Same old nonsense around here. Players don't care about rivalries. Al went to the Sixers because they offered him the most money and they also gave him a good shot at a championship. He'd have been stupid to do anything else.
Players/coaches may not, but fans certainly do. Smart, Brad, and Danny very well may be very happy for Al, but I don’t how someone can’t expect a fan base to be turned off by their player leaving to go to a rival.
Ray was the ultimate case because he took way less money and unsure role to get away from us.
Horford I don’t fault for taking the money, but doesn’t mean he isn’t dead to me. Appreciate his time here, but if he gets old overnight I won’t shed a tear.
TP for this response - I agree with everything here.
Fans don't have to be 'mature' when it comes to sports. Al was an important member of our team for 3 years - even more important because he was the 1st max FA who chose us in who knows how long. And just like that, he 'chooses' another franchise - one of the two franchises we all wish he wouldn't have chosen - and it's all over.
This isn't a story about him going back home to finish his career; he just took more money. I also don't understand the narrative that he has a better chance at a championship in Philly. The current Cs with Al are at least as good as the current Sixers with Al. We would have been going way above the cap to sign him so we really wouldn't have had to sacrifice anything. Him not believing in this team also feels like an underrated aspect that's not being talked about.
Understandable reasoning for sure. I'm just not feeling a strong sense of dislike for Horford despite the fact that I was really angry about the Ray Allen move. I'm bummed about losing Horford, but I believe there was a culmination of legitimate factors that led to his decision.
First, there must be an element of pride when it comes to the money and extra year. A hometown discount would have been a more realistic option on a bonafide contender. Horford understood how important he was to our team, so I really don't see his decision as being any different than leaving the Hawks. This is obviously speculation on my part, but I have a feeling the Celtics took a hometown discount for granted in early negotiations.
We also don't know what the Celtics real priorities were at the beginning of free agency. Did they decide to pursue Kemba as soon as they knew Irving was gone? Or did they pivot when Horford told them he was seeking a better offer? Either way there would have been a lot of hoops to jump through in order to keep Horford and acquire Kemba through a sign and trade. Irving and Durant could have easily played hardball with the Nets by telling them not to negotiate with Boston. I doubt either of them cares about draft assets at this stage of their careers.
Finally, I don't think we can overstate the ability for Horford to transition back to PF for most of his minutes. This is largely about maximizing his strengths during his final years as a high impact player. We can try to argue that the Celtics with Horford are better than the current Philly roster, but Horford definitely has confidence in himself to help the Sixers reach their potential.
At the end of the day there's too many unknown factors for me to have ill will towards Horford. Maybe this will change if/when more information is leaked.
Topic: Horford 76ers contract details (Read 4686 times)