Hey, the Sixers only lost by 49 points on Wednesday night! What a way to cruise into the All-Star break!

Before this weekend’s festivities, I’m here to hit you with the latest edition of my “5 Sixers thoughts” column. Let’s get after it…

The Sixers sure could use Jared McCain and Isaiah Joe right now…

The Sixers’ cringeworthy handling of the trade deadline saw them part with second-year sharpshooter Jared McCain, a fan favorite. It’s always a good sign when the best team in the NBA wants to acquire a good, young player you’re trying to get rid of, right?

Anyway, on Wednesday evening, McCain dropped 12 points while shooting 2-for-3 from deep in 22 minutes off the bench in a blowout Oklahoma City win over Phoenix. Isaiah Joe, another Sixers castoff, nailed six threes in 18 minutes in a reserve role for the win.

The Sixers, a team now starved for guard talent and shooting in the aftermath of the trade deadline, could certainly use a couple guys like McCain and Joe!

Put it this way… The McCain-Joe duo made eight threes on Wednesday. In the Sixers’ embarrassing nationally televised loss to New York, the team only made six threes total while shooting a putrid 19 percent from deep overall.

The trade deadline was the nail in the coffin for the Sixers’ feel-good energy

I couldn’t have been vibing with this Sixers team more throughout January. Joel Embiid looked the best he had in years. The backcourt duo of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe was dazzling and they were seeing key contributions from role players on top of it all. I was ready to see this team put up a fight come the postseason!

The way the Sixers carried themselves at the trade deadline last week, however, was crushing.

They discarded McCain, made sure to dip below the luxury tax and didn’t improve the on-court product. That’s a triple-whammy.

It’s a shame. I know Sixers fans are massively burned out on this franchise, but it did feel like the tide might have been turning a bit ahead of what could’ve been a spirited playoff run. Now? Why should people lock in when the organization itself doesn’t even want to lock in? A 49-point loss at home where Knicks fans overtook the arena is the culmination of this.

25 years ago this week…

I like looking back at the 2001 Sixers a quarter of a century later. February was a great time for this franchise that year.

On Feb. 11, 2001, an instant-classic All-Star Game took place where Allen Iverson himself would win All-Star Game MVP and the Eastern Conference took down a West squad that featured a daunting starting lineup of Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Chris Webber and Tim Duncan. Iverson put up a game-high 25 points, adding five assists and four steals along the way.

Two days later, in an Eastern Conference Finals preview, the Sixers went to Milwaukee and beat the Bucks, as Iverson dropped 49 points in the win. The very next day, in a Valentine’s Day matchup in South Philadelphia, the Sixers defeated the Lakers 112-97. The NBA Finals preview saw Iverson out-duel Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal with a 40-point outburst.

That all might as well be 250 years ago at this point.

Tyrese Maxey’s usage is increasingly becoming an issue

Maxey has been such a godsend for this team, but he is leading the league in minutes played, rather unnecessarily I’d add. The Sixers’ lack of guard depth is a huge issue there, but there is absolutely no reason he should be playing 32 minutes in a game the team lost by 49 points, as was this case on Wednesday against the Knicks. It’s nonsensical! There’s a difference between drastic load management and coaching realizing when a game is no longer in doubt and living to fight another day.

Enjoy the All-Star break!

I mean that sincerely. The Sixers don’t play for another week. Enjoy your respite from hoops. Go to the movies. Read a book. Go out to dinner with friends or loved ones. Do anything that’s not basketball related ultimately so that you can be ready to scream and be angry for the second half of the season and the playoffs.