For Sixers, it's the end of Sam Hinkie error

IS IT BECOMING the norm here in Philadelphia for a general manager to blow up a team and then walk away? Chip Kelly, meet Sam Hinkie.

When Jerry Colangelo stepped out from behind a door at the Wells Fargo Center's Hall of Fame club on Dec. 7, the center of attention in the 76ers organization immediately changed from Sam Hinkie to the 76 year-old Hall of Famer. The talk then was of collaboration, of how Hinkie did a terrific job of stripping down the roster and accumulating assets and of how Colangelo was brought in to help with the rebuild.

Turns out, Hinkie doesn't think Colangelo needs, or wants, his help as he stepped down Wednesday night as general manager and president of the team, ending a three-year tenure that produced a 47-195 record.

If nothing else can be said of Hinkie's time here, it can be noted with certainty that his was a bold tenure. His downfall, however, was his inability to want to move the organization forward in quicker fashion, with the drafting of injured players, players who were under contract overseas or the plethora of roster-shuffling moves he oversaw during his time here.

"He just pushed things too far," said an NBA source. "Many think this was just a waste of three years. Rebuilding is one thing, but to take things this far is just ridiculous."

Perhaps that's right, or maybe this all just still has to play out. There is the possibility of the team having four first-round draft picks this summer, with maybe a couple being lottery picks. The Sixers did get a legitimate scorer in last June's draft by selecting Jahlil Okafor, and if Joel Embiid can become the type of post player many believe he can be, then Hinkie's legacy might not be so littered with disappointment.

But, as with everything that surrounded Hinkie, the questions far outweighed the answers, and managing owner Josh Harris must have gotten an earful from Colangelo over the past four months about Hinkie's incompetence when it comes to dealing with agents, his own staff, players and coaches.

His resistance to talk with media aside, many talked through the years of Hinkie's inability to communicate with those who mattered in moving the team forward. There never appeared to be a comfort level with anyone.

When Evan Turner was asked about Hinkie during his final year here, he summed it up by saying: "He's not my general manager. He doesn't really talk to me." That speaks volumes, whether Turner was in the plans or not. Many sources through the years said that communication was minimal, at best, with Hinkie.

A couple of days after Colangelo was introduced, Hinkie and I sat down to have dinner in Brooklyn. He told me a story about himself that probably sheds light on why he is no longer here.

For the umpteenth time, I brought up the question of when does immediacy become the foremost thought in his mind. He proceeded to tell a story that would adequately describe his thought process. He said that if he were president of the United States and was told there was going to be a long-term war with Russia, he wouldn't concentrate his efforts immediately on the front lines and those who were fighting there. Rather, he would look into seeing what kind of military schools are in place to properly instruct youngsters how to fight a war in the future.

There was simply no timetable set in his mind, and, in the end, it is probably what cost him.

Whoever takes over the job - and a source told the Daily News that Bryan Colangelo, son of Jerry, is close to being hired - he will have the many assets that Hinkie accumulated. For that, Hinkie must be commended.

But he misread so many things that management didn't feel comfortable trusting him moving forward. Hinkie often talked about all the money the team was going to have to entice free agents, but never did land one. And the fact that a new television deal coming in place next season will give every team a ton of money to lure free agents was a gross miscalculation on his part.

His refusal to give coach Brett Brown a serviceable starting point guard at the beginning of this season severely stunted the growth of Okafor and Nerlens Noel, basically costing them a season of progression.

I spoke with Hinkie for about 10 minutes before the Sixers beat the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. He had said earlier in the day, during a rare interview, that he had lost 10 pounds over the last couple of months. I asked whether he was OK, whether his health was good. He assured me it was. As always, he asked whether there was anything he could help me with. I asked some questions about the team, college hoops, different players - all with the understanding that we were talking off the record.

He assured me all was fine. As players passed him from the court to the locker room, there were quick glances, a fist-pump here and there. No real hearty communication. A microcosm of his time here.

"This is a really good day for the Sixers," is what Hinkie said the day Colangelo was introduced as chairman of basketball operations.

Perhaps, but, ultimately, it wasn't a good day for Hinkie.

@BobCooney76

Blog: philly.com/Sixersblog