The Philadelphia 76ers are a horrible team once again. The team has broken many records, but not the type of records that a team wants to break. They have already set the record for the longest losing streak in the history of the NBA, with 28 defeats stretching over last season and this season. One more loss for the 76ers – when the team was 0-18 — would have given them sole possession of the record for the worst start to a season in NBA history.
The players play hard most of the time, but management hasn’t been doing their part. The front office hasn’t shown a commitment to winning and they have even made some questionable drafting decisions. Joel Embiid has been their biggest mistake and that is why Embiid is the 76ers’ biggest disappointment this season.
Six days before Embiid was drafted with the third overall pick, he underwent surgery on a broken navicular bone in his right foot. And yet, the 76ers still decided to draft Embiid. Instead of drafting Embiid, the team could have traded the pick and used it to get two solid picks later in the first round. The team was already struggling since their lottery pick from the previous year (Nerlens Noel) didn’t play at all in the year he was drafted.
Embiid was talked about like he was going to be the next Hakeem Olajuwon, but he can’t even get on the floor to prove it. Even though the 76ers’ front office has said that Embiid is hurt, perhaps they are just saving him and not allowing him to play in order to tank even more. It is not unusual for the 76ers to use shameful tactics.
The 76ers didn’t fully disclose Jrue Holiday’s injury history to the New Orleans Pelicans and the Pelicans ended up trading their lottery pick (the Noel pick) to the 76ers. Although teams should be trying to whatever it takes to win, there are some things that just cross the line.
If Embiid was playing, perhaps the 76ers wouldn’t be as a bad as they are now. But since he isn’t playing, Embiid will remain a disappointment just like the 76ers’ 7-39 record this season.
