Maybe it’s time for 76ers fans to let go of ‘The Process’

Joel Embiid nicknamed himself “The Process” because he believed in Sam Hinkie’s vision more than anyone. “The Process” is now out of the season, and The Process should be over.

It’s tough not to feel bad for Embiid. Drafted in 2014, Embiid missed the first two seasons of his NBA career due to a broken bone in his foot. Finally healthy to start this year, Embiid immediately shined. Sure, 20 points on 37 percent shooting in his first career game may not look like much, but just the fact that he was on the court was cause for celebration. Over the course of this season, we’ve seen Embiid showcase hybrid big man skills that had everyone salivating at what the future may look like in Philadelphia.

Not only was Embiid living up to the hype on the court, but his personality made him all the more lovable.

It looked like Hinkie’s vision was coming true. Embiid was turning into a star, Nerlens Noel finally carved out his role, Jahlil Okafor was on his way out, Dario Saric became a spark off the bench and Ben Simmons would soon arrive.

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Funny thing about The Process: It’s easy to trust when the visionary who coined the term is saying it every day. But when that man is gone, and replaced by a man with a completely different vision, “The Process” doesn’t actually exist. It’s just a term that Embiid and most Sixers fans won’t let go of.

Noel was shipped to Dallas at the trade deadline. No one knows why. Maybe Mark Cuban promised Bryan Colangelo a guest spot on Shark Tank. Maybe Colangelo tried to trade Okafor, but Cuban said “Noel.” Colangelo took this to mean, “No El” like Cuban was saying “No The” in Spanish. Impressed by his Spanish, and figuring Cuban meant to finish by saying, “No el proceso es una mentira,” Colangelo agreed.

Then, it was announced Simmons would miss the rest of the season, which wasn’t exactly a shocker to anyone paying attention. Less than a week later, Embiid was ruled out for the rest of the season.

At least Okafor remained on the team, looking as engaged as ever.

https://twitter.com/shaqtin/status/837120552322150405

For all the assets Hinkie acquired during his tenure, results have been minimal. There have been very brief flashes of brilliance, but they have been few and far between. Every time something good seems to happen to the Sixers, disaster is lurking around the corner. Some of it is just bad luck. A lot of it is bad management.

It’s almost admirable that Sixers fans continue to “Trust The Process” despite it failing in front of their eyes. They know that abandoning The Process would be abandoning Embiid, who Hinkie put a belief in when everyone else wrote him off. Embiid has not only embraced The Process — he’s become The Process. When he tells people to “Trust The Process” in every tweet, he’s telling people to trust him. He’s got this. Without him, The Process dies.

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Maybe it’s time to let go of The Process if you’re Embiid and Sixers fans. Start trusting something different. Call it The Movement or The Development or Colangelo’s Course or Embiid’s Operation. Or don’t call it anything. Just trust.