The Sixers need a general manager who's willing to do the most important thing of all: give frequent local media interviews
Sam Hinkie should be ashamed of himself.
He's been the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers for two months, and in that time he's given two press conferences and zero radio interviews. His only big interview since the draft wasn't with a local outlet, but with the NBA. If Hinkie walked into this room right now, I'm not so sure I'd recognize him. A true Philly guy, this guy's not.
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What an insult to the fans of this great city. Reporters and radio hosts are representatives of the fans, and when Hinkie refuses interviews and likely gives lame, weak excuses like "I'm preparing for the draft" and "I'm concentrating on the season" and "I'm not going to tell you my entire offseason plan in advance," he's sending a clear message to every Sixers fan: "I don't care about you." There's a reason the Wells Fargo Center has been so empty for so many years.
Say what you will about Billy King, Ed Stefanski, Rod Thorn and Tony DiLeo, but at least those guys visited the WIP studios once in awhile.
The two giants of radio in this town, Howard Eskin and Angelo Cataldi, don't agree on much, but they're both understandably irate that Hinkie won't sit down for interviews with them. In fact, the WIP hosts are pretty much unanimous, except for the late-night fill-in guy.
Yes, we all loved the moves the Sixers made on draft night. But how much more fun would it have been if we as fans had seen it coming in advance? Imagine if Hinkie had gone on the morning show a few days before and told Angelo that yes, we're willing to trade Jrue Holliday and yes, we're only going to do it if we can have Nerlens Noel and a future first-round pick.
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Hinkie could have shown us, the greatest fans in the world, that he trusts us, and given us all kinds of excitement coming into the draft. It would've been Sixers fans' little secret, and all the more exciting when it finally happens.
We need a real GM in this city, someone who's willing to talk to the fans about his moves and trust us in advance with his draft and free agency strategy. Because in two years, when the Sixers' roster has two high first round picks each from the 2013 and 2014 drafts as well as copious cap space, it's paramount that team be led by a GM who knows what he's doing and, more importantly, is willing to give honest, candid interviews regularly to local TV, radio and print outlets.
So fire Sam Hinkie, hire Allen Iverson as GM and Dikembe Mutombo as coach, and we'll be good to go.
Other Philly sports takes:
- All right, I'm excited to be here in Lehigh for another exciting year of Eagles training camp! No traffic on the way up, and I found a nice, cheap hotel room and everything. My only question is, where is everybody?
- I love the Flyers' hiring of Ron Hextall. We all love the Broad Street Bullies, but let's face it- this team has been living in the past of its '70s legacy for way too long. So I'm glad they're now, at last, embracing their '80s legacy.
- If Taylor Swift wasn't able to play in the rain at the Linc, I don't have much hope for this year's Eagles team.
- Soccer rioters in Brazil murdered a referee and mounted his severed head on a spike? I never want to hear a bad word about Philly fans again.
- The Phillies may be under .500 and looking in every way like they're on their last legs, but I still say they should be buyers, just to be on the safe side. Jesse Biddle for Alfonso Soriano. Maikel Franco for Jake Peavy. If they're going to make a run, the Phils need some veteran leadership.
- There are times when we, as sports fans, get cynical. We question whether the good days are gone for good, and our hopes and dreams as fans are dying or dead. But then Demetress Bell signs with the Cowboys, and our faith is once gain restored.
FakeWIPCaller wrote this post. You can follow FakeWIPCaller on Twitter.
