Sam Hinkie and the Sixers have a lot to think about — and fix — heading into Thursday’s NBA draft.
How mixed up are the Sixers right now? No one is sure who is even still collecting paychecks from them.
On Monday, reports ran rampant that Sixers CEO Adam Aron had been fired. But, according to Aron’s Twitter, he was on vacation in Africa. That’s fine, yet it took the team until late Monday night to release a statement denying the erroneous report. On Tuesday, Aron commented on his future.
“I’m delighted to report that this is an immensely exciting time in my career,” Aron wrote on Twitter. “Moral of story: don’t go on a faraway vacation!”
If only this was the Sixers’ biggest problem. They appear to be in limbo with the NBA draft arriving totomorrow. Doug Collins resigned as head coach more than two months ago and they still haven’t replaced him. Meanwhile, most of the league’s top assistants — plus the guy we were lobbying for — didn’t even interview or have since signed on with other teams. New GM Sam Hinkie hasn’t commented on anything since being hired in mid-May, not the ongoing coaching search or the possibility of bringing Andrew Bynum back.
The organization has remained completely silent. In fact, the only voice emanating from the bowels of the Wells Fargo Center has been Julius Erving, the former Sixers great who serves as a consultant. While Dr. J didn’t necessarily rip the team’s brass, he did poke a little fun at Hinkie’s addiction to analytics.
“It’s turning basketball into rocket science, right?,” Erving said. “I think if a team does it and they win, then everybody is going to do it. If the team is a cellar dweller, you can analyze all they want, nobody is going to follow them.”
Take it in, Sixers fans. No one seems to know what’s going on with this franchise. Will they hire a new coach? Will the new GM emerge from his cocoon? Will Bynum, a colossal bust, return?
Stay tuned. Either the Sixers are about to blow everyone’s mind and look like the smartest guys in the room … or they are going to remain a clueless enigma with no new championship banners.
The one thing Hinkie did say in his introductory press conference was that big moves matter. He’ll have his first crack at making one of those in Thursday’s NBA draft.
“The most recent history in this league shows that superstar players matter,” Hinkie said. “Big moves may only come around every 10 years or so. The question is, how are you going to handle it to put yourself in the best position to make one?”
There you have it. It’s your move, Mr. Hinkie.
