Sam Hinkie’s departure from the Philadelphia 76ers was…unconventional.
It was a slow, painful, gradual grind to the end, with the Sixers ostensibly stripping Sam Hinkie of his absolute power by installing Jerry Colangelo in the front office to help oversee the rebuild. After months of working under those conditions, Hinkie walked, leaving behind a 13-page opus that read like a proverbial middle finger, overdue justification and parental scolding all in one.
That letter is available for our viewing, courtesy of ESPN.com. Apparently, though, Hinkie never intended for it to make the public rounds, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical:
So, Hinkie emailed his resignation letter in the afternoon to Sixers ownership, including 12 majority and minority owners, and Jerry Colangelo. He expected ownership to respond to him and work toward a joint public announcement on Thursday, sources said. Within two hours of sending the email, the letter had been leaked – Jerry Colangelo was Hinkie’s strong suspicion, sources said – to a media outlet.
Hinkie was mortified to see his words in the public arena, never expecting that a private correspondence to his superiors would become public and turn into something of a mocked manifesto. He wanted to tell his staff of his decision on late Wednesday or Thursday morning, once he talked with ownership about how his departure would be made public.
Sam Hinkie never had the chance. The news was out, and Hinkie had lost control of his departure. His staff learned of his resignation in the news.
Hinkie is a smart dude. He had to know there was a risk that the letter would be leaked.
From the sounds of things, he emailed only a handful of people. Perhaps he felt that small group would safeguard his writing from going viral. Maybe he never expected anyone to pass it along so quickly. Or perhaps he knew exactly what was going to happen. After all, if he wanted to get out in front of how his exit would be delivered, he probably should have sent the letter as an after-the-fact explanation of why he was leaving.
Whatever the case, Hinkie’s letter is out, and so, too, is Hinkie himself. The Sixers have a long rebuilding slog in front of them, one that will be led by Jerry and Bryan Colangelo, but one that, regardless of what the organization does, will have Hikie’s fingerprints all over it.
No matter what the Sixers do with their picks, prospects and incumbent talent, Hinkie will be a part of what they become. If they trade some of their assets for a star or a few high-impact players, they’ll be using Hinkie’s ammo. If they draft a transcendent talent in this year’s draft, or with the Lakers’ pick in 2017, it will be with a selection Hinkie helped them procure. And if they fail, turning any of his picks or prospects into failed trade or draft-day ventures, they won’t have Hinkie to blame.
The Sixers, in many respects, are in a no-win situation. The face of their tumult is gone, and his reputation can now reap the benefits of their future success without having to endure the criticism that comes with their failures.
