The Philadelphia 76ers won their 10th game of the season Tuesday night, and in doing so, they avoided having the most losses in NBA history for a single season. Just getting their 10th win now makes for an extremely embarrassing season, but at least they will keep their names out of the record books.
Unfortunately for the 76ers, that good feeling they had after the win didn't last long, as there was a massive shakeup in their front office. General manager Sam Hinkie has announced that he would be stepping down from his post after three years on the job.
Hinkie penned a 13-page letter explaining why he felt it was the right choice to step down, basically saying that he wasn't confident he could make good decisions for the franchise anymore based on the recent changes in the organization. By changes, Hinkie likely means a singular change in particular, and that was bringing in Jerry Colangelo to help with personnel decisions.
At the time Colangelo was brought in, many thought that Hinkie would be on his way out anyway, but that wasn't the case, at least not immediately. They both planned to work together to get the franchise back to winning, but after a few months of trying to work it out, Hinkie decided that it wasn't going to happen for both of them.
With Hinkie out, the 76ers are already on the lookout for their next GM. Reports state that Philadelphia will look to keep it in the family and hire Colangelo's son Bryan to take the job. Colangelo has had success turning around the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors before, so he would be a solid choice for a team that is ready to stop tanking and start winning.
The question coming out of all of this movement is whether head coach Brett Brown is safe moving forward. Brown just signed an extension with the 76ers that will keep him on board through 2019, but new general managers typically like to have their own guy as the head coach. Despite the changes in the front office, it appears as though Brown is safe, at least for now.
Brown's record of 47-195 in his three seasons at the helm for Philadelphia is rough, but he cannot be blamed for a lot of that. Hinkie didn't provide him with the talent to be successful, and the 76ers organization has been impressed by how he is handling all of the losing. The team has said in the past that they want to see how Brown performs as the head coach when he actually has a roster that is ready to win. Under Colangelo, it is unclear what kind of leash Brown might have, but it at least seems like he will keep his job, for now.
