Hinkie Dinkie Doo

The New Guy In Town

A quick word about the Sixers hiring Rockets' second in command Sam Hinkie. That word is.. good. As in, good luck.

In Hinkie, the team has a respected grinder who knows the global talent market, will give them an insight into D-league level replacement guys, and makes the recent purchase of a minor league team in Delaware much more sensible. I'm also hoping that he'll help them get away from get worse fast schemes like the Andrew Bynum trade, or trades that move off high potential / strong frustration guys like Nicola Vucevic.

But the dirty little not so secret of the NBA is that this is the hardest job in personnel evaluation. Unlike football, depth isn't a huge help, because the playoffs are decided by stars. Unlike baseball, turnover of who the best players in the game don't change all that much from year to year. And unlike hockey, you can't just get lucky with a hot goalie to ride for a couple of series.

So if you are actually good at grinding and finding replacement players, you are much more likely to keep you in the 7 to 10 seed range, and away from the breakout talents in the draft. There is a reason, after all, why the Rockets haven't escaped the first round. And this is the guy they've hired to remake the team, and I'm more than down with that, seeing how the Rockets were up-tempo and fun to watch. If I can't get a champion, at least give me something I don't want to actively avoid.

So welcome, Mr. Hinkie, and good luck. You are so going to need it.