We first heard about the Philadelphia 76ers sale in June. The deal was finally approved by the NBA, and earlier this week the Sixers held a press conference making the change official.
Our own Derek Bodner – who was in attendance – wrote a great article for SBN Philly on the new ownership and some of the changes they've already made.
"My partners and I are committed to doing everything we can to return the Sixers to their historical greatness," managing owner Joshua Harris said. "I can assure you that we will be active, long-term owners, who care deeply about this team, performance, its fans and the city of Philadelphia."
"Our goal, make no mistake, is to create a world-class franchise and win NBA championships."
Josh Harris and Co. have begun their tenure as Sixers' owners by doing and saying all the right things. One of the things they've done – as Derek pointed out in his article – is create a website titled newsixersowner.com. The goal of the website:
Our ownership group and key Sixers officials will read each and every email we get. We want your thoughts and suggestions as to how you think the 76ers can win more games and what you think would make attending Sixers games in person more enjoyable. Whatever is important to you, share your thoughts with us.
Tell us about our players, our web site, our scoreboard graphics or anything big or small that you have noticed and want to relay directly to our new ownership group. If you have an observation about any aspect of the Sixers, we want to hear it. So send us your thoughts! Whether in five words, five sentences or five pages, let us hear from you.
The 1,776 "most intriguing" comments will receive a free Sixers ticket. Excuse me if I'm at least a little skeptical that ownership will "read each and every email [they] get," but I respect the effort. At least ownership is making an attempt to acknowledge the fans' opinion.
I strongly encourage each of you to send your comments to the new ownership via newsixersowner.com. I know the readers of this blog (especially those who visit during the lockout) are as knowledgeable as anyone on the state of the franchise, and know unique and creative suggestions for the new owners – whether it's a philosophical change regarding player management, or more "Carlton Cam".
After the jump, I'll jump start with two (obvious) suggestions of my own.
Commit to one Team-Building Strategy
Sixers' last 10 seasons:
- 389 wins, 431 losses
- 3 winning seasons, 5 losing seasons, 2 .500 seasons
- 5 playoff appearances, 4 first round exits
- Never finished with a top 5 record, or bottom 5 record