Stuart London
The only thing wrong with Steve Ballmer is that he mixes up the recent period of Hinkie-induced Process losing with the general incompetence of the 76ers administrations before him. But his supposition is 100-percent on the ball in a place like Los Angeles.
Ballmer is from the West Coast so forgive him not knowing the history of Sixers cluelessness. All he knows is that NBA team in Philadelphia has been “absolute crap” for a long time.
Going back through the Billy King, Rod Thorn, Ed Stefanski, Tony DiLeo and Doug Collins reigns as basketball bosses is pretty depressing. Until this season, the last time the Sixers held home court advantage for even a first-round series was 2003.
He sees that if Minnesota (which held the No. 1 pick) had stuck by Embiid and picked him, the Sixers take Andrew Wiggins and are still stuck in the No. 7-8th seed purgatory this franchise has been in for 15 years.
Ballmer is the 21st richest man in the world for a reason. He is all about making the customer (be it Microsoft or Clippers fans) happy. He sees franchises like Boston, San Antonio and Houston staying competitive while loading up for title runs. He figures, ‘Why not me’?
Ballmer’s message, using the Sixers process as a foil, was directed to Clippers fans, who now have to watch LeBron James for their city rivals:
Do not give up hope, we hear you. As long as I own the Clippers we’ll do whatever we can to make sure we have a successful season — every year.
What else could you want an owner to say?