The Philadelphia 76ers frequently talked about adding a front office executive well-versed in analytics.

However, the 76ers eventually settled on a traditional general manager in Tony Di Leo.

“I have a formula that I have been using,” DiLeo said, “but what we are planning will take it to a whole different level of advanced analytics.  That’s the approach the ownership group has. They want to make sure that our front office has every advantage. It’s important to them to make sure that nobody is better prepared to make decisions.”

The 76ers want to hire someone to ascribe value to draft picks, free agents and any other parts of the process that go beyond traditional player evaluation.

“You can’t let it dominate your decisions; there has to be a happy marriage,” is how DiLeo described it.

Josh Howard is meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday and Tuesday, according to a source.

Howard met with the San Antonio Spurs last week.

The Minnesota Timberwolves also have expressed interest in Howard, who spent last season with the Jazz.

Doug Collins wants his frontcourt pieces to be largely interchangeable in regards to position.

The Philadelphia 76ers spent the offseason adding Andrew Bynum and Kwame Brown to Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen.

"I don't think it's a huge challenge," Hawes said. "I've guarded the four a lot. Offensively, the way we've done it, the four and the five are pretty interchangeable. I don't think the transition will be overwhelming.

"And," Hawes continued, "playing alongside a 7-footer is going to make things easier on myself and everyone else."

The 76ers will also give Thad Young more opportunities to play small forward where he will have a size advantage.

The Philadelphia 76ers decided upon Tony DiLeo as general manager.

But the team still has a need for a front office member that is well versed in analytics. A sources says the 76ers still plan on hiring someone to fill that role to assist DiLeo.

Tony DiLeo has agreed to become the next general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers.

DiLeo is a longtime member of the 76ers' front office.

The 76ers have been searching for a replacement for Rod Thorn throughout the offseason.

The Philadelphia 76ers attempted to hire Denver Nuggets' general manager Masai Ujiri when they began their search to replace Rod Thorn, according to sources.

The 76ers were granted permission to speak to Ujiri, but he resisted their offer to become GM.

The 76ers are leaning toward promoting Tony DiLeo to the GM job.

Ujiri has a year left on his original three-year deal with the Nuggets.

Andrew Bynum had an occasionally tumultuous time when with the Los Angeles Lakers, which had led some to question his maturity.

"I have zero concern," said Doug Collins when asked about the subject. "One thing is I never judge a man from a distance. Sometimes people want to pull out one or two things . . . but you could pull out things on all the great players in the NBA. Andrew is an incredibly well-spoken young guy. He's articulate, he's bright, he's smart and he knows the game. I think he's happy to be home. He just got a place in the suburbs here and said he loves being here on the East Coast. I think he views this as a great opportunity to be viewed as a central figure on a team every single night that's going to count on him. I think he views this as a step in his career where he really has a chance to show what he's all about. He's got a good sense of humor. I feel really good about him."

The Philadelphia 76ers concluded the 11-12 NBA season being eliminated in the second round thinking that the current roster had maximized their potential.

In the offseason, the 76ers acquired Andrew Bynum in a deal that sent Andre Iguodala to the Nuggets.

"We felt that team had reached its peak," said Doug Collins. "We knew we were going to have to make changes. We knew that there were some things that we could do. We knew one of the only ways we could get any kind of cap space or get any kind of relief at all was if Elton Brand was amnestied. We felt we had a great draft with Moe Harkless and Arnett [Moultrie] and the one thing we talked to [owner Josh Harris] about was that in amnestying E.B., it wasn't going to free up a ton of money where you're going to hit this home run, where everybody is going to say you can go get a big free agent. We knew we could add some pieces. And the big thing was there was a lot of interest in Andre. When the opportunity to get an Andrew Bynum came about, you have to obviously do that because you can't get a low-post center of that magnitude. I think all the things we've tried to do we've accomplished, but more importantly we did it in a way that going forward this organization is not hamstrung with bad contracts, we have flexibility."

Tony DiLeo has emerged as a leading candidate to become general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 76ers have been impressed with DiLeo's work assisting Rod Thorn this offseason.

DiLeo has been part of the 76ers' front office since the 90-91 season and had been a finalist to become GM of the Blazers.

The 76ers are also considering Jeff Bower, as Mike Zarren has withdrawn from consideration and the organization appears to have moved away from Tom Penn.