NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia 76ers are on the clock. While Joel Embiid is the face of the franchise, he recently put the 76ers on a time clock. Embiid says he wants to win a championship but at this point, it doesn’t matter what team he does it with.
Of course, he wants to do it in a 76ers uniform but if he can’t, then the door is open for him to be elsewhere. For a team that has gone thru the “Trust The Process” era, this is not what the front office wanted to hear. With James Harden possibly leaving this offseason, Embiid was the one person they could count on. But now, that’s not looking too promising.
Embiid has not come out and said he wants to be traded but you get the idea that if Daryl Morey and Elton Brand can’t surround him with the necessary players to find a way out of the second round at least, you will start to hear the whisper that the reigning MVP is seeking a trade.
I just want to win a championship,” Embiid said. “Whatever it takes. I don’t know where that’s gonna be, whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else, I just want to have a chance to accomplish that.
“I wanna see what it feels like to win that first one and then think about the next one. It’s not easy, but it takes more than one, two, three guys. You gotta have good people around you.
If it comes to that, there will be plenty of finger-pointing and blame to go around. The Philadelphia 76ers have been somewhat labeled as title contenders for the past 3 seasons. And yet, they haven’t sniffed a Conference Finals. The rosters have not been bad but there have been players who have shrunk in the moment. And yes, Joel Embiid is one of them.
Will The Philadelphia 76ers Trade Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is on the books at least for another 3 seasons and moving him will not be as easy as some may think. He’s still young enough to have an impact on any team but any team that gets him will more than likely have to gut their roster or forfeit their future in draft picks.
Losing Harden will be a huge blow for Joel Embiid. The two combined to become the leaders in scoring and assists last season. Breaking that tandem up may not be the smartest idea but according to reports, Harden wants out. As it stands now, nothing has been done. There are a ton of rumors floating around but the 76ers do not have a player ready to step into that Haden role that has helped Embiid reach new levels in his career.
Another losing season and this could all fall apart for the team. There is no more Ben Simmons to place the blame on. No more Brent Brown’s or Doc Rivers. The team losing, that falls on the face of the franchise which is Embiid. To his credit, he has taken the criticism as well as the praise. But this is the first time he has even mentioned the possibility of switching jerseys. That quote should be enough to put the 76ers front office in panic mode.
Tyreese Maxey is stepping into stardom but he’s better playing a Robin to someone’s Batman. The front office must find a way to get the right mixture of offense, defense, and toughness to pair with Embiid the same way the Denver Nuggets did for Nikola Jokic and the Milwaukee Bucks did for Giannis Antetokounmpo, or else.
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