WEBVTT - The BroadCast: 11/8/2018 ~ City Edition Spotlight, with T.J. McConnell, Zach Lowe 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:04.360 It was a massive undertaking, a major project that required 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:07.360 an intensive, thoughtful plan and a whole lot of time. 0:00:07.840 --> 0:00:10.160 But the seventy Sixers are now ready to unveil their 0:00:10.240 --> 0:00:14.560 brand new sweatshirt, gray, Rocky and Creed inspired Nike City 0:00:14.720 --> 0:00:18.000 Edition uniforms. TJ McConnell's going to share some stories from 0:00:18.000 --> 0:00:21.200 his instantly iconic photoshoot at the Kissing Fresh Meat Soccer. 0:00:21.320 --> 0:00:22.919 They told me about it, and I said, let's go 0:00:22.960 --> 0:00:24.960 all in with it. So when to kine re enact 0:00:25.040 --> 0:00:27.560 that scene from Rocky And there's frigid in there, but 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:30.080 it's still fun. And we'll also here from Zach Low, 0:00:30.160 --> 0:00:33.080 the excellent ESPN hoopswriter who did a story on the 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:35.680 City Edition unis and will also pick his brain about 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:38.360 the state of the Sixers too, including Joe Ellenby. I 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:40.839 think defensively he's given better than he was last year, 0:00:41.000 --> 0:00:43.680 and just his post game is just outrageous. There's just 0:00:43.760 --> 0:00:45.919 no one that can stop him. That's coming up on 0:00:45.920 --> 0:00:53.559 this City Edition centric edition of the broadcast. Good to 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:56.960 be speaking to you out there in podcast land, seventy 0:00:56.960 --> 0:01:00.280 Sixers podcast Land, to be exact, my name is Brian 0:01:00.360 --> 0:01:03.360 Seltzer from Sixers dot Com. Thank you as always for 0:01:03.440 --> 0:01:06.560 checking out the podcast. Yes, we are going to be 0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:10.440 discussing in depth the City Edition uniforms for this year. 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:15.480 I like them. I really really like the shorts with 0:01:15.520 --> 0:01:20.000 that retro seventy six logo on the side, inspired by 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:23.520 the bi centennial logo for the City of Philadelphia. But 0:01:23.600 --> 0:01:26.399 it really is just an amazing process to learn and 0:01:26.440 --> 0:01:30.400 uncover more details about everything that not only the seventy 0:01:30.400 --> 0:01:34.559 Sixers Business Operations department went through to work with Nike 0:01:34.720 --> 0:01:37.399 to put the City Edition uniforms together, but also the 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:41.759 buy in and the engagement and the support that players 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:44.360 on the team themselves had in the campaign to launch 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:48.400 the City Edition uniforms. The Sixers will debut the uniforms 0:01:48.440 --> 0:01:51.000 in their game on Friday at November the ninth against 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:54.200 these Charlotte Hornets and wear them seven more times on 0:01:54.240 --> 0:01:57.880 the season after that. So I think it's a cool storyline. 0:01:57.880 --> 0:02:00.080 It's something different, and we're gonna hear from t J 0:02:00.240 --> 0:02:04.280 McConnell and Zach Low about that subject. And Zach will 0:02:04.320 --> 0:02:07.280 also dig a little bit deeper into what he's been 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:10.079 seeing from the Sixers through the first three weeks of 0:02:10.120 --> 0:02:14.160 the season. Reminders before we get started that. To subscribe 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:16.080 to the podcast, you can do so in a couple 0:02:16.080 --> 0:02:18.799 of ways. You can head two Apple podcasts. You can 0:02:18.800 --> 0:02:23.239 go to Google Play, you can go to Stitcher, pocketcasts, SoundCloud, 0:02:23.400 --> 0:02:26.880 tune in, type in Sixers Podcast Network. That will take 0:02:26.919 --> 0:02:29.840 you to our feed. I'll tell you, at least in 0:02:29.880 --> 0:02:32.760 the world that I live in it. It is always 0:02:32.800 --> 0:02:37.040 great to podcast, but even better so after an encouraging outcome, 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:40.000 and the Sixers had that on Wednesday night. They went 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:43.840 to Banker's Life