Andrew Bynum is a no show for the Sixers team picture

There was plenty of optimism when the Philadelphia 76ers traded for Andrew Bynum. The fans were hoping the team could piggy back off of last season's playoff run when they added Bynum and Jason Richardson. The team and the fans would like to forget that the trade ever happened.

Bynum missed all season with a knee injury and the team is playing out the string. Add to it that Bynum may never suit up for the Sixers at all since he'll be a free agent at season's end. To make matters worse, according to John Finger of CSNPhilly.com, Bynum skipped out on the team picture.


Though there were a lot of different faces in this year’s photo, there were two that were conspicuous by their absences.

One was Jason Richardson, who was rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee. The other was Andrew Bynum, who also is rehabbing his knees in New York City. Though his uniform was hung in his locker, Bynum did not make the trip to Philly to smile for the camera.

Without Bynum in the team picture it was as if he wasn’t even here at all.

Even though Bynum can leave the Sixers high and dry, it might be best for the team if they parted ways with the big man. If not Doug Collins might have a stroke.

Roddy White: "It's Super Bowl or nothing"

The Atlanta Falcons were damn close to playing for a Super Bowl this past season. Going into the upcoming season the Falcons will be one of the favorites to be playing on the final Sunday. The team signed running back Steven Jackson from the St. Louis Rams and will have a lot of key players returning. Making the playoffs isn't good enough for this team according to receiver Roddy White.

White has said it's "Super Bowl or nothing" for the Falcons. When Whits spoke about the teams past playoff performances he stated that the Falcons were happy to be a the party. Now there is a sense of urgency after the NFC Championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

“I think that the first three we were getting there and were just having fun being there. And then we turned a curb, and we said we have to stop just getting there and we have to win games,” White said. “We’re ready to take that next step. We know how good our football team is and the players we got, so it’s either Super Bowl or nothing for us right now.”

Jackson also said that he came to Atlanta to go out on top. Sounds to me that this team is hungry. But will they be able to beat out the other top contenders in the NFC?

Gunner Kiel transferring to Cincinnati

The travels of Gunner Kiel will have another stop added. Kiel announced that he'll be transferring to Cincinnati and will be eligible in 2014.

For those that remember, Kiel was the top rated passer by Rivals.com and Scout.com while in high school at Columbus East (Ind.). Kiel announced that he was going to Indiana which would've been a major coup for the Hoosiers. Kiel then spurned the Hoosiers for Les Miles and LSU. Kiel the changed his mind again and decided to sign a letter of intent with Notre Dame.

Kiel did not play and watched another freshman, Everett Golson, lead the Fighting Irish to the national championship game. Which leads us to today and Kiel announcing that he'll be a Bearcat.

"Cincinnati was the best fit for me because the relationship I have with coach (Darin) Hinshaw is like nothing else. He is a great overall person and is someone I know I can get coached by. The group of guys I'm going to be around is second to none. I love where (Cincinnati) is heading and the future is bright."  

The transfer could be a good move for the young quarterback, as ESPN's Joe Schad is also reporting that Bearcats coach Tommy Tuberville plans to implement a pro-style attack that will better suit Kiel's skill set than Notre Dame's spread did. It's also a recruiting coup for Tuberville, who now has an elite talent around which to build his offense.

It can work out if Kiel decides that he actually wants to stick around.