This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Utah Jazz have Monday night off.
OK, that's an overstatement. But considering the Jazz face the Philadelphia 76ers at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Monday night is about the closest thing to a preordained win as an NBA team can come, even one as injury-ravaged as the Jazz.
The numbers aren't pretty for Philadelphia. With Saturday night's road win over the Phoenix Suns, the 76ers are 2-30 and on pace to be the worst team in NBA history. They are a team without much scoring or much defense. They have been without veteran leadership or much direction.
They have very much been a sailboat without a rudder.
To combat this, the Sixers have hired Jerry Colangelo as the chairman of basketball operations. Basically, the organization went to the NBA for help, and Colangelo was dispatched. In the midst of being the laughingstock of the league, the hiring was an admission by the Sixers that they needed positive outside influence.
Colangelo said he's on board to help keep the current leadership in place, not to take over. He also said he wants to be a mentor for Philadelphia General Manager Sam Hinkie and the ownership group.
"I feel like I can offer a lot of advice to Sam to help him in his job, because I've been there and done that," Colangelo said. "I'm excited about this. I'm happy about the opportunity, and it's nice to see someone that feels like I have something to offer. I'm happy for this chance."
Already, Philly has made moves, most notably trading a pair of second-round picks to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for point guard Ish Smith.
Smith had enjoyed a breakout season for New Orleans but was recently removed from coach Alvin Gentry's rotation, when Jrue Holiday and Norris Cole once again became fully healthy. Rather than let him rot on the bench, the Pelicans traded him to the Sixers, where he becomes the starter.
Philadelphia also hired Mike D'Antoni as associate head coach; his experience on the bench and with offenses can surely be of help to Brett Brown.
The moves have paid off in the interim, as the Sixers walked into Phoenix on Saturday night, led the Suns almost from start to finish, and walked out with a nice road win. It didn't hurt Philadelphia that Phoenix is imploding as a team and a franchise, but it doesn't take away the fact that the Sixers for one night played extremely well.
Still, even if Philly plays hard, it has a talent deficiency, which is why the Jazz have an excellent chance at winning, as long as they play well. Even with Utah being very unhealthy at this point of the season, playing the Sixers can sure a lot of ills.
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Sixers at Jazz
P Monday, 7 p.m.
TV • ROOT