The Sixer Sense
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Sixers Fans Deserve High Praise for Patience

By Matthew Fleming

Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers number one overall draft pick Ben Simmons during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia 76ers fans have been through a lot over a lot over the past several seasons and the fans deserve credit for their patience during the rebuild.

Ever since “The Process” was started by Sam Hinkie back in 2013, the fan base has been asked to wait, wait, and wait some more.

The latest thing Sixers will have to wait for is the first overall pick in the 2016 draft, Ben Simmons, to get on the court.

Sixers General Manager Bryan Colangelo announced at a press conference on Friday that the CT scan on Ben Simmons’ foot showed it had not fully healed and will result in the rookie missing the rest of the year.

In honor of getting even more bad news, let’s take a trip down memory lane at some of the most frustrating moments of the past several years.

When Hinkie first took over, many believed that a passionate city like Philadelphia would not put up with years of losing and waiting for high draft picks to develop into quality NBA players.

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Although I can say that I have been a supporter of “The Process” from very early on, it doesn’t mean that at certain times the losses haven’t made me frustrated to root for my hometown team.

2013 Draft

Think about the day Hinkie’s plan was put in place. During the 2013 NBA Draft, point guard Jrue Holiday was traded to the News Orleans Pelicans for Nerlens Noel and a protected first round pick. That pick eventually became Dario “The Homie” Saric in a trade with the Orlando Magic.

During that draft, it was known that Nerlens Noel would miss a significant amount of his rookie season because of a torn ACL. Noel would go on a miss his entire rookie year because of the injury.

The Sixers pick in that same draft was Michael Carter-Williams, who was taken with the 12th pick. Carter-Williams had a strong rookie season and eventually won Rookie of the Year, however, he was traded the following season in a three-team trade for a top-5 protected pick.

That can be frustrating for a fan base. Losing the rookie of the year for a protected draft pick is understandably hard for people to accept and understand.

2014 Draft

The 2014 draft really tested the patience of fans. A week prior to the draft, Joel Embiid broke his foot had had surgery to repair the injury. More than likely, the Cleveland Cavilers would have selected him with the first pick in the draft but instead took Andrew Wiggins. The Sixers took the risk and selected Embiid with the third pick in the draft.

Embiid would go on to miss the next two seasons with lingering foot issues stemming from his broken navicular bone.

Later in the draft the team selected Elfrid Payton, but traded him for Dario Saric, who was selected by the Orlando Magic. Saric would end up spending the next two years playing for a Turkish team, Anadolu Efes, until he decided to come over and play for the Sixers.

The Sixers had two lottery picks in that draft and neither played a single minute in the NBA until the 2016-2017 year. That is nearly an impossible task for a fan base that had just witnessed a 19-win season.

What does this all mean?

You may be wondering why I am bringing up these painful memories. It’s to honor the fans of Philadelphia who have waited and trusted that eventually all these moving parts would eventually fall into place.

I’m not sure many of us could have predicted all the bumps in the road that have occurred over the last several seasons but we have come too far to turn back now.

When this plan was first put in place, many fans understood and accepted what was going to happen for the next several seasons. Let’s not lose faith now.

Championship teams are not built overnight and even in a few seasons.

Even though we are angry about the latest development regarding Ben Simmons, we have no other choice but to sit and wait until all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

Next: Bryan Colangelo, Honeymoon Is Over

In the meantime, take some advice from Joel Embiid and “Trust the Process.”