Daryl Morey on The Harden Situation, Maxey, Embiid, Star Hunting, And A Fight With Mike

Daryl Morey finally traded James Harden, so we allowed him to come back to the Ricky. We talk about the entire Harden saga, Nick Nurse's arrival as coach, the things Joel Embiid is doing and can do to get over the hump, the ceiling of Tyrese Maxey, signing Kelly Oubre, and the calculus of star hunting. We also discuss the value of Elton Brand, and Daryl and Mike argue for 20 minutes on the value of getting past the second round.
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[@quickis35]

I’m more in now than I’ve been since the Jimmy season. It’s likely this isn’t the final version of the roster but we’ve never even come close to this level of depth and athleticism. And I gotta give props to NN. I didn’t think his scheme would be so impactful and certainly not so quickly. I don’t think this team has even found it’s stride yet. Don’t sleep on the Sixers

[@bogoodski]

That went so off the rails in the best RTRS way possible. Respect to Daryl for playing along, while still also providing insight. Great stuff.

[@alterego877]

Mike represents me better than any politician ever has!! Thanks man, seriously. That last 20 minutes was basically therapy for me

[@therealallpro]

Same for me... but with Morey.

[@lexis4490]

I can’t imagine doing Morey’s job. He has so many people he have to deal with, including an owner who seems more excited about his other team. I got respect for him.

[@robertshultz8218]

Phenomenal interview - Mike is all of us.

[@Byronic19134]

Not with that corduroy hat he’s not.

[@surprisinglyroomy]

Yeah and Daryl trying to point out double standards with the expectations stuff while simultaneously boasting regular season accolades but also saying all that matters is the championship, was so annoying as a fan of this- yes Daryl, godforsaken team!

[@bingjohnsonw6580]

He is 1000000% not us. He’s the reason the fanbase has a terrible reputation. He dosnt even live here and hasn’t for decades!! What a bad comment

[@surprisinglyroomy]

@@bingjohnsonw6580 he grew up here and left because of his job? And what does he do wrong? Care about the team?

[@leonidaskesaris1337]

The Daryl interviews are some of the best basketball content Ive ever seem

[@blakewatt7936]

i’m dying at how real you guys kept with him😂 I’m happy you guys brought up the backup 5 pickups the last couple years to him too lol

[@Driving_Crooner]

Probably the best Ricky episode I've seen. Daryl is the man. Mike touches on all of our collective neuroses as a fanbase and it's amazing

[@jimschule]

Your issue is with the playoff system killed me

[@ethanboldtfamily]

Agree. All-time best pod so far. Prepared, funny, humorous ... Spike and Mike brought it. And hats off to Daryl, who you can tell loves the banter and the questions.

[@jackzeldon2883]

Morey should've been fired 2 yrs ago..... so watching these privileged boys suck off another privileged failure was def entertaining....... b/c that's the job of Phila sports media - to protect the failures who own & run the 76ers..... Nurse was a disaster the last 3 yrs in Toronto - his own players despised him & Siakam had to be physically restrained from attacking him & not a single ques from Phila cuck media - even Spike's sugar daddy knew his place & did not say a single word at the Nurse intro press conf

[@Gardocki74]

It is always cool that he does this.

[@timstar28]

Daryl wants his apology forms 😂 I sent mine in Friday. I see yall sneaking cov into the intro too 😂 but the thing I like most about Morey is, he's always a good sport about stuff n can joke about it.

[@PIBoost]

Just ignore whatever press conference Daryl does from now on and wait to get the real answers on the inevitable podcast appearance. Pretty cool he’s the only GM that does this

[@shindama]

So glad Morey is back. He’s a man of the people. He’s seemingly cares about us

[@redman6790]

In Morey We Trust has always been my motto. He guarantees a competitive team, he is by far the most influential GM of our generation and doesn't flop to fan/external pressure.

[@SethFowler]

Nice! Moreys back!

[@TheCeraminator]

I listened to the pod cast that followed Harden calling Daryl a lier. James Harden deserved all the meanness you aimed his way but I think you were too mean to Daryl. I'm really glad he's still so willing to have fun and mix it up with you both. That was an absolute blast to watch and listen to.

[@rob111094]

Excellent interview and great podcast as always!

[@ethanboldtfamily]

So Tobias is not the 3rd star? Do we really need a 3rd "star" rather than just have a lot of really good players behind Joel and Tyrese and who play their roles to a T (a la Jokic, Murray and the Nuggets role players from last year)? These are two questions that Mike left on the table. Otherwise, just a great job on this pod. My all-time favorite so far ... chemistry, content and humor was off the charts.

