Sam Hinkie and the Philadelphia 76ers: Together we build…eventually

Yesterday was perhaps the Sam Hinkiest day in Sam Hinkie’s tenure as the Philadelphia 76ers general manager.

Hinkie began the day with a bang: The Sixers received a first round draft pick just for taking JaVale McGee’s contract off the Nuggets’ hands. When you can get a player and a pick in exchange for basically nothing, it’s generally a good idea.

“Nothing” in this case being the NBA rights to Cenk Akyol, who is currently – and likely forevermore – playing in Turkey. No offense to Cenk, but I have about as much chance of suiting up for an NBA team as he does.

Hinkie’s later moves weren’t as universally praised. It made many fans question exactly what Hinkie’s plan is and how long we should expect it to take.

Michael Carter-Williams. Image Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

He first traded Michael Carter-Williams in exchange for a first round draft pick. Later, he sent away K.J. McDaniels for point guard Isaiah Canaan and a second round pick.

I can understand the McDaniels trade. Thanks to an uncommon decision he made when signing his rookie deal, McDaniels is due to be a free agent at the end of the season.

McDaniels has had an encouraging rookie year so he’s likely to receive a decent bump in salary. The problem is, he probably doesn’t project to be much more than a role player in the long run. Hinkie knows that overpaying role players results in salary cap issues. Not wanting to choose between overpaying McDaniels or losing a player for nothing, he chose to trade him and get something in return.

I am more skeptical of the Carter-Williams trade. Defenders of the deal point to MCW’s turnovers and poor shooting numbers and claim that he’s nothing more than a mediocre player who is putting up good numbers due to the team’s situation. He’s not an elite point guard, so why not trade him for the chance to get a better player?

The key word in that sentence is chance.

MCW has some definite weaknesses. But he also has ideal size and passing skills for the point guard position. And he wouldn’t be the first player who became a better shooter as his career progressed.

Is it really fair to judge a second-year point guard who hasn’t exactly been surrounded by top-flight talent? His shooting efficiency might not be top-notch, but considering the team’s second best scoring option is a guy who started the year in the D-League, maybe that’s to be expected.

Hinkie claims he didn’t want to trade Carter-Williams, but he found the offer of the Lakers’ draft pick too good to pass up. Hinkie must think that the next two draft classes are going to be both very good and very deep.

Admittedly, the 2013 draft was not particularly strong, but thus far, MCW – the 11th overall pick – is arguably the most accomplished player from that class. So why are people convinced that a future – and very possibly lower – draft pick is going to be any better?

The pick they received originally belonged to the Lakers and has top five protection this season. Since the Lakers could easily end up with a top-five pick, the Sixers probably won’t be able to use it this season.

Unfortunately, while the Lakers may be down, they’re still considered one of the league’s marquee teams, making it easier for them to acquire talent. They could easily be better next year, which means the pick might end up being around the 11th pick in the 2016 draft.

In other words, the Sixers might have used the 11th pick in 2013 to obtain the 11th pick three years later, with no guarantee that the player they get will be any better than the one they already had. This is progress?

Dec 15, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Injured Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (left) talks with general manager and president Sam Hinkie (right) before a game against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

I wonder how the trades are going to go over in the locker room. After working hard to improve all season, some of the players might be justifiably discouraged. Some of them might figure that if management wants them to lose, then why should they even try?

The moves could have negative effects on the franchise that extend beyond the on-court product.

Fans had been encouraged by the improvement that the Sixers were showing recently. Sure, they weren’t winning many games, but they were young and played with energy.

I think most fans realize that they’re ultimately rooting for the name on the front of the jersey rather than the name on the back. But people still grow attached to players, especially ones who the team indicated were part of the long-term core.

Over the past two years, while the team has engaged in its “Together we Build” campaign, MCW has been presented as one of the building blocks and the de facto face of the franchise. Although Hinkie likely has little to do with the team’s marketing campaigns, the team often pointed to the 2014 Rookie of the Year as evidence that actual talent was being assembled.

No, apparently MCW was just an asset that will help them acquire one of the REAL building blocks. Or at least they will someday…maybe.

And did you like K.J. McDaniels’ energy on defense and his ferocious dunks? Don’t worry, at some point they’ll draft other players who you’ll like just as much. (Until they trade them too!)

Yesterday was the Sixers way of saying that what we’ve been watching wasn’t actually the future. Apparently, the future is still a few more years away.

Hinkie is doing a great job of obtaining “assets” and giving the team financial flexibility. Those are both good things. However, neither equals wins on the court. All the assets and cap space in the world won’t help a team if they can’t find a way to use them to obtain good players.

I wonder when this talent acquisition is going to start taking place. We’re almost two years into the process, and it feels like the Sixers haven’t progressed at all.

Most fans are on board with the rebuilding plan, but even the most dedicated Hinkie supporters are going to want to see some results at some point.

Nerlens Noel is definitely part of the Sixers’ future…unless he isn’t. Image Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps there’s more to these deals than it seems. Maybe this is just Hinkie’s way of dealing with potential lottery reform. “You’re going to make it harder for my awful team to get the #1 pick? Then I’ll just trade for all the first round picks!”

Assuming that Hinkie isn’t that demented, I’ll allow for the possibility that the rebuild hasn’t been pushed back as much as it seems. Maybe Hinkie isn’t planning to draft the Sixers’ next superstar, but instead plans to use some of those extra draft picks in a trade.

Maybe he’ll trade for a star player the way the Houston Rockets did for James Harden. Maybe that star along with a core of Nerlens Noel (Assuming they don’t trade him too), Joel Embiid (Assuming he returns to health), and Dario Saric (Assuming he eventually comes to America) will be ready to contend sooner than we think.

That’s a lot of maybes. But with very few tangible pieces on the roster, maybe is all Sixers fans have.