The 76ers cupboard is bare, similar to the Eagles, Phillies and Flyers.  The only thing more disappointing than what is going to happen the next few years is the shock and confusion over what is plain to see for the trained basketball eye.

After the jump, I’ll go ahead and rank how the franchises in the Eastern Conference will perform over the next 4 years.  The criteria involves a wide range of elements — Championship Equity, Room to Improve, Salary Cap Factors and Fan Expectations, etc.

#1) Miami:  The favorites to win an NBA title this year and in 2014-15.  Lebron, Bosh and Wade all have player options that off-season which they are likely to decline in order to take lower salaries and keep their talents in South Beach.  The Heat winning 4,5,6 championships in a row is a very distinct possibility.  ”Birdman” has turned into the best free agent acquisition this past year, who could have predicted that?

#2) Indiana:  If the Pacers retain David West (likely) and amnesty Danny Granger (they should), they will head into this off-season with more than $14,000,000 in cap space.  If that money is well spent, Indiana will approach 60 wins next season and beyond.  It’s just that simple with the Pacers.

#3) Washington:  John Wall did something quite unheard of last year and he did it coming off a leg injury — JW took a large jump in possessions used, had an equally big decline in turnover % and increased his scoring efficiency.  Sneaking into the top 3 of this year’s Lottery means a very real shot at Otto Porter or Ben McClemore, who can be eased along playing behind Martell Webster and Trever Ariza or join Wall-Beal in a 3 man back-court. The Wizards are going to win a lot of games next season and beyond.   Anything less than 45 wins next years with increases every year would be a disappointment for that franchise.  Of course, if they trade Nene+Okafor for the expiring contracts of Biedrins+Jefferson of GSW, they’d be in an arguably better situation moving forward and right at the top of the Wiggins sweepstakes.

#4) Detroit:  Greg Monroe will be close to 20/10 next year and he’s only the 2nd most valuable asset on the team.  Andre Drummond is one of the most untouchable assets in the NBA, but his free throw shooting needs to be at 50% For him to turn into an All-NBA player.  With a possible $35,000,000 available in cap space, Detroit can really make waves.   Joe Dumars needs to do better than Ben Gordon and Charlie V. going forward the next couple off-seasons and Drummond needs to become who I think he will be or listing DET at #4 will seem very foolish.

#5) Cleveland:  First and foremost, Kyrie Irving needs to shake the injury bug, and that is not certainty.  Winning the lottery sure helped with the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes, if they pick Nerlens Noel.  A bunch of draft picks and insane flexibility gives the Cavaliers room to operate.  Thompson, Waiters, Zeller all show some level of promise and are very cheap.  Trading Varejao is a necessity at this point, as he is a negative for them. Swapping him for someone completely awful like Evan Turner would be a massive win in the Wiggins Sweepstakes.  With the possible return of the King to his hometown, Cleveland is a franchise on the rise.

#6) Atlanta:  Horford, Lou Williams, John Jenkins and 2 1st rd picks are the only things on the Hawks’ books this summer.  $38 million in cap space (it’s really less because they will be resigning Jeff Teague) is a scary number for a team that already has one All-Star front court player, as I see them as a dark horse for Andrew Bynum and bringing back Josh Smith isn’t the worst deal ever, if they sign the right coach.  Danny Ferry also has cap room to operate with, which is paramount under the new CBA.  Atlanta will be a very sturdy roster next year, whether it’s short term or long term deals remains to be seen.

#7) Milwaukee:  Sanders and Ilyasova is a very good young duo.  John Henson also showed some ridiculous flashes in 2012-13.  If Ellis is dumb enough to opt out (staying isn’t the worst thing either) and the front office is smart enough to not overpay Brandon Jennings (4yrs @ $32mil), this is another team that can do a lot this off-season.  Using the Amnesty on Drew Gooden, whether this year or next, seems like a foregone conclusion.  Flexibility is the name of the game under this new CBA and the Bucks sure can have that with intelligent moves for years to come.  Milwaukee isn’t a premier free agent destination but it doesn’t need to be because of the new CBA and the limitations that come with it.

