You could feel the air rise from the city of Philadelphia when it was announced that Kawhi Leonard was traded to the Toronto Raptors. First Lebron and now Kawhi!
76ers fans had convinced themselves that one of the two great free agents, either Leonard or LeBron James, would be coming to Philadelphia to complete “The Process” and lead the 76ers to the promised land.
But LeBron took his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he has two homes and a production company. And the 76ers weren’t about to give up one of their three young stars for Kawhi. So the overwhelming feeling was and is that the 76ers failed.
It is a case of unreasonable expectations. LeBron James would go to Los Angeles no matter what. And it wasn’t worth trading the future for a one-year lease, since Kawhi wants to go to Southern California after his contract expires at the end of the season.
Due to the disappointment, Sixers fans may not have noticed that their team improved. They have a royal road to the NBA Finals.
The team got Wilson Chandler in a trade with the Denver Nuggets for basically nothing. He’s much better than anyone who was scheduled to come off the bench. And they took Atlanta Hawks free agent Mike Muscala, who can play both center and power forward.
The bank is stronger. And Furkan Korkmaz, a summer league sensation and 3-point specialist, is set to play in the NBA after being drafted from the Turkish professional league.
But most importantly, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, the top three, have another year in the league and can only get better.
And Joel Embiid no longer has a game or minute restriction. With the increase in minutes, Embiid should not only put up MVP numbers, but Hall of Fame numbers as well.
Yes, there are some concerns. Embiid’s health, Simmons’ jump shot, Fultz’s state of mind, and the fact that the team still doesn’t have a GM (which is crazy!).
But, on paper at least, the 76ers look just as good, if not much better, than the Boston Celtics or Toronto Raptors, the two teams that finished ahead of them in the Eastern Conference in the 2017-18 season. Just ask Nate Silver, the nation’s leading sports statistician and forecaster.
So can the 76ers make it to the NBA Finals?
The answer is a simple but resounding YES!
