The Philadelphia 76ers rebuilding process was radically brought into question when the team announced that Jerry Colangelo would be brought into the front office. After being mostly quiet, with a few interviews, Colangelo has made the trip out to Philadelphia to be with the team and be a bit more vocal with the media. He sees big chances for the team to start heading toward .500 as soon as next year.
Here’s all the morning news you need to know.
The Nets are a bigger problem for the NBA than the Sixers — ABC
"The league got its wish in early December, when 76ers managing partner Joshua Harris hired legendary NBA executive Jerry Colangelo to join the front office, with commissioner Adam Silver playing matchmaker. Philadelphia’s moves since Colangelo’s arrival, including trading for guard Ish Smith and signing Elton Brand as a veteran mentor, have signified a renewed focus on winning games. Because the Nets lack the draft picks and young talent needed to improve, there’s no such quick fix coming for Brooklyn, particularly given Prokhorov doesn’t seem to realize how bad things are. “I’m sure, for the next season, I hope we’ll be championship contender,” he told reporters at Monday’s press conference announcing the team’s management changes. As long as Philadelphia sits below Brooklyn in the Atlantic Division standings, few observers will realize the magnitude of the problem for the Nets. But with the 76ers poised to convert the draft picks and young prospects Hinkie accumulated into players who can help them win now, that surely won’t last. And soon it will be obvious that Brooklyn presents a bigger long-term issue for the league."
Colangelo Sees Chance for “Big Things” in ’16 — Sixers.com
"“‘16 is the year,” said Colangelo. “It’s a big year, to look at all the assets and best utilize them. What do we do here? Do we take a couple picks and move up? Do we make a trade? Do you look at it from free agency, realistically, and see what you can do there? It’s great to be in a position where you have the assets to use. There’s a lot of teams in the league you can’t say that about. They’re kind of locked in in terms of where they are. There’s one way to go here, and that’s up. I’m very optimistic.” As the Sixers continue to establish a foundation for the future, there are, of course, factors beyond their control. Colangelo helped launch the Phoenix Suns in 1968. The next year, they lost a coin-flip with the Milwaukee Bucks to decide which team would go first in the 1969 NBA Draft. Consequently, it was Milwaukee that wound up with a 19-time All-Star, sky-hooking center going by the name Lew Alcindor. “You’ve got to be a little bit lucky, too, in terms of all the things I’m talking about,” Colangelo noted. “I use the expression, ‘the stars have to be aligned.’ And if we have a good alignment, it could happen in ‘16. So we could have a turnaround in one year that would surprise people. But the assets are in place to potentially make that happen. There’s no guarantee, but the thing that you have to do is give people, I think, hope, that, listen, this isn’t like a five year, let’s look down the road and see where we are. No. I don’t see that at all. I see the opportunity here to get some big things done over the next year.”"
Pau Gasol to miss 76ers game — Chicago Tribune
"Pau Gasol didn’t travel to Philadelphia with the Bulls on Wednesday due to his sore left shoulder and Achilles and the initial plan is to start Joakim Noah for him, according to sources. Derrick Rose did travel but he’s listed as questionable with his left knee patellar tendinitis that knocked him out of Tuesday’s loss to the Bucks. Rose got treatment Wednesday morning but didn’t get up individual shots on an off day for players. Jimmy Butler and Doug McDermott are both listed as probable with right ankle sprains. Butler said late Tuesday he planned to play through his injury, but it worsened overnight. Gasol, who suffered his injuries in Monday’s loss to the Wizards, had said he hoped not to miss time. But with the Bulls playing their only four-games-in-five-nights stretch of the season, the Bulls kept him in Chicago. The Bulls, who have lost three straight games, face the Mavericks at home on Friday."