Hey Francisco,

Been a while, hasn't it? What've you been up -- me? Oh, I've been... you know just watching the Sixers. They've been um, they've been doing okay since you left. I mean it's been hard, don't get me wrong. The whole city practically mourned for a month when you went to Utah. The stats don't tell the tale of just how massively important you were to the 2009-10 Sixers team. But I remember. Ohhhhh boy do I remember. *shimmery dissolve*

It was a particularly warm April evening in Philadelphia when the Milwaukee Bucks, the team we couped you from, came to town. Eddie Jordan decided that, in the throes of battle between the 44-34 Bucks and 26-52 Sixers, you were ready to make your first appearance as a Sixer. The game thread managed a whopping 83 comments, including this gem from now-lost commenter "el" who famously wrote: "titanic matchup: brezec vs. elson" upon your checking in.

And titanic it was, Francisco. You scored two HUGE points in your glorious 4 minutes and 7 seconds of basketball as a Sixer, the only time you would ever see the court in a Philadelphia uniform. And you know what? That was all you needed. Because you flat out dominated in those 4:07. Those 2 points were on only 2 shots and you went to the foul line 3 times yourself, opting not to make any because you knew the Sixers needed a loss. That kind of dedication is something lost in the NBA these days. You're a treasure. You would go on to finish the game with a +/- of +2 in a five-point loss to Milwaukee. The only two people with a higher plus-minus were Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala. I would argue that you were, at the time, as much of a cornerstone of this franchise as they were.

After 62 beautiful games with the Jazz, you're somehow back on the market and ready for the Sixers to pick you up. And the prospect of you and Tony Battie sharing a frontcourt together, my, that has my heart a-fluttering. Rod Thorn and Doug Collins know better than to sign a young kid with "potential" and "upside". All of that is just scouting mumbo-jumbo. I can see with my eyes that you are seven feet of pure basketball sense waiting to be splooged out all over this Sixers team.

Hopefully Spencer Hawes and Nikola Vucevic are out for the rest of the season because they frankly can't hold your jockstrap. So lace up your boots, go find your super suit, and get ready to ride the Sixers to championship glory. Just sign on that dotted line Francisco, we've been waiting for this moment our whole lives.

With all our love,

Liberty Ballers

Liberty Ballers has exclusively obtained the conversation between Philadelphia 76ers guard Louis Williams and the man who tried to rob him at gunpoint on Christmas Eve in Manayunk. This conversation, recorded on Yak Bak, required the most down-and-dirty journalism and investigative reporting this blog has ever seen. There's some things we're not proud of. But through the combined efforts of Messrs. Sams, Steidel, Bodner, and myself, we have the entire transcript below.

Be warned: what you are about to read is shocking and, we assure you, completely accurate. I stake my credibility on it. Proceed at your own risk.

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With rumors swirling that Marreese Speights is on his way out of Philadelphia (though the asking price is apparently too high??), I wanted to make sure we got another one of these in before it was too late and the Speezy Sez's were relocated to a different blog. And if this is to be our end, then I would have us make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance (couldn't help it). So without further ado, I will now relay the translations of various tweets from the greatest Twitterer of our age, Mo Speights.

We don't care about no dang cabbage so hush sheesh lmao

Translation: I prefer iceberg lettuce over romaine. Cabbage makes me laugh.

Got me thinking hard

OH GOD NO! NOT THIS AGAIN!

Let me chill out !!!!!

Goldberg is definitely my favorite character from The Mighty Ducks.

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When I sat down with Marreese Speights a few months ago during the NBA "Lockout League" he told me he likes to bowl and play "college football" in his spare time. He hates the snow and thinks THE BOSS is an "eight" on a scale of 1-10 as a rapper. He also went into detail about his number one nap of all-time. However; it's not all naps and bowling for the sharp-shooting big man.

When asked about his health – which hasn't seemed to be the same since the knee injury during his sophomore campaign – he said "I'm feeling good, I'm feeling good." Some Sixers fans may remember what a healthy Marreese Speights means for the team. A healthy Speights can provide a huge spark off the bench, and most definitely drop AT LEAST 20 points and 10 rebounds if inserted into the starting lineup. With only the likes of Spencer Hawes and Nikola Vucevic standing in his way, it's not completely out of the question Speights could win the starting center job at some point this season. I asked him about that in September and this was his response:

I'm going to go into training camp and try and do the best I can do. If I start, I start, if I don't, I don't. I'm not going to be satisfied with sitting on the bench cause I know I'm gonna be out there playing my hardest.

When asked what he needs to do to win the starting job he followed up with this:

I'm just going to go into camp in real good shape.

Sixers training camp is scheduled to start a week from today, and it comes as no surprise that the newly-motivated has already gotten a head start on the grueling conditioning drills Coach Collins is famous for.

Hit the jump for a video of Speezy and "his boys going hard on this conditioning drill" via Twitter. It's intense. You've been warned.

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Oh really, NBA? You're not going to put the Sixers on National TV on Christmas? I am outraged. Beyond outraged. My outrage has become inrage and I'm inraging all over the country. Let me learn you a few things about the Sixers.

