The Sixers are in a bind. They鈥檝e got their top two players making the news for all the wrong reasons. First, there鈥檚 disgruntled James Harden, who has demanded a change of address, the third time in three years. Next, there鈥檚 disappointed Joel Embiid, who has signified a desire to win a title soonest, regardless of jersey. Between the two, there鈥檚 a ton of uncertainty general manager Daryl Morey most definitely did not envision when he paired them together late in the 2021-22 season. The plan was to contend for championships, not pivot to a rebuild.
The irony, of course, is that Harden and Embiid seem to complement each other well. Not for nothing did the former lead the league in assists while paving the way for the latter to claim a publicly coveted Most Valuable Player award. The music they made together enabled the Sixers to claim 54 wins, good for third overall in the National Basketball Association. And so good were they in tandem that fans in the City of Brotherly Love, not easily swayed and long jaded by abject failure throughout 鈥淭he Process,鈥 figured they could go deep in the 2023 Playoffs.
Perhaps it鈥檚 because the partnership ultimately failed to live up to expectations. For all its regular season pluses, the bottom line cannot be denied. The Sixers flamed out in the conference semifinals, with Harden and Embiid performing poorly just when they were needed most against the Celtics. Significantly, much of the blame was laid on the doorstep of head coach of well-regarded but essentially underperforming Doc Rivers. Morey wasn鈥檛 about to once more dabble in insanity (defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result), and so sent the bench tactician packing in favor of Nick Nurse.
Needless to say, Morey won鈥檛 be acceding to Harden鈥檚 request without getting equal value in return. Precisely because Embiid has grown impatient, he鈥檚 not about to accept pennies for dollars. It鈥檚 a big risk, to be sure; an unhappy vital cog can be an enemy from within. That said, he鈥檚 gambling on his longtime collaborator, dating back to their Rockets days, being motivated enough to angle for one last big payday through stellar work between the lines. And it鈥檚 not as if he has a choice; the moment he weakens the roster is the moment his best player checks out.
Bottom line, the Sixers are walking a tightrope. They鈥檙e hoping that, after all the bad breaks, they will finally get one that benefits them. Longtime habitues deserve it, although, as league annals have shown time and again, 鈥渄eserve鈥 and 鈥渆arn鈥 are two different matters altogether.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since 大象传媒 introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
