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Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers and the Most Audacious Process in the History of Professional Sports
How the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers trusted The Process -- a bold plan to get to first by becoming the worst.
When a group of private equity bigwigs purchased the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, the team was both bad and boring. Attendance was down. So were ratings. The Sixers had an aging coach, an antiquated front office, and a group of players that could best be described as mediocre.
Enter Sam Hinkie -- a man with a plan straight out of the PE playbook, one that violated professional sports' Golden Rule: You play to win the game. In Hinkie's view, the best way to reach first was to embrace becoming the worst -- to sacrifice wins in the present in order to capture championships in the future. And to those dubious, Hinkie had a response: Trust The Process, and the results will follow.
The plan, dubbed "The Process," seems to have worked. More than six years after handing Hinkie the keys, the Sixers have transformed into one of the most exciting teams in the NBA. They've emerged as a championship contender with a roster full of stars, none bigger than Joel Embiid, a captivating seven-footer known for both brutalizing opponents on the court and taunting them off of it.
Beneath the surface, though, lies a different story, one of infighting, dueling egos, and competing agendas. Hinkie, pushed out less than three years into his reign by a demoralized owner, a jealous CEO, and an embarrassed NBA, was the first casualty of The Process. He'd be far from the last.
Drawing from interviews with nearly 175 people, Tanking to the Top brings to life the palace intrigue incited by Hinkie's proposal, taking readers into the boardroom where the Sixers laid out their plans, and onto the courts where those plans met reality. Full of uplifting, rags-to-riches stories, backroom dealings, mysterious injuries, and burner Twitter accounts, Tanking to the Top is the definitive, inside story of the Sixers' Process and a fun and lively behind-the-scenes look at one of America's most transgressive teams.
When a group of private equity bigwigs purchased the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011, the team was both bad and boring. Attendance was down. So were ratings. The Sixers had an aging coach, an antiquated front office, and a group of players that could best be described as mediocre.
Enter Sam Hinkie -- a man with a plan straight out of the PE playbook, one that violated professional sports' Golden Rule: You play to win the game. In Hinkie's view, the best way to reach first was to embrace becoming the worst -- to sacrifice wins in the present in order to capture championships in the future. And to those dubious, Hinkie had a response: Trust The Process, and the results will follow.
The plan, dubbed "The Process," seems to have worked. More than six years after handing Hinkie the keys, the Sixers have transformed into one of the most exciting teams in the NBA. They've emerged as a championship contender with a roster full of stars, none bigger than Joel Embiid, a captivating seven-footer known for both brutalizing opponents on the court and taunting them off of it.
Beneath the surface, though, lies a different story, one of infighting, dueling egos, and competing agendas. Hinkie, pushed out less than three years into his reign by a demoralized owner, a jealous CEO, and an embarrassed NBA, was the first casualty of The Process. He'd be far from the last.
Drawing from interviews with nearly 175 people, Tanking to the Top brings to life the palace intrigue incited by Hinkie's proposal, taking readers into the boardroom where the Sixers laid out their plans, and onto the courts where those plans met reality. Full of uplifting, rags-to-riches stories, backroom dealings, mysterious injuries, and burner Twitter accounts, Tanking to the Top is the definitive, inside story of the Sixers' Process and a fun and lively behind-the-scenes look at one of America's most transgressive teams.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 2020
128 people are currently reading
1791 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
April 20, 2020
Trust the Process
June 27, 2020
I'm unnaturally obsessed and pained to be a Sixers fan, so the book delivered in moments I didn't care to relive, but does a good job doing so anyways. Thus, there wasn't anything new or revelatory for me in this, besides a couple tidbits, having mostly lived through the majority of it, but I can't imagine how all these hysterics play for someone not in tune with the team or totally unaware of everything.
February 4, 2021
Fans of professional basketball, especially those of the Philadelphia 76ers, are familiar with "The Process." In a nutshell, it was the accepting of a few seasons of losing basketball in order to stockpile high draft choices to build a championship team. Add in a GM who not only used this strategy but also to accumulate second round picks from other teams that usually view them as expendable and you have the basic story of this book by Yaron Weitzman.
One must give credit to Weitzman for being able to put together a complete book when the main subject, the 76ers and their former general manager Sam Hinkle, refused to cooperate or allow Weitzman to interview personnel for the book. Nonetheless, he crafted a fun-to-read accounting of the team and how it went from the days of Allen Iverson to the current team led by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
Two slight criticisms I have about the book are minor, but should be noted. One is that Weitzman makes this strategy of "tanking" and stockpiling draft choices as something that was revolutionary, mainly because of the way that Hinkle and the team sold it. It really isn't anything new – in fact, that is how the Iverson-lead teams in the 2000's were built. The other one is how one measures that the Process is successful. If one believes that making it to the second round of the playoffs makes the Process worthwhile, then so be it but many would believe that only a championship can be the crowning achievement. An achievement the 76ers have yet to accomplish with its current players.
