Happy "Spencer Hawes Is Now Able to Be Traded" Day!

December 15. It's finally here.

I've been counting down the days since Sixers Center Spencer Hawes signed a 2 year, $13 million contract on July 4th which caused me to saw off all of my appendages. Today marks the day all the free agents the Sixers signed in the summer can now be traded. But before we look further into that, allow me to rant a little more about Spencer. (/begin Hawes rant)

Spencer Hawes is not a good basketball player. This is fairly obvious. He's soft. He's a terrible defender. Opposing big men eat him up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and sometimes even fourthmeal (for those NBA players who like Taco Bell). He doesn't set screens well, which only inhibits the Sixers' guard play. He doesn't defend the pick and roll well either since he's just too slow to recover. He doesn't pull down tough, contested rebounds. You already know all of these things because you've watched him play. Simply put, it's infuriating. I hate watching him play, and I'm sure you do too.

Hawes does have some redeeming qualities. He had a cool beard last year and his wacky mullet/American headband combination is kind of fun. He made a generous donation to the victims of Hurricane Sandy and I'm sure he does other good charity work. He's a great artist. He's an amazing luggage model. He's a fantastic actor. He even has some Wight Howard moments where he looks like a not terrible player. But even so, he's still a net negative and he's not good for this team. The Sixers should absolutely be trying to find a way to trade him. He's a large reason why the Sixers front court is so terrible.

Unfortunately for us Hawes-H8rs, he probably won't be traded. I imagine Doug Collins really likes him for some reason, and theoretically there are worse players than him. And quite frankly I don't see why another team would want a player as terrible as him. But that shouldn't stop us from being creative and dreaming up "realistic" ways to trade him. (/end Hawes rant)

But let's not stop there. There are six other Sixers that are also now able to be traded, including: Nick Young, Lavoy Allen, Kwame Brown (lol), Damien Wilkins, Royal Ivey, and Maalik "Sheep " Wayns. Do you see any of these players being traded soon?

Before we get carried away, let's remember the Sixers won't be looking to land a big piece. As Derek states in his column:

We're talking about the rotation-level player likely to be available for the 76ers as the deadline approaches. We're talking about Doug Collins trying to find a role player, the type of role player who might be more valuable to the 76ers because of his ability to step in and fill a position and/or skill set of need that the team is sorely lacking.

The Sixers simply don't have the cap space or assets to land a major player, and nor should they be looking for one with Bynum in the fold.

Of course, your opinion on whether the Sixers should tank or not is likely to affect how you feel about a potential trade. Those who want to WIN WIN WIN are looking for a guy to bring in and those looking to LOSE LOSE LOSE just might be fine losing with the guys the Sixers already have.

But let's entertain the hypothetical, just for fun.

Here's what Zach Lowe of Grantland had to say about the potential of a Sixers trade(s):

Half the roster becomes trade-eligible Saturday on mid-tier or cheap salaries. The bigger names are Nick Young (shooting 38 percent and recovering from a toe injury) and a brigade of centers that has been so ineffective the Sixers will be in the market for a big man once trading season heats up. Kwame Brown almost never plays, Lavoy Allen's offense has regressed, and Spencer Hawes is no longer providing enough scoring/passing punch to make up for his shaky post defense. The Evan Turner/Jrue Holiday/Thaddeus Young core is basically set in stone here, and Jason Richardson's shooting has been helpful; the Sixers have outscored opponents by a robust 6.3 points per 100 possessions when those four play together, per NBA.com.

Everything else, including Andrew Bynum's future, is up in the air.

***CHALLENGE QUESTIONS***

• First, should the Sixers be looking to made a trade?
• Who should the Sixers target in a trade, and what do you think it will cost?
• Who should the Sixers trade away, and what do you think they could get for that player?
• Should the Sixers try to trade a player for a draft pick?
• Can you top my Spencer Hawes rant with a better one of your own?

So let's hear it! Make your case. Share your ideas with us. And please, for the love of Bynum's nonexistent knees, find a way to get Hawes off this team. Here's the ESPN's NBA Trade Machine for reference.