Hottake video scorches Philadelphia 76ers for considering Ben Simmons in upcoming NBA draft. But sprinkling facts into the discussion removes the fangs and claws of the argument.
Well, if you are a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers, you have to expect it. Eventually, someone having a bad day, whose NBA team just got smacked out of playoff contention, comes looking towards the fanbase of the Philadelphia 76ers in a perverted form of paying-it-forward. This is the same pattern along the lines of the person who kicks at a puppy after a bad day at work.
It helps no-one. It just perpetuates misery.
But rather than respond emotionally as a typical fan, there is a higher calling to writers of sports blogs and articles. Show respect in the face of disrespect. Take insults without firing a shot back.
But when a video surfaces which commands that anyone associated with Ben Simmons steer the young man clear of the Philadelphia 76ers, then I have to respond, albeit with facts. You see, I personally think that Ben Simmons would not only excel as a Philadelphia 76er, I believe that his career could find one of the most rewarding and lauded paths to be that which runs through Philadelphia. The facts are so compelling to me, that I wrote this article long before uncovering the hot take video. I know that the Philadelphia 76ers are not a good team here and now, but they will soon have up to four draft picks arriving alongside both Joel Embiid and Dario Saric to next year’s roster. That unto itself sets up the team in a very positive trend. But even moreso than that, the arrival of Dario Saric would be a very timely reason to consider the 76ers. Like a pair of speaker’s, the duo would immediately supercharge the Sixer fast break game, giving the team two very proficient passers to push the ball down the court and to the hoop. This video would have none of that.
But now that I’ve uncovered the video, I am equally compelled to rebut the narrative that is laced with hyperbole, misinformation, and simply derisive data. You see, this happens to be an important off-season for the Philadelphia 76ers. If they do receive the first pick of the NBA draft, it will be the first time that has happened since 1996. In that year, the team selected a point guard from Georgetown University. That young man was Allen Iverson, and he had a fairly noteworthy NBA career.
The team also had the first pick of the 1973 NBA draft, where they chose Doug Collins. In fact, in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers (formed in 1964 from the Syracuse Nationals), the team has only enjoyed the top pick of the NBA draft just twice.
In recent history, the Cleveland Cavaliers have had the first round draft pick six times, the Golden State Warriors have had the first pick two times. The challenge with any argument that begins with “the Sixers have had xxx number of first round picks” is that its factually wrong. Dead wrong. In all honesty, the actual draft picks made in the first round by President and General Manager Sam Hinkie have only number four in three years.
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In 2015, Hinkie selected Jahlil Okafor at three. In 2014, he selected Joel Embiid at three (who has been rehabbing for two years) who has yet to step foot onto a basketball court, as well as point guard Elfrid Payton , who was subsequently traded to the Orlando Magic to recover a first round protected pick obligation from the Arnette Moultrie trade, as well as the rights to Dario Saric, a player whose European league contract prohibits his NBA debut for two years (the same time frame as Joel Embiid’s recovery). In 2013, the team drafted Michael Carter-Williams in the first round at the eleven spot. In turn, he earned NBA rookie of the year in his first season. The following year, he was traded in a three team swap at the deadline for the Los Angeles protected first round pick.
So of those four first round draft picks, the team has enjoyed 1 2/3 season from MCW, and .9 season from Jahlil Okafor. Hardly a bevy of squandered ill targeted draft picks, is it?
You see, part of the discord with the Philadelphia 76ers is the prerequisite patience. Clearly, the narrator in this video doesn’t demonstrate much in the way of patience. And for emotion-catalyst videos, that is not a requirement. But the facts are very clear here. The Philadelphia 76ers are undertaking something that has not been accomplished before. The team is simultaneously constructing a new training facility, developing its own talent pool, accumulating draft picks, budgeting for a free agency war chest, and hiring an infrastructure within the team organizational structure simultaneously.
When other teams talk about building a championship, they focus on the roster. This Philadelphia 76ers rebuild is designed across the entire organization.
So it’s no wonder that videos like this appear. We fear that which we do not understand. This is not a hate Philly video, this is a video out of the desperation and fear – one warning off Ben Simmons not to open the closet door and risk confronting the monsters within. I’ve been tracking the Philadelphia 76ers for many years, and I can assure everyone there is nothing to fear here. Nearly a year ago, I wrote an expose to investigate the wild and frequent transactions of the mad Sam Hinkie. Did he make wise personnel decisions? The answer surprised me. In professional sports, invariably there are moves which are questionable. In the end, I became someone who trusts the process.
Not everyone “gets” what the Sixers are doing. Not everyone finds the patience to parent a child, or the discipline to save for retirement. I get that. But if we are going to pursue the actions of a young NBA hopeful with tremendous upside, I don’t think honesty is too much to ask. The Sixers are a team ripe for a player with a unique set of talents.
Next: Will Sam Hinkie Stay Out Of The NBA Draft Second Round?
It ultimately falls upon Ben Simmons. If the Philadelphia 76ers earn the first pick of the draft, it will be up to him to try to make a good impression on the team. For his sake, I hope he does. Otherwise, there will be videos each year decrying the worst team of the NBA. And to be honest, even one such video seems to be more than enough.