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Sam Hinkie has the Sixers set up to compete in the future -- but the team is suffering now because of it.

(Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)

It has been a raging debate in the NBA for the past several seasons, spurred mostly by the Sixers' alleged tanking: Is it OK for teams to lose in order to land a higher draft pick?

Former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy, speaking at the Sloan Sports Conference in Boston, made it clear where he stands while taking a shot at the Sixers.

"Not what Philadelphia is doing right now, which is embarrassing," Van Gundy said. "I don't care, [commissioner] Adam Silver can say there's no tanking or what's going on [but] if you're putting that roster on the floor, you're doing everything you can possibly do to try to lose."

Allegations that the Sixers are tanking are not new — fans and media have alleged that. But Van Gundy is among the first connected to the league to call the Sixers out on it, however. Hearing his rebuilding plan called "embarrassing" at one of the biggest sports conferences of the year, however, likely didn't make Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie — who is in attendance at the conference — happy.

Since taking over as general manager of the Sixers in 2013, Hinkie has acquired young talent and draft picks. He has the likely Rookie of the Year in Michael Carter Williams, the former No. 1 prospect in Nerlens Noel, and a shot at winning the No. 1 pick in next year's NBA Draft.

To achieve all that, however, Hinkie has gutted the past two rosters, stocking them with cheap, borderline-NBA players. The result has been a 2-18 record this season and a team that is having trouble keeping the games competitive.

Follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks