The Sacramento Kings and Sam Hinkie — Pro Basketball Guerrilla

Sam Hinkie, creator of “The Process,” has been targeted by the Sacramento Kings. Does Sacramento need a dose of Hinkie-ball?

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Earlier this week, ESPN and Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Sacramento Kings’ interest in hiring an executive above Vlade Divac. Divac is the Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager of the Kings. He has constantly been criticized and ridiculed for several of the Kings’ roster moves. These include the Nik Stauskas trade and the DeMarcus Cousins deal, most notably. Divac has the reputation of being one of the nicest guys in basketball.

But nice guys don’t always succeed. Look at my relationship history.

The Sacramento Kings have struggled for over a decade. Their last playoff appearance was in the 2005–2006 season. Mike Bibby and Brad Miller, two pastel Kanye-era Kings greats, led that squad. Sacramento barely survived a relocation that would have moved the team north to Seattle. They endured the embarrassment of playing in an arena named after placebo-effect wristbands, which was subsequently renamed for a mattress company. Regardless the Kings’ new arena, the Golden 1 Center, is awesome. They just need a successful team to match the awesome arena, cool jerseys, and loyal fanbase.

Enter Hinkie

Sam Hinkie is a visionary. While “The Process” in Philadelphia still hasn’t yielded positive results, the outline of a successful team is in place. 76ers fans seem to prefer Hinkie, who was brash and unapologetic, to his successor, Bryan Colangelo. Colangelo inherited the trove of assets that Hinkie stockpiled — likely the most enviable position in all of basketball.

So far, the team has seen an uptick in wins, but a loss of trust with Colangelo. Nerlens Noel was traded for likely second round picks. Colangelo has made some questionable rotation decisions as well. Jahlil Okafor was benched because of “trade rumors.” Joel Embiid injured his knee — then played after the diagnosis. Colangelo, who was hired after the league essentially took over the 76ers’ front office, has been seemingly Hinkie-like when dealing with the media. Well, Hinkie-like minus the cold, calculated risks.

Things may have been different for Hinkie if his biggest mistake — drafting Jahlil Okafor over Kristaps Porzingis — didn’t end so poorly.

In his time away from the game of basketball, Hinkie associated with innovators. He didn’t become an NBA TV regular — he went to Silicon Valley to learn from the brightest minds in tech. Chris Ballard’s piece for Sports Illustrated showed the tortured genius side of Hinkie. In Philadelphia, Hinkie understood the NBA’s superstar-driven nature. Superstars aren’t usually plucked in free agency — they’re selected at the top of the draft. Hinkie’s “Process” was so maligned that it sparked a league-wide debate on Draft Lottery reform and a punishment for teams that essentially conspired to lose, AKA tanking.

The thing is, other teams have embraced “tanking” before. The Orlando Magic have seemingly been tanking since the Dwight Howard trade. The Los Angeles Lakers are leading the tank charge now, among others. Hinkie was seen as an outcast because of his cold relationship with the media, and not “The Process.”

Hinkie’s “Process” has become ingrained in basketball culture. Joel Embiid became the physical embodiment of The Process. Aside from “The Warriors Blew a 3–1 Lead,” “Trust the Process” is the league’s most popular slogan. It’s even been used in fan circles for other sports. (Yankees?)

Why the Kings?

I’m a Brooklyn Nets fan. I’ve seen firsthand what bad management can do. I’ve also been enlightened and have been completely enamored by Sean Marks’ first year as Nets GM. I’m also super empathetic and feel bad when players are ridiculed on Twitter or by Shaq (yeah, I’m a softy).

The Kings have been mismanaged for years. They drafted a franchise level player in DeMarcus Cousins, and never had a season over .500 with him. They drafted Jimmer Fredette over Klay Thompson, mostly due to #marketing. The Kings changed owners, bringing in a international multimillionaire that made his fortune in tech. Yet Vivek Ranadive is an NBA punch line, with many involved in the NBA simply laughing at the Kings rather than lamenting their constant failures.

With Hinkie, the Kings will have direction. In the past two seasons, Sacramento has tried to make the playoffs by signing veteran free agents Rajon Rondo, Arron Afflalo, and Ty Lawson (and trading one of their first round draft picks to clear cap space).

Obviously, Hinkie-ball means tanking. But it’s not all bad! Look at the assets accumulated by Hinkie in Philly — Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Dario Saric. They own draft picks from the Lakers (they’re bad) and ironically, the Kings. Sacramento may not have their own first round pick in 2019, but they have a stronger young core compared to the 76ers in the infant stages of Hinkie’s Process.

The Hinkie ideology may not be the ideal decision for Kings fans in the immediate future, but it could pay dividends down the road.

I feel for Kings fans. The Sam Hinkie news may have been the most hopeful development in Sac-Town all year. But it’s still a rumor. Nobody knows what’s going on with Vivek, Vlade, and the rest of the front office. After the Boogie trade and the league-wide ridicule, the team is in transition.

Adding an innovative, but controversial decision maker could lead the Kings in the right direction. They’ve wrestled mediocrity for a decade. I believe that some fanbases deserve a break from the incompetence of their front office. The Kings are one of them. But maybe I’m just like Vlade Divac, and I’m just too nice of a guy. I need some Process in my life.