Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie (far left) watches as center
(21) walks out of the tunnel on crutches prior to a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sam Finds Glitch In NBA System
The president and general manager of the 76ers, Sam Hinkie, uses the shallow draft, the salary cap, and the overpaid contracts to his advantage. He picks up the undrafted talent that is NBA worthy. If you don’t take my word for it, check out the production of Robert Covington, T.J. McConnell, or former Sixers K.J. McDaniels. With the undrafted talent on the roster, he then has plenty of salary cap space to absorb the contracts of veterans from other teams who are under-performing their cost to the NBA team. But, with that willingness to take on huge contracts, Hinkie wants compensation – usually in the form of NBA draft picks. The reason this strategy works is simply the “must win now” mentality of this NBA. By delaying their return, they have amassed talent that will mature in synch with the talent that will arrive from the 2016 NBA draft – up to four first round picks.
But NBA executives (unnamed) don’t like where this is taking the NBA. Some claim that the Philadelphia 76ers are not placing an NBA quality team onto the basketball court. With one win in this young season, that’s probably somewhat correct. Some claim that the Philadelphia 76ers have lost the ear of agents of top NBA talent. That could be true as well, as it’s common knowledge that the Sixers will not be paying a max contract for any player before they turn the corner and begin winning. Some claim that the Sixers are tanking for that first NBA draft pick.
But that is where they stand as incorrect. Tanking suggests that they are TRYING to lose games. They aren’t. The 76ers are simply not interested in building a team that can never challenge for a championship while winning just enough games to keep them from having an opportunity to find a franchise player in the draft. They simply have delayed their need to win until pieces are in place to sustain success, and perhaps even carry them into a multi-year championship run.
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