I can't believe people want Al after he walked on this team.
Well the players understand its business at the end of the day. They can still be close friends and leave for a team that pays them more.
He didn't even give them time to consider 76ers offer. He didn't want to play with the team anymore it wasn't just money. There were reports of them being able to go higher after Kemba was officially made a sign and trade but Al bolted.
So Mr. "Flat Earth, not getting vaxed" had nothing to do with Horford's decision? Al left a dysfunctional team and is coming back to a better one.
So a guy who can't manage turmoil when things get tough is the guy to lead?
This seems disingenuous. Philly offered a contract DA seemingly didn’t want to match. On top of that (at least coming from Embiid’s comments), Horford was signed because he was supposed to be a talent fit with Ben Simmons and this was at the height of the Philly hype and they were projected to be a contender at the time. Meanwhile, everyone was jumping ship from the C’s and we were projected to go nowhere (at least until DA scrambled to get Kemba onboard)
So really the decision for Horford was:
Option A: join a contender, play a big role, and get paid more money
Option B: take a step back, go on a semi-rebuilding year while playing for less money
There is nothing disingenuous about it you literally said he jumped ship when things got tough with option A over B. He was in a bigger roll here and the money was very close before they even made Kemba a sign and trade. If anything people here want to give him a pass for not being loyal and being apart of nothing but disappointing seasons his last two years here.
Firstly, that was Surferdad, a different poster
Secondly, if we go off Embiid’s comments, he was projected to be in a similarly large role in Philly
Thirdly, the money difference
Fourthly, C’s weren’t projected to be contenders, even with Al. Philly was a contender without him and adding him could put them over the top
Fifthly, not everybody is Deandre Jordan. When people agree to a contract, they usually push through with their verbal commitment
So no, it’s not just about “a guy jumping ship because he can’t handle turmoil”. There are so many factors that made signing with Boston easy to pass up. Where was all this loyalty talk when DA didn’t wanna sign Al for big money? And many of us (myself included) thought that Philly overpaid so we didn’t mind seeing him go. Where was our “loyalty” then?
I’d rather work with the guys who we have today. A captain is someone the locker room respects and will follow and who can call people out without it raising eyebrows because they have the “social authority” to. You think Smart’s listening to someone like Nesmith or Pritchard? You think Pritchard can tell Tatum off for going iso? Horford fits the captain criteria to a tee. The biggest downside is that he might not even be here next year because the C’s might not guarantee his contract (or will use him in a trade).