Hail Hinkie

Sam Hinkie introduced the concept of "tanking" to the NBA. He had his 76er teams abysmally perform in order to secure lottery picks on top of lottery picks. The constant pursuit of treachery is what eventually got him fired. But now Hinkie looks like a genius. What he was able to accomplish in four years now appears prophetic. He turned an NBA franchise from a laughing-stock to a legitimate Eastern Conference contender through the draft. Yes, through the draft. In a day and age in which free agency is boom or bust - you either sign the mega stars or swing and miss - the 76ers revolutionized their team in an unconventional way, through the draft.

Hinkie devised creative trades so the 76ers could attain more draft capital. He helped build a core of Jahlil Okafor, Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, and Joel Embiid, who if he can stay healthy has a chance to be Hakeem Olajuwon. Now, the 76ers with the capital that Hinkie so cleverly acquired, will likely select Markelle Fultz in Thursday's NBA Draft. Fultz will round out a core that will have endless potential. All of the players listed above are under the age of 23. That's scary. And what's even scarier is that the 76ers have over $40 million to spend on free agents this summer. If they can sign some nice complimentary pieces - say J.J. Redick and Danillo Gallinari - they could be serious threats in the Eastern Conference.

Sam Hinkie, even though he was fired long ago, deserves the lion share of credit for where the 76ers find themselves. Philadelphia's future seemed gloomy for quite some time, but now they are starting to reap the rewards of Hinkie's labor. While tanking is reprehensible, Hinkie made it work. Other NBA franchises should take notice. I don't think Sam Hinkie will be out of a job for long.