A lot of the debate surrounding Charlottesville has been surrounding the President’s supposed moral equivalency of the actions taken by the Pro-statute marchers and the Resistance protestors. The notion that both sides’ actions aimed to stir up commotion to increase support for their respective cause. I raise another false moral equivalency: that of comparing this President to the 44 that came before him.

This president lacks the historical foundation as to why he should’ve denounced the events of Charlottesville from the moment it happened. This nation’s history shows time and time again how it prioritizes white lives. The inception of the black lives matter movement was to remind people of the notion that a racial hierarchy remains in place; regardless of a black man’s ascendency to the Presidency. The goal of challenging the racial status quo is threatened by Trump’s very presence. This is a man who doubted his predecessor’s authentic birth certificate three years into his presidency. It is unlikely that he would have raised such doubts if Barack Obama was a white man.

The president’s utter lack of respect for the history that preceded him hollows out the Oval Office. His attempts to bring the country together through touting job creation, developing a plan to modernize American infrastructure, and optimizing the federal bureaucracy are muddled by his inability to say that White Nationalism has no place in the White House. His credibility with race relations will never be able to be repaired after today. Trump needed to make a commitment specifically to Black Americans to improve his attentiveness regarding the fragile nature of race in America. Trump is not to fully blame for the rise of the Alt-Right; however he has had a major role in normalizing rhetoric that is antithetical to the values of America. Trump needs to own that fact. President Trump needed to reassure all Americans by indicating that he needs to learn more about race. He needed to assume a level of personal culpability for increased racial tension since the election.

Alas he did not.

He will never be able to make up for his inability to express why this weekend’s events are deeply troubling. We will just have to look to other figures in our society to advance our national dialogues regarding race.

President Trump cannot accept the validity of a black man’s birth certificate nor his struggle for equality.

The Pepsi Center, home of the Denver Nuggets, might have to soon be renamed the Wonka Center because of the pure imagination of Mr. Nikola Jokic. Jokic is the spark of so much excitement in the mile-high city today. At age 22, Jokic is blossoming into one of the most dynamic players in the NBA; hoping to catapult the Nuggets’ young core into the heap known as the Western Conference playoffs in 2017. Jokic possesses a rare ability found in a 7-foot big man, passing. Jokic’s dazzling passes are truly scrumdiddlyumptious. I would HIGHLY recommend checking out this montage of some of his assists.

Denver is now adding a new ingredient to the mix that allows for coach Mike Malone to tinker with team formulas. After meeting with free agent Paul Millsap on Sunday, the Nuggets and Millsap have agreed to a 3 year-$90 Million deal. The acquisition of Millsap fulfills one of the Nuggets’ front office goals for the summer: acquiring an all-star caliber player to turn them into a true contender in the west. Millsap has exemplified consistency. The four-time all star averaged nearly 19 points and 9 rebounds per 36 minutes as a member of the Atlanta Hawks for the last four seasons. Millsap has never been a “superstar” per se; but he’s been a meaningful contributor on playoff teams including the much lauded 60 win team Atlanta fielded in the 2014–15 season.

Millsap fills a gap for the Nuggets at a position where they needed an upgrade. Prior to the beginning of the Jokic-Jamal Murray-Gary Harris era in Denver, The Nuggets looked unfocused with Kenneth Faried as the main building block; from 2013 to 2016 the team never won more than 36 games in a season. The team was in a state of perpetual mediocrity and in the Western Conference, mediocrity equals the lottery. With the acquisition of major talent by Minnesota and Oklahoma City, Denver’s acquisition of Millsap shows that the Nuggets are ready to compete in the arms race out west. Denver believes they are ready to take the next step given the team’s soaring offensive potential.

Denver was able to have the 5th highest offensive rating last season. However, the team had an overall minus net rating. Of the top ten teams in offensive rating, eight made the playoffs with only the Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves being left out of the postseason. Both franchises have made major additions to change that for this year (the Timberwolves added Jimmy Butler in a blockbuster draft night trade).

Millsap’s spot on All-Defensive second team in the 2015–2016 season was a result of his defensive versatility; as he averaged 1.8 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Millsap’s ability to contest shots at the rim is summed up in this montage from his breakout defensive season.

Millsap’s arrival most likely means that Danilo Gallinari will not be re-signed by the team. Gallinari was first acquired in the Carmelo Anthony trade and has proven to be a high quality player for Denver. Gallinari shot just a hair under 39% from three last year and has proven he’s an offensive asset. But Gallinari is a minus defender; Millsap fills the void by being a two-way player. Gallinari is currently exploring an opportunity to join the Clippers.

It looks as though the Nuggets are preparing to make a run at a top four spot in the West. The Clippers are in a retooling mode given Chris Paul and J.J Reddick’s departure. Portland lacks a wing that can matchup against Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, or Paul Millsap. The Jazz could be in a similar position if Gordon Heyward does not resign with the team. While Oklahoma City needs to sure up its rotation before being able to compete with the elite in the West. The Nuggets are looking to be the next “it” team in the NBA. A team that can challenge the likes of Golden State, Houston, and San Antonio. The signing of Paul Millsap indicates that the Nuggets are going all in on the potential of making the playoffs and challenging the top tier in the wild, wild west.

