The Week in NBA Cup Break and Sixers Stock: I'm Buying the McCain Futures!
Zo catches us up on what we might have missed during Sixers Winter Vacation (Pt. 2).
Team Ricky Rundown
AU having a hard time deciding just where we are with the best Sixer of our era.
NBA Refs vs Alaa and the McCain minutes fiasco (oh boy).
Jo’s best game yet this year, with hopefully more to come. Plus vintage VJ (that’s a thing now).
Found Around the League
KG is officially coming home to the T’Wolves in a new ambassador role and, even cooler, the franchise is finally going to retire his iconic No. 21 jersey — a long-overdue tribute to the guy who put Minnesota basketball on the map. It’s awesome to see an organization honor its true legends and close the loop on a chapter that should’ve been celebrated years ago.
One of my many GOATS, Penny Hardaway, didn’t hold back on the current NBA, saying that “it’s just not fun to watch anymore” because the league has drifted so far from fundamentals and put too much emphasis on threes over real team basketball. Whether you agree or not (and I agree and disagree with some points), it’s a reminder that part of honoring the sport means valuing what made us fall in love with it in the first place, which is where I think he’s ultimately coming from.
This is mostly right, until Mad Max jumps back into the race post cup break. Honestly though, from a fan standpoint, it’s been fun watching the numbers, the wins, and the nightly performances stack up and shift the conversation week to week. Long seasons aren’t the players’ fault, so I appreciate them taking early season games seriously enough.
Now this… this is the kind of shit that would actually get me to take the cup seriously. Don’t stop at Cameron though, play a game at one of the football stadiums, use the Palestra, play opening night on an aircraft carrier or something man, let’s get nuts.
Bron has one foot on the golf course for good but I respect this from JJ — can’t dog the other guys for more effort if they don’t see you getting on the stars’ ass about the same nonsense.
Five Things to Care About
The holiday season (and Sixers season) isn’t always easy, and for a lot of people it can quietly feel heavy or overwhelming. If that’s you, give yourself some grace — take a walk, get some fresh air, and do one small thing that clears your head. And if you can, reach out to a friend you haven’t talked to in a while… sometimes that simple connection helps more than you realize.
I don’t know where I stand on yet fully on the college football playoff system, but what I do know is things just don’t feel that nostalgic anymore. Bowl week used to mean something, now it’s kind of bland.
Adam Silver told the Miami Heat brass that he was consulting with other teams on what to do about Terry Rozier’s contract and trade situation, since a guy being brought up on fed charges mid season was so unique — and sure, consult, but not with other teams. Why the fuck would I want my peers who I’m competing against to decide if I get any kind of cap/roster relief?
The Nick Nurse chatter, has cooled but I still think he’s out at the end of this season — regardless of how it ends. Changing the voice in the locker room is always the easiest thing to do.
Sometimes all you need is to see the ball go through the hoop, or a perfect pass make it down the seam to AJ Brown. I like the Birds 27 - 10 this weekend.
