How Sam Hinkie Gave Us An Entertaining Offseason
By Josh Wilson
“The Process,” has become an almost annoying term around the NBA and among Philadelphia 76ers fans, because of how often it’s brought up There’s two clear cut aides to the process, those who are for it, and those against it. While I strongly lean towards the side of the fence that’s all for trusting the process, I’m going to keep this post light, and keep it as one that can satisfy both sides.
More from The Sixer Sense
- 3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball
- 76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster
- 76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this season
- Grade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock deal
- Sixers Podcast: Danny Green returns + James Harden bombshell
Let’s imagine we are fans of another NBA team. Pick any team you’d like, but a particularly boring one would work better for this exercise. For most teams this offseason, talk is slowing down, and forums and blogs everywhere are in the few weeks between Summer League and training camp where there simply seems to be nothing to talk about.
Fans are wanting, dying to talk about their favorite basketball team, but just can not. They’ve evaluated every corner of their draft pick’s lives, they’ve looked into how the free agent acquisitions will impact their teams. It’s all old news. Nothing is going to entertain until basketball really starts up, or at least until training camps and preseason tips off.
Not for Sixers fans, though. We seem to have an endless amount of things to talk about, and we’ve got Sam Hinkie to thank for that.
ALSO ON SIXER SENSE: Why Hasn’t Anyone Simply Written On Tony Wroten?
We’ve evaluated Jahlil Okafor a bunch. We’ve looked at every corner of how Nik Stauskas will impact the team, and we’ve talked a ton about who will be the starting point guard next season. While we have those same aspects as every other team, we have more to talk about (or argue about) as well.
Yesterday I was involved in a discussion on Twitter with some other Sixers fans. This made it incredibly clear that even though we often disagree, Hinkie almost always gives us something to talk about.
@jdSportsBlog @CodyDanielHoops @RealJakeHyman ……no
— Nathan Giese (@NathanGiese) August 6, 2015
Although blogs and forums have been dwindled down to the few loyal fans, that’s how we like it. Sure, the days of success are nice when there’s hundreds, maybe even thousands more fans online to join in the discussion, but when seasons get as bad as 18 wins, we find out who the real fans are.
These fans are often so dedicated that their opinions become amplified a lot. Things get brutal, and things are said that sometimes should not be said. That’s okay, because usually, we all apologize, and realize we all want the same thing: success in Philadelphia.
If anything, "The Process," gives us something to argue about even in the offseason months. #Sixers
— Josh Wilson (@J_WilsonSports) August 6, 2015
We have plenty of heated discussions on Reddit about the process. Those for it and against it come together to put their two cents in. Sure, sometimes it gets heated, but that’s alright. We need to appreciate that we have a fan base that’s fun to be with. We should all be proud to be Sixers fans, no matter where we stand with the process.
Still, I’m not sure why you guys aren’t trusting the process yet.