Hinkie’s Stain of Tanking Remains on The Sixers’ Roster

Even though Sam Hinkie has been gone for a few months, his tanking philosophies still stain the team regarding their log jammed front court.

It all started on the night of the 2013 NBA Draft. The Sam Hinkie era kicked off in Philadelphia with a draft night trade that traded then-all-star point guard Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Hinkie continued his tanking ways as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers after the trade for three years until he resigned this past April by releasing a 13-page letter to Sixers management.

Hinkie made life for Bryan Colangelo, now the Sixers’ president of basketball operations easy by acquiring so many assets and leaving them with the first overall pick in the final year of his plan. But leading up to the 2016 NBA Draft, Hinkie has also left Colangelo in a difficult situation with a logjammed frontcourt consisting of several players with serious question marks.

Should we move Jahlil Okafor, who recorded 17 points and seven rebounds per game in his rookie season?

Will we get equal value in return for Okafor or Nerlens Noel?

Are we confident enough to invest significant faith into Joel Embiid’s durability this season, and his chances of having a healthy career in the NBA?

Should we wait a year to draft a guard in a draft class with five guards projected to go in the lottery next season?

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These are the questions Colangelo will have to deeply consider before he pulls the trigger on any moves.

Adding a talented guard like Kris Dunn or Jamal Murray to the Sixers’ backcourt is appealing, however, the cost isn’t cheap. The cost would involve Colangelo dealing Okafor, Noel or maybe even some draft picks—some of Hinkie’s most coveted assets.

And by shipping off one of those big men, it entails Colangelo is making an investment into Embiid’s health.

After sitting out his first two seasons, Embiid hasn’t played one possession in a Sixers uniform yet, however, he was recently cleared to start practicing in five-on-five scrimmages, according to The Vertical. The Sixers’ plan revolves around the health of Embiid.

If Colangelo is openly willing to deal Noel and Okafor, do you think he has confirmation from doctors that Embiid’s navicular bone won’t interfere with his play this season?

History says no if you look at the big men who have suffered the same injury.

Hypothetically, let’s say Colangelo jumps the gun and makes a deal shipping Okafor to the Celtics for the third overall pick.

They land Dunn and all seems to be going well for Colangelo.

He’s the most popular guy in Philadelphia. Embiid continues to look like a monster in workouts.

But, the seasons tips off, and before you know it Embiid has a setback and is sidelined for the rest of season.

Now, a once logjammed frontcourt consists of only Noel. That’s the controversy with this situation of logjammed big men.

By dealing one, you might lose some value, and possibly lose another to injury in the process.

There is another way to handle this situation, and that’s by being passive for another year, which I’m not sure how Sixers fans will take after three years of tanking.

Colangelo can take a play from Hinkie’s playbook and remain patient for this season and not deal any of the bigs.

With Embiid playing minimal minutes, he could rotate in with Okafor and Noel to see how his body endures an 82-game NBA season.

But even that presents problems like: how do you divide minutes amongst the three bigs? And could this stunt the growth of their development in NBA and lessen their values on the trade market?

The last time Embiid played in a basketball game was on March 1st, 2014 against Oklahoma State University.

That alone could make Colangelo remain patient this season, however.

All signs point to him being aggressive this offseason.

The Sixers were reportedly shopping Okafor and Noel to 15 teams, according to Keith Pompey of Philly.com.

Hinkie’s tanking strategy put the pieces in play for Colangelo.

But at the same time, Hinkie’s assets are making life difficult for Colangelo, and he’s one move away from having his career drastically altered as the Sixers’ general manager.