CAMDEN, N.J. β The clinical Daryl Morey was reduced to something far less than heβs projected to be, or perhaps he was elevated for a moment, into a moment, as his victory lap was halted by the most sobering news.
The 76ers president had been beckoned away during his media day appearance by team personnel, moments after it was announced Dikembe Mutombo passed away Monday morning following a bout with brain cancer.
When Morey returned, his wide smile was gone, replaced by reddened eyes, a shaken voice and stunned movements. He couldnβt bring himself to answer the next question about the emergence of Tyrese Maxey, but he delivered a personal recollection of the Hall of Fame center.
βI knew him personally, we were together for many seasons in Houston, obviously very important to the Sixers franchise as well,β Morey said. βJust a great human being. When I was a rookie GM in this league, he was someone I went to all the time. His accomplishments on the court, we donβt need to talk about too much. Just an amazing human being, what he did off the court for Africa.β
It was the 76ers’ acquisition of Mutombo in 2001 following an outstanding performance in the Eastern Conferenceβs comeback win in the All-Star Game that buoyed him from Atlanta to Philadelphia, the catalyst in the franchiseβs improbable run to the NBA Finals that June.
He was the Defensive Player of the Year that season, his fourth such honor, and even though that team could muster just one win against the powerful Los Angeles Lakers, it’s remembered fondly because of Mutombo, and, of course, Allen Iverson and coach Larry Brown, and its scrappy mentality β along with two seventh game triumphs in getting to the Finals. Philadelphia hasn’t been to the Finals since.
76ers star Joel Embiid called Mutombo a βrole model.β
βItβs a sad day, especially for us Africans,β Embiid said. βOther than what he accomplished on the court, I think he was better off the court. Heβs one of the guys I look up to, as far as having an impact.β
Mutomboβs impact, beginning stateside at Georgetown alongside Alonzo Mourning and under late coach John Thompson, clearly stretched to Embiid all those years later once he finally picked up a basketball in his teens.
Embiidβs recent regular seasons have been Hall-worthy, but heβs still searching for that Mutombo clutching-the-ball-and-cradling-it moment like he did in Seattle in 1994 when Mutomboβs Denver Nuggets shocked the top-seeded SuperSonics in the first round, the first ever 1-8 upset.
Embiid has had different iterations of teammates after heβs reached elite status.
βConsistency. Thatβs really all I demand,β Embiid said. βIf you keep switching guys every year, two years, I donβt think that takes you anywhere. If you look at some of the teams whoβve won, theyβve been together for awhile.
βFor me, itβs all about consistency.β
Embiid has been the constant, but he hasnβt been able to carry the 76ers over the hump. He gutted out Bellβs palsy against the Knicks in the first round, gamely scoring 33 a night while Maxey ran circles around everyone defending him. It wasnβt enough, and the doubts on whether the 76ers’ window closed before it opened became irresistible to discuss.
On a day filled with unexpected sadness, the expectations are still quite loud and undeniable in Philadelphia. Morey pulled off a coup when Paul George shunned his hometown Los Angeles Clippers and resisted overtures from the Golden State Warriors to fit perfectly into the 76ers’ cap space this summer.
So while George is yet another alteration, he does play the style that fits easily into how the 76ers envision themselves. Heβs a malleable two-way wing, a steady plus-40 percent 3-point shooter who works well with the space Embiid will create by mere presence and the gravity Maxey will force by his speed.
And for Embiid, George is the most consistent co-star heβs had since Jimmy Butler, and even though George missed considerable time in three of his five seasons in Los Angeles, itβs better than Ben Simmons or James Harden.
It helps that George seems over himself, too, having gone through the gauntlet in Indiana, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles.
βI always saw myself as being one of the best players in the league,β George said. βInitially, I wanted it to be mine, in a selfish way of pushing myself, wanting to be great. I wanted everything to fall on to my shoulders. Going through it and having injuries (in Indiana) and going against competitive and a well-balanced and superstar team in Miami, you can’t do it alone. You know, you need star power. You need firepower.β
George is 34, the same age Mutombo was when he was rescued from Atlanta to be a big piece alongside the little man in Philly. Mutomboβs age mightβve prevented Philadelphia from taking more runs at the title, but if history is a guide, these 76ers might have enough for a real shot at a ring.