Sixers

Notes from Sam Hinkie’s Post-Deadline Media Tour

By Jim Adair

Published: Feb 19th, 2016 · 1:41 PM EST

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Just like last year, Sam Hinkie did the media rounds this morning, the day after the trade deadline. He just wrapped up his press conference – missing Howard Eskin for the second straight year (he’s in Clearwater) – and called in to Anthony Gargano this morning.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what he said in both appearances:

Trade Deadline

• I don’t think there was anything not done at the deadline that was particularly close to being done
• He felt good about significant interest in their players
• Mentioned Covington, Grant, Holmes, and McConnell as players who have improved (and may have attracted some interest)
• They’ll let the trade be finalized completely – and for JaKarr Sampson to clear waivers on Sunday – before deciding who is best for the 15-man roster between Joel Anthony and Sampson
  • I personally can’t see the team keeping Anthony
• With Colangelo on board, they’re able to make better decisions and have more input into decisions
• When dealing with other teams this week, Hinkie spoke to Colangelo a couple of times per day.
• When the Anthony/2nd round pick deal came up, Hinkie called the owners and then Colangelo, and the consensus was to go through with it
• There was a “fair bit” of interest in both Noel and Okafor

Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, and the Future

• Hinkie can’t see Embiid being ready to go by Summer League, the goal is to have him ready to go by the start of next season
• He’s currently rehabbing in Qatar at Aspetar, working on a custom designed rehab program
  • Aspetar is a popular destination for sports podiatry and is often visited by European soccer players
• The team has been in constant contact with Saric, who is valuable as a 6’10” player who can handle and pass. He’s also improved his shooting immensely this season.
• Next year the team could have up to SEVEN lottery picks on the team (Jah, Noel, Sauce, Embiid, Saric, PHI pick, LAL pick)
• Sixers will focus on flexibility, so they’ll have a wide set of options (specifically this summer)
• Hinkie thinks next year is there will be a huge difference in how much talent they have on the floor compared to this season
• They’ll look at all of our options, and Hinkie anticipates they’ll be more active this year in FA

As always, Hinkie came off as open – or, as open as he’s willing to be – while leaving a lot of room for interpretation. There were also about a million “like”s thrown in there, because Hinkie is a mid-90s Valley Girl in the body of a Encyclopedia salesman.