Happy trails to Hinkie's Power.

[Ilikesports17]

As for my actual thought on the end of Hinkie. I am really glad.

This is another example of the tanker not being able to stick around for the result of the tank. will make future Hinkies a bit wary about these type of plans. It'll be interesting to see if Brown gets the boot he's been a great soldier for them.

[tankcity!]

I just want to say that I love this thread. It really made my day. I understand that the Sixers story isn't over, but I was actually fearful of Hinkie as a GM. He was shrewd with his trades. I personally think Colangelo is going to screw this up because these are going to be complicated trades he will need to pull off.

For example, what exactly is he looking for Okafor? I guess he could trade Okafor for Butler. But Idk, I'm kind of down on Butler as the face of the franchise. Besides, by the time this year's pick turns out to be good, if he ends up being good, Butler will be a UFA. The whole thing is screwed up.

[LarBrd33]

Lowe is a fantastic journalist. He controlled the interview in the exact way he needed to extract as much from Hinkie as possible. That split second of silence when he asked "is it a problem that you don't have that player (a superstar prospect) yet?" was absolutely priceless.

I got the feeling that Hinkie is quite resentful of the Celtics, particularly regarding the flak he's getting for routing Isaiah to us instead of including him in the package he got from Phoenix. He came off at quite bitter: he doesn't think it's fair that he's being painted as a failure already and he's got a great deal of conviction that he'll still be vindicated in the end.

Reading between the lines, I think Embiid's medical issues are looking fairly grim ("he's either going to be a superstar or never play in the NBA"), and the Sixers really have no clue with Saric ("we don't really have one person in charge of talking to him...").

I think the 76ers are set up to have the last laugh there.

Signs are looking very positive with Embiid.  I agree, if the guy plays he'll end up a superstar.  The only way he doesn't end up a superstar is if he never plays... but signs point to him playing.

So many assets.  A competent GM will be able to easily turn that into a competitive team.  At this point, the casual fans that don't get it aren't going to get it.  They'll just have to wait and be dumfounded when suddenly Hinkie's seeds turn into an Orchard.

Dude, c'mon. Know when to concede defeat. Hinkie just did. You should follow suit.

I've had soooo many conversations about Philly on this forum and I've always tried to be pretty clear in my stance on them.   My opinion gets twisted a lot.  I've reiterated the same points dozens of times.  You've seen them.   But I'll go ahead and reiterate them again.

- Never cared about Hinkie.  As far as I know, he was hired with the goal of tanking.  Philly was in "superstar or bust" mode before Hinkie came on... hence going after risky guys like Andrew Bynum.   

- I'm perfectly happy to see Philly fall on their face.  I've never been a 76er fan.

- I think Hinkie did a fine job collecting assets, but I never felt there was anything SPECIAL about what he was doing.  What he did didn't take genius.  I've never seen Hinkie as an equal to Danny Ainge.   What was SPECIAL was that the team was allowing and encouraging a shameless tank job.  We've never seen a team so shamelessly go into "superstar or bust" mode.  We've never seen a team so blatantly tank for such a prolonged period of time.  We've never seen a team basically say, "this system is rigged and encourages losing... so as long as this system encourages losing, let's lose for as long as we can".   They decided to run that team like you'd run a team in franchise mode on a video game... But in a video game, you have the luxury of simming full seasons in minutes without the media backlash.   That was fascinating to me.  I've never really cared about Hinkie.  I always saw Hinkie as a puppet.  He was hired to do collect assets and "let it ride", and he did a fine job at it.

I personally followed the same strategy in the Lucky17 Points League/CBPL.   I joined that keeper league 7 years into their existence.  The team I took over had finished in the lottery all 7 years and was currently bottom 5 in a 20 league team.   I took over in Jan 2014.  This was right around the time that I was desperate for Boston to bottom out and go for a star prospect in the 2014 draft.   So, I followed the same exact method I take every time I start a video game franchise mode.   I traded away every single player for prospects and draft picks.  I intentionally bottomed out 2 years in a row.   This Summer, I converted all of those assets into real tangible players.  My team subsequently steamrolled the entire league.  I coasted to a championship, put up a league record 32,363 points.  My team had an average age of 24 and was set up to dominate for the next 10-15 years.  The level of domination was so thorough that half the league threatened to quit unless I was removed.  I'm told that the juggernaut I put together will be dismantled with the players distributed to the bottom-tier teams in need of bail outs. 

