The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers Fans Learned Healthy Does Not Mean Playing Time

By Bret Stuter

Mar 11, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (center) battles Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (left) and forward Richaun Holmes (22) for positioning on a free throw during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 112-110. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (center) battles Philadelphia 76ers forward Robert Covington (left) and forward Richaun Holmes (22) for positioning on a free throw during the fourth quarter at Staples Center. The Clippers won 112-110. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Numerous injuries to Philadelphia 76ers forced fans to religiously follow healing timelines with almost religious fervor. All too often, those same fans learned the hard way that medically healthy is not the same as playing time

The plight of the Philadelphia 76ers roster throughout the 2016-2017 season was one injured player after another. While the frequency itself has stirred up fan unrest, there were plenty of reasons for fan frustration this year.

Of course, the most obvious reason is the frequency of player injury.  The team carried two or three players injured nearly the entire season (Ben Simmons, Jerryd Bayless, Joel Embiid/Nerlens Noel).  And while the team faced opponents despite being outmanned, fans rallied to their side in each contest.  After all, this was the team that entered 2017 with and 8-24 record, and finished 28-54.

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Ground Rules

Let’s start separating some issues right off the bat.  The players of the Philadelphia 76ers play hard from the opening buzzer to moments after the final buzzer sounds.   And as far as coaching? I don’t see how any NBA head coach could squeeze any more success from this team than head coach Brett Brown this year. On the court and on the bench, this group gave their all.

Along the way, the team lost quite a few players.  It was how those injuries were communicated were presented to the fans that left quite a bit to be desired.