What is the cost of winning now?
The moment the team shifted from “The Process” to the new regime, everything has changed whether we like it or not. It’s just the reality. And so, in this latest version of “what have you won for me lately?” roster building, it would be completely naive to conclude that any player on the Philadelphia 76ers roster is safe.
Following the recent interviews of Colangelo as he makes the circuit, each one gives a glimpse into the thought process of the man who is now large and in charge of the Philadelphia 76ers roster and personnel decisions going forward. He made it a point to discuss relationships he had fostered in his previous positions – relationships to players he drafted and went on to have very successful NBA careers.
But what about the players he did not draft? And of those, what of any of those players sat on the bench for two years? No matter how high the ceiling is projected on center Joel Embiid, even the most optimistic of us must admit that he will need time and measured playing minutes to build up to game strength, speed, and endurance. If you know that is the future of one of your key players when you have taken over the team with the mandate to start winning at a much faster pace, can you commit to a “however long it takes?” scenario – knowing full well that same commitment may have cost your predecessor his job?
There are many reasons for the team to keep Joel Embiid on the roster. But just as the team decided at the moment of the 2016 draft picks coming to fruition that it was time for Hinkie to go, so too might it simply decide that at the moment he can take the basketball court is the right moment to part ways with Joel Embiid. I’m not trying to cry the sky is falling by any means, but in the future of getting veterans to shore up the roster, if the team sets its sights on a player, and the trading partner demands Joel Embiid as part of the compensation, I am by no means convinced that Bryan Colangelo refuses that deal.
We’ve talked about winning games versus winning championships. In the end, whether it be cowardice, pressure from other NBA owners, or simply a pragmatic take on attendance and merchandise sales, the winner of the debate is undeniably the winning games camp. That is not my opinion, but the endorsed avenue of the ownership.
Next: Look For The Signs