Philadelphia 76ers: Pros and cons to season picking up at Disney World
The NBA is honing in on a location for a potential return to play, but there are positives and negatives that come with that site for the Philadelphia 76ers.
In the early stages of the NBA hiatus caused by the coronavirus outbreak, Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports suggested that Walt Disney World would be an ideal location for the NBA to host games once the season resumes. Now both Smith and Shams Charania of The Athletic have reported that all indications point to the fact that the NBA will resume play at Disney World.
When looking at a neutral site like Disney World, there are clearly some pros and cons for the Philadelphia 76ers that have to be considered.
Pros
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The most obvious pro is that there is a safe/isolated environment for the season to continue. It is great for fans of all teams, but for fans of the Sixers, it gives them a chance to see if this uneven roster can perform in the playoffs.
It could be a make-or-break season for the duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, despite this only being their third season. In that regard, having a postseason to give them the opportunity to prove they a legit one-two punch in the NBA is important.
Beyond a return to play, it’s hard not to imagine and get excited for the type of fun antics that the likes of Embiid, Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and Mike Scott would get into while in Disney World.
Cons
There are obvious risks to possibly exposing the 76ers players and staff to coronavirus. That is not something Philly nor the NBA would want to happen, but that’s a risk that comes with restarting the league.
Concerns about the health of Simmons, Embiid, and Al Horford are also issues for the Sixers to worry about. Simmons is coming back from injury. Embiid has had issues in the past with conditioning and without playing for two months, it seems like a potentially dangerous situation for the All-Star big man. Horford is also the oldest player on the roster at 33-years-old, so the layoff may have negative effects on him as well.
The other major concern for the 76ers is that if the season continues in Disney World, the franchise will lose their home-court advantage in Philly. This season, the Sixers went 29-2 at home, which is the best home record in the NBA. Considering the 76ers were horrendous on the road, this may cause problems for Philly once the season resumes.
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There are pros and cons for the Philadelphia 76ers if the season were to continue in Walt Disney, but the cons seem to have much more serious consequences than the pros.