Fieldhouse, a difficult place to play in Indianapolis, 0:02:44.240 --> 0:02:46.760 looking to bounce back after a bumpy defeat on the 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:49.480 road at Brooklyn on Sunday, and you know what, the 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:53.120 Sixers they did just that, one hundred ninety four third 0:02:53.160 --> 0:02:55.560 win in their last four games seven and five on 0:02:55.639 --> 0:03:00.200 the season. Joel Embiid was great per usual, Ben Simmons 0:03:00.280 --> 0:03:04.080 highly impactful per usual. But what was a really nice 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:07.480 development from the win at the Pacers was the Sixers 0:03:07.520 --> 0:03:11.680 got some really important contributions from members of the supporting cast, 0:03:11.760 --> 0:03:14.800 guys like Dario Charge. How awesome was that to see 0:03:14.880 --> 0:03:17.720 Dario breakout for an eighteen point game four to six 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:21.440 from three point territory Robert Covington all thirteen of his 0:03:21.560 --> 0:03:24.560 points in the second half, big and giving the Sixers 0:03:24.560 --> 0:03:27.520 a boost going into the fourth quarter. Mark el Foltz 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:29.799 was at the controls and the Sixers made their move 0:03:29.880 --> 0:03:32.320 to take control of the game. And more great things 0:03:32.320 --> 0:03:34.560 from Landry Shammon, who had twelve points in the game. 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:37.119 So a nice note for the seventy Sixers to head 0:03:37.120 --> 0:03:40.920 in to the weekend on. But yes, as we look ahead, 0:03:40.960 --> 0:03:44.160 in particular to Friday's home game versus the Charlotte Hornets 0:03:44.160 --> 0:03:48.040 Military Appreciation Night, Sixers gonna be rolling out those great 0:03:48.120 --> 0:03:51.280 City Edition uniforms. We're gonna get Zachlo's thoughts on those 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:54.400 in just a moment, But first let's go to TJ McConnell. 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:58.240 TJ was involved in the Sixers marketing campaign launch for 0:03:58.280 --> 0:04:00.800 the City Edition uniforms. He'll talk to us about that, 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:04.560 but we first started off our conversation after practice about 0:04:04.560 --> 0:04:07.680 how Brett Brown handles the team after a tough game 0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:10.360 like the one in Brooklyn, setting the tone for a 0:04:10.360 --> 0:04:12.920 bounce back victory the likes of which the Sixers had 0:04:13.000 --> 0:04:17.200 Wednesday in Indie, keeping the spirits up, telling us what 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:20.080 we did wrong, and we just have to be better. 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:23.160 It's on us players. I mean, he could complain and 0:04:23.640 --> 0:04:26.080 tell us what we did wrong until he's blow in 0:04:26.080 --> 0:04:27.279 the face, but if we don't go out there and 0:04:27.360 --> 0:04:29.400 change it, there's really nothing he can do about it. 0:04:29.400 --> 0:04:32.120 So it's on us as a team. And he did 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:33.600 his part as a coach to tell us what we 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:35.120 did and now we got to go fix it on 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:37.440 the court. Three weeks in, what have you liked? What 0:04:37.480 --> 0:04:40.440 do you think are some of the biggest areas for improvement. Um, 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:42.480 I just think offensive, we've got to keep moving the ball, 0:04:42.520 --> 0:04:45.960 play with pace, and that'll lead to our defense. We're 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:48.880 scoring and getting back and that's whe're at our best 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:51.000 is when our defense is set. We just gotta we 0:04:51.080 --> 0:04:53.640 just gotta talk about it and like I said, play 0:04:53.680 --> 0:04:56.920 together as a team, all right. Cededition uniforms. First of all, 0:04:57.240 --> 0:05:01.240 give me your astute design. I review of the City 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:05.080 Edition uniforms. You know that's not my line of work, 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:10.359 So you know, I think they're cool. Kind of shows 0:05:10.400 --> 0:05:12.279 the heart of the city and you know, I like 