Tobias Harris, by nature of his expiring $39 million contract for the 2023-24 season, is a two-way asset for the Philadelphia 76ers and any team that would acquire the 30-year-old forward.

In a mock trade proposal from The Sixer Sense’s Tyler Watts, the Sixers would land Marvin Bagley from the Detroit Pistons for Harris and two future second-round draft picks — which would give Philadelphia a valuable piece to build upon with the former No. 2 overall draft pick Bagley and would free up future cap flexibility for the Pistons.

Regarding Harris, Watts finds the 12-year veteran to be the perfect hand for Detroit’s new head coach Monty Williams’ first roster in the Motor City.

“They have an exciting young roster, but the Pistons certainly need more talent if they want to immediately contend under new head coach Monty Williams,” Watts prefaced before saying, “The number five pick in the draft will help, but getting someone like Tobias Harris could be what pushes Detroit back into the postseason.”

As for Bagley, Watts feels Bagley could contribute off the bench for a team that could end up with $35 million in cap space if James Harden didn’t re-sign if such a trade was agreed upon by both front offices.

“Bagley III has shown some flashes, but the 24-year-old has struggled to stay healthy,” Watts prefaced before saying, “Detroit is unlikely to be players in free agency, so they could look to use their cap space this way. The former number two overall pick could play a bench scoring role in Philadelphia, and the 76ers would have nearly $35 million in cap space if James Harden remained off their books.”

Tobias Harris ‘Finally’ a Positive Trade Asset for Sixers

Liberty Ballers’ Bryan Toporek said that Harris’ contract has “finally” become a positive trade asset for the Sixers, four years after signing a five-year, $180 million contract extension during the 2019 NBA offseason.

“No one should expect the Sixers to fetch a massive haul for Harris, who remains one of the most comically overpaid players throughout the NBA,” Toporek prefaced before saying, “But teams with bloated, longer-term deals could value the ability to clear $39.3 million off their books after next season, particularly with the draconian new CBA set to take effect this summer. That could finally turn Harris’ contract into a positive asset instead of an albatross.”

Harris’ extension was signed instead of one for Jimmy Butler, which is something Sixers fans will have a tough time getting over with the team that signed him, the Miami Heat, having made the NBA Finals twice and the Eastern Conference Finals three times since signing “Jimmy Buckets.”

Sixers Fans Expect Tobias Harris to Be Traded

Sixers fans aren’t holding their breath on Harris seeing it through to the end of his contract in Philadelphia. In fact, the overwhelming majority of fans are expecting Harris to be dealt this offseason according to Liberty Ballers’ Jackson Frank.

“According to a recent survey, more than 70 percent of participants think at least one of (Harris and Harden) will be elsewhere this fall, with 71 percent of folks believing Harris will be traded during the offseason,” Frank wrote.

Frank believes the Sixers could look to deal Harris in an effort to spread salary across several contributors.

“He’s a good, useful player, but has often regressed in the playoffs and is a murky fit, given his contract and preference to operate methodically on the ball offensively,” Frank wrote. “If the right trade arises, it’s by no means inconceivable Philadelphia could move him to fortify its depth and rearrange the rotation.”

Luka Doncic may need a new No. 2 option should the offseason see a Kyrie Irving free-agent departure from the Mavericks, and Dallas Basketball’s Dalton Trigg concocted a trade proposal that would give the Slovenian star just that — delivering Europen 21-point-per-game scorer Bojan Bogdanovic from the Pistons.

Trigg’s proposal, in its totality, would see Dallas part with Tim Hardaway Jr. and the 2023 NBA draft’s No. 10 pick in exchange for Bogdanovic and the 2022 NBA draft’s No. 13 overall pick, Jalen Duren. The Dallas Basketball writer sees this proposal as a potential “godsend” for the Mavericks.

“Adding Bogdanovic and Duren would be a godsend for the Mavs, as the team desperately needs more rebounding, defense and wing depth,” Trigg wrote.

