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Here's why the Sixers will be the next Philly team to win a title*

I was fortunate enough to be on site for the 11th annual Normandy Cup this past weekend. While everybody knows that the Normandy Cup is regarded as the most illustrious wiffle ball tournament held in the United States of America in the middle of Ardmore on the last Saturday of June, you might not know that it is also a gathering of some of the greatest sports strategists in Delaware Valley, which can lend an almost incubator-type feel to the event.

After six hours of incubating in the sun, everybody drinks beer and solves all of the problems with Philadelphia sports. It's kind of like the Sloan Analytics Conference for Irish-Americans with rapidly degenerating bodies.

Anyway, one of the discussions at this year's gathering centered around the future of Philadelphia sports, specifically, which of the four major* professional sports teams will be the next to win a championship (*for the purposes of this discussion, we are considering hockey to be major).

The roundtable began with a convincing presentation by self-renowned expert Tom O'Gara, who concluded that the Sixers were the team best poised to secure a ring. One of O'Gara's more compelling arguments came when somebody pointed out that the Sixers will be playing in the same conference as LeBron James for the foreseeable future, an observation that he rebutted by saying that he had not thought of that, at which point the audience had little choice but to agree.

No doubt, this is a question that many of us have considered before. But it's worth a fresh look now that the Sixers have added Ben Simmons, the Phillies have added Mickey Moniak, and the Flyers have added a bunch of guys who might have registered for the draft using their stage names (Bartender lowers the phone and yells, "Yo, I'm lookin' for a German Rubtsov or a Kieffer Bellows…"; yeah, we've all used that one before). Oh, and lest we forget, the Eagles are coming off a spring in which they re-signed Sam Bradford.
So, who's got the best chance to lead the next procession down Broad Street? Let's start by considering the arguments for and against each team.

PHILLIES

THE CASE FOR: The Phillies had a great June. Not only did they add Moniak, the top overall pick in this year's draft, but they also made significant strides toward securing the top overall pick in next year's draft thanks to a 6-24 run that has included losing streaks of seven and nine games. After a hot start had them staring at the possibility of a mid-round draft pick, the Phillies have charged to within seven games of the Twins for the worst record in baseball. As of Monday morning, only three teams were worse than their 32-45 mark, and their most acclaimed young hitter and pitcher were both mired in ugly sophomore slumps. Another No. 1 overall pick would give the Phillies a chance to add another centerpiece-type bat who might be ready to help them bring home Philadelphia's next title in 2020, when the Sixers will be losing to LeBron in the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight year.

THE CASE AGAINST: Tonight, 9:40 p.m., Comcast SportsNet.

EAGLES

THE CASE FOR: The Eagles clearly have an inside source on the NFL's competition committee, which is the only way to explain their determination to build a roster that affords them the luxury of having three players capable of throwing forward passes on the field at the same time. Compare that to a team like the Jets that, with Geno Smith and Christian Hackenberg in the fold, has none. A quick look around the league shows that the Eagles will be in a unique position to capitalize whenever the expected rule changes go through.

THE CASE AGAINST: The Eagles' decision to trade next year's first-round pick along with a second and a third to move up to No. 2 in this year's draft was debatable even before they used the selection on Carson Wentz. Then, head coach Doug Pederson revealed that Wentz has a rare condition that causes him to "bleed winning" instead of the more common mixture of plasma, platelets and red and white blood cells. Until Wentz shows us that winning is capable of transporting oxygen and nutrients to the lungs, the jury is very much out.

FLYERS

THE CASE FOR: It's hockey. You could field a squad with me, Sielski and Smallwood on the first line that gets hot and makes an improbable run to the finals, provided Brooky stands on his head.

THE CASE AGAINST: Brooky has a large head, but the center of gravity is a little off.

SIXERS

THE CASE FOR: Joel Embiid has grown two inches and saved himself two years of wear and tear since the Sixers drafted him at No. 3. Ben Simmons brings a combination of size, smarts and ball-handling ability that, with the right coaching, could give the Sixers one of the biggest matchup advantages in the game. Plus, he's Australian, so when it's winter for everybody else it's summer for him. And let's not forget about Dario Saric, the Human YouTube Film. We have yet to see him in person, but we have yet to see him get stopped in person, either. Think about it.

THE CASE AGAINST: Sam Hinkie's been quiet since he left. A little too quiet.

THE VERDICT: There are compelling arguments all around. Ron Hextall has done an admirable job early on and seems committed to building an organization capable of sustaining success. If Maikel Franco and Aaron Nola turn it around and Nick Williams, J.P. Crawford and Jake Thompson fulfill their potential, the Phillies will have a talented, cost-controlled core for at least the next five seasons, during which time they can start spending all of that money they are raking in from their new television deal. The Eagles will go as far as Wentz can take them, and he has the tools to carry them extremely far. If he can harness those tools with the quick decision-making and split-second execution that the speed of the NFL requires, they will be a perennial contender. In the end, though, this is a discussion about probabilities, which means we can't just look at upside. Futures markets prize certainty — just ask the Brits — and the Sixers currently have fewer "Ifs" than the other three teams in town, if only because of their roster size. And if LeBron retires early.