But those are minor compared the wonderfully entertaining stories about the people who played key roles in building this team. The main subject would certainly be Hinkle and some of the crazy situations in which he found himself. He also was a polarizing figure, with some saying he had no idea what he was doing, while others were so supportive of his methods that they would go to the NBA draft when the 76ers would have a high draft choice chanting "Process." Weitzman's descript of Hinkle's reign as the 76ers general manger was engaging, especially on the audio version. His narrative led credibility to his writing, something I usually find when listening to an audio book that is narrated by the author.
The great stories are not limited to Hinkle. The adventure of Joel Embiid from a middle-class life in Cameroon to the NBA is a fascinating adventure. The ups and downs of Jimmy Butler are also great, from his demands to leave Minnesota to his leadership in his one 76ers season to when he too was shown the exit door, leaving as a free agent to sign with the Miami Heat. Information on Ben Simmons is also very good. That was the best part of this book – the human stories behind the Process.
Overall, this book is best read by those who are not familiar with the history of the team or this "new" method of building the team as there isn't any new or groundbreaking material, mainly due to the limits mentioned earlier. But still a good read or listen.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
One must give credit to Weitzman for being able to put together a complete book when the main subject, the 76ers and their former general manager Sam Hinkle, refused to cooperate or allow Weitzman to interview personnel for the book. Nonetheless, he crafted a fun-to-read accounting of the team and how it went from the days of Allen Iverson to the current team led by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
Two slight criticisms I have about the book are minor, but should be noted. One is that Weitzman makes this strategy of "tanking" and stockpiling draft choices as something that was revolutionary, mainly because of the way that Hinkle and the team sold it. It really isn't anything new – in fact, that is how the Iverson-lead teams in the 2000's were built. The other one is how one measures that the Process is successful. If one believes that making it to the second round of the playoffs makes the Process worthwhile, then so be it but many would believe that only a championship can be the crowning achievement. An achievement the 76ers have yet to accomplish with its current players.
But those are minor compared the wonderfully entertaining stories about the people who played key roles in building this team. The main subject would certainly be Hinkle and some of the crazy situations in which he found himself. He also was a polarizing figure, with some saying he had no idea what he was doing, while others were so supportive of his methods that they would go to the NBA draft when the 76ers would have a high draft choice chanting "Process." Weitzman's descript of Hinkle's reign as the 76ers general manger was engaging, especially on the audio version. His narrative led credibility to his writing, something I usually find when listening to an audio book that is narrated by the author.
The great stories are not limited to Hinkle. The adventure of Joel Embiid from a middle-class life in Cameroon to the NBA is a fascinating adventure. The ups and downs of Jimmy Butler are also great, from his demands to leave Minnesota to his leadership in his one 76ers season to when he too was shown the exit door, leaving as a free agent to sign with the Miami Heat. Information on Ben Simmons is also very good. That was the best part of this book – the human stories behind the Process.
Overall, this book is best read by those who are not familiar with the history of the team or this "new" method of building the team as there isn't any new or groundbreaking material, mainly due to the limits mentioned earlier. But still a good read or listen.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
April 25, 2023
From broken feet, 28 game losing streaks, and 13 page resignation letters. To 50 win seasons, thoracic outlet syndrome, and Twitter burner accounts. The truth can sometime be stranger than fiction. #TrustTheProcess
August 27, 2023
This book made me *extremely* uncomfortable. I hated it. Not because it was poorly written, or slanderous, but because I've lived and died with these tales for too many years and this recapped most of them.
In all seriousness, Yaron wrote a brilliant book that, frankly, mirrored the recent journey of the team. The first half was a light, but never meandering, trip down memory road - fill with tales of the discovery of Joel Embiid and Brett Brown's Australian Adventure. The second half recounted nightmare-after-nightmare: the Fultz saga ft. Ebony and Keith Williams, the insecurities of The Collar, and the most harrowing version of The Kawhi Shot I've ever read.
In all seriousness, Yaron wrote a brilliant book that, frankly, mirrored the recent journey of the team. The first half was a light, but never meandering, trip down memory road - fill with tales of the discovery of Joel Embiid and Brett Brown's Australian Adventure. The second half recounted nightmare-after-nightmare: the Fultz saga ft. Ebony and Keith Williams, the insecurities of The Collar, and the most harrowing version of The Kawhi Shot I've ever read.
Read
July 27, 2025Audio book version…loses steam towards the end. Can’t imagine why
March 30, 2020
Addictive and fun read for basketball fans. There was good insight and an interesting break down of a very compelling team.
August 7, 2020
Absolutely loved this book. I was not familiar with Weitzman's work before this, but I greatly enjoy his writing style and the way he described a success-destitute franchise in the Philadelphia 76ers and their subsequent brick-by-brick rise to the top. All of the characters are here. The failed general manager who set the tone and the vision, the players who were thought to be the next franchise star but weren't cut out for it, the players who came later and were ultimately up to the challenge, and finally the coach who was there for it all. With detailed prose and a passion that bleeds on the page, Tanking to the Top is the best sports book I have read this year.