Point is, I could follow that shameless "wait until next year" strategy in a fantasy league.  I didn't have fans and media to answer to.  You can do that in a video game.  But not until the recent Philadelphia 76ers have we seen a team follow that strategy in the real world.  Take guys like Noel and let him sit for a year.   Trade guys like Michael Carter Williams for draft picks that might end up in the top 4.    Draft Elfrid Payton and trade him away for Dario Saric and a future 1st with the expectation of Saric playing overseas.   Literally spend $0 on competent free agent veterans in favor of trying out D-League players that help the team continue to lose.  Allow a roster to be so lopsided and mismatched with no intention of fixing it in the short-term.   We haven't seen something so blatant before.

And it was fascinating.  It's still fascinating.  As much as ignorant fans want to believe otherwise, this story is far from over.  It's just entering the next phase.  This signals that they are done collecting assets - now they will try to turn it into a team.  Respected basketball minds like Zach Lowe and Charles Barkley back up this stance.   Philly is loaded with assets, they have some very interesting prospects and tons of options heading forward.   We will not know how this plays out for a few years.  Guys like Barkley have commented that the team is set up very well heading forward and he's right.   They have valuable pieces that can be traded for roster balance.

They are set up beautifully.   This offseason could be massive for them.   I've repeatedly said that this would be a dream job for a smart GM.  It's a DREAM job.  You can take over a team loaded with assets and young prospects, spend some cash on young guys on the promise of a "new team identity", trade the two centers you don't want for equally outstanding prospects at different positions...   It has basically everything a GM could want from a team.  Youth, draft picks, cap space, potentially franchise prospects. 

I had no idea of Hinkie would be the guy for that job, though.  Would he be the right guy to take the next step?  He did a fine job amassing the assets, but would he make the right moves heading forward?  Would he sell low on Okafor?  Would he make bad signings?   No freakin idea.  I've never at any point claimed to know if Hinkie was a competent GM in that regard. 

Sounds like Philly is making the right move.  The Colangelo's are highly regarded.  As they head into this potentially epic offseason for them, it's good to give the allure of a "fresh start" and a "winning mentality".   Hinkie probably hurt that perception.   Now they can engage in good-faith conversations with agents on the premise of, "Hey I know Hinkie snubbed you and the team was a mess, but now we have a totally new agenda.  Things are different!".   Hinkie leaving is probably for the best. 

I've said a couple times before that I expect at least 4 of the top 6 players next season aren't playing for them right now.   It remains a fascinating situation.  Especially depending on how lucky they get in the lotto. 

Truth be told, there was a time when I would have gladly swapped Boston's roster for Philly's.   I stand by the belief that Philly's assets are underrated. A lot of people still believe in Saric. I think Noel is a stud.  I believe Embiid still has a huge future if the bonegraft works out as well as it did for Durant and Lopez.  I think they'll have tons of trade options.  There is a real chance they end up with picks #1 and #4 in this draft.   They have several additional 1st round picks to utilize.   There was a time when I would have gladly taken that over "Marcus Smart + a pick that may or may not end up in the lotto".    To be fair, I have to point out that my opinion has changed since then.  There's a lot of factors as to why.   #1 - I believe Boston has a legitimate shot at Kevin Durant and Al Horford this summer primarily because of how well they have played and their strong foundation/management/ownership/coaching.   #2 - The Brooklyn pick has exceeded all expectations.  Their lack of depth was exposed by injuries and the team struggled mightily all season.  While the Philly pick is a lock for top 4, the lotto could bless us.   #3 - Players like Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas have taken leaps.  The trade value of guys like Avery Bradley have taken positive hits as well.  These can't be ignored.   Point is, there was a time when Philly's assets were legitimately more valuable than ours.   The basketball gods have been kind to us, though.  I'd take Boston's roster over it now.    Granted, 6 months from now if Boston strikes out in free agency, Embiid proves to be the prospect we all thought and Philly lands Ben Simmons in the draft, I'm not going to lie about my updated opinions on the roster value just because of my Celtic fandom.   THese things fluctuate.   Right now, Boston looks set up better than any team in the league.   I still think a smart GM will be able to turn Philly into a beast as well, though.    It's going to be very very interesting to watch what happens here.   

