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The SLC Dunk Staff and I were talking in our group chat recently and the topic of “The Process” came up. We were originally bashing the NBC/Peacock broadcast for airing a commercial that referred to the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers as “two teams that never rebuild, they just reload.”
Apart from the blatant lie told on national television about both franchises (the Kevin Garnett/Paul Pierce trade to Brooklyn was ABSOLUTELY a rebuild, but they got extremely lucky with Isaiah Thomas’ growth as a player) it did get us asking why we don’t have a name for our rebuild. We’ve done such a great job at accumulating this talent that I think it’s only fair that we get a name to commemorate the movement.
I’m brand new to this site and this group so I really would like to make a great first impression, and I think I have a couple of suggestions to give us our own “The Process.”
The Expedition
Seems pretty fitting, right? Utah’s history is full of these stories of travel, exploration, and discovering the unknown. From the Navajo tribes who settled in the region around the 18th century to the expeditions lead by Spain’s Francisco Vazquez de Coronado while looking for the Seven Cities of Gold, Utah has a rich history of overcoming the odds to discover new realities. So why can’t we do that for our basketball team?
All we need is ONE stroke of luck to reach a new reality for our team. Landing a Darryn Peterson or AJ Dybansta would certainly help us get there, and I know that our forward/center room is kind of crowded at the moment, but I think that someone like Cam Boozer would fit like a glove on this team. Even if we can’t get lucky this year, we just need the ping pong balls to bounce our way ONCE to bring us back to title contention.
Back to the Future
I’m not sure if this is a hot take or not, but Back to the Future III is my favorite of the entire franchise. I’m a sucker for a western movie and I love the idea of time travel so the third installment is obviously going to land as my favorite. If you’re reading this I’m sure that you can tell that all of the western scenes you see in the film were shot in Utah. Even if you didn’t know that I’m sure that you could have taken a guess.
As a brief synopsis of the franchise, Back to the Future is about discovering time travel and traveling back in time, Back to the Future II is about traveling to the future (among other things), and Back to the Future III is about traveling back in time so there will be a future. Sorry if I partially spoiled 35+ year old movies for you.
I think that if we could take a step back like we have been then we can really secure a future for ourselves.
Race to Kings Peak
This last one is really just a chance for me to publicly admire the beauty that Utah has as a state. I mean, ain’t she a beaut?
Kings Peak is the highest peak in the state of Utah with an elevation of 13,528 feet (4,123 meters for our metric friends) and reaching the peak of our league is the entire point, right? We aren’t just playing games because we’re contractually obligated to; eventually we’re hoping to be where we were in the 90’s competing for championships (hopefully not against the next Michael Jordan, though). Racing to Kings Peak seems like the perfect analogy for what we’re trying to do as a basketball team AND we get to gush about how gorgeous the state is? Sounds like a win-win to me.
I’m sure there are 100 other examples that can be used, and I want you to sound off in the comments. If Philly of all teams can get a cool rebuild name then we deserve one too.