[@jb2881]

Agree. JJ Redick just had a segment where he explained the most benefit to the sixers would likely be elite 3 snd D guys who have a little bit of a handle. Think Anunoby or Alex Caruso. Nuggets proved you only need one superstar and one borderline star, with great role players. Id take that over adding a 3rd star with question marks on fit within the team

[@jackzeldon2883]

@@jb2881 Nuggets played the easiest playoff opponents for a champion in NBA history - 14, 15, 9 & 11 seeds... that will never happen again..... this slob Morey already wasted 2 yrs of Embiid's prime w/ the ridiculous washed Harden trade now he'll waste a 3rd b/c he got nothing for Harden & Nurse who was a Disaster the last 3 yrs in Toronto is the HC.... this team may get bounced in Rnd One

[@yamyamyams2629]

I want to do circle time.

[@swagtropolis4322]

I actually saw Bball Paul in Vegas like 2 hours before Morey matched the offer. He really thought he wasn’t coming back lol. Glad that wasn’t the case.

[@zackmose]

30:45 Mike's face when Morey says "Ballsack" is incredible, I love it

[@seydaneen8970]

i think he dropped a "ballsack" the last time he was on the pod too 😆

[@johnmack3307]

Dropping the pod ultra early...love it!

[@ethanboldtfamily]

Mike really backed Daryl into the corner regarding playoff success. Well done. All Daryl had to say was, "We succeeded during the regular but have failed in the playoffs. Simple as that. We aim to change that with a new coach and a new rotation. We're off to a good spot." But he just couldn't do it and got a little defensive … and dragged it out. Lucky for him it was at the end of the pod. Frankly, I think this team has a good shot at going to the ECF and facing the Celtics. So yes, getting through the second round. But it won't just be because Embiid will hopefully not be injured and will perform well, but also because this team finally has a very competent head coach. We've all seen the difference so far. It's night and day on both ends of the court.

[@Byronic19134]

What is Morey suppose to say? And what is the point it’s in the past and he did make the changes. This obsession with past failures is so weird. Also going by actual talent ad odds the Sixers overachieved n took a Celtics team that should have won in 5 to 7.

[@joelashadali]

Thank you for this guys!!!

[@ryanrowe1975]

Morey is back!

[@colinwood8631]

Im weirdly happy to see the outro make a return

[@RightsToRickySanchez]

haha thanks! it’s always on spotify, not much so YT, since we normally do YT live

[@DavidH1]

Great interview.

[@Justin-fx9xu]

great interview guys! just saw this podcast.

[@alanrappeport7080]

So good. Thank you.

[@ericwittman3]

“Elton’s got gaps. I’ve got gaps. Together we fill gaps.”

[@robsmith5434]

👀

[@lonewolfnh89]

great episode. longest I heard Daryl talk.

[@Cybertron429]

Great interview gentlemen.

[@hamishmccluggage3139]

You guys are so bloody good.

[@josephsemet449]

LETS GO! great pod to wake up to. Daryl/cj kings

[@Pupsterization122]

Oh damn I gotta get my cereal prepared for this episode

[@beedebawng2556]

Should've never brought Harden to this team. All of the indicators were there for how capricious James is as a person. There were other stars with a greater star window available on the market. Embiid wanted someone other than James. Daryl was more interested in doing his boy a favor. Yet, his boy got here and showed little to no gratitude, humility or professionalism. From day 1 of his arrival, Harden displayed conceit and from day 1 of training camp he was lobbying for himself to be a fixture of the offense. Harden was constantly trying to take the reigns of the team, while Embiid was bending over backwards in order not to have an outright spat with him. Embiid needed Doc to hold Harden accountable, so that he wouldn't wind up in direct confrontation with Harden over how best to play.

[@jasonmurdock6495]

Bro impressive you spot on with this never wanted harden i knew this would happen

[@DOGroove]

Whoa. I didn’t think he would come back on. Morey is the GOAT.

[@yamyamyams2629]

He ain't no goat. stop

[@officialthomasjames]

He's far from it. Hasn't won anything for us yet.

