Philadelphia 76ers Blog – Page 73 – NBA Blog

76ers saying goodbye to mascot Hip Hop

Seeing as how there is no actual basketball to talk about during the NBA lockout, this qualifies as big Sixers news. After receiving hundreds of communications from fans, nearly all of them advocating the end of a symbol of a different era, the team’s new ownership will announce today that the never-beloved mascot has been put out to pasture, literally.

To spare the sensibilities of the one or two children who weren’t scared to death by the rabbit, the team will say that Hip Hop fell in love, married and moved away to start a family. Apparently, it either was that or announce that they were going to boil him in a pot on a really big stove in a remake of “Fatal Attraction.”

A decade ago, with Allen Iverson as the face of the franchise and Pat Croce rappelling the Walt Whitman Bridge as the out-there owner, Hip Hop arrived as a replacement for another mascot, Big Shot (whose demise wasn’t exactly mourned, either, if memory serves).

— Reported by Rich Hofmann of the Philadelphia Inquirer

InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner says: No word on if mascot Hip Hop will now cross over and become R&B.

Julius Erving memorabilia auction nets $3.5 million

SCP Auctions says more than 140 items from Julius Erving’s personal collection sold for a record $3.5 million. The auction ran from October until Sunday.

Among the highlights: His 1974 New Jersey Nets ABA championship ring sold for $460,471; 1983 76ers championship rings sold for $244,240; 1983 All-Star game MVP trophy ($115,242); final game worn jersey from May 3, 1987 ($88,826); and 1974-75 ABA MVP trophy ($173,10).

SCP said the Nets championship ring set a record price for a sports ring.

Erving told The Associated Press last month he’s never been a “hoarder or collector,” and planned to donate a portion of the auction proceeds to the Salvation Army.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Judge dismisses lawsuit against Allen Iverson over Detroit bar fight

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against former NBA star and Detroit Piston Allen Iverson over a 2009 bar fight.

The Detroit News reports Tuesday that federal Judge Nancy Edmunds found no evidence that Iverson punched an Ohio man or that the man who struck him was linked to the player.

Lawyer Michael Cafferty said Iverson feels vindicated. Guy Walker plans to appeal.

— Reported by the Associated Press

76ers hire Jeff Capel as assistant coach

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that Jeff Capel has joined Doug Collins’ staff as an assistant coach. Capel was previously an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats, a position he held since their inaugural season in 2004-05.

In his last full season with Charlotte in 2009-10, Capel was a member of Larry Brown’s staff and helped guide the Bobcats to a franchise-record 44 wins and their first playoff appearance. That season, Charlotte led the league in fewest points allowed and ranked sixth in opponent’s field goal percentage.

Prior to joining the Bobcats, Capel was head coach of the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBA Development League and guided the team to the D-League Finals in his first full season in 2002-03.

At the collegiate level, Capel spent 12 years as head coach of Fayetteville State, North Carolina A&T and Old Dominion, posting a combined mark of 201-162 (.554).

Capel’s son Jason is in his second season as the head men’s basketball coach at Appalachian State University while his older son, Jeff Capel III, serves as an assistant coach on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff at Duke. Doug Collins’ son Chris is the associate head coach at Duke.

Dr. J was almost an Atlanta Hawk

In an article on the Atlanta Hawks website, Jon Newberry tells the story of how one of the greatest players in basketball history almost played for Atlanta.

In the summer of 1972, Dr. J was looking to make a move to the NBA from the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Hawks were looking to facilitate that move. This is where the problems begin.

In a nutshell, Dr. J secretly signed a contract with Atlanta but was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks that same summer. A legal battle ensued which eventually barred Dr. J from playing for any team but the Virginia Squires.

— Reported by CSN Philly. The full NBA.com report is here.

New 76ers owner Josh Harris will run the Philadelphia Marathon

The Philadelphia 76ers new owner Josh Harris has entered and will run the 26.2 mile Philadelphia Marathon on November 20, 2011. Additionally, the Sixers – one of the event sponsors – will give away a complimentary ticket to an upcoming Sixers home game to every marathon participant.

“I am truly looking forward to running the Philadelphia Marathon and have been for quite some time,” Harris said. “To join the participants – particularly those from the city of Philadelphia and its surrounding areas – as a representative of the Sixers is something that I’m proud to do.”

More than 27,000 registered participants comprising the Philadelphia Marathon’s three races (the 8K, half marathon and full marathon) will receive a voucher good for one free ticket to an upcoming Sixers game at the Wells Fargo Center during either the 2011-12 or 2012-13 season.

