Jerry Colangelo is the face of the Philadelphia 76ers organization. Rightfully so, because he is known by virtually everyone in the industry from his ties to Team USA. Now that reputation will work to build the 76ers into a championship team.
He is connected to virtually every NBA player, and agent. He knows the game of basketball, both the business end of the street as well as the sport elements contained in the industry. He is as plugged in as any individual can be to a professional sport. For as many honors and accolades provided to professional basketball players, there is always that special awarding of the gold medal in an Olympic game ceremony which will entice the best of the sport to willing train and perform for the chance. The path to the Olympics is through Team USA. But the path to Team USA goes through Jerry Colangelo.
But he is also tied to another organization, the Philadelphia 76ers. Some have questioned that alignment: why would a man whose reputation and authority in the basketball circle ever sully himself to align with a team with such a poor showing as the Sixers? Why indeed.
Myopic perceptions cannot see the true reasons for the alignment. Everybody wants to be part of a winner, and the most prestigious associations occur from the turn-around stories. You know the fairly tales and fables of the step-sister who eventually made it to the ball and married prince charming. Closer to home, you know the legend of the movie Rocky Balboa, a fictitious story brought to life by Sylvester Stallone about a gymnasium boxer who is given a title shot and boxes the fight of his life. The story is the essence of Philadelphia, a story so magically connected to the city that the city has erected a statue atop the steps used in filming the movie.
Imagine that, a monument to a movie character, who was downtrodden but persevered to win the championship.
More from Free Agency
- Grade the Deal: 76ers match Jazz’s wily offer sheet, keep Paul Reed
- Grade the Deal: 76ers sign free agent Mo Bamba, retain Montrezl Harrell
- Philadelphia 76ers add center depth by signing Mo Bamba
- This stunning free agency slip could doom the 76ers next season
- 5 best remaining free agents the 76ers should target
Now that is a Hollywood version of a story that is being written in real life, in real time, right now in the city. The Philadelphia 76ers are that downtrodden sports figure, winning comes as a surprise, and the national media has all but written the team off for good.
But to the eye of an expert, the low expectations are a golden opportunity. You see, everyone loves an underdog. But a shrewd person looks beyond the “where are they now” and factors in “where will they be?”. Jerry Colangelo is as shrewd as they come. Perhaps the team needs a tweek here, a guide through some rough patches, but the vaults of the Philadelphia 76ers are bursting with solid currency from three years of austerity in an NBA world of excess and squandering.
Next: Sky Is The Limit
The Sky Is The Limit
The Sixers are loaded with assets, and the only thing left to do is to spend wisely. Do that, and everything falls into place. And so, Jerry Colangelo, the face of Team USA, can now use his unique insights to shop with an almost limitless budget of salary cap, draft currency, and young raw talent to help construct a real life NBA version of Rocky Balboa. Do that, and his legacy will be embedded into the hearts of a city that knows basketball better than virtually any other city.
That’s is quite a legacy to leave behind, particularly to a man who is completely driven to give back to the sport something long lasting and memorable. That’s why the team wisely approached him to come onboard. Why did he consent? The team is sitting on a huge salary cap, as many as four first round picks, two first round players joining the team in 2016, and a bevy of young raw developing talent that simply need time and proper coaching to threaten the NBA with their potential upside. Jerry Colangelo knows that the Philadelphia 76ers are on the rise, with or without him. That’s why this is such a great deal for him.
But it’s not because he was recently signed on as an executive with the Philadelphia 76ers, but rather his association with Team USA and the selection of the Olympic basketball team. You see, virtually every elite player and agent of player in the NBA wants to be associated with Team USA. All roads to that team run through Jerry Colangelo.
It stands to reason that it’s that constant stream of top NBA talent and agents, seeking consideration for the Olympic team, which gives the Philadelphia 76ers a fighting chance in this years NBA free agency market. That free agency market which the Philadelphia 76ers have avoided in the past, but the market the team will look to tap into this off-season.
Jerry Colangelo here in the MGM Grand Arena as well. Scouting for @ZackBlatt's Sixers?
— Kevin Zimmerman (@KZimmermanAZ) March 11, 2016
Next: The Shopping List
The Shopping List
Now that you’ve amassed a hefty budget, an arsenal of trade-capable assets and talents, and you place a sharpshooter like Jerry Colangelo in the mix, all that is left is to compile a shopping list of players you believe will maximize the positive impact on your team, and are within reach. For the most part, particularly at this fragile point of the Sixers rebuild, that is where teams crumble. Either they are so close that they leap too far to acquire that last piece to place them over the top, or they are too modest and never bring on enough talent to make a difference, or worst of all, some random force like injury or actions of another team prohibit the plans from ever taking place. Surely there is something behind all that technology and sport science and analytics that can help the process, isn’t there?
