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Sam Hinkie just talked to the media in his post-draft press conference. Here are some quick highlights, and take all of this as paraphrasing. To start you off with a real bummer, here’s some talk about JoJo:

Embiid:

  • We’re closing in on a decision there. We’ve been talking to a lot of experts. We’re not sure what the best course of action is just yet
  • What do we do to give him the best chance to give him the best career possible, and what does that look like?
  • Joel we watched like a hawk every day of the year
  • We had a proactive set of regular MRIs
  • In March we had a scan that was right on schedule, and it allowed him to play in our gym
  • He has no symptoms, it hasn’t been bothering him, but it caused the doctors to say “that’s different”
  • I don’t know how to categorize it. It’s a troublesome bone to heel. It was healing on a steady, upward sloping curve, and then it doesn’t seem to healing as well anymore
  • I don’t see how Embiid will play in Summer League

Okafor:

  • It’s critical to add to the “pipeline of talent”

    • doc

  • Your best decisions come from a wide set of options
  • We feel incredibly fortunate to be able to have Jahlil
  • Someone that can draw a double team is enormously useful
  • We didn’t talk to the Lakers in great detail about moving up
  • You don’t wanna be making moves just to make moves. You wanna make things that would move things forward
  • Only one transaction happened, but we had lots and lots of conversations
  • We didn’t find any trades to do. if you ask other people if Philly burned up the phone lines, they’ll say we did
  • We added three guys to our roster and a few things for the future
  • You don’t see players like Jah in today’s era, not very often
  • He’s able to dissuade shots just by is presence
  • You try to take it all in, [but] I’d like to think we’d have the courage to take Jahlil anyway (without Embiid situation)

Eskin:

  • How important are point guards, you don’t have them.
    • Hinkie: It’s clear that the key is having the best players. I think we’ve acknowledged we need players at every position. We need to add the highest level of talent wherever we can.
  • When will the plane land? What’s the timeline for a championship?
    • Hinkie:  We wouldn’t go in to the draft saying let’s bring six rookies to this team, five of which are out of the top 30.  What matters is the players you get. Step one is finding those players and get to a place in which the results can take care of themselves. Last night’s a big part of that.

eskin hink

  • Do you regret, even thought you won’t admit it to us, the MCW deal?
    • Hinkie: Making high quality decisions, having the widest array of options, that’s the job

Other:

  • We’ll look for every opportunity we can to help our set of guys be the best they can be and to help the Sixers
  • We will look at several positions in free agency
  • Not at all concerned about the Player’s Union issue
  • The Sixers did not field calls from agents that asked the Sixers to not take their clients
  • I think we’ll be out there and have discussions but be reasonable in free agency
  • I anticipate more roster stability this year than last year
  • Okafor was “very high” on the draft board