#8) Chicago:  Their Head Coach’s willingness to play starters 40 minutes a game has residual effects.  They’ll likely be a #3 seed next season and will only slide from there in coming years. Will Chicago’s owner reach into his own pocket knowing the Bulls have a ceiling that isn’t winning a championship?  Call me crazy but Chicago should ship Derrick Rose to the highest bidder this off-season.

#9) New York, Brooklyn and Boston:  This is a tie.  All these teams are below Chicago because they are less talented and older.  They’ll all be in the playoffs and on vacation well before June the next few years.  There is value in that if you are a fan of those teams.  All 3 of these teams should be blown up, but none will be.  Such is the life of an NBA GM.  Here is a 4 way trade with these teams plus the Lakers that benefits everyone one way or the other;

#12) Orlando:  Two more years in the Lottery and then they’ll be a playoff team for a decade.  Tons of young cheap talent and room to maneuver in the future makes Orlando a true team for the future.  Call me an optimist, but I think that D12 returns to Orlando this summer in a shocking turn of events.

#13) Charlotte:  Three more years in the Lottery, plus a couple picks owed to them from Detroit and Portland and being the front runners in the Andrew Wiggins Sweepstakes has value.  Kemba and MKG are good building blocks at PG-SF, and they’ll have an opportunity to build slowly. They’ll be fighting for a playoff spot in 4 years with a young nucleus that could be viewed as the future of the NBA.

#14) Philadelphia:  The only Andrew the 76ers have a shot at is 7ft tall, smokes cigarettes, doesn’t love basketball, is 25 years old, put up 18/12 when healthy and has everyone in Philadelphia wondering what will happen this off-season.  The new GM can’t let him go but he can’t sign him to a massive deal either.  There is no great answer and there is no reason to think one can be had over the next 4 years.

Making the playoffs is as doubtful as being a bottom 5 team record wise over the forseeable future.  However, if Hinkie grabs a guy who turns into a borderline All-Star with the 11th pick this June, Jrue actually becomes good (he wasn’t at the end of last year), Thad elevates his game with the reintroduction of the 3ball, Bynum is healthy and motivated, Wright is resigned, Hawes plays like a man, Moultrie turns into something, Lavoy gets a motor, ET is traded for a draft pick………. the 76ers will have a chance to get merked by Miami, Indiana or Chicago next year in the 1st round and the next few years will be rinse and repeat.

The team could also do the short term contract thing again this off-season.  Maybe they make the playoffs but the reality is, they’ll have a bottom 10 record with another small chance at grabbing a difference maker.  A few years of doing that and the team is firmly entrenched in the same spot everyone is so adamant doesn’t happen.  A few coaches, another GM and the team truly starts the rebuilding process in 2023.

There is no real scenario that Sam Hinkie can succeed with.  His outside the box thinking is overrated (Asik+Lin deals), anyone can become a CBA expert and the Rockets only drafted on an ~average level during his time there.  He is thought of very highly by NBA people but the average NBA front office guy is half in the bag when it comes to basketball. The circumstances he walked into don’t make it his job easier, but he knows what he signed up for

#15) Toronto:  The smart move is to trade Kyle Lowry and Amir Johnson to Boston for Rondo+Celtics 2013 1st rd pick, win the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes in 2014 and amnesty Bargnani at the same time.  From there, the Raptors are suddenly a real NBA franchise with a future.  That won’t happen because it makes sense, obviously.  Toronto is apparently making a run at Denver’s GM which would jump the Raptors to #14 in the rankings.

With a high first round pick and two second round picks stashed in their pocket (the 35^th pick came to Philly via the New Orleans Hornets)the 76ers could do several things.

First, Sam Hinkie and company could package a combination of picks to move up in the Draft or combine them with a player in a deal as well.  However, the Sixers could decide to keep their second round picks and add some young, inexpensive and talented (a.k.a. low risk/high reward) pieces to their roster.  This was the preferred thinking of the Houston organization that Hinkie recently departed, so odds are he could be leaning in this direction.

Which brings up the question, “What kind of players will be available at 35 and 42 in the 2013 NBA Draft?”

On Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets hosted a Draft Combine in which 22 Draft-eligible players — that are considered to have second round talent — participated in.  Twenty-two more players will compete in the same type of workout on Thursday.  Hinkie, Rod Thorn, and Courtney Witte (Sixers Director of Player Personnel) were all in attendance on Wednesday.

There was a great deal of NBA level talent at the workout, but in my opinion Oklahoma Senior forward Romero Osby was arguably the most impressive big man in the PNY Center.  Osby, an agile 6-8, 232 pound beast, averaged 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for the Sooners this past season, often dominating the paint.  On Wednesday, Osby showed that he has also added the skills to be successful on the perimeter.

After his workout, Osby talked to me about how he’s been working to improve his game and where he thinks he’ll land on June 27th.

“I think I’m a combo-forward,” Osby said. “You know, I’ve really worked on my shot and I’m able to shoot it from the NBA three. But, I can also take bigger defenders off the dribble and smaller defenders in down low.”

An NBA scout, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that Osby could go anywhere from 30-50 depending on how the rest of his workouts go prior to the Draft.

Osby also said that the Sixers have expressed plenty of interest in the Sooner and that the team “really likes [him].”  The big man will take a train from New York City on Friday for a workout with the 76ers.

While the Sixers already have Thad Young and Arnett Moultire stashed for the next several years, adding a young, hard working player like Osby could prove very effective for the 7-6.  Osby could be a solid off-the-bench stretch-4 in the League just like Draymond Green — drafted 35^th in 2012 — was in this year’s Playoffs for the GSW.  The Sixers definitely need to bolster their bench to give their starters some well-deserved rest and provide some scoring punch.

Osby could be the hustling, well-rounded big to come off the bench for Thad in 2013-2014.

Jake Fischer is a scribe for Philadunkia. Follow him on Twitter @JakeLFischer.

Follow us on Twitter @philadunkia

Last night, the 76ers were not fortunate enough to see that Draft Lottery miracle repeated 20 years later.  As you know by now, the Sixers officially own the #11 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, which is exactly where the odds said they would end up.  The tie shunning Joshua Harris seemed about as thrilled as everyone else in Philadunkia nation with the outcome.

“We had a small probability of being super happy and a small probability of being slightly sad.  We’re neither.  We’re right where we were expected to be,” a weary and somewhat disheveled looking Harris commented.

To be honest, it’s not the most exciting draft position to be in, but after the jump, we’ll take a look at some facts about and ideas for the 11th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Here’s is a look at the last 10 years worth of players selected at #11:

’12:  Meyers Leonard

’11:  Klay Thompson

’10:  Cole Aldrich

’09:  Terrence Williams

’08:  Jerryd Bayless

’07:  Acie Law

’06:  JJ Redick

’05:  Fran Vasquez

’04:  Andris Biedrins

’03:  Mickael Pietrus

’02:  Jared Jefferies

That’s not exactly a list of future Basketball Hall of Fame members.  However there were a couple of solid NBA players chosen in those 10 years, so the Sixers need to come home with nothing less than that on Draft night.

Here’s a look at who the various NBA Draft experts are projecting the Sixers will select at #11:

HoopsHype:  Kelly Olnyk (C; 7-0 & 225; Gonzaga)

nbadraft.net:  Kelly Olnyk

SI.com:  Kelly Olnyk

Draftexpress.com:  Cody Zeller (PF/C; 7-0 & 230; Indiana)

ESPN.com:  Cody Zeller

NBA.com:  Mason Plumlee (PF; 6-11 & 245; Duke)

Quotes from Josh Harris:

• “It’s an important decision,” Harris said of finding the Sixers next head coach.  “If you get the right coach really fast, that’s better.  But at the end of the day, you want the right coach.  We’re not putting a deadline on it.  It doesn’t work to your advantage because the reality is we have a lot of talented coaches on the staff right now.  Some of them have been head coaches, so we’re trying to get the right coach, not to get a coach quickly.”
• “I don’t want to comment on Bynum specifically, but it’s all interrelated,” Harris said.  “Over the next weeks and months we’re going to get more articulate about our strategy.  Sam has been here for a week and he’ll be speaking about our basketball strategy.  It’s all interrelated.  All of this stuff has to be focused on building a winner.  Every decision you make has multiple affects on every other decision.”