Dallas ranked dead-last in rebounding during the 2022-23 season, having been the only team in the Association to grab under 40 boards per game (38.8). While Bogdanovic had pedestrian rebounding numbers for a forward (3.8), Duren proved to be a glass eater during his rookie season, averaging 8.9 rebounds in under 25 minutes per game.

‘Win-Now’ Mavs Can Aggressively Pursue Bojan Bogdanovic

PistonPowered’s Aaron Kellerstrass sees the Mavericks as being in “win-now mode” due to their flameout in the final two weeks of the 2022-23 season that saw them miss the NBA Play-in tournament. He also sees Dallas as one of a handful of teams that’d be more inclined to include a young player or a draft pick in a Bogdanovic trade.

“Teams that were unwilling to come off a top young player or a first-round pick for Bogdanovic at the deadline may be more inclined to do so now as they try to put together revamped rosters for next season,” Kellerstrass wrote.

Among the other teams listed by Kellerstrass that could be in the hunt for Bogdanovic in the offseason included recent championship franchises like the Bucks and Lakers. Other suitors who may be willing to give up, and have the means to give up, more for a player of Bogdanovic’s caliber include the Knicks, Hawks, and Sixers.

No Guarantee Jalen Duren Will Be Available to Mavericks

According to Trigg, the prospect of trading for Duren isn’t an option guaranteed to be available to the Mavericks during the offseason. The Dallas Basketball writer believes there could be a scenario where keeping Duren is more important to the Pistons than moving up in the 2023 NBA draft.

“If the Pistons love Duren enough to where they don’t care about potentially moving up in the draft, then this scenario is dead in the water,” Trigg wrote.

If the right player is available though — with Alabama’s Brandon Miller being a potential frontcourt fit that’d be a worthy recipient of that label from Trigg’s perspective –, giving up Duren could be something Detroit’s front office could consider.

“Given Detroit’s plethora of other young big men on its roster, maybe the possibility of adding a guy like Brandon Miller would be more appealing than holding onto Duren,” Trigg wrote.

If all the planets aligned, the Mavericks could do a lot worse than Bogdanovic and Duren in the lineup with Doncic. Bogdanovic scored five points more than the highest Dallas scorer behind Doncic and Irving, while Duren outrebounded the entire roster during the 2022-23 season.

We can say with certainty what will happen with the top pick in the NBA Draft once the league holds its annual lottery tonight: Someone is going to get Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 French big man with an 8-foot wingspan and an already growing legend around him.

What we can’t say is what ripples will be left behind in the wake of the Wembanyama tsunami. As one GM told Heavy Sports: “I’m as interested in what comes after the lottery as the lottery itself. This could be a tidal wave after it gets decided.”

That’s because whichever team wins the Wembanyama lottery will suddenly find itself with the need to remake its roster around the new guy.

It’s not necessarily the case that Wembanyama’s future team will immediately put all its big men on the trading block. But the expectation, for certain teams, is that they will trade centers now rather than wait until the season gets going.

“You get Victor, you are going to want to move quickly to make room for him,” one GM told Heavy Sports. “That’s not everyone’s philosophy but it is probably what is best. You don’t want to limit Victor by putting him with someone who is going to be in his way. And you don’t want to kill trade value by keeping a guy and proving you can’t actually use him.”

What Would the Pistons do With Jalen Duren?

There are a handful of teams that are ready-made for the addition of Wembanyama. The Spurs, with a 14% chance of winning the lottery, are first among them. Charlotte, at 12.5%, would easily slide Nick Richards into a backup role behind Wembanyama. Some of the longshots, too, (Toronto, Dallas, Chicago) have starters at center who will be free agents.

But the Pistons, with four centers (Jalen Duren, James Wiseman, Isaiah Stewart and Marvin Bagley III) 24 years old or younger, would have to make room. Stewart and Bagley are capable of playing power forward, and Wiseman has scant trade value at this point.

Duren, though, would be especially coveted on the trade market. He was the No. 13 pick in last year’s draft, and at age 19, already is an elite rebounder and dunker, with potential to be a big-time paint protector. He averaged 9.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 24.9 minutes as a rookie.

