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This morning, we found out that Chip Kelly hates secrecy so much that he does not believe in doors. But over the weekend, USA Today profiled a man in charge of another team in the city, and found out that he thrives in secrecy.

In yesterday’s USA Today, there was an actually well-done profile of Sam Hinkie. Not unlike The Onion piece from this morning, there was very little in there about what his plans are, but there were some terrific insights into Hinkie the man. It’s really a must-read, and introduces us to what Sam Hinkie’s life has been leading up to this, before he became the shadowy figure we (barely) know now. But ignoring all of the personal life stuff, there was also this:

“Hinkie resides in a realm of the professional sports universe increasingly shrouded by anonymity, often granted carte blanche by reporters reliant on ever-shrinking access, creating a media landscape where even the most benign news is often simply attributed to ‘sources.’

He is used to operating behind the scenes, and although he pursued and accepted a role and career path that demands public scrutiny, he’s answerable to no one but his conscience, his family and the team’s multi-billionaire managing owner, a man whose own patience seems to run as deep as his pockets.

Hinkie will generally explain his reasoning after the fact, but steadfastly refuses to tip his hand.

The hiding, the silence, it’s strategic, of course.”

But all of the secrecy and strategy and actual studying of other GMs can only do so much, and Hinkie knows that:

“Hinkie uses secrecy as a tactical weapon and voraciously reads the work of NBA reporters, studying other GMs to try to decipher what makes them tick …

But now, on this afternoon in early May, Hinkie doesn’t know when — or even if — the 76ers will win another NBA championship. There are factors outside his control, and though he innovates and crunches numbers and masters the probabilities, Lady Luck will have her say.”

USA Today pulls out the “pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” line about Hinkie’s secrecy, and it’s really on the nose. We hope Hinkie’s actions are less of a charade than the Wizard’s were, but like the chosen savior of Oz, Hinkie shares a little about his private and personal life here, while still keeping secret what he’s actually doing behind those very locked doors. I just hope it’s more than yanking a bunch of levels, willy-nilly.