The Philadelphia 76ers were once a proud franchise. They were regular title contenders in the 1980’s with Julius Erving and Moses Malone. Recently announced Hall of Famer Allen Iverson brought them back to prominence in the 2000’s. But following the 2012-13 season, in which the Sixers finished just out of the final playoff spot in the East, things haven’t been so sunny in Philadelphia. They have put together the worst three year resume in NBA history, all the while believing in a fabled “process” that would return them to prominence. The man that demanded his organization and fans trust this fateful plan, Sam Hinkie, stepped down as general manager on April 6th. The keys to the castle now belong to team chairman Jerry Colangelo’s son, Bryan, a man whose past processes have had their own flaws in his days with Toronto. So while the move seems to be a step back for the Sixers, or at best a lateral one, it begs one question. What is Philadelphia’s new “process”?
In the lottery era of the NBA, it is tough to tank your way to success. The lottery was put in place to specifically prohibit such a blatant disregard for the integrity of your team and the league. However, Hinkie believed that if he bottomed out enough times, the Sixers would rise like a glorious phoenix at the conclusion. But after nearly three seasons in the cellar, that rise doesn’t look anywhere close to happening. His draft strategy was puzzling. Center after center after center doesn’t exactly make one look as if he is doing anything more than just picking a pick-up squad at a gym. His trade portfolio isn’t the most sparkling endorsement either. Sure, he accumulated second round picks as if they were canned goods before a nuclear holocaust, but they have done next to nothing to put Philadelphia back on a winning path. What will Colangelo do differently to right the wrongs of the Hinkie regime? Better yet, what will he do to push forth the workings of a diabolical tanking genius so that three years of putrid basketball weren’t all for naught?
The promotion of Bryan Colangelo to GM is viewed by many as a nepotistic one by Jerry Colangelo. However, Bryan has two Executive of the Year trophies to his name, making that a perplexing stance. But when you dig deeper into those awards, you see that while Hinkie was about the long game, Colangelo is quite the opposite. Philadelphia fans can expect quite the tumultuous offseason in the city of brotherly love, especially if they strike out on the top two in the lottery. Colangelo’s modus operandi with both the Suns and Raptors was to trade his way out of disaster.
It worked in Phoenix as he pawned off many of mistakes, Stephon Marbury, Anfernee Hardaway, and Quentin Richardson most notably, on the Knicks. He ended up with Steve Nash in the end, who would win two MVPs and get the Suns to within a Robert Horry bodycheck of the NBA Finals. But as new ownership came in taking the team from his father, Colangelo fled for greener pastures in Toronto. There he would produce a similar turnaround, but would make just an unceremonious an exit.
So what is in store for the Colangelo Squared Era in Philadelphia? As stated before, expect some movement. Nine new players were brought in during his 2007 Executive of the Year season in Toronto. There were seven spots turned over in his best year in Phoenix. One of the trio of Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, or Joel Embiid is not going to be a Philadelphia 76er next season. In fact, it would not be surprising to see another lottery pick, Dario Saric, get moved as well if he doesn’t come over sooner rather than later. After three years of Sam Hinkie’s “process”, Colangelo is going to attempt to turn a cupboard full of assets into a playoff team in one fell swoop. Whether or not that produces better results than his predecessor’s proclivity for scraping the bottom remains to be seen, but one thing is very clear with the hiring of Bryan Colangelo. Those who trusted Sam Hinkie are in for one hell of a culture shock this summer.