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:17.320 the gray. It's a nice little change of pace and 0:05:17.360 --> 0:05:19.760 I hopefully will play well. And I know you guys 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:21.760 as players put in so much work preparing to go 0:05:21.800 --> 0:05:23.880 out there for a game. But when you read about 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:26.240 the amount of thought the business side puts into the 0:05:26.240 --> 0:05:29.279 circle of stars, the sweatshirt, gray text or all that stuff, 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:31.360 does that ever kind of like blow your mind that 0:05:31.400 --> 0:05:33.480 on the marketing side that much thought is put into it. 0:05:33.880 --> 0:05:35.680 I mean, you got to give them so much credit 0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:39.000 for being able to do something like that. So I'll 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:42.600 credit to them and for the amount of work they 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:46.400 put in. Hopefully we can put that same amount of 0:05:46.400 --> 0:05:49.240 work on the court and play. Well. How did you 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:51.920 get approached about the idea of going to Kissing Meats 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:57.160 for what is now a very instant iconic photo. They 0:05:57.200 --> 0:05:59.040 told me about it, and I said, let's let's go 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:02.159 all in with it, um, wanting to kind reenact that 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:05.360 scene from Rocky And there was frigid in there, but 0:06:05.480 --> 0:06:07.520 you know, it's still fun. Did you watch Rocky a 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:10.120 lot back in your younger days, back in the day? 0:06:10.160 --> 0:06:14.200 But I still could rewatch them again. Where will that 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:17.160 photo in the McConnell household go next to the wedding pictures? 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:18.960 Do you think or is there a place for it yet? 0:06:19.000 --> 0:06:21.440 I think that will be, uh, you know, right in 0:06:21.480 --> 0:06:24.159 the ceiling when we wake up so we can both 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:26.760 see that lovely picture in the morning, all right, TJ. Thanks, 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:30.680 thank you. T J. McConnell. Rare does an interview go 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:34.440 by where there is not at least some dose of 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:39.080 tongue in cheek commentary from the fourth year seventy six er. 0:06:40.080 --> 0:06:42.880 You've probably had to have seen by now. The photo 0:06:43.000 --> 0:06:46.719 or photos from t J at the Kiss and Fresh 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:52.120 Meats factory locker in Fishtown, just off at Delaware Avenue. 0:06:52.440 --> 0:06:55.920 It is great recreating that scene from Rocky with the 0:06:56.000 --> 0:07:03.080 black nit winter cap, the cutoff sweatshirt with another sweatshirt 0:07:03.160 --> 0:07:08.080 underneath it, the bloodied tape wrapped around the hands. Just 0:07:08.200 --> 0:07:11.560 phenomenal stuff. All part of the seventy Sixers Set Edition 0:07:11.680 --> 0:07:14.720 uniform launch. It's going to debut on Friday versus the 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:17.040 Charlotte Hornets. We'll hear from Zach Low in a moment, 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:22.720 but first let me tell you about the Delaware Bluecoats. 0:07:22.880 --> 0:07:26.600 Upcoming home season is going to start because the seventy 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:29.720 Sixers Field House in Wilmington is still under construction. It's 0:07:29.720 --> 0:07:32.480 going to start at the Center, Yes, the same building 0:07:32.480 --> 0:07:35.920 with the seventy Sixers play on November the twentieth at 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:38.760 seven o'clock and the big thing is this, The first 0:07:38.800 --> 0:07:42.080 ten thousand fans through the gates will receive a limited 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:45.720 edition bobblehead of the big Man himself, All Star Joel 0:07:45.800 --> 0:07:48.280 and beat tickets starting in just fifteen bucks for the 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:51.880 Lower Bowl and they're on sale now. A great opportunity 0:07:51.920 --> 0:07:53.960 to bring the family out, get them close to some 0:07:54.120 --> 0:07:59.840 live professional basketball action, and leave with a complimentary on 0:07:59.880 --> 0:08:04.200 the house Joel Embid bobblehead. Here's the ticket information Sixers 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:07.320 dot com backslash Bluecoats, or you can call three zero 0:08:07.360 --> 0:08:10.800 two five zero four seven, five eight seven three zero 0:08:10.880 --> 0:08:16.920 two five zero four seven five eight seven Coach Coats. 