Sixers 2025-26 Will our luck ever change?

[dicemen99]

Your premise is fine.

A good embiid makes this team a better team...no amount of history would support your perspective.

The sixers are a bad team without him.

So rooting against him is an interesting hot take.

I’ll be ready to revisit this post all season long.

[bigegypt0417]

You mean selectively revisiting it?

Cool.

[dicemen99]

You mean selectively revisiting it?

Cool.

No. I'll be happy to revisit it on a game-by-game basis.

My viewpoint isn't a hot take, I've laid it out here for as long as I've been a member (not sure how long that is, a few years at least) and held it before then.

The Sixers are a worse team with him on the floor at this point. And they are not a bad team with him off it. There may be some bad spells during the season, but they have a star, another one in the making, and a couple of good pieces in place not considering Embiid. That's a pretty good start. A playoff team at minimum. This isn't the team that took the court for the last 1/2 of the season last year.

I don't root against him, I've said over and over again that there is a path to his contributing to the success of the team on the court for him - I just don't think he has the stomach for it. I'd be very happy to take the L on that one. He certainly hasn't contributed to the success of the team "off the court" at any point in his career here - that is what gives me pause that he will change now. Those two - "off" and "on" - are certainly linked IMO.

[bigegypt0417]

You mean selectively revisiting it?

Cool.

The Sixers are a worse team with him on the floor at this point. And they are not a bad team with him off it.

This is the hot take you have no real support for. The sixers beat maybe the worst team in the east without Embiid.

There is no world where this version of Embiid willing to play within the restrictions they have placed on him doesn't make this a better team.

If Embiid can't handle he's no longer the center of the universe then that will play itself out.

Embiid and PG3 make this a top 4 seed capable team.

Without those two...they are playing for the back of the playoffs with no draft pick to get better.

[dicemen99]

You mean selectively revisiting it?

Cool.

The Sixers are a worse team with him on the floor at this point. And they are not a bad team with him off it.

This is the hot take you have no real support for. The sixers beat maybe the worst team in the east without Embiid.

There is no world where this version of Embiid willing to play within the restrictions they have placed on him doesn't make this a better team.

If Embiid can't handle he's no longer the center of the universe then that will play itself out.

Embiid and PG3 make this a top 4 seed capable team.

Without those two...they are playing for the back of the playoffs with no draft pick to get better.

You labeled my take a "hot take" and then basically agreed with it.

I have said nothing different than you - there is a path to him contributing. It does lie within him playing within restrictions and it will make them a better team. He has to get in a little friggin shape for that to happen first, even with the restrictions. That hasn't happened yet, and he has been a liability defensively and not efficient on offense so far. You say "willing to play within restrictions." I say "willing to accept a new role." What is the difference?

I have expressed skepticism that he will be able to handle the new role. You are willing to let it play itself out. Obviously, it will and that is the L that I said I would be happy to take. But it seems we both agree that this is something that is yet to be determined.

I agree - they are a back end playoff team (without adding more) right now. You just need to look one post above yours to see that I agree with that.

They do have draft picks - the only year they are missing a 1 is 2026. That's a mid-teen draft pick. Is that draft pick somehow critical to the improvement of this team? They have an unprotected LAC 2028 that I would suggest is far more critical.

We are basically in agreement on everything except a mid-teen draft pick and somehow I'm guilty of a "hot take."

[Docs]

well....i'm glad they still have Grimes.

[phillychuck]

Adding Barlow and McCain to the team that destroyed the Nets last night would put them in the middle of the east, probably about a 6-seed, if they stay healthy. They are pretty hard to beat if the guards shoot well.

Add George and Embiid to that mix, even on short-ish minutes, and they could contend (if George and Embiid play well with the others).

[phillychuck]

Going forward:

1: Maxey, McCain
2: VJ, Grimes
3: Oubre, Watford (Edwards)
4: George, Barlow
5: Embiid, Drummond, (Bona)

A nice group if healthy--they lack a true facilitating point guard, but the world champion Bulls never had one either. George and Watford can facilitate from the forward position like Pippin did...maybe not quite like Pippin.

[bigegypt0417]

I have to say...the sixers are an interesting team to watch and at the same time they seem to be a ticking timebomb. Embiid looking like a much bigger shadow of his old self but it seems like with the minutes it's only a matter of time before the news turns bad.

Entertaining game last night that should have ended with a goaltend in regular time but the sixers won in OT.

[phillychuck]

Embiid looked almost fully recovered on offense--he’s learned how to compensate for his lack of vertical lift. His lateral quickness was great at that end. His defense is still only about 60% of what it was.

[bigegypt0417]

25 game suspension for Paul george...

Oof

https://x.com/i/status/2017640461305774404

[Purduke]

Wow -- there's a hit to the local Philly economy. They didn't even let him contribute it to his favorite, local charity. Tough crowd.

[phillychuck]

Half of PGs lost salary comes off of the Sixers salary cap figure. They are now 1.5 million away from ducking the tax.

[bigegypt0417]

Seems like Lowry and Gordon will be cut to get under...

[phillychuck]

Only one of them needs to go I think.

[zambonir]

The beat writers seem more concerned that they will actually trade Drummond or Grimes, which maybe is necessary to avoid apron ramifications? But maybe the PG thing changes everything. He can probably use the rest, though avoiding the play-in might be tougher now.

[Docs]

Could they convince someone else to fail a drug test to get under the threshold?

[zambonir]

Sounds like it really would be as easy as BE and PC say though it probably needs to be a trade not a cut right? They also will have to add someone to the roster (but presumably at minimum salary) after five games.

[zambonir]

The Unending Sixers Thread

I’m not the biggest Sixers fan but I do follow all Philly sports and this seems notable. Also, I’m not exactly sure how anyone “accidentally” takes the wrong mental health medication. Does the NBA ban marijuana even if it’s prescribed?

I assumed it was probably something Aderrall-like (amphetamine basically) but all of the major benzos (Xanax, Valium, Avitan) are on the banned list as drugs of abuse too. Dunno if having a presciption matters or not (though it would seem rather ridiculous if you couldn't take anti-anxiety drugs with a scrip. Perhaps he just failed to get one, in which case he was also breaking the law).

Pot is actually not banned or tested for, though synthetics are.

[Docs]

Clippers flipped James harden for a 26 year old two time all star gaurd, i thought when the sixers got rid of him he would have no value and he still has trade value as of today. I know nothing.