5 Sixers Questions and Why It's Our Fault Some Fans Are Happy BBall Paul Is Gone

It's always our fault.

1. What do you make of the presumed Sixers new starting lineup?

I think they are as good as anyone on paper, and right now paper is all we have to go by. And when I say “anyone,” I specifically mean they can beat the Knicks and Celtics, the two teams in the East who I think deserve to be ranked ahead of them. Philosophically, I think they’ll generally be tougher and score easier but I have my concerns with passing the ball. There may be times where the center is the best passer on the floor. I’ll be interested to see what Nick Nurse installs to offset that deficiency in training camp and early season.

2. How much pressure do you think is on Joel Embiid now?

A ton. I actually love that he’s on Team USA, specifically for that reason. I think being around other superstars, being in the mosh pit, picking Lebron & KD and Steph’s brain, talking about life and winning and how you prepare mind and body for 82 and then 16 games, really matters. We had so many questions about his makeup two years ago that I think were answered after last season, but I still want to see him put his own stamp on the postseason — not just on a playoff game but a playoff series or three. 

3. What do you make of Summer Sixers so far?

Unironically the least tradeable team in history. Even Jeff Dowtin is playing out of his mind. Ricky Council IV is way too skilled to be there, and Adem Bona and Jared McCain will challenge for real-deal minutes. I absolutely love what I’m seeing from both of them in relation to skill set and real game readiness. 

4. Who do you think will be the most impactful non-Paul George addition?

For me, it’s Andre Drummond and not even close. Even if you miraculously get the healthiest Embiid season to date, will be so nice having one of the greatest rebounders of all-time behind him. I think my favorite part of Drummond part 2 is his confession that Embiid was one of the first calls he got when it became public knowledge that he was going to hit free agency, another signal that he’s probably more important here than he’ll ever be in the 29 other cities. 

5. Any parting words for the guys who left?

BBall Paul, D. Melton, bless your hearts — stay healthy and see you again in three years. Tobias, well that’s it. 

SPIKE’S CORNER - THE BBALL PAUL THEORY; OR, HOW WE GOT SAM HINKIE FIRED

Paul Reed is no longer a Sixer. We all get it. His salary provided cap space for Caleb Martin, a motherfucker wing player who we definitely needed more than BBall, especially with Andre Drummond on the roster and Adem Bona looking like he can play at least 8-10 minutes without fouling out. 

A huge bummer for us of course, as we feel like Paul Reed is one of us. We almost kind of feel like we got him playing time, leading to the Paul Reed Victory Tour at the end of the 2022 season. I also kind of think it’s possible our support is the reason so many people have now expressed happiness that Paul is gone. 

Sure, Paul owns some of this. His play took a noticeable step back last season, specifically in the playoffs. He went from “the best backup Joel ever had” to “hey what is Paul doing out there?” But he’s a backup center, was not making very much money, and seemed oddly polarizing for a bit player. This is, in part, our fault.

My theory here is that while our support as a community for a player or executive makes him beloved in our world, it makes the rest of the Sixers fanbase eager to see them fail, and take joy in our wrongness. I’m not casting blame here, I do think we earned it (specifically noting Retweet Armageddon). 

It does make me wonder whether our support is more of a curse than a blessing. 

This is partially explained by the theory of friends and enemies in politics. This basically says that identifying who a common enemy is helps define who your allies are (the enemy of my friend is also my enemy). In this case, the enemy of the common Sixers fan is us (the annoying Process people), and our friends (BBall) are also enemies. 

Paul Reed is hardly the first Sixer to experience this. It’s a club whose members include Robert Covington and Nerlens Noel, both players whose names are trigger words for non-Process Trusters, still capable of starting an argument over basically nothing at all. And it’s not just role players: I do believe some of the polarized local view of Daryl Morey and Joel Embiid is because our support is seen as over-the-top and unwavering. 

The first member and founding father (though he would not want this distinction I would assume) of the club is of course Sam Hinkie. Not only do I believe that he could have had a far more normal existence in Philadelphia without us deifying him, I think it’s possible that he could have lasted longer in his position without our support. Typically people who are trying to do what he did operate much better in a quiet atmosphere. This is why the Spurs and Thunder are largely praised for stinking on purpose, and the Sixers were demonized. 

Without us, Hinkie largely could have plugged away at his plan while everyone else just paid attention to the Eagles. Instead, we brought a giant spotlight to a team that truly stunk (from an objective sense on the court), and turned a rebuilding plan into a civil war about fan identity. I can imagine someone quietly objecting to and being confused by his plan being turned into a radical-anti-Hinkie machine when they are told, “If you don’t agree with what they’re doing you’re a fucking idiot!” 

I imagine at some point Hinkie was listening to us proselytize on his behalf and thought to himself, “Will you guys shut the fuck up already and let me do this?”This is probably 90% too navel-gazey to be true, but not 100%. Everything is not always about us, but it’s usually at least sort of about us. 

I guess what I’m saying is, I’m sorry Paul. You always deserved a victory tour, but perhaps you’d have been better off without us pretending it was as big as Eras.