(I mean, I finished this in a night folks, it was that engrossing.)
(I mean, I finished this in a night folks, it was that engrossing.)
May 14, 2022
"Most Audacious Process" ending in absolute failure rn lmfao. Other than that, insider NBA books are always a blast, and to be able to read in-depth about one of the more interesting arcs of the modern NBA tanking was a treat. Although the fact that Weitzman couldn't actually get Sam Hinkie, you know, the actual ARCHITECT of the entire phenomenon his book revolves around, to talk with him at length... quite pathetic, but understandable. Rooting for Markelle Fultz.
December 3, 2021
An enjoyable read, especially for fans of Sam Hinkie and the Sixers. Lots of great anecdotes that come from an impressive amount of research. It feels like this could have been an entire series. The surprisingly optimistic conclusion, when juxtaposed against the team’s current state, is a jarring reminder of the difference between Process and Results. #hediedforoursins
June 12, 2022
Reading this book in 2022 is like reading a prologue to a horror movie. Every mention of Ben Simmons made me want to lay in traffic. The mention of Alex Rucker made me reconsider my belief in prison abolition. The mention of Al Horford gave me a concussion. No mention of Jimmy Butlers First Annual Easter Egg Hunt for the front office. Sad! Great book, this Sixers fan truly hated reading it.
January 5, 2025
An incredibly insightful look into one of my personal favourite periods in sports history, “The Process.” Honestly, a great read for even non-basketball fans, who might enjoy a tale of palace intrigue. As someone who followed The Process super closely, even I learned some new information about the 76ers. Loved every page!
June 15, 2020
Pretty solid book - really just summarizes the news surrounding one team over the past 7 years or so.
June 11, 2023
A portrait of organizational dysfunction that has brought great misery to my life
May 25, 2023
Interesting read, especially as a basketball fan who knew very little about The Process. Fun to read post-Simmons the recent playoff series loss.
July 15, 2023
Pretty much knew most of the stuff in here but still a good retrospective of the beautiful hellscape that has been the sixers fan experience over the last ten years also made me love my dude Joel Embiid even more he's a true legend
September 12, 2020
This was a really interesting look into one of the NBA’s signature franchises. It was the third of these types that I have read in the past six months. I would rank it behind the book about Oklahoma City but ahead of the one on Golden State.
April 4, 2020
Really good and easy read. I'm a huge Sixers fan and reading this was like reliving life from my high school years on. Really impressive work considering the difficulty the writer had with getting statements. The 2019-20 season and Harris actions since the league suspeded play due to coronavirus really enohasized alot of the issues that were discussed in the book. Winning a championship really takes an organization that is focused from bottom to top and I'm not sure if they have that.
January 9, 2022
I know the Game 7 loss to the Raptors is supposed to be the heartbreaking conclusion, but while I was reading it I was also wearing a "Fun Guy" t-shirt and looking up at a Kawhi illustration hanging on my wall. So it was a happy ending to me!!!
December 13, 2020
Weitzman's 'Tanking to the Top' is an interesting read into the 'Process' of the Philadelphia 76ers in the mid 2010's.
The book shines with its research into the main 'characters'. Sam Hinkie, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers franchise itself. It makes for a very detailed look into what made the 'Process' the process, and the nitty gritty of those years in the franchise.
The book unfortunately does not offer much more information than what is already publicly available. It also doesn't take the entirety of the events and offer commentary as to what it means for the NBA both presently and moving forward. As such, it reads more of a fan book than something truly analysing the 'Process' years.
Still, the story itself is fascinating as an NBA junkie which was an enjoyable read by default for any basketball fan interested in the team building aspect of the sport.
The book shines with its research into the main 'characters'. Sam Hinkie, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers franchise itself. It makes for a very detailed look into what made the 'Process' the process, and the nitty gritty of those years in the franchise.
The book unfortunately does not offer much more information than what is already publicly available. It also doesn't take the entirety of the events and offer commentary as to what it means for the NBA both presently and moving forward. As such, it reads more of a fan book than something truly analysing the 'Process' years.
Still, the story itself is fascinating as an NBA junkie which was an enjoyable read by default for any basketball fan interested in the team building aspect of the sport.
March 5, 2021
Might be biased but this is the greatest sports book ever written. None of this should have happened, but I'm thankful it did and thankful for this book to capture it. Fingers crossed for a sequel (and a championship).
July 9, 2022
Though I can appreciate that this would be a hard book to pull off the shelf for anybody other than a sixers fan (given how deplorable the Philly fan base is and how lackluster most sports reads are), this is an awesome read for anybody interested in contrarian thinking, human relationships, and the perception of value.
Sam Hinkie re wrote the rules of the game for good. An absolute maverick in the world of sports, Hinkie brings his private equity style approach to basketball....relying exclusively on quantitative analysis even at the expense of human relationships, buying low and selling high, and taking on short term pain in pursuit of the long term vision to turn the 76ers organization around
One of my favorite parts is when Hinkie notes.... "Ask yourself, does your self worth come from being told by other people how great you are? or because you know it deep down? You will find out quick when your opinion goes against the grain." Spoken like a true contrarian.