“They probably could get a Top 10 pick for him this year,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “He has a lot of Robert Williams qualities, and he is like Williams because it might take a little time to polish. You can’t really play him and Wemby together, so he’d have to go. It would be crazy to see the market on him, he is still mostly upside.”

The Rockets could be in a similar situation with 20-year-old sophomore center Alperen Sengun, who potentially could play power forward in a lineup with Wembanyama, though the Rockets also have last year’s No. 2 pick, Jabari Smith Jr. on hand. A power forward/center rotation of Wembanyama, Sengun and Smith is conceivable.

“I doubt they’d trade Sengun right out of the gate if they win the (lottery), but if they did, there were be a good market for him,” the GM said. “If they bring in some veterans, though, and start trying to win now they could easily move Sengun.”

Teams Eyeing Veterans Myles Turner, Wendell Carter Jr.

For teams that will not be in the running for the top pick in the 2023 draft, the hope is that someone with a veteran center will win the lottery, and create an opportunity for a contender to pluck a good big man via trade.

Myles Turner in Indiana, where the Pacers have a 6.8% chance of winning the rights to pick Wembanyama, is tops among the options. Turner has been a much-discussed trade chip over the past two seasons and signed a two-year extension worth $60 million in January (the new deal pays him $41 million over the next two years).

“There has been so much talk around Turner,” the GM said. “They know what they can get for him. They tried to play him with (Domantas) Sabonis and it just became so clear he is a center and needs to play center. So if he (Wembanyama) comes in, they will probably get Turner out sooner than later. And Turner just had a great year (18.0 points, 2.3 blocks and 37.3% shooting) so it is a good time to move him.”

In Orlando (9.0% chance of winning), Carter has had some struggles staying healthy but has been impressive on both sides of the. The Magic could use Carter as a backup to both Wembanyama and reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, but he’d have ample trade value if the Magic sought to move him.

“They need some veteran depth, and he is the kind of guy who could help them get it,” the executive said. “If he could stay healthy, teams would be knocking their door down for Carter.”

And there are others who could come available on the market if the lottery works out right. Portland has Jusuf Nurkic, and the Pelicans have Jonas Valanciunas. The Wizards have Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford. Should they win the top pick, the Thunder (Chet Holmgren) and Jazz (Walker Kessler) would have major decisions to make about valuable young bigs.

On Tuesday night, one team will change its future, win the lottery and will, next month, pick Wembanyama. But there will be plenty of ripples to watch for the other 29 teams, too.

The Cleveland Cavaliers easily dispatched division rival Detroit Pistons on Saturday, a relatively low-stakes contest in a schedule jam-packed with showdowns against contenders.

The Pistons have as bright a future as any team in the league, headlined by young stars Jalen Duren, Cade Cunningham, and Jaden Ivey. But the Pistons’ future is just that: the future. At present, Detroit is lottery bound, with one of the NBA‘s best chances to land generational talent Victor Wembanyama.

After the Cavs thumped Detroit Saturday, Pistons skipper Dwane Casey praised Evan Mobley‘s performance.

“I love his (Mobley’s) temperament,” Casey said before Saturday night’s matchup with Cleveland, per Chris Fedor of cleveland.com. “You don’t know if he is 20 points ahead or 20 points behind. He is going to play the same way, which is an excellent trait for a young player. He doesn’t panic.”

Mobley finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds against Detroit.

Casey also explained how helpful it is for Mobley to play with an experienced veteran like Jarrett Allen.

“And it really helps him to have a guy next to him like Jarrett Allen, because he has seen it all, done it all. He has probably talked to him a lot and learned from him in practice… he is one of our top young guys in our league today,” Casey finished.

Casey Credits Bickerstaff for Cavs’ Identity

The Cavs are also aiming for their first non-LeBron James playoff appearance this century.

For several years, the Cavaliers languished in basketball mediocrity, whiffing on draft picks and trades in an effort to escape purgatory.

But things finally clicked for Cleveland this time around, with the trade for Donovan Mitchell and Allen looking like home runs. Mobley and Darius Garland are also excellent home-grown talents, picked up in the lottery.

