The Trade

It was another bitter cold late February afternoon at the Sixers' South Broad Street offices when "The Trade" went down.

The terms were agreed to when Vince Rozman, director of basketball operations, looked General Manager Sam Hinkie in the eye and said "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Hinkie didn't respond, but flashed a stubborn thumbs up.

OK, the Michael Carter-Williams trade didn't really go down that way. Probably not. The above exchange actually played out just prior to Fonzie jumping that shark in 1977.

But it certainly seems appropriate here to wonder if history will record the MCW trade as the point Hinkie went too far. Pre-MCW trade, the Sixers were still bad, sporting a 12-41 record, but they were progressing, if only incrementally.

The Trade seemingly turned the Sixers into the NBA's Middle East: a place where solutions are illusions and every day requires an ever-greater miracle to reverse the relentless spiral of doom.

Winning? The Sixers no longer think about winning X number of games, but rather avoiding new nightly embarassments. They are 7-50 since The Trade.

Pre-The Trade, the Sixers' roster -- while not good -- had fun, played fun, and some players actually improved. Since TT, a Sixers' game resembles another House Benghazi hearing: it's long and boring, filled with inept bumbling, and other than the occassional play for the cameras, nobody really wants to be there.

Since The Trade, the Sixers point guard spot has been one long extended tryout session. Ish Smith, Isaiah Canaan, Phil Pressey, TJ McConnell, Tony Wroten and Kendell Marshall have each taken turns playing the QB position.

If you combined Smith's tenacity, Canaan's long-range shooting, Pressey's quickness, McConnell's court vision, Wroten's penetrating ability, and Marshall's size -- you might have a decent NBA backup PG.

Off the court, The Trade signifies the line between positive, sunny growth news, and soul-crushing, curse-resembling, damned-to-an-eternity-of-9-73 hell news.

Joel Embiid lost another season to a bad foot. Who knows if he'll ever play? Rookie Jahil Okafor looked like an impact player -- until he started beating people up outside nightclubs at 3 a.m. I don't remember Jordan doing that.

Worst of all was The Trade's impact on coach Brett Brown, reportedly blindsided by the deal.

The Union army fumbled through many lost months after President Abraham Lincoln lost faith in General McClelland. Whether it was stubborness or protocol, the Lincoln-McClelland relationship went on longer than history needed it to.

While the roles are reversed, one wonders if The Trade is destined to be the point Hinkie lost Brown. Yet, for now, the relationship continues.

Why was MCW traded in the first place, you ask? A dynamic player, the 6-5 Carter-Williams sees the floor better than most PGs, and piled up assists, rebounds and steals with ease. Shooting is to MCW as an open mike is to Ted Cruz. Something will happen and it might look ugly.

But the upside remains tantalizing. In his last eight games, MCW is averaging 15.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.3 steals. Best of all, he is shooting .482.

Will it continue? Hard to say for sure. MCW's injuries and spotty shooting could both return at any time.

One wonders if Happy Days will ever find the Sixers again.