Here’s a Video of Sixers managing owner Josh Harris following last night’s Draft Lottery where the 7-6 officially secured 11th overall pick.  Doesn’t this guy have enough money that he can afford to take some media training classes?  Maybe Molly Sullivan could help Josh out.

Dei Lynam of csnphilly.com also posted this video interview with Harris.

Philadunkia Notes:

• The No. 11 draft pick is slotted to make roughly $1,930,000 in year one.
• Five Eastern Conference teams (CLE; WAS; ORL; CHA; DET) draft ahead of the Sixers in 2013.  However, no Atlantic Division squad picks before the 7-6, so we have that going for us – which is nice.
• With the Kings now staying in Sacto, rumors are all over the various NBA sites and on Twitter that the organization is looking to move Demarcus Cousins.  Would you trade the #11 pick to the Kings for Cousins?  Would you throw in Evan Turner if they asked for him as well?
• According to Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN), The Cavaliers have $20 million in cap space, 2 first round picks (No. 19, No. 31), as well as the No. 33 and interest in improving fast, so they will investigate trade options with No. 1 pick.  Is there a package the Sixers could assemble to move into the #1 spot?
• In addition to the 11th pick, the Sixers also hold the rights to the 35th and 42nd picks in this June’s draft.

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Whether Zeller is available when the Sixers first round pick arrives and whether they select him largely depends on three factors:

1)  Will Zeller still be available at #11.

2)  Do the 76ers like other players more than Zeller.

3)  What pick the Sixers draw in tonight’s NBA Draft Lottery.

Based off of the combine’s results and reactions, there seems to be a decent level of talent in the first ten picks and then a there is a drop off.  One prospect that is on the rise after the Chicago combine is France’s Rudy Gobert.  Gobert with his 7-9 wingspan and impressive shooting touch, really impressed the NBA scouts and front office types and appears to be moving up draft boards.  If Gobert continues to wow scouts during individual workouts and other pre-draft camps, he may crack the Top 10.  Gobert is another name that has been linked to the Sixers by draft “experts”.

So, can the 76ers move up in 2013 Draft and grab Zeller or Gobert?

The Sixers have a 90.7 percent chance at earning the 11^th overall pick in June 27’s Draft.  That leaves Joshua Harris and company with just a 0.8 percent at securing the No. 1 overall pick; a 0.9 percent chance of moving up to No. 2, and a 1.2 percent chance of sliding into the #3 pick.  So there is not much reason for anyone to get their hopes up that the Sixers will jump into the top 3.

But don’t be too discouraged Sixers fans.  The team with the worst record has won the Lottery just once in the last 22 years.  So there is a sliver of hope that the Sixers could make a move up the draft board tonight.

In a draft that will likely feature far more future NBA role players than All-Stars, it might not be such a bad thing for the Wells Fargo Center inhabitants to be picking outside of the Top 10 and save guaranteed money that would go to their top pick.

And, the last few selections the Sixers have made over the past five years between picks 11-20 haven’t turned out so bad, either.

In 2008, the team selected Marreese Speights with the 16^th overall pick.  He’s turned out to be a pretty decent role player in the League.  In 2009, the 76ers took future All-Star Jrue Holiday at 17.  In 2011, Rod Thorn and Tony DiLeo nabbed Nik Vucevic at 16, and he’s now a nightly double-double threat.  Lastly, the Sixers took Mo Harkless at #15 in 2012 and he looks to be a promising young player — in Orlando — as well.

Thus, whether the Sixers take Cody Zeller, Rudy Gobert or somebody else this June, it really shouldn’t matter.  They’re moving in an organized direction behind Harris and Hinkie, but major positive results are another year away (at least).

They’re picking in a pretty affordable spot to add another solid piece to a young and budding rotation and that’s what we should be focused on.

Bring on that late-lottery selection!

Some of Philadunkia nation thinks that the organization should still plan to build around Bynum, while a large percentage of people don’t want to see him anywhere near this team or city again.

Then there are those who feel that the Sixers actually aren’t too far away from contention and could compete with a couple tweaks.  However for every one with this view there are at least two others who feel that the team needs to be  completely blown up.

