From the Archives: The History of "The Process"
It wasn’t even a year ago that I wrote my History of “The Process” — and oh how things have changed in Philadelphia. Tonight the 76ers will host the Knicks in Game 6, hoping to avoid elimination again after pulling off a miracle in Game 5. In some ways, this series has been very familiar for Sixers superstar Joel Embiid: yet another mysterious health issue, and conspicuous absence in big moments.
But in another way, this series has been different. While Embiid has generally been well-liked across the league, he has turned into a villain, with a bunch of dirty plays.
If Philadelphia doesn’t win tonight, it’s quite possible they would trade Embiid — which would, as I wrote last year, be the final, complete, and official end of “The Process.” How did we get here?
A History of “The Process,” Part I: Sowing
Two Sundays ago, just a few days after Joel Embiid was named NBA MVP, the Philadelphia 76ers were bounced from the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. It’s the third straight year, and fifth time in six seasons, that the Sixers lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals; the franchise has not made the Conference Finals since 2001. Just two days after they we…
A History of "The Process," Part II: Reaping
Since we started our look back at “The Process,” the 76ers hired Nick Nurse to be their new coach. He seems like a good fit? It’s a little ironic, given the role his team played in killing Philly’s best chance at a title. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves… Anyway, if you missed Part I in our story,
A History of "The Process," Part III: Trying
OK, initially this was supposed to be the final installment of our Process series, but of course it ran too long for a single email, so I had to break it up. If you missed the earlier pieces, Part I is here and Part II is here. I am almost sure Part IV will be the last one, and I will one day write about something else.
A History of "The Process," Part IV: Failing
When The Process first started — or at least when I first became aware of it in the mid-2010s — I figured it was just basketball’s answer to Moneyball. That is, a way for teams to “win” without paying players their fair share. But as time passed, I realized that wasn’t exactly right. After all, the sabermetric revolution that wa…
Episode 42: Remembering "The Process"
The Lefty Specialists are back to discuss a history of “The Process”… It has now been a decade since the Philadelphia 76ers hired Sam Hinkie as their General Manager and embarked on a radical experiment in building an NBA team. So today John looks back at what the Process was, its material roots in the fight between labor and capital…