20 Reasons to get excited about the 2009-2010 Sixers

I'm not going to lie, for the past couple months not a single bone in my body was even remotely excited for the upcoming season. Maybe it had something to do with the painful playoff loss. Maybe it had something to do with the uneventful off-season. Maybe it had something to do with football being right around the corner. Or maybe it was just the fact that November 3 still seems so far away.

However; less than 30 minutes ago, that changed.

I was sitting in my recliner bored out of my mind. I know I'm supposed to be out somewhere celebrating Labor Day, but for some reason my family doesn't partake in holidays requiring a BBQ. I'm not complaining because it's still a free day off, but I was still bored. I had a few options on my plate. Homework? No thanks. Work out? Too hot. So I decided to enjoy my all-time favorite time-killer: Bill Simmons' podcast.

This special Labor Day edition happened to be about basketball. Bill and ESPN's own Chad Ford discussed all things basketball and after about 45 minutes of listening, my excitement was through the roof. Why? I have no idea. Through 45 minutes, they hadn't mentioned the Sixers, nor did I expect them to. But for some reason, just the background sound of two dudes talking about basketball got me jacked. I compare it to watching a sad movie where someone's dog dies, which immediately makes you think of your dog, which then prompts you to give your dog an inordinate amount of love when you get home. It's happened to me numerous times. But how long does it take until the sound of their every bark makes you cringe? Or get pissed when they go through your sock drawer and eat a hole through your favorite pair of socks? Not long. Listening to Chad and Bill talk about their excitement for basketball made me think about my excitement for the Sixers. But how long will it take until I remember that Bill Green is still a part of my favorite team? Or get pissed about Primoz Brezec being our big free agent signing? Not long, but I've decided to channel my uncharacteristic, September basketball excitement for the next 20 days.

Why 20 days you ask? Number one, it seemed like a nice round number. Number two, we're approximately 20 days away from any real Sixers news (Training camp), so it's going to be 20 reasons in 20 days. And if you have followed me or Liberty Ballers for any period of time, you know I'm possibly the worst blogger in the blogosphere at maintaining and/or finishing mini-series. See: Player evaluations and Top 10 games of the season. However; I can promise you this one will be finished. I've made it as easy as possible for me to bust out 20 reasons in the midst of college, football season and laying around listening to Bill Simmons podcasts.

Reason 20 will be up within the next half hour. Stay tuned!