Tag: Josh Harris

Stadium: Sources tell our NBA Insider …

Certain Sixers employees to face temporary salary reductions

The economic impacts of the coronavirus outbreak are now being felt by members of the 76ers organization.

As the coronavirus crisis continues to rage, certain members of the Philadelphia 76ers organization will start to feel the economic effects of the outbreak.

Per Marc Stein of The New York Times, at-will employees of both the Sixers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils (both owned by Joshua Harris) that make more than $50,000 will be subject to temporary salary reductions of up to 20 percent, starting April 15 and continuing through the end of June.

The economic impacts of the outbreak became inevitable as the crisis deepened, and athletes across the sports world have rallied to help some of those affected.

Stein also notes that contracted employees, like members of the coaching staff and front office, have been asked to participate in the program but cannot be forced. According to Stein, Sixers general manager Elton Brand, team president Chris Heck, and Blitzer Sports and Entertainment CEO Scott O’Neil have agreed to participate.

A source told Stein that the move was made in hopes of avoiding layoffs and that no changes were made to 401k or health benefits.

Honestly, this isn’t the greatest look for Harris, but hopefully, the move will prevent the necessity of more drastic measures. On the bright side, it’s nice that Brand, Heck, and O’Neil voluntarily participated. [lawrence-related id=28082,28024]

Sixers release statement regarding coronavirus, 30-day NBA suspension

The Philadelphia 76ers release a statement regarding the NBA suspension.

The NBA is a weird time as the dangers of coronavirus have reached the league and it has infected two players in the NBA now, both with the Utah Jazz. That has triggered commissioner Adam Silver to make the right decision to suspend the NBA for the time being and try to figure out what the next step is.

For the Philadelphia 76ers, this means that games are not important right now. No more debates on whether Joel Embiid and Al Horford fit together or Ben Simmons’ jumper or anything like that. It is all about player and fan safety and that is on the mind of everybody.

Managing partner Josh Harris then released a statement saying:

In this time of need, we need to band together and take care of people. Our teams, our cities and the leagues in which we operate are a family, and we are committed to looking out for one another.

According to Yahoo! Sports, the suspension will last at least 30 days and then the league will reassess. Hopefully, that will give health officials enough time to get things under control.

Until then, the Sixers will focus on making sure they are healthy and ready to go when and if basketball resumes. [lawrence-related id=27557,27541,27533]

The lessons of it all have been poorly …

The lessons of it all have been poorly extracted. Did Harris and Blitzer make a good or bad move in hiring Hinkie? Weitzman’s book is much-needed. This is the basketball world’s first shot at really understanding what even happened. It’s packed with new information, and it’s a lovely read. “I thought I was writing Moneyball or Astroball,” says Weitzman. But instead, it’s personal, touching on poignant scenes like the night Embiid—perhaps the best center in the NBA, and the centerpiece of Hinkie’s accomplishments—learned his brother Arthur had died. Coach Brown skipped the team’s preseason game to join Embiid at his apartment, as did Hinkie. But Hinkie understood the death of a brother in a whole different way. He had also lost a brother.

“But anyways, one of the conversations …

“But anyways, one of the conversations people are starting to have in the league is ‘will they move Embiid? What’s the price? Where would he go?’ I’m not going to get into that, but my point is people are talking about that. I don’t think they would do that without making an adjustment to the head coach. It’s such a radical thing, but the fact that we’re in mid-February and the people who work in the league, who have to prepare in advance, are mulling over Joel Embiid potentially coming to market, whether that’s true or not… I mean, Josh Harris can come on this podcast and deny it if he wants, but the fact people are talking about it, is not good. It’s a symptom of where they are.”

Meanwhile, Brown’s approach hasn’t …

Meanwhile, Brown’s approach hasn’t changed. He talks up his best players, never criticizing them publicly. And to this point, it’s worked, obviously: Embiid and Simmons, 25 and 23 years old, are All Stars. But they still have a big piece of themselves to overcome, or to unlock. They still need to grow up. Which gives Brown, who started out in Philly with all the room in the world, a dilemma: Suddenly, he has very little time. Sixers owner Josh Harris has a history of listening to the noise of fans and media, plenty of whom think the team’s head coach should stop babying his two stars and force-feed their growth, given that they’re being paid tens of millions a year and we’re so close to that championship.