Remember when the Sixers won free agency by signing Paul George to a four-year max contract? The New York Knicks' division rival was praised for pairing another star beside Joel Embiid. It didn't matter that George is 34 and has a concerning injury history.
The Knicks were criticized for signing OG Anunoby to a four-year deal, a player Philadelphia would've reportedly pivoted to if George stayed in Los Angeles. Anunoby has a not-so-good injury history, but he's seven years younger, and New York knew how well he fit in with the team after the midseason trade.
So far, the Anunoby signing has aged much better than the George signing. The latter hyperextended his knee in the preseason and missed time, and soon after he returned, he hyperextended it again. PG3 has since returned to action again, but he doesn't look like the star fans thought they were getting.
He's averaging a career-low 16.2 points (his lowest in over a decade), 5.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game, shooting a career-worst 41.4% from the field and 33.5% from three. An unnamed executive summed George's play up perfectly to ESPN (subscription required):
"Philly probably knew there was a chance they'd have a rough PG year on this contract but they probably thought it would be year four -- not year one."
Sixers will be lucky to end the season as a Play-In Tournament team
Most of the offseason talk revolved around the Celtics, Knicks, and Sixers being the top three teams in the East. The Cavaliers must've taken that personally, as they have the best record in the league. Boston has the second-best record in the conference, followed by New York. Where is Philly? Out of Play-In Tournament range.
Luck hasn't been on the Sixers' side regarding injuries, as rookie Jared McCain underwent season-ending surgery on his knee. Everyone knew George and Embiid wouldn't come close to playing all 82 regular-season games, but there wasn't enough emphasis on pairing two injury-prone stars together.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontempts ranked George and Embiid among the league's most disappointing players, and there's no arguing their place on the list. Embiid has played in only 13 games. He's missed the Sixers' previous three contests with a foot injury. If it's not one thing, it's another for Philadelphia.
The Sixers were too desperate to end their Eastern Conference Finals drought. It's still too early to say the George signing will go down as a complete failure, but it's not looking good.
Front offices around the league are reminding Knicks fans how thankful they should be to have someone like Leon Rose in charge. He patiently changed New York from a non-playoff team into a contender. Morey could learn something from Rose, but hopefully, he doesn't.