By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
This week, the Democratic National Convention has shone the national spotlight on the city of Philadelphia. In his speech Tuesday night, former president Bill Clinton called wife and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary a change-maker. Wednesday afternoon, Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil indicated that a change in course is not in the cards for the city’s NBA franchise moving forward.
O’Neil was at the DNC, and in an interview with FOXBusiness, touched on a few different topics, including the city itself and the Sixers-themed wine series. However, but one bit was relevant to the Sixers and the current line of thinking in the team’s front office.
“We’re not going to be impatient and we’re going to build this for the long haul,” O’Neil said. “This is not known for being a patient market, but we have the best fans in the world.”
When former GM Sam Hinkie was effectively forced out of his position, many Sixers fans worried that new front office decision-maker Bryan Colangelo would do everything in his power to reverse course and bring the team back to mediocrity as quickly as possible. Yet, draft night and the better part of free agency have come and gone, and Colangelo has made calculated, low risk moves with an eye toward the future, continuing to build from the ground up. As a result, even the majority of Hinkie supporters, while still Process Trusters for life, have begrudgingly come around in regard to the younger Colangelo.
O’Neil’s latest comments provide additional credence that the foundation Hinkie built in his time here will not be torn down in instant. Though the man himself may be gone, his words, “One part courage, two parts patience” still appear to be an underlying principle for the franchise he left behind. For Sixers fans, that’s a lack of change we can all believe in.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
