The Saddest NBA Team Ever

The Saddest NBA Team Ever

A few weeks ago, there was a huge buzz on Sixers social media. Not only did Joel Embiid have two photos looking skinny as hell, great for his banged up knee, but a video showed Embiid playing basketball without even a knee brace. This is huge. If they get their MVP back in this season when the East is so weak they can make an NBA Finals. Yes. But is this for real? Cuz Sixer fans saw two photos, a 5-second clip, and went crazy. Not only does Joel Embiid look great physically, he took a lot of weight off his shoulders mentally. We are going to see a different Joel Embiid going forward this season. Yeah. So, what did Slim Bead finally say to reporters? Well, let’s just say it wasn’t an answer anyone was expecting. But the reason that this even matters is on paper a healthy Sixers team is number one in the East. FanDuel says the favorite to win is the Cavaliers at plus 210, then the Knicks and the Magic. You know, a healthy Embiid is by far the best player on any of those teams, but we have never seen a healthy Embiid before. It’s always some big injury, usually in the playoffs, by the way, and he comes back, looks great for a bit before another issue. But last year felt like a turning point. At no time did he look good. That has never happened. Dude suited up for just 19 games. the most miserable basketball we have seen. So since winning that MVP in 2023 after finishing second back-to-back years, he has played a total of 58 games. Is Joel Embiid done with basketball at 30 years old? Nobody would be shocked by that. So at this media day, after a full summer off viral social media post, Embiid says there is no timetable for his return. What? I am sorry, but if he didn’t just sign a new three-year max contract, dude might as well just hang it up. But what makes Citrus fans want to pull their hair out is what is the problem? Like, we don’t even know what is wrong with him. A full summer off and you played just 19 games last year and you still can’t play. Why not? Like, with an ACL or an Achilles, there’s a timetable. But with this injury, it’s a mystery. It’s like Kawawaii or Lonzo B. Hey, just bad knees never the same. But the only thing worse than a Max player in street clothes is two Max players in street clothes and that’s what the Sixers have because they paid Paul George and he immediately crashed out. Dude hurt his knee before last season which killed his explosiveness. Like look at this clip of PG just not being able to get past defenders. That hurt his ability to shoot which is kind of important in basketball. And it turns out that George hurt himself yet again this off season has no timetable for return again. Oh, and side note, Paul George said, “Well, it can’t get worse than last year. That was rock bottom.” 10 minutes later, the owner was named in the Epstein files. So, wrong again, Paul. But did the Sixers sign two Max guys at the exact wrong moment? Like the second after they signed their careers imploded? That would be like investing it all into Blockbuster right before Netflix comes out or being really proud of your gigantic CD stash that took you years to collect. You’re an idiot. But there are two recent teams that have gone through this exact same thing. The first one was the Brooklyn Nets in 2013. They went all in on a big three at exactly the wrong time cuz it turned out Paul Pearson, Kevin Garnett left their best years back in Boston and the Nets are still in basketball hell 12 years later. Or the Washington Wizards. You know how the Wizards are like the worst, most irrelevant franchise right now. No offense. Well, in 2017, they were feisty. They took the Celtics to seven games in the second round of the playoffs. Paid both John Wall and Bradley Beal huge deals. And it turns out their careers imploded. Wall became the worst contract in the NBA for years and Beal just couldn’t overcome that. But the big difference for Philly is they have a talented group of young players behind their two stars. And the best one is Tyrese Maxi. Like this kid is just 24 years old, already an all-star, and showing more leadership than 90% of guys. We need a standard. Like this is who we are every single day. No matter who plays, no matter who doesn’t play, when you see Philadelphia 76ers, this is what you see. You’re going to see that team every single night. Every single time you turn the TV on, every single time you step foot in whatever arena that we’re playing in, this is the team that you’re going to get. And this is the type of culture you’re going to get. They’re going to do this thing. They’re going to do a certain thing a certain way every single night. Yes, Philly is so lucky to have a player like that. I just can’t believe it takes one of the youngest guys on the roster to be the biggest leader. They also have number three pick VJ Edgecom. Amazing rookie Jared McCain. But in the middle of all of this is a huge contract dispute for one of the young guys. Like they just got on the plane for preeason. Yeah. One of their best players of last year ain’t even on that plane. And that’s because Quentyn Grimes career has been a roller coaster. He was a five-star prospect. Number eight in the same class as Zion and RJ Barrett. So he goes to Kansas as a one and done, but struggles badly. Transfers to Houston, comes out after his junior year. So, the Knicks draft him and you’d think he is set, but he is already on his fourth NBA team in just four years. But right when it looked like his career was slipping away, Grimes explodes in March, dropped 44 on the Warriors. Everybody called it a fluke, but it wasn’t because over the final six weeks, Grimes averaged 26 a game, then topped that Warriors night with 46 against Houston, a legit defense. So just when he breaks out, thinks he’s going to get paid, Philly lowballs him. Four years, 39 million, a slap in the face. So right now they are so far apart negotiations, it looks like Philly could lose Grimes in free agency next year, which could be a disaster. So why don’t they just pay him? Because they have two other gigantic, huge mistake contracts already on the books, and this new CBA can’t take any more risk. They are backed into a corner. So, yes, the Grimes mess is real and Embiid and George are giant question marks, but what if, and I know this sounds crazy, what if everything actually goes right for Philly this year? That would be Daryl Mory’s plan all along. Embiid is the best big man in the East. Paul George looks like his all elite number two self again, which would mean a two-way big two with an all-star point guard in Maxi running the offense. Mory envisioned a team where defenses cannot load up on Embiid cuz George is out there spacing the floor creating his own shot and guarding the other team’s best wing. Meanwhile, Maxi is just entering his prime and he’s already proven that he can take over games when needed. Then you add in rookie VJ Edgecomb, Jared McCain, and yeah, maybe they’re not ready to be stars, but they don’t have to be. They just have to hit shots, bring energy, and give Philly the depth the old Sixers never had. And if Quinton Grimes really is that 26 a night two-way player at the end of last year, suddenly this isn’t a sad team at all. It’s one of the deepest rosters in the league. So yes, the Sixers might be the saddest team in the NBA right now. But if the stars align, they could easily be the scariest. And by the way, uh the thumbnail of this video is Kyle Lowry. Obviously, you can see why I picked him. He just kind of embodies how sad the Sixers are right now. But to be fair, he’s not going to play very much. They actually just announced he’s going to have a media contract where he’s on TV talking about games for Amazon Prime, similar to what Draymond Green does over at TNT. But how many other teams can say they’re either super sad or super scary? Actually, there is one more. The New Orleans Pelicans have lived off the Zion hype for years, right? But now people are actually buying it because Zion looked great at media day, but really it was more about what he said. And yeah, I know that skinny Zion happens every year, but this year might actually be different because of motivation that Zion’s never had before.

The Philadelphia 76ers may be the most boom-or-bust team in the NBA. Joel Embiid and Paul George are question marks to start the season but that’s just the start of the drama in Philly.