Given Cleveland’s young and inexperienced team, head coach JB Bickerstaff has worked hard to develop a winning culture in Lake Erie and battle back the team’s long history of suffering.

“JB (Bickerstaff) has done a good job of forming the style of play that they have,” Casey said. “Creating an identity for this team, playing big. They have two big guys that fit. Mobley is very mobile and can get out on the floor and Allen is probably one of the best rim threats in our league. Then you put two dynamic guards with them, and that group fits together. They have done a heck of a job creating that identity, both offensively and defensively, but especially defensively.”

Mobley Failing to Deliver on Strong Cavs Rookie Season

While Mobley is undeniably one of the league’s most promising young talents, his sophomore season with the Cavaliers has been something of a disappointment.

Mobley was the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year last season until a late injury and an excellent finish by fellow rookie Scottie Barnes saw the big man lose out on the honor.

While the former USC Trojan hasn’t taken a step back in year two, his numbers have remained largely stagnant. And Mobley continues to be a defensive menace, among the league leaders in defensive win shares for the second-straight season.

Back in January, former player-turned-broadcaster Kendrick Perkins called out Mobley for not taking a leap in his second season.

“We’ve been waiting on Evan Mobley to take that leap like in the conversation with elite bigs. High expectations. I’m talking about a guy that’s 18, 20 and 10. At least flirting around with DeAndre Ayton-type numbers,” Perkins said on NBA Today.

Perkins warned that Mobley’s slow development could spoil what’s been an electric pairing between Garland and Mitchell.

“If he doesn’t take that next leap, and he doesn’t start to grow in areas that we expect him to grow in, then, to be honest, we’re going to be wasting time watching this dynamic backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland,” Perkins said. “He is the key. What was he, the second or third pick in the draft? And one could argue that he should have been the first pick?

Despite a slow start to the Boston Celtics‘ 111-99 victory over the Detroit Pistons on February 6, Jayson Tatum ended the night with 34 points courtesy of an impressive second-half performance.

When speaking to the media following the game, Pistons head coach Dwane Casey noted how he believes Tatum is a superstar, and the Celtics’ development over the past few years should serve as motivation to his young team.

“You know, at some point that he’s going to be a superstar. And that’s why they have the best record in the league, if I’m not mistaken, them and Denver. So, I’ve watched those guys grow; they had the same growing pains as our young players did, and to see where they are now should be motivation for our young players to keep working,” Casey said.

Tatum is currently having a stellar season for the Celtics and is averaging 30.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 46.4% shooting from the field and 35.5% shooting from three-point land, helping his team to the top of the Eastern Conference and earning himself an All-Star spot for his troubles.

Sam Hauser Speaks On His First Career Start

Shortly before tip-off against the Pistons, it was revealed that Sam Hauser would be replacing the absent Jaylen Brown in the starting line-up, marking the rapid rise of the undrafted second-year sharpshooter with his first career start.

Following the game, Hauser spoke with the media and shared his experience, noting how it was a ‘cool experience’ for him.

“It kinda took me by surprise. I think I kinda found out about JB late, so I didn’t really know anything…That was my first start ever in the NBA, which was a pretty cool moment for me. I feel like you’re able to get in a rhythm real quick when you’re in there to start the game, get your feel, and get your legs underneath you a little bit. So, it was definitely a cool experience. I don’t know if will happen again or not, but I’m glad that it happened,” Hauser said.

In 31 minutes of playing time, Hauser impressed by dropping 15 points, pulling down 6 rebounds, and dishing out an assist, while shooting 55.6% from deep on 5-of-9 shooting.

Killian Hayes Admits Jayson Tatum is ‘Tough to Guard’

During his own media availability after the game, Detroit’s Killian Hayes was asked about what it’s like to guard Jayson Tatum, with the third-year guard providing a candid response about the difficulties of trying to stop a genuine MVP candidate.

“A guy like that, you give him any opportunities, he gonna take it. I don’t think he hit a three in the first half; in the second half, he hit one, and once you see one go through, he kept going. And, he was hard to guard. His spin, rip through, he can get the calls on those. A guy like that, you can’t let him get going,” Hayes said.