Toronto Raptors hire Ed Stefanski as VP of basketball operations

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have hired Ed Stefanski as the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations. Stefanski joins the Raptors from upper management positions with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, where his teams qualified for the NBA playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons. In his position, Stefanski will report to Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo.

“Ed Stefanski embodies everything I was hoping to attain when the search began for a top level basketball executive to join our staff,” said Colangelo. “Ed brings to the table experience, smarts and a great feel for the game and of people.”

“I am very excited to join Bryan Colangelo and the Raptors organization,” Stefanski said. “Toronto is a world class city and the Raptors fans are strong supporters.

“The team has a young nucleus of players that have a big upside. And with the addition of Head Coach Dwane Casey I am looking forward to witnessing their growth and improvement.”

Stefanski, who has earned a reputation throughout the NBA as an excellent evaluator of talent, spent the past four seasons in a president and general manager role with Philadelphia. With the 76ers, Stefanski returned the franchise to playoff status via trades, the re-signing of key performers and the acquisition of athletic, younger players in the NBA Draft. Despite having only mid-first round picks in three of his four drafts, Stefanski was able to add lottery-level talent to the team.

Prior to joining Philadelphia, Stefanski spent nine seasons with the Nets. He was promoted to general manager of the club in the summer of 2004 following a one-year stint as the team’s senior vice president of basketball operations and four seasons as the team’s director of scouting.

While with the Nets, Stefanski oversaw the team’s basketball operations and was heavily involved in the club’s roster development and player personnel matters. He helped to build New Jersey’s back-to-back Eastern Conference Championship teams in 2002 and 2003.

A 1976 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School of Business), Stefanski played three seasons for Penn, where he was coached by Hall-of-Famer Chuck Daley. Stefanski was a member of two Ivy League Champions (1974 and 1975), helping the Quakers reach the NCAA Tournament in both of those seasons.

In 1979, Stefanski also began a 20-year run as a colour analyst for Big Five basketball and ESPN’s Atlantic 10 basketball coverage.

Raptors close to hiring Ed Stefanski

The Toronto Raptors are finalizing an agreement with former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Ed Stefanski to take over as the franchise’s executive vice president of basketball operations, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Stefanski, who was fired as the 76ers’ GM a week ago, will report to Raptors president-GM Bryan Colangelo, who will still have final say on basketball matters. Stefanski will ultimately replace Masai Ujiri, who left Toronto to become the Denver Nuggets GM last year.

Colangelo conducted a lengthy search and ultimately targeted Stefanski in recent weeks for the job. Former New Orleans Hornets GM Jeff Bower was the runner-up. San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey had been a strong candidate, too.

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports

76ers part ways with scouts John Nash and Chris Ford

In What is sure to be a common occurrence among NBA teams as the lockout continues, the 76ers yesterday let go of two of their employees – NBA scouts John Nash and Chris Ford.

At a news conference last Tuesday when the new ownership of the team was introduced, it was announced that general manager Ed Stefanski had been released of his duties…

Nash was GM of the Sixers from 1986 to ’90. His latest stint with the team started after he left the GM job with Portland after the 2005-06 season.

Ford, an Atlantic City native who went on to become a high school legend at Holy Spirit in South Jersey and a star at Villanova, coached 30 games for the Sixers during the tumultuous 2003-04 season. He replaced Randy Ayers, and the team went just 33-49 that season.

— Reported by Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News

76ers say goodbye to GM Ed Stefanski

Yesterday morning, not long before the sale of the 76ers was set to be announced at the Palestra, Stefanski, the Sixers’ general manager, was informed that he was being relieved of his duties. The new ownership group, headed by Josh Harris, had decided to give president Rod Thorn full charge of the duties he and Stefanski had shared last season. Instead of Stefanski going to the place where he played his college ball, he was left uncertain about his future.

Stefanski had 1 year remaining on his contract, while Thorn, who was brought in in August 2010, after a dismal 27-55 season, has several years remaining on a hefty contract.

Said Stefanski, who came to the team in December 2007: “This is the new ownership’s day. I wish them all the best. Having met with Josh and Adam [Aron, the new CEO], the Sixers are in capable hands.”

Among the more noteworthy moves Stefanski made in his four seasons were giving maximum contracts to Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand, firing fan-favorite Maurice Cheeks, hiring and firing Eddie Jordan after one season, and bringing in current coach Doug Collins. The team made the playoffs in all but one of Stefanski’s four seasons.

— Reported by Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News