Sam Hinkie re wrote the rules of the game for good. An absolute maverick in the world of sports, Hinkie brings his private equity style approach to basketball....relying exclusively on quantitative analysis even at the expense of human relationships, buying low and selling high, and taking on short term pain in pursuit of the long term vision to turn the 76ers organization around
One of my favorite parts is when Hinkie notes.... "Ask yourself, does your self worth come from being told by other people how great you are? or because you know it deep down? You will find out quick when your opinion goes against the grain." Spoken like a true contrarian.
Read
December 6, 2020Chapter 1
- luxury tax forces teams to pay $1 for every dollar of player payroll that crosses over the salary cap, which makes up a lot that is then redistributed to smaller-market teams (20)
- The 2010 Sixers team with Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thad Young, Elton Brand, Lou Will, had to practice in a gym at some tiny college since the ownership was too cheap to build them their own facility (22)
- Josh Harris worked at a Private Equity firm called Apollo. Ended up being worth $7 billion by the time he decided to move to basketball (27)
- Harris and Blitzer bought the Sixers for $280 million, which was less than the Pistons had been sold for a month before. (31)
Chapter 2
- Sixers traded Igoudala and Nikola Vucevic & Moe Harkless for Bynum & Jason Richardson (34)
Chapter 3
- Hinkie’s dad shot himself in the head when he was 10 (41)
- Hinkie started in the NBA with the Rockets in 2005 as a special assistant to the GM (43)
- In 2007 he became the youngest team Vice President in nba history. Was 29 and was the VP of the Rockets
- Became the President of Bball Ops and GM for the Sixers in 2013. Was 36 years old (50)
Chapter 4
- Hinkie’s first draft
- Nerlens Noel & Michael Carter-Williams
Chapter 5
- Brett Brown was a stud PG at Boston University (64-65)
- Brett Brown backpacked solo through Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand & Australia for over a year a few years after graduating college (66)
- Brett Brown’s first head coaching job was for a 2nd tier Australian team, the Bulleen Boomers in 1992 (67)
- ^ He was 31 years old
- Worked as an unpaid assist for the Spurs in 1998 (69)
- Then was hired full time in 2002 as Director of Player Development
- Became an assistant with the Spurs in 2007 (70)
Chapter 6
- in Hinkie’s first year, the Sixers had 28 different players (80)
- Talks about Nerlens Noel’s issues like being late and coming to practice high
Chapter 7
- all about Spike Eskin
Chapter 8
- all about Embiid
- Grew up upper middle class in Cameroon
Chapter 9
- Truck lost control of it’s breaks in Cameroon and drove into a schoolyard and killed Embiid’s 10-year old brother (who he hadn’t seen in 3 years) (122)
- “To detractors, he represented everything that was wrong with the data-over-people modern GM. To his supporters, he was a revolutionary leading the army of progress onto the beaches of an anachronistic NBA. (132)
Chapter 10
- Jahlil Okafor’s mom died in front of him when he was 9 (141)
- Jahlil Okafor TMZ fight video outside of a bar in Boston
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
- Ben Simmons
- Dad played professionally in Australia and Brett Brown was the coach of his team (166)
- Jerry Colangelo and Bryan Colangelo
- Bryan had worked as the GM of the Suns when his dad was the owner, and then became the GM of the Sixers after Hinkie resigned (his dad Jerry was already a consultant for the Sixers at the time) (174)
- Colangelo didn’t like all the praise Hinkie received from people after he had taken over for him (175)
- Colangelo lied to reporters about the severity of Embiids injury, and he ended up missing the remainder of the season in 2016 (177-178)
Chapter 13
- about the 2018 draft with Fultz
- Philly was one of the teams that Fultz didn’t want to get drafted by because it was too close to his hometown and he was scared about playing in a major market (184)
- Fultz didn’t make the varsity team until his junior year
- Fultz’s mom was a helicopter parent his rookie year of the nba (190)
- The Sixers tried to say Fultz purposely tried to change his shootings mechanics, while Fultz agent and “team” said that it was because of a shoulder injury (192-195)
Chapter 14
- About the 2018 playoffs where the Sixers beat the Heat in round 1 then lost to the Celtics with no Hayward or Kyrie
- TJ McConnel drank 5 hour energy before games (208)
Chapter 15
- Bryan Colangelo’s wife was operating 4 separate burner twitter accounts
- They were all linked to her phone number and email address (217)
- All followed the same people
- The burner accounts all talked shit about players that Colangelo inherited from Hinkie - Embiid, Okafor, Noel - and never mentioned Simmons, who Colangelo drafted (213)
- Warren LeGarie: Colangelo’s agent and longtime family friend
Chapter 16
- Kawhi’s game 7 buzzer beater vs the Sixers was the first ever game 7 buzzer beater in NBA history (246-247)
Chapter 17
- Brett Brown lobbied for the Sixer NOT to resign Jimmy Butler that offseason (250)
Epilogue
- typo on page 256 - 3rd paragraph - “Most of the NBA people in bar...”
