Barkley, who was a pivotal figure during his first eight years in the Hall of Fame with the 76ers, issued a caution to his former squad after their season opener loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. During TNT’s postgame analysis, Barkley expressed his belief that the 76ers are perilously close to driving Joel Embiid away.
“The Sixers are on thin ice right now with their MVP,” Barkley said. “If I’m Joel Embiid … first of all, you guys chose between Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons. You all chose that, now. Then I had to go through the Simmons thing. Now, I’m in the middle of my prime. I’m MVP. I’ve been second two times and I’ve won one. And I’ve got to deal with this noise.
“It’s no doubt in my mind Joel Embiid gonna say, ‘You know what? No hard feelings. I gotta go.’
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He also spoke about James Harden’s return to the team, which he says can no longer happen.
“It’s not tough to figure out: James Harden can’t come back to Philly, them fans ain’t gonna have it,” Barkley said. “The fans ain’t gonna have it. He can’t treat the city of Philadelphia like that and they’re gonna forgive and forget — I said the same thing with Ben Simmons when they were trying, like, ‘We want Ben Simmons back.’ I’m like, they’re not gonna take him back.”
Barkley’s words are rooted in personal experience. The 76ers traded him to the Phoenix Suns in 1992 when he became disillusioned with the team’s direction. He has openly confessed that he didn’t want to play for a “poorly managed organization” any longer.
Could Embiid ultimately feel the same way about the 76ers? There have been numerous indications that he is growing weary of the constant drama in Philadelphia. For years, Embiid has been advocating for fans to “trust the process,” even making it his nickname. But one can’t help but wonder if he still trusts it. Barkley believes that a breaking point may be rapidly approaching.
Will James Harden really be happy with a reduced role?
It’s evident that Charles is deeply displeased with the current state of his former team.
