For Whom the (Revamped) Bell Tolls: Part I
Day 1 of Free Agency has come and gone in a matter of hours, and in the first iteration of this weekly blog I try to make sense of it all through my own emotional lens.
What started out as a seemingly quiet, oddly uneventful start to Day 1 of Free Agency for the Philadelphia 76ers ultimately escalated into a flurry of activity which generated drastic short and long term implications for this franchise.
JJ Redick Hit Us With a Curveball Gut Punch to Kick Things Off
Listen, for all the questionable threes and occasional cold streaks JJ gave us during these couple years, he more than made up them for via his undeniable, unique knockdown ability beyond the arc. JJ was the type of player who could provide much-needed sparks of offense in an effort to lift his teammates out of untimely spurts of ineptitude, which is why every true fan should be very sad to see him go to New Orleans.
Elton Finally Made Some Noise by Re-Signing Tobias Harris and Mike Scott
After starting the day off on the wrong foot through experiencing a little JJ heartbreak, I was among the many Sixers fans questioning what exactly Elton Brand was doing for the first few hours of free agency. Deeply entrenched in the “Where are you Elton? You do know free agency started, right?” memes, I prayed for any semblance of good Sixers news from the basketball Gods, and boy did I finally get some. Signing Tobias for the next five years and locking up Mike Scott for two more years provided us fans with a MUCH needed jolt of semi-calmness and confidence that this franchise is committed to achieving big things NOW.
The Elephant in the Room Gets Addressed Through a Series of WOJ Bombs
Fan favorite Jimmy (not James) Butler’s future with our Sixers came to a tragic end when we learned that those sign-and-trade rumors with the Miami Heat had come to fruition. As spiteful as I kinda want to be at the moment, the bottom line is Jimmy Butler deserves a ton of respect from us for what he gave this city, and at the end of day his clear desire to be THE GUY is something this organization just couldn’t provide. Best of luck in South-WELCOME Josh Richardson! Through acquiring a young, impactful wing in Josh Richardson, in my eyes, we’re right back in a position to field one of the best, most versatile starting lineups in the league featuring Ben, Josh, Tobias, Joel, and OH YEAH Al Horford!
Buckle Up, It’s Still Only July
With quite the eventful first night of free agency in the books, I can only imagine what else Elton has in store. Regardless, he demonstrated that he is still ALL IN, and as fans of this great franchise, we can look forward to as bright of a future as ever in recent years.
Who cares that the Nets added some dudes. Heck, the Bucks are Brogdonless, WE got Horford now, and that certain franchise up North might even lose that guy who will probably still give us nightmares.
It’s OFFICIALLY TIME TO RUN IT BACK BABY!
Featured Image: Anthony Riccobono/ibtimes.com
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Categorized:Sixers