76ers Rumors: Philadelphia Wants GM Who Won't Want Final Say in Decisions

It is Aug. 24, and the Philadelphia 76ers do not have a general manager. That seems like a problem.  

But if certain members of the ownership group have their way, it appears the Sixers won't be hiring a GM with traditional powers. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer appeared on Yahoo Sports NBA: Chris Mannix to give an update on the situation:

"Yes, they want a name general manager. But they’re also looking for someone who doesn’t have the final say, so to speak. They want to do it all like a group decision.

"There’s a guy in the ownership group. His name is David Heller.

"He’s one of these guys from New York. When Sam Hinkie was the GM, from what you hear, is he was a guy who was basically running the meetings, and he had a heavy hand in the decision-making. And at this particular time, he again has a heavy hand in the decision making.

"And when you look at the fact that they have Joel Embiid, they have Ben Simmons and they have all these other guys, they feel as if the model that they have works. So why tweak it? Also, it’s one of those things where they’re heavy analytics-based. Brett Brown has a say. They trust Brett Brown. So, you feel like, right now, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it."

The Sixers and Bryan Colangelo parted ways in June after it was uncovered that his wife used burner Twitter accounts to disclose non-public information about the team.

Sixers head coach Brett Brown has held the interim general manager title since Colangelo left. 

Marc Stein of the New York Times reported the Sixers were rebuffed earlier this offseason in their attempt to bring Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to Philly. The team also considered pursuing current San Antonio Spurs GM R.C. Buford and former Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin.

"It's going to take something quite unique to come into our infrastructure," Brown told reporters in July. "We really have smart people who challenge each other. You've got to back up what you think, and you've got to justify what you say. It's intellectual warfare. It's really impressive."

Heller, 50, is a former Goldman Sachs executive who currently owns a minority stake in the Sixers. He has no other experience with the day-to-day operations of running an NBA franchise.