Colangelo (l) was not in attendance at agent-run predraft workouts this weekNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The 76ers are "expected to finish their investigation into allegations" against President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo "within the next few days" and determine whether or not he used burner Twitter accounts to criticize players and former colleagues and reveal team business, according to sources cited by Keith Pompey of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. Sources said the start of the NBA Finals on Thursday was a "factor in the timetable." Some league sources said that Colangelo will "lose his job." Pompey notes NBA personnel have been on the West Coast this week "attending agent-run predraft workouts." Colangelo was "not at those workouts the last two days" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/1). NBA Commissioner Adam Silver during his state of the league address on Thursday said that he would "like a quick and thorough resolution" to the 76ers’ investigation of Colangelo. Silver said that he "does not have additional information about the investigation into Colangelo," but he has "been in touch with the team on the subject." Silver: "Here we are, Game 1 of the Finals, it’s not necessarily something that we want to be talking about. But it’s the reality of this league" (REUTERS, 6/1).
FAMILY MATTERS: ESPN.com's Wojnarowski & Lowe cite league sources as saying that the 76ers internal probe has become "increasingly focused" on Colangelo's wife, and franchise ownership is "seriously considering" his dismissal. League sources said that the probe "hasn't been completed, and a final decision has yet to be rendered, but the fallout a report by The Ringer that connected Twitter accounts unleashing privileged information and provocative attacks surrounding the Sixers has left ownership flushed with embarrassment and anger." League sources said that so far, 76ers ownership has "shown little, if any, inclination to separate Colangelo's culpability in the matter should a family member or close associate be proven responsible for the postings." Sources said that many members of Colangelo's staff are "bracing for his dismissal." Ownership "fears that Colangelo's credibility inside and outside the organization may be too badly damaged to continue in the job." The "bigger concern rests on the personal attacks" on 76ers C Joel Embiid in the postings. League sources said that the 76ers "commissioned an outside law firm to investigate the matter, and that investigation has already included the surrendering of Colangelo's cell phones" (ESPN.com, 5/31).
LOST TRUST: ESPN’s Zach Lowe said, "It’s really just a sad situation. Bryan’s a good man, a good GM and it’s just a crazy situation, but you could argue that, if he didn't know about it, is he really culpable. But the other argument is that he’s the boss, the buck stops there and information flow starts there." ESPN’s Jalen Rose: “There is no way after these allegations that Colangelo is going to keep this job." ESPN’s Jay Williams: “Loose lips are never a good thing (“Get Up!,” ESPN, 6/1). THE ATHLETIC's Exavier Pope wrote, "At the moment, Colangelo does not appear to be in serious legal jeopardy, but the broken trust he potentially faces with the 76ers players, employees and fans might itself be a grievance too vast to overcome" (THEATHLETIC.com, 5/31). In Philadelphia, David Murphy writes the "context of the last couple of years" is what makes Colangelo's "continued employment seem so hard to fathom." The NBA is a "business where things like trust and relationships and reputation matter, and the Sixers are at a point in their Process where they need to ensure they are operating with the maximum amount of human capital in each of those departments" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/1).
IMPACT ON FUTURE? ESPN’s Stephen Jackson said of the impact Colangelo could have on the 76ers signing free agents if he’s still with the team, “He can say what he wants, but that’s not going to determine how you play and how much you get paid. I'll sign with you, just give me my money. I don't care what you do." T'Wolves G Jamal Crawford: “I've been in a situation where the owner said some crazy stuff that he actually said, but as players we put that to the side and focused on each other." ESPN’s Amin El Hassan: “If you’re a free agent, you’re looking at the players, the coach, the style of play. The general manager obviously isn’t making massive mistakes left and right, he’s has done a good job. That’s all I care about” (“The Jump,” ESPN, 5/31).
LOVE IT OR HATE IT: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay writes, "It sounds weird, but for the NBA, the Great Sixers Twitter Fiasco is pure gold -- and utterly on brand." Like no other sport, the NBA in '18 is "thoroughly intertwined with its digital life." What really "drives the NBA is its thriving digital world, especially on Twitter," which acts as basketball’s "central nervous system, where the real action happens: news, comments, jokes, analysis, clips, rumors, gossip" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/1). In Philadelphia, Sarah Todd writes it is "not a secret that players, front-office executives, owners, and everyone else in the sports world have burner accounts on various social media platforms." This "isn’t even a new phenomena with social media" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/1). In Boston, Chad Finn writes NBA Twitter is a "good time," but as one Colangelo or another "seems to have proven, not everyone knows how to play" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/1). YAHOO SPORTS' Ben Rohrbach wrote it is "kind of sad, because a mountain of evidence suggests Colangelo or someone close to him felt insecure enough 27 years into his NBA career about social media criticism that risking one of the best jobs in sports was not enough of a deterrent to keep from anonymously trolling online." Rohrbach: "It’s very 2018" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/31).
