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Philadelphia 76ers CEO Implies Process Isn’t Over or About Losing

Josh Wilson|
Apr 4, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers owner Joshua Harris (L) and chief executive officer Scott O'Neil (R) talk during a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center. The Brooklyn Nets won 141-118. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers owner Joshua Harris (L) and chief executive officer Scott O'Neil (R) talk during a game against the Brooklyn Nets at Wells Fargo Center. The Brooklyn Nets won 141-118. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil claimed that “The Process” is not over for the Sixers, and also explained that it isn’t solely about losing.

Sam Hinkie was hired by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013 alongside Scott O’Neil. Both were fairly young and innovative in their field of sports, and seemed to make a decent team. Eventually, Hinkie was pushed out by ownership, but O’Neil, to this day, remains.

The whole rebuilding process that has been implemented since 2013 when the pair was brought in has been an interesting one, and one that fans got behind, for the most part. Fans’ eyes were opened to the idea that if they weren’t going to be ultra-competitive, losing as much as possible might be smart. Fans realized that a few short years of terrible, terrible basketball, could pay off in the long run.

This hard and grueling situation was dubbed “The Process.” That name has picked up steam and popularized over time, and the definition of it has gotten a bit misconstrued.

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Some say “The Process” is synonymous with tanking (losing with a purpose). Others say that it’s more complex, but that “The Process” is centered around the draft and developing players other teams might not have thought to bring in.

Scott O’Neil, the Sixers CEO, is here to set the record straight on what “The Process” really is.

This Tweet was sent in response to one that John Clark put out.

While many people choose to ignore anything O’Neil says because he does things more from a business perspective, and seems to be on the money-making side of things (and also because he tried to usher in an era and slogan of “#ProcessToProgress” shortly after Hinkie was pushed out) he hits the nail on the head here, and this is exactly the mindset Hinkie had when he was here.

This rebuild was never about the losing, it was just all a part of, well, the process. That losing allowed them to sit back and evaluate talent and plan for the future. That losing allowed them to draft young pieces and set themselves up in good trades, and save money for free agency.

There were a lot of things that losing allowed them to do, but it was all in the name of turning things around eventually. This process is about innovation. It’s about making the right moves for the future rather than the immediate present. As Hinkie would say, it’s about, “having the longest view in the room.”

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I understand some people don’t like O’Neil, but as long as he’s understanding this about the process, and the rest of the executive team is as well, then I think we’re in good shape.