I stand by my stance that a competent GM will be able to easily turn Philly into a competitive team.  I had no idea if Hinkie was that guy.   I'm sure if Colangelo succeeds, people will act shocked and say he did a brilliant job "turning it around", but I genuinely think it's a dream scenario for any GM.   Taking over Philly is basically "Easy Mode".  It's only up from here.

Where is the level-headed optimism when evaluating the Cs prospects?

CTRL+F "Crowder"

[tankcity!]

At the end of the day Lbrrd, you won't debate with me

There's nothing to debate.   Philly is a dream job for any GM.  Whether or not the new GM succeeds in converting those assets into a competent team is another story.  Who knows?   They could make a bunch of botched trades and mess it up.   But know that the collection of youth/picks/cap space they have is pretty exceptional.   Only a couple teams are positioned better.   At this point, I like Boston's position more heading into the offseason... and I suspect if some fans here stepped back and had some perspective, they'd realize that is all they really ever wanted out of this conversation.  At the end of the day, they just couldn't bear the idea that Philly might have a brighter future than the Celtics.   Good news is, they might not.  Durant is a legit possibility for us.  I don't know that removing Hinkie will put Philly in the running.  I guess it depends how KD feels about Colangelo.

It just doesn't feel like you say this in your epic rants. It at least doesn't come off that way. What it seems like to people on this board is that you think Embiid will magically be fine and they will get great players for Noel, aka future Tyson Chandler, and Okafor. I love Okafor by the way. I have no idea why they would trade him since he could actually be a superstar is super undervalued right now. He's more agile than Brook Lopez. If he gets a jumpshot, which is probably going to happen, the dude will be deadly. I hope the Celts get him.

[LarBrd33]

At the end of the day Lbrrd, you won't debate with me

There's nothing to debate.   Philly is a dream job for any GM.  Whether or not the new GM succeeds in converting those assets into a competent team is another story.  Who knows?   They could make a bunch of botched trades and mess it up.   But know that the collection of youth/picks/cap space they have is pretty exceptional.   Only a couple teams are positioned better.   At this point, I like Boston's position more heading into the offseason... and I suspect if some fans here stepped back and had some perspective, they'd realize that is all they really ever wanted out of this conversation.  At the end of the day, they just couldn't bear the idea that Philly might have a brighter future than the Celtics.   Good news is, they might not.  Durant is a legit possibility for us.  I don't know that removing Hinkie will put Philly in the running.  I guess it depends how KD feels about Colangelo.

It just doesn't feel like you say this in your epic rants. It at least doesn't come off that way. What it seems like to people on this board is that you think Embiid will magically be fine and they will get great players for Noel, aka future Tyson Chandler, and Okafor. I love Okafor by the way. I have no idea why they would trade him since he could actually be a superstar is super undervalued right now. He's more agile than Brook Lopez. If he gets a jumpshot, which is probably going to happen, the dude will be deadly. I hope the Celts get him.

I don't think that's what I'm saying.  Embiid might never play a game.  The "if he plays he'll be a superstar" was mentioned earlier in this thread.  Who knows what actually will happen there.  Maybe he'd be severely limited.  Maybe he'd end up the next Greg Oden.   Maybe their pick falls to #4 and busts.  Maybe the Lakers keep their pick and inexplicably make the playoffs next year (leaving Philly without a lotto pick for trading MCW).  Maybe Saric never comes over... or comes over and shoots 17% from three like Smart.    Maybe Noel re-injures himself.  Maybe Okafor ends up in prison.   Maybe all their prospects/picks bust.  Maybe they fail to sign a single competent veteran, get fined by the league for perpetually falling under the minimum salary. 

Either way, I find it to be an incredibly intriguing situation.  The picks could bust, sure... but a good GM would evaluate this draft and determine if the picks should be traded beforehand.  We have endless threads here debating what Brooklyn's 1st could fetch us in a trade.  Why couldn't Philly do the same thing with their own 1st or the Laker pick?     Why couldn't they move Okafor before he gets himself thrown in prison?  Why couldn't they trade Saric's draft rights?   Why couldn't they move Noel for a team overloaded with guards?   

