Inside the 76ers: Criticism won't stop coming Sixers' way anytime soon
The 76ers plan to compile assets, salary-cap space, and draft picks has been successful.
That doesn't soften the blow in regards to public perception. Nor does it make it any less difficult for players to cope while the franchise sacrifices seasons for the sake of "the process."
And things are only going to get worse, which is hard to imagine.
The franchise is recognized as the poster child of tanking gone wrong. It has been laughed at from the start, and the laughter is getting louder.
That's because the belief was that things were going to be better in this, the third season of the rebuilding process.
But aside from the new uniforms, a new playing floor, and the in-game experience at the Wells Fargo Center, fans will have very little to cheer about this season.
Sure they can point to finally having multiple building blocks on the court at the same time in Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Nik Stauskas.
But as a young core, those three players will need three seasons to develop before they're capable of transforming the franchise into a championship contender.
For now, the only definite is they're the best players on one of the worst teams in franchise history.
Friday's 99-71 loss to the Utah Jazz was their worst home-opening setback. Things won't get any easier for the Sixers (0-2) any time soon. Seven of their next nine games are against 2014-15 playoff teams. Even that's a little misleading, considering the Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the non-playoff teams during that stretch. There's a legitimate chance the Sixers could go winless through November.
Even if they win a few games, some of their loyal supporters are destined to turn on general manager Sam Hinkie and his rebuilding process.
Friday night proved the fans are growing weary of the lopsided losses from a team with a lot of fringe NBA talent. The boos grew louder and louder each time the Sixers suffered a scoring drought. Some of the fans, those who chose to stay the entire game, even booed the home squad at the end of the game.
Can you imagine what they are going to be like on, say, Dec. 5 if the Sixers are still winless and lose at home to the Denver Nuggets? Like the Sixers, the Nuggets are projected to be among the bottom five teams in the league.
But the Sixers are aware of all of this. The front office realizes it's going to be scrutinized more this season than it was while losing 127 games over the last two seasons.
The latest criticism came last week, when the team picked up the third-year option on Joel Embiid despite the uncertainty surrounding his career.
He had bone-graft surgery to repair the navicular bone in his right foot in August, and the 7-foot center will miss the entire season. The former Kansas standout was selected third in the 2014 draft and missed what would have been his rookie season after undergoing surgery in June 2014 to repair a stress fracture in the same bone. A setback in his recovery led to the second operation.
But the Sixers remain committed to Embiid, because they think, when healthy, he'll be one of the keys to their long-term success. They'll also tell you the moves that are being criticized could enable them to have up to four first-round picks in the 2016 draft.
The Sixers have been vocal about their quest to build a winner through the draft.
So they are going to brace for the criticism they'll receive through the inevitable lopsided losses in what will be a third-straight 60-plus-loss season.
@PompeyOnSixers
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