It was great to hang out with my childhood friend James Stokes and his wife Wanda this weekend. James and I use to sing Jackson 5 and Temptation songs on the street corner as kids and this weekend they came in from Lansing, Michigan to see my Commanders play.

Even though the team didn’t play well against the Bills and we had 5 turnovers, it was nice to celebrate the Washingtоn Alumni. We got to see NFL Hall of Famer Darrell Green and his wife Jewell and spent time with the man who allowed me to be an owner of the Commanders, my business partner, Josh Harris and his wife Marjorie Harris. Cookie and I will always be indebted to the Harris’s!

A big thank you to @bigkyle_bbq for the great food today!

Despite the Clippers’ decision to cease trade talks with the Sixers about James Harden, he remаins optimistic that a deal will be reached before training camp begins the following week.

According to sources cited by Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the star player is still holding out hope that he would be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Fischer claimed that the Sixers’ front office “can still talk themselves into the idea” of trading for Harden if he shows up to training camp and contributes to the Sixers’ chances of winning the championship.

The ten-time All-Star has reportedly decided not to attend training camp after branding Philadelphia president Daryl Morey a liar and promising never to play for him again.

Harden will not be eligible to sign or negotiate a contract with another team as a veteran free agent under the terms of the NBA’s CBA if he withholds his playing services for more than 30 days, unless Philadelphia agrees otherwise.

Harden was fined $100,000 for his statements about Morey “indicating he would not perform the services called for under his player contract unless traded to another team.”

Former Sixer Andre Iguodala has recently spoken out in support of Harden, arguing that teams should be penalized for incidents similar to Harden’s as well.

Iguodala argued on The Old Man and the Three that teams should also be fined when a player is penalized for misconduct. We all know the regulations for when teams can begin contract talks with players before free agency were altered when James made his statements and was subsequently punished. James was reportedly informed, “You’re going to get this deal, hush-hush, under the table,” which is code for “don’t tell anyone.” No, I missed that. James didn’t fill me in on what transpired, so I have no idea. Assumptions are always made. The group might simply claim that they assumed it. Why did James get a monetary penalty? He declared, “I was lied to.” I may not be a liar in the long run, but for those five seconds I lied to you, I was a liar. Therefore, what James Harden said is accurate. He should not be penalized because of this. I think the team should be penalized $5 million. Aw, c’mon. Unfortunately, we lack the evidence to show that. Therein lies my ire.