Ranking the New Orleans Pelicans and other NBA Coaching Vacancies
Ranking the NBA Coaching Vacancies: Philadelphia 76ers
No. 3: Philadelphia 76ers
Team and Talent
No team on this list has as much talent as the 76ers, who have two young stars in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. They also have Tobias Harris, Al Horford and a few young players with potential.
Oh wait, did I mention they are all drastically overpaid? The Horford contract proved to be a disaster, the roster didn’t work together and the Sixers finished 6th in the miserable East even with all that talent.
There was bickering, finger pointing and the roster just didn’t fit together, as there wasn’t enough shooting around Embiid and Simmons. The Sixers are as talented as anyone but their roster is a mess and the new coach may be stuck with pieces that don’t fit.
Ownership and Front Office
General Manager Elton Brand will almost certainly be on the hot seat soon if he’s not already. Brand admitted that he made some “rookie mistakes” as GM, and I’m going to say giving 34-year-old Al Horford a five-year deal ranks high on that list.
“The Process” has yielded mostly duds, but it did work in the theoretical, as it gave the Sixers multiple shots at superstars. They got their stars but almost every move has been horrible since. The Sixers haven’t won anything with “The Process,” which has been fun to watch as someone who loathes tanking.
The next coach will have to deal with this talented mess, so it had better be someone the team respects or this will get ugly.
The City
BOOOOOOOOO!!! Get used to hearing that.
The Philly fans can be savages, especially with this underachieving team, so if they don’t get out to a good start next year, the Philly fans will lose their collective minds.
Philly is a great sports town when their teams are good, but when they’re not? Good luck.
Philadelphia is a cool city, has great food and unique culture and they love their sports, so it is a good place to work in that respect… if they are good.
If not, get used to hearing boos and reading your name in the Philly newspapers every day with the words “Should be fired” next to it.
The Verdict
The Sixers are a talented mess in an angry sports city, which is the recipe for disaster if they don’t get things turned around. Some heads might roll after they were throttled by the Celtics in the first round. The new coach won’t be given much space and I could see Philly running through a few guys over the next several years.
They have the talent, but it is a high stakes job with a lot of people yelling at you.