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Jerry Colangelo Hire Not Comparable To Chris Paul Trade Veto

By Phil Watson

Dec 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Jerry Colangelo during a press conference after being named special advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Jerry Colangelo during a press conference after being named special advisor for the Philadelphia 76ers before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Some have tried to compare the hiring of Jerry Colangelo by the Philadelphia 76ers with commissioner David Stern nixing the Chris Paul trade 4 years ago.

Since ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (who apparently does cover non-LeBron James things, who knew?) reported that NBA owners were lobbying commissioner Adam Silver to intercede with regard to the Philadelphia 76ers scorched-earth rebuild, there’s been some sentiment the commish overstepped his bounds.

A columnist at SB Nation, Tom Ziller, gave voice to that sentiment when he somehow tried to compare it to former commissioner David Stern’s decision to void the New Orleans Hornets’ proposed trade of Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011.

Beyond the fact the commissioners were involved and there was lobbying by owners for action, the two situations could not be more different.

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The Chris Paul situation created ripple effects throughout the NBA that are still roiling.

The Lakers, four years ago Tuesday—just after the resolution of the lockout that delayed the start of the 2011-12 season—agreed to send Pau Gasol to the Houston Rockets and Lamar Odom to the Hornets to get Paul, with the Rockets contributing Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Goran Dragic to New Orleans.

The Lakers would have also sent future first- and second-round picks to the Hornets.

At the time, the Hornets were wards of the NBA, without an owner. Some of the 29 people paying the freight were reportedly angry about the proposed deal, although the NBA categorically denied pressure from owners was behind Stern’s decision.

Instead, the “basketball reasons” rationale entered the lexicon.

The deal was voided and Paul was instead traded to Los Angeles’ other team, the Clippers, with two future second-round picks in exchange for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and an unprotected 2012 first-round pick that originated with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

How differently things would have played out—even with the 76ers, indirectly—had the Lakers trade not been nixed.

After all, would a New Orleans team with Dragic at the point need to trade sixth-overall pick Nerlens Noel to Philadelphia to land Jrue Holiday? Not likely.

That would be the same Nerlens Noel who is generally considered the first piece of “the process” general manager Sam Hinkie devised to rebuild the 76ers by blowing them up, gathering up the tattered remains, blowing those up, sweeping up the dust and vaporizing it.

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So many things play out differently, though. Steve Nash almost certainly doesn’t end up with the Lakers in a sign-and-trade deal. Instead, there’s a reasonable chance he goes to the New York Knicks to reunite with former pick-and-roll partner Amar’e Stoudemire or back to the Dallas Mavericks for one last run with Dirk Nowitzki.

The Dwight Howard trade likely doesn’t occur in the summer of 2012, because the Lakers wouldn’t have had to move Andrew Bynum—the Lakers’ starting center with the departure of Gasol to Houston.

Did I mention there were many ripples still playing on the NBA’s waters?

That doesn’t compare at all to the installation of Colangelo, the longtime owner and executive with the Phoenix Suns and the architect of the rebirth of USA Basketball, as chairman of basketball operations and an adviser to the ownership group headed by Joshua Harris.

There were bottom-line reasons for NBA owners to be concerned about the ongoing radioactive situation in Philadelphia, and not the bottom line as measured by wins and losses off the court.

No, it was more about dollars and cents off it.

Last season, the 76ers were 17th in the league in road attendance at an average of 17,665 fans per game.

But that was a very hollow number, because a look at just about all of Philadelphia’s games away from Wells Fargo Center last season will show that a significant percentage of those 17,665 showed up to the arena dressed as empty seats.

While some argue that the other owners are getting their ticket sales, there are reasons for them to beef. Ticket sales are just a part of the in-arena experience being sold by the NBA clubs.

Buying the ticket puts some money in the pockets of the home team, no question. But by electing not to use the ticket, the fan is taking away expected revenue from parking, concessions, souvenirs and various ancillary activities at and around the arena.

Billionaires who own NBA franchises generally didn’t become billionaires by sitting idly by as potential revenue opts to stay home on the sofa.

I’ve argued for awhile that the 76ers’ plan is bad for the business of basketball and proposed lottery reform was on target to pass last year before 13 owners, per Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski via NBC Sports, got cold feet and reversed their field after initial estimates had the reform measure passing by a margin of 29-1 or 28-2.

Without reform, Hinkie’s plan continued unabated. That is, until Monday, when Colangelo became his new boss.

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I don’t argue the merits of stacking up future assets. But when that seems to be the extent of the plan and the product on the court is unwatchable, it becomes a problem.

Throw in rookie Jahlil Okafor’s recent off-court issues, and it becomes apparent that the idea of building a franchise without any semblance of veteran leadership in the locker room can be damaging to the development of young players.

Then there’s this to consider: Noel’s rookie deal is set to expire at the end of next season, with a deadline of Halloween 2016 to get an extension done before the kid can test the free agent waters … with no return to competitiveness—much less contention—in sight for the 76ers.

Not to rub salt in the thing, either, but Joel Embiid’s rookie contract will be half-done—at the absolute earliest—before he ever touches the court in an actual NBA game.

You can’t rebuild indefinitely. If you do, you end up with a situation akin to what the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves have dealt with for the last decade-plus—players coming and going in a revolving door of dreck that never yields any substantial improvement on the court, with the playoffs just sort of hanging out there like a cruel joke.

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If Silver exerted pressure on 76ers management, it was for financial—not competitive—reasons. That’s a long way from Stern vetoing a trade of players.