The Philadelphia 76ers made headlines yesterday for hiring Jerry Colangelo as Chairman of Basketball Operations. Colangelo who has a reputation as being one of the premier NBA front-office executives was thought of as a special consultant to current general manager Sam Hinkie.
That may not be true, however, as at least one source told Tom Moore of the Intelligencer that Colangelo’s hiring may mean the end of the Hinkie era:
How Sam Hinkie, who is in his third year as a first-time GM, fits into the equation going forward is unclear. Hinkie should still have some input, but he’s not calling the shots anymore. A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer with his reputation/legacy on the line, Colangelo doesn’t accept a job like this to take orders from somebody else.
“It’s clear (Hinkie) has, for all intents and purposes, been fired,” said the second source, comparing it to when Ed Snider hired Rod Thorn as team president in August 2010 and put Thorn in charge of then-GM Ed Stefanski (Harris fired Stefanski 14 months later).
It seems more and more likely that the 76ers’ owners have become impatient with Hinkie’s master plan, sometimes affectionately and sometimes ironically called the Process. Colangelo’s hiring at least has an air of speeding up that process by gaining some recognition as a competent franchise. Colangelo’s skills as a networker may mean that the Sixers add more veterans to their roster moving forward, something they have been unwilling to do in the past few seasons. The speed at which the Sixers turn the corner in the next few months as well as how their young players drafted by current management perform will go a long way in determining whether Hinkie is able to keep his job with the Philadelphia 76ers. Right now, it appears that may be an uphill battle for the general manager.