[@JPK524]

And great as this interview was , many would agree with me if I say you guys still never asked him the ultimate question “ DID YOU LIE TO JAMES ? ”

[@Shawn1986W]

They literally couldn't ask that because if Morey ever said yes they would be killed by the NBA

[@vbirds10]

It strikes me as pretty clear now that morey is gonna use most of the assets in February

[@jandldad]

From the Ramona Shelburne article Daryl referenced: Quote from Josh Harris: “ In sports, you can’t make it about money. You have to make it about winning and you have to make it about engaging with the city.” Next paragraph: in that respect, Harris hasn’t succeeded. The Sixers have won 248 regular season games over the past five seasons, tied for second, most in that span, but haven’t made a conference finals. The devils have made the playoffs just twice in Harris’s tenure. And Crystal Palace hasn’t finished higher than 11th in the Premier league table. It’s been humbling.

[@garretthalpern2000]

My intro video is back!!!! Even if just for a day i’ll take it 😂😂😂

[@RightsToRickySanchez]

legend

[@mcolem05]

This was great lol

[@iangoodall5605]

Love a good old state of the union address

[@raptormoments]

shouts to the raptors hat

[@cashmaker81]

How big is this circle?

[@MattMungan]

Did I hear a toilet flushing at 1:25:24?

[@bogoodski]

First of the west coasters?

[@sean962]

I honestly cannot tell if Daryl is trolling or just being obtuse. Mike is making perfect sense and the idea that a guy with Morey's education and intelligence lacks the ability to hold two opposed ideas in hid mind at the same time and still function. Of COURSE the goal should always be to win a championship and I do not doubt that Daryl is doing his utmost to achieve that goal. But that fact, and the fact that there is a maybe 5-10% chance to win a title is just as true as the fact that this particular Sixers team has REPEATEDLY failed in a seven game series when faced with serious competition (be honest, if it werent for the fact that owners make more on the playoffs than the regular season, the top three or four from each conference would only make the playoffs). And their failures have both been of the gutless variety (see: Simmons, Ben; Harden, James) or just simply to arch rivals. And while true that a couple of bounces go here or there and things are different, that's just as lame an excuse as his old bosses on Wall Street would find it. It's just maddening, debate club nonsense to parse Mike's words in any other way. Sorry, for a smart guy, he just drives me NUTS in interviews, because I really don't think he's listening because he's coming in pre-defensive.

[@st-christian14]

Batum is here! Let's go!

[@DTMJR1987]

Daryl's a real one (bring Jimmy Butler home. I know you read this, Daryl)

[@jasonmurdock6495]

Butler would be crazyyyyy

[@loadmeister9010]

Noticed halfway through that they each have a different formatted name .. why are they all different?

[@user-bn4xn8zn5m]

Here is a question for Morey , if we taxed you at 90% on your income, would you be less committed to the Sixers? Or would your work output be more or less the same? Why?

[@benjaminlindsey6573]

New Ricky tee: No Dead Hands

[@kevinmurphy8653]

Mike going so hard😂

[@Blair-designerwear-LBD]

Hilarious !!! In a good sense.. …

[@Jeffberg42]

Who rocks? You rocks!:-)

[@duancooper3877]

It's a great thing to have an attitude of a troll/easy going guy because to sit and have the patience to listen to a guy(Levin) go on and on like that without saying "alright you've gotta chill out because you're way too anal right now. You're a man who needs to get outside more." is remarkable.

[@quickis35]

Bynum never played either. There’s a long history of us trading for guys who never play. Smh

[@aRoNDaMan11]

All hail Mike Muscala

[@bingjohnsonw6580]

The question that needed to be asked was how much longer do we have to pretend that Paul Reed is a rotation player on a contender? Until they can get a 2nd rounder for him? The real fans know the reality of Reed. Please never listen to Mike regarding anything that involves roster building and chemistry.

[@benjaminconner8131]

Hopefully we can trade a second and one of the new guys for Tyus Jones

[@yamyamyams2629]

Its soo weird normally when im unhappy with a GM/President i cant stand there face. Im really unhappy with the chaos and uncertainty morey's ultimately brought to this franchise that being said I don't hate his face.

[@joelashadali]

The curious case Daryl Morey Odd and interesting fellow Could have really buried Harden but he didnt. Also he was candid at least as much as he could be

[@ethanboldtfamily]

Yep. Smart man with how he handled all that and was at this best today.

[@rmcilveen12]

Ugly hats but a great interview 👍.

[@surprisinglyroomy]

What happened to calling out Daryl’s ums?

[@jackzeldon2883]

Philly sports media exists to protect this Disaster Morey & the even bigger disaster wall st crook owner Josh Harris.... Nick Nurse was a fuk'ing Mess in Toronto - his players were going on record w/ the press how incompetent Nurse is & worse he's such a scumbag Raptors staff had to rescue Nurse from Siakam beating his azz - man was 116-120 last 3 yrs & not a single ques from Phila media..... Spike deep throating this slob is what I expect

[@timstar28]

Circle time T shirts? 😂 🔵 🔴

[@davidmorrison7323]

Yes!

