Marcus Hayes: Daryl Morey seems to know the Sixers are doomed as The Process continues to foster a culture of losing

Marcus Hayes, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 15, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

PHILADELPHIA — Have you ever seen anything more dismal than Sunday’s hopeless postseason news conference from 76ers president Daryl Morey?

It’s Morey’s nature to sound like a super smart Debbie Downer. Even when he’s giddy he seems a little glum.

But between the sighs and the downcast eyes Sunday evening, Morey projected a crushing sense of ennui. After a 24-58 season, tied for the seventh-worst in the team’s 76 seasons, he was supposed to provide hope.

Morey failed.

Of course, he had no chance. Because there is no hope. Not with this miscast cast of characters. The future is bleak, and all Morey can do is ride it out. He’s under contract for three more years, just like his two 30-something superstars, but he knows there’s very little chance any of them makes it that long. Coach Nick Nurse likely will be the first to go, but he is, by far, the least deserving of any of them to be fired.

Morey’s 31-year-old All-Star center, Joel Embiid, played in the Olympics on a surgically repaired knee, then showed up to training camp out of shape, then needed nine regular-season games to become game-ready, then played in just 19 games. He underwent another knee surgery Wednesday. Oh yeah: He’s still out of shape.

Morey’s 34-year-old, $212 million offseason centerpiece addition, Paul George, hurt his knee in the preseason, hurt it again early in the season, suffered other boo-boos and played in just 41 games. He’d averaged just under 54 games in the previous three seasons, which, incredibly, is about three fewer than Embiid. He’s here for three more years.

Morey’s 24-year-old point guard (who really isn’t a point guard at all), Tyrese Maxey, hurt his hamstring, then his finger, then his back and then his finger again. He says he needs another month before he’s all better, but if the Sixers were in the playoffs you can bet he’d tape it like the old guys used to do, because if anybody’s a gamer, it’s Tyrese Maxey.

Morey said they’ll be sooo much better next season, you know, when they’re all healthy.

Except Embiid and George are never healthy.

And he knows it.

Morey promised that the brain trust of himself, Nurse, and general manager Elton Brand would review the entire franchise — front office members, medical staff, strength and conditioning folks, assistant coaches, scouts, sous-chefs — and they would make hard choices where needed.

Then Morey promised that same brain trust all would continue in the employ of the 76ers, thereby crushing the hopes of Sixers fans who anticipated meaningful change.

This run-it-back vow did not appease fans who lived through Morey’s mismanagement of Ben Simmons, James Harden, Embiid, whom he signed to a preseason extension while injured, and George.

Morey blamed himself for acquiring old horses with playoff experience, like 31-year-old Andre Drummond, 36-year-old Eric Gordon and Kyle Lowry, who is 39 (39!!), instead of young stallions who could get them through the season.

He pointed to Justin Edwards, Adem Bona and Quentin Grimes as players who “are going to give us great minutes.”

He even talked about hope from the draft, which he knows is laughable, considering how long it typically takes the most talented high draft picks to develop. Embiid and George might be using walkers by the time this year’s No. 4 (or whatever) overall pick figures out how to properly rotate in an NBA defense.

Morey said Embiid’s outlook is wildly promising, but he still did not offer specific information regarding Embiid’s third surgery on his left knee. In fact, he didn’t offer any information: not why they opted for an arthroscopic procedure, not what the surgery told them, not whether there might be more radical procedures in the future.

Nothing.

They do, however, want you to buy season tickets.

Clearly, Embiid and his handlers don’t want the bad news, or the possibility of bad news, to leak.

Clearly, Morey continues to bend his knee to Embiid’s whim.

This is the sort of behavior — no accountability, no transparency, half-truths, straight lies — that created this culture of losing. It began in 2013 with Sam Hinkie, who was unqualified; continued with Bryan “Twitter-Gate” Colangelo, who was borderline crazy; and, after a brief, rudderless period, has continued with Morey since 2020.

It’s a shame.

Maxey wasn’t even one year old when this franchise last saw the Eastern Conference finals. The Sixers spent four of those 24 seasons actively trying to lose so as to secure top picks, and their two No. 1 overall picks during The Process, Simmons and Markelle Fultz, are busts.

None of those marquee picks stayed healthy.

“It’s about health,” Morey insisted.

No. It’s about culture more than health. But they can keep telling themselves that.

And they will keep losing.

And Morey knows it.