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I Can LOVE The 76ers But Still HATE Their Approach

Placeholder Shilloutte User Image By John Kincade April 7th

It all started for me with the losing on purpose philosophy which was heralded by some as genius. Imagine, believing that purposely fielding a team not talented enough to win was revolutionary. Don’t get me wrong, teams did it before them and teams continue to do it. They just don’t strut around acting as if they somehow cracked a revolutionary code that set them apart. Teams have been losing on purpose as long as I’ve been alive. I never respected it then and I don’t respect it now. Teams like Milwaukee and Toronto in recent memory have proven you don’t have to be atrocious and picking at the top of the draft to skillfully build an NBA Champion. In fact, no NBA Champions have decided losing for 4 or 5 years straight was the best path to a title. That is my opinion, it never changed and that period of time damaged my “fan” relationship with the team.

Then I take on the issue of the numerous draft and personnel errors that have kept them from ascending as far as we all expected. In other cities they might call that karma, but in this city we claim it’s just bad luck. I’ll call it incompetence from past leadership. If you’re going to lose to assemble young talent you have to understand how to select and develop young talent. The organization failed at that.

We get to the modern day and the hurdle of attempting to finally win a second round series. I’ve got to tell you that for some reason I’m believing more in this squad than I have in previous years. It’s not that I believe they are so much more talented. I have a faith that this time around they appear better off physically than in previous campaigns. James Harden is managing an injury, tell me if you have heard that one before. Joel Embiid has been wildly successful this year and deserves an MVP. All I care about is this team making a playoff run. A run means you are one of the last 4 standing. We have all seen the second round tough losses. Those aren’t runs. Those are disappointments.

I believe that all of the load management concerns throughout the year can send the wrong message. The team fails to show up consistently at odd times. Last night vs the Heat was a disaster. They had no fire or energy. It’s obvious they didn’t care about that and could once again roll over on Sunday at Brooklyn. They could once again benefit from losing on purpose. It seems to always be the franchise fall back position.

This playoff run ahead is so important. It’s a potential final statement on “The Process” era. I’ll say it in advance, if they lose, James Harden may very well walk. Even if he stays I won’t be lining up to drink the Kool Aid that rolling it back with this same roster is a viable game plan. All I know is that there is a definition of insanity and the 76ers consistently have shown that their plan is off the mark. 2023 is my line in the sand.

RELATED:

6 Times Philly Athletes Had Dominant Seasons Like Embiid

See what Andrew Salciunas found in The Audio Vault today. Every day Andrew dives into the Vault, to pull out Audio relevant to the day. Today there was a slight twist on that though. Because on the back of the great season Joel Embiid is having, he wanted to look at the other truly dominant seasons we have seen from Philly Athletes. The time’s individual athletes set the city on fire.

Joel Embiid is giving us a season for the ages. He is most likely going to win MVP, finally. Embiid has 3 50 point games this season. The only other centers in NBA History to do that are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain. Pretty good company to keep. With just 3 games left, it looks like he will lead the NBA in points per game again with 33.3. And earlier this week, we saw him nearly single-handedly beat the Celtics by scoring 52 points, pulling down 13 rebounds, and shooting 20-25 from the field. What Embiid has done this season is otherworldly.

So who else has this dominant of a season in Philadelphia? That is what Andrew dedicated this vault to. The times players on our team had seasons as ridiculous as what Embiid is doing right now. That ranged from MVP seasons from Phillies hitters, one of the greatest Flyers of all time, an All-Time Great Eagles RB, and more. Andrew picked six great individual seasons by Philly Athletes to play fo us and Anthony Gargano.

Here is what Andrew Salciunas played in the Audio Vault today…

  • Ryan Howard's 58 HR Season

    One of the best seasons we have ever seen from anyone was Ryan Howard in 2006. He mashed 58 home runs, racked up 148 RBIs, and won the NL MVP. He also hit .313 and got on base at a rate of .425. It was the start of 4 straight 40 HR seasons. Howard is one of just 30 players to hit 50 home runs in a season. And his 58 put him in a tie for the 12 most ever hit in a single season.

  • Jimmy Rollins Follows Up Howard's MVP Season With One of His Own

    Not to be outdone, Jimmy Rollins followed up Ryan Howard’s MVP season with one of his own in 2007. 30 home runs, 38 doubles, 20 triples, and 41 steals. He is one of just 7 players in MLB History to join the 20-20-20 club, and one of just 4 to join the 20-20-20-20 club. And of course it was also the season of his famous prediction that the Phillies were the team to beat. He made sure of that. Rollins had many great seasons, but he was on another level in 2007.

     

  • Randall Cunningham in 1990

    Before there was Jalen Hurts, Donovan McNabb, or Mike Vick, there was a different Eagles QB who created magic on the field with both his legs and his arm. Randall Cunningham. And perhaps no Cunningham season was better than 1990. He finished 2nd in MVP voting and had career highs in passing yards and touchdowns. 3,466 yards through the air, plus 942 on the ground, to go with 30 passing TDs and 5 rushing TDs.

  • LeSean McCoy over 2000 Yards in 2013

    LeSean McCoy gave us perhaps the best season by an Eagles running back ever in 2013. He racked up 1,607 yards on the ground, which lead the league, and added another 539 through the air, giving him 2,146 total. And perhaps the thing he is most known for that season was the Snow game. Philly was blanketed with snow. But it did not slow Shady down. He had 217 yards and two TDs vs the Lions.

  • Eric Lindros Racks Up Over 100 Points

    Eric Lindros had many great seasons with the Flyers. The 1995-96 season may be his best though. He racked up 115 total points with 47 goals and 68 assists. He was coming off a year where we won the Hart Trophy, and played even better. Oddly enough he did not win the Hart Trophy this year because Mario Lemieux came out and scored 161 points. One of Lindros’s 47 goals included this one from center ice. Which you can see here.

  • Steve Carlton Wins Nearly half of the Phillies Games in 1972

    1972 was a very bad year for the Phillies. They won just 59 games. But it was a very good season for Steve Carlton. He won the Cy Young and finished 5th in MVP voting. Carlton’s ERA that season was 1.97. He had 30 complete games, 8 of which were shutouts. He also won 27 games, despite his team winning just 59 total.

  • You can listen to the full Audio Vault Below...

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