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Sixers, Bryan Colangelo Agree To Part Ways

June 7th, 2018 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers and president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo have agreed to part ways, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links). According to Wojnarowski, the club will hold a news conference this afternoon with team ownership to discuss the move. The Sixers have issued a press release officially confirming the decision.

While Philadelphia’s announcement classifies Colangelo’s departure as a resignation, he won’t be leaving his post in Philadelphia entirely of his own accord. The veteran executive found himself mired in controversy last week after a report from Ben Detrick of The Ringer linked five “burner” Twitter accounts to Colangelo.

Of those five anonymous Twitter accounts – which were strikingly similar in terms of content, tone, follows, and likes – four seemingly shared inside information on the 76ers and tipped team strategy. They also criticized current and former Sixers players, including Markelle Fultz, Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel, and defended Colangelo’s track record with the franchise.

After Detrick sent an inquiry to the Sixers asking about two of the five accounts, Colangelo issued a statement claiming ownership of one of them, which had never posted a tweet, denying knowledge of the other. Simultaneously, the three other accounts – which Detrick didn’t mention in his inquiry to the Sixers – went dark, switching from public to private.

The Sixers hired Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP to investigate those Twitter accounts, and the law firm issued a statement today, confirming that Colangelo’s wife Barbara was behind the tweets. The statements reads, in part:

“The evidence supports the conclusion that Ms. Barbara Bottini, Mr. Colangelo’s wife, established the Twitter accounts and posted content on those accounts. When interviewed, Ms. Bottini admitted establishing and operating the accounts. Forensic evidence corroborates her admissions.

“We cannot conclude that Mr. Colangelo was aware of the Twitter accounts prior to the May 22 press inquiry. Mr. Colangelo denies any such awareness and we have not observed any forensic evidence establishing that he had knowledge of the Twitter accounts prior to that date. We note, however, that our investigation was limited and impeded by certain actions taken by Ms. Bottini, including her decision to delete the contents of her iPhone by executing a factory reset of the device prior to surrendering it for forensic review.

“Our investigation revealed substantial evidence that Mr. Colangelo was the source of sensitive, non-public, club-related information contained in certain posts to the Twitter accounts. We believe that Mr. Colangelo was careless and in some instances reckless in failing to properly safeguard sensitive, non-public, club-related information in communications with individuals outside the 76ers organization.”

[RELATED: Bryan Colangelo issues statement following resignation]

Colangelo had been the Sixers’ president of basketball operations since April 2016, when he was hired by the franchise to replace Sam Hinkie as the top decision-maker in the front office. With the help of the groundwork laid by Hinkie, Colangelo continued to shape the roster over the last two years by adding a pair of No. 1 picks in Ben Simmons and Fultz, along with veteran free agents like J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson.

The Sixers returned to the postseason this spring for the first time since 2012 and won a first-round playoff series over the Heat before being eliminated by Boston. The club is well positioned to make some noise in free agency this summer, with significant cap room available.

According to the Sixers, head coach Brett Brown will take over as the club’s head of basketball operations on an interim basis as the 2018 free agent period nears. Brown and new lead assistant Monty Williams are expected to play key roles in recruiting potential targets. However, Brown won’t run the front office permanently. The team indicated in today’s announcement that the search for a new general manager will begin immediately.

While many Sixers fans will clamor for the return of Hinkie, former Cavaliers GM David Griffin could be a more logical and realistic candidate to replace Colangelo, given Philadelphia’s reported interest in top free agent LeBron James. While there’s no confirmation yet that the 76ers will reach out to Griffin, Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) calls it a “no-brainer” for the team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Eastern Draft Notes: Sixers, Bulls, Diallo, Raptors

June 6th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers, who hold the 10th and 26th picks in the 2018 NBA draft, continue to take a closer look at potential early- and late-first-round picks. According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter links), Philadelphia will have an interesting pair of prospects participating in a group workout next Monday when they bring in Miami guard Lonnie Walker and MSU forward Miles Bridges. Both players are considered potential lottery selections, making them options at No. 10.

