Tobias Harris claps back at the 76ers in hypocritical fashion

The Philadelphia 76ers slipped to No. 7 in the standings and into the play-in picture thanks to a no-show against the East-leading Detroit Pistons, who manhandled them right from the get-go. Sure, the visitors did not have their best player and an MVP candidate in Cade Cunningham, but even without him, they have been humming as of late. Put simply, a loss to that team is not frustrating in and of itself.

However, former 76ers forward Tobias Harris decided to join in on the fun (for the Pistons) at the expense of the Philly crowd. Midway through the third quarter, the veteran dished an assist in transition for a dunk, and appeared to address the crowd in a not-so-endearing way, basically telling them (and the 76ers) to get ready for the play-in tournament.

Tobias Harris stirs drama anew after having words for the 76ers

After that event, suffice to say that Harris will never be a hero in Philly. The most passionate and critical fanbase in the league has always been expressive about its frustration with the veteran when he was still with the franchise, but people can expect that to turn up a notch moving forward. That is more so the case given that he, of all people, should not even be talking like that.

The 76ers handed Harris a max contract, which was widely known as a gross overpay. Nevertheless, the front office did not want to lose face by not re-signing him after striking a midseason deal to acquire him, so they willingly shouldered the heavy criticisms attending that contract and heavily incentivized Harris for basically half a decade.

Of course, that deal aged like milk. While he was not as bad as people made him out to be, he was nowhere near impressive when scaled to the contract he was rewarded with. He constantly underperformed when it mattered the most, and his good stretches were far and far between.

That Harris is now biting (if not chomping) the hand that fed him too generously is a grand showcase of hypocrisy. If anything, he should be thankful that the 76ers brain trust never prevented him from having the opportunity to display what the can bring to the table, which he failed to do in the ultimate sense.

Hopefully, the basketball gods are watching. If Tobias Harris struggles in the playoffs, you can be sure that no one among the 76ers circle will be feeling bad for him.