The Celtics will now turn their attention toward the Philadelphia 76ers, who they are scheduled to face on February 8 in what will be a rematch from opening night back in October.

Luka Doncic has been doing everything for the Dallas Mavericks this season. That was once again the case in the Mavericks’ closely-contested win over the Detroit Pistons on January 30. He exchanged some words with the Pistons bench throughout the game, and after the contest, Detroit coach Dwayne Casey spoke about Doncic’s trash talk.

“It’s a bunch of nothing, a bunch of nothing; We’ve seen worse,” Casey said via Jeremy Layton of the New York Post. “Remember I coached Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett, so that tonight was zero as far as chirping. I liked it. I thought it really got us going, and that’s the way it should be with competitive guys. Doncic is competitive as heck. I love the way he plays, the way he carries himself, and I love the way our guys responded. They weren’t intimidated. So it’s all good. It was clean, nothing dirty about it. It’s good if that’s what he needs to get himself going and tell himself. But he doesn’t need any help. He’s a great player without all the other stuff, but it is what it is.”

As for Doncic’s side of things, he caught up with Bally Sports Southwest after the game, explaining what happened.

“It was their assistant coach. He started chirping in the first quarter,” Doncic said. “They didn’t like when I chirped back. They said, ‘Play basketball.’ If they’re going to chirp at me, I’m going to chirp back. I ain’t scared.”

The Mavericks star put up a ridiculous 53 points – the most scored in a non-overtime game in franchise history. Meanwhile, only one other player on the team (Spencer Dinwiddie, 12 points) scored in the double digits. Doncic also added eight points and five rebounds to his totals, shooting 17-of-24 from the field and 5-of-11 from behind the three-point line.

Deandre Ayton Linked as Potential Mavs Target

As the Mavericks potentially look to acquire more talent to help Doncic, they could look to go after a big man. During an appearance on ESPN Zach Lowe’s podcast, The Lowe Post, Tim MacMahon of ESPN said that they’ve been connected to Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton.

“Well, Deandre Ayton is certainly interesting, and he can veto any trade this year because he signed that extension,” MacMahon said. “I don’t know that there’s a very long list of places that he would veto. I think that it’s reasonable to assume, based on the way things played out this summer, some of the comments he made, that he might not see Phoenix as his long-term home. And certainly, he wanted to go to [the] Indiana [Pacers]. So, whether that happens now or not, I don’t know. It is interesting. He’s a name that I’ve heard around the Mavericks. And again, I think that would have to be a later than right now type of situation.”

Mavericks Mentioned as Potential Fred VanVleet Suitor

In addition, as the Toronto Raptors continue to figure out their trade deadline plans, the Mavericks are one of the many teams who have been connected to a potential trade to point guard Fred VanVleet, per Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report,

“Either the Raptors and VanVleet will extend their marriage, or the team will look to get value for him in a trade before the deadline,” Pincus wrote. “If it’s the latter, several playoff contenders (at least teams that consider themselves playoff contenders) would have interest, such as the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards. So, too, would the Orlando Magic, per multiple NBA sources.”

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers has tallked a lot in recent weeks about James Harden’s new role as the team’s facilitator. He has gone out of his way to praise his star guard for taking a backseat and embracing a pass-first mentality, even comparing his ability to drop perfect dimes to Tom Brady.

Harden has been the engine running the offense since returning from a foot injury on December 5. He has averaged 11.2 assists per game over his last six. It’s pretty remarkable that the one-time MVP has been willing to sacrifice for the good of the team, a fact not lost on Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey. Kudos to Harden.

“I’ll tell you what, James has done a great job of going and being different of what he was in Houston,” Casey told reporters prior to tip-off on Wednesday night. “From being the primary scorer, he has really adapted, him and Joel [Embiid] have a little rhythm going with each other, understanding where Joel wants the ball and getting it to him at the right time with the pocket pass – at the free throw line, iso [isolation], ready to play off of him, which is something different that Harden, that James has done from earlier in his career.

