What Went Wrong: The Process Has Failed, Stop Pretending It Hasn't

The main buzz phrase that the Philadelphia 76ers have been throwing around for over a decade now is, "Trust the Process." The process started when they tanked away the 2012-13 season and started building from the ground up. This resulted in some bad seasons at first, including a 2015-16 campaign where Philly won only ten games. It was two years after that year that the Sixers made it back to the playoffs, coming months after the NFL's Eagles won Super Bowl LII. Philly beat the Heat in Round 1, but were ousted by the Celtics afterwards. Surely getting beat by Boston wouldn't be a thing, right?

If only they knew.

We all know how the following year ended: Kawhi'ed at the buzzer in Game Seven. After that, several years where they would not get past the Celtics and/or the second round. This year, the Sixers were down 3-1 against the Celtics, but a funny thing happened: they came back. They actually beat the Celtics out! Unfortunately, the Sixers would run into the Knicks, and that went about as well as it was expected to go.

So here it is, 13 years into "The Process," and it's completely stalled. It's pretty much official: the 76ers have become Philadelphia's black sheep team. Look at what's been happening in Philly over the years. Eagles have won two Super Bowls; the last one against the big bad Chiefs. Phillies reached the World Series in 2022, and are a strong team in the NL East, if not the National League as a whole. And with the Flyers getting back on track, the Sixers have to be the city's black sheep now. Now, I know what you're thinking: "But Clyde, the Flyers were swept in Round 2 as well." Yes, they were. But the Flyers' were an unexpected playoff team filled with youngsters. The Sixers have a long playoff stretch and were expected to go far, especially with this man as the leader:

Joel Embiid. Where do I start? Hard to believe that he's been in the NBA for 12 years now, and it's really been a complicated run. The biggest topic of controversy has been his MVP in 2023. Many say Nikola Jokic should have won it. Embiid was the better player that year. But what did he do with it? Lost in Round 2 and disappeared in Game Seven. Yet he had the nerve to take the mic at a press conference and say, "I can't do it alone." I watched Game Seven, Joel. You didn't do anything.

Even worse, Embiid doubled down about a year later and said, "I've done more than enough for this city." Oh really? Let's take a look at the facts. Jalen Hurts led the Eagles to two Super Bowl appearances, won one, and was named Super Bowl MVP. Bryce Harper led the Phillies to a World Series appearance. Until this year, I had said that Embiid was lucky that the Flyers are in the doldrums, but they're on the up and up now. Embiid has never reached the Conference Finals. He's the only NBA MVP with that unfortunate distinction. Yikes. He does have some positives after this year: he finally beat Boston and he finally won a Game Seven. So there's that to build on.

It's pretty safe to say that "The Process" is a total failure, and here's proof that the team finally realizes this: they let go of team president Daryl Morey. The offseason should be an interesting one for the Sixers, but they really need to get something going before Joel Embiid ends up on that infamous list: the "Among the greatest to never win" list.