The Daryl Morey experience in Philadelphia has included a lot of good... In theory. Morey has not been scared to make the big move (see; Harden, George) and for the most part, he's built rosters that make sense on paper. But, as we know, the Sixers have yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs under Morey's watch. Is that fully his fault? Definitely not — injuries have been a consistent and frustrating theme seemingly the entire time he's run the show in Philly.
At some point, Morey does deserve some criticism for putting together rosters that, for whatever reason, haven't clicked. Making one of the most hated trades in franchise history at the trade deadline doesn't help his standing much, either. Jared McCain, you will forever be a Sixer in our hearts.
But on Wednesday night, as Tyrese Maxey — who is Morey's crowning achievement as Sixers GM thus far — lifted the team into the playoffs with a 31-point outburst, it got a little harder to believe that Morey is on the hot seat. If the Sixers compete with the Celtics in the first round (or somehow pull off a stunning win), it wouldn't be shocking to me if Morey and head coach Nick Nurse are both back next year.
In all likelihood, the Sixers will be without Joel Embiid for multiple games in this series. That sucks, of course, but for Morey, it's basically a built-in excuse as to why the team didn't live up to expectations. Granted, it's more of a reason than an excuse. It is hard to blame Morey for the team's injury problems, and the if only this team was healthy line may be getting stale, but it does still apply.
Tyrese Maxey may accidentally save some jobs
I don't want to call for anyone to lose their job. All in all, I think Morey and head coach Nick Nurse have done nearly as much as they can with what they've gotten (aside from the aforementioned trade, which was heinous).
If Tyrese Maxey goes supernova in the first round, and the Sixers rattle off a couple of wins, is that enough for Morey to get one more chance at building a winner around him? Would Sixers fans want that?
To answer the second question... I don't think so. Morey isn't despised in Philadelphia, as he hasn't made enough head-scratching moves to really anger fans and has made some moves that were received well. For the most part, Sixers fans' view on Morey is lukewarm. A lot of "Eh, could be better... Could be worse" attitudes. It's hard to see that changing drastically depending on the next few games.
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