Are the Sixers Tanking? Bryan Colangelo says, “Not a Chance”

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The Sixers have been the bottom feeder of the NBA for the past three seasons and counting. Fans have endured names coming on and off the roster for stints at a time, knowing that the team was just not good enough to win most of the games they would be playing in.

Most people will say the Sixers have been tanking, and with the way things have gone over the past few seasons, they have every right to believe so.

This season though, it seems that they have better intentions moving forward for the franchise in order to start taking the necessary extra steps.

Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times reportedly received a text message from Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo saying “not a chance” that the Sixers will be tanking this season.

It seems that this statement needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The “tanking” process that the Sixers organization has been tied to for the past few seasons started with past GM Sam Hinkie trading up to grab Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams in the 2013 draft.

After getting rid of contracts and veterans, the Sixers organization was starting from the bottom when it comes to the talent pool, hoping to get high draft picks and star players in return. This process can be very risky as the cards may not fall your way like it did for the Sixers.

In 2014, after many months of waiting for Andrew Wiggins, they were stuck with Joel Embiid, who would not be ready until now, 2016, two years after the original pick. They were then forced to pick another big man in 2015 with Jahlil Okafor as D’Angelo Russell went a pick ahead of him.

Now, in 2016, the Sixers are a team that is still decimated by injuries. They were hoping this was the year that the “process” was over and a new chapter was on the rise.

With Jerryd Bayless, forward Ben Simmons and center Nerlens Noel all hurt, and big men Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor both on minutes restrictions, the overall consensus is that the Sixers should just pack it up this season and try to get a good draft pick.

What Colangelo is saying is that they will not stop trying to win, but that they may just have to wait until the injury bug leaves them for good.

Ben Simmons is due back in January from his foot surgery, and with the combination of Joel Embiid, it will finally be fun to see them both on the floor together.

The Sixers may be tanking this season or they may not be, but they may not have a choice because they just are not good enough yet. That is not Bryan Colangelo’s fault, he is still cleaning up the mess that Sam Hinkie left behind.

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