Sixers GM Sam Hinkie is a hoarder

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Everyone in and out of Philly seems to have a different opinion about Sam Hinkie's cynical and unique strategy of fielding a terrible team in hopes of building a great one.

But judging things here behind my ink-covered drafting table, I don't really think anyone knows exactly what that plan is - including the Sixers.

It was just earlier this week that the team released a new marketing strategy and slogan, "This Starts Now," featuring what was expected to be the core trio of Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams.

Whoops.

I don't really have a problem dealing MCW - you can't be a successful point guard and shoot just 27.6 percent on shots that aren't layups or dunks. As Bob Ford notes, his three-point percentage was barely 25 percent, and his shot selections were dreadful.

The problem is once again, the Sixers are at ground zero after demolishing the team at the trade deadline. That initial year of tanking (remember "Winless for Wiggins?") appears to have turned into at least three years of dreck before fans expected to see even an ounce of progress.

Here's Hinkie's own words from his 45-minute press conference on Friday, when asked about the timetable of his Sixers' turnaround:

"I think our fans do the same thing that we do here. They look at our set of players and they think about, 'How good is he? How much better can he get? How good is the next guy?'

"Then they turn on their television and look at college basketball and look at those guys and ask, 'How good will he be?' When those guys are good enough, then they hope like the rest of us. I don't think there is any other way to look at it than that . . .

"Our fans understand that what we are trying to do is build something great, and that may require making tough decisions.

"They understand that the way we see the world is to have a broad set of options, because good decisions will come from a broad set of options, and then be willing to make the tough calls. If we have something, but we have something we think will move our program forward even more so, then we'll do it. And I'll say this, too, that we will do it unblinkingly."

Notice in his evasive, politican-like answer that Hinkie seems to have no idea when the Sixers will be good again. That's sort-of the point with the cartoons I've drawn - regardless of the "Hinkie Truthers" that flood my inbox, those draft picks piling up on Hinkie's desk represent nothing but uncertainty.

Those draft picks may pan out into incredible players that turn the Sixers into a powerhouse for a decade, as longtime basketball reporter Chris Sheridan thinks. Or they may all turn out like Michael Carter-Williams and K.J. McDaniels - decent talents but flawed enough to limit their upside.

In fact, Hinkie has drafted nine players during his reign as Sixers GM, including four first round picks (nine of the 10 players drafted before Carter-Williams are still with their team). How many of Hinkie's picks are currently playing for the team?

Two.

So forgive me if I'm not in the "Hinkie is a genius" camp quite yet. The one thing Hinkie has given the Sixers is a lot of flexibility, and if it all pans out, I'll admit I was wrong to be skeptical. But at this point, nothing's convinced me his ever-extending long-term plan will be a success, especially considering Hinkie's decidedly mixed results drafting players thus far.