Bryan Colangelo on stepping down after Twitter-gate: ‘It was a difficult decision and a difficult time for me’ | Off the Dribble
Colangelo: "Once that investigation was completed and I was absolved, I felt the appropriate thing to do - in conjunction with ownership there in Philly - was to mutually walk away.”
Happy Monday, people. Let’s make this the start of a productive week.
You’re signed up to get this newsletter in your inbox every Monday to keep up with 76ers’ coverage. If you like what you’re reading, tell your friends it’s free to sign up here. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email or on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers. Thank you for reading.
— Keith Pompey (offthedribble@inquirer.com)
Colangelo ready to move on from Twitter-gate
Bryan Colangelo has been mostly quiet about his resignation as the 76ers president of basketball operations and general manager on June 7, 2018.
That ended a stunning nine-day saga that began when a website report tied Colangelo to damaging and anonymous Twitter accounts.
The Sixers hired a law firm based in New York to investigate allegations first published by The Ringer, a sports and pop culture website. The firm concluded that Colangelo’s wife, Barbara Bottini, was responsible for creating and posting from the anonymous accounts but that Colangelo was “the source of the sensitive, non-public, club-related information” the accounts shared. The statement further called Colangelo “careless and in some instances reckless” in safeguarding that information.
Last month, Colangelo purchased an ownership stake and will assume an advisory role with the Hawks of Australia’s National Basketball League. He recently spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald about his Sixers’ departure.
“Once that investigation was completed and I was absolved, I felt the appropriate thing to do - in conjunction with ownership there in Philly - was to mutually walk away,” Colangelo told the paper. “It was a difficult decision and a difficult time for me. But I have to say, it was very difficult for my family.
“Because of some of the reasons that came to light, it was something I thought was important not to talk about, quite frankly. And we’re still dealing with that.”
Colangelo said he tried to stay positive while preserving, loving and protecting his family’s interests.
“Frankly, two years on, it’s gone. It’s in the past and I’m ready to move on.”
Starting Five
The Sixers’ draft night acquisition of Zhaire Smith has not worked out him or them. The shooting guard is a bad fit for the 76ers, who never gave him a real opportunity to showcase his skills.
Al Horford is prepared to deliver in Brett Brown’s different lineups to help the Sixers as the NBA restarts. All signs point to the five-time All-Star going back to the bench despite standing out in eight straight starts.
Raul Neto looks forward to seeing what he can achieve with the Sixers during the NBA’s restart. Neto averaged 4.3 points, 1.6 assists and 11.5 minutes in 49 appearances while mostly providing a spark when called upon.
Sixers mailbag: Evaluating the return of Ben Simmons, Zhaire Smith’s injury and a fifth starter. Simmons should be full-go in the Sixers’ NBA restart opener against the Indiana Pacers on Aug. 1.
Sixers opportunity ‘too hard to pass up’ for Ryan Broekhoff in the end. The 29-year-old’s wife has an auto-immune disease, which makes her high risk for COVID-19. The married couple also has a 1-year-old son
Bucks latest team to shut down practice facility
Who’s next?
This weekend, the Milwaukee Bucks became the latest NBA team to shut down its practice facility for workouts until departing for Orlando due to at least one person testing positive for COVID-19, according to reports.
The Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers were among the other teams to shut down their facilities this past week. All five teams are competing in the 22-team NBA restart at Walt Disney World.
Teams will travel there Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with the Bucks scheduled to leave on Thursday.
Important Dates:
July 24: Sixers vs. Memphis Grizzlies (scrimmage) at The Arena, 3:30 p.m.
July 26: Sixers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (scrimmage) at HP Fieldhouse, noon.
July 28: Sixers vs. Dallas Mavericks (scrimmage) at HP Fieldhouse, 8:30 p.m.
Aug. 1: Sixers vs. Indiana Pacers at VISA Athletic Center, 7 p.m.
Aug. 3: San Antonio Spurs vs. Sixers at VISA Athletic Center, 8 p.m.
All of the events are at Walt Disney World.
Passing the Rock
Send questions by email or on Twitter (@PompeyOnSixers)
Question: Sadly, I’m gonna ask the same question I think should be asked on any sports-related item right now. Is any number of deaths caused by restarting the league acceptable? If so, how many? Nobody seems to be writing that. — @HandNik on Twitter
Answer: Thanks for the deep question. I really appreciate and respect you for asking this. I don’t think any number of deaths caused by restarting the league is acceptable. Nor does the NBA. I do think the league’s bubble-like atmosphere will be one of the safest places on the earth if everyone in there follows protocol.
I literally shook my head when I looked at all of the restrictions.