The Sixers made a choice a few years back to follow Sam Hinkie’s ways labeled “The Process.” Should the New York Knicks follow suit?

Reality Television has ruled the airwaves over the last two decades. Some of the most popular shows involve a makeover of some sort. Whether it’s a home renovation, a restaurant rescue or bringing new life to antiques, you can turn on your flat-screen and find a reality show any time of day.

For a large group of people, they find joy in the greatest reality show of them all: sports.

One of the teams that creates soap opera storylines is the New York Knicks. As dysfunctional of a franchise as you will find in any of the major four sports, the Knickerbockers have been must watch TV for all the wrong reasons.

This isn’t about the past, though. Dolan and the Knicks brass are looking into the mirror and are not enjoying the sight they are seeing. Change is obviously needed, and it will be only a matter of time for the decision to rid themselves of their biggest star, Carmelo Anthony, and their president of basketball operations, Phil Jackson.

Everything ends badly, otherwise, it doesn’t end. Knicks fans deserve better, but to get better, the New York Knicks will need to get worse.

In a land, not so far away, there was a city who also loved its basketball. Let’s call it Philadelphia.

The new ownership group, headed by Joshua Harris, took a chance on a “round-ball visionary.” He was smart, confident and he wore the same color suit every day.

His name was Sam Hinkie.

Hinkie believed that to build a sustainable force in the NBA, a team in a city like Philadelphia would need to strike it rich in the draft. To strike it rich meant obtaining as many assets, in this case, draft picks, as possible.

Popular stars who could lead a team to the playoffs would not be good enough. Hinkie traded the foundation of the Sixers, Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young, as a way to get the ball rolling.

The second phase of “The Process” would be losing — and losing, they have. Right, wrong or indifferent, losing creates better opportunities in the NBA Draft Lottery. For Hinkie’s plan to work, he would need to always be in the lottery, and if possible, have multiple chances within the lottery.

The Process certainly isn’t a complete product, as Hinkie’s gone, replaced by a more seasoned general manager, Brian Colangelo. But his plan has started to come to fruition. The team is winning, Joel Embiid is a superstar in the making, Ben Simmons will debut soon and because of deals made by Hinkie, they will have a presence in this year’s loaded NBA Draft.

James Dolan and the New York Knicks should move on from Phil Jackson and hire Sam Hinkie. That’s about as clear as it can be.

Sam Hinkie’s “Process 2.0” in New York City, at the “World’s Most Famous Arena,” would be highly criticized. The patience of Knicks fans would be tested greater than it ever has been in the past. Pressure on Dolan from the NBA to deter a tank would be unbearable. No one wants to see a team purposely lose, but this is especially true of the largest market.

It has been the Dark Ages for the basketball teams in New York City, years filled with mediocrity. The trend has been set, and to end the trend, something extreme needs to take place.

Dolan Dolan needs to replace Phil Jackson with Hinkie.

Having said that, here’s what a Sam Hinkie Plan might look like:

Trade Carmelo Anthony:

It has been said a million times in a million different places in a million different ways: Carmelo Anthony needs to go.

Trading Melo would be the best thing for both the New York Knicks and Anthony, who just has never been given the right pieces to succeed in the Big Apple.

Whether it has been the right mix of players, the right coach or the right offensive system, Anthony’s star has never shined bright enough to hide the deficiencies of the team around him.

Carmelo has never been the perfect player, rarely has he bought into being a two-way player for whatever reason. Offensively, he is a marvel. He has the ability to create a shot whenever he deems fit. Like many superstars in the NBA, the offense needs to feed through him.

There is no ideal trade out there for Melo. In fact, a return for the aging star would not be the same haul the Knicks traded to acquire him. But Anthony could change the NBA landscape and challenge the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers in their respected conferences.

Ideally, a trade would involve a pair of first round picks and a pair of second round picks, and expiring contract. For a contender, that really isn’t much to give up.

Possible Trade Partners: Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City

Expiring Contracts are Key

There is an art to pulling off a blockbuster deal in the NBA. Sam Hinkie’s biggest strength was plotting out deals and essentially making the other GM “a deal he couldn’t refuse.”

One way he was able to accomplish so many trades was his willingness to take on large contracts — contracts which otherwise would have been impossible for a team to move. The salary cap flexibility that Hinkie maintained allowed for this.

In return, Hinkie would be rewarded with a more favorable pick. In the case of a trade with the Sacramento Kings, the ability to swap picks will benefit the Sixers if the Kings should have a higher pick.

For the Knicks to gain payroll flexibility, the team would need to trade Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee, and Joakim Noah. At this point, the three are terrible contracts which will be hard to move. This is where Hinkie’s creativity in architecting a deal is so key.

Three contracts that Hinkie could use to his favor would be the Derrick Rose expiring contract, the Brandon Jennings expiring contract and the reasonable contract of Kyle O’Quinn.

Showcase Young Talent

The young players currently on the roster right now may not be the same players here at the end of the three to five-year process. That doesn’t mean they are not valuable. It means that their value was maximized to the fullest potential.

Ron Baker, Willy Hernangomez, Mindaugas Kuzminskas and even Kristaps Porzinigis are all assets Hinkie could use to rebuild the Knicks quickly. For the trio of Baker, Hernangomez and Kuzminkas, all have contracts not equal to the talent they show on the floor.

Hinkie knew the right time to move players such as these. Michael Carter Williams was a first round pick of Hinkie’s who he would eventually flip to the Milwaukee Bucks after he won NBA Rookie of the Year.

Today, the trade looks genius as the Sixers received an L.A. Lakers first round pick. The pick is only protected if the Lakers land in the top three picks of the lottery. So, most likely, the pick will be realized this year.

Would Sam Hinkie trade Kristaps Porzingis for the right package?

Probably not. Porzingis would be the one piece that Hinkie would rebuild around. His game, though different from that of Joel Embiid, still can be dominate in today’s NBA.

Draft the Best Player Available

Hypothetically speaking, if Sam Hinkie was brought onboard prior to the trade deadline and was given the green light to decimate the roster this year, he would do wonders in this year’s draft. All indications are that the 2017 NBA Draft will have more than a few superstars.

Trading Carmelo Anthony would be priority number one for Hinkie. Rebuilding through the draft would be objective No. 1.

As it was demonstrated, Hinkie never reached for a player at a position of need. The best available player was the player that Sam would ultimately choose. This is why the Sixers are in the predicament that they are in now — three big men and not enough minutes for all three.

Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor were all drafted in successive drafts. Injuries delayed the three from playing together, but this year, Philadelphia has received the first glimpse of how the three would interact.

It hasn’t meshed as hoped and Okafor looks like the odd man out. To hit a home run, you need to swing the bat. Though Okafor may subsequently find his way out of the “City of Brotherly Love,” he is still viewed as an asset.

New York certainly will have an advantage over Philadelphia in one aspect, the bright lights of the big city creates an atmosphere about as desirable as it gets in the NBA. With “The Unicorn” as the lead in the cast, free agents will not hesitate to jump onboard as they did in Philly.

The process isn’t for the faint of heart, but as the Philadelphia Sixers creep back into relevance, the template appears to work. Would the fans of the Knicks deal with at least three losing seasons for a decade of competing for championships?

That is something James Dolan will need to decide.