The Sixer Sense
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Jerry Colangelo Should Be Welcomed In Philadelphia

By Josh Wilson

Dec 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Jerry Colangelo during a press conference after being named special advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Jerry Colangelo during a press conference after being named special advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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A fairly new face to the Philadelphia 76ers is Jerry Colangelo. He hasn’t gotten the warmest of welcomes to Philadelphia, but maybe he’s owed that.

Jerry Colangelo was not a part of the plan for the Philadelphia 76ers rebuild. Sam Hinkie, the general manager of the team and the conductor of this whole escapade, certainly would not have had it in his plans to have Colangelo, a man who views building a team a bit differently than Hinkie, come to the team and seemingly undermine his authority. But that’s the announcement Josh Harris made, and Hinkie — at least in front of the media — was welcoming of the new direction the team was going with the rebuild.

Some fans were immediately receptive to the new face in their front office, particularly the ones who have been against Hinkie and his purposeful losing. It seemed as though the ownership team had “smartened up” and realized that wasn’t the most effective way to getting a good team built. That would have been a good reason to bring in a smart man such as Colangelo, but then reports were released that suggested NBA commissioner Adam Silver had a part in the hiring of Colangelo.

Silver didn’t exactly deny that he played a role. He simply said he didn’t twist anyone’s arm and force them to make a decision. According to Silver, his only role in the hiring was being the matchmaker, introducing Colangelo to Harris and Harris to Colangelo.

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Still, the fact that the commissioner played a part in the hire is a bit unsettling. This is a man who has the best interest of the league in the forefront of his mind, and according to several owners around the league, the Sixers current rebuilding strategy is not in the best interest in the league. According to owners, the Sixers coming to town forces ticket sales to go down — this assumption has since been proven to be untrue, the Sixers are in the top half of the league in best selling teams as far as ticket sales go on the road — and gives the league a bad look, and an uncompetitive look.

Sure, the Sixers may be uncompetitive, that’s a fair statement. They’ve been content with losing to grab a top-tier draft pick for the past few seasons. Colangelo doesn’t — or at least didn’t — think like that. Three years into this whole losing for better interest of the team’s future plan, to see a face in the front office that goes against that? That’s unsettling for fans. That forces them to wonder if all the losing, all the awful basketball they endured, and the soon-to-be three straight seasons they endured with offensive rating below 100 were for nothing. Colangelo coming in, for some, signaled a change in the rebuild, and a drastic one. It looked as if the team was deciding to rebuild without all the losing. Which nullified the losing that already took place.

This caused many fans to have leery feelings towards Jerry Colangelo. Many haven’t accepted him and haven’t given him a warm welcome to the world of Philly sports.

Colangelo — for lack of a better comparison — was like a new boyfriend to a mother’s child. The child wants to ensure the boyfriend is a good person, and is treating their mother right, so they may be a bit stand-offish to the boyfriend at first. Over time, though, as the boyfriend proves themselves, the children often open up to them.  It doesn’t help that Philly sports fans have seen their mom go through plenty of boyfriends only to get hurt over and over. But it is time for Sixers fans to open up to Colangelo.

Perhaps the fact that Colangelo is not permanently stationed in Philadelphia doesn’t help his case with fans. He’s not a face that’s at every game, as he’s working mostly remotely out of his home in Arizona.

Colangelo has not undermined Sam Hinkie. Yes, he orchestrated a trade that brought in Ish Smith and forfeited two second-round draft picks that Hinkie surely wanted, but it was one that ultimately is good for the team. Hinkie has spoken highly of Colangelo, and there doesn’t seem to be as much bickering behind closed doors as I would have expected. With recent comments from Colangelo, it was proven that Colangelo has the best interest of the team in hand, and is looking to build on top of Hinkie’s plan, not tear it down.

In an article published by Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Keith Pompey, Colangelo said, “I’d like to see us very competitive in three years.” For some, that’s a bland statement, as “competitive” can mean several different things. But Colangelo was bold when he said this, adding, “That means not just making the playoffs.”

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Three years from now is also when Colangelo’s contract expires, so it would be in his best interest, if he is seeking an extension, or weighing out whether or not he wants to stay with the organization, to see great improvement in the team from when he started, and to make it a desirable NBA team.

Colangelo doesn’t need the acceptance of Philly fans to do well with his job, but I believe it’s time to welcome him in and accept that he will be around for the rebuild, and accept that he can be a positive component of it.