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Jerry Colangelo

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Brown, Joseph

December 10th, 2015 at 7:32pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Sixers coach Brett Brown has already developed a solid relationship with new team executive Jerry Colangelo, who was officially hired on Monday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. When asked how often he communicates with Colangelo, Brown responded, “All the time. I think for me to be able to call upon somebody like him and say, what do you think of that, is a priceless sounding board for me. I love it. I respect his history. When answers come out you immediately respect the history of which that opinion was formed. It’s amazing.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is frustrated by the team’s struggles this season and isn’t hiding his displeasure, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com notes. “Losing is frustrating,” Anthony said. “I don’t want this to be an ongoing situation or an ongoing feeling where we have to come into the locker room and explain why we’re losing basketball games.” Anthony is also upset with New York’s pace of play, and wants the team to increase its tempo, a team source tells Begley. “He [Anthony] felt like they were stuck in the half court too much,” the source told the ESPN scribe.
  • The Raptors are hoping to imitate the long-term success of the Spurs as an organization, which is one reason why Toronto signed Cory Joseph this past offseason, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. “You can’t go through a program like that, I don’t care what program you are with in college or the pros, if you’re from a successful program some of those habits come away with you,” said coach Dwane Casey of Joseph. “That’s why bringing a guy in like that from a winning program, that’s won a championship, knows what it takes to win. Those qualities have rubbed off on him.“
  • The Celtics have once again assigned power forward Jordan Mickey to their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Mickey’s sixth trek to Maine this season, as our tracker shows.
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And-Ones: Sixers, Stephenson, Anderson

December 10th, 2015 at 2:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

No one in the NBA expects Sixers GM Sam Hinkie will have the ability to overrule chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo on the team’s personnel decisions going forward, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. It was around the time of Jahlil Okafor‘s autumn off–court incidents that Sixers owner Josh Harris and commissioner Adam Silver first spoke about what one source described to Berger as a “course correction” for the team. Harris asked Silver for advice, and the commissioner gave him a list of people, with Colangelo’s name on top, to consider for the new front office role the owner was considering, Berger explains. Silver reached out to Colangelo to measure his interest in joining the Sixers, introduced him to Harris, and let them work it out from there, league sources said to Berger. We passed along more earlier today on the Colangelo hiring, and we’ll share news from around the league here:

  • Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers denies that he’s reached out to any teams about trading Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith, but Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher (video link) hears the Clippers are anxious to move the two. Stephenson and Smith are frustrated with their roles, Bucher adds. “That’s silly talk. Nothing. No truth,” Rivers said, according to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, in response to an initial report that the Clippers had gauged the interest that other teams have in trading for them.
  • Virtually no trade market exists for Stephenson, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders writes in his NBA AM piece, and the Clippers would have to attach another player to him in any viable trade proposal, one league source said to Kyler. A feeling exists that the Clippers would be willing to take on a sizable contract via trade, so Stephenson’s $9MM salary could come in handy for matching purposes, but for now, the Clippers’ trade talks are exploratory in nature, Kyler hears.
  • The Pelicans‘ first preference would be to keep Ryan Anderson instead of trading him, but the power forward’s upcoming free agency may force their hand, Kyler adds in the same piece. New Orleans would think about trading Anderson for Markieff Morris, especially if Anderson signals he won’t re-sign with the Pelicans when his contract expires this summer, as Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports reported this week.
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Atlantic Notes: Colangelo, Okafor, Lee, Ross

December 10th, 2015 at 10:01am CST by Chuck Myron

The Sixers decided to hire Jerry Colangelo because they felt GM Sam Hinkie mishandled negative publicity surrounding Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor in recent months, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher says in a video. Owners with minority stakes in the Sixers pressured primary owner Josh Harris to make the move, Bucher adds. It’s inaccurate to say that the hiring came about in part because of pressure from owners who complained to the league about the Sixers’ rebuilding and its negative financial ripple effects, league sources told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who writes at the bottom of a larger piece. Still, commissioner Adam Silver was indeed involved in the move, Pompey adds. See more from the Atlantic Division:

  • The NBA continues to investigate the recent incidents involving Okafor and it hasn’t decided whether it will mete out punishment on top of the two-game suspension the Sixers issued last week, league officials told TMZ Sports. Colangelo has a strong relationship with agent Bill Duffy, who represents Okafor, as Bucher points out in his video. “Based on what we currently know, we support the 76ers’ approach in this matter,” an NBA spokesperson said to TMZ Sports. “The league office is continuing to investigate the events of that night.”
  • David Lee doesn’t regret the trade that brought him to the Celtics and ended his time with the Warriors, even as Golden State has embarked on a 23-0 start, as Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group relays. Lee’s representatives reportedly cooperated with the Warriors as they sought a new home for him this summer. “This is a business, and because of the salary cap and things like that, it was time for me to move on, and that’s what I did,” Lee said. “It couldn’t have ended any better.” 
  • Terrence Ross is much the same player he was a few weeks after the Rudy Gay trade two years ago, and that’s perhaps the glaring issue for the swingman who signed a three-year, $31MM extension with the Raptors last month, writes Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca. His game grew more in the immediate wake of the trade than it has since, and inconsistency has plagued him, Lewenberg asserts.
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And-Ones: Matthews, Colangelo, D-League