- luxury tax forces teams to pay $1 for every dollar of player payroll that crosses over the salary cap, which makes up a lot that is then redistributed to smaller-market teams (20)
- The 2010 Sixers team with Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thad Young, Elton Brand, Lou Will, had to practice in a gym at some tiny college since the ownership was too cheap to build them their own facility (22)
- Josh Harris worked at a Private Equity firm called Apollo. Ended up being worth $7 billion by the time he decided to move to basketball (27)
- Harris and Blitzer bought the Sixers for $280 million, which was less than the Pistons had been sold for a month before. (31)
Chapter 2
- Sixers traded Igoudala and Nikola Vucevic & Moe Harkless for Bynum & Jason Richardson (34)
Chapter 3
- Hinkie’s dad shot himself in the head when he was 10 (41)
- Hinkie started in the NBA with the Rockets in 2005 as a special assistant to the GM (43)
- In 2007 he became the youngest team Vice President in nba history. Was 29 and was the VP of the Rockets
- Became the President of Bball Ops and GM for the Sixers in 2013. Was 36 years old (50)
Chapter 4
- Hinkie’s first draft
- Nerlens Noel & Michael Carter-Williams
Chapter 5
- Brett Brown was a stud PG at Boston University (64-65)
- Brett Brown backpacked solo through Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand & Australia for over a year a few years after graduating college (66)
- Brett Brown’s first head coaching job was for a 2nd tier Australian team, the Bulleen Boomers in 1992 (67)
- ^ He was 31 years old
- Worked as an unpaid assist for the Spurs in 1998 (69)
- Then was hired full time in 2002 as Director of Player Development
- Became an assistant with the Spurs in 2007 (70)
Chapter 6
- in Hinkie’s first year, the Sixers had 28 different players (80)
- Talks about Nerlens Noel’s issues like being late and coming to practice high
Chapter 7
- all about Spike Eskin
Chapter 8
- all about Embiid
- Grew up upper middle class in Cameroon
Chapter 9
- Truck lost control of it’s breaks in Cameroon and drove into a schoolyard and killed Embiid’s 10-year old brother (who he hadn’t seen in 3 years) (122)
- “To detractors, he represented everything that was wrong with the data-over-people modern GM. To his supporters, he was a revolutionary leading the army of progress onto the beaches of an anachronistic NBA. (132)
Chapter 10
- Jahlil Okafor’s mom died in front of him when he was 9 (141)
- Jahlil Okafor TMZ fight video outside of a bar in Boston
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
- Ben Simmons
- Dad played professionally in Australia and Brett Brown was the coach of his team (166)
- Jerry Colangelo and Bryan Colangelo
- Bryan had worked as the GM of the Suns when his dad was the owner, and then became the GM of the Sixers after Hinkie resigned (his dad Jerry was already a consultant for the Sixers at the time) (174)
- Colangelo didn’t like all the praise Hinkie received from people after he had taken over for him (175)
- Colangelo lied to reporters about the severity of Embiids injury, and he ended up missing the remainder of the season in 2016 (177-178)
Chapter 13
- about the 2018 draft with Fultz
- Philly was one of the teams that Fultz didn’t want to get drafted by because it was too close to his hometown and he was scared about playing in a major market (184)
- Fultz didn’t make the varsity team until his junior year
- Fultz’s mom was a helicopter parent his rookie year of the nba (190)
- The Sixers tried to say Fultz purposely tried to change his shootings mechanics, while Fultz agent and “team” said that it was because of a shoulder injury (192-195)
Chapter 14
- About the 2018 playoffs where the Sixers beat the Heat in round 1 then lost to the Celtics with no Hayward or Kyrie
- TJ McConnel drank 5 hour energy before games (208)
Chapter 15
- Bryan Colangelo’s wife was operating 4 separate burner twitter accounts
- They were all linked to her phone number and email address (217)
- All followed the same people
- The burner accounts all talked shit about players that Colangelo inherited from Hinkie - Embiid, Okafor, Noel - and never mentioned Simmons, who Colangelo drafted (213)
- Warren LeGarie: Colangelo’s agent and longtime family friend
Chapter 16
- Kawhi’s game 7 buzzer beater vs the Sixers was the first ever game 7 buzzer beater in NBA history (246-247)
Chapter 17
- Brett Brown lobbied for the Sixer NOT to resign Jimmy Butler that offseason (250)
Epilogue
- typo on page 256 - 3rd paragraph - “Most of the NBA people in bar...”
September 4, 2020
The book is alternately engaging and annoying - sometimes, it's both simulataneously. This is the story of the Sam Hinkie era as GM of the 76ers - though it actually goes beyond Hinkie's years. Hinkie had a clear approach to running a team: the only real goal is to win a championship, and the worst thing you can do is get caught in NBA purgatory where you're bad enough to be bad, but not so bad as to land that top draft pick. So that's what Hinkie did - he made the team terrible so he could load up on as many draft picks as possible to maximize his chances at landing that top talent. To his credit, Hinkie stuck to his principles and set in place a process that let Philly land some impressive talents, that allowed them to be contenders.
