Philadelphia 76ers: A Thank You Letter To Sam Hinkie

After a successful 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers, we owe Sam Hinkie a thank you letter.

THANK YOU SAM HINKIE

My mother always told me that thank you letters were very important in life. She told me that giving is one of the best things in life, and it is even that much sweeter when someone shows appreciation for that gift.

Sometimes the best thank you letters come after a span of time in which the giver may no longer be thinking about the gift they gave. The day they open the letter it fills them with joy to know that their efforts did not go unnoticed. Well, this is my long overdue thank you letter to Sam Hinkie.

Last night’s draft was a whirlwind of emotions for me and I’m sure for most true Philadelphia 76ers fans. I knew that Ben Simmons would be our number one pick, there was no surprise there. My concern was that the over eager point guard craving daddy’s boy that is Bryan Colangelo would sell the farm to get a guard in Kris Dunn. A guard who certainly does not fit with the top three players on our team. Lucky for us, all teams denied the insane proposals of Colangelo keeping our young talented nucleus intact.

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Now I am aware that during the draft rumors fly around like Zika infested mosquitoes at the Olympics. But when you have Adrian Wojnarowski reporting that Colangelo offered Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, and the 24th and 26th overall picks for Kris Dunn, that’s an issue.

Wojnarowski, if you don’t know who he is, is essentially the oracle of the NBA. He says it, It happens. There is no way that ESPN’s Marc Stein and Woj report that exact offer and there not be a smidgen of truth to it.

I understand that all General Managers claim post draft that any proposed “offers” have little to no truth involved with them, but when there is smoke, there is fire. When there is so much smoke that you cant see, bet your ass there is a forest fire. Somehow these offers were turned down, and honestly, it was for the best.

I came into this draft thinking that it would be a success if we 1. Drafted Ben Simmons, 2. Kept Jahlil Okafor, and 3. Came away with a talented player late in the draft. Well, ladies and gentleman we hit the trifecta for my successful draft checklist.

I will give credit were credit is due. I may have a disdain for Colangelo, but last night’s selection of Timothe Luwawu was arguably one of the best value picks in the draft (if you don’t know who Luwawu is watch this). Why was this draft so successful may you ask? Because of Sam Hinkie, not Bryan Colangelo.

Yes, Colangelo made the nice pick with Luwawu, but he didn’t want to have a pick there. If he had his way we would have Kris Dunn at the expense of a talented big man, our only shooter, and two young talented foreign rookies.

Sam Hinkie, in just under three years went from owing a first round pick, to have the largest surplus of lottery picks in the league. Say what you will about Same Hinkie’s drafting of all big men, but all these post players are incredibly talented and obviously sought after. We will see Sam’s mark on this team for years and years to come, long after he has moved on and made another team great.

So, thank you Sam Hinkie. Thank you for giving us Ben Simmons. Thank you for all of our low cost talent that fills out our roster. Thank you for Brett Brown. Thank you for Timothe Luwawu. Thank you for Jahlil Okafor. Thank you for giving us hope when all hope was lost. Thank you for rejuvenating an entire fan base. Thank you for taking a risk and doing what needed to be done in the face of adversity. Thank you for sticking your neck out for this franchise. Thank you for your 13-page resignation letter. Thank you for our future championship hopes. And lastly… Thank you for Timothy John McConnell Jr.

THANK YOU SAM HINKIE