December 9th, 2015 at 10:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Mavericks swingman Wesley Matthews is still working his way back from the Achilles tear he suffered last season while a member of the Blazers, but the franchise has confidence that he’ll be a better player than ever once he finds his rhythm, Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post writes. “He’s had a rough go here, and the important thing is we all kept encouraging him,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “We have a great deal of belief in him. What he’s doing is extremely difficult, coming back from that injury in this timetable. It’s hard, you know? Hard things are hard. It’s just the truth. And along the way, there’s going to be some nights like this, and there’s going to be some nights like the other night, and he just has to keep staying the course and seeing the light. Because, at the end of this process, he’s going to be a better player than he was when he went down last March. I’m not only confident of it, I’m certain of it.”

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy noted that injured guards Brandon Jennings and Jodie Meeks may benefit from a D-League assignment prior to rejoining the team, David Mayo of MLive writes. “I think it helps with the conditioning because the only way to get in basketball shape is to play basketball,” Van Gundy told Mayo. “We play so many games that practice time is limited, and practice time isn’t that long. Your chance to go get 35 minutes a game, and really get your conditioning back, would be to do something like that. But again, our guys are a little different because they’re veteran guys. It would have to be something they’re willing to do and we haven’t broached that subject yet.“
  • The Celtics have recalled power forward Jordan Mickey from their D-League affiliate in Maine, the team announced. This was Mickey’s fifth stint with the Red Claws this season.
  • Jim Boeheim, who is a member of Team USA’s coaching staff as well as head coach at Syracuse University, doesn’t believe that Jerry Colangelo would have accepted his new position with the Sixers unless he was going to have total control over the front office, Jake Fischer of SI Now tweets.
  • There are several NBA coaches whose jobs are currently in jeopardy, including Lionel Hollins (Nets), George Karl (Kings), Dave Joerger (Grizzlies), and Alvin Gentry (Pelicans), notes Fran Blinebury of NBA.com in his rundown of head men who he opines are on the hot seat.
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And-Ones: NBPA, Ennis, Warriors Arena

December 8th, 2015 at 10:24pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The league and the NBPA held preliminary talks today regarding the next collective bargaining agreement, NBA.com’s David Aldridge relays (via TwitLonger). The two parties issued a joint statement regarding the meeting, which read, “Earlier today the NBA and NBPA met to discuss the Collective Bargaining Agreement [CBA]. Meeting participants included NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and representatives of the NBA Labor Relations Committee and NBPA Executive Committee as well as league and union staff. It was a preliminary meeting that included constructive dialogue, and we agreed to continue our discussions.”

Here’s more from around the league:

  • New Sixers chairman of basketball operations Jerry Colangelo has said that for this year, he’ll work in less of an active role and more of advisory capacity with Sixers management, sources tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
  • According to a recent poll commissioned by the Mission Bay Alliance and conducted by EDC Research, public opposition to the Warriors‘ proposed stadium in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood is growing, NBCBayArea.com relays. The proposal is currently garnering 49% voter support, a 12% decline in support since a Warriors-commissioned poll released in July showed approximately 61% support for the new development, the article notes.
  • The league has formed a committee to examine the increase in injuries related to tendon inflammation and pain, Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com writes. “Player health and wellness is our top priority, and the NBA’s research partnership with GE Healthcare is a significant step toward understanding injuries that affect NBA players,” Silver said in the NBA’s official statement. “Both everyday athletes and elite professionals will benefit from our collaboration, and I’d like to thank [GE Healthcare U.S. and Canada President] Marcelo [Mosci] and his team for bold vision and hard work.“
  • The Grizzlies have assigned James Ennis to the Iowa Energy, their D-League affiliate, the team announced. This will be Ennis’ second sojourn of the season to Iowa.
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Atlantic Notes: Hinkie, Perkins, Young

December 8th, 2015 at 8:16pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The reports that the league office and other team owners played a role in the Sixers‘ hiring of Jerry Colangelo as chairman of basketball operations are troubling and could set a bad precedent for the future, Tom Ziller of SBNation opines. The SBNation scribe also points out that many of the same owners complaining about Philadelphia’s tanking didn’t vote for lottery reform when given the opportunity, and Ziller notes that it’s likely due to those franchises hedging their bets in case they need to rebuild in that manner in the future.

