harden's load during the regular season.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

Anyone moving more toward my idea that if they drop this series they should blow it up this summer?

I still implore anyone to give me a specific plan that could get the Sixers over the hump with their current position.

The only rebuttals I see are "They're still a good team so let's see what happens next year" which isn't an actual plan it's just hope.

Realistically what players could they add in the summer to make them a team that can win a title?

I think people don't have the stomach for another rebuild so they'll just keep going "Not ready to blow it up this year, let's see what happens next year" over and over until Embiid starts to decline, you can't get anything for him in trade, and then everyone will be like "Crap, we just wasted this guy's career, should've traded him when we could've gotten a haul for him and at least he could've maybe won a title somewhere else."

I haven't seen anyone say simply "they're still a good team so let's see what happens next year". What a lot are saying is that you don't trade a player off of an MVP season for a multitude of reasons, and blowing it up means moving Embiid.

How do you sell to your fan base that you're trading one of the great players in franchise history and tanking off of a 50+ win season? Most fans aren't nerds like us who analyze the hell out of every little detail and think of things only from an on-court perspective. This is a business first and foremost, and moving a player like Embiid right now is committing PR suicide.

What you can do is make some roster moves around the fringes, but primarily it would be to change the face of the leadership and bring in a fresh approach with new ideas and schemes to incorporate. This isn't a broken roster, but one that needs some alterations but mainly a different perspective from a coaching standpoint.

Starting over again might appeal to a small percentage of hard core fans like those on a forum like this, but would go over like a lead balloon to the vast majority that go to games and buy the merchandise.

I think nobody disputes that probably its not going to happen.

The point is if you think it's what it should happen or not. That's why we have forum like this, so we can analyze the current situation a little deeper.

It seems to really only matter to you what someone else thinks from what I've read. The only motive behind that is so you can argue with people who have a different opinion than you do just for the sake of arguing. There's no analyzing anything on your part. You're just board and want to fight on a sports forum. It seems to me like you have this glass half empty, doom and gloom negative ass attitude about this team and anyone that feels differently is clueless in your mind. That's not how this works. You're not right just because you think you are. I vehemently disagree with you on the idea of blowing things up and starting over. I think we're a perennial playoff team with a chance to eventually sneak into the Finals provided we get some good luck on the health front. The league has fluctuated quite a bit over the last few years. There's not Jordan led Bulls or Lebron led Miami Heat that are basically penciled into the Finals back in October. Boston is on a hot run these last two years, but it's going to taper off. Same with Milwaukee. We're right there with those teams, we just need to take another step forward. Another step forward doesn't mean tear it down to the studs and build how YOU want to do it. It means adding another player to this roster that can help us get past Boston and Milwaukee. Personally I think we're a starting 2 Way wing player away from doing so and it's not out of the question that we can't get that player. We can.

[ExplosionsInDaSky]

I used to think this team was a Tobias Harris trade away from being a real contender.

Now, IDK if even that will matter given Harden and Maxey's struggles in games 2 and 3.

Specifically with Harden, I can't pinpoint the root cause of his struggles. Maybe it's because he was overworked during the regular season due to our lack of secondary playmakers. Maybe it's because he is too distracted by the Houston rumors among other things. Maybe it's simply because he chokes in the playoffs.

In any case, IDK if the answer is to bring him back or let him walk. The ideal scenario is a sign and trade, but IDK if that's feasible at this stage in his career.

We could hypothetically let him walk, let Tobias expire in 2024 and make a splash in free agency but that would effectively mean punting another season of Embiid's prime which I could totally understand if he doesn't agree to and thus wants a trade. Then we'd obviously have to do a complete rebuild.

To me, the cleanest and easiest way to see if this core can improve is to keep it intact and move Harris for a better fitting piece or two, and maybe a couple more incremental roster moves, but mainly to change the perspective and approach by bringing in a new coach. Could it possibly be that having this stubborn dinosaur is a root cause of a lot of this group's issues? Only one way to find out.

I'd go so far as to say that if the choice was running it back with Rivers, I would side with Fire Morey and just tear the whole damn thing down. We aren't getting better or winning anything beyond a playoff round as long as this albatross is running things.

True. I think that bringing back Harden (even if it punishes us on the back end of his contract) and moving Tobias and/or letting other dead weight (Niang, Harrell, Shake, Korkmaz, etc.) walk is the most realistic scenario.

Yes to the bold X1000. I think we can move Tobias in the summer for a player that fits better and gives us what we need. OG Anunoby is going to be available in the summer. There's no way we take the rebuild route with as close as we are.

[FireMorey]

If the Sixers don’t win the title this season I do hope Embiid asks for a trade. I’d rather see him win a title somewhere else than stay here for 5 more years and not win one. I’d be happy for him at least. Elated for him. I agree him demanding a trade is the only way this happens.

And if people don’t think it’s realistic and don’t think it’s worth discussing then don’t discuss it. No one had a gun to your head. I put my point of view out there that I think it’s the best course of action for this team barring a championship this season given all the circumstances.

And while people may not be on board with it now, I’m pretty confident that in 5 years most people will look back on it and think differently. Much like everyone did with Ben Simmons. 3 years ago when someone suggested cashing out on Simmons because he’ll never learn to shoot, people hated the idea. Now everyone is all “Dammit… should’ve traded that loser for Booker when we had the chance.”

There’s nothing worse in sports than watching a team that hit its ceiling bang their head against the wall over and over and slowly deteriorate in front of your eyes and then when it eventually bottoms out you have nothing to show for it. We saw that with the Phillies after 2011 and it took them over a decade to get back to the playoffs.

So while people may be hesitant to do it now… fine. Maybe you can hold off one more year if you desire. But in 5 years when Embiid is on the decline. They have no young studs on the roster, no picks and their situation is in tatters with no hope, no picks, no cap room, remember it could’ve been avoided.