Do you know how steeped in Christmas lore the Sixers are? Well there's 12 days of Christmas. Half of that is 6. Sixers. Duh. Secondly, the Sixers just killed off their rabbit mascot. Rabbits are typically saved for Easter, which is like Christmas's cousin. You can't do us like that, NBA. If you're secretly being backed by PETA, I don't even want to know what you're going to do to the Suns when they get rid of their Gorilla.

Also, Santa Claus is fat. You know who else is fat? Derrick Coleman. How many seasons did DC play for the Sixers? 6. Half of the days of Christmas, and the number the Sixers were named after. Traditionally, you leave milk and cookies for Santa to eat. Where was milk and cookies invented? Philadelphia. And (obvious h/t to PhiladelphiaEagles) Jrue Holiday. HOLIDAY. HOLIDAY!?!?! COME ON.

You're saying that the Sixers shouldn't play in primetime? Andre Iguodala isn't a primetime player? Elton Brand doesn't draw a crowd? Spencer Hawes isn't a household name yet? Marreese Speights isn't the most electrifying player in the league? Nicola Vucevic isn't frontrunner for Rookie of the Year? Louis Williams isn't the man to beat in the MVP race? The answer to all of your theoretical questions are WRONG, NBA.

NBA, I am outraged that you would decide to show teams like the Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, and Bulls over the Sixers. The Nation wants to see Craig Brackins play basketball. And they want to see it on Christmas, while they're opening presents and cajoling with Santa by the fire. Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo - these names don't matter anymore. They're so pre-Lockout. Nobody wants to see LeBron James and Dwyane Wade against Dirk Nowitzki. Have fun with those ratings, jerks.

Don't pretend like this isn't some big conspiracy to make clam chowder and sushi a more powerful food than cheese steaks, pretzels, and Tastycakes. The Sixers are America's Team. And depriving them of their Sixers on the day when the world is aching to watch is akin to terrorism. And terrorism is bad.

#OccupySixersChristmas!

Though actual winter may be here for those of you still in the Northeast (HA) and though the Stark's and Lannister's don't reconvene on HBO until April, the winter of the NBA's discontent has come and gone after 149 days of cold, wet negotiations. Reporters are being let back into facilities, players are trying their old jerseys on again - this is the great exhale after the scrotum-clenching months of angst and ignorance.

How do we know basketball is officially here? Louis Williams, the only Sixer who is currently at PCOM, is speaking to reporters! Picture from Kate Fagan...

That is quite the face from tha BOSS. What do you think he's saying? Seems like he's in the middle of a W-- or a "oo", something to make his lips pucker. Possibly even Sideways Blue Steel? Let's take a few guesses.

1. Well...I've been really working on my one-on-one game this winter and I'm prepared to take more shots.
2. If you liked my first few singles, get ready for my album: Boss, Thugs, and Speezy.
3. What do you mean, high usage rate?

Also, Spencer Hawes playing a little ball with his U-Dub Huskies brethren.

Sources close to me have informed us that today is little Mikey's birthday. We've know him since his early days as TheArtistFomerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn and have seen him blossom into the beautiful rose he is today. Too sentimental for you guys? Well, I say not sentimental enough!

As this is being scribed, the NBA players union and owners are going into hour number 10 of their negotiations. I couldn't think of a better birthday gift for Mike than for the NBA Lockout to end. But just for fun, here are a few ideas I've been contemplating:

1. Guest appearance in Louis Williams' next rap video.

2. Signed box of Fruity Pebbles courtesy of Jrue Holiday.

3. Signed can of chicken noodle soup from dweeb.

4. 3 future draft picks

5. A day to hang out with Jerel McNeal

What are you guys going to get him?

Happy Birthday Mike! Kisses from myself, Jordan, Derek, and everyone in the Liberty Ballers community!

Double-Dong Shots for everyone!

When we last heard from Louis Williams on the rap front, he was taking some dime piece home to his lavish crib in the music video for his summer anthem "Slow it Down". Well fellow LouWill-Ville enthusiasts, the BOSS is back to spittin' again, this time not only with up and coming Maybach Music member Meek Mill (five M's in a row!), but also 2 Chainz (formerly Tity Boi of Playaz Circle or something like that) with a new song called "Problem". Initially I assumed the song would address the problem that is Lou's high usage, low efficiency game. Well we all know what happens when you assume (sometimes you're right, sometimes you're wrong). In this instance, I couldn't have been more wrong if I said he was rapping about the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

For those not interested in listening to the song, I'll give you a line from Lou that has to be my favorite in the entire thing. Like many other rappers in the game, addressing the "haterz" is a popular subject for any hip-hop artist to touch on and Lou takes this opportunity to get his shots in (and when has he ever been known to turn down a shot?).

I don't give a damn about a hater, what he talkin', what he tweetin'. You keep bloggin', I keep ballin'. I'm a movie, you should peep it.

Touche Lou, touche. My only question is, what movie are you? I have some guesses, but I'll leave that up to you guys to post your theories in the comments.

No video for the track has been posted but he has made the song available to download for free via HulkShare. Hit the J for the link to cop yourself the new Lou joint.

#BOSS

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