March Badness | Sports Daily Newsletter

Enough is enough. The Sixers have sunk to 22-43, the fifth-worst record in the NBA. Coach Nick Nurse has acknowledged how much this injury-ravaged season has disappointed him: “It’s difficult,” he says. “The losing’s hard. Trying to keep it all together is the main thing.”

Keep it together? It seems to be coming even further apart. We learned Thursday that Paul George is considering medical procedures on his ailing left groin and left knee, which could put him in the same boat as Joel Embiid: done for the season.

The Sixers are five games out of the last play-in spot with 17 games remaining. Even if they succeeded in the Play-In Tournament, they’d likely face the Cleveland Cavaliers or Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. But the postseason seems like a pipe dream at this point. Frankly, most fans want the Sixers to tank so they can retain their top-five protected pick in the NBA draft. Given the circumstances, Keith Pompey thinks that’s a good idea.

They don’t have to flat-out try to lose if they decide to tank, though. Lately this ragtag group has lost plenty without even trying.

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Matt Strahm hasn’t pitched since March 5 because of inflammation in his left shoulder. And while the Phillies maintain the injury isn’t serious, the clock is ticking on being ready for opening day. If Strahm needs more time, the Phillies will have a second vacancy to fill in the bullpen, and a fourth opening overall on the 26-man roster. With less than two weeks remaining before the season opener in Washington, let’s dive into the spots that are still up for grabs as spring training enters its final stretch.

In Trea Turner’s latest audition to be the Phillies’ leadoff man, he looked an awful lot like Kyle Schwarber.

Jimmy Rollins, the former Gold Glove shortstop who has more hits than any player in the Phillies’ 143-year history, will receive one of the organization’s highest honors when he’s inducted into the Wall of Fame this summer.

Next: The Phillies’ top prospects take on the Pirates’ best in a Spring Breakout game at 1:05 p.m. today in Clearwater, Fla. The major leaguers take on the Yankees at 6:35 p.m. in Tampa.

The Eagles looked within their own division to find a possible replacement for cornerback Darius Slay. They agreed to a one-year deal with Adoree’ Jackson, who spent the last four seasons with the New York Giants. Jackson, who turns 30 in September, will bring eight seasons of NFL experience to a young corps of Eagles cornerbacks.

The Birds worked on adding players for depth Thursday, agreeing to one-year contracts with tight end Harrison Bryant and linebacker Joshua Uche.

Then a member of the Chiefs, Uche talked before the Super Bowl about his bond with Brandon Graham, another former star at Michigan.

Another new addition, guard Kenyon Green, welcomes the chance to resuscitate his career working with the Eagles’ offensive line guru, Jeff Stoutland.

The Flyers came alive with a 4-3 shootout win over the Tampa Bay Lightning to snap a five-game losing streak. Owen Tippett scored the game-winner in the shootout’s fifth round. Sam Ersson stopped Oliver Bjorkstrand to cap the win.

The Flyers seemed especially loose at their morning skate. Tippett is in charge of setting the vibe for the players as he has taken control of the team’s playlist before games.

Wooga Poplar did all he could to keep Villanova afloat against two-time defending national champion Connecticut, but the Wildcats came up short, losing 73-56 in the Big East quarterfinal. With the loss, another NCAA tournament miss is inevitable for Villanova.

St. Joseph’s held off a late rally by La Salle to advance in the Atlantic 10 tournament. The 75-70 Hawks victory marked the final game for retiring Explorers coach Fran Dunphy.

Temple got bounced from the American Athletic Conference tournament in a 75-71 loss to Tulsa.

Here is our Philly fan photo for this week. Want to be included? Submit photos with a Philly sports theme here for the opportunity to be featured.

We asked you: What team do you think could benefit from a fresh start in leadership? Among your responses:

The 76ers definitely would benefit from new leadership. The best way to be a successful NBA team is to be steady and grow from within with only a few meaningful trades. You need a nucleus to build around and grow through the draft and also some luck such as getting Tyrese Maxey with the 16th pick. — Richard F.

Easy question to answer, the Sixers, as we have recently discussed. The Phillies are doing well with Rob, and the Eagles of course are set with Roseman and Sirianni. ... I wish Keeler much success with rebuilding, but I really think Temple should concentrate on becoming a basketball powerhouse and forget football. I think Villanova would be helped by having a big-name coach. Kyle is doing all he can, but when Jay Wright retired, the top recruits stopped coming. And now with the transfer portal it is really hard to rebuild because as your guys start becoming outstanding players they transfer to the big basketball programs. And I am not ignoring our women’s programs, I just don’t know enough about any of them to intelligently comment. — Everett S.

Obviously the 76ers. — Bill M.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Scott Lauber, Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Olivia Reiner, EJ Smith, Jackie Spiegel, Jonathan Tannenwald, Dave Caldwell, Kerith Gabriel, Conor Smith, Gabriela Carroll, and Maria McIlwain.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

That closes another week of Sports Daily. Thank you for reading. Join me in Monday’s newsletter, when we’ll know whether any Philadelphia-area teams will take part in March Madness. — Jim