The options are endless.   It's an interesting team.  It remains an interesting team regardless of whether or not the guy hired to acquire those assets remains post-tank.   There's zero guarantee it succeeds.   Give that entire roster/assets to a mastermind like Danny Ainge and I'm fairly confident it ends up in the playoffs within a couple years.

[tankcity!]

At the end of the day Lbrrd, you won't debate with me

There's nothing to debate.   Philly is a dream job for any GM.  Whether or not the new GM succeeds in converting those assets into a competent team is another story.  Who knows?   They could make a bunch of botched trades and mess it up.   But know that the collection of youth/picks/cap space they have is pretty exceptional.   Only a couple teams are positioned better.   At this point, I like Boston's position more heading into the offseason... and I suspect if some fans here stepped back and had some perspective, they'd realize that is all they really ever wanted out of this conversation.  At the end of the day, they just couldn't bear the idea that Philly might have a brighter future than the Celtics.   Good news is, they might not.  Durant is a legit possibility for us.  I don't know that removing Hinkie will put Philly in the running.  I guess it depends how KD feels about Colangelo.

It just doesn't feel like you say this in your epic rants. It at least doesn't come off that way. What it seems like to people on this board is that you think Embiid will magically be fine and they will get great players for Noel, aka future Tyson Chandler, and Okafor. I love Okafor by the way. I have no idea why they would trade him since he could actually be a superstar is super undervalued right now. He's more agile than Brook Lopez. If he gets a jumpshot, which is probably going to happen, the dude will be deadly. I hope the Celts get him.

I don't think that's what I'm saying.  Embiid might never play a game.  The "if he plays he'll be a superstar" was mentioned earlier in this thread.  Who knows what actually will happen there.  Maybe he'd be severely limited.  Maybe he'd end up the next Greg Oden.   Maybe their pick falls to #4 and busts.  Maybe the Lakers keep their pick and inexplicably make the playoffs next year (leaving Philly without a lotto pick for trading MCW).  Maybe Saric never comes over... or comes over and shoots 17% from three like Smart.    Maybe Noel re-injures himself.  Maybe Okafor ends up in prison.   Maybe all their prospects/picks bust.  Maybe they fail to sign a single competent veteran, get fined by the league for perpetually falling under the minimum salary. 

Either way, I find it to be an incredibly intriguing situation.  The picks could bust, sure... but a good GM would evaluate this draft and determine if the picks should be traded beforehand.  We have endless threads here debating what Brooklyn's 1st could fetch us in a trade.  Why couldn't Philly do the same thing with their own 1st or the Laker pick?     Why couldn't they move Okafor before he gets himself thrown in prison?  Why couldn't they trade Saric's draft rights?   Why couldn't they move Noel for a team overloaded with guards?   

The options are endless.   It's an interesting team.  It remains an interesting team regardless of whether or not the guy hired to acquire those assets remains post-tank.   There's zero guarantee it succeeds.   Give that entire roster/assets to a mastermind like Danny Ainge and I'm fairly confident it ends up in the playoffs within a couple years.

Yeah, that's pretty much spot on. It just doesn't interest me because it's going to take a while for them to be good. It's more of a down the road thing. I'm just happy the Celtics have the 4th pick and a shot at Simmons, plus they're competing.

[Dino Pitino]

Give that entire roster/assets to a mastermind like Danny Ainge and I'm fairly confident it ends up in the playoffs within a couple years.

Deep within the playoffs, perhaps.

[Ilikesports17]

Lowe is a fantastic journalist. He controlled the interview in the exact way he needed to extract as much from Hinkie as possible. That split second of silence when he asked "is it a problem that you don't have that player (a superstar prospect) yet?" was absolutely priceless.

I got the feeling that Hinkie is quite resentful of the Celtics, particularly regarding the flak he's getting for routing Isaiah to us instead of including him in the package he got from Phoenix. He came off at quite bitter: he doesn't think it's fair that he's being painted as a failure already and he's got a great deal of conviction that he'll still be vindicated in the end.

Reading between the lines, I think Embiid's medical issues are looking fairly grim ("he's either going to be a superstar or never play in the NBA"), and the Sixers really have no clue with Saric ("we don't really have one person in charge of talking to him...").

I think the 76ers are set up to have the last laugh there.

