Here we go again.
For years, the Sixers plan was transparent under Sam Hinkie: Tank, disregard incremental progress, improve NBA Draft lottery odds and take chances at drafting superstars.
2017 NBA trade deadline: Grades for Sixers, Knicks, Celtics
When the 2016-17 season began with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in tow, it looked like the plan worked and a new phase–winning–would begin in Philadelphia. New general manager Bryan Colangelo alluded to just that during his introductory press conference last spring.
“I really want to make sure everyone understands that this is a transition from this measured rebuilding process to sustainable winning,” Colangelo said in April. “That’s what is important to establish here.”
Now? The Sixers have gone from the story of the NBA in January to a team some are accusing of tanking once again. The reason: Lack of trust around injuries to Embiid (out indefinitely) and Simmons (out for the season) and trades (Nerlens Noel, Ersan Ilyasova) that subtracted from the team at the trade deadline.
Adding to the idea that Sixers brass may be pumping the brakes on winning now for better odds in the 2017 NBA Draft: Colangelo has admitted to tanking in his previous role with the Toronto Raptors.
During the MIT Sloan Analytics Conference in 2014, Colangelo was part of a panel discussing the then-topical tanking problem across the NBA. Ironically, the conversation pertained to the Sixers and how the NBA should–or shouldn’t–step in when teams tank for better draft position.
“Admittedly, I tried to tank a couple of years ago,” Colangelo said, per Sports Illustrated. “I didn’t come out and say, ‘Coach, you have to lose games.’ I wanted him to establish a winning tradition and culture, but I wanted him to do it in the framework of playing and developing young players.”
Embiid out indefinitely
Colangelo’s Raptors didn’t tank well enough, finishing with the eighth pick and selecting Terrence Ross. The No. 6 pick turned into Damian Lillard, a player that may have changed the course of Toronto’s franchise then and now.
Could that be the impetus to sitting Embiid, shutting down Simmons for the year and dealing Noel for a questionable package? Is the difference between, say, Josh Jackson or Lonzo Ball in the 2017 Draft driving Colangelo’s decision making?
Likely not, but when a GM admits to tanking in the past and star players go from day-to-day to out indefinitely, it’s worth looking at.
The Sixers are 22-37 heading into play on Feb. 28. That’s tied for the fifth-worst record in the NBA.
Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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