A controversial podcast might have been getting in the way of Paul George’s success with the Philadelphia 76ers.

With George’s team in a stunning freefall this season, every decision has been heavily scrutinized.

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Paul George is having an off year and so are the Philadelphia 76ers[/caption]

Philly was supposed to be an NBA Finals contender, led by star big man Joel Embiid and supplemented by George’s Free Agency arrival.

But Embiid has barely played, the 76ers are a highly disappointing 20-38, and George’s commitment to basketball has been increasingly questioned.

Those concerns reached another level when a nine-time All-Star on a $212 million contract was forced to address the future of his ‘Podcast P.’

“I know my goal when I first signed with Philadelphia was to bring a championship to these amazing fans here,” George posted in a revealing video.

“I still remain positive about that, and that is still the case and where I’m coming from.

“With that being said, though, I want to let the Podcast P family know that after today’s episode … I plan to take a break from the pod just to focus on getting my body right, getting mentally right, and help this squad make a push toward our goal to finish the season out and give ourselves a chance to be in contention to compete for a championship.”

Defeat on Wednesday night means the 76ers have lost nine straight games and are outside of the play-in bracket, so it’s uncertain whether George has looked at the NBA standings in recent days.

What is undoubtable is that many fans believe the 15-year veteran has become too concerned with life off the hardwood and isn’t fully dedicated to performing nightly at an elite level.

“Right thing to do but he should’ve done this in December or to start the season,” a fan tweeted.

“He’s saying ‘Compete for a championship this season,’ ” a second fan posted. “That’s how delusional this dude is.”

x@PodcastPShow

George had a decision to make about his personal podcast[/caption]

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The 76ers have been a freefall all season[/caption]

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George has nine All-Star selections but is approaching the end of his career[/caption]

“This might be the funniest s*** I’ve ever seen an NBA player do 20 games below .500 ever,” a third fan wrote.

“That announcement sounded like an order from the Sixers owner more than a message he came to share on his own,” a fourth fan said.

The 34-year-old George left the Indiana Pacers on bad terms and fell out of favor with the Los Angeles Clippers.

He had a strong two-year run with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but it’s been five seasons since George made the All-NBA third team.

This year he’s averaging 16.2 points, his lowest mark since 2011-12, which was his second season in the league.

George has made four All-NBA Defensive teams and holds career averages of 20.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

He’s never won an NBA championship, though, and it’s very unlikely to happen this season, despite what he said on his podcast announcement.

Embiid is considering major surgery, while George has been forced to acknowledge that the 76ers aren’t close to title contenders right now.

“We’re showing no signs of a team that will compete,” said George, after a 32-point blowout loss to the Chicago Bulls.

“We just don’t have the habits of a championship or a playoff-contending team would have. To be honest, right now, it’s a little farfetched.

“All we can do is work hard, try to just keep going for one another. We’ve shown no signs of, forget championship, but a playoff contending-team here.”

Frustrated 76ers fans definitely agree with George on that point.

George, who was the No. 10 overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, has earned more than $350 million during a career that began with the Pacers.