I generally don't make long-winded posts, mostly because this board tends to support my craving for pre-pubescent-like humor and ranting. Sports lend themselves to that, and everyone needs an outlet for silliness. That said, there's a bigger issue here that seems to manifest in nothing more than trolling, insults, and a general misconception of what's really being discussed. This points to LB, obviously, but several others as well... so it seems worth mentioning.
Hinkie was hired with a specific purpose in mind among PHI ownership. He was entrusted with a plan (although they passed on it previously, in favor of Tony DiLeo, until the the collapse of Bynum). Their plan has been firmly grounded in the rise of analytics and belief in Hinkie as a very bright person, firmly entrenched in advancing the game/PHI via data collection and analysis. He was well-established at the time... well-educated, presumably busy savvy, and was hired by Morey part-time during his college years. That suggests to me that he at least appeared to be impressive. Morey may get blamed for the Harden trade, but if ownership wasn't on board re: expenditures, that can easily be laid to rest. And regardless, he was (with luck, as is needed) a fine GM in building a contender in OKC.
So now we hear reports of Colangelo joining the 76ers and, based upon his reputation, every one is assuming there's some sort of divide or change of heart among the powers that be within the organization. Yet, on the heels of this report, Brett Brown has been quoted as saying he is actively engaged in talks with ownership and Hinkie about a contract extension, and for all intensive purposes, comes with a solid reputation. Folks are pointing to league-interference since 2014 as a sign of trouble, but alternatively, that could be seen as an indicator that the 76ers are playing nice... and does not necessarily suggest they have given up on the process. Contrarily, if Colangelo's comments are to be taken at face value, it may provide further support to some that they're still fully committed to Hinkie.
The disappointing part, for me, is the potential to lose out on a chance to see this thing through. To be clear, I strongly disagree with Hinkie's perspective on an optimal rebuild. For him, maybe it was specific to PHI (considering destination) and not his ideal of a perfect rebuild scenario, but rather one shaped by the first situation in which he landed a job of significant authority. But i know I could be wrong. Either way, I know that I am still writing silly stuff in our game threads, all the time, and very much enjoy our process -- knowing full well that we won't contend, will probably be a first round sweep again, and may still be years away from making noise atop the East. And my favorite posts tend to be the observational ones from rollie mass (dude knows his stuff). We still have fun players, guys are bought in, coaching is great, and the ups and downs make it fun to dream. That said, cannot imagine being a 76ers fan... highly doubt I'd be at all engaged. Given my tolerance for our ups and downs, lack of a star, etc... that tells me a lot of other folks (though different fanbase) probably wouldn't be invested either, esp considering I'm addicted to bball. I don't know...
What seems apparent, though, is that Hinkie has the potential be the Billy Bean experiment of the NBA. Plenty of teams are collecting data, for example, via Sport.VU, and incorporating it into decision-making. ESPN honored PHI for their use of advanced stats in 2015, in fact, despite their dark days. Apparently, he collects data on players in practice (e.g., GPS, fatigue) and had his disgruntled club taken to a TED talk about "grit" within the past year. Seems fully committed to his process. He also looks like a massive dork, and while I apologize to any offended there, I think it brings up the main issue. He likely is a dork, embracing a full-out stats approach (that we may never get to see, compared to Bean, unfortunately), and likely divides a ton of folks for it.
There seems to be a large camp of fans that embrace experience, observations, and knowing basketball because "I played it at a high level," (I can related) and others who fall way in the opposite extreme of data collection, analytics, and being "process" oriented. I find myself in this spot every day... clinically oriented, relied heavily on observations/qualitative data for years, and now opening up more to statistics. That seems to be the real battle being fought here, with a caveat -- I doubt many are aware that this is where the fascination with Hinkie and his plan come from (among his supporters here). Yet I believe it can be both intriguing and informative for both sides, if it is seen through. We haven't gotten a chance to see a Bean-like process carried out in the NBA. And despite my respect for statistics, we have yet to see how reliance upon them shakes out in our league. I, for one, would love to see it... and while it may seem we're talking more about "biases for teams other than our own" or "trolling," I think it's more likely it comes down to this issue... and one that, to this point, hasn't really been opnely discussed yet on the forum (to my knowledge).
Topic: Happy trails to Hinkie's Power. (Read 104863 times)