Led by former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, the Philadelphia 76ers are off to a disappointing 1-5 start in the NBA's 2024-25 regular season. The lack of availability of Paul George and Joel Embiid has certainly played a role in that underwhelming record. But even so, with Tyrese Maxey leading the way, it's still a rough start for a team that viewed itself as an Eastern Conference title contender going into the season. Understandably, that's led to some people around the league questioning Morey, now president of basketball operations with the Sixers. In a conversation Wednesday on ESPN's First Take, Stephen A. Smith shared this anecdote pertaining to Morey's Houston years: They’re not going to be happy that I revealed this, but I didn’t find this out from the parties involved, so they’re just going to have to get over it. One of the things that led Tilman Fertitta wanting Daryl Morey out of Houston is that they would literally lose a playoff game or a series and Daryl Morey would walk up to him with the analytics and say, 'See, we actually won.' Are you kidding me? He’s respected because of his analytics and obviously knows the game of basketball, but he hasn’t won a championship yet.