0:08:21.280 --> 0:08:24.200 Zach Lowe one of the best basketball writers covering the 0:08:24.320 --> 0:08:29.000 NBA around He is the senior writer for ESPN. In 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:31.800 addition to being able to break down all thirty of 0:08:31.840 --> 0:08:33.839 the teams in the league at the drop of a 0:08:33.920 --> 0:08:36.200 hat and probably tell you about each of the seventeen 0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:39.640 players on each of those thirty teams, he is also 0:08:39.760 --> 0:08:43.960 big into marketing things around the league, whether it's court 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:48.400 designs jerseys. He also did an article on the Sixers 0:08:48.440 --> 0:08:52.880 City Edition uniform release called Gonna Fly Now Inside these 0:08:52.920 --> 0:08:56.600 Sixer's new rocking spired uniforms. And it is great to 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.400 be able to welcome Zach to the podcast right now. Zach, 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:01.040 what's up? Thanks so much. We're taking a few minutes 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:04.720 my pleasure. How are you doing? Doing great? So let's 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:06.440 just start and get right into it. What do you 0:09:06.480 --> 0:09:11.160 think of the unis? I like them. I like them 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:14.240 actually more than more than I thought I would when 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:20.720 I first saw them in person, whenever that was like, um, 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:24.480 you know, the actual jerseys themselves. My first instinct was, Oh, 0:09:24.480 --> 0:09:26.600 they're a little dull. I like the idea, but they're 0:09:26.600 --> 0:09:29.320 a little dull. And the more I saw them, and 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:31.320 the more I looked at them, the more I liked them. 0:09:31.640 --> 0:09:34.440 I like them overall. What were some of the finer 0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:39.520 point details that stood out to you? I like the 0:09:40.840 --> 0:09:45.560 I like the blue and red striping. I think that 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:48.720 gives it a little pop that it needed. Everyone's gonna 0:09:48.760 --> 0:09:52.240 love that. Like like that championship belt thing that goes 0:09:52.280 --> 0:09:54.679 along the belt area of the jersey. And I think 0:09:54.679 --> 0:09:56.520 they were I think it was a cool idea to 0:09:56.600 --> 0:09:59.920 go no letters. I think that's going to be controversial. 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:01.800 There are only a couple of jerseys that I've ever 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:04.520 done that but I just feel like, if you're gonna 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:06.640 have nine thousand jerseys every year, like at least have 0:10:06.720 --> 0:10:08.880 some at least go crazy on some of them. And 0:10:08.920 --> 0:10:11.040 that's kind of what the city Edish in space should 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:13.920 be four, right, I mean it seems like it's something different, 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:17.840 a place in space to experiment in, right, Yeah, it 0:10:17.840 --> 0:10:20.520 should be. I mean something that's like hyperlocal, a little 0:10:20.559 --> 0:10:23.160 bit experimental, like these teams that just have these boring 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:27.360 just like let's just make a black alternate of our 0:10:27.400 --> 0:10:30.520 regular jerseys, or let's just care like the Spurs or 0:10:30.559 --> 0:10:33.160 just carrying over the same camouflage jersey every year, Like 0:10:33.160 --> 0:10:35.439 come on, let's let's let's get with it a little bit. 0:10:36.120 --> 0:10:38.120 I know that you were big into NBA art in 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:40.920 jerseys and stuff like that. Were you