“Kudos to him, hopefully not tonight, it doesn’t work so well. But kudos to him, it’s something he had to do to help this team and he’s sacrificing because he can still go out for 25 or 30 [points] if he felt like he needed to. But he’s sacrificing for the team and you can just tell from outside looking in – I’m not in their locker room – it looks like he’s sacrificing for the benefit of the team.”

Doc Rivers Talks Minutes Restrictions for Harden

Harden has been forced to play extra minutes with Tyrese Maxey out due to a fractured foot. He saw 42 minutes the other night versus Toronto, fresh off 37 minutes three nights prior against Golden State. His 37.9 minutes per game are the most he’s averaged since the 2015-16 season.

Is Doc Rivers worried about him breaking down?

“Nah, not worried at all, it’s early in the year,” Rivers said. “I guarantee you by the end of the year when you look at his numbers, they are going to look great. It’s a whole year but we can’t overdo things when guys have a 3-week spikes in minutes and all of a sudden, we’re overreacting to that. We’ve been low on guards and so guys have needed to play minutes. And James is one of those guys who can handle minutes but by the end of the year his minutes will be down.”

And Maxey’s return will impact Harden’s minutes in an organic way, not necessarily by design.

“His minutes will go down slowly,” Rivers said. “It’s not on our checklist of things to do.”

Latest Tyrese Maxey Injury Update

Tyrese Maxey has been back at practice where he’s been seen running and getting shots up. It sure feels like the speedy guard is on the verge of returning, but Rivers wouldn’t put a timetable for when he’ll be back. Maxey has been on the shelf since November 18 with a fractured foot.

“He’s just working, I don’t think there’s an update,” Rivers said. “He’s improving and we will see him at some point, but I don’t know when.”

The Golden State Warriors could get a second chance at landing the versatile wing that they reportedly coveted prior to the 2020 NBA Draft.

Yahoo Sports writer Jake Fischer reported this week that the rebuilding Detroit Pistons are willing to listen to deals for forward Saddiq Bey. He could potentially find a home with the Warriors, who were high on the Villanova product when he was coming out of college.

Bey Could Hit Trade Block

As Fischer noted, the Pistons are nearing a key decision about their season after Cade Cunningham suffered what could be a season-ending injury. The Pistons are expected to move into “sell” mode as the trade deadline approaches, with veteran Bojan Bogdanovic likely headed to the block along with Bey.

As Fischer reported, the Pistons have already started taking calls on Bey.

“The Villanova product was recently demoted from the starting lineup before bouncing right back into Dwane Casey’s opening unit,” Fischer wrote. “Bey will become extension-eligible this summer and has had a noticeable drop in production. Detroit has taken early calls on Bey from inquiring teams, sources said, a change in behavior from recent trade windows. But it seems the Pistons are intent on further evaluating Bey before truly entertaining his trade market.”

Bey could be a good fit for a Warriors team seeking stability on their bench. The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson reported in May 2020 that the Warriors’ front office was high on Bey, who projected to be a good fit for their system.

“It makes sense why they’d want Bey,” Thompson wrote at the time. “He is a 20-year-old, 6-foot-8, 216-pound forward who shot 45 percent from 3 this past season and is still expected to make his biggest impact on the defensive end. He sounds like a Warrior dream: a wing player with good size who can shoot it and play strong defense.”

But Bey was projected as a later pick, ultimately going at No. 19 to the Pistons. The Warriors held the No. 2 overall pick, and opted to take Memphis big man James Wiseman rather than trading down to where Bey would have been a more appropriate pick.

Warriors May Look for Help

Whether Bey becomes a target or not, some expect the Warriors to seek some kind of help to shore up their bench struggles. The team lost a number of key bench players last offseason — including Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. — and the young players expected to step up have fallen below expectations. Last year’s lottery picks, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, have not been able to stay in head coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, while Wiseman was sent down to the G League Santa Cruz Warriors for more seasoning.