Signs are looking very positive with Embiid.  I agree, if the guy plays he'll end up a superstar.  The only way he doesn't end up a superstar is if he never plays... but signs point to him playing.

So many assets.  A competent GM will be able to easily turn that into a competitive team.  At this point, the casual fans that don't get it aren't going to get it.  They'll just have to wait and be dumfounded when suddenly Hinkie's seeds turn into an Orchard.

Dude, c'mon. Know when to concede defeat. Hinkie just did. You should follow suit.

I've had soooo many conversations about Philly on this forum and I've always tried to be pretty clear in my stance on them.   My opinion gets twisted a lot.  I've reiterated the same points dozens of times.  You've seen them.   But I'll go ahead and reiterate them again.

- Never cared about Hinkie.  As far as I know, he was hired with the goal of tanking.  Philly was in "superstar or bust" mode before Hinkie came on... hence going after risky guys like Andrew Bynum.   

- I'm perfectly happy to see Philly fall on their face.  I've never been a 76er fan.

- I think Hinkie did a fine job collecting assets, but I never felt there was anything SPECIAL about what he was doing.  What he did didn't take genius.  I've never seen Hinkie as an equal to Danny Ainge.   What was SPECIAL was that the team was allowing and encouraging a shameless tank job.  We've never seen a team so shamelessly go into "superstar or bust" mode.  We've never seen a team so blatantly tank for such a prolonged period of time.  We've never seen a team basically say, "this system is rigged and encourages losing... so as long as this system encourages losing, let's lose for as long as we can".   They decided to run that team like you'd run a team in franchise mode on a video game... But in a video game, you have the luxury of simming full seasons in minutes without the media backlash.   That was fascinating to me.  I've never really cared about Hinkie.  I always saw Hinkie as a puppet.  He was hired to do collect assets and "let it ride", and he did a fine job at it.

I personally followed the same strategy in the Lucky17 Points League/CBPL.   I joined that keeper league 7 years into their existence.  The team I took over had finished in the lottery all 7 years and was currently bottom 5 in a 20 league team.   I took over in Jan 2014.  This was right around the time that I was desperate for Boston to bottom out and go for a star prospect in the 2014 draft.   So, I followed the same exact method I take every time I start a video game franchise mode.   I traded away every single player for prospects and draft picks.  I intentionally bottomed out 2 years in a row.   This Summer, I converted all of those assets into real tangible players.  My team subsequently steamrolled the entire league.  I coasted to a championship, put up a league record 32,363 points.  My team had an average age of 24 and was set up to dominate for the next 10-15 years.  The level of domination was so thorough that half the league threatened to quit unless I was removed.  I'm told that the juggernaut I put together will be dismantled with the players distributed to the bottom-tier teams in need of bail outs. 

Point is, I could follow that shameless "wait until next year" strategy in a fantasy league.  I didn't have fans and media to answer to.  You can do that in a video game.  But not until the recent Philadelphia 76ers have we seen a team follow that strategy in the real world.  Take guys like Noel and let him sit for a year.   Trade guys like Michael Carter Williams for draft picks that might end up in the top 4.    Draft Elfrid Payton and trade him away for Dario Saric and a future 1st with the expectation of Saric playing overseas.   Literally spend $0 on competent free agent veterans in favor of trying out D-League players that help the team continue to lose.  Allow a roster to be so lopsided and mismatched with no intention of fixing it in the short-term.   We haven't seen something so blatant before.

And it was fascinating.  It's still fascinating.  As much as ignorant fans want to believe otherwise, this story is far from over.  It's just entering the next phase.  This signals that they are done collecting assets - now they will try to turn it into a team.  Respected basketball minds like Zach Lowe and Charles Barkley back up this stance.   Philly is loaded with assets, they have some very interesting prospects and tons of options heading forward.   We will not know how this plays out for a few years.  Guys like Barkley have commented that the team is set up very well heading forward and he's right.   They have valuable pieces that can be traded for roster balance.

They are set up beautifully.   This offseason could be massive for them.   I've repeatedly said that this would be a dream job for a smart GM.  It's a DREAM job.  You can take over a team loaded with assets and young prospects, spend some cash on young guys on the promise of a "new team identity", trade the two centers you don't want for equally outstanding prospects at different positions...   It has basically everything a GM could want from a team.  Youth, draft picks, cap space, potentially franchise prospects. 

