Sixers' Hinkie needs this to work

THE PEOPLE who love what the Sixers are doing under Sam Hinkie love it even more today. The people who think that Hinkie is doomed to failure have not yet been revived. Everyone's opinion is now set even further in concrete. Thank you, Sam.

Watching Michael Carter-Williams for the last year-plus, it became more and more obvious that he wasn't going to be the point guard when/if this team began making playoff runs, mostly because he isn't a good shooter from anywhere on the floor, partly because he isn't exactly rugged as a presence. To get a very good first-round pick in return seems like more than fair compensation. Viewed in isolation, the move is really beyond criticism.

The problem is that Hinkie cannot order lunch in isolation anymore, no less make a deal of this magnitude. The Sixers are in the midst of the greatest science experiment in NBA history, and the general manager no longer gets points from people for intellectual consistency. He should, though, even with all of the losing. If Hinkie really thinks MCW can't do it for a winning team, why hang on to him? For better public relations?

There is a chance the Sixers will have four first-round picks next season (but probably three). Again, because nothing is viewed in isolation and because two seasons of tanking are enough for a fan base to endure, it is about to be time for Hinkie. The core needs to be assembled. Two of those upcoming draft picks need to be players. Nerlens Noel needs to be a significant rotation player, at least. Joel Embiid needs to be a very good player - very good and nothing less. Embiid is a real key here. If he is a mistake, there will not be enough concrete in the world to patch the cracks in the foundation. If Embiid is a mistake, they're all getting fired.

Again, trading MCW was a good move. Now, for Sam Hinkie, it's time for the follow-through.

On Twitter: @theidlerich