Jakarr Sampson has been one of my favorite players of the Hinkie era Sixers. He played hard, has a unique game and has a signature look. That combination is really fun, especially on a rebuilding team. Maybe that’s why the situation surrounding the voided 3 way trade with Houston and Detroit is so disappointing. The Sixers were originally set to take on Joel Anthony’s contract from the Pistons in exchange for the Denver Nuggets 2017 second round pick. Trading that unused cap space for a second round pick is very good considering that Anthony is only under contract until the end of this year. However, the Sixers roster was full so they needed to waive someone in order to take on Anthony. Sampson was the causality. Still, Sampson was expected to clear waivers and resign with the Sixers once they waived Anthony. The team would get the second round pick and would get to keep Jakarr. It seemed like everything was going to work out.
Then the Sixers experienced a series of unfortunate events. First, the Denver Nuggets swooped in and signed Jakarr to a two year contract before the Sixers were able to resign him. Then, the 3 way trade fell through because of the back problems of Houston’s Donatas Motiejunas which meant no second round pick for the Sixers. So the Sixers lost Jakarr for nothing. It’s not the Sixers fault that Donatas has a bad back. It’s also not necessarily the Sixers fault that a team unexpectedly signed Jakarr. These are pretty unlucky circumstances that were out of the Sixers control. One can even (and probably should) make the argument that trading Jakarr for a second round pick is great value. Sampson was an undrafted free agent who didn’t have any real NBA offers besides the Sixers. He is a guy who isn’t even good at any one thing. He has tools, but isn’t particularly any good at basketball in any capacity.
Jakarr definitely has value outside of his basketball ability. Like I said earlier, he is an incredibly hard worker. He is also a notoriously great teammate and positive influence in the locker room. For a young rebuilding team like the Sixers, having a locker room full of good guys and teammates is incredibly important. Jakarr brought so much to the team off the court while having some upside on it. All that aside, it’s hard to blame the Sixers for risking the loss of Sampson in order to gain a second round pick. They have other good chemistry guys and hard workers on the team and the loss of Sampson gives the team a new roster spot to use on other young players this season. I also don’t think Jakarr would have any real shot at making the roster next year with all the incoming talent for the Sixers this offseason. This move makes a lot of sense from a value and logical standpoint but it still doesn’t feel right.
http://gty.im/503147760
I think the struggles I have with this move stem from how it mirrors the idea of “The Process,” the Sixers controversial rebuilding strategy. It may seem weird that a minor move could elucidate the positives and negatives of a complex rebuilding strategy, but I feel like it fits. It starts with Jakarr. He is the perfect “Process” player. He was unheralded coming out of the draft and most people had no idea who he was. He is often pointed to as a guy who proves that the Sixers rebuild is a joke because people think Jakarr is so bad. Those people are wrong, but it’s interesting, especially considering that many people who support the Sixers strategy also see Jakarr as a guy who encapsulates the process due to his combination of overlooked potential and the positive contributions to team chemistry that I discussed earlier.
In terms of how the move itself ties into the process, it comes back to expected value and logic versus old school wisdom and feelings. Like I said earlier, the move makes sense logically. The expected value of a second round is higher than Sampson’s expected value and the Sixers expected to keep both so you can’t criticize them for that. Still, rebuilding in the NBA involves a lot of luck. The process focuses on improving those odds whether it be by acquiring assets and flexibility or tanking in order to improve position in the draft lottery. The key word here is “odds”. The NBA lottery is a not a guarantee. You can only improve your odds and hope for the best. Sixers fans’ like to look at the process as something that will definitely work out due to the sheer odds of it all, but analytics and probability are still inexact sciences. Everything requires some luck and the Sixers haven’t had as much as they would like. The Jakarr Sampson trade is another unlucky event that could hurt the longterm development of the team and it just kind of shows how fragile the process can be.
Now this doesn’t mean that the process is bad and the Sixers should abandon it. It still makes more sense to add to your odds. You would rather have a 35% chance of success as opposed to a 31% chance. The difference may not be huge but it still could be important. It should also be noted that other rebuilding strategies aren’t guaranteed to work. The Magic have gone with a more traditional route in terms of team building and it hasn’t netted them anything more than the Sixers. The Suns were praised for their rebuild but that’s come crashing down on them within a few years. The Lakers are the epitome of old school and they have been an absolute joke in the basketball world in recent years. No rebuild is flawless or perfect. They all have their drawbacks and “the process” is no different. Sixers fans need to be able to see the benefits of the rebuild while still being aware of the dangers and shortcomings that have become more evident after the failed Jakarr trade. This isn’t just about Jakarr. He’s just a small piece of the large pie that we call the process. Trust it, because it’s all us Sixers fans have.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
