Getty Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, JJ Redick
Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas had harsh words for the Philadelphia 76ers for their lack of progress in the Joel Embiid era. Arenas talked about the Sixers’ failures since they were eliminated in the 2019 NBA Playoffs by the eventual NBA Champion, the Toronto Raptors.
With the caption “SIXERS FANS, YA CHAMPIONSIP WINDOW IS COOKED. BUILD WIT MAXEY, Arenas released a clip of him explaining why he sees this Sixers era as a failure via his x account on October 12.
SIXER FANS,
YA 🏆CHAMPIONSHIP WINDOW IS COOKED.
BUILD WIT MAXEY. 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
“You lost the window, the window’s gone. They had Jimmy, Embiid, Tobias, JJ Redick was still there, and Ben Simmons. Now you got a number one option, a great number two option, and then you got Ben Simmons doing his thing. That was your championship team that you’re supposed to build on. From there, it just went downhill. At this point, what are you holding onto?”
Letting Butler go to the Miami Heat is one of the bigger mistakes the Sixers have made, seeing the kind of success he’s had since going down to South Beach compared to the Sixers still failing to make it past the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
James Harden Details Issues With Sixers
Despite his issues with the Sixers, Harden has still participated in training camp and hasn’t been an issue for the team. However, that has not stopped him from giving his honest thoughts when asked about his current feelings about the team
On October 13, Harden revealed his issues with the Sixers’ front office.
James Harden: “When I got traded here, my whole thing is I wanted to retire a Sixer. I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer. And the front office didn’t have that in their future plans.”
“When I got traded here, my whole thing is I wanted to retire a Sixer. I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer, and the front office didn’t have that in their future plans,” Harden said, per PHLY SPORTS’ Kyle Neubeck.
After Harden reiterated that there was no chance of their relationship being repaired, he explained why he remains firm on his trade request.
Do you think is something that can be repaired?
Harden: “No.”
Why?
Harden: “This is not even about in this situation, this is in life. When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage. You lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple.”
“This is not even about in this situation, this is in life. When you lose trust in someone, it’s like a marriage. You lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple,” Harden said, per Neubeck.
Even if Harden has not been an issue, this situation will remain ugly until it’s resolved. Harden has not relented on what he wants at this point. The Sixers must decide when they want to relent on trading him.
Terance Mann ‘Untouchable’ in James Harden Talks: Report
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey reported that while there have been trade discussions between the Sixers and Los Angeles Clippers, the holdup has been the Clippers’ reluctance to include Terance Mann in the trade.
“But the plan to add draft-pick swaps in a package for Harden hasn’t moved the needle for the Sixers. They’ve said they’re interested in a package that includes Clippers guard Terance Mann and first-round picks. But the source said Morey knows Mann is untouchable,” Pompey reported in an October 15 story.
The Sixers understandably don’t want to give Harden away to the Clippers without getting something of value in return. The Clippers may think that time is working against the Sixers more than it’s working against them in these discussions.