[@alexchoman6301]

Anybody want to be in a sixers group chat? I had a falling out with a close friend who was also a sixers fan and there’s a void in my life. My wife says I need more friends.

[@unbiasedopinion4743]

Why is Spike in Philly politics? Isn’t he a New Yorker now?

[@RightsToRickySanchez]

Spike is not in Philly politics. Daryl Morey is the President of Basketball Operations for the Sixers, not the actual president. Also Spike lives in New Jersey. - Spike

[@unbiasedopinion4743]

@@RightsToRickySanchez pick a side bro. You either with us or you with them

[@shindama]

@@unbiasedopinion4743you are a dope… Howard Eskin would destroy this tough guy behind a keyboard

[@fakeMaxey0]

Totally disingenuous Spike, but he gave the fans and the Ricky the time. Team is good. We have draft picks and no Harden/Ben. I wish you guys had saved like ⌛ for Jaden over James. Great listen 💪

[@totti89228]

Why the blind elton brand support? Do we not forget the horford trade? The tobias contract which has crushed embid in his prime? Butler?

[@RightsToRickySanchez]

Perhaps because the support is not blind. - Spike

[@totti89228]

@@RightsToRickySanchez and you mean that to say Elton is to blame for those Franchise altering mistakes or those supporters are not blind because they don't believe those to be errors

[@RightsToRickySanchez]

@@totti89228 If you listen to the pod, I've explained this at least 75 times.

[@totti89228]

@@RightsToRickySanchez well I heard something along the lines as" my fear is Elton brand goes elsewhere"... You got the same attitude as daddy. Not sure why your getting all pissy good way to treat a loyal listener and attender of every draft party

[@jackzeldon2883]

the job of Phila sports media is to protect 76ers ownership & management..... Harris has been a disaster & Morey is a failure who should have been fired 2 yrs ago..... now Phila is stuck w/ incompetent Morey & his CYA hire head coach Nurse who had to be rescued by his own staff from Pascal Siakam beating him down b/c players discovered Nurse was blaming the players for his failure as coach to media (116-120 last 3 yrs)..... So we'll see a 3rd yr of Embiid's prime wasted - but I enjoy watching privileged boy Spike give this pos Morey a hand job on his pod cast

[@HTSGOSU]

Backup PG solution: play Maxey 48

[@officialthomasjames]

Bring Jimmy back

[@Jeffberg42]

re putting things into people's minds: I like to say: "I swear scientifically, as I drink medicinally.:-)

[@jimmythegeekstickeyrice6062]

Let it go the past is history tomorrow is a mystery enjoy the present. I’m 75 been around since before the Cowboys existed. Your generation needs to grow a penis stop the damn dissection of things. Daryl keep up the great work….

[@swagtropolis4322]

What’s the point of focusing on the second round as a GM? Lol. You have to see the absurdity of fandom in that question lol

[@JesseHaley617]

That is one goofy GM.

[@officialthomasjames]

Why can't he simply answer what he likes about Nick as coach? I hate these childish games.

[@BG-sj7zh]

Morey doesnt get that the playoffs are all that matter. No one cares about the regular season

[@user-bn4xn8zn5m]

As a basketball GM/President, shouldn't you at least attempt to be objective and to respect different dispositions of the fan base.. Calling Trump a "liar" when our institutions are aligning to rig the next election against him. I'm on the damn left. you could stick a gun to my head, I'm not voting for that man but to belittle him under these national circumstances like that publicly is immature and childish. It fakes a kind of sophistication that is rather infantile.

[@user-bn4xn8zn5m]

If we taxed people like Morey at 90% , I believe they would be less reckless in how they talk about our politics and far less partisan. They would have a serious commitment to the polity rather than this narcissistic , arrogant sensibility that really devalues the average citizen.

[@jackzeldon2883]

gr8 post - i'm a registered Dem 30 yrs & the trump derangement is a literal Rorschach Ink Blot test b/c only the bougie Wht privileged Liberal experiences it - like this privileged clown Morey who has no idea nor cares that the poor & working class Especially in Phila has been Devastated by the DC uni-party & THAT is why Trump was elected - so to listen to this pretentious pos who is a failure at his job, should have been fired 2 yrs ago talking Politics enrages me b/c IDGAF about his opinion & Spike - like typical Phila sports media - kissing this incompetent's fraud's azz makes me even angrier