In Brief: The 76ers and the 2007 Draft Lottery

In last night's thrilling exhibition of envelope-opening, it was determined that the Sixers will have the 12th pick (along with the 21st, 30th, and 38th overall picks) in June's upcoming NBA Draft. For the Sixers, the pick falls where everyone thought it would--after the A.I. trade, they pretty much played themselves out of contention in the Greg Oden/Kevin Durant sweepstakes.

Not that wanting to win is a bad thing. The team gained a lot of confidence for the post-Iverson era with a Warriors-lite playoff run at the end of the season. And it seems that bad karma caught up to the teams that went out of their way to lose games during the stretch run. Just ask any Milwaukee Bucks fan (don't even talk to Celtics fans--they're all on suicide watch right now).

No, the new cradle of basketball civilization is the Pacific Northwest. It's like 1991-1996 all over again, except there's no Michael Jordan waiting in the wings to destroy the hopes and dreams of all Cascadia. This was probably the best possible scenario for the Sixers. The two big studs go West, along with two more of the top seven picks (barring any trades). Plus Atlanta has the third and eleventh picks, instantly raising the stock of any soft European forwards with hands of iron and unwashed hair.

So by the time #12 rolls around, there will still be several good players ready to contribute and several of the top prospects gone to the Western Conference. But who should the Sixers target on their big board? Billy King, I know you and Mo are still excited about Rodney Carney, but try to pay attention, ok?

Should Take (If Available):

- Acie Law IV, Texas A&M PG--he's got a lot of experience and the big-game chops to prove it. Isn't a shoot-first point guard, but he can score: a lot like Andre Miller, who could be a great mentor for Law as he plays out the rest of his prime in Philly.

Good Second Options:

- Spencer Hawes, Washington C--Sixers have a need for a big man, and he's probably the best option in a draft that's not exactly chock full of ones that are known commodities.

- "Noodles" Nick Young, USC SG--can create his own shot and take some of the scoring burden off Iguodala.

Avoid:

- Josh McRoberts, Duke PF--the Sixers already have one overrated Blue Devil (with a penchant for embarrassing the team); they don't need another one.

- Trading the 12th pick--though the spot doesn't have a great pedigree, there will still be somebody worth getting. Trading one of the later first-round picks makes a lot more sense, perhaps for a veteran presence off the bench that isn't Kevin Ollie or Alan Henderson.

Amazingly, the Sixers haven't had more than one pick in the entire draft since 2002. If King and Cheeks play this right, there could be a promising young nucleus in Philadelphia that will be ready to challenge for a playoff spot as soon as next year, given the weakness of the Atlantic Division.

So look out Orlando. Look out New Jersey. We're coming for that number 8 spot.