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Philadelphia 76ers: The Problem With Sam Hinkie’s Plan

By Gerald Bourguet

Dec 15, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (left) talks with general manager and president Sam Hinkie (right) before a game against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 15, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (left) talks with general manager and president Sam Hinkie (right) before a game against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 29, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during media day at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

The Big Moment

All that tanking was hard to bear for Sixers fans and NBA fans alike, but the big moment had finally arrived where Philly’s fortunes would turn and their patient supporters would begin to enjoy the reward of their faith: the 2014 NBA Draft had arrived and the Sixers had not one, but TWO top-10 picks.

It was a moment to eagerly anticipate what the future looked like. It was the big test of Hinkie’s tenure, the payoff moment that was supposed to get fans excited about their team again.

And in one fell swoop, Hinkie dropped a fat “rain check” on the table, dropped the mic and walked out.

With the No. 3 pick, the Sixers selected the injured Joel Embiid. Then they scared the crap out of Michael Carter-Williams by drafting point guard Elfrid Payton at No. 10 before trading him to the Orlando Magic for the 12th pick, which they used to select Dario Saric — an overseas prospect who wouldn’t play in the NBA for at least a year.

The only thing Sixers fans had to look forward to in 2014-15 was the debut of Nerlens Noel, the development of MCW and second-round draft picks K.J. McDaniels and Jerami Grant.

To be fair, neither of those first-round picks were bad in a vacuum. Embiid was projected to be the No. 1 pick for his Hakeem Olajuwon-potential until those foot injuries scared everyone away. Saric is an intriguing and entertaining player who is sure to carve out his own identity in the NBA … but we don’t live in a vacuum.

Once again, after the third-worst season in franchise history, the overwhelming message Hinkie sent to his fans was patience.

It was a silent middle finger to a fan base that had been waiting for some sort of tangible sign of hope. Instead, they got yet another injured center who wouldn’t play his rookie season and a foreign prospect who wouldn’t come stateside for at least one year. Another season of misery was coming, even if Embiid and Saric had potential.

The Sixers then got their beaks wet in the Kevin Love deal, mercifully moving Thaddeus Young to the Minnesota Timberwolves, receiving the Miami Heat’s 2015 first-round draft pick along with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (still on the team) and Alexey Shved (traded to the Houston Rockets a few months later for the soon-to-be-waived Ronny Turiaf, the rights to Serhiy Lishchuk and a second-round pick).

At this point, Hinkie’s long-term plan of piling up future second-round draft picks started to feel like a certain five-year plan from Big Daddy:

What is Hinkie’s long-term plan? Is there an actual end goal in sight, or is it just to avoid termination as the franchise suffers from the second-worst attendance in the NBA (and soon to be worst now that the Minnesota Timberwolves got Kevin Garnett back)?

Even with a long-term strategy in mind, ownership will only tolerate so much misery and humiliation before they turn to someone who will actually put those draft picks to good use.

Speaking of which, it’s time to talk about Michael Carter-Williams.

Next: Reaching The Limit