Duke’s Grayson Allen, a possible candidate for the No. 26 pick, participated in a workout today for the Sixers, notes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. However, Allen – who will also work out for the Celtics on Friday, per Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald (Twitter link) – wasn’t the most notable person present at the session.

According to Pompey, embattled president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo was in attendance at today’s workout. While that doesn’t mean that the Sixers have made a decision one way or the other on Colangelo’s future, it certainly doesn’t seem like bad news for him.

Here’s more on pre-draft workouts from around the Eastern Conference:

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Sixers Ownership Met To Discuss Colangelo’s Future

June 6th, 2018 at 7:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers‘ ownership group convened in New York on Tuesday evening, talking for several hours about whether head of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo should be fired based on the findings in an investigation into several burner Twitter accounts, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, the 76ers could reach a decision on Wednesday.

As Wojnarowski has previously reported, the investigation into those Twitter accounts, which published tweets critical of Sixers players and revealed sensitive information, has increasingly focused on Colangelo’s wife Barbara.

Both Colangelo and his wife were interviewed by investigators for several hours on Sunday and Monday. While those interviews took place separately, Sixers ownership is struggling to separate Colangelo from his wife when it comes to the tweets in question, if she did in fact post them, Wojnarowski writes.

With Colangelo’s future up in the air, the Sixers are looking ahead to next month’s free agent period with the intent of putting Brett Brown “front and center” in presentations to top players, according to Wojnarowski, who adds that the hiring of Monty Williams as Brown’s top assistant could have an impact on discussions with free agents too. Both Brown and Williams have strong reputations with players around the NBA.

The 76ers could also rely on assistant GMs Marc Eversley and Ned Cohen to help navigate the coming offseason if they decide to move on from Colangelo, Woj observes.

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Latest On Bryan Colangelo Investigation

June 4th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers hired the law firm of Paul/Weiss to independently investigate a potential connection between president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo and a handful of burner Twitter accounts, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Wojnarowski, the 76ers are pushing for a resolution on the situation within the next few days.

The law firm is the same one that was hired by the National Basketball Players Association in 2013 to look into the business practices of former executive director Billy Hunter. According to Wojnarowski, Paul/Weiss is believed to be using cyberintelligence consultants to aid the investigation, with Colangelo giving up his electronic devices as part of the probe.

Wojnarowski reports that the Paul/Weiss investigation has become primarily focused on Colangelo’s wife Barbara as the possible author of a number of tweets that criticized Sixers players and revealed private information about them. The tweets from the anonymous accounts also discussed proposed trades, former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, and Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, who took over for Colangelo in Toronto.

While Colangelo continues to insist that he had no previous knowledge of any of the tweets, which may have been published by his wife, there’s skepticism “inside and outside” the Sixers in regard to that claim, says Wojnarowski.

Describing the Philadelphia ownership group as “angry” and “embarrassed,” Woj writes that there have been discussions about firing Colangelo, adding that team ownership “has been reluctant to separate Colangelo from any family member or close associate responsible” for the tweets.

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Sixers Notes: Colangelo, Free Agents, Embiid

June 3rd, 2018 at 9:08am CST by Arthur Hill

If president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo gets fired over an alleged Twitter scandal, he will be remembered for several important decisions that set the direction of the franchise, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey states that Colangelo’s best move in his two-year tenure has been drafting Ben Simmons with the top pick in 2016. Although it seems like an easy choice now, Pompey recalls a debate over whether Simmons or Brandon Ingram was the better selection.

On the downside, Colangelo will be remembered for a bold move to trade up to No. 1 in last year’s draft. He wound up with Markelle Fultz, who played just 14 games as a rookie, while the Celtics landed a potential star in Jayson Tatum, along with another first-rounder in 2019.

Colangelo also got very little in return when he traded lottery picks Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor, Pompey adds. Opposing GMs knew he wanted to unload both young centers and took advantage of his position. Colangelo sent Noel to Dallas for Justin Anderson and Andrew Bogut, who was bought out, plus a pair of second-round picks.  Okafor was dealt to the Nets along with Nik Stauskas and two second-rounders for Trevor Booker, who asked to be waived two months later when the Sixers signed Ersan Ilyasova.

