Philadelphia 76ers Sam Hinkie Was Rumored To Be Losing Power With Hire of Jerry Colangelo. But He Now Has A Powerful Ally, Jerry Colangelo
When the Philadelphia 76ers brought Jerry Colangelo into the fold, many saw it as a sign that Sam Hinkie had lost power.
He hasn’t.
When the rumor mill began about the 76ers exploring bringing Mike D’Antoni on as an assistant coach, critics of the 76ers jumped into the discussion alluding to the ousting of head coach Brett Brown, and the pseudo-general manager role that D’Antoni would be filling with the Sixers. He hasn’t.
In fact, Brett Brown has been extended. Sam Hinkie is even more public and in the front pages.
The plan – also known as #TrustTheProcess to Sixers fans – is very alive and well. In fact, it’s better than ever.
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Jerry Colangelo is not a paid yes man. In fact, he’s the opposite, speaking from the heart even the situation requires tact and diplomacy. Colangelo is not the guy to sweet talk around a topic. So when the 76ers brought Colangelo to Philadelphia, critics of Sam Hinkie’s strategy rallied – calling this hire as a true sign that the Philadelphia ownership has fatigued of the Hinkie process, has gotten cold feet with the moderate risk high reward moves of the president and general manager, and that the NBA itself in the form of Adam Silver, was set to shut it all down. One person apparently has not gotten the memo.
Jerry Colangelo.
You see, he’s not tearing down the walls of the Sam Hinkie kingdom in Philadelphia. He’s painting the walls, refurbishing the plain trappings. He’s tweaking, not dismantling. He is supporting. Take these comments about head coach Brett Brown.
"“I love his enthusiasm. I love his confidence. He’s as hard a worker as you’re going to find. And he keeps everything in perspective in terms of where the team is now, and what the goals and objectives are long-term. I don’t think the club could be lead by anyone better than Brett Brown right now.” – Jerry Colangelo"
When pressed about the process of rebuilding under Sam Hinkie, Colangelo remained positive and supportive. He talked about the team being close, about the team being oh so close to falling into place.
"“People have asked, ‘Well, what about the plan?’ Are we going to stay on the plan?,” Colangelo said. “Nobody said the plan is going away. The point is, by bringing in people like myself, who have had experience in basketball for a long time, you can get a different perspective, a different point of view. What I keep saying is, you tweak or you need to be tweaking. You can stay on plan. We just want to take it game-by-game, see how we’re doing, take inventory say, the next time, at the All-Star break, to see what’s been accomplished between January 1 and the All-Star break. We’ll have a better feel then. As I see the future of this team and franchise, this thing could flip reasonably soon, if the stars get aligned, as people get healthy. We have a high draft pick. The young players continue to develop, and we’ve got some good young players now on this team. Very athletic, long, they get up and down the court, and I’ve seen that in the last couple of games, and that’s exciting.”"
It would seem like a simple mistake for someone of Jerry Colangelo’s stature to enter the Philadelphia 76ers organization and immediate allow ego to take over. After all, his reputation places him at another level. He was brought to the Sixers organization to act.
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But it takes a wise man who focuses on listening before acting. He is patiently reaching out to each player on the team, talking to coaches and support staff. Before he can be confident where the team needs fixed, he is taking the time to understand the dynamics of this team. The new structure of this team is intact.