And When the Sixers Get Good, Give Sammy His Statue...

Young talent. Top of the board picks. The most cap room in the NBA. A ten win team. That is what Sam Hinkie left the Sixers when he left as general manager in early April. Obviously the first three of those things were all good, and the Sixers are better off for it. To hear it be told, it was the last piece that made change at the top of the basketball operation. We don't believe the company line though.

Sam Hinkie got run out by the NBA, guilty of exposing their terrible collective bargaining agreement for what it is. He understood that from the fifth seed to the worst team in the conference wasn't much different, except that the worst team had a shot of getting a super talent in the draft that would make them good. While the Nets and Pacers of the world try to compete and put a second-tier playoff team on the court, Hinkie understands that his team needs to be absolutely terrible- to insure that top three kind of pick that can change the franchise, and free up the cash to go out and actually sign a star that gives them a chance to compete. Hinkie understands that the step before contending for a championship, or at least being in the second round, is to be really bad. He played that system perfectly. The other GM's and owners hated that. They need interest in their second tier teams to be real. Hinkie exposed to the world that there is no reason to be interested in them.

The league hates Sam Hinkie for doing his job right. They hate him for gaming the system they created. They hate him for understanding basketball better than the "basketball guys" do. You need stars to win, and you only get them through lots of salary cap room to sign them, and from drafting them. No one in the league did a better job at lining up those two things. All he did was put a completely unqualified, incapable of winning team on the court. This infuriated the league. I guess they prefer a mess that stays in purgatory, like the Knicks.

Things are about to change for the Sixers. They have not one, not two, but possibly three Rookie-of-the-Year contenders in 2016-2017. They have a ton of money, and as of today can start spending it on free agents. They have a very real shot of going from ten win this past season to a playoff contender no later than next season. From there, they will only grow. As we all enjoy this product, let's not forget how we got it, even if the league is going to try and credit others.