76ers hire Colangelo as chairman of basketball operations

The team announced Monday it hired Jerry Colangelo as special adviser to the managing general partner and chairman of basketball operations.

USA Today Sports reported that National Basketball Association commissioner Adam Silver helped convince the 76ers to hire Colangelo.

“It’s not every day you have the opportunity to work alongside a Hall of Famer with Jerry’s unique set of experiences”, said President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie.

Harris also went on to call Colangelo “invaluable” before Jerry himself claimed that he is going to offer mentoring to Sam whilst making himself available to Josh and the partners of the Sixers on a variety of areas.

So… what does this mean for head coach Brett Brown, whose Sixers are 1-20 this season and a woeful 38-147 in his three seasons heading into Monday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs? “Our situation needed a review to make our situation better”.

There’s a hope that Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, injured center Joel Embiid and overseas prospect Dario Saric will blossom into All-Stars and at least one, maybe two, will become franchise-type players.

Harris added: “I continue to have confidence in Sam….”

Based on how some other teams fare, the Sixers could have four first-round picks in the 2015 draft. “We believe we are entering the next phase of our process”. “This is an organization with a storied history, strong and talented leadership and a number of promising pieces that have the potential for a very bright future”. “There seems to be a void of leadership, player-wise”.

Colangelo was a longtime executive with the Phoenix Suns, but hasn’t been around a day-to-day front office in two decades.

Colangelo also led an ownership group which secured the Major League Baseball expansion Arizona Diamondbacks to Phoenix for its inaugural season in 1998.

He’ll face one of the stiffest challenges of his career, steering the Sixers from the bottom of the standings toward their first championship since 1983.

“We’re not crying for patience”, he said. “And if the payoff comes, it will be more than worth it”.