Philadelphia 76ers roundtable: Should the season continue?
Adam Gilbert
It would be better for the 76ers if the NBA season resumed in the summertime. There are too many unanswered questions from a frustrating season of underachievement. If the season was canceled, the Sixers would end as the six seed with an underperforming coaching staff and a front office that seemingly pushed all the wrong buttons last offseason.
The bully-ball team we all thought was going to suffocate opposing offensives never materialized. At times this group has struggled to find motivation. Al Horford has been shuffled from the starting line-up to the bench and back into the starting line-up.
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The team’s medical staff cleared Ben Simmons to play in a game that ended in him suffering from a nerve impingement keeping him sidelined for a two-week update after a two-week update. The front office raised ticket prices again for a product that has yet to make it out of the second round.
Life has been rough, but if the season ended in cancellation the Sixers would be making long-term decisions based on an unfinished product. Brett Brown didn’t have an opportunity to coach in the playoffs. We haven’t truly seen what a pairing of Joel Embiid and Al Horford can do to teams. A bench full of good young players like Shake Milton, Furkan Korkmaz, and Matisse Thybulle could be the perfect supporting cast.
The full potential of this team has yet to be realized. Isn’t Philadelphia the city of underdogs anyway? Everyone counted the Eagles out once Carson Wentz got hurt and that team won a Superbowl.
Why couldn’t a team loaded with talent that has struggled in capacities unseen before in the NBA push all the right buttons in the playoffs and make a run as the most dangerous six seed in NBA history?
The season postponement likely means Ben Simmons will be healthy. Joel Embiid will be rested. Shake Milton will still be hitting 3s. Let’s go for it. Let’s trot the Monstars out there and give teams fits offensively. It would be unwise to make such monumental decisions based on a product that has yet to cross the finish line. I say let’s give them a chance.