I had no idea of Hinkie would be the guy for that job, though.  Would he be the right guy to take the next step?  He did a fine job amassing the assets, but would he make the right moves heading forward?  Would he sell low on Okafor?  Would he make bad signings?   No freakin idea.  I've never at any point claimed to know if Hinkie was a competent GM in that regard. 

Sounds like Philly is making the right move.  The Colangelo's are highly regarded.  As they head into this potentially epic offseason for them, it's good to give the allure of a "fresh start" and a "winning mentality".   Hinkie probably hurt that perception.   Now they can engage in good-faith conversations with agents on the premise of, "Hey I know Hinkie snubbed you and the team was a mess, but now we have a totally new agenda.  Things are different!".   Hinkie leaving is probably for the best. 

I've said a couple times before that I expect at least 4 of the top 6 players next season aren't playing for them right now.   It remains a fascinating situation.  Especially depending on how lucky they get in the lotto. 

Truth be told, there was a time when I would have gladly swapped Boston's roster for Philly's.   I stand by the belief that Philly's assets are underrated. A lot of people still believe in Saric. I think Noel is a stud.  I believe Embiid still has a huge future if the bonegraft works out as well as it did for Durant and Lopez.  I think they'll have tons of trade options.  There is a real chance they end up with picks #1 and #4 in this draft.   They have several additional 1st round picks to utilize.   There was a time when I would have gladly taken that over "Marcus Smart + a pick that may or may not end up in the lotto".    To be fair, I have to point out that my opinion has changed since then.  There's a lot of factors as to why.   #1 - I believe Boston has a legitimate shot at Kevin Durant and Al Horford this summer primarily because of how well they have played and their strong foundation/management/ownership/coaching.   #2 - The Brooklyn pick has exceeded all expectations.  Their lack of depth was exposed by injuries and the team struggled mightily all season.  While the Philly pick is a lock for top 4, the lotto could bless us.   #3 - Players like Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas have taken leaps.  The trade value of guys like Avery Bradley have taken positive hits as well.  These can't be ignored.   Point is, there was a time when Philly's assets were legitimately more valuable than ours.   The basketball gods have been kind to us, though.  I'd take Boston's roster over it now.    Granted, 6 months from now if Boston strikes out in free agency, Embiid proves to be the prospect we all thought and Philly lands Ben Simmons in the draft, I'm not going to lie about my updated opinions on the roster value just because of my Celtic fandom.   THese things fluctuate.   Right now, Boston looks set up better than any team in the league.   I still think a smart GM will be able to turn Philly into a beast as well, though.    It's going to be very very interesting to watch what happens here.   

I stand by my stance that a competent GM will be able to easily turn Philly into a competitive team.  I had no idea if Hinkie was that guy.   I'm sure if Colangelo succeeds, people will act shocked and say he did a brilliant job "turning it around", but I genuinely think it's a dream scenario for any GM.   Taking over Philly is basically "Easy Mode".  It's only up from here.

Where is the level-headed optimism when evaluating the Cs prospects?

CTRL+F "Crowder"

Yea as you probably figured I only read the first few paragraphs before I just assumed this was another philly jerk circle post.

Apologies on that one. Though I got all the way to like the 5th paragraph so I think I can be excused.

Lastly Id have to agree that Philly is going to be GM on Easy and I hope as  celtics fan and moreso as a basketball fan that it fails miserably. I hope Embiid never plays for them, I hope Okafor gets traded and becomes a beast, I hope Saric finds a way to screw them, I hope Noel never learns how to play offense. I hope they blow both these picks and I hope agents blackmark them for the remainder of the ownership.

[PhoSita]

I don't think I'll ever fully understand why people got so riled up about the Hinkie Sixers.

It was an all-in strategy, one apparently approved by ownership.

Hinkie didn't execute it perfectly.  Most notably he was a bit tone deaf with PR and dealing with agents.  But he never made any moves that defied basic logic. 

[MBunge]

Either way, I find it to be an incredibly intriguing situation.