The only thing certain now after the disappointing season that was for the Sixers, is uncertainty.

The hiring of Sam Hinkie is the first stride on a long staircase the Sixers are facing this summer.  Finding a “basketball guy” to support Hinkie’s analytics, selecting a head coach, making draft picks, and filling out the roster with free agents are all still left on the agenda.  With a new regime in town it is difficult to tell exactly how any of this will turn out.

With that being said, the smart thing for the Sixers to do this summer is — as little as possible.

Although it is extremely tempting to retool the roster, especially after the poor play of the past season, this summer’s free agent crop and draft class may not contain the proper players to solidify the Sixers.  Outside of Dwight and CP3, there are no real “needle movers” hitting the market this summer, and assuming neither of them are jumping for joy at the thought of signing with the Sixers, the organization would be wise not to sign away the future of the franchise this summer.

While signing some fringe free agents like O.J. Mayo or J.J. Hickson won’t guarantee a championship chase, it will limit cap flexibility for the franchise in the future.

A likely late lottery pick in this year’s draft doesn’t look to be a big boost either, as this 2013 Draft class is widely considered a very weak group of prospects.

So, what the Sixers should do is stand pat, play out next year largely as is, hopefully stink for another season, and put themselves in great position for the 2014 Draft, as well as that summer’s free agent group.

While this summer’s draft class is maybe lacking some franchise-changing faces, the 2014 Draft is the exact opposite. The 2014 class boasts top high school prospect Andrew Wiggins, along with Oklahoma State standout Marcus Smart, and Duke commit Jabari Parker.

Wiggins has drawn comparisons to hall-of-famer Scottie Pippen, while Smart and Parker have earned more modern comparisons to Carmelo Anthony and James Harden, respectively.

The 2014 free agent class isn’t too shabby either, as it includes some well-known names like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade.

So, keeping signings to a minimum this summer should not only help the Sixers’ salary cap situation for next summer, but it should also help to give them a good shot at landing a top lottery pick.  Rather than trying to sign up some players this summer in order to remain relevant next season, the Sixers should accept their current state and embrace opportunities to improve the future of the franchise.

That quote from Shawshank Redemption holds true for 76er fans, now more than ever.  Hope is all that is left, I guess.

Seriously, sit back and think about the Philadelphia 76ers for a moment.  Not much, right?  Maybe Sam Hinkie pulls a rabbit out of his hat, a bunch of other things go right and certain guys elevate their game in 2013-14.  Still, how much will that help?

$12,000,000 in cap space is just enough to do something stupid, but not enough to pull off a miracle.  Between Turner, J-Rich and Kwame; the 76ers have more than 25% of their roster as dead weight.  Even getting players at their true value won’t be enough to do anything but keep the team in an awkward spot.

Our man Bynum looks ready to screw the franchise for the next 5 years by being Shawshank quote incarnate.  If not Bynum, it will be some other player.  Let’s just hope that Hinkie’s advanced analytics inform him that he should avoid the players I am write about after the jump.

(WARNING: LOOK AWAY NOW if you really like OJ Mayo…)

On a per 36 minute level, Mayo is Nick Young with an extra 2.5 assists,1.3 turnovers along with bad defense.  How will everyone feel if Mayo signs a deal for $5,600,000 or more for multiple years? Exactly…..

The 3pt Shooting regressed defender: Josh Smith

Smith has regressed as a player, which has more to due with his mental/emotional state than anything else.  His offensive and defensive efficiency crept to career lows in a contract season.  The easy explanation is that he is tired of Atlanta and knows he is getting a 4yr $50 million dollar deal from someone, so why exert maximum effort this year for a team that is looking towards the future.  A bigger concern is can our next head coach reign in the 3pt Shooting Josh Smith?  Over the last 3 years, Smith is 116th in total 3pt attempts and 115th in 3pt %. There is no doubt that his game has been negatively effected by being allowed to freelance on both sides of that ball.

A 3pt shooting Josh Smith who isn’t the great defender in years past isn’t something worthwhile for a team like the 76ers.

