Do the Sixers Still Trust the Process?

Last night, the Sixers lost a game by 51 points, at home. They are 1-20 on the season. Their star rookie has been in more bar-fights this season than the team has won games. Things are bad. They are really bad.

So yesterday afternoon, Sixers Managing Partner Josh Harris announced the team has hired Jerry Colangelo, a Hall-of-Fame executive, as the new Chairman of Basketball Operations. While General Manager Sam Hinkie is still the final word on personnel decisions, Colangelo will be a special advisor to Harris, making him essentially a second voice on the direction of the team. It's quite an indictment on where the team seems to be, and it calls into question the confidence in the front office.

It seems that this wasn't just the Sixers call. Reports are saying the Sixers were pushed into this move by a group of league owners who see the team as becoming an economic drag:

Owners routinely complained about the economic drag the 76ers were inflicting on the league as the revenues of one of the largest-market teams -- a franchise expected to contribute more robustly to league revenue-sharing -- sagged. For many teams, games featuring the starless and woeful 76ers as the visiting team have been the lowest-attended of the season, sources said.

This team is a real mess right now. Whether Colangelo is actually going to be in charge, advising, supporting, or whatever this deal is, this is a shake up in the making. The Sixers didn't think they'd really be this bad this season. Now they clearly want more voices in the room.