Trust the Process, a la ‘The Tragedy of Sixerphus’ (2015-2016)

Those were some ugly years for Philly.

But the best way to win championships in the NBA is with SUPER stars. What’s one of the best ways to get multiple Superstars? Top draft picks. How do you get top draft picks? You burn down the team.

Sam Hinkie, a disciple of Moreyball, became the team’s General Manager in the summer of 2012. He immediately began a tactical forest fire to regrow the team and its culture. Before any piece could flourish, the whole organization had to be snuffed into darkness.

From 2013 to 2017, the 76ers went 75-253… winning only 23% of their games. Barf.

Hinkie’s dealings in those years are fascinating. With the 76ers endless tank parade, I found an appropriate parallel to the Greek myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus was a crafty king who fucked up with the Gods and was forced to eternally roll a boulder up a mountain in the Underworld. The myth symbolizes “an eternity of useless efforts and unending frustration.”

Just as it always seemed Coach Brett Brown and his rotating squad of prodigious lottery picks reached a happy summit, Hinkie threw a boulder in their stupid faces. As they tumbled down to the NBA wasteland, I imagine him cackling with analytics-fueled mania: “NOT YET!!!!”