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76ers' Sunday Morning Shootaround: All Hallows Eve

In the edition of the Sunday Morning Shootaround, the Sixers attend a Halloween party, Blue Week is upon us, and we pour out a little liquor for #TeamWHOP.

By Roy Burton
Vander Blue will have to do the WHOP someone else...
Vander Blue will have to do the WHOP someone else...
Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Rest in peace, #TeamWHOP... we hardly knew ye.

#TeamWHOP - Tony Wroten, Vander Blue, Khalif Wyatt and Michael Carter-Williams - is a clique of young basketball players who are chasing their dreams of becoming NBA stars. Sadly, Wyatt and Blue were waived over the past few days, so 50% of Team "We Handle Our Problems" is now looking for work.

Before their swan song as a group, however, they took the time to put together a video of their life on and off the court. Below is my running commentary on the first (and last?) #TeamWHOP production:

0:00 - If nothing else, Tony Wroten (the co-director of said feature) knows how to pick out good music. The backing track at the start of the clip is the instrumental to Drake's "Lord Knows", which could very well be one of the five best beats of this decade. Unfortunately, the music makes it hard for viewers to hear the voicemail messages that are playing concurrently.

1:27 - Despite the lack of milk in the refrigerator, Michael Carter-Williams prepares to eat a bowl of cereal... with a fork. This is symbolism at its finest: Trying to lead the Sixers to victory this season will be just as difficult as downing a bowl of Frosted Flakes without a spoon.

2:16 - Evan Turner formally introduces #TeamWHOP, which may or may not be a rap group. I think they're more along the lines of The Kliq of WWF/WWE/WCW fame. That, of course, would make Khalif Wyatt the 1-2-3 Kid/Syxx/Sean Waltman of the group.

3:38 - This is the point where #TeamWHOP breaks out the official "handshake", which is two backhands followed by two taps of one's left pants pocket. They get points for originality, but it has nothing on Johnny Manziel's money sign.

4:47 - Random thought: Who is actually filming all of this? Has Kwame Brown been playing possum all of this time with his hamstring so that he could be the official #TeamWHOP cinematographer?

5:54 - For the 4,287th time, someone (this time, Wroten) says that Wyatt has an "old-school game."

6:49 - Red Cafe's "I'm Ill" is the soundtrack for the recap of the open practice that was held at the Palestra not too long ago. That was supposed to be the day where Lavoy Allen was named an honorary member of #TeamWHOP, but the former Temple big man forgot to set his alarm clock.

During the segment, there's no fewer than three plays involving Royce White where the recently released forward looks like an exceptionally talented basketball player. There's also a play that ends in White fouling Khalif Wyatt at the end of a 2-on-1 fastbreak because... Royce White.

8:47 - The "To Be Continued" card appears, but this debut clip could wind up being like the 23,012 R&B videos from the '90s that said "To Be Continued" and never produced a follow-up. That said, there's a better chance that we'll see a second #TeamWHOP YouTube clip before we ever get to hear Dr. Dre's "Detox."

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Blue Week is here! Most teams wouldn't have to go through this much trouble to promote a home opener that features the two-time defending champions, but... Sixers. Anyway, check out some of the fun and frivolity that's headed our way over the next couple of days:

Monday, October 28:

1:16 p.m.: At 76 minutes after noon (1:16 p.m.), Macy's grand court organist Peter Richard Conte will play "Here Come the Sixers" on the Wanamaker Organ at Macy's Center City (1300 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19107).

How many people on Monday will actually realize that the song being played is in reference to the Sixers? I'm guessing that the number is far less than 76.

4:00 p.m.: Members of the team will be at Philly Cuts Unisex Salon (4409 Chestnut Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19104), where 76 kids will receive free haircuts from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. All of the children receiving haircuts will be given tickets to the home opener against the Miami Heat on October 30 at 7:00 p.m., presented by Independence Blue Cross.

A Miami Heat intra-squad scrimmage is more competitive that the home opener figures to be, but I can't fault the Sixers for giving away free tickets.

5:00 p.m.: The world's first pizza museum, Pizza Brain (2313 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19125), will create and display a giant, blue, Sixers ball logo pizza in the shop and offer half-price slices of their buffalo chicken blue cheese pizza from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Pizza Brain has really good slices, and you all should go at some point. Just not on Monday when you'll have the fight through the six people who came out to see the giant blue Sixers' pizza.


Tuesday, October 29:

Noon to 1:00 p.m.: Members of the Sixers Dream Team, presented by Parx Casino, and Sixers Flight Squad will take over Liberty Place during lunch with giveaways and a pep rally.

It's always good to hold a pep rally at a place where people already are - it shows well on TV. Otherwise, you'll wind up with a smaller crowd than the one at a Jacksonville Jaguars' home game.


All in all, "Blue Week" is actually pretty decent. Free T-shirts? Free haircuts? Half-price pizza? I'm afraid I just blue myself.

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I'm at an age where Halloween is more annoying than it is entertaining, but I do enjoy laughing at the folks who take the holiday way too seriously.

Evan Turner recently hosted a combination birthday/Halloween party, and several of his teammates came through in various attire. So, in honor of the famous Mr. Blackwell, we here at the Sunday Morning Shootaround will offer our opinions on the various costumes:

Thaddeus Young/Mrs. Young: A+

If you're going to do the All Hallows Eve thing, do it right. Props to Thad and Mrs. Young for going full Nightmare Before Christmas. Thaddeus Young: Consummate professional.

*****

Evan Turner: D

Since Turner knows that he's "going to get money regardless", he turned in a sub-par effort with his Fresh Prince of Bel-Air get up. His friend is a pretty good DJ Jazzy Jeff, but I know that some of you reading this wish that Turner was the one that we could throw out the front door.

*****

Spencer Hawes: F+

Who would even think to dress up as a 7-foot tall Hamburglar for Halloween? This would have been a straight F, but Hawes gets bonus points for using an actual Big Mac as part of his costume.

*****

Jason Richardson: A+

This is an All-Star effort if there ever was one. Jason Richardson was so intent on getting his Trinidad James look down that he even lost 50 pounds since the start of training camp.

*****

James Anderson: A-
Arnett Moultrie: F

That's a REALLY good Jerome (from the TV show "Martin"). If this isn't proof that Arkansas James is going to destroy our hopes of tanking the season by giving maximum effort, I don't know what is. And Arnett Moultrie didn't even try... More like Trinidad Lames, no?

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