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New Orleans Pelicans: Played By Sam Hinkie

By Owen Sanborn

Apr 10, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) shoots the ball over Phoenix Suns forward Earl Barron (30) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Sun 90-75. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday (11) shoots the ball over Phoenix Suns forward Earl Barron (30) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Sun 90-75. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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In perhaps the most Sam Hinkie thing to ever surface on the NBA’s bottom line, it was reported yesterday that the Philadelphia 76ers did not disclose the extent of Jrue Holiday‘s leg injuries prior to dealing him to the New Orleans Pelicans on draft night 2013. Apparently, Holiday had been playing with stress fractures in his lower right leg the season prior to being traded.

Yikes.

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Holiday was an All-Star the season before he got shipped to New Orleans, playing in 78 games while averaging 17.7 points and 8.0 assists per game. During his two years thus far with the Pelicans, he has yet to reach that 78-game plateau, battling nagging knee and ankle injuries while only playing in 74 games combined.

The NBA ordered the Sixers to pay the Pelicans $3 million to compensate for the sneaky deed. I’m sure outraged Pelican fans will argue that that punishment is not nearly enough and that draft picks should instead be involved. The $3 million price tag will have no immediate benefit on their fandom.

But instead of focusing on the snake-like manner in which this deal seemed to be constructed, I think we should begin admiring Hinkie for doing his best work. He somehow was able to summon two first round picks from the Pelicans for a player that was soon to be hobbled. He saw the writing on the wall for Holiday and flipped his All-Star season while the stove was boiling.

Could he have been more open about the condition of Holiday’s knees? Sure, but I also think he was just doing what was best for his team in that instant. Sometimes the best general managers are the most difficult people to deal with and they are better off because of it. They are focused on the potential triumphs of their team and their roster only, they have little regard for the well being of the rest of the 29 teams in the league.

He was able to squeeze two first round picks from a soon-to-be depreciating asset. Part of his job description is to do just that. Teams make bad trades with other teams all the time. It is not always so black and white. There is always room for grey areas.

Dell Demps and the rest of the Pelicans’ faithful can’t feel good about getting duped into this trade, but if the roles were reversed, would they be throwing their arms up in the air calling foul play? Probably not. We would all be commending Demps on striking such a fine deal on a player that was destined to come back to earth after a random All-Star season.

Conversely, Hinkie is painted as a villain and a weasel of a general manager for this transaction. Maybe that has to do with the narrative he was woven for himself over this three-year long Ponzi Scheme that he is running out there in Philly. Fans like to jump on his out of the box tactics and ghost-like stature whenever they are given the chance to do so. And that’s what makes sports, sports. It needs its share of villains to keep things interesting.

If Hinkie is not already regarded as a “villain” or “snake” by other NBA fan bases, yesterday’s report likely pushed them over the edge.

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