There’s more this morning from Philadelphia:

  • Colangelo will have a difficult time keeping his job, no matter what happens in the investigation, contends Scott Stinson of The National Post. Even if his wife or another family member was running the Twitter “burner” accounts, the information passed on was too damaging to overlook, Stinson writes.
  • LeBron James tops the Sixers’ free agent wish list, but the team will have to make moves to improve its bench if he doesn’t come to town, notes Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia. There could be plenty of turnover this summer with Ilyasova, Marco Belinelli and Amir Johnson all headed for free agency and the team holding an option on Richaun Holmes. Camerato looks at the NBA Finals rosters and identifies six possibilities for the Sixers: Jeff Green, Rodney Hood and Jose Calderon from the Cavaliers and Nick Young, David West and Kevon Looney from the Warrriors.
  • Being part of the third annual NBA Africa Game in August will be important for Cameroon-born Joel Embiid, according to an article in More Sport. “I was fortunate to participate in Basketball Without Borders [BWB] Africa first as a camper and then last year as a coach,” he said. “To play in the NBA’s third game in Africa is truly special to me, and I can’t wait to take the floor in front of our fans in Africa.”
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Bryan Colangelo Expected To Lose Job With Sixers?

May 31st, 2018 at 8:01pm CST by marksuleymanov

The Sixers‘ investigation into team president Bryan Colangelo‘s alleged use of burner social media accounts is expected to conclude shortly and several league sources believe he will lose his job, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Pompey writes that the investigation could wrap up as soon as tomorrow. Due to Game 1 of the NBA Finals taking place tonight, the league did not want the Colangelo investigation to be a distraction, Pompey adds.

On Tuesday, a report from Ben Detrick of The Ringer provided evidence that connected Colangelo to five Twitter accounts that bashed Sixers players and coaches, and disclosed sensitive medical and team information. Colangelo admitted to owning one of the accounts in question but said that the account was used strictly to monitor social media.

Colangelo has unequivocally denied any wrongdoing or tweeting from any of the accounts. Today, Colangelo told John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia that he is “fully unaware of anything” pertaining to the messages. Colangelo added that he had “zero’ knowledge of any tweets being sent from those accounts.

During a press conference before Game 1 of the Finals, NBA commissioner Adam Silver revealed that the Sixers hired a New York law firm to oversee the investigation (per Sixers insider Jon Johnson).

Did the Sixers win? on Twitter presented evidence that Colangelo’s wife, Barbara Bottini, could be behind at least three of the accounts. Bottini’s phone number ends with the digits 91, which matches the final two numbers associated with the accounts. Bottini has yet to issue a denial.

As the Sixers prepare for free agency this summer with eyes on several top free agents, Colangelo’s presence could be a hindrance in luring players to  Philadelphia. In an earlier report, one unidentified NBA executive said the damage — unless Colangelo is proven explicitly innocent — has been done.

“I think the damage is done,” an unidentified NBA executive told Pompey. “I don’t know if the players can trust him. I think he lost the trust of the players unless it’s proven definitively that it wasn’t him.”

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Latest On Bryan Colangelo

May 30th, 2018 at 10:26pm CST by Arthur Hill

Regardless of the findings of an independent investigation the Sixers have launched into president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo, the story may have already caused significant damage, writes Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A report last night from Ben Detrick of The Ringer presents evidence that Colangelo was operating several anonymous Twitter accounts on which he was criticizing players, coaches and opponents and sharing inside information. Colangelo admitted owning @phila1234567, but said he uses it to monitor social media and has never posted anything. He denied any connection to four others: “Eric jr,” “HonestAbe,” “Enoughunkownsources” and “Still Balling,” all of which issued controversial tweets.

“I think the damage is done,” an unidentified NBA executive told Pompey. “I don’t know if the players can trust him. I think he lost the trust of the players unless it’s proven definitively that it wasn’t him.”

