Well said, MOC. I'd love to hear Spike and MIke's thoughts on this specific article. In general, the entire Ricky community has been pretty fair towards Daryl and his time here. He definitely helped his cause by coming onto the pod while he was still a Rockets exec.
But, the more time has passed with Daryl at the helm, it's become obvious to me that for all of his IQ, he clearly lacks EQ (emotional intelligence). There's a reason why the Heat, despite their talent-deficiency, are never counted out when it comes to making deep playoff runs - "Heat culture" is real and much of it has to do with the mental makeup and character of the guys they acquire.
And yeah. Heat, Spurs, and Warriors have all been vocal through and through about their commitment to building culture. And it's not an accident that one or more those 3 teams have been in something like 15 of the last 20 Finals.
Well stated… and you didn’t make this specific application, although it was implied, but lack of character in who Morey says is our elite best player (Joel) is the main reason for playoff underachievement since 2018… the blessing in disguise is that MAYBE now with Embiid’s injury, Morey is forced to pivot and STOP building around Joel (albeit while still missing the character point of your article).
Another thing: it is becoming so desperately clear that Celtics year might have been the one chance to win with Joel. That alone should give Daryl some pause.
Great piece, MOC, for it encapsulates so much of how most Sixers fans feel about this season and Morey. I was an obsessive Sixers fan for many years, reading about them nearly every day and catching every game. But this seasons downward spiral finally meant that heartbreak wasn’t yet again on tap this May.
Daryl needs an education on what happened in that fateful Celtics series. If Harden OR Joel had come through, and Melton had hit a couple of wide open 3s, it could have changed everything. Instead, they all choked so hard that the shadow is still cast on this team.
In a way, Daryl did his job to put those guys in that position. But he also knew that he was putting the ball in the hands of one of the biggest playoff chokers ever in Harden and that Embiid comes close. The only chance this team really had was with Jimmy, who is now bringing a dead Warriors team back to life.
I’m not a big believer in the culture thing. Instead, you just need a couple of great players who also know how to lead and have the clutch gene. Then a bunch of role players who will follow these guys.
It’s why the Heat suck without Jimmy and suddenly the Warriors don’t with him.
It’s pretty well established that when Butler first joins a team, he’s on his best behavior and that club achieves their greatest success during his tenure. Then, he starts to behave badly and act out which ruins the team’s dynamic and culture. This leads to underperformance and the subsequent drama-filled exit of Butler. This starts the cycle again.
All that said, doesn’t that example just reinforce the importance of culture for a successful team?
Well said, MOC. I'd love to hear Spike and MIke's thoughts on this specific article. In general, the entire Ricky community has been pretty fair towards Daryl and his time here. He definitely helped his cause by coming onto the pod while he was still a Rockets exec.
But, the more time has passed with Daryl at the helm, it's become obvious to me that for all of his IQ, he clearly lacks EQ (emotional intelligence). There's a reason why the Heat, despite their talent-deficiency, are never counted out when it comes to making deep playoff runs - "Heat culture" is real and much of it has to do with the mental makeup and character of the guys they acquire.
Thanks Moses.
And yeah. Heat, Spurs, and Warriors have all been vocal through and through about their commitment to building culture. And it's not an accident that one or more those 3 teams have been in something like 15 of the last 20 Finals.
Well stated… and you didn’t make this specific application, although it was implied, but lack of character in who Morey says is our elite best player (Joel) is the main reason for playoff underachievement since 2018… the blessing in disguise is that MAYBE now with Embiid’s injury, Morey is forced to pivot and STOP building around Joel (albeit while still missing the character point of your article).
Another thing: it is becoming so desperately clear that Celtics year might have been the one chance to win with Joel. That alone should give Daryl some pause.
Great piece, MOC, for it encapsulates so much of how most Sixers fans feel about this season and Morey. I was an obsessive Sixers fan for many years, reading about them nearly every day and catching every game. But this seasons downward spiral finally meant that heartbreak wasn’t yet again on tap this May.
Daryl needs an education on what happened in that fateful Celtics series. If Harden OR Joel had come through, and Melton had hit a couple of wide open 3s, it could have changed everything. Instead, they all choked so hard that the shadow is still cast on this team.
In a way, Daryl did his job to put those guys in that position. But he also knew that he was putting the ball in the hands of one of the biggest playoff chokers ever in Harden and that Embiid comes close. The only chance this team really had was with Jimmy, who is now bringing a dead Warriors team back to life.
I’m not a big believer in the culture thing. Instead, you just need a couple of great players who also know how to lead and have the clutch gene. Then a bunch of role players who will follow these guys.
It’s why the Heat suck without Jimmy and suddenly the Warriors don’t with him.
It’s pretty well established that when Butler first joins a team, he’s on his best behavior and that club achieves their greatest success during his tenure. Then, he starts to behave badly and act out which ruins the team’s dynamic and culture. This leads to underperformance and the subsequent drama-filled exit of Butler. This starts the cycle again.
All that said, doesn’t that example just reinforce the importance of culture for a successful team?
Which of Moreys teams had the best culture and overplayed their expected value?