The 76ers reportedly believed team president Bryan Colangelo’s denials of any knowledge about multiple burner Twitter accounts linked to him – accounts that praised him and sharply criticized many others, including Philadelphia players like Joel Embiid and Markelle Fultz, while conveying inside information.
That won’t save Colangelo’s job, though.
Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia:
Statement from the #Sixers: pic.twitter.com/4aLpvOWlav
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) June 7, 2018
Colangelo’s tenure was poorly received from the jump by Philadelphia fans loyal to Sam Hinkie and his Process. Colangelo was viewed as a product of nepotism, as his father, Jerry Colangelo, oversaw the hiring process.
Bryan’s signature move will be trading up for the No. 1 pick last year to get Markelle Fultz, who suffered through a disappointing rookie year. The 76ers dealt the Celtics the No. 3 pick, which Boston used on Jayson Tatum, who looks like a future star.
Of course, the Twitter accounts – above else – will be Colangelo’s legacy, fairly or not. There’s still so much we don’t know about them, and maybe we’ll get answers later today.
Brett Brown is fine as an interim front-office head. The coach knows basketball. But both jobs are usually too much for one person, and Philadelphia shouldn’t let Brown’s proximity vault him into permanent power amid crisis. That interim title should stay interim.
Those Twitter accounts put the 76ers in a mess. This is only one step, though the biggest, of escaping it.