Right now, somewhere out there in Philadelphia there is probably a scorned boyfriend who got dumped by his girl and after two years he still has refused to let her go. He monitors her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts dozens of times per day, texts her an "I miss you" once every few days, and hasn't started dating again because every woman he sees doesn't compare to the girl who broke his heart. And this guy's friends routinely tell him that everything is going to be ok and that "There are plenty of fish in the sea" or some other cliched advice. One friend might be upfront and bluntly tell him that he's pathetic, and after two years he needs to grow up, stop acting like a teenager, to move on with his life, and stop holding a candle to one woman in a city of hundreds of thousands.
Sixers fans find themselves in a similar predicament. Sam Hinkie, a man whom a large portion of the fan base worshipped was forced out of town by commissioner Adam Silver and Jerry Colangelo. Sam Hinkie's power within the organization was so withered down that he was essentially forced to resign from his post as general manager. Jerry Colangelo subsequently hired his son Bryan Colangelo, in a move that outraged many Sixers fans. It wasn't so much his track record or general managing abilities that angered fans, though his track record wasn't exactly the greatest. It had more to do with the slimy way everything went down. How the Sixers broke no rules under Sam Hinkie, still had the NBA commissioner meddle in their affairs, and bring in an aging executive whose face and persona oozes "curmudgeon." How Jerry went on to hire his son, which was perceived in Philly as the most nepotistic move the world has seen since Pope Alexander VI appointed his son Cesare commander of the Papal army. It was was like an obese man being proud of losing 100 pounds after tireless training, only to step on the scale one day and find himself at 300 lbs again. A total nightmare for Sixers fans. Back to the same ol'. The young, forward-thinking GM with fresh ideas gone, and in comes the retread hire to take ourselves back to that treadmill of purgatorial mediocrity forever and ever until the end of our days.
Except it didn't happen. Bryan Colangelo came into town and essentially continued 'The Process' on, in the way everyone wanted. People feared he would try to artificially speed up the rebuild by giving mega-contracts to guys like Harrison Barnes and Allen Crabbe. It didn't happen. Many thought he would trade away all of the Sixers' stockpiled draft capital for aging veterans. It didn't happen. It hasn't been perfect. The Bayless signing(which few took issue with at the time) hasn't turned out so well, albeit with a bad wrist that seemingly still hasn't fully healed and has clearly affected his play. Markelle Fultz, the consensus #1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and called by some "A James Harden clone" and projected perfect fit next to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons shockingly altered his gorgeous shooting form in only a couple offseason months; and that combined with reported shoulder issues, has not been close to what the Sixers envisioned when trading up to snag him, to put it lightly.
If you want to be overly critical, you can even say he mishandled the Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor situations. The return value for both wasn't what fans had hoped for, but I personally have always felt the fans had their expectations set way too high. Every GM in the NBA knew that Bryan Colangelo was stuck between a rock and a hard place. They had to trade at least one of them, both had their share of issues(be it skill or health) which detracted from their value. Fans deluded themselves into thinking they could get quality first round picks for both, which didn't happen. No one knows for sure what every single offer for those players contained, but I highly doubt that if a quality trade package was ever given to him, he wouldn't have accepted it without blinking. I just don't believe the offers were there and I think fans and pundits severely miscalculated their value around the league. However, if you want to blame Bryan for inheriting a tricky situation of big men, I'll even grant you that. Overall, everything is still looking incredibly bright. Once Fultz recovers his jumper, you are going to be adding the perfect compliment to your young superstar duo. Cap room has been preserved to pursue a max level cornerstone free agent in 2018 or 2019. And the Sixers are an attractive destination again to free agents, as was shown by Atlanta Hawks roster casualties Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova committing to the Sixers when each were pursued by several contending teams.
Sure, a big reason the Sixers are currently a destination is because of the foundational pieces Sam Hinkie's work left behind. But Sam Hinkie isn't here anymore. A lot of contending teams have foundational pieces to attract free agents. They chose the Sixers, and Bryan Colangelo was the man who made that happen. He also was able to lock up Robert Covington on favorable terms, and land sharpshooting free agent JJ Redick on only a one year deal to provide much-needed floor spacing in the starting lineup, and retain cap flexibility in the process.
Yet none of those positives seem to be enough for Sixers fans. Instead of praising the good moves he makes, people focus on the negatives. Instead of appreciating the good in the players he brings in like, say, Amir Johnson, people nitpick the flaws. Instead of having hope in Markelle Fultz returning to his collegiate form, fans declare him a bust at the age of 19 and blame Bryan for a failure of a trade. The Sixers, with their schedule are on pace to have a win total in the mid or high 40's, which would be ahead of schedule to most, yet there is still dissention among the fans. The way you'd hear the fans talk about the way they perceive all the moves he's made, you'd think their future prospects were forever tarnished, yet here we are with a chance to nab a 4th seed in the NBA Eastern Conference playoff standings. And on top of it, the biggest buzz in the city right now is that the Sixers may be the team to land the greatest player in the NBA, and a top 3 all-time talent in LeBron James. Sounds like the Sixers are in a very good situation to me. Thanks to both Sam Hinkie and Bryan Colangelo. Yes, both, Sixers fans. Would I prefer to still have Hinkie here? Of course. But he had his mistakes too, none of which people seem to acknowledge. Excuses are made for him, like "It wasn't his choice to draft Okafor" which can neither be proven or disproven, but the smallest mistake Bryan Colangelo makes everyone will take him to task for it. "Bryan should have known Markelle Fultz would be a headcase." Really? You mean the guy mentally strong enough to bounce back and become the #1 pick in the draft after being cut from his high school basketball team? Bryan should have somehow greenseer'd Fultz's future shooting woes that never had shown the slightest inkling of ever existing? That's called having an agenda, and that's what happens when one is worshipped at a god-like level, as Sam Hinkie is in Philadelphia.
Just like the scorned boyfriend who is so heartbroken, he can never regain the ability to find beauty in another women again, Sixers fans have essentially become the same way. Due to lingering distaste with the whole situation, lines have been drawn in the sand, and agendas have been set. When you're still lamenting a lost love, you'll never be able to find beauty in another. That next love may not be perfect, they may not be the one of your dreams, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give them a chance. If you look hard enough and move on, you can come to understand that maybe things aren't so bad after all and come to appreciate that next one more and more. So I'm going to be that friend that needs to speak up and put it to you bluntly. MOVE ON. I liked Sam Hinkie too, but there are plenty of GM fish in the sea, and the one right here in front of you isn't doing too bad. I think in life everyone kind of wants the same thing. To find a woman you like, find a good paying job, a decent house, maybe some kids, and to live relatively happy. And in sports, we all want a championship. Instead of lamenting, judging, and ridiculing put the past behind you and focus on winning a championship. Instead of wasting time pettily and childishly retweeting 3 year old negative Hinkie takes like the boyfriend creeps his ex's Facebook daily, celebrate your team's victories. The GM battles no longer matter. Let's make the best of the situation we're in and let the past be the past. We're climbing that mountain pretty damn fast, and if you continue to keep your head in your bucket of Hinkie sorrows, you're going to miss the whole journey that was right there in front of you.
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