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It feels like it's been forever since we assaulted you with dozens of posts about how thrilled we were that the Sixers traded for Andrew Bynum. And in that time, they still haven't played a single game of basketball. What's the deal with that? Did Gary Bettman lock out the NBA too? I call Shenanigans.
Pessimism and frustration have long been blog staples around these parts, but with Bynum and all the new writers in the fold, is it still right to assume the worst in a franchise that has finally got its franchise player? I think so. They've definitely earned some trust after executing the best trade of my lifetime. In the same way I can't count the Phillies out of the playoff race because of how much good will they built up in the past five years, I have to give the Sixers a few breaks over the course of the season because of what they pulled in August.
But what if they bomb? What if they start 3-13? What if Evan Turner continues to be inefficient and Doug Collins can't figure out a way to incorporate Bynum into the offense and Jrue Holiday reverts back to his pre-playoffs self?
Still.
You have to give them time. We will. We want them to succeed and, you know, actually win games now because there's a system for legitimate success in place. Andrew Bynum will likely sign a max contract after this and we'll have 5 more years to figure out how to build a winner around him. This year is just the first taste of that. Sure, it'd be great to finish somewhere between 2nd and 4th in the East, but there's a high probability that it'll take a bit of time for the new guys to get used to playing with each other (sexually). Remember that only 5 players from last year's team are returning. Doug's just trying to remember all the new names at this point.
It's not the results that we can worry about or affect right now. It's the method and how the team got to where they are. And I'm completely on board with how they got here, so faulting them for a .500 season or worse would not be fair.
Now's a great time to be a Sixers fan -- just temper expectations off the bat. We're on the right track, I promise.