You do not apparently understand what the words "intriguing" and "fascinating" mean.  Someone who is "intrigued" with Philly doesn't ENDLESSLY argue with people that Philly is being well run.  Someone who is "fascinated" with Philly doesn't aggressively dispute virtually any and all criticsm of how Philly has been run.  You are and have been deeply and almost irrationally invested in what Hinkie has been doing, perhaps because you identify with him as guys who think they're smarter than everybody else when they are not.

And stop lying to yourself and everyone else that you don't care about Hinkie.  When Philly brought in Colangelo, EVERY OTHER SENTIENT BEING IN THE UNIVERSE recognized that it was a bad thing for Hinkie and his power and influence.  You, on the other hand, vociferously argued that an NBA legend was being hired as nothing more than a stooge to rubber stamp Hinkie's moves and handle the media.  That was one of the most willfully ignorant things to ever be posted on a sports message board, which covers a whole lot of stubborn indiocy.

You were wrong about Hinkie.  You were wrong about Embiid.  You are wrong about the Sixers.  Even you can no longer pretend their current roster is anything but a disaster and are reduced to feebly offering up unprovable hypotheticals that could, possibly, maybe, at some undefined point, potentially turn out well for Philly if everything goes their way and nothing bad happens.  By the pitiful standard you use for Philly, EVERY team is just a "competent GM" away from a dynasty.

That you admitted in this thread that you think the only difference between tanking in an NBA video game and tanking in the real world is media and fan anger is one of the most hilarious displays of foolishness I've ever seen and should be brought up any time in the future when you arrogantly talk down to anyone else in this place.

Mike

[jdz101]

I don't think I'll ever fully understand why people got so riled up about the Hinkie Sixers.

It was an all-in strategy, one apparently approved by ownership.

Hinkie didn't execute it perfectly.  Most notably he was a bit tone deaf with PR and dealing with agents.  But he never made any moves that defied basic logic.

Purveying the notion that its ok to get curb-stomped 9 games out of 10 to young talented basketball players didn't defy logic to you?

Engraining a culture of losing to your young bucks can damage franchises for decades, no matter the level of talent you acquire. See: Edmonton Oilers in the NHL.

[oldtype]

Many of us remember exactly where we were when tragedy strikes and we think of what could have been. For me—and this is sad for my own mental well being—that list includes the January day in 2014 when Miami traded Joel Anthony and two second round picks to our formidable competitors the Celtics. I can still picture the child’s play table I paced around at Lankenau Medical Center on my cell phone while negotiating with Miami’s front office. This was in between feedings for our newborn twins, when my wife and I were still sleeping in the hospital. Danny Ainge finalized that deal (and several other better ones) and received one first-place vote for Executive of the Year that season: mine.

From his 7k-word resignation letter. Say what you want about this guy, but he is clearly unimaginably intense and passionate about his job. I'd recommend giving the whole letter a read.

Many mistakes were made at Philly, but if he ever gets another job I imagine he will learn from them.

[LarBrd33]

Lol mbunge... How can you say I'm wrong about hinkie, embiid, etc when we literally have no idea how this will play out yet.   Philly has the best shot at the top pick this year.  How can you say it failed at this point.   Gotta give it a few years to see if Philly succeeded in their plan.  Hinkie was a good soldier. The plan enters the next phase.  Let's see what happens before leaping to conclusions. 

[LarBrd33]

I don't think I'll ever fully understand why people got so riled up about the Hinkie Sixers.

It was an all-in strategy, one apparently approved by ownership.

Hinkie didn't execute it perfectly.  Most notably he was a bit tone deaf with PR and dealing with agents.  But he never made any moves that defied basic logic.

No gm is perfect but I don't see many misses on hinkies resume. If embiid ends up the type of player we expected all along, will people fault him for taking embiid over Aaron Gordon ?

[PhoSita]

I don't think I'll ever fully understand why people got so riled up about the Hinkie Sixers.

It was an all-in strategy, one apparently approved by ownership.

Hinkie didn't execute it perfectly.  Most notably he was a bit tone deaf with PR and dealing with agents.  But he never made any moves that defied basic logic.

Purveying the notion that its ok to get curb-stomped 9 games out of 10 to young talented basketball players didn't defy logic to you?

No, because most of the fervent arguments against "tanking" ultimately rely on appeals to intangible things player motivation, team culture, and so on.  None of that's really based on logic.