No-go to logo: Sixers need to get serious

The NBA playoffs are in full swing, and each night I see former Sixers logging minutes, such as Kyle Korver, Andre Iguodala and Marreese Speights. Then there are Spencer Hawes, Elton Brand and K.J. McDaniels, who also are on postseason rosters.

I remember what it felt like in May 2001. The city was alive, the buzz palpable -- a deep playoff run in a metropolis that is always a more vibrant sports scene when there is meaningful basketball being played in South Philadelphia.

It's May 2015, and the 76ers are back in the NBA news, except it's in embarrassing fashion. This franchise is rolling out another team logo and uniform change as if a fashion convention is in full swing.

Ben Franklin. What does he have to do with basketball? What's next, a soft pretzel mascot? How about a silhouette of Rocky Balboa along the baseline? Perhaps free cheese steaks every time the 76ers shoot better than 50 percent in a game?

Enough of the minor-league-baseball promotional ideas. This is a heritage franchise, in a top-tier market, in the National Basketball Association. It's time to act like one.

Sixers fans have been patient enough. To the surprise of many, this fan base allowed, for the most part, two tank-fests in a row. That is almost unheard of, in a sports climate that usually doesn't permit patience. Despite a roster largely filled with D-League talent, a couple of thousand fans still showed regularly to watch the few NBA players Brett Brown was actually coaching.

The NBA draft lottery is coming up Tuesday in New York. We are less than a week away from finding out if ping-pong balls bounce the Sixers' way. Funny how analytics are the method of Sam Hinkie's madness, yet it's luck, to some extent, that will determine if the Sixers land the top pick.

The NBA draft is scheduled for June 25, also in New York. The Sixers have the third-best chance of landing the first overall pick, at 15.6 percent. Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay are widely expected to be the first four off the board. The Sixers likely will get one of those prospects. That will be an immediate upgrade to the current talent pool, but what if Sam Hinkie gets crazy?

What if Hinkie gets an offer he can't refuse for Nerlens Noel? I'm sure a lot of franchises would like Noel, who averaged 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, while playing in 75 of 82 games. Hinkie dealt Michael Carter-Williams. I wouldn't put it past Hinkie to ship out Noel, if he gets the right offer.

Trading Noel would be unacceptable. It's no longer about acquiring assets at the expense of young, talented players. It's about rolling out a product that the fan base can be excited about. Enough of the second-round picks. Enough of the logo changes. Enough of the in-arena marketing ploys. It's time to add talent around Noel and Joel Embiid and taking strides toward a return to glory.

I would love to see the 76ers be in position to draft Russell, the silky-smooth combo guard out of Ohio State. Chad Ford, NBA draft aficionado, told me on my old radio show on 97.5 The Fanatic that Russell's game is reminiscent of James Harden's. Sign me up. Pair Russell with Noel and Embiid, and then take the slew of second-round picks you have and trade back into the first round for a wing player such as Devin Booker out of Kentucky or Jerian Grant from Notre Dame, and you'll have a core unit that will have this fan base eager for the start of the season.

Trade Noel, acquire more future second-rounders, tinker with your logo, offer a discount on pizza after scoring 90 points, and you will have this fan base eager for Hinkie's exit.

It's time to put up or shut up. Enough of the gimmicks. These aren't the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. These are the Philadelphia 76ers.