Publishers Weekly
02/03/2020
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.)
From the Publisher
"The author's analysis is convincing and his reporting thorough. TANKING TO THE TOP is the best basketball book in years."—The Wall Street Journal
"[TANKING TO THE TOP] is teeming with palace intrigue...a rare journalistic experiment."—Los Angeles Review of Books
"The Philadelphia 76ers are nervous about you reading TANKING TO THE TOP — with good reason. Yaron Weitzman digs deep into the core of the organization's famous (and infamous) "Process," showing the reader every high, low, success, failure, and, yes, wart. It's a gem of a book; a gift to basketball junkies fascinated by mechanisms of the NBA."—Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Gunslinger and Boys Will Be Boys
"Through exhaustive reporting, Yaron Weitzman expertly takes us on a thrill ride through perhaps the NBA's grandest and greatest experiment. The Process was Moneyball on steroids, and Weitzman is our nimble guide through all the drama inside of the board room and on the basketball court. It's the best NBA book in years."—Jonathan Abrams, New York Times bestselling author of All The Pieces Matter and Boys Among Men
"'The Process' was the boldest, brashest, diciest, most controversial roster-building exercise we've seen in the NBA. Sam Hinkie's gambit alarmed fans and outraged NBA executives — and it worked. But the Sixers' rise from laughingstock to contender was so much more complex and layered than a two-word catch phrase. In TANKING TO THE TOP, Yaron Weitzman unearths new details and fresh insights, with an insider's expertise and a deft touch, providing the definitive account of this fascinating saga."—Howard Beck, senior NBA writer, The Bleacher Report
"There are layers to the brilliance of this book: The reporting is generally way deeper than what's come before. Much of the writing about "The Process" only muddies the waters, adds noise where we are desperate for signal. Here, for the first time, is an account that will confuse no one: Yes, this is what Sam Hinkie was trying to do; yes, it failed in some ways, and succeeded in others. The lucky readers of TANKING TO THE TOP will gain the insight to judge what was what. And finally, even with all of this new information to impart...it's still sexy and fun to read. How in the hell did he do that?"—Henry Abbott, founder and CEO, TrueHoop
"TANKING TO THE TOP is a must-read not just for 76ers fans, but for basketball nuts everywhere. It's an illuminating, thrilling, fun, page-turning account about one of basketball's most intriguing and innovative franchises. Weitzman's eye for detail separates him from every other NBA reporter out there today. He paints a new and vivid portrait of a franchise most think they already know everything about. His ability to uncover little gems that most reporters miss makes TANKING TO THE TOP a masterclass in sports storytelling. This book takes readers directly inside the locker room and meeting rooms, making the reader feel like he himself is on the court, figuring out how to navigate the dramatic, insane, thrilling, high-stakes nature of winning at all costs in the modern NBA."—Mirin Fader, The Bleacher Report
"[A] dishy, punchy debut...Weitzman wildly entertains in this backroom NBA history."—Publishers Weekly
"Whether you thought The Process was brilliant or you despised it, you had to pay attention to it. The Sixers' approach to roster construction under Sam Hinkie was one of the NBA's most controversial experiments — and it worked. Yaron Weitzman gives you the most detailed account of The Process to date, showing all of the successes, failures and everything in between in TANKING TO THE TOP, an expertly-reported look at the Sixers and the NBA as a whole. Weitzman's book provides fresh anecdotes and information about the comings and goings in Philadelphia to give you a greater understanding of one of the most audacious plans in the modern NBA."—Ian Begley, NBA insider, SNY
"An account replete with insider information of the ups and downs of 'The Process' and its architect. Readers interested in the business of basketball, and how it affects teams and players above all, will find this a must-read."—Library Journal
"TANKING TO THE TOP is a...very entertaining tick-tock of a unique episode in Philadelphia sports history."—Write Now Philly
"The jury is still out on the 76ers, but Weitzman offers a fascinating review of the tanking-to-the-top philosophy, including statistical analysis."—Booklist
Library Journal
03/01/2020
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
