Earlier in the day, the Sixers announced that owner Joshua Harris would hold a press conference today at 4:30. It was a little mysterious, but most people assumed it would be the owner addressing the Jahlil Okafor situation or a minor announcement. Instead, the Sixers dropped a bombshell. At the press conference, they announced that the team has named Jerry Colangelo as the Chairman of Basketball Operations. Colangelo has had a long and illustrious career in the game of basketball. He has been around the league for many years. His most current gig was as Director of USA Basketball. Colangelo has been heavily involved in the rejuvenation of USA basketball after disappointing results in the early to mid 2000s. He also worked for many years in basketball operations for the Phoenix Suns and was the youngest general manager in NBA history. Colangelo is one of the most respected names in basketball and is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
This is the kind of move that instantly brings credibility to the front office and to “The Process” as a whole. The Sixers have added another really smart basketball mind that people respect to go along with Sam Hinkie and the rest of the current regime. Colangelo is the kind of guy that players, agents, and other front offices will respect, which has always been a concern of some during the Hinkie era. He will bring a fresh and new perspective to the basketball operations department. Colangelo also has years worth of experience in dealing with the media, which is something that Hinkie has been reluctant to do. The Sixers have too often had Brett Brown be the only one available to field the media’s questioning and Colangelo’s arrival hopefully signals a change in that regard.
It will be interesting to see how the balance of power plays out in the relationship between Colangelo and Hinkie. Harris downplayed this idea at the press conference. He emphasized that they now have two great basketball minds who both report to him and that it does not matter who has the final say in decision making. Still, there will be times of tension when it will be interesting to see whose voice wins out.
I think this is a really solid move. Colangelo is really smart and has a lot of experience in the basketball world. He and Sam seem like really good complements to each other and I think they really should be able to get along. Ideally, Colangelo will deal with a lot of the media scrutiny and give valuable input to Hinkie while Sam continues to run day to day operations for the Sixers. The only way I could see this move backfiring is if this is a plan to gradually phase Hinkie out as an important part of the front office, but I doubt this the case. Harris has always supported Hinkie so I don’t think he has completely bailed on him. Colangelo is also in his mid 70s and will continue to live in Phoenix during his tenure with the Sixers, so I don’t think Sam Hinkie should be too worried about his job. Overall, this is a really good move from both basketball and public relations standpoints. Lastly, I just wanted to note that Joshua Harris said during the press conference that the team is in deep discussions with head coach Brett Brown on a contract extension. It seems like today is a pretty good one for Sixers fans- both Process trusters and skeptics alike.
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