When the worst coach in NBA history nearly killed himself after winning his first game
In 1972, the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA made the peculiar decision to place a job advertisement in a local newspaper. The job on offer was the position of head coach. Shortly after, the team hired Roy Rubin, a coach at Long Island University.
Unfortunately, Roy Rubin was unequipped for the challenge of coaching at the NBA level. Former Sixer Fred Carter recently told ESPN how Rubin was in over his head from day one.
"He wasn't kind of in over his head," Carter said. "He was in over his head. With all due respect to Roy, he was offered a job he couldn't handle. But he couldn't turn it down either."
One of the more strange moments of Rubin's coaching career came after the Philadelphia 76ers first win with him as coach. Rubin jumped off a bench in celebration, seriously injuring himself in the process.
"They defeated the Houston Rockets by two points, and Rubin was so excited that he leaped off the bench to celebrate -- apparently severely injuring himself," ESPN's Anthony Olivieri wrote.
"His teammates had to carry him off the court. Block says Rubin tore his hamstring and fell hard to the ground: "(He) just crumpled to the floor because he was so excited to win his first NBA game."
Rubin's Philadelphia 76ers team won four games under his stewardship and quickly became one of the worst teams in the NBA. Fifty years later, Roy Rubin is widely regarded as the worst coach in NBA history.
Joel Embiid wants James Harden to stay with NBA team Philadelphia 76ers
A lot has changed in the 50 years since Roy Rubin coached the Philadelphia 76ers. The Eastern Conference franchise now boasts the 2023 league MVP in Joel Embiid and has one of the all-time great scorers on their roster in James Harden.
Unfortunately, Harden is likely to move on from the Philadelphia 76ers this summer and has reportedly requested a trade. Joel Embiid told Rachel Nichols that he would prefer for Harden to remain with the Sixers for the upcoming season.
Spoke to Joel Embiid about James Harden’s trade request - Embiid said he’s hopeful Harden’s “mindset can be changed.” The two were partying with @MichaelRubin last night at the @Fanatics/@TheNBPA Summer League blowout. https://t.co/9sKwp3HGsg
“Disappointed (about the trade request), Embiid said. "But then again, I also understand it’s business. People make decisions and I’m more appreciative of the way he’s handled the whole situation.
"We’re going to be boys forever. (I) want him to come back, obviously, so we can go out and accomplish what we want, which is to win a championship. Hopefully, his mindset can be changed.”
The duo of Harden and Embiid have failed to make the Eastern Conference Finals in two playoffs. However, the Philadelphia 76ers recently hired Nick Nurse as their new coach and will be confident of making a deep postseason run next season.
Whether or not Harden is part of the Philadelphia 76ers roster by the time the new NBA season starts is a different question, though. Harden is no longer the unstoppable scorer he once was but has altered his game to become more of a primary playmaker and secondary scorer - which that align well with Embiid's game.
The Philadelphia 76ers will hope to keep Harden around heading into the next NBA season.