Sixers owner Josh Harris said it was tough to part ways with Daryl Morey
But Harris, the Sixers' managing partner, and HBSE president Bob Myers are now in the process of finding Morey's replacement. They hope to have a new leader by the draft.
Parting ways with Daryl Morey was tough for 76ers managing partner Josh Harris. He said so himself on Thursday.
Harris said he considered his former president of basketball operations a friend and acknowledged what he accomplished during six seasons with the Sixers, including his part in drafting Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe and ushering in five playoff appearances, four of which ended in the conference semifinal.
But none made it past the second round.
Harris admitted that he has grown frustrated with the early playoff exits, saying that he empathizes with exasperated fans.
“I care deeply for the city and the team. I acknowledge how disappointing it is that we have not made it past the second round of the playoffs,” Harris said. “We owe it to [the fans] and the city to be better.”
Bob Myers, president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, will run point on hiring Morey’s replacement, while overseeing the department in the interim.
Following the announcement, Myers said he met with the remaining members of the basketball front office in Chicago on Wednesday, going over feedback from the season and listening to different philosophies for how to proceed.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we know that. With the 22nd pick in the draft, [it’s] time to get to work,” Myers said. “We’re less than 48 hours from this change, so I have some work to do, and I look forward to doing that.”
That 22nd pick came to the Sixers at the trade deadline in one of Morey’s highly-criticized moves, when he sent Jared McCain to the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for draft picks.
» READ MORE: Who is Bob Myers? Five things to know about HBSE’s president leading the search for Daryl Morey’s replacement
But Myers made it clear he wouldn’t disparage that decision or Morey’s time with the Sixers, especially since it’s not yet clear how the trade will fare in the long run.
Instead, the focus for Myers and the front office is getting the best player they can with the organization’s first-round pick, which in turn would add value to the overall deal if the Sixers land a good player.
“We should be graded on the ultimate result of transactions like that,” Myers said. “Our job is to make a trade, there’ll be a reaction, could be positive or negative, but that trade isn’t done, and our job is to make sure that on our end of the trade, we do a good job of drafting the best player.”
Myers said he hopes to have someone in place to run the team before the June 23 draft, but he also stated that the Sixers want the right fit and won’t rush the move.
“Whoever we hire, not sure who that will be, will likely possibly already be evaluating the draft from where they’re coming from,” Myers said. “So that’s the benefit in some ways.”
While no one will check all the boxes required for the position, Myers said, the important thing is knowing where the possible replacement to Morey may fall short. Armed with that information, Myers will find others to supplement and support them.
Ideally, however, Myers said the new president of basketball operations is someone who will “be a great partner for Nick [Nurse],” the Sixers’ head coach who will return for a fourth season. But Nurse will not play a major role in helping find someone to fill Morey’s shoes.
“You talk to your coach, you listen to what they want, but ultimately, his job is not to find the GM or president of basketball,” Harris said. “It’s our job.”
» READ MORE: Overpayments, questionable trades and one ugly feud: Daryl Morey’s biggest missteps with the Sixers
And, Myers said, if he does his job right in scouting for the position, the autonomy issue that the Sixers have dealt with in the past will be replaced by a more harmonious approach between the front office, coaches, and players.
“That’s what you want. Hire somebody, let them do their job,” Myers said. “As to what happened in the past, obviously I wasn’t here, but I believe we’re going to get a very functioning, high-functioning, front office with this hire.”