Has Sixers Sam Hinkie Hustled The NBA?

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Sep 29, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie talks with reporters during media day at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Has Sixers Sam Hinkie Hustled The NBA?

When I think of the word “hustle”, I picture Steve McQueen with a lit cigarette hanging off his lips, or Paul Newman and Robert Redford scheming to con mob boss Robert Shaw. You know that the set up to hustle is typically to feign simplicity and allow someone to believe that they have you at a disadvantage. Then, raise the stakes. Place the wager so high that it breaks either side. The “mark”, now completely overconfident and greedy, jumps at the chance at “easy money”. But the hustle kicks in, and the mark rapidly discovers that overconfidence and greed have left them powerless to prevent losing it all.

More from The Sixer Sense

Fast forward to the 2015 NBA. Philadelphia 76ers president and general manager Sam Hinkie has just been graded for one more transaction. The routine is similar: NBA team dumps a low production extremely expensive player onto the Sixers roster, and selects a player with some production and upside who is a better bargain. The Sixers get a draft pick, or an option to swap picks for their troubles. The transaction grade is typically

"“(Insert NBA Team Name here) pillages Sixers roster for player (insert name here), and dump their huge salary in player (insert overpriced player name here) at the same time. This is a double win, and I’m astounded Sam Hinkie still has a job making these trades. Of course, nobody know what Hinkie is up to anyways. NBA Team transaction grade: A+ 76ers Transaction grade: C- or I (incomplete)"

The first time I’d read an analysis like this, it made me question Hinkie. But now for the rest of the story….

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