Why yes, yes there is.
In a well written article by Sport’s Illustrated Ben Golliver, the advantage of sports analytics is illuminated throughout the selection process – not of the Philadelphia 76ers but – of Team USA.
"“Most often, when you have experienced basketball people who have been around the track and understand how to evaluate talent, you take that experience and most often the analytics will justify what you thought in the first place,” Colangelo said. “There are things you can pull from analytics that can make your situation better. [One thing we’re looking at is] combinations of players,” he explained. “Certain players play better with certain players, and sometimes it’s water and oil. [Analytics] is kind of a new venture for us, but only as a tool [in the decision-making process]. I’m excited about that.” – Jerry Colangelo"
In that same article, examples of NBA pairings are cited:
"Here’s the rundown. Warriors: Curry, Green, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes (+49.1 as a lineup) Cavaliers: James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love (+8.3 as a trio) Clippers: Paul, Blake Griffin, Jordan (+10.2 as a trio) Spurs: Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge (+12.9 as a pair) Thunder: Durant, Westbrook (+11.4 as a pair) Rockets: Harden, Howard (+0.4 as a pair) Wizards: John Wall, Bradley Beal (-1.5 as a pair) – per “USA Basketball’s Jerry Colangelo touts ‘analytics’ as he eyes Rio roster” by Ben Golliver"
This is the science of basketball analytics. Using simulated pairings, the team can project the styles of individual players, then recombine those individuals to anticipate optimal pairings. That technology is being used to set the best lineup for Team USA. You can bet that same science is being used to project the best targets for the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason in the draft, free agency, and trades.
Next: Winding Down, To Wind It Back Up
Winding Down, To Wind It Back Up
What remains to the season is for existing players to showcase their skills to build the argument to remain on the team roster next year, or at a minimum to build a market for their skills if the business side of the basketball world leaves them looking for a new opportunity. The entire time, the team is logging, filming, charting, analyzing, and deciding who and where to go with the roster next season.
Meanwhile, in the back office, the team is working at a fever pace now. It is the closing weeks that solidifies the direction a team wants to take in the off-season. In most cases, the team will only have one shot to get it right. While college scouts turn towards the teams competing in the NCAA tournament, professional scouts turn their eyes to the playoff teams. While all of this is happening, the data is accumulated, fed into computer algorithms, and charted. From there, information is analyzed, dissected, compiled, broken down and recompiled. When the data has been looked at from as many angles as possible, the priority is determined – whether by draft board, free agent priority, or trade hierarchy.
And then, the team waits for the moment to bring all of the planning and analyzing together.
The reason? The Sixers are working against the clock, an artificial timetable of Jerry Colangelo’s making. You see, Colangelo stated unhesitatingly that the team will be very competitive in three years. Not just making the playoffs, but winning playoff games. Was this foolish? Not exactly. It was a wise statement to make – to assure potential free agents that the team plans to not only to compete, but to succeed. The statement also sets the teams scouting on task to focus on shorter term results now. Development will now slide to the back seat as true and present production steps up to become a higher priority. It also sets the stage for the draft to emphasize NBA ready talent, and forego the wounded high ceiling prospects who have almost certainly fallen onto our roster in the past. The draft with multiple first round selections will now focus on the readiness of the prospects.
Next: 5 Reasons Not To Be Worried About The Philadelphia 76ers
But while the draft is a given of research and opportunity, the system of free agency and even to a smaller extent trading with another NBA team is all about relationships. Who knows who? Who likes the reputation of whom? Which team must pay a premium, whereas another team can offer less to make the deal happen. That’s what the name of the game is, and that’s the realm of Jerry Colangelo. It’s that culture of “positivity“, that assembly of good people to work with and work for, that is crucial right now for the team. Jerry Colangelo is a deal maker from the old school NBA textbook. A handshake, a given word, and the deal is made. From that point on, Colangelo is available to trouble shoot, help, and even offer words of wisdom to his players.
That won’t differ in Philly. The only difference is that the Philadelphia 76ers are an organization designed to give professional athletes longevity, maximum production, and healthy minds and bodies, during their time with the team. On top of all of this is the construction of the state of the art training facility, and you’ve laid the foundation for the best logistics in the NBA. No one item will sell the team to NBA players, but the presence of so much coming together to create the ultimate professional experience for a player will create incredible selling points.
And Jerry Colangelo can sell.