Boston Celtics

Jerry Colangelo Philadelphia 76ers Very Competitive In 3 Years Remains On Track

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:09 p.m. ET

Fansided, Bret Stuter/FanSided via The Sixer Sense

Dec 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers owner Joshua Harris (L) introduces Jerry Colangelo (R) as special advisor before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Special Executive Advisor Jerry Colangelo claimed he “wanted (Philadelphia 76ers) very competitive in 3 years. Is team on track?

Jerry Colangelo is a highly respected NBA executive who carries great weight when he makes claims to the media. In fact, he has that air of NBA nobility, a man who gives as much to the sport as it gives to him. In February 2016, he gave his opinion on the “State-Of-The-Union” of the Philadelphia 76ers. Yes, the team was losing games. In fact, the team had been losing games for three years.

While the Philadelphia 76ers languished for three years as former president Sam Hinkie amassed a war chest of ammunition for the team, the losses continued to pile up. But despite the losses, it was not until rookie center Jahlil Okafor news of a fracas with Boston Celtics fans hit the airwaves that ownership acquiesced to NBA demands to reel in Hinkie.

Special Man, Special Advisor, Special Mission

And so, the ownership brought in vanguard and special advisor Jerry Colangelo to independently audit the team. After assessing the quality of players, coaches, organization, and future assets, Jerry Colangelo said unhesitatingly:

“I’d like to see us very competitive in three years. . . . That means not just making the playoffs,” – Jerry Colangelo

Even as he spoke the words, it seemed awfully optimistic as a perspective from a very conservative former-NBA owner. But optimistic words disguised the true nature of his role with the team.

Dec 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie (L) listens as owner Joshua Harris (M) introduces Jerry Colangelo (R) as special advisor before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

DECEPTION!

Ultimately, Jerry Colangelo intended to replace the very controversial president of the Philadelphia 76ers Sam Hinkie with his son, Bryan Colangelo. In fact, it was the goal of the NBA ownership to do so. Perhaps the NBA had grown weary of trying to win the short game, while Hinkie came out ahead time and time again because he played a long game.

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However you interpret his effectiveness in the here and now, you cannot argue about the state of the team at his departure. Sam Hinkie was removed from power, but his dealings placed the Philadelphia 76ers onto the path of future NBA greatness.

Doctor Prescribed in 2015

If you recall, the claim to greatness for this team did NOT originate from Jerry Colangelo, but from an interview of Julius Erving, a.k.a Doctor J, on Sirius radio:

Well when they [Joshua Harris and Sixers’ ownership group] acquired the team in 2012 (actually occurred on October 2011), maybe, I think the talk was about seven years. Seven years,”“So I think it’s still on that same timeline. No. To be good. (Not Just) To be good. (But also) To be formidable. To be a contender. That’s probably 18-19, right? – Julius Erving as interviewed on SiriusXM radio

So Jerry Colangelo’s 2016 claims merely confirmed the timeline discussed in 2015 by Erving. The claim that the Philadelphia 76ers would be a formidable team in the 2018-2019 season did not come from Colangelo, but from the Master-Of-The-Longest-View-In-The-Room Sam Hinkie himself.

Oct 8, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie (R) talks with chief executive officer Scott O

Autopilot Engaged

Hats off to Sam Hinkie. In 2012, he saw far enough ahead to know the team would need time to get better. But not better as in .500. Better as in competing in post season. And here we stand just as 2016 comes to a close. At 8-24, the team hardly seems poised to break into the upper tier of the NBA yet, right?

But we are entering 2017 folks. Are you ready to rocket ahead? No, you haven’t heard this one before..

The Philadelphia 76ers are on track, but not because of any moves that have yet to be made by the team. Sam Hinkie knew he might not continue on the journey with the team. And so, he saw far enough ahead to ensure forces merged nearly simultaneously for the team.

Chess Move Tanking

His moves, interpreted by many, as tanking to get a top draft pick, were designed to delay realizing the move until a later date. By synchronizing the arrival of Joel Embiid, Dario Saric in the same year has he held a good chance of landing a top two pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, he practically guaranteed that the team would gain the equivalent of three lottery picks in the 2016 off-season.

Bolstered with the wide margin for spending under the NBA salary cap, the team was already set up for the 2016-2017 season.

Dec 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and forward Nerlens Noel (M) and forward Ben Simmons (R) during a timeout in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. The Toronto Raptors won 123.114. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Stars Are Beginning To Shine In Philly

To nobody’s surprise, Joel Embiid is every bit the NBA phenom that Sam Hinkie believed he would be. But he is just the first piece to the jigsaw puzzle. Soon to arrive Ben Simmons will add a significant presence to the Philadelphia 76ers back court.

There is just as much reason for elation about Ben Simmons as there was for Joel Embiid. In the summer league, the young point forward generated 8.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game with a roster which was busy making introductions to one another. In Las Vegas, competition stiffened, just as did Simmons’ resolve. There, he scored 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and remained consistent with 5.5 assists per game.

His Las Vegas stats would place him first on the team in rebounds, second on the team in assists, and third on the team in scoring. While we likely won’t see top numbers from his debut, there is plenty of time to stumble through rookie mistakes this season. This young man has literally been engineered to play in the NBA. And he landed on the team best designed to optimize his play.

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; A general view of a video board displaying all thirty draft picks in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Fill The Court With Stars

The Philadelphia 76ers will outpace other NBA teams in the years to come thanks to the bevy of draft picks lined up. In fact, the 2017 NBA Draft could be one of the most important drafts to the team in its history.

In a year with as many as ten NBA-ready-to-start prospects, the Philadelphia 76er will likely land two lottery picks. On top of the chance to land the top pick of the draft, the Lakers pick (currently at 7) and two second round picks, the Philadelphia 76ers could stumble into a pair, or even trio, of new starters next season.

Conservatively Speaking

Even conservatively estimating the current roster to have just Embiid and Simmons as starters into the foreseeable future, that still gives these Sixers nearly a full team of fresh, young, incredibly talented, and sky’s-the-limit players onto the court at day one next season. After that, toss the incredible versatility of Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Nik Stauskas, Jerryd Bayless, and more into the roster, and it’s clear to see how quickly the 2017-2018 roster can turn this around.

After all is said and done, the Philadelphia 76ers can advance fearlessly. They have plenty of refueling points along the way, thanks to the picks amassed in future NBA Drafts.

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; General view during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Draft Pipeline As Far As Eye Can See

As the team improves, the NBA Draft pipeline will continue to reinforce the team:

2018 NBA Draft: 1/2 first round picks, 3 second round picks
2019 NBA Draft: 2 first round picks, 3 second round picks
2020 NBA Draft: 1/2 first round picks, 3 second round picks
2021 NBA Draft: 1 first round picks, 2 second round picks
2022 NBA Draft: 1 first round pick, 1/2 second round picks
2023 NBA Draft: 1 first round pick, 1/2 second round picks

Brett Brown: “The mission is still going to be to try to get that positionally balanced team.” #Sixers #NBADraft

— Jessica Camerato (@JCameratoCSN) June 24, 2016

In the end, Jerry Colangelo saw all of the pieces in the pipeline. He did not go overly optimistic at all. In fact, he was quite conservative after all. His son, Bryan Colangelo, simply selected the optimal player available at three 2016 NBA Draft slots.

When you consider the fact that NBA teams get one first and one second round pick, the deck has been stacked in the 76ers favor. And please, don’t forget to tip the dealer, Sam Hinkie.