A Hinkie stan could-and Hinkie stans definitely will-argue that this is nothing but a cosmetic move, meant to improve the public face of an organization that has, because of a cynical, protracted tanking campaign, run afoul of GMs and agents across the league. He also oversaw the rebranding of USA Basketball over the past decade following a downward trend of the men’s national team in the early 2000s.
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The Philadelphia 76ers dropped a bombshell on Monday afternoon, announcing that USA Basketball Chairman of the Board of Directors Jerry Colangelo has been named Special Advisor to the Managing General Partner and Chairman of Basketball Operations.
Colangelo’s arrival also marks a concession of sorts that team president Sam Hinkie’s plan – known in Philly as both “The Process” and “Tankadelphia” – of gambling on lottery picks to eventually build a contender was moving at a glacial place.
During Colangelo’s storied tenure with the Phoenix Suns, which spanned from 1968 through 2012, his roles included Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, Managing General Partner, President, Head Coach and General Manager. Once you let a guy like Colangelo in the building, he’s in the building, and his fingerprints are going to end up on the franchise, even if Hinkie is supposedly keeping the final say. “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”.
According to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers are also committed to head coach Brett Brown and will “likely” offer him a contract extension. Since Hinkie was hired, the Sixers have developed a bit of a bad reputation among agents and players due to their short-term deals that often have plenty of workarounds.
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The idea is that the rebuild becomes a collaborative effort and with such a prestigious mind, Colangelo could well be the catalyst the Sixers need.
