The Process is Over

Every NBA team and their fans have had to endure a rebuild of some caliber, but finally,  76ers fans are seeing the end of Sam Hinkie's master experiment. 

For 12 years, “The Process”, both the idea and the man have defined this franchise. The true definition of “The Process” has been consistent regular season success, followed by playoff agony. Within that agony Joel Embiid has given everything he has to the City of Philadelphia, and he has compiled a long list of individual accolades doing it. 

His MVP season may have been one of the best seasons by a big man ever, his  five All-NBA selections puts him at fifth all time in franchise history, and  Embiid's seven All-Star NBA selections, puts him again at fifth in franchise history. When all is said and done he could go down as the greatest Sixer ever, but that heavily depends on the next two years. 

His accolades are great and most of Philadelphia loves Joel, but “The Process” was never about All NBA Selections, NBA All-Stars, or MVPs. It was about bringing a championship back to the best sports town in the country, and one of the most storied teams in league history. 

If the 76ers do not bring a championship to the city during the Lebron Era, it is finally time to admit to ourselves that what we have all been resisting for years: The Process is over. 

It won't be over because Joel is not good enough, it is most certainly not because Embiid is not one of the greatest players in franchise history(he is), and it is not over because we do not appreciate everything he has done over the last 12 years. 

The Sixers, Mike Gansey, and Joel need to understand that we can no longer build around a team in the hope that Embiid stays healthy just long enough to get out of the second round. 

Sixers Fans and Executives alike must understand that Embiid does not owe a single thing to Philadelphia, but Philadelphia also does not owe him anything. 

Embiid did transform the franchise, he won an MVP, and became arguably the most dominant big man in this era, but roster construction has been an ongoing issue. 

The front office has spent years experimenting on perfect fits for Embiid. We watched the Harden pick and rolls, Jimmy Butler wore a Sixers jersey at one point, and we have seen a plethora of role players come and go on a regular basis, sometimes only spending half a season in the uniform because they would get shipped off, because they did not “fit”. 

It is not just the player personnel, the 76ers have also changed multiple front offices, head coaches, and have employed multiple “winning” philosophies, but it's the same story every year. Bounced in the playoffs to a division rival, or the Atlanta Hawks.

We are now at the point that bad bounces, injuries, and disappointing playoff appearances by stars are not one off experiences, but rather they become part of a large evaluation of what and who the Sixers have been over the last decade, and this is why the Lebron Era matters so much. 

The Lebron Era is not an experiment. Lebron is arguably the greatest player of all time, Jaylen Brown is on a revenge mission and was the best player on the championship Celtics team and even last year's team. It is simply to win now or forever hold your peace. 

IF the Sixers do not somehow make or win the finals in the next two years, it is time to move on from Embiid. With the development of Tyrese Maxey, a draft steal in VJ Edgecombe  and acquisition of an angry Jaylen Brown, we no longer will have to rely on if Embiid is playing on any given night.

I am not going to go into the roster construction over the last three months, because it's saturated, we've heard about it non-stop, but I will say that if Embiid is no longer in a Sixers Jersey in the Fall of 2028, the process did not fail. It gave us an MVP, a game seven win over Boston, and most importantly it reinforced the notoriety of Sixers fans being the most loyal fan base in all of basketball. We have guts, but we want the glory, and it is time to win now. 

Photo Credits: Yahoo Sports