Philadelphia 76ers: ‘Together We Build’ Slogan A Good Sign

It is nearly time for the NBA season to commence. For most teams, this signals a time of hope for the season ahead; a time to really get behind the team and look at things as optimistically as possible.

It’s a little different if you’re a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers. The optimism–while still there–has to be saved and thought of as a longer-term thing. Next season is a write-off. There are only a few things on the court that will actually be of big importance to the Sixers going forward. Evan Turner‘s progression, for example.

But the Philadelphia 76ers have decided to really embrace the effort of rebuilding the franchise from top-to-bottom, with their latest attempt at rebranding the Sixers slogan. The new slogan now reads: “Together We Build.” If you needed any indication that the Sixers were fully behind the tank job (where the hell have you been all summer?), then this is it. Gone is “Passionate. Intense. Proud.” That’s probably a good thing as the 2013-14 Sixers will not be anything to be proud of and the only thing that will be intense is whether or not the team breaks the record for being the worst team to ever take to an NBA court.

Entering a rebuilding process is something that a lot of teams do. It is a fashionable model, especially given the Oklahoma City Thunder’s recent success. However, many teams don’t fully embrace the rebuild and do not have the patience to stick with it. After one year of losing, many owners put pressure on general managers to win the season after; sanctioning free-agent signings that put franchises in the danger zone: Finishing eighth to 12th in the conference. Too bad not to make a run; too good to miss out on a high lottery pick. It’s a violent circle.

And guess which NBA team has been stuck in this trap for the longest? You guessed it, the Philadelphia 76ers. For years, they have muddled around the bottom seedings of the playoffs, only escaping the first round once due to a certain Derrick Rose tearing his ACL.

Back to the press release of the new slogan. Combining the embracing of the rebuild with the slogan and the moves the Sixers made, it seems as if Josh Harris really is in this for the long haul. Sam Hinkie is a clever, clever man, and together with Harris, I have no doubts that the Sixers will be patient enough to hold out for long enough to collect good enough assets to either draft a superstar (Andrew Wiggins, anyone?), or they’ll be able to make a blockbuster trade, a lá James Harden. Oh, and guess who was involved in the James Harden heist? Sam freakin’ Hinkie.

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