The pursuit of crappiness? Let's just say some people aren't convinced by the Sixers' plan

What they're saying about the Sixers and Sam Hinkie and their plan to build a winner:

"I was totally surprised they set the reset button so soon. I mean (Michael Carter-Williams) was the best player they got. I mean, he was the only commodity, and to start over before you could even know what you have. Because I think the jury is still out on Michael Carter-Williams and he hasn't played with a bunch of good players, but he was good enough to get Rookie of the Year. Like I said man, I wish I could give you a legitimate answer, but I have no idea what the Sixers are doing now."

-- Charles Barkley, on 94 WIP

"btw, this hinkie thing may work. but it's all so…it doesn't feel human. cold, unfeeling, private equity stuff that makes my skin crawl."

-- ESPN's Bomani Jones, on Twitter

"There's a belief among front office personnel around the league that the Sixers are poisoning the well, not only by fielding a team that is barely an NBA squad, but fostering an environment where no one is valued.

"Some take it further, believing that the Sixers' never-ending quest for a high draft pick is an insult to the game, a moral affront. That's pretty naive and ridiculous considering the mechanics of the NBA. There's nothing pure about the game at this level. The Sixers executing what they feel is their best strategy and doing so wholeheartedly is at least honest. You'd rather be a Sixers fan than a Lakers fan, a Knicks fan, a Nets fan, a Nuggets fan over the next years, despite those teams' efforts to win and the Sixers' complete apathy towards victory."

-- Matt Moore, cbssports.com

"In fact, one of the ironic things about (Hinkie) is that you might say, 'Well aren't you bothered by all of this (negative) press?' And one of the approaches that he takes is, let everybody talk while we're working. He wants to get away with his entire plan with as little interference as possible. If people think he's silly and he's stupid and doesn't know what he's doing, that's honestly to his advantage. (Within) the league, there is a certain kind of moral repulsion. People don't like the fact that teams aren't prioritizing winning. That seems like an affront to what sports are all about.

"But in an age when you have billionaires buying teams and all people are doing is fetishizing winning that ring and getting to a point of championship contention, well then maybe you can sort of structure a plan that maybe isn't palatable to a lot of people but might increase your odds at actually winning something."

-- Pablo S. Torre, ESPN The Magazine senior writer

"Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Crappiness: A Closer Look at the Sixers"

-- title of recent story on grantland.com