Reflecting on the Anthony Bennett Sixers Era

Depending on when you started taking the rumor seriously -- on either side of it -- there was approximately a 13-day period in which Anthony Bennett was a Sixer. Something arbitrary about not being able to trade a rookie until a month after you sign him something something Andrew Wiggins, and we had a little under two weeks to live in a reality where Anthony Bennett was going to be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for being the friendlies in a Kevin Love deal.

From this:

FUTURE SIXER ANTHONY BENNETT

— Michael Levin (@Michael_Levin) August 8, 2014

To this:

FORMER SIXER ANTHONY BENNETT

— Michael Levin (@Michael_Levin) August 21, 2014

Less than two weeks. Barenaked Ladies got more time than that.

You can say Anthony Bennett was not a Sixer. And listen, okay? Listen. Listen to me with your eyes. HE WAS. If not in official capacity then in SPIRIT. Anthony Bennett was a Sixer like the automobile was flight. Like the fox was a hound. Like Mike was a great movie.

Anthony Bennett, the reclamation project among reclamation projects. The surprise #1 pick just one year removed from Clevelandian Draft Night Flattopless Glory, during which time he was labelled a BUST due to his pudginess and asthma and general on-court sadness. Tony Wroten, Casper Ware, and Elliot Williams would bend the knee to the rightful heir to the Reclamation Throne. Sam Hinkie and Brett Brown would dig in.

His ascent would not have been televised. But it would have been blogged about-- oh, would it have been blogged about. I've got multiple drafts of "ANTHONY BENNETT WEIGHTWATCH: SIXER FRANCHISE CORNERSTONE DOWN TO A SVELTE ____ POUNDS" just staring me in the face.

We would've watched as he trusted his legs again. As the two-handed thunderdunks started coming in. As he got more comfortable off the dribble. He'd blow by Nic Batum and throw one down through Robin Lopez and we'd start to feel it, forty steps ahead of the narrative on his emergence. His first promotional "I'm Anthony Bennett, and you're watching Comcast SportsNet." A steady climb of outside shooting to a strength. A defensive system that he buys into and gives a shit about, allowing him to use his hawkish length to his advantage on both ends of the court. A quarterback controversy at the forward positions with Bennett and a 22-year-old Dario Saric.

Now, he'll get a year behind Thaddeus Young with Flip Saunders in Minnesota, until they either let him fly or relegate him to the same fate as Thomas Robinson and Derrick Williams and Ed Davis. He could've been more with us. He would've been. He was.

If there was one thing that would've test my resolve in fading myself out from LB, it would've been Sam Hinkie trading for Anthony Bennett. Alas, earwax.

WAIT I JUST REALIZED THE SIXERS ARE GONNA DRAFT MONTREZL HARRELL WITH THE MIAMI HEAT PICK NEVERMIND WE'RE GOOD.