What Will Be The Philadelphia 76ers Action Plan?

The Philadelphia 76ers need an action plan. What will it be?

The Philadelphia 76ers are a storied franchise in NBA history built off of the shoulders of transcendent dynamic talents. Players like Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson were faces of the league, influencing culture and shifting the way the game would be played in the future.

In recent years the 76ers have tried to focus on the draft taking extreme measures to find a player to change franchise’s fortune, but it has come with disastrous results.With Sam Hinkie stepping down as the team’s general manager last month, the 76ers fan base rejoiced after 199 losses over three seasons. Now new team president Bryan Colangelo has stepped in as general manager and is looking for a player the team can identify with for years to come.

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This year’s draft is headlined by LSU’s all-purpose forward Ben Simmons and Duke’s raw shooting guard Brandon Ingram. While Philadelphia has guaranteed themselves the league’s worst record and highest odds at the top overall pick, luck has not been in their favor, as the 76ers have fallen to the third pick in the last two seasons.

Head coach Brett Brown has been pigeon-holed because of season ending injuries to Nerlens Noel in 2013, and Joel Embiid in 2014. Embiid had not played one second of NBA action and the Sixers still drafted Jahlil Okafor in 2015, only cluttering the interior. There is no clear direction, and no identity.

The last time the 76ers had any sign of an identity and cohesiveness, Pat Croce was their charasmatic owner, and NBA purist Larry Brown assembled a group of league veterans to focus on defense while the diminutive, mercurial, but always prolific Allen Iverson was the go-to guy.

The Iverson/Brown era was far from perfect, but it it was clear, competitive and most importantly decisive. The role players, however limited they may be, complimented Iverson’s inefficient style. Eric Snow was the perfect game manager, allowing Allen to take the bulk of the shots offensively. Aaron McKie was an all around player with the ability to defend multiple positions while being a back up point guard and the combination of George Lynch, Tyrone Hil and Theo Ratliff/Dikembe Mutumbo were low maintenance front court players who devoured rebounds. This core’s window lasted five years and Iverson’s reign in Philly was a little over a decade, but the 76ers got six playoff appearances out of him and one NBA Finals appearance.

The problem with Hinkie is his “process” hinged more on hope and some luck than a decisive plan of action. Who was the franchise player? Why wasn’t there a concentrated effort to bring in players to fit Noel’s Okafor’s or Embiid’s style of play? Finally, how long was your champion window? The Minnesota Timberwolves are already two number one picks and a championship contending head coach into their process and they look to be on the up-and-up. There is structure, veteran leadership and a concentrated effort to develop the young crop of talent into winners sooner rather than later. Hinkie seemed as if he just left lambs to the slaughter with no clear communication about when it would end.

Bryan Colangelo enters his position with the proper level of cachet to garner respect, but now he has to showcase the skills he used to swindle Steve Nash into leaving the Dallas Mavericks and signing with the Phoenix Suns. He may also have to use some of his USA basketball connections to wash off the stench of historic futility.

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It will take some time, but he’ll gain much more favor in Philly if he makes a decisive decision about where he wants to take this team, and it starts on June 23, 2016.