Philadelphia 76ers suspend Andrei Kirilenko for refusing to tank
By Josh Hill
After further erosion of their relationship, the Philadelphia 76ers have suspended Andrei Kirilenko for not wanting to be a team player.
When Andrei Kirilenko was traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers, it was generally assumed that he was not going to be happy. What no one knew would happen is that Kirilenko would just straight up ignore his new team and fail to report.
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That’s exactly what has happened though, as the 76ers new big man isn’t technically a member of the team yet as Kirilenko hasn’t reported to his new team yet. According to Yahoo! Sports insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the refusal to report to the team has resulted in a suspension without pay for Kirilenko.
“Philadelphia has suspended Andrei Kirilenko for failing to report to the team, league sources tell Yahoo Sports,” Wojnarowksi reports. “Suspension is without pay.”
This is a blow to the relationship between the 76ers and Kirilenko, as the big man is clearly not happy playing for a team that is purposefully trying to lose games. He was forcefully added to the roster against his will in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, and he’s been unhappy ever since arriving.
It’s no secret that virtually nobody wants to play for the 76ers as they’re a miserable franchise trying without shame to suck so badly that they become a good team. This is a massive gamble and it’s one that has routinely blown up in the faces of the those in charge of the franchise.
While it’s Kirilenko’s job to report and play for the 76ers, he can’t be blamed for not wanting to report for or play for a team that gives absolutely no sh-ts about how well they play. This is the problem with tanking, as not everyone is on board with it, yet they have to sign off on being a part of it or risk consequences.
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