pleased to see 0:10:40.920 --> 0:10:43.240 that Ball and Ben has a little bit more of 0:10:43.240 --> 0:10:48.280 a prominent presence in these uniforms. I do like Ball 0:10:48.360 --> 0:10:52.000 and Ben. I'm a fan. I think I think years ago, 0:10:52.120 --> 0:10:54.280 didn't they have some poll about like what the mat 0:10:54.520 --> 0:10:57.000 mat Scott should be and it was between him and 0:10:57.200 --> 0:11:01.880 a moose and something else, and I don't remember who won, 0:11:01.960 --> 0:11:04.160 but I thought ballin Ben was clearly the best of 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:08.200 those of those options. He's kind of had a mercurial 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:11.840 path in Sixers logo history, like he's been there, it's 0:11:11.840 --> 0:11:13.800 been subtled. But now he's front and center. I think 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:14.959 it's a good look for him. I think it's a 0:11:15.000 --> 0:11:18.560 nice spot. Yeah, he's front and center, but he's small. 0:11:18.640 --> 0:11:20.760 I think too much ball in Ben like it is 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:25.000 Ben Franklin. You don't want to like caricature Ben Franklin 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:28.440 too much. But I think you're like a little just 0:11:28.440 --> 0:11:30.720 a little small doses here and there. I think are good, 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:34.959 just because I'm so hypercentric on what happens in seventy 0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:39.240 sixers Land and the way that the business operation works here. 0:11:39.679 --> 0:11:42.800 This whole campaign, it seemed like there were lots of 0:11:42.880 --> 0:11:44.760 layers to it from not just the thought that went 0:11:44.760 --> 0:11:47.880 into the jersey design, but what they did taking players 0:11:47.920 --> 0:11:52.240 out into scenics throughout the city of Philadelphia. Robert Covington 0:11:52.440 --> 0:11:55.960 on Ninth Street in the Italian market. T J. McConnell 0:11:56.080 --> 0:12:00.680 at Kissing Meats. Do most teams go to this extent 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:03.080 when it comes to building out a campaign, When it 0:12:03.120 --> 0:12:09.160 comes to their marketing operations, for sure? No, um uh, 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:13.960 some teams don't do anything. Uh some teams do do 0:12:13.960 --> 0:12:16.440 do stuff, but not not to the extent of having 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:19.520 all those photo shoots, right. And it's also like teams 0:12:19.520 --> 0:12:21.880 are it's impossible to keep these jerseys a secret now 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:25.240 no matter how hard teams try and UM, and you know, 0:12:25.320 --> 0:12:27.840 you do risk to some degree. The more people that 0:12:27.920 --> 0:12:29.880 see it, the more photo shoots there are, the more 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:32.520 stuff that you know, Robert Covington's running in public, people 0:12:32.559 --> 0:12:34.120 are going to start wondering what the hell is going 0:12:34.120 --> 0:12:36.720 on with that? So you risked that a little bit, Yeah, 0:12:36.720 --> 0:12:40.600 but teams don't. Teams don't go to that that length typically. 0:12:40.600 --> 0:12:42.480 And credit to the Sixers like they take it. They 0:12:42.520 --> 0:12:45.880 take it seriously well from what you've found out and 0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:48.480 speaking with executives here, why does that matter to them? 0:12:48.480 --> 0:12:53.800 On the business side, I think you know there is 0:12:54.080 --> 0:12:55.679 first First of all, they all want to make money, 0:12:55.800 --> 0:13:00.640 right of it. Let's let's not let's not overlook obvious, right, 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:03.079 Like these jerseys are items to be sold to fans, 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:05.320 and they want fans to buy them. I do think 0:13:05.320 --> 0:13:10.400 the Sixers care about UM. Like I hate the word 0:13:10.480 --> 0:13:13.560 brand just as a just on its face. I hate it. 0:13:13.600 --> 0:13:15.560 I hate the way it's used, But I do think 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:18.640 the Sixers have some sort of it almost reminds me 0:13:18.679 --> 0:13:21.320 of the Celtics in terms of like they have a 0:13:21.520 --> 0:13:25.160 deep sort of respect and understanding for Okay, this is 0:13:25.200 --> 0:13:30.280 like an original NBA franchise essentially with like a pretty 0:13:30.720 --> 0:13:33.800 glorious and important history, and not only that, with an 0:13:33.800 --> 0:13:38.240 identity that's linked to American history, a system of iconography 0:13:38.320 --> 0:13:40.720 that's like you know, red, white and blue stars all that. 