Philadelphia 76ers? The Process? What does it all mean, and what’s next for their long-suffering fans in light of the team finally winning a championship.
Despite the Sixers’ recent success, their Process is still a work in progress. Questionable decision-making and stubbornness from coaches have lead to many defeats that could be avoided with smarter play.Jrue Holiday was the first casualty of “The Process” but put the final nail in its coffin by earning the championship. Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are still fumbling away, but that’s no excuse for not giving them credit where it’s due. Read more in detail here: ben simmons bucks trade.
Sam Hinkie, the former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, started the now-famous “Process” by dealing Jrue Holiday, the team’s most promising young player at the time. The fact that Holiday won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks before The Process’s greatest prized — Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons — had yet to compete in the NBA Finals officially lays it to rest.
For want of a better description, the Process was a lengthy, drawn-out… process.
Hinkie’s aim all along had been to tank as much as possible in the hopes of drafting a superstar — or, better still, superstars. The theory was that the more draft selections Philadelphia possessed, the higher its chances of getting a franchise-changing star were.
The contentious approach began on the night of the 2013 NBA Draft, but it persisted for years.
For three years in a row, the Sixers failed to win more than 19 games. According to The Inquirer, there were losing streaks of 26, 17, 28, 12, and 13.
Embiid was selected as the third overall selection in the 2014 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He didn’t play in the league until his third year. At the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, Hinkie quit with a 13-page manifesto, but his draft capital remained.
The next year, Simmons was the first overall choice.
Between 2013 and 2016, the 76ers acquired seven lottery choices. In 2017, Philly had the No. 1 selection, which went to Markelle Fultz, and two additional first-round picks in 2018 (Mikal Bridges, who was dealt to Phoenix on draft night, and Landry Shamet).
The greatest prizes are still Embiid and Simmons, but the strategy’s first step has been to become a champion, as the Sixers continue to slog through drama-filled season after drama-filled season.
Jrue Holiday was the first to go, but he is the only one to win a championship.
On February 24, 2013, Jrue Holiday of the Philadelphia 76ers plays against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. | Getty Images/Jim McIsaac
Holiday was traded to New Orleans for a 2014 first-round selection and an injured center in Nerlens Noel, which was Philly’s first move. At the age of 22, the point guard was coming off his first All-Star appearance.
What better way to kick off a tank job than by handing away a developing All-Star for nothing in return on the court the next season?
That first-round selection was traded to New Orleans for Dario Saric, who didn’t make his NBA debut until the 2016-17 season.
The next year, Embiid joined the team but did not play. Michael Carter-Williams, the 2014-15 Rookie of the Year, was also traded by Hinkie. The list goes on and on.
Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Holiday was mostly unknown. That is, until last year, when the Pelicans dealt him to Milwaukee for two unprotected first-round selections, two pick swaps, and Eric Bledsoe and George Hill in exchange for two unprotected first-round picks, two pick swaps, and Eric Bledsoe and George Hill.
Certainly a high price to pay. The 6-foot-3 defensive threat then helped the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo win their first championship in more than a half-century.
To summarize, Philadelphia has had ten lottery choices in the last six years. Embiid and Simmons were chosen to represent the franchise. The 6-11 point guard has gone missing from the squad and is unlikely to return. The 76ers have never made it beyond the conference finals.
Holiday was traded to New Orleans, where he lasted seven complete seasons before winning an NBA title eight years after leaving Philadelphia.
Holiday gets a second chance at a championship, but things in Philadelphia aren’t looking any better.
There’s no way to mend Ben Simmons’s connection with the 76ers! This summer, they handed Embiid the estate, and Ben feels like he’s been a pro despite trade rumors and the team’s half-hearted dedication.
The Ben Simmons section of the procedure is now complete. Continue…
September 1, 2021 — Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins)
For months, the stench of the offseason Simmons controversy has hovered over the team. Even though the Sixers have had a good start to the season, it still exists.
By all indications, the three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive Team point guard is done with the Sixers. Only Embiid remains from The Process if and when he leaves.
Without a doubt, the 7-foot Cameroonian is a superstar. Embiid, after missing the all of his first two seasons in the NBA, still struggles to remain on the court. He’s never played more than 64 games in a season, and each of the previous two seasons he’s missed 21.
Holiday, on the other hand, is teaming up with Antetokoumpo, a two-time league MVP, on a club that returns almost its entire nucleus from last year’s championship group.
There are a lot of concerns about whether Embiid or Simmons will ever win a championship. The holiday season has already begun. And before The Process ever pays off with one, he has a higher chance of winning several.
Basketball Reference provided all statistics.
RELATED: Milwaukee Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday Just Alerted the Basketball World by Claiming His Team Has Found Another Hidden Gem: ‘He Reminds Me of a Younger Khris (Middleton)’
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