The Warriors still have one open roster spot, but a Western Conference executive told Heavy Sports insider Sean Deveney that Golden State would ideally like to keep it open for the luxury tax relief it provides to keep an extra salary off the books. But if the bench continues to struggle, the Warriors may need to look into options for that final spot, the executive said.

“But is there someone who makes sense? Would LaMarcus Aldridge, for one, make them much better?” the executive said. “He’d probably be the ideal guy with his skillset and experience. A guy like P.J. Dozier or Stanley Johnson if they want a defensive wing. And point guards, there are point guards if they wanted to take a chance, a Kemba Walker in a pinch. There’s guys out there. They just have to figure out what their red line is for pulling the trigger on one of those guys.”

Detroit sports have been going though some things for the better part of a decade, but historically, that doesn’t matter much as the team has one of the strongest fanbases in sports according to one of the biggest talking heads of all-time.

ESPN’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo is never shy about sharing his opinion. Cut from an east coast cloth, it wouldn’t be a surprise had he been someone to overlook the Motor City and the midwest as a whole from a fan respect angle. Instead, he recently praised them within a segment and even gave the struggling Detroit Lions franchise some love.

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Russo recently put together his list of the best sports cities in America on First Take. Perhaps surprisingly for some on the outside, Russo picked Detroit as the second-best sports town in America just below Cleveland. He had the city over some usual heavy-hitters like Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, though.

“This is a hard-core sports city. They’ve got the four teams. They love their teams. They’re loyal. They show up, that’s a hard base. They’re blue-collar. They know what they’re talking about. Number two is Detroit,” Russo said within his analysis.

Naturally, Stephen A. Smith had a bit of a beef with the rankings and Boston not being included on Russo’s list. Still, though, that doesn’t take away from the credit that he should get for giving Detroit its national due. Typically, that’s hard to come by for Motown, so props go to Russo for the love.

Russo Gives Lions Shout-Out Within Fan Rankings

Specifically, Russo also mentioned the Lions within the analysis as he ran down the list of Detroit teams and sports. As he said, the team has been at it since 1934, which is a long time in football circles that represents plenty of history. Additionally, he admitted to appreciating the Thanksgiving Day tradition that Detroit holds so dear.

“The Lions since 1934, Thanksgiving, 65,000 (fans),” Russo said, a nod to the team’s history as well as how they pack the stadium on their traditional big day.

Typically, Lions fans don’t get much of the love when the analysis of the city’s sports team goes under the microscope nationally, but Russo giving the fans respect shows that he understands. Arguably no NFL fanbase other than the Cleveland Browns or Buffalo Bills have been through the same agony for the same length of time as the Lions, and both of those teams have recent playoff wins to their credit, which the Lions do not have. To see the fans continue to support the team given this is a pretty special variable indeed. Every year, the fans have optimism and pack the stadium regardless of how the situation usually deteriorates come later in the fall and winter.

Historically Relevant Detroit Sports Attempts Comeback

Nobody could get too upset at folks nationally if they forget to think about Detroit sports at the moment. The teams have not been relevant for some time amid extended rebuilds and retools for all of their teams. After titles in 1989, 1990 and 2004, the Detroit Pistons of the NBA have seemingly been rebuilding since 2010.

Now, with Cade Cunningham in tow as well as Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Troy Weaver, they could be showing signs of building something. After having success in 2006 as well as from 2011 to 2014 with stars like Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander, the Detroit Tigers hit an oil slick. They have struggled in 2021, but the hope is some prospects and AJ Hinch can pull them out of their hole.

One of the NHL’s premiere franchises and a dynasty from 1995-2008, the Detroit Red Wings have also taken it on the chin in a rebuild. Steve Yzerman hopes to change that though, with the help of Calder Trophy winning defenseman Moritz Seider and phenom forward Lucas Raymond.

Then, there’s the Lions. As the joke goes, everyone seems to understand that they’ve been rebuilding since 1957. With Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell and a few exciting draft classes, though, there is perhaps some tangible hope for them in the future as well.

Overall, no fans from the city will disagree with being top two. In fact, most would believe they stake a claim to the top spot given what they have had to endure after multiple successful years in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

Credit to Russo for being aware enough to show the love.