Whining About Winning: Cry Us a River, We Have a Boat

As the Philadelphia 76ers left Chicago with their 27th win of the season Friday night, the greedy appetites of pick-happy fans began to rumble in the distance.

After getting blown out Sunday by the Indiana Pacers, a small number of Philadelphia 76ers fans secretly rejoiced. When the Philadelphia 76ers bully-balled the Bulls to a win last Friday, a similar number lashed out in frustration.

Who are these ass-backward fans, and where do they come from? Do they have a point? Or are they caught up in the topsy-turvy world of NBA yesterday so deeply, that they’ve missed turning the page to a new chapter of the Philadelphia 76ers?

The Hinkie Generation

Sam Hinkie’s resignation in 2016 left behind a legacy tainted with negative connotations and stubborn commitment. Acclaimed property treatment of players, and the obsession of asset accumulation (draft picks) eventually led to league criticism; driving the young president and general manager out of his second NBA gig.

For those unfamiliar with the original “process”, Hinkie’s roster reconstruction was built on the following stat-backed concept. The most efficient way to accumulate star-level prospects is to secure top pick talent in the draft, and maximize the number of picks in an NBA draft. How do you secure this? Be the best.

Well, be the best at losing.

Injured and Undervalued

Injuries in Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid soon left the team in deep deprivation of talent, and the Philadelphia 76ers set losing records that will forever haunt the minds of loyal Philadelphians.

In addition to losing, Hinkie’s investment in future draft picks indicated that the GM had little interest in the quality of short-term product on the floor. Trading away ROY Michael-Carter Williams for a (still to convey) 1st round pick, left the Sixers practically lifeless for the remainder of the 2013-14 season.

Yet the baby boom of his followers, deemed Hinkie-ites, still shared the sacrificial mentality dedicated toward a better future. Winless for Wiggins and Stink for Simmons, became slogans within the Philly sport community that both intensified, and dissolved tension among frustrated fans.

More from The Sixer Sense

Many fans have safely transitioned to the win-now mentality with the draft selection of Simmons last June. The conversion grew immensely with the breakout rookie stints of Joel Embiid and Dario Saric too. But with the organization’s recent announcement to sideline Ben and Jo-Jo through April, some reluctantly jumped ship and returned to their roots; deeming wins as insignificant and shifting their focus back towards the upcoming draft.

Except that’s not appropriate this time around, Hinkie-ites. Hinkie already died for your sins. And he assured a pleasant return for you too.

Sac-Town Double Down

From the same man who brought you Nik “Sauce” Castillo, the Sacramento Kings’ pick swap rights are now in our hands.

As current standings indicate, if the Sixers finish with the 5th worst record and the Kings with the 7th, the 76ers have about a combined 45% chance to land a top 3 selection in the lottery (Tankathon.com). This is glaringly identical to the percentage of the third worst team’s lottery chances.

And as long as Sacramento continues it’s horrid performance, it appears as though the Sixers are as close to penciled in as it gets to receiving a top 5 pick.

Excluding that, the Lakers are close to depleting their current chances at retaining their (Top 3 Protected) pick with the Suns’ ongoing eight game losing streak. Having the Lakers drop a spot from two to three would leave Philly with a 53% chance at stealing away a hot prospect from the budding Lakers.

Hinkie enriched us in opportunity for a reason. He would never have favored assembling a tank-worthy roster over having more viable options. The 76ers have these options now. And with that, fans don’t have a reason to stoop to a level we were all to familiar with before.

Because more importantly, there are pieces to build on and not a second to lose.

They’re Dignified, So Are We

For the first time in recent years the Philadelphia 76ers parade a unified confidence. Even expressed during struggling nights such as against Oklahoma City and Indiana, the Sixers leave the court with a palpable sense of dignity.

Robert Covington, Richaun Holmes, and TJ McConnell are familiarized with a diverse playbook, infused with strategic implants from the likes of Gregg Popovich and Mike D’Antoni. They’ve played the veteran role on this young squad along with new comers Sergio Rodriguez and Gerald Henderson. Brett Brown is seeing results, along with a rare front-row view of Dario Saric’s colorful spring blossom.

It’s a beautiful thing to watch. It’s necessary too.

Stage Two: Winning

There comes a point in the process where development and momentum become crucial. We are not at that crucial point yet, but it would help if we arrive prepared.

Main pieces of the process, including The Process himself, have to focus on durability for the meantime. As they rehab back to health, the rest of the pieces must themselves progress and build positive momentum for when the time comes where our star players are ready to rock and roll.

As simple as it may sound, experience is gained and wisdom is learned in every minute logged, at maximum effort. We’ve seen proof of that already in our hardest working players. Richaun Holmes, T.J. McConnell, and Robert Covington have vastly improved their game.

These are not insignificant wins. They have shown to be individual victories among our thriving players. It’s vital that players need to learn how to close out games as early as possible in their careers, or closing out a series will be like climbing Mount Everest.

Next: Saric Punctuates Sixers Fierce Competitiveness

Plus, they’re dignified and so are we. With the pick implications, we have a cushion that wasn’t there to keep us from slipping off the high-seat before. It’s important we keep seeing progression, because really, that’s all that we’ve been asking to see.