In an article published today on ESPN – Brett Brown and Elton Brand were quoted heavily speaking about the Sixers this season. Quotes that should surprise absolutely no one in Philadelphia.

“Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons can win a championship together, I know what winning looks like. I know what championship talent looks like.” – Brett Brown

Well okay – it might come as a surprise that Brown himself knows what championship talent looks like in the sense of actually using it to win a championship. If you’ve been watching the Sixers, they have clearly underperformed this year and have been surrounded by a plethora of terrible takes on the national and local level about Ben and Joel.

The first part is 100% true. Ben and Joel are cornerstones of the 76ers franchise. We are not going to trade them. They are two young all stars. And we have no choice but to ride this out and see what comes of it.

I am 100% on board that Ben and Joel can, and will, win a championship together in Philadelphia. We just need to be patient and let them continue to develop while cementing pieces around them that play to BOTH of their strengths and weaknesses.

“I knew when I took this job we would garner a lot of focus and attention, when you look at the talent and expectations we have, it’s not surprising.” – Elton Brand

Way to be self-aware, Elton. Expectations are through the roof. Should they be this early? Probably not. But with years of suffering through “The Process” the city is excited. Throw in an Eagles Super Bowl victory and you have Philly sports fans foaming at the mouth. Could Elton be better? Sure but again, I still sway to the side of patience and building consistent pieces around BOTH Ben and Joel.

“We’ll see what side we ultimately land on, but I believe in the guys we have in our locker room.” – Elton Brand

Okay hold up Elton. This is where you lost me. What exactly are believing in? With the exception of Ben, Joel, and Tobias (as a 3rd option) – I’m not sure there’s much else. Everything continues to circle back to my problem with the 76ers. There’s no consistency in the pieces around them. Jimmy is gone. Al Horford has been a major disappointment. J-Rich has been OK. Mike Scott has been trash. Shake Milton has been a surprise.

Are we okay with this team? The answer is no. We haven’t proved that to be the case. Do we tear down the supporting cast and enter next season again with new faces? Probably – but I wouldn’t be surprised if we had a similar discussion on why it’s not working again next year.

“I’m the only NBA coach [Embiid and Simmons have] ever had. I know these guys. It’s like how my wife knows when my kids are going to get sick about two days before they get sick. When you’re a parent, you know your kids. And so I look at these two guys and I know they can win together. They can and they will.” – Brett Brown

This is probably the most interesting quote from the article. And I’m not sure if this is good. If anything – this is a reason why we should be moving on from Brett Brown at the end of the season. Having a coach that is more of a father figure than a coach seems to be problematic. I don’t know if you can properly coach and control a locker room when you’re this close to the players. It’s concerning and it shows in how the team has performed this year.

The Sixers play the Warriors on Saturday night on the road before coming home for 5 of 6 games. Joel Embiid should be back in the lineup, as well as J-Rich. Ben Simmons is still under evaluation for his back injury but the team hopes he’ll be back come playoff time.

I’ve said it all year and I’ll say it again. NO TEAM IN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE, NO MATTER THE SEED, WANTS TO FACE A HEALTHY 76ERS TEAM IN THE PLAYOFFS.

I really believe that. We just have to keep our sanity and pray for good health until then. Phila Unite.