The Philadelphia 76ers Are Not a Good Franchise

With the “firing” of general manager Sam Hinkie, the Philadelphia 76ers organization is in a very dark place.

I was sitting at a nice family dinner when I received the call. That is how I will remember this day. Just as everyone remembers where they were during most big tragedies in their life. I will remember on April 6, 2016 I was eating buffalo chicken tacos when I received the call that Sam Hinkie was no longer part of the Philadelphia 76ers organization.

I stood in the middle of my uncle and aunt’s kitchen as it seemed time stood still as I listen to my cousin tell me on the phone that Hinkie was gone. Not only was Hinkie gone, Jerry Colangelo, the seemingly spineless swine he is, was going to hire his son Bryan Colangelo as the new general manager of my Sixers. The same Bryan Colangelo that ran the Toronto Raptors organization into the ground with draft picks such as Andrea Bargnani, and signings such as Landry Fields for 3 years, $20 million.

As I type this, I still cant believe this is real. What could Joshua Harris and the rest of the Sixers ownership partners possibly have been thinking with a move like this?

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First off, before I continue, let’s set the record straight. Sam Hinkie “resigned” because he was essentially fired. It would be unwise to think it would be fine for the general manager to step into some ridiculously created analytics job or as co-general manager as Jerry Colangelo hired his son to run the team.

Of course he’s leaving. That’s like saying to Gregg Popovich, “hey listen, we like you, but we’re going to bring in a co-head coach for a fresh take. Maybe you can be a co-coach, if not we have created a new position for you. The position is director of basketball personalities” Its crap. The Sixers hung Hinkie out to dry and are too spineless to admit it.

Let’s for a second forget about how wrong it was for the Sixers organization to do what they did to Hinkie. How about the fans? How could you tell us “Together We Build?” The Sixers to us that we are building for the future as we suffer through three of the worst seasons that were ever accomplished by any franchise in any sport.

Then, right when the fans get to see a smidgen of hope, the organization bails on the plan. That is like cooking a beautiful meal for hours and hours and right before you eat it, you throw it in the dumpster. That, my friends, is what just happened to us. The Sixers are lucky they had so many loyal and trusting fans through the process, then to turn around and spit in our face like this is just absolutely astounding.

It has now been almost ten hours since the news broke as I write this and I have yet to come up with any possible idea as to why this would be a correct move for this organization. Sam Hinkie made the correct moves time and time again for this organization and I will argue that till my dying day.

The Jrue Holiday trade was questioned… How did that turn out? The Michael Carter-Williams trade was questioned… How did that turn out? K.J. McDaniels was traded, everyone questioned that… How did that turn out?

Sam Hinkie traded nothing to acquire Nik Stauskas and a first round pick swap, a legendary trade. Picking up undrafted Brandon Davies, turning him into almost a serviceable player, then trading him for draft picks. Hinkie found low cost gems for the Sixers constantly, Robert Covington in the D-League, Hollis Thompson in the D-League, T.J. McConnell undrafted free agent, Jerami Grant in the second round, Jakarr Sampson undrafted free agent, and the list goes on. No one can argue that Sam Hinkie wasn’t light years ahead of anything Billy King had done with the Sixers.

The worst part about this is now the Sixers have the best scapegoat ever. If the picks work out the way the Sixers hope they will have two selections in the top five. Then they can sign a few key free agents. Then the team appears to be trending in the right direction. All the credit will be given to the Colangelo’s.

On the other side, if Joel Embid never suits up for the Sixers, or proves to be a bust, or if Dario Saric ends up being just hype, if Jahlil Okafor gets shipped out of town, it all will be thought of as part of Hinkie’s failed plan. It’s disgusting to think about.

Where do we go from here seems to be a logical question. Obviously I have zero faith in the owners, and the brass of this organization now so who do we place our hope in? Brett Brown maybe? Not so fast.

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I have been a supporter of Brett Brown since day one. The poor man has suffered through horrible rosters and purposeful tanking. No one knows how he will be as a coach because he has not had the opportunity to coach yet. Given the new “direction” the team is taking it seems Brett Brown will be the next victim of this new Sixers regime.

Jerry Colangelo seems to be this evil mastermind now, that established this elaborate plan to get Hinkie out and replace him with his son. Is Colangelo doing the same with Mike D’Antoni? I honestly wouldn’t be shocked for Brown to be gone in days, maybe even hours, and D’Antoni replacing him.

That still leaves us with the question where do we go from here? I have been a lifelong Sixers fan and for the first time in my life I am truly disgusted with the organization and have been strongly considering renouncing my fanhood. Unfortunately, something my mother taught me has been ringing over and over in my head since the news has broken. Anytime I did wrong in my life my Mom has always said to me (after being set straight of course) “I may not like you right now, but I will always love you.” That is where I think I am with this team. I don’t like the organization right now, in fact I hate them and think they are doing the wrong thing. But, I cannot just leave the ship even though I am left without a captain. I have to stay true to the team in the long run.

It sucks to say this because I am really invested in this team and grew to love every player on this roster in some form. Honestly, I hope this whole thing ends badly. I hope Embid never suits up. I hope Saric never plays. I hope the Sixers cannot land any marquee free agents. I hope the Sixers get the number four pick in the draft. I hope the Lakers get the number one pick. I hope the Sixers have the worst league attendance for the foreseeable future. I hope Sam Hinkie flurishes in his future endevors. I hope Brett Brown finds another team and leads them to a championship. I hope Joshua Harris end up having to sell the team. More importantly I hope the true fans that are left that are pissed off at this time learn to like this team again.

This is going to come off hypocritical, but our organization is now the Cleveland Browns of the NBA. We honestly have nothing to look forward too. People will think “You just said the process was going to work, now because Hinkie is out the organization isn’t looking as promising?” My analogy for that will be a high level NASCAR vehicle could win, but it depends on who is driving it. If there are two of the same cars and one is driven by Jeff Gordon and one is driven by me obviously Gordon is going to win because he knows what he is doing. That is how I feel about the current state of the Sixers. The Sixers are set up with future players, picks, and cap room to have all the potential in the world. Unfortunately, the person calling the shots for the team’s future went from a genius to a boy who couldn’t get hired until his daddy got him a job.

Next: 2016 Trade Deadline Was Hinkie's Downfall

The future of the Sixers is now linked to the most ridiculous form of nepotism in the history of professional sports.