Sam Hinkie is the man who began “The Process,” and Brett Brown is giving him the proper credit for starting the rebuild that led the Philadelphia 76ers to a place where they could add a player of Jimmy Butler's status.
Brett Brown just gave Sam Hinkie a shoutout, saying he 'deserves credit' for Sixers reaching this point where can add guy like Butler
— Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) November 14, 2018
Sam Hinkie was the general manager and president of basketball operations for the Sixers during their period of excessive tanking. Among a few busts, Hinkie's commitment to losing helped the Sixers land Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The plan from the beginning was to secure franchise players through the draft, and it's clear that Hinkie's strategy worked, however ugly it may have been.
The Sixers are clear about what motivated them to trade for Jimmy Butler — a championship. They believe they're capable of winning a title and are going all in to achieve that ultimate goal. Without Embiid and Simmons, there's no way Philadelphia would have taken the risk to trade for Butler.
Hinkie does deserve credit for laying the foundation of the current Sixers. That being said, he will never get all of the credit he deserves simply because of how radical and different his approach was. The plan to tank for years was good for the organization overall, but no one wants to see that strategy ever again.
The new odds in the draft lottery will discourage teams from employing this method. Sam Hinkie could be the last of his kind, and at least someone is giving him credit for what he did in Philadelphia.
Jimmy Butler will make his Sixers debut against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.
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