The Growing Pains of Building a Dynasty
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Many believe that the struggle and the darkness that the Sixers once faced has passed. Things are finally looking great post Hinkie-era and Sixers are now widely recognized as the powerhouse in the East. We finally have an effective trio that are match-up nightmares defensively and offensively for the opposing teams. Sixers are currently way above .500 and comfortably sitting at a playoff position. Getting the home court advantage in the post-season is something Sixers will fight to achieve.
With the hopeful return of Markelle and Zhaire, we are expected to get a lot of help with defense in the second half of the season. A trade can also change things around. Things are starting look even better than last season. However, is it enough to make some real noise? Is it enough to make Stephen A. Smith put his money on the Sixers for being a legit contender for this season? Do we see ourselves beating the almighty Warriors in the finals anytime soon? The short answer is no. There are still so much more the Sixers need to improve on as a team and as a franchise to be in the discussion of being the title contender, and it all starts with growth and perseverance.
Before I start to dig deep into this discussion, I’d like to thank Sam Hinkie for his incredible vision, and the loyal fans for really seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It was all worth it. I hope “The Process” and the difficult journey of the Sixers doesn’t go unnoticed among the Sixers community. If all goes well in the near future, I promise you one day we will be seeing a Netflix special on our team and the great tale of the “Process”.
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So, what is the missing piece? Is it the weak bench? Is it the coaching staff? It just feels like we can be a lot better than where we stand currently. In order to build a consistent championship caliber team, you need experienced stars. Not just stars, but a battle tested and proven stars. I do believe that Ben, Jimmy, and Joel are the answers to our prayers. However, there are very little playoffs experienced shared between the three of them. As fans and people around the NBA heavily criticized Brett Brown’s decision making during the Celtics series, but let’s step back and ask ourselves how many times has Brett Brown coached a playoff team as a head coach?
The 2017-2018 Sixers were just inexperienced but showed promise and heart. With the help of Elton Brand’s gutsy move earlier this season, things started to take a positive turn for the future. Acquiring Jimmy Butler was huge. Jimmy’s shot making abilities in late game scenarios, and his lock-down defense will boost our chances against great teams in the post season.
While the league is falling in love with acquiring stars and creating a superstar team, let’s not forget to invest in our young talent and continue to give them playoff experience. Ben, Jimmy, Joel, and the rest of the crew must learn to fight through the adversities. Whether it’s losing Markelle and Zhaire for the most of the season or a gut wrenching loss to the Celtics, we must be focused on the bigger picture and continue to learn from our mistakes.
The amazing career of Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs’ dynasty era is something our team can learn from. Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan did not win consecutive championships. The creation of the Spurs’ dynasty was very dynamic and filled with obstacles. The best teams in history or the best players in history have won consecutive championships, But not the San Antonio Spurs. Coach Popovich and the crew managed to climb all the way to the top only 5 times out of the 16 season the dynasty had lasted. Although failing to win the title every year is a failure to Coach Popovich’s standard, I think that this dynasty was special even with no consecutive NBA championships. Pop’s love for international players and building the core group of guys that started their careers at San Antonio and finally translate to multiple NBA titles shows the importance in player development and building a culture. While Popovich currently holds one of the best coaching records and continues to climb to top of the list, there are also some painful play-off losses in his resume. All of which only made them stronger to compete against the modern NBA superstars. Experience and culture was the reason behind their success against LeBron James and the heat in 2014 NBA finals.
Similarly, LeBron James has had quite the adventure himself. He managed to make the playoffs 13 times out of his 15-year career and counting in the NBA. He made 8 Finals appearance and won only 3 championships. One may think that’s a lot for someone who is still in the prime stage of his career until we look at Steph Curry and Kevin Durant’s career. Steph and KD are both younger than LeBron and are probably on their way to win their 4th and 3rd rings respectively. However, their journey is nowhere near as difficult as King James’. We are witnessing sheer dedication and greatness from Lebron.
If there is a message LeBron is trying to tell us through his amazing journey, it’s that your losses and mistakes does not define who you are in the NBA. Perseverance and willpower can break any barrier that may stand in front of you. Sixers must keep a similar approach on building a winning culture regardless of what happens down the road. Injuries, locker room disputes, heart-breakers, etc. are all something Sixers must fight through and learn from to grow as a team. As passionate fans, every regular season or playoff loss seems to hit the hardest but sadly the story is already written for the NBA today as long as the Golden State Warriors manage to keep their stars together and healthy. If the NBA championship lands in the hands of anyone but the Warriors, it will be the greatest underdog story ever told in the NBA, and I’d be thrilled if it’s our guys that dethrones the Warriors.
There will always be flaws and missing parts that just can’t be fixed overnight or be given so easily. I’d love to pick and choose players that we can add to our depth that will help in the long run, but the truth is, we are already a great team with very little winning habits compared to some of the great teams in the NBA currently , and that is the key element that is missing in our team. Sixers must continue to go on winning streaks and take down opponents late in the post season with the ultimate goal of playing in June. Having a parade down broad and hearing the fans scream “Process” is still a year or two away.
We are close. It’s like when you are out on a long run and you can see the finish line, but your entire body is fighting against your will. Every step becomes tougher and more painful. That is exact moment where you grind and run faster. Sixers are badly in need of that strong will to carry on what was once started. We must rise above all the “Jimmy and Brett” drama talk. We can criticize Brett’s decision making but running him out of town will only hurt us. Let’s continue to appreciate JJ’s career year, Joel’s MVP run, and Ben’s all-star season. Let’s be hopeful but not be discouraged by these gut-wrenching losses because it is making our guys tougher and wiser. A championship in Philly is imminent as long as we continue to prevail and create a winning culture.
