Watching these once-mighty giants of the Eastern Conference struggle to even stay in the playoff mix is a testament to how quickly parity can emerge in the NBA landscape.
The Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Philadelphia 76ers once occupied the top spots in the East with their championship-hungry rosters, but that is now a distant memory.
For the Toronto Raptors, it's somewhat expected, as their roster looks completely different from the one that won the championship in 2019. The Milwaukee Bucks don’t have much of an excuse, considering they have both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on their roster. However, nothing compares to the utter disappointment in Philadelphia, especially given the significant intrigue surrounding their new big three of Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Joel Embiid.
For the Bucks, Sixers, and even the Raptors, injuries have significantly contributed to their inconsistencies and lackluster starts to the season. Be that as it may, following the latest NBA reports circulating online, it appears that Philadelphia is poised to be the first to experience a franchise-altering implosion.
According to lead ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, a recent team meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers revealed that Joel Embiid was called out by his co-star, Tyrese Maxey.
Are the Sixers fed up with Joel Embiid?
"Last night the 76ers had a team meeting & I was told that Tyrese Maxey challenged Joel Embiid..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 19, 2024
He told him that we need you to be on time for team activities..
Tyrese loves Joel but he delivered a message that I think a lot of people saw coming" @ShamsCharania #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/gZarFbioLn
While we can't jump to conclusions about a heated exchange between the two, the mere fact that Embiid was put in the hot seat is enough to suggest that things in Philly are far from fine.
To be frank, the NBA's Eastern Conference is relatively weak overall, with only the current top four seeded teams boasting a record above .500. Another thing to consider is that the season is still quite early, and it is far from conclusive to suggest that teams are completely out of the playoff equation.
Be that as it may, the 76ers need to turn things around quickly if they hope to get back into the upper echelon of the East, and the uneasy vibes surrounding their franchise star are not a good look.
The fact that Toronto, which had the worst record in the league at one point, managed to fight its way up before Philadelphia is absolutely embarrassing and demoralizing for the Sixers franchise. The 76ers are now tied with the Washington Wizards for the worst record in the NBA at 2-11.
The 76ers can’t even make major moves right now, as a significant portion of their offseason decisions limits their ability to trade until a later date. And for reports to point out Maxey as being the team's voice, you could assume things are slowly falling out of Embiid's power in Philadelphia.
A Joel Embiid trade request could loom near
You can be sure that the front office is more prepared than ever to move on from the Embiid era, and it's likely that the Cameroonian big man would fully support a trade request. It appears that his injury history, inconsistent play, underwhelming leadership, and doubts regarding his commitment to basketball have turned the entire 76ers organization against him.
Put simply, it seems that the Raptors' stroke of good fortune inadvertently triggered the complete collapse of the already crumbling walls of the 76ers franchise. Toronto may still be a losing team, but they’re likely breathing a sigh of relief as they watch the drama unfolding in Philadelphia from the outside.