Well, with the Spartans dead, and some things I need to fix and edit with my Blazers before I continue using them (they aren't gone, not one percent), I wanted to do something I never even attempted before. The passing of Kobe truly shaked me to my core -- I'm sure I'm not the only one -- and in some sort of humble tribute, I wanted to do something with him in game. There have been countless Lakers dynasties and associations in not only the OS forums but in others as well, so I began thinking outside the box.

First -- it wouldn't be LA, it had to be some other team... and I always came back to Philadelphia. The place where he was born, the place where he came back after living in Italy, the place where he went to high school and won a state championship. Philly had the No. 1 pick in 1996, but with Allen Iverson available, they certainly wouldn't gamble on him. So I'm simming the 95-96 season again, giving the Sixers a better record (they went 18-64 back then) and the 8th-12th pick, making it a little more realistic. Of course, that means Iverson has to go somewhere else; since he went to Georgetown, I'm giving Washington the 1st overall pick to draft him alongside Chris Webber -- hopefully they will make the Wizards a team to fear once again (No Bullets. Never liked that name). Lower Merion's number 33 will then make the transition to the 76ers.

Second -- since this is a Kobe story, there's no logic in controlling the entire team, so I'm changing the options to automatic timeouts and substitutions and locking myself to the shooting guard position. Decided to go this way, and not a MyPlayer file, in order to still maintain the decision making in signings and trades going forward (will try to do all real life transactions). Kobe starts in 1996 with a 73 rating (99 potential) and we will watch him grow and play every year a little more. We need to at least, match what the real Kobe did! Can we get to twenty years, five rings, an MVP award, 18 All-Star berths, two scoring titles?

Playing ten games per season. Randomizing two games per playoff series (unless it is Conference Finals or NBA Finals, where we will try to play them all). Stay tuned -- thanks to RolePlayer for the inspiration.

• ♦ Letter To My Younger Self
  ♦ In Case You Missed It: Recapping The 76ers' 1995-96 Season
  ♦ 1996 Full Draft Lottery Results: Wizards To Pick 1st, Sixers Go 8th
  ♦ 76ers To Hire Larry Brown As Head Coach, James Wilshere As GM
  ♦ 76ers Pick Lower Merion Sensation Kobe Bryant, Iverson Goes To Wiz
  ♦ 1996-97 Season Preview: 76ers Finalize Overhaul
  ♦ 76ers Announce 1996-97 Schedule: Season Begins October 29
  
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: Heat 87 @ 76ers 91 [1-0]
  ♦ The Weeks That Were: Oct. 29 - Nov. 16, 1996 [6-5]
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: 76ers 102 @ Magic 110 [6-6]
  ♦ The Weeks That Were: Nov. 17 - Dec. 7, 1996 [12-9]
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: Clippers 80 @ 76ers 81 [13-9]
  ♦ The Weeks That Were: Dec. 8 - Dec. 31, 1996 [16-14]
  ♦ Inside The NBA with Stephen A. Smith: Sixers Have No Personality
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: 76ers 75 @ Nets 67 [17-14]
  ♦ The Weeks That Were: Jan. 1 - Jan. 17, 1997 [20-19]
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: 76ers 84 @ Bulls 101 [20-20]
  ♦ The Weeks That Were: Jan. 18 - Feb. 4, 1997 [25-24]
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: Celtics 96 @ 76ers 88 [25-25]
  ♦ The Weeks That Were: Feb. 5 - Feb. 22, 1997 [29-27]
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: Bucks 89 @ 76ers 86 [29-28]
  ♦ The Weeks That Were: Feb. 23 - Mar. 14, 1997 [34-31]
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: Grizzlies 84 @ 76ers 88 [35-31]
  ♦ The Weeks That Were: Mar. 15 - Mar. 29, 1997 [37-36]
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: 76ers 80 @ Hawks 87 [37-37]
  ♦ The Weeks That Were: Mar. 30 - Apr. 14, 1997 [41-40]
  ♦ Rapid Reaction: 76ers 89 @ Heat 96 [41-41]

• ♦ 1996-97 Recap: Bulls Win Fifth Ring In Seven Years
  ♦ 1997 Offseason, Part 1: Decisions, Decisions...
  ♦ 1997 Offseason, Part 2: Sixers Shuffle Deck
  ♦ 1997 Offseason, Part 3: Eastern Conference Roundup
  ♦ 1997 Offseason, Part 3: Western Conference Roundup