Here’s more from the Atlantic:

  • Outside of the Celtics trading him to the Thunder back in 2011, center Kendrick Perkins believes Danny Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations, has done an excellent job in rebuilding the franchise, Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald writes. “[They’ve done] a great job,” said Perkins. “I can’t recall them really going through a real bad rebuilding process. It’s been steady. Like right now, when they come in, guys are really preparing for them like one of the good teams in the league. They’ve got a nice team. They’ve been playing really well. You can tell they play together like it’s a family.”
  • It’s been difficult for coach Brad Stevens to find enough playing time to go around on a deep Boston squad, but the coach believes it’s just part of the Celtics‘ growing process, Bulpett notes in the same piece. “How many guys are on our team, 15?” Stevens told Bulpett. “I’ve talked to all 15 about it. It’s all part of the experience, not only of a normal team but just of our depth, especially in the frontcourt. So you just try to keep those conversations alive. The one thing that I think that these guys know, and I hope they would say this, is that my door is always open to talk.”
  • Conventional wisdom will credit Sixers GM Sam Hinkie only partially, if that, should the Sixers’ rebuilding plan bear fruit now that Colangelo is on board, but Hinkie would get all the blame if the plan fails, posits Sean Deveney of The Sporting News.
  • Nets combo forward Thaddeus Young has seen how quickly other players’ NBA careers have ended, and he uses that as his motivation to keep working to improve, Jessica Camerato of Basketball Insiders writes. “You see guys come and go each and every year,” Young told Camerato. “I saw how quickly it could become a situation where you don’t know if you’re going to be in the NBA, D-League or overseas. It’s definitely an eye-opening experience. You do see a lot of guys on other teams and you say, ‘Man he was good. Seeing those type of guys being able to play this game and then they’re not in the league anymore, it’s crazy.”

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

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More Reaction To Sixers Hiring Of Jerry Colangelo

December 8th, 2015 at 9:59am CST by Chuck Myron

Owners around the league pressured the NBA to put the brakes on Philadelphia’s aggressive rebuilding plan, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported and as we passed along Monday night, and that indeed played a role in the hiring of Jerry Colangelo, Windhorst writes. The owners were upset with the Sixers, a large market team with a storied history, as many of the games that featured Philadelphia as the visitor have been among the most lightly attended all season, sources told Windhorst. People who know Colangelo, who joined the Sixers to find a new challenge after his plans for a new Team USA practice facility fell through, believe he’ll have major influence on the Sixers going forward, despite owner Josh Harris’ remark that radical changes to the team’s process aren’t to be expected. Colangelo is notorious for negotiating favorable deals for himself, so he probably didn’t come cheaply, an executive said to Windhorst. See more on the aftermath of Philly’s decision to install Colangelo as a special adviser to the owner and chairman of basketball operations:

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Sixers Hire Jerry Colangelo To Front Office Role

December 7th, 2015 at 10:28pm CST by Chuck Myron
Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports Images

Gary A. Vasquez/USA Today Sports Images

10:28pm: NBA owners have been pressuring the league’s front office since the summer of 2014 to do something about the Sixers’ rebuilding plan, sources told ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst.

7:17pm: League commissioner Adam Silver played a significant role in the Sixers’ decision to hire Colangelo, including placing a call to Colangelo to gauge his interest, sources told USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt.

3:44pm: The Sixers have hired USA Basketball chairman and longtime NBA executive Jerry Colangelo to serve in their front office, the team announced via press release and in a press conference. Colangelo will hold the titles of Special Advisor to the Managing General Partner and Chairman of Basketball Operations. The statement doesn’t specify whether Colangelo will continue with Team USA, but he’s said in the past that he would stay through the 2020 Olympics. Sixers GM Sam Hinkie will continue in his capacity in charge of day-to-day basketball operations, owner Josh Harris said, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).

Hinkie will still have the final say on personnel, though “a lot of collaboration and discussion” will be involved in the team’s roster moves, Colangelo said, according to Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post (Twitter link). The deal for the 76-year-old Hall-of-Famer to join the Sixers came together within the past week, Colangelo said, according to John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter).

“It’s not every day you have the opportunity to work alongside a Hall of Famer with Jerry’s unique set of experiences,” Hinkie said in the team’s statement. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have him as part of our organization.”

Hinkie has served as the team’s GM since May 2013, and with Harris’ support, he’s embarked on an extreme rebuilding project of the likes the NBA has never seen before. Colangelo built the Suns up from expansion as its primary basketball executive from its inception in 1968 until 1994. He won the Executive of the Year award four times.