Not even good at his specialty: Corey Brewer

Talk about a guy who is just sneaky terrible.  He literally does nothing well except getting steals, and interestingly enough, getting steals isn’t an indication of anything.  For a guy who is supposed to at least be good on defense, Brewer has been ~neutral for 3 of the past 4 years.  Much like SwaggyP this year, Brewer is basically in his prime so at least the 76ers would be getting him at the apex of his basketball career.  His last deal was 3yrs-$7.5 million total and that’s something I could (barely, assuming Ronnie Brewer isn’t already signed) live with.  Anything above that would just be embarrassing to have him locked in at.

8 more years of the same old thing: JJ Hickson

Imagine a 29 mpg guy 12pt (59 TS%) 10 reb in  who put up a robust 19.7 PER and .142 WS48 at the age of 24.  Now imagine him on a team with an absolutely D-League level roster outside of the starting 5.  If you’re still with me and I know you are, can you imagine that the Blazers were better with Hickson on the bench?  All that isn’t an issue with how I view Hickson as a player and potentially signing him.  It’s the money.  Hickson will be paid at minimum $8 million dollar a year range in year 1 of his new deal and around $11 million in year 4.  He will end up being decent enough value but his improvement curve (as with all bigs) will help to keep the 76ers right in the land of mediocre through his time here.  The 76ers might even win a playoff series in his 4th year and along with him having a career year at age 28, the 76ers will then give him a massive-ish deal that will firmly entrench the team in series of 1st rd 4vs5 match-ups until 2020.

There are a ton of guys the 76ers shouldn’t sign, but these are 4 that I feel especially strong about.  Let’s hear from everyone and find out who the team absolutely shouldn’t sign and try to be more original than “Steve Troll at GM” and Andre Iguodala.  While our voices may not be heard as loud as we’d like on issues like this, it’s still a fun exercise.  The fun will mostly be when the team ends up signing multiple guys suggested by me or readers in the comment section and we can all give a collective “WTF”.

Steve Toll is a scribe for Philadunkia.com.  You can follow him on Twitter @basementgm

At the Philadelphia 76ers’ introductory press conference for new General Manager Sam Hinkie, Managing Owner Josh Harris might as well have said, “I’m da boss,” as well.

During a lovely affair at PCOM, Harris and Hinkie basically announced that the Sixers will be moving in a new direction, and that Josh is the man leading the pack.

At the presser Harris mentioned how similar he and Hinkie are in their philosophies towards building this franchise.  Josh also made it clear that Hinkie will “diligently” make roster decisions, take “smart risks”, add a “championship-caliber coach” and be “aggressive and push (his) chips into the middle.”

Even further evidence that Harris is now the man TCB-ing for this franchise, was the fact that Adam Aron — the face of the franchise for the last year — took an deep backseat at yesterday’s press gathering.  That only gave credit to the rumors that former NBA GM John Nash started on SportsRadio 94 WIP that Aron will also assume a more limited role on the business and basketball side of the franchise.

So, let’s put all of this information together.

Several weeks ago, Joshua Harris told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s John Mitchell that he and the team’s GM would head the Sixers’ head coaching search.  On Friday, Harris, who has always expressed his developing interest in basketball analytics, reportedly hired analytical mind, and former Houston Rockets Assistant GM, Sam Hinkie. Tuesday, Harris and Hinkie are the only men on stage at Hinkie’s press conference AND, later that day, a respected John Nash says that Adam Aron will be having a more limited role in basketball operations.

If that doesn’t smell like Harris is taking over the reigns of the organization and attempting to forge them in the direction he sees best, what does?

Joshua Harris is a smart man. He got his Bachelor’s Degree from the Wharton Business School at Penn. He received his Master’s from Harvard Business School. In 2011, Forbes estimated his net worth is $1.5 billion.

Philadunkia should be jumping for joy that a smart, determined, personable billionaire is running the show within the Philadelphia 76ers front office. Now, 76ers fans should be on the edge of their seats during the NBA Draft. Can you even imagine what super-analytical basketball-genius thoughts Hinkie will be thinking during the NBA Draft Combine this week?

Right now, the Sixers are fortunate enough to have a budding superstar in Jrue Holiday and several other young pieces and assets around him. They also have a great owner and a strategical GM that can likely turn Jrue and whatever else around him into somewhat of a contender in the near future.

