Sixers
Anonymous NBA exec on Colangelo: ‘I think the damage is done’
By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor
It's been an interesting and chaotic week in Philadelphia 76ers world as President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo has been linked to a number of secret Twitter accounts that have insulted players, former front office executives while also supporting a number of front office moves made by Colangelo himself.
Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer has spoken to some folks around the league, one that said the Colangelo was "visibly shaken" upon learning of the news. One NBA executive told Pompey that “The only way that he’ll get out of it is if he comes with evidence that somebody set him up.” The executive went on to say that it would be surprising if Colangelo kept his job if they can't figure out whether or not he's behind the accounts.
Shortly after hearing about the story, Colangelo texted Joel Embiid to say that he never said any of the things that were Tweeting regarding Embiid's maturity and style of play. He also reached out to execs around the league that he is close with to make sure they knew that it was not him behind the tweets on the secret accounts. Despite his efforts to spread his innocence among a number of people, one anonymous NBA executive told Keith Pompey that it's too late and that it would be surprising if players were able to trust him after this.
"I think the damage is done,” said an NBA executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “I don’t know if the players can trust him. I think he lost the trust of the players unless it’s proven definitively that it wasn’t him.”
With the draft three weeks away and free agency a month out on the calendar, the Sixers need to move quickly on this investigation. If Colangelo is fired, they'll need to conduct a thorough search in a short amount of time which could be tough considering what it has taken for this organization to get to this point in The Process.