Weekly Roundup: National Reaction to Jerry Colangelo Hiring

Much of the talk about the team this week has been centered on the hiring of Jerry Colangelo | Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Every week we’ll collect some of the most interesting stories being written about the Philadelphia 76ers. You can check out previous roundups here.

This week’s roundup is focused on the return of Tony….just kidding. The Sixers hired Jerry Colangelo as chairman of basketball operations in a move that could redefine the Sixers’ front office and alter the course of the franchise. The move put the 76ers in the national spotlight, and there are a number of wide-ranging reports and opinions on what that means.

Let’s get started.

National Podcasts:

• Zach Lowe talks to Jeff Van Gundy about what the change means, and why the league is a bit hypocritical. It’s a good listen, and both were fair in their judgments. They start talking about it pretty much from the jump.
• Seth Partnow (Nylon Calculus, Washington Post, others) joined Sam Vecenie (CBS Sports) to talk about the dynamics in the Sixers’ front office.
• Nate Duncan (Dunc’d On Podcast) and Danny Leroux (RealGM, Sporting News) discussed the change as well.
• Kevin Spain, Jeff Zillgitt, and Sam Amick (USA Today) talked about the move on USA Today’s “NBA A to Z” Podcast.
• Adam Silver went on SiriusXM Radio to talk about his role in the hiring. He says the only role he played was making an introduction between Harris and Colangelo, and that Harris came to the conclusion that he “needed to make a course correction” on his own.

Local Podcasts:

• Spike Eskin (94 WIP) and Michael Levin (LibertyBallers.com) discussed the move.
• I talked about it with Rich Hofmann (PhillyVoice.com) and Kyle Neubeck (LibertyBallers.com).

Colangelo Appearances: 

• Colangelo joined Greenberg and Golic. The interview starts about the 1 hour, 10 minute mark.
• Colangelo joined WIP’s morning show. Most notable excerpt: when asked whether he would come somewhere to be overruled by people who had never won something: “I would never do that.”
• Jerry went on with Bickley & Marotta, where he said that Adam Silver and Joshua Harris pleaded for his help.
• Colangelo was also on with Tiki and Tierney on CBS, where he talks about shortening his five-year plan with the Arizona Diamondbacks because of lost season ticket sales.

Reports: 

• Jeff Zillgitt at USA Today was the first to report that the league may have been involved in the Colangelo hiring.
• Brian Windhorst at ESPN then mentioned the possibility of pressure coming from the impact the Sixers losing has on revenue sharing.
• Ken Berger of CBS Sports then essentially refuted the story, saying that Silver mainly acted as a facilitator.
• Mitch Lawrence reports that Joshua Harris and David Blitzer are looking to purchase an NFL team to bring to London. Doing so would necessitate Harris selling the Sixers.
• The Sixers then sent out a statement refuting that report.
• Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports referred to the hiring of Colangelo as a “usurping”.

Opinion Pieces: 

• Bryan Toporek at BBallBreakdown.com on why the pieces Sam Hinkie has acquired, rather than Jerry Colangelo, will determine the fate of the Sixers’ rebuild.
• Over at Complex, Maurice Peebles wonders whether the league forced the Sixers into a middle-ground that’s bad for the franchise.
• At SBNation, Tom Ziller on why the NBA meddling with the 76ers rebuild is a problem (if it happened that way).
• John Gonzalez at CSN Philly on why Sam Hinkie can’t win, and why Jerry Colangelo can’t lose.
• Jonathan Tjarks at RealGM argues that Hinkie, a forward-thinking GM, was boxed in by pursuing traditional big men.
• Mike Sielski at the Philadelphia Inquirer on the Phillies trading of Ken Giles, which is really about the Sixers. While there are obviously big differences in roster construction between the two sports, it is interesting how trading proven talent for unknowns, and making your team worse in the process, is so accepted in one sport and condemned in another.

Mock Drafts:

• Chad Ford (ESPN) released his second mock draft of the season. No surprise: he has Ben Simmons going #1 to the Sixers. Skal Labissiere, Brandon Ingram, Dragan Bender, and Jamal Murray, in that order, round out the top-5.
• At DraftExpress, we also have Ben Simmons going #1 (seriously, the guy is averaging 19.9 points, 15.6 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game so far). Brandon Ingram, Skal, Dragan Bender, and Kris Dunn round out the top-5.

Derek Bodner covers the 76ers for Philadelphia magazine’s new Sixers Post. Follow @DerekBodnerNBA on Twitter.