DOUBLEPatrick Cole, NC Centrals top scorer at 21 point

PHILADELPHIA -- Sam Hinkie wants the 76ers to use the Moneyball-type of thinking popularized in baseball to build a championship team in Philadelphia. Hinkie can crunch the numbers using any formula hed like -- hed find the Sixers were pretty awful this season. But thats why Hinkie was hired away from Houston, to build the 34-win Sixers into title contenders, not just by using traditional player statistics like rebounds and points, but through alternative -- and complex -- ways of calculating a players value that often clash with old-school, front-office thinking. Considered an innovator in the Rockets cutting edge analytic efforts, the Sixers named Hinkie team president and general manager on Tuesday. "Im just trying to use information to make decisions," Hinkie said. "I think some people move along quickly and others dont. Thats OK." Hinkie replaced president Rod Thorn, who moved into a consulting role, and GM Tony DiLeo, fired after one year on the job and 23 years total in the front office. Hinkie spent the last eight years in Houston and was the executive vice-president of basketball operations for the Rockets. A year after he was passed over for the GM job, Hinkie was the top choice this time by owner Joshua Harris to oversee the rebuilding of this beleaguered franchise. Hinkie must now hire a coach after Doug Collins resigned following three seasons. Collins and Thorn are officially consultants for the team, but are now in the background of a major reconstruction project that Harris, Hinkie and a new coach will tackle. The Sixers have a short list of coaching candidates but have not interviewed anyone. In looking for a coach, Hinkie said all philosophies would be blended into a successful organization, not just analytics. "I think its all too-often overstated about how analytically minded a head coach needs to be," Hinkie said. "I think every head coach in the NBA is analytically minded. I think they all want to win. I think more and more, as they meet organizations that have really invested in this, they say this is helpful." Hinkie replaces DiLeo, who was widely credited -- and now blamed -- for orchestrating the botched deal for injury-prone centre Andrew Bynum. Harris said some of the roster decisions made, like the Bynum deal and giving multi-year deals to Spencer Hawes and Kwame Brown, were not made with "good process. They werent good decisions." Philadelphia went to the playoffs in Collins first two seasons, and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. But with Bynum injured all season, the 76ers stumbled to a 34-48 record this season, finishing 20 games behind division-champion New York. Theyll have a first-round pick in the NBA draft lottery and about $11-$12 million in salary cap room. Hes off this week to Chicago for the pre-draft camp. Jrue Holiday was an All-Star in his third full season and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the two players in the franchises 50-year history to average more than 17 points and eight assists for an entire season. Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner are solid assets. But those two standouts -- along with Holiday -- werent enough to help lead the Sixers back to the post-season. Along the way, Bynum never played for the Sixers because of bone bruises in both knees. He insisted from training camp he would play this season, only to shut it down for good on March 18. He then underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery on both knees. Bynum earned $16.5 million this season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Bynum is one of six free agents for the Sixers, who are devoid of any real assets outside of Holiday. Without playing a game for the Sixers, Bynum said at his introductory press conference he wanted to make Philadelphia his home -- and the team was ready to commit. "Where do I sign?" Harris said last August. "Show me the contract." There were no enthusiastic endorsements at the Sixers practice facility on Tuesday. "I think of Andrew like the thousands of other young men walking around the world that are unrestricted free agents that have potential to play NBA basketball," Hinkie said. "He is one of those. Im duty bound to consider them and look at them. All of them." And from Harris? "Were going to look into it." The Rockets became the first NBA team to manage the basketball operations of its D-League team. Likely as a sign of whats ahead, the 76ers last month acquired a team to compete in the NBAs developmental league in Delaware. It was that kind of thinking that impressed the Rockets -- and the Sixers. "His valuable insight regarding players and the NBA, whether building around Yao Ming or taking the multiple strategic steps necessary to acquire James Harden, has provided the Rockets with an unmatched advantage over the years," Houston GM Daryl Morey said. "Philadelphia will realize over time what an important acquisition they have made." The Sixers hope they realize it if they can celebrate their first championship since 1983. ------ NOTES: Harris is Managing Partner of Apollo Management, which he co-founded in 1990. Apollos investments include the fast-food chains Hardees and Carls Jr. In March, Hostess Brands Inc. sold Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and other brands to Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Co. for $410 million. "We try to buy good franchises at low prices and we were able to do that with Hostess," Harris said.Diamondbacks Jerseys 2020 . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Arizona Diamondbacks Pro Shop . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/ . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Arizona Diamondbacks Gear . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom.BATON ROUGE, La. -- Antonio Blakeney made two field goals in the final four minutes to lift LSU a 70-66 non-conference victory over North Carolina Central on Tuesday.Two baskets following offensive rebounds by Will Ransom enabled the Eagles to tie the score at 65-65 with 4:45 remaining in the game. Blakeney made the only field goal attempts by either team the rest of the way.Blakeney sank a jumper with 3:59 left to break the tie, and after North Carolina Centrals Patrick Cole made one of two free throws, hit another with 2:42 left. Neither team scored again until the Tigers Brandon Sampson made a foul shot with nine seconds to go.Coming off a 14-day layoff, we knew we wouldnt be hitting on all cylinders, LSU coach Johnny Jones said. Our guys did a good job in the second half of playing with the effort we needed. With a few minor adjustments on the defensive end, we made it tough for them.Blakeney scored a season-high 27 points, 18 in the second half. Duop Reath added 14 points and Sampson had 13 for LSU (6-2), which trailed by 13 points on three occasions in the first half.The mentality was to play defense in the second half, Blakeney said. They were really shooting the ball in the first half. We wanted to play defense and take our offense to the next level. I was just trying to be aggressive. I wanted to draw plays out and knock the shot down.Cole scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and handed out nine assists. Dajuan Graf had 18 points and Ransom scored 10 points for the Eagles (6-5).It was a tale of two halves, North Carolina Central coach LeVelle Morton said. We caught them rusty a little bit. They havent played in a while, so we kind of shocked them. We really executed in the first half. We diidnt finish the game down the stretch and thats on me.ddddddddddddBIG PICTURELSU: The Tigers remained unbeaten at home with their fifth victory. For the third time this season, LSU won after trailing at halftime.NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL: The Eagles came very close to knocking off their second Southeastern Conference team this season. NC Central beat Missouri 62-52 last month.SECOND HALF TEAMLSU continued to play much better after halftime. The Tigers outscored NC Central 34-23 over the final 20 minutes. LSU defeated Wofford and Old Dominion earlier this season after trailing at halftime. In the Tigers previous game against Houston, they outscored the Cougars by 18 points in the second half while going on to an 84-65 victory.NEAR QUADRUPLE-DOUBLEPatrick Cole, NC Centrals top scorer at 21 points per game, almost reached double digits in four statistical categories. Cole contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. In addition, Cole committed 10 of the Eagles 19 turnovers. Cole had a potential game-tying 3-point shot blocked by Brandon Sampson with 12 seconds remaining in the game.SOLID POST TANDEMBoth Duop Reath and Craig Victor, LSUs two starting posts, came close to registering double-doubles. Reath, who was 7-of-9 from the field, had 14 points and eight rebounds. Victor, who missed nine of his 12 field goal attempts, accounted for eight points and a season-high 11 rebounds.UP NEXTLSU: The Tigers will play Texas Southern Saturday.NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL: The Eagles continue their two-game swing through Louisiana when they meet McNeese State in Lake Charles on Saturday. ' ' '