But I really didn't like Hinkie himself. I don't mind that he's cold-blooded in his approach to business. Hey, that works. But he's cold-blooded in everything. He ignores people, shuts them out, and basically treats EVERYONE as if they solely exist as a commodity at his disposal. It makes him a lot harder to root for. He's the sort of guy who seems like he'd be much more comfortable trying to figure out how many workers a company should fire in order to maximize bonus revenue for the bosses atop the company. This book reads like it's for those who root for and identify with the GM more than they root for the players (which, to be fair, is a growing number of fans in this era of fantasy sports).
Actually, there is one saving grace to Hinkie: he treats Joel Embiid really well. Their connection is genuine and makes Hinkie seem like an actual human being. But even here there's a catch. The one guy Hinkie doesn't treat as a disposable commodity? It's the one guy he can't dispose of. I'm reminded of that old line - the guy who treats you well and treats the waiter poorly is not a good person.
The story itself is a mix and loses a bit of focus after Hinkie gets fired. (That said, the single most interesting chapter in the book is when Hinkie's successor Jerry Colangelo gets fired because his wife made a series of fake twitter accounts and used those accounts to attack her husband's critics over social media. Oh man, what a wild story).
One odd thing: the book ends with Weitzman saying the Hinkie's process succeeded in it's goal in creating a team capable of contending for a champion. Counterpoint: bullshit. Looking it up, the 76ers in the Process Era never advanced beyond the 2nd round of the playoffs. Yeah, they are good but teams in the low 50-wins don't usually win titles. The upside really isn't what it was supposed to be. That's arguably because they let Hinkie go, and/or because the luck of the odds, but the 76ers didn't take to the top. They tanked to the conference semis.
But I really didn't like Hinkie himself. I don't mind that he's cold-blooded in his approach to business. Hey, that works. But he's cold-blooded in everything. He ignores people, shuts them out, and basically treats EVERYONE as if they solely exist as a commodity at his disposal. It makes him a lot harder to root for. He's the sort of guy who seems like he'd be much more comfortable trying to figure out how many workers a company should fire in order to maximize bonus revenue for the bosses atop the company. This book reads like it's for those who root for and identify with the GM more than they root for the players (which, to be fair, is a growing number of fans in this era of fantasy sports).
Actually, there is one saving grace to Hinkie: he treats Joel Embiid really well. Their connection is genuine and makes Hinkie seem like an actual human being. But even here there's a catch. The one guy Hinkie doesn't treat as a disposable commodity? It's the one guy he can't dispose of. I'm reminded of that old line - the guy who treats you well and treats the waiter poorly is not a good person.
The story itself is a mix and loses a bit of focus after Hinkie gets fired. (That said, the single most interesting chapter in the book is when Hinkie's successor Jerry Colangelo gets fired because his wife made a series of fake twitter accounts and used those accounts to attack her husband's critics over social media. Oh man, what a wild story).
One odd thing: the book ends with Weitzman saying the Hinkie's process succeeded in it's goal in creating a team capable of contending for a champion. Counterpoint: bullshit. Looking it up, the 76ers in the Process Era never advanced beyond the 2nd round of the playoffs. Yeah, they are good but teams in the low 50-wins don't usually win titles. The upside really isn't what it was supposed to be. That's arguably because they let Hinkie go, and/or because the luck of the odds, but the 76ers didn't take to the top. They tanked to the conference semis.
May 25, 2020
As I said a few weeks ago in my review of Ethan Sherwood Strauss' superb The Victory Machine: thank the living Lord for sports books written by people my age. What a balm. No Michael Jordan narratives. No "back in my day, them fellas didn't have the interwebs." It's simply inconceivable to boomers that people my age remember a world before its wide web, a time before social media, and can in fact conceive of a history that predated our existence.
Anyway, enough of that. There's a dearth of quality basketball books and while this isn't on the level of Strauss', Yaron Weitzman's work here is among the better ones I've read. Rather than being a simple game-by-game recounting, Weitzman goes deep into "The Process", the weird, wild rebuild of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise, started by Sam Hinkie and completed, on some level, by the players he drafted, with several small rebuilds and transitions along the way.
Weitzman takes a broad view here. He's not judging The Process one way or another. Rather, he does the best he can to recount everything that went into those wild seasons. He presents Hinkie's experiment in asset acquisition as both visionary and frustrating. Along the way, he examines a cast of characters from players to super fans to the few front office people who would go on record.
If I have a quip here and it's a minor one: Weitzman, by his own admission, fails to fully penetrate the 76ers front office, which apparently in the Hinkie era was steeped in Kremlinology. As a result, you get the presentation of a veteran reporter who gets as close as he can, even if it's not as insightful as one would like.
