The end of ‘The Process?’ The Knicks preparing an offer for Embiid
The Sixers, affected by The Process surrounding James Harden, could receive an offer from the Knicks that would include top players in exchange for Embiid.
Things are bad in Philadelphia - really bad. Considering the summer they’ve had, it’s impossible for them to be any other way. A nightmare situation instigated by James Harden is finally unraveling. The franchise cannot escape it - a state of affairs that it would rarther not have to confront. Ideally, Harden would stay, but he is not up to the task and has insistently repeated his modus operandi - the methods he used to disengage himself from both the Rockets and the Nets - and even going as far to leak a rumor that he could retire if he is not traded...
And all that has affected a franchise that, at the expense of what eventually happens with Harden, maintains the core of the team that fell again in the Conference semi-finals - yet again to the Celtics, and that has not yet reached the Eastern finals since 2001, which they achieved with Allen Iverson and company.
The gargantuan crisis demands answers and actions, but the only response from Daryl Morey’s office has been to fire Doc Rivers and to sign Nick Nurse. The hostility between the manager and Harden continues to simmer - which is surprising considering that, not so long ago, they enjoyed an almost perfect relationship; the former being one of those responsible for turning Harden into a historically good, virtually unprecedented attacking talent. Nothing remains of that beautiful love story, turned today into total heartbreak and betrayal, from one side or the other depending on which side you listen to. That’s what these fights have, that no one assumes and everyone throws their toys out of the cot...
Beyond the Sixers’ internal war, it remains to be seen what will be the franchise’s next step. And now it’s time to make decisions in general, not just regarding Harden. After all, Embiid has proven not to be the star he promises in the regular season (where he already has the MVP of the season) and is permanently shipwrecked in the playoffs. He is the only survivor of that so-called Process that began almost a decade ago, one that consisted of losing a huge number of games year after year to consistently achieve high rounds in the draft with which to rebuild and form a winning project that, effectively, has not materialized. There has been an exodus and Embiid may follow suit now. It would be a decision that would not be surprising if it were made, since in cases of stagnation like that of the Sixers, these are paths that have been chosen on more than one occasion.
The Knicks to entice Embiid?
According to Keith Pompey, a journalist specializing in Sixers news, there is a possibility that Embiid will leave if the Harden situation ends badly. And the Knicks would offer a more than succulent role: Julius Randle, R.J. Barrett, Evan Fournier and Mitchell Robinson, plus two or three first rounds of the draft, would be what the New Yorkers would sacrifice for the center to partner with Jalen Brunson in the Big Apple. Something that would be truly revolutionary and that we can try to tangibly imagine in our minds. Among other things, because the offer is one of those that makes anyone think about releasing your big star. As much as Joel Embiid is. In the end, there is no choice but to assume that the project is not working and that, somehow, a solution must be found. No matter how much it costs.