The four-time NBA Champion believes Philadelphia has to win now. If not, all the moves were for nothing.
The Philadelphia 76ers are in a bit of a tough spot as the season looms.
Critics are saying that this year it’s championship or bust. Ever since the team was formed, all anyone is talking about is how the team is looking to win a championship, like no other team has the same aspirations.
Shaquille O’Neal states that this year Philadelphia has to win the trophy or the season was a bust. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.
It seems like everywhere LeBron James goes, it's boom or bust. This season won’t be a bust if they can learn how to coexist. When James joined the Miami Heat, the expectation was that they were going to win a title nearly every year, and it didn’t happen. The same thing happened when he went to Los Angeles to play for the Lakers, his first year they failed to make the playoffs.
One can’t expect to win just off the strength that they have James in the lineup. There’s a reason he has a two-year contract with a player option in the second year. It takes time for a team to get things together. Once you get into the playoffs, the margins of victory are even smaller. The team outside of James has been intact for quite some time, so their window isn’t as small as many think.
This team, outside of Joel Embiid and James, have players in their 20s, so it’s no reason to think that they can’t find their way to an NBA Finals appearance.
The expectation of a championship is irresponsible when you think about it. The expectation of a title will lead to a season of unnecessary pressure. Why not allow the team to get things together? Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it’s not right to expect a team to be whole and ready for a title in that same timespan.
This team is very capable of doing it, but it’s unrealistic to really expect them to do it. Besides, we’ve seen the possibility that James plays beyond his contract. If the team gets close but falls short, that may be the motivation that allows James to pursue another year and opt into that player option.
O’Neal may think that this team is only set for one year, but it’s not a guarantee. Philadelphia will do what they can to win, but they understand this is a sprint and not a race. Things will come together in due time; you just have to have patience and trust the process.