Colangelo, who is attending pre-draft workouts in Los Angeles, was “visibly shaken” Tuesday when he heard about the report, according to Pompey. He has been part of Philadelphia’s front office since April of 2016.

The controversy comes at a crucial time for the Sixers, who hope to make a splash in the free agent market this summer. The team reportedly has interest in both LeBron James and Paul George, but they may look elsewhere if Colangelo remains in charge.

“That’s why they are going to have to definitively prove that it wasn’t him,” the executive added. “You are getting into free agency, and these players aren’t going to take a chance coming to the Sixers.”

There’s more tonight on the story:

  • Colangelo could be fired “for cause” if the Sixers determine he used company property, such as computers or phones, in a way that harmed the franchise, according to Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated. McCann advises the Sixers to hire outside attorneys to conduct the investigation, similar to what the Mavericks did when their front office scandal became public. He notes that the NBA constitution allows commissioner Adam Silver to punish a franchise or team employee who damages the interests of the league. If the NBA decides that Colangelo’s actions hurt its relationship with the players’ union, the issue may be covered by labor law.
  • Another concern is the effect that revealing inside information could have on gambling, McCann adds in the same piece. NBA analyst Larry Coon points out that the league’s operations manual has a “no tipping” policy that forbids the release of such information to bettors. Coon suggests it’s possible that “gamblers knew Colangelo himself was posting through sock puppet account(s), and therefore his posting of confidential information through those accounts potentially constituted tipping.”
  • Colangelo continues to issue strong denials, texting “Someone’s out to get me” and “This is clearly not me,” relays Ryan Young of Yahoo Sports. Colangelo has reached out to some of the people mentioned in the tweets to assure them he wasn’t responsible, adds ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
  • Timestamps on some of the Eric jr posts show they were made while Colangelo was addressing the media, notes Rich Hoffman of The Athletic (Twitter links). The Sixers’ investigation may focus on Colangelo’s friends and family, tweets Chris Mannix of Yahoo Sports.
  • No matter what the investigation finds, Colangelo will have a difficult time keeping his job, contends Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Sixers Launch Independent Investigation Into Colangelo Allegations

May 30th, 2018 at 8:36am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers announced in a press release this morning that they’ve launched an independent investigation into allegations that president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo may have revealed private team information and criticized 76ers players using anonymous Twitter accounts.

“An online media outlet filed a story linking multiple social media accounts to 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo,” the Sixers’ statement reads. “The allegations are serious and we have commenced an independent investigation into the matter. We will report the results of that investigation as soon as it is concluded.”

As we detailed late last night, a fascinating report from Ben Detrick of The Ringer links a handful of “burner” Twitter accounts to one another and suggests that Colangelo may be connected to them. Four of those five accounts sent tweets criticizing current and former Sixers players, defending Colangelo, and seemingly revealing unreported information about the franchise.

Colangelo claimed ownership for one of the five accounts, which never published any tweets, but has denied any knowledge of the others. Joel Embiid, the subject of several negative tweets from those anonymous accounts, initially seemed upset when the story broke, but later told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski that he believes Colangelo and posted the following tweet late on Tuesday night: “Fun night on Twitter lmao.. All jokes asides I don’t believe the story. That would just be insane.”

For more details on one of the more bizarre stories of the NBA season, be sure to check out our post from last night and especially The Ringer’s full report.

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Bryan Colangelo Denies Criticizing Sixers Players Via Burner Accounts

May 29th, 2018 at 11:51pm CST by Luke Adams

In perhaps the most bizarre story yet in a drama-filled NBA season, Sixers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo has denied using several Twitter burner accounts to defend his reputation and to criticize Sixers players.

A compelling report from Ben Detrick of The Ringer connects five anonymous Twitter accounts to one another, suggesting that the accounts are strikingly similar in terms of content, tone, follows, and likes. As Detrick details, these accounts seemingly shared inside information on the 76ers and tipped team strategy — they also criticized current and former Sixers players and defended Colangelo’s track record with the franchise.

