I Am Terrified of a Future With Al Horford

       I don't know if Al Horford is too old. I don't know if he is bad at basketball. I don't even know if it's just maybe a bad fit, but the Sixers have an Al Horford problem, and it is a big problem. We acquired Al to hit an occasional three, provide as a viable replacement for when Embiid can't go, and to play consistent defense. So far this season, he has done absolutely none of those things. That game last night was a complete embarrassment for Al. He allowed AD to go absolutely off to the tune of 37 points on 13 of 19 shooting. I know he was going against arguably the best big in the league, but when you are getting paid the amount of money that Al is getting paid, it shouldn't look you're playing on the wrong side of a Zion high school highlight. I know this play didn't have anything to do with Al's defense, but this is just an analogy for how this season has gone for Horford.

       Now people in Philadelphia are starting to go back to previous acquisitions and compare the magnitude of how bad this Horford signing is, comparing him to someone like Andrew Bynum (blockbuster trade who didn't play a single game) which is really fucking bad. However, the name I saw that scared me even more is Chris Webber. Chris Webber was brought in to be the missing piece to get the Sixers over the hump and finally pair Allen Iverson with the All Star that he deserved. We threw a ton of money at a perennial all star in the back end of his career who arrived in Philly only to suck. He set us back financially and eventually ended the Allen Iverson era in Philadelphia. If we cant find a way to get rid of this Horford contract after the season, I am terrified of the slight possibility that history will repeat itself. Do I think this team (when healthy) is good enough to win despite the problem that is Al? Obviously I do. A lot of things are pointing in the right direction. Shake is coming along as a really good player. GRIII looked fantastic last night. Burks is looking to be a nice spark off the bench. However, I would just be lying to you if I told you I wasn't scared. 

      I don't want to look back at this era of basketball in Philly and wonder what could have been, like I do with Iverson. Allen Iverson was a top 3 player in the game and never won a title because management was incapable of bringing in the right pieces to pair with him. If we don't win a title with Embiid and Simmons due to the financial burden that is Al Horford, it will haunt me forever. Now donate to the cause, and get this contract off the books.