Tanking to the top: the Philadelphia 76ers and the most audacious process in the history of professional sports

Herm Edwards, former NFL player and coach as well as ESPN analyst, who is now the head football coach at Arizona State, coined the much-quoted aphorism: "You play to win the game! Hello!" But Weitzman, a journalist with Bleacher Report, points out that winning is not always the way to build championship teams. Focusing on the basketball Philadelphia 76ers, Weitzman zeroes in on a counterintuitive track to the NBA's brasss ring: the paradox that losing in the short term, thus capitalizing on the fact that a losing season guarantees top draft picks, explores this counterintuitive track to NBA's brass ring: Former 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie pioneered the process (a word the 76ers brass and Weitzman keep repeating), although all that losing creates (certainly in the short run) some very unhappy fans (and bettors), along with equally disgruntled players, owners, and agents. Trading the present for the chance of a better future, however, has become an unconventional but now-imitated strategy, though subject (as is in the 76ers' case) to mitigating factors, including injuries and the actual performances of those coveted draft choices. The jury is still out on the 76ers, but Weitzman offers a fascinating review of the tanking-to-the-top philosophy, including statistical analysis (yes, there are some algorithms).

Weitzman, who covers the NBA for Bleacher Report, charts the Philadelphia 76ers' rise from NBA atrocity to potential powerhouse in his dishy, punchy debut. The "process" began in 2011 and was the brainchild of former 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie, a data-obsessive who believed the team had to be stripped bare and built anew with fresh-from-college superstars. As the losses mounted at first, the team stockpiled draft picks via trades. The opinions of the public--some hailed Hinkie as a savior, others deemed his plan embarrassing--mattered little to Hinkie, who had the backing of owner Josh Harris, who bought the 76ers as "a business opportunity" in 2011 and eventually became personally invested. Hinkie resigned in 2016 as old-guard management took over, before his handiwork led to a promising, young team helmed by Cameroonian budding star Joel Embiid. Thanks to about 175 interviews, Weitzman expertly captures the human frailty behind Hinkie's plan: the difficulty Embiid had getting into shape; Markelle Fultz, a high draft pick, can't shoot a basketball or get away from his controlling mother. Weitzman wildly entertains in this backroom NBA history. (Mar.)

Tanking, wherein a bad professional sports team seeks to improve by first getting worse, is nothing new, but its poster children are the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers of 2013--16. Coming off a 2012--13 season of 34 victories in 82 games, the Sixers hired a relatively unknown general manager, Sam Hinkie, who proceeded to jettison the team's better players in order to save money to obtain second-tier personnel to stockpile as trade bait and to dangle in front of future top free agents, while also ensuring miserable records that would translate to high draft choices. Known as "The Process," this resulted in seasons of 19, 18, and ten wins but, buoyed by top draft choices Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the 76ers climbed to 52 wins in 2017--18. In 2019, after 51 regular season victories, the team came close to earning a spot in the NBA playoffs. Here, veteran sports journalist Weitzman, NBA writer for the website Bleacher Report, offers an account, replete with insider information, of the ups and downs of "The Process" and its architect. VERDICT Readers interested in the business of basketball, and how it affects teams and players above all, will find this a must-read.--Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL

Herm Edwards, former NFL player and coach as well as ESPN analyst, who is now the head football coach at Arizona State, coined the much-quoted aphorism: You play to win the game! Hello! But Weitzman, a journalist with Bleacher Report, points out that winning is not always the way to build championship teams. Focusing on the basketball Philadelphia 76ers, Weitzman zeroes in on a counterintuitive track to the NBA's brasss ring: the paradox that losing in the short term, thus capitalizing on the fact that a losing season guarantees top draft picks, explores this counterintuitive track to NBA's brass ring: Former 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie pioneered the process (a word the 76ers brass and Weitzman keep repeating), although all that losing creates (certainly in the short run) some very unhappy fans (and bettors), along with equally disgruntled players, owners, and agents. Trading the present for the chance of a better future, however, has become an unconventional but now-imitated strategy, though subject (as is in the 76ers' case) to mitigating factors, including injuries and the actual performances of those coveted draft choices. The jury is still out on the 76ers, but Weitzman offers a fascinating review of the tanking-to-the-top philosophy, including statistical analysis (yes, there are some algorithms). Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Tanking, wherein a bad professional sports team seeks to improve by first getting worse, is nothing new, but its poster children are the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers of 2013–16. Coming off a 2012–13 season of 34 victories in 82 games, the Sixers hired a relatively unknown general manager, Sam Hinkie, who proceeded to jettison the team's better players in order to save money to obtain second-tier personnel to stockpile as trade bait and to dangle in front of future top free agents, while also ensuring miserable records that would translate to high draft choices. Known as "The Process," this resulted in seasons of 19, 18, and ten wins but, buoyed by top draft choices Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, the 76ers climbed to 52 wins in 2017–18. In 2019, after 51 regular season victories, the team came close to earning a spot in the NBA playoffs. Here, veteran sports journalist Weitzman, NBA writer for the website Bleacher Report, offers an account, replete with insider information, of the ups and downs of "The Process" and its architect. VERDICT Readers interested in the business of basketball, and how it affects teams and players above all, will find this a must-read.—Jim Burns, formerly with Jacksonville P.L., FL

Weitzman, who covers the NBA for Bleacher Report, charts the Philadelphia 76ers' rise from NBA atrocity to potential powerhouse in his dishy, punchy debut. The "process" began in 2011 and was the brainchild of former 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie, a data-obsessive who believed the team had to be stripped bare and built anew with fresh-from-college superstars. As the losses mounted at first, the team stockpiled draft picks via trades. The opinions of the public—some hailed Hinkie as a savior, others deemed his plan embarrassing—mattered little to Hinkie, who had the backing of owner Josh Harris, who bought the 76ers as "a business opportunity" in 2011 and eventually became personally invested. Hinkie resigned in 2016 as old-guard management took over, before his handiwork led to a promising, young team helmed by Cameroonian budding star Joel Embiid. Thanks to about 175 interviews, Weitzman expertly captures the human frailty behind Hinkie's plan: the difficulty Embiid had getting into shape; Markelle Fultz, a high draft pick, can't shoot a basketball or get away from his controlling mother. Weitzman wildly entertains in this backroom NBA history. (Mar.)