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:44.800 Like they like, let's let's if we're going to deviate 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:48.360 from that or if we're going to um, if we're 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:50.280 going to move away from that, Like, let's be careful 0:13:50.320 --> 0:13:54.400 because that's a pretty significant like brand of art, a 0:13:54.400 --> 0:13:57.400 pretty significant look. And you know, this is the franchise 0:13:57.440 --> 0:14:00.160 of Wilth and Doctor J. Like let's not get a 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:03.480 little too crazy. Everything we do looks pretty good. Let's 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:07.240 be respectful of that, even as we try things like 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:10.079 Rocky and wherever else they're going to try in coming years. 0:14:10.760 --> 0:14:13.480 The franchise now also t J McConnell and a meat locker. 0:14:14.000 --> 0:14:16.280 TJ has done a lot of great, unexpected things in 0:14:16.280 --> 0:14:19.040 his career, but if this is truly TJ's lasting legacy, 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.400 there will at least be that photoshot of him in 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:25.680 the meat locker there needed to be. I'm a I'm 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:28.440 a little bit disappointed, as others have noted that there 0:14:28.600 --> 0:14:33.920 was not also TJ McConnell chasing chickens and rooster that 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:36.680 needed to happen that See, it seems like a no brainer. 0:14:36.720 --> 0:14:39.040 I don't know why that didn't happen. Well, I think 0:14:39.040 --> 0:14:41.360 it's a great point. I got to ask you about 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:43.080 what we're actually seeing from the six or so far 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:44.760 on the court in a second. But I also was 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:48.200 interested when when was your love and kind of your 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:52.840 niche focus in this realm of NBA dumb Where did 0:14:52.880 --> 0:14:56.119 that come from? Was there like a young Zach Low gearhead, 0:14:56.240 --> 0:15:01.000 jersey collector, sneaker guy that sort of thing. No, I 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:04.920 was never a sneaker guy ever, I don't know. I 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:06.920 always liked T shirts. I was a big like a 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:09.240 lot of guys my age, like I'm forty one, that 0:15:09.360 --> 0:15:12.000 like those those T shirts with where everyone had the 0:15:12.040 --> 0:15:14.960 oversized heads of the cartoons with the oversized heads. Those 0:15:15.000 --> 0:15:18.880 became popular. Like I always liked going to sports memorabilia 0:15:18.960 --> 0:15:22.960 stores and buying posters and you know, a little knick 0:15:23.000 --> 0:15:24.840 knacks here or there. So I've always just kind of 0:15:24.840 --> 0:15:28.600 liked all the side stuff about about the NBA and 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.360 about sports in general, and I just when when I 0:15:31.400 --> 0:15:35.320 started writing about it here and there, I think there 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:37.760 were people that were skeptical that like anyone cared, and 0:15:37.800 --> 0:15:39.640 I kind of trusted in my gut. I was like, 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:42.360 I think people will read something that's sort of funny 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:44.560 and good about court designs, Like I think people actually 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:47.440 kind of are interested in this stuff, and it turns 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:50.120 out that they are. Like people are really interested in 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:53.000 like these goofy little things that you wouldn't think they're 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:56.440 interested in. All right, let's if you would in the 0:15:56.680 --> 0:15:59.240 limited time we have left, as we talk about the 