Philadelphia 76ers: There’s no way Hinkie was behind Twitter accounts

While it would be amazing, there’s no way that ex-Philadelphia 76ers GM Sam Hinkie was behind the secret Twitter accounts reportedly run by Bryan Colangelo

Man, the news surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers just keeps getting weirder.

I know we technically said the same thing yesterday in regards to Ben Simmons‘ decision to start dating Kendall Jenner and whether or not this could lead to the dreaded Kardashian curse handicapping the team moving forward, but after The Ringer‘s internet-breaking expose on Bryan Colangelo allegedly using fake Twitter accounts to slander his own players, while puffing up his own moves, all sorts of wild ideas have been floated in regards to the story.

From some suggesting that the story was leaked by someone close to the team (probably), to Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum attempting to use it as a bargaining chips in bringing Joel Embiid to the Pacific Northwest (0-2), the internet has been abuzz with all sorts of gossip about the team, but one theory that may take the cake as the most bizarre revolves around ex-76ers GM Sam Hinkie.

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Hinkie, the Sixers’ GM from 2013 through 2016, has become somewhat of a folk hero in the City of Brotherly Love for his unique plan of rebuilding the team by intentionally tanking year after year.

While Hinkie’s, shall we say, creative approach to building a contender did rub some fans the wrong way, most notably ESPN host Stephen A. Smith, it was surprisingly embraced and was worn almost like a badge of honor by many fans in Philly.

Was it fun to watch the team lose what felt like a hundred games a year? No, but the tickets were really cheap and the players who have stuck around still remain fan favorites to this day.

But unfortunately for everyone involved, Hinkie didn’t get to see his plans through.

After being strongly encouraged by the NBA, the 76ers ownership group hired Jerry Colangelo as a basketball consultant, in a move that ultimately led to his son, Bryan, being named as the team’s next GM following Hinkie’s resignation.

While this likely should have been the end of the story, according to some Twitter detectives and the fine writers at Bleacher Report, that may not be the case.

In their eyes, Hinkie, one of the smartest minds in the NBA, crafted a Process-esque smear campaign designed around taking down Colangelo. By creating a small army of secret Twitter accounts, Hinkie would bash himself in the comment section of sports blog tweets, like some from Section 215, to try to get bloggers to paint the team in a negative light. Then, in a stroke of genius, he would leak the information to The Ringer’s Ben Detrick and completely destroy Colangelo’s reputation, thus opening up the door for his triumphant return back to the spotlight.

Wow, that’s a lot to unpack.

Now granted, much of that is extrapolation on my part based on a few insignificant tweets, but it seems pretty probable, right?

Yeah, I don’t think so either.

Related Story: Bryan Colangelo, what exactly is a normal collar size?

Say what you will about Hinkie and how much his radical plan helped set the stage for what could be a decade of championship contention for the Sixers moving forward, but there’s no way he could have put together such an elaborate plan into action, let alone execute it in a way that got him his job back. While only time will tell if Hinkie does eventually return to the NBA in any capacity, as the Sacramento Kings did bring him in for an interview last summer, it’s pretty safe to say that the second time around would not have been nearly as sweet in South Philly.

Now firmly out of the rebuilding process, with their sights set on landing a marquee free agent in route to a spot in the NBA Finals, Hinkie’s unique brand of radical asset acquisition really doesn’t have a place with the team anymore, and could be much more useful on a team like the Orlando Magic, willing to leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of a return to the playoffs.

Next: Is the Kardashian curse on its way to Philly?

While this story would be absolutely incredible and add a wild, real-life M. Night Shyamalan-esque twist to the second act of The Process’ story, I think it’s safe to say Sam Hinkie’s involvement in the Bryan Colangelo’s Twitter storm is nothing more than fabrication.