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Jerry Colangelo Becomes Special Advisor to Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers were a team on a long term plan, but with immediate needs. As admirable as Sam Hinkie was on draft day, he was not exactly noted for handing a complete and complimentary roster over to head coach Brett Brown on opening day.
But it was the off-court issues of rookie center Jahlil Okafor which forced the team into action. After a TMZ report of a skirmish between Jahlil Okafor with fans of the Boston Celtics surfaced, more news bubbled to the surface as well. Speeding. A second skirmish. And the team had nothing “built in” to prevent events recurring. And so, ownership went outside the box and brought in the services of venerable Jerry Colangelo.
Hey JC, JC, please explain to me?
Jerry Colangelo had the unique perspective of seeing events through the eyes of a coach, a general manager, and an owner. You see, he served in the capacity of each role in his tenure with the Phoenix Suns. Jerry Colangelo made some immediate changes to the team. He persuaded his former Phoenix Suns coach, Mike D’Antoni, to join the Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant head coach. He also encouraged the team to trade for a point guard, which the team did at the close of 2015 in bringing back point guard Ish Smith.
But Jerry Colangelo had more on his plate than just tweaking the team. On at least two occasions, the Philadelphia 76ers were in deep trade discusions. On one hand, the team negotiated a deal with the Atlanta Hawks for Dennis Schroder. On the other hand, a “mystery” team had gotten to the point of pulling the trigger on a mega deal with the Boston Celtics as well.
In both cases, the presumed “other” team was the Philadelphia 76ers. At the time neither trade occured, Jerry Colangelo had veto power over any move Sam Hinkie might make.