Chris Mannix eviscerated Daryl Morey for “pandering” about Joel Embiid not being an All-Star starter.
Mannix, a reporter for Sports Illustrated and TV analyst for NBC Sports Boston, was appearing on the latter and fired off a vicious rant directed at the 76ers president of basketball operations. Last week, Morey blamed the “shameless” Boston media for blocking Embiid’s accolades.
“First of all it’s pandering, obviously,” Mannix began. “He’s on a local radio station, doing his thing … He’s also wrong. The media voted Joel Embiid No. 3. That means he was voted a starter, by the media. The players voted him No. 3. The fans voted him No. 4. So, maybe Daryl, you should go to your marketing department and say, ‘How is it that Philadelphia, population 1.5 million, was outvoted by Milwaukee, population 500,000?’
“He’s talking, probably, about someone like me, who by the way voted Joel Embiid a starter over Giannis Antetokounmpo, or he’s talking about Bill Simmons, or Ryen Russillo.”
Embiid is averaging 33.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this season.
Russillo responded to this clip, saying that he, Bill Simmons and Kevin O’Connor from The Ringer all voted for Embiid.
Mannix continued his rant, harping on the word “shameless” — and turning it around on Morey in the executive’s job mobility in leaving the Rockets and ultimately landing with the Sixers.
“Here’s what someone might consider shameless,” Mannix said. “How about if you’re an executive of a team that you build up in a somewhat-contender way, and then when that team is on fire and burnt down to the ground, you leave, say you’re gonna take some time off, and then weeks later you reemerge with a contender. Some might say that is shameless.”
