Amid this disaster of a season, the Philadelphia 76ers have seen and encountered just about every kind of narrative one can spin about an NBA team. From ill-timed injuries, superstars declining, the coaching staff losing favor with fans, and to the front office finding itself in a state of flux, a lot has to go right for the franchise just to be a functional club in the following campaigns.
Things have gotten so out of hand for the 76ers on the basketball side this season that even the league itself has shown numerous times that it would like to dip their fingers into that salad of misery. Just recently, the NBA has signaled that it is keeping a closer eye on the franchise (compared to the others) as it begins to sit out players — even in the face of actual injuries.
The issues with this team, however, go way beyond than only focusing on abating these external obstructions. Roster issues and nursing players back to health comprise the bulk of solving their ills, but there must also at least be something to be done about the people on the higher echelon when it comes to decision-making for the franchise.
We’re looking at you, Daryl Morey.
Daryl Morey’s wild revelation should prompt the 76ers to fire him
In a recent correspondence with journalist Pablo Torre, Morey revealed the he actively uses artificial intelligence (AI) to get extra input when it comes to making decisions on behalf of the ball club.
”We absolutely use models as a vote in any decision. How much of that decision depends on how much the assumptions behind those models don't change, and their past success rate. So if you have a highly successful model for picking draft picks, and [the NBA] hasn't changed the rules yet, then the models get a lot of weight in those decisions”.
This development is actually in-them with Morey’s innovative missives. Having said that, it is pretty novel to actively use something like AI as a meaningful conduit that can lead to resolving actual decisional processes. Unfortunately, in the context of the NBA, it is novel for the wrong reasons.
Not to undermine the blessings of technology nor to pretend like an AI savant, but basketball decisions, moreso in the NBA, are spontaneous. He made mention of using those models specifically for decisions involving the draft, which is a huge departure from what has been the practice among evaluators — using data and leveraging them to make guided decisions in addition to intuition and actual eye test.
AI’s footing in basketball decisions, at this point, is too loose to imbue acceptance and inspire reliable usage. At this juncture, Morey could just be diverting some attention and shedding some accountability for some of his decisions under the guise of, say, keeping up with the times.
Should this continue and the team keeps getting screwed by his decisions, the Philadelphia 76ers should drop the hammer on the longtime executive once and for all.