One of the first major shoes of free agency has dropped: J.J Redick has opted to sign a 1 year- $23 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers (as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski). The addition of the veteran 33-year old shooter provides the Sixers with a leader from a winning culture. The Sixers’ rebuild has featured more misfits than true vets in the past couple of years. One could argue that this is the most notable free agent signing for Philly since Andrew Bynum (gasp!). The Bynum signing occurred in 2013 and since then the Sixers have been the subject of much fervor around the league. But now, Philly is looking to turn the rebuild into high gear.

Given the relative weakness of the East, the Sixers could be gunning for a 6–8 seed. Obviously the biggest question with the Sixers is their dreaded track record with injuries. Joel Embiid’s first season yielded an output of only 31 games. His start was promising; Embiid averaged nearly 29 points per 36 minutes according to Basketball-Reference and is showing signs of developing into an athletic and versatile big man. Now coach Brett Brown must manage to add in two new first-year players: Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz. Simmons, a 6’10 with point-forward potential, missed all of last season due to a foot injury. Fultz, the number one overall pick in the draft is a flashy, NBA-ready 6”4 guard who could be a joy in the pick and roll.

First, it’s important to note that both options at point guard for Brett Brown will allow for the Sixers to run additional pick and roll action. The two players who spent the most time at the 1 for the Sixers last year (Sergio Rodriguez and T.J McConnell) ran a fair amount of pick and roll action. Per Synergy Sports, Rodriguez averaged 4.6 possessions per game as the P&R ball handler and McConnell averaged 4 possessions per game. For reference, James Harden averages roughly 12 possessions a game as the pick and roll ball handler. Brett Brown has time to figure out the roles that Fultz and Simmons will occupy but expect the number of total number of pick and rolls to grow given the talent that Fultz and Simmons possess.

Next, let’s factor in Redick’s contribution to the increase in pick-and-roll for Philly. Redick’s historical role has been to be a top-flight shooter drawing comparisons to players like Kyle Korver. He’s a spot up shooter at heart. Redick has shot over 40% from three over each of the past three seasons and that’s why Bryan Colangelo sought out his services. Last year, the Sixers’ best three point shooter was Nik Stauskas who shot a little under 37% from three. Redick is a noticeable upgrade having made just over 200 threes last year compared to Stauskas’s 132. Redick’s contribution to Philly will be over 50% more than what their best shooter offered last season! These are the reasons why Redick is worth $23 million next season.

Redick’s track record won’t just be numbers on a spreadsheet for Brown and his staff; the addition of Redick allows for the implementation of a more flexible offense. Last year, Robert Covington was the man typically coming off screens and becoming the open man for Philly. 53.3% of Covington’s shots came off of “catch and shoot” plays; he shot roughly 33% on catch and shoot threes. On the other hand, Redick is ready to deliver a noticeable improvement to the Sixers’ perimeter offense. 49.6% of Redick’s shots came by way of the catch and shoot; however Redick averages nearly 45% from distance on such plays. The catch and shoot 3 is Redick’s most frequent shot and arguably his most efficient.

Redick ranks third in the league in both points off of handoffs and points off of screens. Given Redick’s heavy catch and shoot usage, this makes sense. This is why the marriage of Brown’s utilization of the Pick and Roll with Fultz or Simmons plus the addition of Redick’s shooting makes Philly a fascinating offense to watch going forward. The utilization of double screens is a necessity for Redick to be fully utilized. Hypothetically, Fultz will be the main ball handler. It is likely for Brown to try out a starting five featuring Fultz, Redick, Covington, Dario Saric, and Embiid. A 1–3 pick-and-roll featuring Fultz and Covington would be a great start to the play. Fultz’s ability to drive the lane causes defensive issues as defenders would fall back into the paint to compensate for Fultz’s driving ability. The ideal scenario features Embiid as a potential inside man on the strong side giving Fultz the option of the big man in the post. On the weak side, Saric must be able to set off-ball screens to free Redick. This allows Fultz to easily find Redick coming off the screen for the three. This is just one potential double screen play that could lead to a successful catch and shoot three for J.J.

But, the addition of Redick does not signal that Robert Covington is disposable. Covington has shown himself to be an integral role in the Process and is a respectable building block. Mark Deeks of Sham Sports asserts that Covington is worthy of a 4 year/$38 Million extension. Sixers’ management should wait until the trade deadline to see whether or not Covington continues to develop. Covington could be an asset in a trade that could be used in the future to acquire a more experienced wing. It’s just a factor to consider if Philly begins to show playoff potential.

The downside of adding Redick is that he is a below average defender; having a defensive rating of 112 last year with the Clippers. It will have to be seen how Redick is hidden on defense; a lot of it will probably hinge on Simmons’s and Fultz’s development as they will pick up the more strenuous defensive assignments.

All in all, the addition of J.J Redick should add much needed perimeter shooting to the Sixers. The unquantifiable value of veteran leadership also gives legitimacy to the Process. Redick has been around the block more than a few times and will impart knowledge on the young phenoms; serving as a mentor like Mike Krzyzewski did for him.