As our Chuck Myron noted this morning, the Sixers have been a hub of activity over the past few days. From their involvement in the Kevin Love blockbuster, to the Hasheem Thabeet deal, to their agreement with injured rookie center Joel Embiid, the positioning that GM Sam Hinkie and company accomplished has put them in a unique spot from a salary cap flexibility standpoint. Philly seems to have their hands in everything and, as Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders pointed out earlier tonight, we shouldn’t expect that to change anytime soon.
Whether they’re dumping veterans, hoarding future draft picks or using their current ones on players unlikely to help them now, it’s obvious the Sixers have no intention of competing in the immediate future. Hinkie has the luxury of building his team with ownership’s ultimate confidence, or at least he’s operated as such. However, as careful as he’s been about tipping his hand since arriving in Philly, Hinkie did concede earlier today that trading Thaddeus Young was difficult, perhaps implying that he’s not as narrowly focused on asset collection as it may seem.
The Sixers’ methods are, if nothing else, polarizing in NBA circles. Basketball purists may look down upon what they perceive as tanking while more progressive-minded fans may see a forward-thinking GM taking advantage of a league loophole. So what do you think? A month ago, Hoops Rumors readers thought the Sixers’ rebuild would pay off before that of the Jazz or Magic, implying that there’s a contingent of fans out there who believe in what Hinkie and the Sixers are doing. What about the rest of you? As always, feel free to weigh in via the comments section.
I was with them until the Thaddeus Young deal
Young is a good player but I think they maximized their return for him to be honest.
In the NBA you either want to be good enough to compete for the ring or absolutely terrible for 2-3 years. The 76ers if they catch a few breaks can be really good real soon.
explain your thoughts on the young deal that u didnt like.. what did u think hinke could have gotten 4 him
I probably wouldnt have traded him. He is still only 25, and he is the type of player you want young players to be around and learn from. He is a hustle guy and plays the right way, and contributes in multiple areas of the game. I’d love to have him on my team…its not like Philly wouldnt be bad enough with him still there
6 votes for “Other (explain in comments)” but no comments about it. Someone’s doing it wrong
As a sixer fan i have embraced the tank and still go to games because the seats are so cheap! If the plan works Sixers will dominate for at least a decade. If the plan fails they still get high draft picks. Current ownership group did try to win. They went all in and spent money on players and made trades for Andrew Bynum but things just didn’t work out one way or another. But I thoroughly am enjoying Hinkies plan.