It’s no secret to 106.7 The Fan listeners that Michael Lombardi was no fan of Dan Snyder or Bruce Allen.
Thursday Lombardi, a guest on the “Sports Junkies” morning show on 106.7 The Fan, offered some open opinions on current Philadelphia 76ers owner and pending Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris.
Lombardi has worked for the 49ers, Eagles, Browns, Raiders and Patriots. He has never shied away from presenting his opinion.
Thursday, Lombardi warned Commanders fans that he feels Harris is too interested in making sure his players are happy.
“As a Washington fan, I’d be concerned he is too player-friendly and wants too much for the players to be happy,” Lombardi said. “I’ve never been part of a program that worked if you’re not driving the players to be the best that can be. A former Canadiens (NHL Montreal franchise) player once told me they hated Scotty Bowman 363 days a year, but the day they got the Stanley Cup, they loved him.”
Lombardi was direct in saying Harris listened to those who were into analytics, resulting in the 76ers trading away Mikal Bridges for Zhaire Smith and Smith is not even in the G League, while Bridges is an All-Star.
“After 35 years studying players, I can tell you there are no two players who are exactly the same – so there’s no question Josh Harris will spend money and has the will to win, but what makes this tough with new ownership is, do they know how to make moves and build a culture within the building? The Commanders haven’t had a culture in the building since Dan Snyder bought the team, so this will take a lot of work.”
Lombardi doesn’t buy into the narrative that Ron Rivera has built a winning culture for the Commanders or the Panthers.
“What you hear is that he’s a player-friendly coach, but somebody has to drive the bus and run the program – if you’re player-friendly and not demanding? I’m not saying that you have to have a hard edge, but you have to be demanding and put the burden on the players to be the best they can be,” Lombardi said. “The Commanders are talented, but talent alone isn’t going to win anything. Ultimately, you have to be able to put the players in a situation to succeed.”
Lombardi does not take too kindly to Harris’s in-game involvement either.
“He sits right next to Doc Rivers on the bench, and to me, you shouldn’t be sitting there because that’s an awful message,” Lombardi said. “You need to have a global view of it. One of the reasons the 76ers don’t achieve is because they spoil all their best players. That comes from ownership; teams that win in the NFL, the owner drives the culture by saying the kind of team they want. If you want to be player-friendly, that’s great, but you’re never going to win a championship.”
There was more, but space does not permit it here. Check out the link I’ve provided above. The discussion was well worth the listen.
