The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers Fans Can Choose to Bail or Adapt

By Dalton Lanoza

Dec 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Jerry Colangelo (R) is introduced as special advisor to the Philadelphia 76ers during a press conference with owner Joshua Harris (M) and general manager Sam Hinkie (L) 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 (R) is introduced as special advisor to the Philadelphia 76ers during a press conference with owner Joshua Harris (M) and general manager Sam Hinkie (L) before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Philadelphia 76ers process trusters can wallow in their sadness all they want, but it won’t change the fact that this franchise has chosen to go in a different direction, and we’re all going to have to learn to live with it.

Go ahead and @ the Philadelphia 76ers all you want. Feel free to call them snakes and liars. You can even call for majority owner Josh Harris’ head. This is Philly. We want our sports opinions to be heard loud and clear whether it’s boos or cheers. That’s what makes Philadelphia such a passionate city. No one can take that away.

But when your finished venting, and you’ve let out as much frustration as you can, I want you to ask yourself… Am I really going to support this team any longer?

If the answer is no, then simply move on. Start a 215 T-Wolves cult, and continue to enjoy the process of unorthodox team building by cheering for your new squad. I won’t hate you for it, and nor should anyone else. As a fellow believer in Hinkie, I know you deserve better for sticking around through this mess.

What the Sixers did the past three years was an all out leap of faith into the arms of a fanbase that willingly bought into a dream that wanted to make this team great. They alienated almost the entire league in hopes of recreating the way you build a dynasty, and gave new meaning to the phrase “from the ground up.”

To halt the process before the home stretch that was this offseason is something that insults the fan’s trust and intelligence. There are thousands of people who sat through three years of horrific basketball only because they believed their favorite basketball team to keep on, and see this thing through.

More from The Sixer Sense

By pushing Sam Hinkie out the door through a series of power moves the Sixers essentially gave the bird to anyone and everyone who bought tickets and supported this franchise in a time where they’d be totally alone without them. If you were one of those people that invested your time, money, and most importantly faith into this team over the past 1000+ days and you no longer feel comfortable doing so, I wholeheartedly don’t blame you. Unfortunately trashing the Sixers won’t fix a thing, and fans must prepare themselves for major change.

The era of Jerry Colangelo, and Bryan Colangelo at the helm is upon us, and a completely different ideology that will take over this roster. So, if your answer to whether you will still support this team is yes, understand that a contrasting strategy will be in place. You can still be upset, but give it a chance. Despite Sam Hinkie being gone, the Sixers are still by no means in bad shape when it comes to building assets. They still have several first rounders, and a heavy helping of talented youth.

The father-son duo will certainly work in tandem to make this team as competitive as possible for the 2016-2017 season, and that could mean some major shakeups among current players, draft picks, and free agents alike. We can all pretty much expect one of the 3 bigs (Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel) to be traded for a backcourt player in an effort to even out the roster. The thought of finding minutes for all three guys is head spinning, and just isn’t going to work.

Live Feed

It is time for Detroit Pistons to tank on Tanking
It is time for Detroit Pistons to tank on Tanking /

PistonPowered

  • Is Detroit Pistons GM Troy Weaver the new Sam Hinkie?PistonPowered
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Daryl Morey isn't Sam Hinkie, for better and worseSection 215
  • Philadelphia 76ers: Why was Sam Hinkie so obsessed with centers?Section 215
  • What if Sam Hinkie was still the Philadelphia 76ers' general manager?FanSided
  • Mistakes of The Process and what would Sam Hinkie do now?FanSided

    • After that, the plans for this offseason are sort of up in the air. There has not yet been a press conference held to announce Bryan Colangelo as the new GM, (It’s coming) and fans haven’t yet been given a detailed blueprint for how the Colangelo family want to run the ship. Both men absolutely abhor losing, and have a history of building teams in a conventional manner with big free agent signings, and lots of spending. Tanking will not be accepted by this new front office, and you can expect them to try and compile the very best team possible year in and year out. Whether that will work remains to be seen.

    Obviously we can expect both men to implement that “Win ASAP” mentality to the Sixers because they’re a team that is likely going to be scavenging for any profit to be gained. One has to consider the massive financial hit they’ve taken by tanking. The number one goal will be to put fans in the seats, and to do so you need to build a roster that wins games.

    Step one is the draft. The Sixers will once again be at the mercy of those pesky lottery balls, and much of the future will ride on them either getting Brandon Ingram/Ben Simmons and Kris Dunn, or only Buddy Hield. Either way the Sixers are not going to win consistently by riding the backs of rookies, and 2nd/3rd year players.

    No, they will need something more, and that something more will come in the form of free agency. The Sixers currently owe just under $26 Million in team payroll next season, some of which can be gone in a snap by cutting players that shouldn’t be here next season.

    Sixers’ tanking staples like Hollis Thompson and Isaiah Canaan may have found their way into a few selective hearts over the past couple years, but it’s doubtful that the Colangelos will see them as viable options to keep around. Meaning, the Sixers will have buku money, and a whole lot of empty roster spots to be filled. As of July 1st the Sixers will be on a shopping spree.

    Related Story: Sam Hinkie Innovated More Than Player Selection

    If you’re a Hinkie-ite, that probably sounds like nails on a chalkboard, but it is still a reality. It’s clear the Sixers are aiming to cater to the more casual fans that really want to just see some wins, and have something to cheer for. Not exactly the best message to any current season ticket holders, but I digress. A 30-40 win season in 2017 could really change the perspective of the future for a lot of people who can’t stand to see ten-win teams any longer. Let’s just hope this plan doesn’t put us back in low seed purgatory for years to come.