Silver is a schmuck, he says nothing about the Lakers playing as bad as the Sixers the last two years, because he wants the Lakers to get the #1 pick.
I think what he was really concerned about was Hinkie's plan working, and the Sixers dominating the NY teams and hurting ratings (at least in his mind), bad enough Boston is going to be a powerhouse, but if the Lakers and Knicks can't turn it around he loses a big chunk of ratings.
In Silver's mind, he wants the Sixers to be a bridesmaid that gets beat on a regular basis in the playoffs by the "real" franchises of the NBA. He's got to live with San Antonio (but central Texas is a big TV market), and GS is in a big TV market, but NY and LA are the rating anchors.
Hinkie lacks interpersonal skills, he'd be best in a high tech industry where nerds are appreciated, but he put the Sixers in a position this summer to start the real rebuild, and a smart GM would make minor moves this year to fill out the roster with better players, allow his big men to appreciate in value, then make the splash next summer trading one of them and either his own or the Laker pick (unless it conveys this year) to target a star guard.
In two years, if Bryan doesn't blow it, this could be a 50 win team.