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:01.960 seventy six and what we've seen so far from them, 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:04.120 would have been your impression the first three weeks of 0:16:04.120 --> 0:16:09.800 the season. I was relatively, I think a little bit 0:16:09.880 --> 0:16:14.960 low on them compared to the consensus that so I'm 0:16:15.000 --> 0:16:18.320 not surprised that they're having some hiccups offensively trying to 0:16:18.400 --> 0:16:21.240 integrate Folts and Simmons with embad and all that. Those 0:16:21.520 --> 0:16:26.320 those are very Folts and Simmons are very unusual offensive pieces, 0:16:26.360 --> 0:16:29.520 and it's been a little bit of a struggle, and 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:31.880 you know, figuring out how much to go back to 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:34.280 that lineup with Reddick that killed the whole league last 0:16:34.320 --> 0:16:36.480 year and some of their depth issues. But like, I 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:41.320 don't I've since just sort of reading blog recaps of 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:43.680 six of the games that I didn't I haven't watched, um, 0:16:43.920 --> 0:16:46.240 you know, nights. I don't watch them. I sense like 0:16:46.320 --> 0:16:49.200 some panic among fans, like, oh, this isn't working. I 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:52.240 wouldn't go there, like this was always going to be 0:16:52.320 --> 0:16:54.080 sort of a long term play trying to figure out 0:16:54.080 --> 0:16:57.480 how folks fits, and particularly the way Mbiad has played 0:16:57.560 --> 0:17:00.440 has been super encouraging, So I'm not worried about them yet. 0:17:00.800 --> 0:17:02.960 I think their defense should be better than it's been, 0:17:03.120 --> 0:17:06.840 and they are eventually going if we get forty games 0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:09.800 into the season and the fault Simmons thing isn't working 0:17:09.840 --> 0:17:11.840 as well as they expected, you know, and you've already 0:17:11.880 --> 0:17:13.840 seen Brett I think, start to stagger them a little 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:16.080 more the last three or four games, But they will 0:17:16.119 --> 0:17:18.760 eventually have to have sort of a come to Jesus 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:21.199 moment of like how much can we really roll all 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:23.720 these guys out on the floor together. I feel like 0:17:23.720 --> 0:17:26.360 everyone has their own different idea of this, but to 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:30.200 you what would constitute a successful productive season for markl 0:17:30.280 --> 0:17:32.240 Faults when it's all said and done in terms of 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:34.880 what the Sixers are able to get out of him. 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:39.320 I mean, he should defend well. I think he's been 0:17:39.359 --> 0:17:40.920 a little hit or miss on that end, but he'll 0:17:40.960 --> 0:17:44.280 be good. He's explosive in transition, like all that stuff 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:47.040 is there. It's just you know, he's got to be 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:49.479 confident shooting the ball. I mean, I don't really care 0:17:49.520 --> 0:17:51.560 about anything else. Honestly when I watch him. All the 0:17:51.560 --> 0:17:54.199 other stuff is there, the passing, the transition, attacks, the 0:17:54.400 --> 0:17:57.159 you know, occasional little cuts here and there. If he 0:17:57.280 --> 0:18:00.520 just didn't gonna shoot and he's shooting here and there, 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:04.440 he he just has to shoot when the offense dictates 0:18:04.480 --> 0:18:06.240 that he shoots, and if he gets to that point, 0:18:06.960 --> 0:18:09.640 that's successful. I don't really even care about anything else 0:18:09.680 --> 0:18:12.919 but because that's going to dictate how well he fits 0:18:12.920 --> 0:18:15.920 with Simmons. And by the way, Simmons Simmons is, the 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:18.240 game hasn't really evolved either. Now it's only his second 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:20.280 full season, so maybe that's not fair to expect, but 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:24.400 those are two really strange NBA players, very talented. Simmons 0:18:24.400 --> 0:18:26.320 I put him on an All NBA