Beard! Beard!! Beard!!! Beard!!!!

Let it be known that even though NBA Inception practices a strong no-dickridin policy, this is in fact a pro-Beard blog.  That doesn't mean that I'm actually convinced, even if he does prove Embiid-compatible, that the Sixers are going to win the championship, or even make it out the East for that matter.  But that isn't a diss against Philly, and let me explain why.

In this highly competitive society we live in, people sometimes try to push a narrative like if you don't win it all, then that means you're a loser.  I was even watching some old Bulls vs. Blazers championship game where one of the sub-narratives was about Clyde Drexler and how if he really wants his name to stand out amongst the greats, then he needs to lead the Blazers to a championship.  And I guess maybe when you're talking about establishing yourself as an all-time great then yes, a championship can be considered a criteria for some players whose greatness is in doubt.

But let's get something straight.  There are certain teams that the fact that they didn't win a championship doesn't mean they weren't good enough.  Rather, the fact they didn't win a championship is because other teams were simply better.

One of the quintessential examples of this phenomenon was the late-1990s Utah Jazz.  This was an NBA team, perhaps more than any other that ever existed, which could thrive in like any era of professional basketball - from the 1950s all the way up until now.  Dr. Naismith himself would been proud to watch the Stockton-Malone Jazz play, i.e. these athletic Black dudes buttressed by a couple of smallish, cerebral Whiteboys who don't even look like they could play basketball but then could score on anybody.

Of course it was Jordan-Pippen-Rodman Bulls which prevented that Jazz team from winning.  But that doesn't mean the Jazz weren't good enough.  Instead it was the Chicago Bulls' era, as in no one has ever beaten Jordan and them in a championship series.

And the reason I'm bringing to this up, as to why I'm not overly excited about Harden-Embiid, is because in reality both of those players have already been on really good teams.  Houston did an exceptional job of making sure Harden enjoyed some quality teammates during his tenure.  The Rockets actually made it to the WCF twice during the Harden years, once with Chris Paul (2018) but also with Dwight Howard (2015).  And I actually remember that latter one being a bit more competitive than how it may appear on paper.

What really messed the Harden Rockets up imo is when they let Chandler "Cry Me a River" Parsons walk in 2014.  Well maybe not since shortly after, his career more or less ended due to injury.  But that iteration of the Rockets, when the Beard was backed up by the likes of Parsons, Howard, Lin and Beverly, was something they should have been more committed on building on.  Dwight also left the team in 2016, and if I remember correctly he and the Rockets had some kind of beef.  That's the problem when your team has an unanimous franchise player, especially in this day and age, that all the other pieces integral to success tend to be devalued.  But beyond that, of course the true reason the Harden Rockets never got a chance to win it all is because they existed during the Warriors dynasty, losing both of those WCFs to the Dubs.

Meanwhile, this isn't the first time Philly has pulled off a roster-gutting trade for an All-Star.  Remember when they swapped Covington, Saric and Bayless for Butler?  That was a damn good Sixers team even before Butler arrived.  Then with Butler they made it to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semis, losing to the Raptors, who went on to win the championship.  And logic would dictate that if Jimmy had stuck around, the Sixers would have added more pieces to become even better.  But instead he pulled a Kawhi and bounced to Miami, and in a way Philly still hasn't fully recuperated from that fiasco.

CONCLUSION

So even though it may be exciting to see the Beard team up with Embiid, this is a story that we've already seen before.  Many superstars, especially back in the old days, could spend like their entire prime years playing without teammates of a comparable or complimentary level of greatness.  Such has not been the case with Joel Embiid, and it definitely hasn't been the case with James Harden.  Instead, their has always been teams which have simply proven better than the squads they were on (though I still believe the Sixers should have made it to the Finals last season).

So the x-factor in this equation is actually Daryl "Taiwan" Morey.  He was responsible for bringing Harden to HOU and those impressive teammates he had while there (including, let's not forget, Russell Westbrook).  And it's safe to presume that win or lose, Joel Embiid isn't going anywhere soon.  And the Beard has also put himself in a position where no one wants to see him demanding a trade, like ever again.  That means that Morey will have time to work his magic.  So maybe it'll be more realistic to expect the Sixers to bring home the gold next season, as now, if not the Heat, I'm predicting the Nets to make it out of the East.