Sixers are in such great position to have a long-term championship run. They have 2 likely top 2017 ten picks --extremely valuable as picks or trade chips to add to an embarrassment of riches of young star potential in Embiid and Simmons with young assets like JO, Saric, Stauskas, McConnell, Noel. If the roster is managed well, they'll own the East in 3 years. I think Danny would give his left and right arms to trade places with Philly right now. Philly, Minny, and LAL all reaping benefits of playing to lose.
You thought wrong.
Embiid certainly looks like a stud. He and two high draft choices this year are the only guarantee Philly has in the bank right now. Otherwise they're a bad team with a bad record.
You really looked at this through rose-colored glasses. To wit:
- Simmons hasn't played at all in the NBA. He'll probably be a good player but he's not a guarantee.
- Saric looks like he can play but doesn't look like a world beater at this point. A nice piece and a guy I'd like to have on the Cs but not likely an All-Star.
- Okafor's stock has been dropping and his stats are down this year.
- Noel is a RFA this season and isn't likely to stay.
- These guys can't play on the court together anyway.
- When you mention Stauskas as an asset - a guy who has been a failure his entire career - you lose all credibility.
- TJ McConnell? A soon-to-be 25 year old averaging 4 points a game and you consider that an asset? Come on. That's pathetic.
That's not an embarrassment of riches. What's an embarrassment is their record the last 3 years. They're on pace for a whopping 22 wins. Oh my. If you think Danny would swap places you're nuts. Danny isn't a loser. Instead of looking over the fence and thinking the grass is greener, try looking at the NBA standings once in a while.
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As an aside, every year many fans of really crappy teams think they have the pieces to turn it all around. Most often they don't and there's a reason for that. Potential doesn't always mean production. Players that lose a lot sometimes learn to tolerate it. A lack of veteran presence often means that players don't learn how to do the little things to win. And by the time these teams figure it out they're stripped by Free Agency departures as players leave for greener pastures.
Now it might be in 3 years that Philly is a contender. But it' could be in 3 years that Philly still sucks because players left or didn't pan out. It's a LONG LONG LONG journey from 20 wins to being a contender.