team last year. Yeah, 0:18:26.320 --> 0:18:28.120 I don't think he ended up making it All NBA team, 0:18:28.119 --> 0:18:31.720 but he made my third team All NBA. But that's 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:34.280 that's not an easy It's it's a good problem to 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:36.040 have in terms of they're both number one picks and 0:18:36.160 --> 0:18:38.199 mbiad is super talented, but it's not that easy of 0:18:38.200 --> 0:18:43.080 a fit. As for Joel Embiid, another cornerstone for this team, 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:46.360 numbers have been fantastic so far. I mean, even if 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:49.000 what he's doing for the first three weeks isn't quite 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:52.280 sustainable at this level, I mean, have you seen progress 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:56.080 as far as what he's displayed to this point. Yeah, 0:18:56.080 --> 0:18:58.560 I mean I think I think defensively he's easy, even 0:18:58.600 --> 0:19:01.080 better than he was last year. He's about as advertised 0:19:01.080 --> 0:19:06.840 and just um, you know, his post game is just outrageous. 0:19:06.840 --> 0:19:09.280 I mean, he filed out almost the entire Pistons team 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:11.359 the other day. He's not There's just no one that 0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:13.800 can stop him. I don't have the numbers in front 0:19:13.800 --> 0:19:16.000 of me right now, but I don't see as many 0:19:16.040 --> 0:19:19.200 sort of wild turnovers from him as I did last year, 0:19:19.400 --> 0:19:21.680 and that so that was sort of the next leap 0:19:21.760 --> 0:19:24.560 for him is one of two things. Either shoot better 0:19:24.640 --> 0:19:27.240 from three on the ones that you do take, or 0:19:27.480 --> 0:19:29.600 you know, when you get doubled in the post, handled 0:19:29.600 --> 0:19:31.480 that a little bit better. And I think he's handled 0:19:31.520 --> 0:19:33.359 that a little bit better. And part of that is, 0:19:33.640 --> 0:19:36.000 I mean, no one can stop him without fouling him. 0:19:36.000 --> 0:19:38.399 He's on the free throw on the entire game. The 0:19:38.440 --> 0:19:41.199 irony is that that game against the Brooklyn Nets earlier 0:19:41.200 --> 0:19:43.560 in the week, the turnovers all came from the Sixers 0:19:43.560 --> 0:19:45.359 pretty much trying to get him the ball, rather than 0:19:45.440 --> 0:19:47.440 what happened once he got the ball. So at least 0:19:47.600 --> 0:19:50.280 it seems like the reads like you were saying, he's 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:53.240 picking stuff up a little bit more. And the other 0:19:53.240 --> 0:19:55.200 thing is, I mean, I'm not sure if you get 0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:57.320 a sense of this from people you talk to, whether 0:19:57.359 --> 0:20:00.080 it's executive other coaches, or players, but for his as 0:20:00.119 --> 0:20:01.960 much as he may talk when he's on the court, 0:20:02.160 --> 0:20:03.840 it seems like once it's all done, I mean, there's 0:20:03.880 --> 0:20:06.800 like an underlying sense of either appreciation or respect or 0:20:06.840 --> 0:20:09.440 a combo of both that people have for him. I 0:20:09.440 --> 0:20:10.800 don't know if you see it that way, but on 0:20:10.800 --> 0:20:15.119 the outside that it seems like that exists. Yeah, I think, 0:20:15.320 --> 0:20:17.440 you know, I think there are teams who would who 0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:19.120 think he kind of talks a little bit too much, 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:23.000 but I honestly, I hear even from teams who feature 0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:26.960 some of his favorite targets in the league. I think 0:20:27.000 --> 0:20:31.000 teams kind of like it because they sense almost that 0:20:31.160 --> 0:20:35.240 like it's not coming from a malicious place, that it's 0:20:35.320 --> 0:20:38.400 coming from a place of like I like the competition, 0:20:38.600 --> 0:20:40.440 like I want you to bring it at me because 0:20:40.480 --> 0:20:42.640 I'm gonna bring it at you and if you don't 0:20:42.680 --> 0:20:44.440 bring it too, like I'm gonna falue right out of 0:20:44.480 --> 0:20:46.479 the game. But like I want to get under your 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:48.480 skin because I want the best out of you, because 0:20:48.520 --> 0:20:51.720 that like that's what's fun for me for me Joel 0:20:51.720 --> 0:20:54.359