But again, that's a quibble. This is likely as good of a look as we'll get on one of the strangest sports stories in recent memory. This absolutely gets shelved as a legit quality basketball book.
Anyway, enough of that. There's a dearth of quality basketball books and while this isn't on the level of Strauss', Yaron Weitzman's work here is among the better ones I've read. Rather than being a simple game-by-game recounting, Weitzman goes deep into "The Process", the weird, wild rebuild of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise, started by Sam Hinkie and completed, on some level, by the players he drafted, with several small rebuilds and transitions along the way.
Weitzman takes a broad view here. He's not judging The Process one way or another. Rather, he does the best he can to recount everything that went into those wild seasons. He presents Hinkie's experiment in asset acquisition as both visionary and frustrating. Along the way, he examines a cast of characters from players to super fans to the few front office people who would go on record.
If I have a quip here and it's a minor one: Weitzman, by his own admission, fails to fully penetrate the 76ers front office, which apparently in the Hinkie era was steeped in Kremlinology. As a result, you get the presentation of a veteran reporter who gets as close as he can, even if it's not as insightful as one would like.
But again, that's a quibble. This is likely as good of a look as we'll get on one of the strangest sports stories in recent memory. This absolutely gets shelved as a legit quality basketball book.
July 10, 2024
This was a fun refresher on a not-so-distant past that feels like it was a lot longer ago. I had forgotten many things about the beginning of this era of 76ers basketball, including how ridiculous a lot of it was. I certainly remember Sam Hinkie and The Process, but had forgotten how short of a term he actually served. A lot of what I consider a part of the Process era was actually under Bryan Colangelo. It's interesting looking back, as well, because of the changes to the NBA that resulted from Hinkie's methods, and how little tanking pays off these days thanks to the revamped lottery system. As a Pistons fan watching the worst team in the league continually picking 5th in the draft, trust me, it doesn't work anymore.
You really can only say the Process worked because of Embiid. Other than Robert Covington, the Sixers whiffed on pretty much every other pick. Some failed instantly and some took longer, but Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz all eventually busted. The stretch of Okafor's embarrassing public incidents, Fultz's shooting yips, and Colangelo's burner accounts on twitter (I still remember when that story broke on The Ringer) was a particularly brutal period of time for Philly, much worse than the tanking. I had also mostly forgotten about Jimmy Butler's year with the team, and the infamous Timberwolves practice. Fun stuff to look back on!
The timing was right for this read, as the Sixers are going all in this summer by adding Paul George and Caleb Martin, in what might be the last stretch run for Embiid. I've fatigued on Philly over the years with Ben Simmons leaving and James Harden arriving, just not a fun team to follow. But I might have a little more incentive to keep an eye on them over the next year or two now.
You really can only say the Process worked because of Embiid. Other than Robert Covington, the Sixers whiffed on pretty much every other pick. Some failed instantly and some took longer, but Michael Carter-Williams, Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz all eventually busted. The stretch of Okafor's embarrassing public incidents, Fultz's shooting yips, and Colangelo's burner accounts on twitter (I still remember when that story broke on The Ringer) was a particularly brutal period of time for Philly, much worse than the tanking. I had also mostly forgotten about Jimmy Butler's year with the team, and the infamous Timberwolves practice. Fun stuff to look back on!
The timing was right for this read, as the Sixers are going all in this summer by adding Paul George and Caleb Martin, in what might be the last stretch run for Embiid. I've fatigued on Philly over the years with Ben Simmons leaving and James Harden arriving, just not a fun team to follow. But I might have a little more incentive to keep an eye on them over the next year or two now.
July 31, 2020
I love basketball! I love the skill, the movement, the grace. Basketball is visual poetry. Not only do I love the artistry on the court, but I love to learn about the vision,strategy, and pragmatism off the court. Like any other organizational activity, NBA basketball is about politics and power. This is what drew me to Tanking to the Top by Yaron Weitzman.
Sam Hinkie is almost a mythical figure in the world of basketball analytics, and he trail-blazed how basketball teams are led through his “The Process” concept of losing in order to eventually win. This book details the behind the scenes machinations that underscored one of the more fascinating stories in recent NBA history. The rise and fall of Hinkie paralleled with the fall and rise of the Sixers provides insight into how decisions are made and what perspectives are valued. Since I’ve been on this kick about how power navigates and comports itself, I was enraptured by this book. Weitzman, a reporter for Bleacher Report, does an outstanding job of getting us inside the Sixers organization without, it sounds like, a lot of support from Sixers sources. Nevertheless, he navigates the situation, like the pro I’m assuming he is, to provide a great story. If you love the NBA, if you enjoy learning about organizational development, if you’re compelled by power moves, then I’d certainly recommend this book.
