Sixers: No, the Bucks’ title doesn’t invalidate the Process

Sam Hinkie never used most of the assets he accumulated for the Sixers

My biggest problem with most post-Process debates in the national media is that they completely ignore what came after Hinkie. After Hinkie resigned, the Sixers had four different GMs who controlled personnel decisions. Bryan Colangelo, Brett Brown, Elton, Brand, and now Daryl Morey account for four different visions at the top at different points.

As an example, Hinkie’s best trade was probably the Kings’ trade that landed the Sixers two first-round pick swaps and a 2019 first-round pick. Colangelo flipped that pick in the now infamous Markelle Fultz deal before the 2017 draft.

Hinkie also swung multiple deals in 2015 with Brandon Knight involved that would land the Sixers the Lakers’ 2018 first-round pick. What became of that? Oh, you know, Brett Brown traded Mikal Bridges as the acting GM of the Sixers when Colangelo was fired for several burner Twitter accounts. Completely normal stuff.

Dario Saric and Robert Covington were flipped by Colangelo for a Jimmy Butler that the organization didn’t re-sign. I could go on and on, but the point doesn’t need to be belabored.

As much as the media credits the Bucks and other teams for doing things the right way (*insert the obligatory Bucher Knicks tweet here*), tanking is not what did the Sixers in. Losing culture was not the issue.

The issue has been the organizational dysfunction at the top following Hinkie’s resignation. “The Process” ended when Hinkie was forced out and the Sixers were no longer tanking. Elton Brand signing Al Horford to a huge contract that blew up in his face was not The Process.

None of us have any idea whether Hinkie would’ve been a good competing GM had he not been forced out. I’m not claiming that he would’ve made the right moves. Perhaps he would’ve messed up even worse than the handful of Sixers GMs have since. But claiming his vision was a failure and the team should’ve done things “the right way” completely ignores every move the Sixers made with his assets.