The Philadelphia 76ers have not been great over the last few seasons. In fact, they haven’t won over 20 games since 2013, also coincidentally the same time that Sam Hinkie became general manager of the 76ers.
There has been weird deal after weird deal starting with Hinkie’s trade of Jrue Holiday on the 2013 NBA Draft day, he shipped Michael Carter-Williams in a three team deal and didn’t get much in return but he has also hoarded a load of draft picks.
With no clear end for ‘The Process’ in sight, it appears that the ownership has made a move towards getting relevant once again.
Following from an official Philadelphia 76ers press release.
The Philadelphia 76ers announced today the team has named Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member and Chairman of the Board of Directors for USA Basketball Jerry Colangelo as the Special Advisor to the Managing General Partner and Chairman of Basketball Operations.
“Jerry Colangelo is one of the most respected people in basketball and we are excited to add his five decades of knowledge, relationships and experience to help drive our organization forward,” said Sixers co-Managing Owner Josh Harris.
Colangelo currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for USA Basketball, having been involved in the organization since being announced as Managing Director of the then newly-created USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team program, which he re-established as the best in the world. That team is 75-1 since his arrival, currently owns a 63-game winning streak dating back to 2006 and earned consecutive Olympic gold medals (2008 and 2012) and consecutive FIBA World Cup gold medals (2010 and 2014) for the first time in history.
“I am excited and energized about the opportunity to work with Josh Harris and this ownership group in their continued efforts to build something lasting and special here with the Sixers,” Colangelo said. “This is an organization with a storied history, strong and talented leadership and a number of promising pieces that have the potential for a very bright future.”
“It’s not every day you have the opportunity to work alongside a Hall of Famer with Jerry’s unique set of experiences,” said President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have him as part of our organization.”
It’s been reported by Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated that although Hinkie will have the final say on deals, Colangelo will be the one that is going to be calling the shots, especially on major deals.
It was a moved that was necessary towards the Sixers seeing success again. There’s no way this team can just be horrible year after year after year just gathering picks in hopes of one day getting good. It’s just not good for the NBA to send out a glorified D-League team every week.
