Patrick Causey, on Twitter @InsdeTheHuddle
Welp. This just got serious.
Jerry Colangelo just did an interview with Bickley & Marotta on 98.7 Arizona Sports with some interesting, and somewhat shocking, revelations about his recruitment to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Colangelo stated that he was comfortable with his workload and had no plans to get back involved in the NBA, "But when I get the call from the commissioner and a call from an owner asking, pleading for help, it kind of got my attention."
Speculation has been rampant that Harris has completely lost faith in Hinkie's rebuilding efforts, and that this move was a sign that Harris is panicking. Colangelo seemingly acknowledged as much, which begs the question of just how drastic things are about to change in Philadelphia.
His comment also stands in stark contrast to his interview with Mike Missanelli, where he deflected Missanelli's question on whether he spoke with Commissioner Silver about the Sixers opening.
The other, perhaps most alarming point made during the interview was head coach Brett Brown's reaction to Colangelo's hiring: "As it relates to basketball, Coach Brown, who I've had respect for because we competed against him when he coached the Australian national team and he was an assistant to Popovich in San Antonio for 11 years, when I walked in his office, he hugged me and said "Boy, do I need you."
There has been a sense around the team that Brown has grown frustrated with the lack of progress made by the Sixers, as Brown has been forced to coach a roster largely comprised of NBA D League players. Colangelo's recount of that meeting certainly lends support to that theory, and suggests that Sam Hinkie has not only lost the confidence of the ownership group, but of the head coach as well.
Speaking of Sam Hinkie, Colangelo addressed how he intends to help the Sixers embattled GM and whether the Sixers will deviate from the Process now that Colangelo is on board: "I want to help Sam Hinkie who is the President and GM. He's a very bright young guy, very analytical, and that's a great strength of his. But as I look around the organization, I think there are some tweaks that can be done that will maybe help. And that's the first step. When people think about an overall, a major change, a change in the gameplan, that is all premature."
But Colangelo also hinted at there being some fraction within the organization as a result of this move. When asked whether the ownership group was pressured to hire Colangelo by Commissioner Adam Silver or other NBA owners, Colangelo denied any such knowledge, but admitted that some in the organization might be uneasy about his presence.
The more that news percolates out about Jerry Colangelo, the more it is becoming increasingly obvious that this is a major shakeup within the Sixers organization. Hinkie has had his legs cut out from under him, and Colangelo figures to have a significant voice during the next phase of the rebuilding effort. Hopefully, the Sixers will stay the course, at least for the remainder of the season, so as to not jeopardize their position to land prized prospect Ben Simmons.