“This is not a deviation from our plan. … We believe we are entering the next phase of our process,” Harris said, according to Jake Fischer of SI Now (on Twitter).

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Fallout From Sixers Hiring Of Jerry Colangelo

December 7th, 2015 at 5:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sixers owner Josh Harris said GM Sam Hinkie will remain in charge of day-to-day basketball operations and that the hiring of Jerry Colangelo to the front office isn’t a deviation from the team’s rebuilding plan, but not everyone believes that the move doesn’t represent a sea change. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports casts it as a reduction of power for Hinkie and hears that several executives around the league are wondering whether Colangelo will eventually persuade the Sixers to hire son Bryan Colangelo, the former Suns and Raptors GM. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com hears speculation that Jerry Colangelo will end up with an ownership stake in the Sixers (Twitter link). Still, owner Josh Harris insists not much will be different, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media relays (on Twitter).

“We’re still committed to the process,” Harris said. “We’re committed to Sam. Don’t expect radical changes to the process.”

See more on Philadelphia’s surprising hire:

  • Harris admitted to reporters that he’s frustrated amid the team’s slow start, Moore tweets, and that he hopes that Colangelo will expedite the team’s rebuilding process, notes Dan Gelston of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Sixers management lost patience amid 20 losses in 21 games so far and a series of unflattering reports about Jahlil Okafor‘s alleged off-court behavior, Wojnarowski writes in the same piece.
  • Coach Brett Brown said he believes the team will take free agency and the value of veteran players more seriously in the wake of the move, observes Derek Bodner of Philadelphia magazine (on Twitter).
  • The addition of Colangelo gives the Sixers an agent-friendly presence, notes Mark Perner of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link). The team has reportedly upset agents with its tactics the past few years. “I went through four and a half decades of basketball on handshakes with agents and players,” Colangelo said, as Moore tweets. “My job is to be here to help.”
  • It was Harris who reached out to Colangelo about joining the organization, Colangelo said, according to Gelston (on Twitter).
  • Colangelo will continue to live in Phoenix, but he’s excited about the ability to collaborate with Hinkie, as Moore chronicles (Twitter links). “I think I can offer a lot of mentoring to Sam and make him even better at his job,” Colangelo said.
  • Colangelo, who ran basketball operations for the Suns from the team’s inception in 1968 until 1994, is anxious to help the Sixers rebuild, as Jake Fischer of SI Now relays (Twitter link). “I’m intrigued quite honestly,” Colangelo said. “During my years in Phoenix, I tore down the team four times and came back four times.”
  • Hinkie called it a “a really good day for the Sixers,” and said he feels positively about the hiring of Colangelo, whom the GM believes “will be a breath of fresh air in a lot of ways,” as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Moore all relay (All four Twitter links). “I think we’re ready to go to the next phase,” Hinkie said. “Jerry knows every player, every coach. His knowledge will be invaluable.”
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And-Ones: Colangelo, Timberwolves, Leonard

October 26th, 2015 at 10:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jerry Colangelo will step down as chairman of USA Basketball after the 2020 Olympics, he confirms to TNT’s David Aldridge, who writes about it in his Morning Tip column for NBA.com. Colangelo nonetheless committed to remain in his job that long to help persuade Gregg Popovich to take over as Team USA head coach, Aldridge notes. Popovich is also signed only through 2020, though it’s unclear if he’s open to coaching the team beyond then. “For sure, I’m done in ’20,” Colangelo said. “There’s an end date.”

In other news around the league:

  • The Timberwolves spoke with league officials about postponing Wednesday’s season opener against the Lakers after coach Flip Saunders succumbed to complications from cancer treatments on Sunday, but the talks never reached a serious stage, Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. The sorrowful Timberwolves know it will be difficult to play so soon after their coach’s untimely death, Zgoda adds. “We’re definitely in a tough spot, but we’re gonna do the best we can,” veteran small forward Tayshaun Prince said.
  • The Trail Blazers have not engaged in extension talks with center Meyers Leonard, according to Jason Quick of CSNNW.com. Neil Olshey, the Blazers’ president of basketball operations, delayed the process because he wanted to avoid drawn-out negotiations with Leonard’s agent Aaron Mintz, Quick continues. The Blazers can preserve cap space for next summer by putting off the extension, Quick points out, because the first year of his salary would count against the cap if they sign him before the Nov. 2nd deadline.
  • Owners are looking to former agent Arn Tellem, who joined the Pistons organization as an executive this year, for perspective as they prepare to negotiate on labor issues with the players, reports Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter links). Tellem, who is the vice chairman of the Palace Sports and Entertainment group that controls the Pistons, addressed owners at last week’s Board of Governors meeting.
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