Could it really have been only five weeks ago that Joel Embiid stood before reporters in the Sixers’ locker room and offered something resembling a rallying cry?
We all remember it. How on Jan. 29, with the trade deadline looming, Embiid said the following: “I love all the guys that are in here. I think we got a shot.”
He allowed that he didn’t know what management might do in the days ahead, but reiterated his affection for his teammates, saying he was surrounded by “a good group of guys.”
“Vibes are
great,” he added. “In the past we’ve been ducking the (luxury) tax, so hopefully we think about improving, because we got a chance.”
The Sixers had just beaten the Sacramento Kings, their second consecutive victory in a string that would reach five and lift them eight games over .500 for the first time all season.
Two days later, Paul George was suspended. A week later, Daryl Morey took a giant step in improving a championship-level roster, only it turns out it was in Oklahoma City. That’s where Morey shipped second-year guard Jared McCain. And where McCain has been tearing it up ever since.
(At his post-deadline presser, Morey issued a quote that seems destined to live in infamy: “I’m quite confident that we were selling high.” Put that alongside “For who? For what?” Or, to be sport-specific, “We owe you one.”)
Those good vibes? Gone. That shot Embiid talked about? A blank, as it turns out.
Let’s be real: These Sixers were always a house of cards, given the tenuous health of Embiid and George. The slightest breeze was likely to topple the whole thing, and they’ve been hit with gale-force winds, some of their own creation.
Nick Nurse couldn’t figure out a way to use McCain, even as the coach was wearing out Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe? Morey couldn’t figure out a way to reinforce a threadbare bench, as opposed to shipping out a promising 21-year-old guard who would be under team control for years to come?
Hey, but at least he attempted to play footsy with Kawhi Leonard at the deadline, smh. And that tax, man – surely Morey’s boss is happy to avoid that bill.
Scant consolation for the team’s followers.
Since beating Phoenix on Feb. 7 to improve to 30-22, the Sixers are 4-6. All six losses have been by 10 points or more, with two of them, including Tuesday’s 131-91 drubbing by San Antonio, by 40 or more. That brought to three the number of home games they have dropped by that margin this season, something that had never before happened to any team.
Given all that, Wednesday’s four-point victory over the tank-tastic Jazz was hardly reassuring.
Embiid is out again, this time with an oblique injury. Edgecombe suffered a back injury in the loss to the Spurs, and sat out against Utah. George isn’t due back until March 25, and Kelly Oubre Jr. missed the games against the Spurs and Jazz because of illness.
“We’ve got guys out,” Maxey said after the San Antonio debacle. “Time for guys to step up.”
At least Jabari Walker understood the assignment. Walker, a backup forward in his first year in Philly after three in Portland, scored 20 garbage-time points against the Spurs. And he said afterward he is fully cognizant of the fact that fringe guys like himself are always being evaluated, no matter when they play.
“It’s not the first thing on my mind, but it is one of the things I think about,” he said. “I think what’s first is just showing the coach what you’re playing for, and showing the team that you could have impacted tonight – just put the pressure on them, make them re-think things and think, ‘OK, maybe he could have impacted in some ways.’”
Moreover, he added, “There are 29 other teams, and it is a business, so you’d be surprised to know who’s watching, how many eyes you have on you. So just play hard every rep and be yourself.”
His focus was not to go home to bed, but rather “just kinda let the games blend together and carry this over to tomorrow” – which he then did, making his first six shots against the Jazz en route to a second-straight 20-point outing.
While that is a promising development for the Sixers, the overall outlook is far less so. With 20 games left in the regular season, they are 34-28 and in a loss-column tie with Orlando for the East’s sixth seed (i.e., the last non-play-in slot). Miami is a game back.
Of the remaining games, 12 are on the road. That might not be the worst thing, given the Sixers’ 17-12 record away from home, but eight are against teams that will be in the playoffs or are in position to get there, including the next two – Saturday against Atlanta and Monday against Cleveland. Beyond that are visits to Detroit, Denver, Charlotte, Miami, San Antonio and Houston.
Buckle up. Because the winds continue to blow. And it’s all the Sixers can do to reconstruct their house of cards.
