There is really only one way to deal with indubitable pain — to give misery some company. For the Philadelphia 76ers, they are lucky in that in this season alone, they are not the only franchise that has taken a deep nosedive.
With the regular season approaching its penultimate form, the standings are starting to get finalized. From thereon, people can already get a clear picture of which teams overachieved and underachieved.
In the East, we have the 76ers. In the West, we have a lot more teams to zero in on like the Suns, Kings, and Mavericks — all teams that fueled their campaign behind resounding star power, only to shoot themselves in the foot with iffy roster construction or historically stupid blockbuster trades.
For Philly, though, the script for their downfall kicked off before the season even began when the front office inked Paul George to that mammoth four-year deal which aged really poorly. But again, they are not the only one to make such monumental mistake, and for that, the 76ers somehow look tame in that respect.
Things could have been much worse for the 76ers if they signed Klay Thompson instead
Philadelphia has gotten a boatload of flak for pulling the trigger on George who, in just his first foray with the 76ers, had already declined at a rampaging pace. The nine-time All-Star now has one of, if not the most undesirable contract in the league, and it would take a near-miracle to ship his deal away moving forward.
However, not far from the 76ers-George mishap is a similar variant that can be found in Dallas — Klay Thompson. The former All-Star also signed with the Mavericks in free agency to end a historic run with the Warriors, but so far, things have really gotten wayward with the veteran sharpshooter.
Thompson is averaging his lowest scoring average since his rookie campaign while also draining just 41.2 percent of his shots — easily his lowest mark ever. The Mavericks are forcing him to play as their main wing, and it has been wildly ineffective, especially on defense, at age 35.
While George has not been much better, there is at least a richer credence to believing that he can regain his usual footing as a two-way stalwart if only he can avoid the injury bug and gel better with his teammates. In contrast, Thompson is simply an washed-up role player who is cudgeled into a role that would only fit him well had he been seven years younger.
The Philadelphia 76ers cannot yield to the temptation of entrenching themselves into a bar that low and artificially conjure a snippet of moral success, but the pure reality of the situation is that another has it worse.
And for a franchise almost completely devoid of silver linings at this very juncture, that should suffice for a quick musing.