After Detrick sent an inquiry to the Sixers asking about two of the five accounts, Colangelo issued a statement claiming ownership of one of the accounts, which had never posted a tweet, denying knowledge of the other. Simultaneously, the three other accounts – which Detrick didn’t mention in his inquiry to the Sixers – went dark, switching from public to private.

The Ringer’s story is worth reading in full for many more details on the circumstantial evidence linking the accounts to Colangelo, as well as for the details on the tweets in question, which go after Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz, Jahlil Okafor, and Nerlens Noel, along with former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie and current Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, who replaced Colangelo in Toronto. Tweets from those anonymous accounts also repeatedly referred to an Okafor trade falling through after he failed a physical, and telegraphed the Sixers’ trade for 2017’s No. 1 pick several weeks before it happened.

While it’s impossible to say at this point that Colangelo is or isn’t behind the five accounts identified by The Ringer, it doesn’t look great for the Sixers’ president, considering the tweets “launched personal beefs, jealousies, [and] frustrations that he’s shared inside and outside [the] 76ers,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Still, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter) that many executives around the league seem to believe Colangelo’s denials, since it’s hard to imagine a high-level executive would risk his job “in such a reckless manner” — it just doesn’t add up, Woj observes. According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (via Twitter), the prevailing sentiment around the NBA – and within the Sixers organization – so far is confusion.

The controversy hasn’t gone unnoticed by Embiid, who was the subject of several negative tweets by the accounts in question. In one tweet tonight, Embiid pretended to accidentally post from his own account rather than from a burner profile, writing: “Joel told me that @samhinkie IS BETTER AND SMARTER THAN YOU @AlVic40117560 #BurnerAccount.” @AlVic40117560, one of the five accounts cited in The Ringer’s story, published a number of tweets criticizing Embiid, many of which the Sixers center “liked” tonight.

However, Embiid was more diplomatic in a statement to Wojnarowski, telling ESPN’s top reporter that he trusts Colangelo’s denials for now.

“I talked to him and he said that he didn’t say that,” Embiid said. “He called me just to deny the story. Gotta believe him until proven otherwise. If true though, that would be really bad.”

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Sixers Notes: Probably LeBron James, McConnell, Fultz

May 11th, 2018 at 7:25pm CST by Austin Kent

Sixers head coach Brett Brown made it very clear that the team could benefit from acquiring a high-level free agent as they accelerate their title-contention timeline. That, Derek Bodner of The Athletic writes, probably means one LeBron James, though tampering rules prevented Brown from saying that outright.

The Sixers coach spoke in a press conference after his team’s exit from the second-round of the playoffs, saying that he believes the organization is an appealing landing spot.

Given that the dynamic tandem of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons wasn’t enough to guide the Sixers into the Eastern Conference Finals, the club is ready and willing to add the necessary reinforcements to make a genuine title run.

“I’m not here to tell names,” Brown said in regard to the type of player the Sixers will pursue. “To me, the answer becomes clear. […] It’s true though, right? I mean, like, we don’t have to turn this into calculus. It’s quite clear.”

There’s more out of Philly this evening:

  • After head coach Brett Brown spoke of attracting a high-level free agent this summer, general manager Bryan Colangelo clarified that the organization needs to add high-level talent in general, which could come in the form of a trade or internal development, Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets.
  • There’s no denying that T.J. McConnell‘s future with the Sixers will be impacted by Markelle Fultz‘s growth as a player. “Markelle is a special player, that’s not a lie,” McConnell told Sarah Todd of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “When he plays at the level that they drafted him to play at, if there’s a spot for me, great; if not, I’m not really sure what I can do about that. Unfortunately, that’s out of my hands. But I’d love to be here.“
  • The most likely draft-and-stash player to join the Sixers next season is 2017 second-round pick Jonah Bolden out of Australia, The Athletic’s Derek Bodner tweets. The power forward played for Maccabi Tel Aviv in EuroLeague this season.
  • Unsurprisingly, Bryan Colangelo said that he has no regrets about trading up in the 2017 draft to select Markelle Fultz. Derek Bodner of The Athletic tweets that Colangelo doesn’t have an ounce of buyer’s remorse.
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