Introduction: After months of speculation, the 76ers traded Ben Simmons on Thursday right before the NBA's deadline. But it was not, of course, to the Wolves. Minnesota stood still at the deadline while Simmons went to the Nets in a blockbuster for James Harden. In the end, the Wolves and 76ers had the correct outcome through patience. The Wolves have improved internally this year without a trade, and Philadelphia got the core player they craved in a deal.

6:00: Mark Craig joins to talk about the Super Bowl and to offer his thoughts on new Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. Plus the Vikings just agreed to hire a new defensive coordinator. What will veteran Ed Donatell bring to the team, and what does a potential shift to a 3-4 defense mean for some of the Vikings' highest-paid players?

26:00: MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he is an "optimist" and noted the disaster it would be if regular-season games are missed as a result of the ongoing work stoppage. Pardon me if I'm not as optimistic.

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Questions? Comments? Long-winded diatribes about nothing in particular? E-mail me at michael.rand@startribune.com. Follow me on Twitter @RandBall and Star Tribune sports @StribSports