well looks like OKC will surpass the Sixers tank job now and no one bats an eye about it. How the times have changed?
Why should somebody bat an eye about it? Their top prospect just severely injured his foot.
Also, the Sixers tear down lasted at least five full seasons, beginning with the Iguodala-for-Bynum trade. This will only be year three for the Thunder.
No one has ever started the process at that season. Heck Hinkie wasn't even hired until the year after that trade. A trade mind you that the Sixers were giving up 1st round picks for. Tear down trades don't involve teams giving up 1st round picks. Now Bynum never playing for the Sixers certainly accelerated the need to tear it down, but that was not the start of the process. That started the following season after the Sixers won 34 games. Hinkie was on the Sixers less than 3 years. That is the process. Less than 3 years.
So when did the Process start, and when did it end?
Start it with the Holiday trade, if you want. Wins totals:
2014: 19
2015: 18
2016: 10
You're saying they ended their rebuild *after* they won 10 games?
They obviously only won 28 games the next year, but Embiid got hurt and played just 31 games (13-18 with him) in his rookie year. They did however sign a number of veterans that season - i.e. Ilyasova, Henderson, Rodriguez, Splitter (got hurt), and Bayless (got hurt), so they were clearly trying to build a veteran team around what they presumed to be their 2 star rookies (Simmons got hurt in summer league after many of those signings and Embiid got hurt about mid-season). Embiid getting hurt fully shifted their focus and they tanked the end of that year (traded guys like Ilyasova, didn't bring Simmons back when he could have played, etc.). If Simmons and Embiid don't get hurt there is a very good chance they make the post season the 16-17 season, just as they did in 17-18 when they won 52 games and made the 2nd round (they added Redick prior to the season then brought back Ilyasova and signed Belinelli at the deadline).
Edit: So yeah, I think they were going for it after the 10 win season, then injuries happened and they ended up tanking the end of that season, but they clearly were done tanking after that winning 52 games in the 5th season after the Holiday trade.
The Process was always overblown in large part because of how open the Sixers were about it. But teams have been tanking for multiple seasons for years, heck the Sonics/Thunder did it basically starting with the Ray Allen trade for about the same time as the Sixers Process. The Thunder are doing it again. Houston is doing it now as well. Dallas started a 10 year playoff drought with 4 seasons of 28, 22,11, and 13 wins. Then they won 36 only to go 26, 24, 20, and 19 before finally hitting 40 and making the playoffs at 53 (when Dirk started to come into his own).
