The 76ers’ front office Naismith Hall of Famer was back in town.
For the second time in the span of a month, Jerry Colangelo reported to Philadelphia to check in on the organization that appointed him Chairman of Basketball Operations and Special Advisor to Managing Director on December 7th. A primary purpose for Colangelo’s visit was to meet with President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie, as well as with Brett Brown, to evaluate the state of the team, past, present, and moving forward.
“There’s a lot of things that we want to continue to discuss regarding the future,” said Colangelo after watching the Sixers practice on Tuesday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “We’re looking at the trade deadline, the draft, it’s an ongoing process. So when people are looking for answers like, ‘What are you going to do?,’ it’s just too early to speculate. We just keep looking at options, and I think the good news is, just after a few weeks, there’s been a real improvement, and I think that’s a plus. I see it in practice, just the attitude of the players is much more positive. I think that’s important, especially with a young group, that there’s something to cling to.”The catalyst for the Sixers’ progress, according to Colangelo, has been Ish Smith. In their first substantial collaborative move together, Colangelo and Hinkie prioritized bringing Smith back to the club with which he flourished down the stretch of the previous campaign. Since acquiring the sixth-year point guard from the New Orleans Pelicans on December 24th, the Sixers have gone on to post six of their seven victories this season. Smith himself has ranked seventh in the NBA in assists during this time frame, averaging 8.1 helpers per game. “I think he has shown he has the capacity to do a lot more than maybe where he was picked,” said Colangelo of Smith, who went undrafted in 2010. “He’s bounced around quite a bit, and it’s a great story that finally maybe he’s landed somewhere where he could do a lot more than fit that description or that role.” Colangelo continued, “I would say this. A month ago, we really had a big need. That need is a lot less today because of what he’s shown he’s capable of doing.”In the month ahead, the Sixers, as Colangelo mentioned, will arrive at the NBA trade deadline, set for February 18th. After that, the team’s ability to tweak its roster will be limited. Both Colangelo and Hinkie recognize the significance of the date. “In terms of trade, we’re not actively out there looking to make a trade,” said Colangelo, a four-time NBA Executive of the Year. “But, you always have to be open. Things happen usually right around All-Star break. There’s a week or 10 days when there’s a lot of discussion. It may lead to nothing, and I think right now we’re kind of content to say there are too many question marks about certain players, health, and so forth that you have to be very careful. You have to be very selective. Timing’s everything.””It’s a big principle of mine that if it’s not my job, whose is it to be looking to be looking out into the future?,” Hinkie asked reporters rhetorically on Tuesday. “We had a meeting [Tuesday] morning about the next five years of trade targets, and the next five years of free agency, and what that looks like, and how to put the pieces in place that can give you a chance to make, not just a first move on the chessboard, but the last move. That’s really critical. I know that sounds sort of far off. Someone like me has to be willing to look around the bend at how we can actually get to where we’re trying to go.”For now, Colangelo, Hinkie, and the basketball operations staff are focused on building off of the recent promise the Sixers displayed during an encouraging January.
“The game [Saturday] night against Golden State, you know, those are steps,” said Colangelo. “You’ve got to get over another hump, and that is when you have a chance to win a game like that, you got to win the game. Not quite ready for prime time, but it’s the process. It really is. Young guys getting experience, and getting a taste of winning. And so I think things are really looking a heck of a lot better today than they were a month ago.”Tuesday marked the end of Colangelo’s two-day stop in Philadelphia. On Monday evening, he interacted with an estimated seven hundred season-ticket holders at an event that the Sixers hosted at the National Constitution Center. Earlier in the day, he met with corporate partners of the Sixers as well.”They want hope,” Colangelo said of the feedback he received from the club’s supporters. “Everybody wants to look forward to the better times that are coming. They will come.”Colangelo arrived on the East Coast last week. For several days, he stayed in New York City, where he devoted a good portion of his time to tending to Sixers-related matters with members of the franchise’s ownership group.
