Analyzing the Possibility of a Sam Hinkie Rebuild in Detroit

Sam Hinkie is seen by many as a hero in Philadelphia for his “Trust the Process” rebuild. Would it benefit the Detroit Pistons long-term to hire him or follow his blueprint?

This past week, it was confirmed that the Detroit Pistons would have the 12th pick in June’s NBA Draft. Also, an interesting rumor started to float around on 97.1 The Ticket, on the Mike Valenti Show.

Sam Hinkie was the mastermind behind the Philadelphia 76ers’ extreme rebuild process. Currently, while still not a playoff team, they have a very bright future. Joel Embiid has superstar ability if healthy, Dario Saric had an outstanding rookie year, and Ben Simmons was the top pick in last year’s draft. The first two are finalists for the Rookie of the Year. Furthermore, they are still reaping the benefits of Hinkie’s tenure, landing a top-three pick in next month’s draft with no shortage of future draft assets which could pay off in big ways.

As many fans know, the Pistons are in a tough position this offseason, especially in terms of roster construction. The NBA is all about superstars, and they have none. They have no playoff wins since 2008 and they are a fringe playoff team at best right now, but they’re about to be luxury tax payers as well. That’s a nightmare financial situation. While Stan Van Gundy has shown that he is a good coach in the past, this issue falls on him, as he is in charge of personnel moves as well.

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Whether Hinkie is looking for another front-office role is unknown, but they don’t necessarily need him to follow his blueprint: trade anyone with value (Andre Drummond included), put out an extremely young team (Henry Ellenson included), amass as many draft picks as possible, and build from there.

In order for a rebuild to occur of Hinkie’s magnitude, there needs to be transparency. Philadelphia made it clear to fans that it was a “process.” Fans knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It would be embarrassing at times, and it would be painful to watch at almost all times, and fans knew that and embraced it. They even raised a banner this past week at their lottery party, as an ode to Hinkie’s work.

Over half of the NBA makes the playoffs each year, showing that it’s not about playoff appearances, it’s about championships. However, while LeBron James is still playing in the Eastern Conference, that’s not a possibility for the Pistons.

Next: Mr. Big Shot Headed to Atlanta?

With any luck, if the Pistons follow Hinkie’s model, they’ll begin to be competitive in 4-5 years, right when LeBron is nearing retirement.

What do you think?