Hardwood Paroxysm’s NBA Summer Jams Mixtape

This week, the Hardwood Paroxysm crew brainstormed songs that rang true with some of the offseason’s stories – both big and small and both humorous and serious. So sit back, relax, and get your eyes and ears perked up for NBA Summer Jams. (And just a heads up: some songs contain mild profanity and innuendo, so be careful with the volume, OK?)

“Hold On” by Wilson Phillips, Recommended for Thaddeus Young

By Andy Liu (@AndyKHLiu)

The Philadelphia 76ers really don’t seem like the hopeless oasis of death some make them out to be. On a team filled with rookies, guys who’ve barely had a cup of coffee in the big leagues, there’s little pressure to win or accomplish anything outside of just stepping foot on the hardwood. For the backlash that Sam Hinkie has created for himself – some rightfully so – there are players like Dewayne Dedmon and Elliot Williams who earned chances despite that fact they might not have on most other teams. That’s pretty neat.

But none of this really applies to the elder statesman on the roster. Thaddeus Young, now 26, in his physical prime and heading into his eighth NBA season, is locked in as a 76er for the next two years, at just over nine million per year. From a financial perspective, there’s not much to complain about. But there’s a certain level of wear that perpetual losing can put on a player. Just ask Kevin Love. Not that Young is Love, mind you. As a basketball player, Young is a decent defender, good finisher, but lacks the three-point range to excel as a hybrid forward.

As a person mired in a lose-forever-more situation, Wilson Phillips’ advice to hold on for {two more seasons} or a trade to anywhere is apt. Having never been a part of a winning season in his NBA career, it isn’t that Young should be adhering to anything about the song, it’s that he has no choice on the matter.