Sam Hinkie is almost a mythical figure in the world of basketball analytics, and he trail-blazed how basketball teams are led through his “The Process” concept of losing in order to eventually win. This book details the behind the scenes machinations that underscored one of the more fascinating stories in recent NBA history. The rise and fall of Hinkie paralleled with the fall and rise of the Sixers provides insight into how decisions are made and what perspectives are valued. Since I’ve been on this kick about how power navigates and comports itself, I was enraptured by this book. Weitzman, a reporter for Bleacher Report, does an outstanding job of getting us inside the Sixers organization without, it sounds like, a lot of support from Sixers sources. Nevertheless, he navigates the situation, like the pro I’m assuming he is, to provide a great story. If you love the NBA, if you enjoy learning about organizational development, if you’re compelled by power moves, then I’d certainly recommend this book.
November 29, 2022
A lot of the sentences in this book are straightforward reporting without any flourish (there are also a few typos, which get annoying). However, overall, there’s an incredible amount of high-key drama throughout. (In this year-long experiment to try to read as many basketball-related books as possible, a common theme between my favorites tends to be “messy drama” [e.g. this book and Three-Ring Circus]. It most likely says more about me than what might objectively be the best?)
There are benefits and flaws to the two different management philosophies in this book. On one side is the pro-analytics, tear-it-all-down-to-build-it-back-up-again management style and the other is the old-school, relationship-based, thread-the-needle types. To put it simply (and maybe to oversimplify it a bit), in the end, both sides seemed to have needed each other.
“Hinkie believed his ability to wield the ‘longest lens in the room’— a favorite phase of his— gave him an edge over his competition… By shooting for a target five, or seven, or even ten years down the road, he’d be free to operate in a way distinct from his competitors. While everyone else was fighting over the present, Hinkie would be alone cobbling together assets for the future and leveraging his lack of a timeline into an advantage.” (p. 59)
There are benefits and flaws to the two different management philosophies in this book. On one side is the pro-analytics, tear-it-all-down-to-build-it-back-up-again management style and the other is the old-school, relationship-based, thread-the-needle types. To put it simply (and maybe to oversimplify it a bit), in the end, both sides seemed to have needed each other.
“Hinkie believed his ability to wield the ‘longest lens in the room’— a favorite phase of his— gave him an edge over his competition… By shooting for a target five, or seven, or even ten years down the road, he’d be free to operate in a way distinct from his competitors. While everyone else was fighting over the present, Hinkie would be alone cobbling together assets for the future and leveraging his lack of a timeline into an advantage.” (p. 59)
February 14, 2022
I've followed the Sixers fairly closely over the last few years, and obsessively over the last year-plus. I was around for the lean/tanking/Process years (shoutout to Michael Carter-Williams and Jerami Grant, former Syracuse players whose presence on the Sixers got me interested amid all the losses). This is a very cool inside look - compelling for Sixers die-hards, I think, but of interest to more recent fans - at all of the moves (personnel, ownership, media) of the 2010-20 teams, though it's grounded in the Iverson era and the post-AI era dead zone. Great quotes from participants, great insights by YW himself, fascinating how Sam Hinkie acts as an absent center of the proceedings (he wouldn't be interviewed, so the write-around uses quotes from public sources and from one chance encounter at the MIT Sloan analytics conference). I loved looking back on some of the highlights (draft night and lottery night celebrations, big trades, press conferences, the whole Brian Colangelo Twitter thing), and it was super fun to be reading this at the trade deadline amid all the minute-by-minute intrigue of the Sixers landing James Harden and, depending on how you look at it, extending or ending The Process as we know it.
May 24, 2020
I don't think my review will sway anyone to read this, but I'll say if you're a Sixers fan or at least aware of Philadelphia sports in the last 10 years you'll probably enjoy this just for the recap and inside details of some of the crazy events of the last ~10 years.
There probably could be more about the current team and ownership but this book is really about Hinkie, Brown, and Harris and the years those guys were together (and then the Colangelo years). It's crazy how much stuff has happened there in these years.
I wish Hinkie did get interviewed for this so there could have been more of a technical discussion about the process but I guess plenty of blogs have done that.
Ultimately, after reading this I think Hinkie would have eventually worn out his welcome with the team and been fired or left. I don't think Harris looks great after this (but I didn't think highly of him before). I didn't really know Scott O'Neil and now have even more reason not to like him or his impact on the basketball. And lastly, Brown still sounds like a good mentor, person, and coach but it's hard to look past some of the playoff mishaps and how poorly 2019-2020 was going until the lockdown.
There probably could be more about the current team and ownership but this book is really about Hinkie, Brown, and Harris and the years those guys were together (and then the Colangelo years). It's crazy how much stuff has happened there in these years.
I wish Hinkie did get interviewed for this so there could have been more of a technical discussion about the process but I guess plenty of blogs have done that.
Ultimately, after reading this I think Hinkie would have eventually worn out his welcome with the team and been fired or left. I don't think Harris looks great after this (but I didn't think highly of him before). I didn't really know Scott O'Neil and now have even more reason not to like him or his impact on the basketball. And lastly, Brown still sounds like a good mentor, person, and coach but it's hard to look past some of the playoff mishaps and how poorly 2019-2020 was going until the lockdown.
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