That's right, I said it! The Philadelphia 76ers are frauds! You can give me stats about how much they have grown as a team, but they are still a fraud! For a team that went 10-72 in 2016, then to go to 52 wins in 2017 is incredible; however, I believe they have reached their peak. I'm not meaning peak as in wins a season; I think they can top 52 wins with Jimmy Butler, but as far as ever winning a championship, hell no! I don't think they can beat any team from the Western Conference that could make it to the Championship. I also don't think they can beat a Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors playoff team.
I get it. The trio of Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid is impressive. Two-thirds of the trio are young and still developing, but I don't care how much they develop. Kawhi Leonard is Kawhi Leonard. Enough said. The Celtics are back and are still very young. The GS Warriors are the GS Warriors even when not all their stars are on the court. The Sixers can't compete with them unless they sign bigger free agents in the upcoming free agency, and they won't. If free agency has taught us anything this year it's that no one of superstar caliber wants to play in Philly by choice (Butler is there by trade). I think the 76ers trading away Robert Covington and Dario Saric was insane; those two are actually pretty good and are under-appreciated talents. Jimmy Butler made drama and turmoil in Minnesota because things weren't going his way and reports are saying that Joel Embiid is growing tired of his new-found role since the addition of Butler. It is still yet to be seen if Jimmy butler wants to even stay in Philly when his contract is up. Who knows with him. If Butler stays, and they can get superstar caliber talent on the roster, they have a chance of living up to the hype. I have my suspicions that they won't. What absolutely makes me shake my head and think, "Same old Sixers" to myself is the handling of the Markelle Fultz situation.
Now I know that Markelle Fultz has been the main focal point of many head scratching and rather low light reels, but give the 20 year-old a break. He isn't a horrible player by any means; he only played in 14 games last season. This season, however, he is averaging 22 minutes a game, has a .410% FG, 3.7 RPG, 3.1 APG and 8.2 PPG. He does shoot a low .286% from three and has a cringe worthy .568% free throw average. Okay, not so perfect, but again, this is really his first season in the NBA and he is 20 YEARS OLD. What makes me laugh at the Sixers is that it is being reported that Fultz is no longer in their long-term plans and they intend to trade him away soon. I absolutely mock this. Fultz is being treated as the "biggest bust in NBA history." Yet, this is truly his first season! He has had injury problems and was recently diagnosed with a nerve disorder; so what the Sixers should do is heal and treat their young player (a player with potential out of this world), then send him to the G-league to DEVELOP HIM and then call him back up when he is ready. I can't stress this enough ... THE G-LEAGUE IS NOT A DEMOTION! THIS IS NOT THE D-LEAGUE ANYMORE; THE G-LEAGUE IS ACTUALLY COMPETITIVE AND STOCKED WITH GOOD, YOUNG TALENT. ITS MAIN PURPOSE IS TO DEVELOP YOUNG TALENT! WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF HAVING A DEVELOPMENT TEAM WHEN YOU DON'T USE IT TO DEVELOP YOUNG TALENT? IT'S NOT LIKE MARKELLE IS EIGHT SEASONS INTO HIS PLAYING CAREER AND IS BEING GET SENT THERE ... THAT WOULD BE A DEMOTION.
I actually hope they do trade Markelle Fultz away; it is being said that the Suns are interested, and I hope they are. If the Suns are smart though (which if history tells us anything, they aren't) they will place him in their G-league affiliate the NAZ (Northern Arizona Suns) and develop him, get their own current playing woes in check, then call him to the young and promising roster that includes fellow number one overall pick De'Andre Ayton and shooting guard sensation Devin Booker.
The Sixers, though, are in a very precarious spot right now; they almost look reminiscent of an old Chicago Bulls franchise from a couple years back (heck, they even have one of their former players). The 76ers will just be competitive in the Eastern Conference, but never actually be good enough to win anything that matters. All that will do is hurt them as they will flounder in the middle of the pack for draft picks. Eventually they will be back at the bottom of the barrel, much like in 2016, starting from square one this time. Many people see great things in this 76ers team, which very well could happen. I personally don't see them getting past the Eastern Conference finals if they can't get superstars. I don't enjoy saying this at all, but for the time being, what a joke. Your city, fans and players deserve better.
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