Get excited, because Joshua Harris is da boss in Philadunkia. And, Hinkie will be his right hand man.

Jake Fischer is a Scribe for Philadunkia. You can follow him on Twitter @JakeLFischer.

You can follow us @philadunkia

After being introduced to both the media and the city of Philadelphia by owner Josh Harris earlier today, Sam Hinkie is now the President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the 76ers.

Much has been said about Hinkie, whether it be on his tenure with the Rockets, his successful investment career, or his firm belief in analytics, but today he got to answer a few of Philadelphia’s questions for himself.  His remarks should only strengthen the support that the organization has received for this hire.

Hinkie put organizational culture at the forefront of his comments throughout the press conference.  From the get go, it was clear that Josh Harris and Co. were a big reason he accepted the position.  He stated the ownership group is “committed to building a basketball operation that is data-driven, strategic, and relentlessly innovative.”  Hinkie added that, before accepting the position, he spoke with both investors and competitors from within the basketball and investment realms to ensure that the franchise was headed in a direction he agreed with.

Hinkie also addressed the franchise’s maddening 10 year run of mediocrity by saying “Just beating the average by a bit… will only serve to disappoint all of us in the long run” and “I like smart risks… Certainty and winning championships aren’t going to be consistent.”  When asked about his philosophy moving forward, he remained consistent with Houston’s recent game plan, saying “I start with an end in mind and I’ll encourage my staff to do the same.  History has been reasonably clear that superstar players matter and I’d agree with that.”

When pressed on specific plans for near-term moves, Hinkie was, obviously, a bit more reserved.  It was clear, however, that he plans on taking his time to settle in, absorb the organization’s current processes, and build a culture from there.  When asked about the timeline on a coaching hire, Hinkie was level headed, saying, “The way I think about the coaching process is about getting the right guy.  Everything should be focused on that.  I come in to be methodical and diligent.”  He added that the right coach would need to possess “a real shared philosophy about X’s and O’s.

The way they handle pick and roll defense, side pick and rolls, (and) end of game situations.”  He also stated that requiring a coach to be “analytically minded” is “over stated.”  Hinkie did not go into any detail in regards to his plans for Andrew Bynum, but seemed to support the Bynum trade while holding reservations about the team’s other moves, saying “this (was) a big move, and these big moves come about every ten years or so.  The small moves can facilitate big moves” and added that “Even though big moves are intermittent, there are things you can do every day.”

Outside of the coaching hunt and decision on Bynum’s future with the franchise, Hinkie will be busy preparing for the draft, which he also offered some insight into, saying “I have several targets already,” and adding “even if a prospect will be taken higher (than the Sixers’ projected draft position), he very much wants to meet him,” as “he will be a trade target in the coming years.”

It became clear immediately following this press conference that there is finally reason for optimism in Philadunkia nation.

Players and coaches in the NBA commented on it frequently this past season.  We certainly noticed his rise in skills and popularity here at Philadunkia during 2012-13.  Now it seems adidas is finally jumping on the Jrue Holiday bandwagon.

Holiday has been an adidas endorser since he entered the League, but now “The Jruth” (as well as John Wall and Damian Lillard) is featured in the shoe company’s latest basketball campaign.

Titled “Quick Ain’t Fair,” the new commercial is for the adidas Crazyquick basketball shoe.  In this extended version, Jrue and Lillard give fans a behind the scenes look at the Crazyquick spot.

View Jrue’s new shoe commercial after the jump.

Narrated by rapper A$AP Rocky and featuring his song “Goldie,” the spot captures the ultra quick moves of Holiday, Wall and Lillard.  The spot opens with A$AP introducing a mythical family of “quicks” that balled wearing an advanced shoe, the Crazyquick, which helped them dominate their opponents to reach the highest levels of the game.

In the below extended video, Jrue and Damian explain the concept as fans get a look at never-before-seen footage from the commercial.

Although the 76ers organization has yet to comment on the rumors, it seems certain that Tony DiLeo is officially out and Hinkie will be the new man in charge of the 7-6.

