Sir Charles in Charge
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NBA Free Agency: How tanking might be the best way to lure LeBron James

By David Early

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 14: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers listens to LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers after the game at Quicken Loans Arena on December 14, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Lakers 121-112. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 14: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers listens to LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers after the game at Quicken Loans Arena on December 14, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Lakers 121-112. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 26: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers sits on the bench prior to the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center on October 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. The Thunder defeated the 76ers 103-97. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 26: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers sits on the bench prior to the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Wells Fargo Center on October 26, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. The Thunder defeated the 76ers 103-97. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Philadelphia 76ers

Years of Misery: 2014-2017

Wins: 19, 18, 10, 28

Four Year Record Rank (2014-17): 30th, Dead Last 

You may know this story well. The biggest losers over a four-year span from 2014-2017, Sam Hinkie executed “The Process.” Rather than aiming for mediocrity, which would have been easily obtainable in a sunken Eastern Conference, he blew it up.

The way Cleveland traded away their lone all-star in Mo Williams, Hinkie began “The Process” by trading away his lone-all-star, Jrue Holiday. It didn’t help his win total, but it helped his draft pick; which, like L.A.’s was lottery protected, so he had to miss the playoffs twice or he wouldn’t get to keep it. And if you’re gonna be bad and your owners are ok with it, you may as well tank.

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Fast forward to today and the players drafted with all of the consecutive high lottery picks “The Process” produced are vying for homecourt advantage and a 3 seed in the playoffs. They have the 5th best record in the NBA, and their best players, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, are just 24 and 21 years old respectively.

The coach Hinkie hired from the Spurs, Brett Brown, is now a Coach of the Year candidate. Eventually, after lots of losing, the team ownership may have lost sight of the original goals or perhaps caved into media or league pressure and stripped Hinkie from some of his power. However, before that day came, “The Process” had produced an unprecedented, utterly absurd, 25 draft picks or swap options in under three full seasons!

The front office that replaced him, now lead by Bryan Colangelo, inherited the rights to the 1st and 3rd overall picks in the 2016 and 2017 drafts respectively, as well as five additional first round picks to play with; two of those coming this June. A staggering haul.

That LeBron James would even consider passing up on two cities where he lives and owns homes, or the team with the best record in the entire NBA today, for The exemplar of Tank, The Sixers, is a major validation for the vision that Hinkie once outlined to owners with his nerdy Powerpoint deck.

Lesson to teams today: Lose enough to string together numerous high lottery picks and supplement those with as many as you can from other teams as well. You may not draft perfectly or even well but that’s why you need to get lots of other teams to give you their picks. Even though many fans are more forgiving of teams who were less fortunate or inept, there are some elite free-agents who will respect your cunning.

Must Read: Philadelphia 76ers: 4 things we learned from The Process

Again, the ping-pong balls don’t ask how they arrived. They just bounce around. Be sure you find some stars, and have a coach who is a strong enough leader to keep morale high when times are tough, and turn things around instantly when he finally gets a chance. Once you have a winner and some cap-space, stars will be very interested, regardless of how many eggs it took to make your omelette. 

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