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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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Dec 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams (1) leads guard K.J. McDaniels (14) and forward Nerlens Noel (4) and center Henry Sims (35) back to the court after a timeout against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center. The Thunder defeated the 76ers 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Reaching The Limit

The 2015 NBA trade deadline represented the final straw for me, and for some of Hinkie’s most patient supporters too. The 76ers had one of the worst records in the league at the time, but they had shown small signs of improvement over the preceding weeks. So of course, Hinkie decided it was too much.

In a shocking move, he shipped off Michael Carter-Williams to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade that nabbed Philly a first-round pick (not so shocking). To be fair, that top-five protected pick coming from the Phoenix Suns via the Los Angeles Lakers could be very valuable next season, when it’s only top-three protected.

But hadn’t the Sixers just drafted a point guard they were comfortable with? Hadn’t they just picked a versatile, well-rounded guard who won the Rookie of the Year Award? And yet, just like that, they shipped him away for a draft pick that could wind up being a top-10 pick in 2016 … or could wind up being worse than that.

Think about it. The Lakers will most likely finish with a bottom-five record this season, which means they’ll keep their pick until next season when it’s top-three protected.

By that time, Los Angeles will have a healthy Julius Randle, they’ll have added a top-five prospect in this year’s draft, they’ll have an improved Jordan Clarkson, a healthy Kobe Bryant and possibly a big-name free agent or two with all the cap space they have this summer.

That means the Lakers are only a few moves away from vastly improving next season, diminishing the value of the pick. Isn’t that scenario a bit scary when you consider what MCW’s potential might wind up looking like?

Hinkie’s defenders were quick to point out MCW’s flaws as a poor shooter and turnover-prone point guard who could never lead the Sixers to the promised land.

And yet, when you take a look at the numbers from his rookie season, it’s hard to not notice his uncanny similarities to a Hall of Fame point guard he’ll now have the pleasure of playing under with the Bucks — Jason Kidd. The numbers speak for themselves:

Rk Player Season Age G MP FG% 3P% FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PTS
1 Michael Carter-Williams 2013-14 22 70 34.5 .405 .264 .703 6.2 6.3 1.9 0.6 3.5 16.7
2 Jason Kidd 1994-95 21 79 33.8 .385 .272 .698 5.4 7.7 1.9 0.3 3.2 11.7

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/27/2015.

If you remember, Kidd was a horrendous shooter early in his career, and yet he still became one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, a walking triple-double who made every team he ever joined significantly better.

Michael Carter-Williams is tied with Rajon Rondo for the second-most triple-doubles in the NBA this season (three), trailing only Russell Westbrook‘s league-best mark of five. He’s not a great shooter, but he’s also only 23 years old. MCW isn’t the only piece Hinkie moved at the latest trade deadline, however.

In a deal with the Houston Rockets, Hinkie moved a promising 22-year-old rookie and one of the best shot blockers in the league at his position in K.J. McDaniels. The return? Isaiah Canaan and a 2015 second-round draft pick.

Admittedly, Hinkie did a good job in his trade with the Denver Nuggets, who were looking to salary dump JaVale McGee. Philly had plenty of room to take on McGee’s ugly contract, and got Denver to include a 2015 first-round pick for nothing more than the rights to Cenk Akyol.

But the overwhelming feeling from the 2015 NBA trade deadline? Confusion, sadness, shock and the sinking feeling that this long-term rebuild is more like a looooooooooooooooong-term rebuild.

Next: The End Result