As you probably know by now, Hinkie was Daryl Morey’s right hand man in Houston and was involved in all decision-making on Rockets personnel moves.  Now he’ll be charged with rebuilding the 76ers — which will be a big challenge.

After the jump, the Philadunkia scribes express their opinions on the Hinkie hiring. Jake Fischer If you’re not absolutely thrilled with the Sixers hiring of Sam Hinkie as the team’s new GM, then you are either in one of two camps.  One being, “I hate stat guys!  What the hell do they know about the actual game of basketball!?”  The other being, “I wanted that guy with the really long last name from Denver or someone within the Spurs organization.  Well, the defining argument for a stat guy should be this: Most stat guys know the game of basketball far more than any basketball guys knows the world of analytics.  And, with Houston, Hinkie was one of the leaders of the unit that has selected the likes of Chandler Parsons, Carl Landry and Steve Novak in the second round of past NBA Drafts — all players who played or are still playing significant roles in the current NBA Playoffs. Lastly, if you consider the pieces the Sixers have in place, an analytical mind is the perfect mind to construct the 76ers team of the future.  They have a dynamic not-so-stat-sexy point guard in Jrue Holiday and downright hustlers in Thad Young and Arnett Moultrie.  With an analytical mind running the show, this team will be built with consistent direction that includes adding efficient players that fill necessary voids within Jrue and Thad’s games.  At the end of the day, this franchise just took an enormous step in a unified direction instead of just trying to randomly plug the holes in a sinking ship like they have been doing since 2003.

Jeff McMenamin

I admittedly don’t know too much about new Sixers GM Sam Hinkie, but what I do know is that he’s 100 times better than Tony Dileo would’ve been as the team’s GM for another season.  Daryl Morey has brought the Houston Rockets back to relevance again with the additions of James Harden and Jeremy Lin in the offseason, hopefully Hinkie (Morey’s former right hand man) will be able to shake things up a bit and make some calculated risks in the future to better the Sixers franchise.

What I’d like to see is how Hinkie handles Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes in the offseason.  Outside of Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young, Turner and Hawes are sadly the Sixers’ only other trade assets. After a down year from each of them this past season, I’d like to see what offers Hinkie can come up with.

He’s the analytics guy Steve Toll has been dreaming about for the past year.  Hopefully the Sixers can bring in someone who knows how to evaluate talent to help with his statistical observations and bring the best cheap talent to Philly that’s available.  Stephen Jackson anyone?

Steve Toll

To understand the immediate future of the 76ers, the most relevant piece of information on Sam Hinkie is the Omer Asik press conference from this past offseason.  The first minute of this clip makes it very clear the 76ers will be retaining both Andrew Bynum and Dorell Wright this offseason.

Which leaves a few more questions left to be answered this off-season. Can Hinkie grab a talented player with the 11th pick?  Possibly

Will he “stretch” Jason Richardson?  NO

Trade, Extend or leave be Evan Turner?  Leave be

How will he handle Hawes whom immediately took a shot (and then back tracked) at Hinkie on Twitter?

Without being privy to the marching orders of Joshua Harris, it’s safe to assume that Hinkie’s off-season will be go just as stated above.  His tenure as the GM won’t truly begin in my opinion until next off-season when the 76ers will have Bynum, Thad, Jrue, Wright, Moultrie, 2013 Lottery Pick and $20 million in cap space to work with.

C. Smith

As you may recall, I wanted Pete D’Alessandro from the Nuggets as the Sixers new GM, but Sam Hinkie was a close second for me.  Thus, overall I am very pleased with this hiring.  When the rumors of the hiring broke, I contacted a number of NBA front office executives for feedback and I heard a lot of positive comments.  ‘Very Smart guy.”  “Genius move.”  “Great get for the Sixers”.   “The Sixers are now headed in the right direction.”

However, all of the executives I contacted also voiced the same concern…All of them said something along the lines of, “Hinkie is strictly a numbers guy”. That was followed by something to the affect of “He’ll need to hire a solid basketball mind as his right hand man”.

So, Hinke’s first hire (head coach or front office spot) could be the most important move for the future of this franchise and advanced analytics can’t really help him with that decision.