Group Therapy: Surviving the Sixers Draft

Billy King did an excellent job of doing what other teams' GMs told him to do at last night's NBA Draft.

Three of four Philly picks were flipped to other teams shortly after they were selected, making the Sixers one of the busiest draft-night franchises. But considering the sheer volume of trades made annually, the NBA Draft hits its "crapshoot phase" somewhere between picks 20 and 25. Methinks it could be a lot of sound and fury when the foreigners start going like ham sandwiches at a hobo convention.

The Philadelphia 76ers 2007 draft, more or less as I saw it:

Pick #12: The only guy the Sixers picked and kept was Georgia Tech product Thaddeus Young, kinda surprising with Julian Wright and Al Thornton still available (and, sadly, one pick too late for Acie Law). I liked this decision the more I thought about it since Thornton went to an institution that awarded a degree to this individual and both Thornton and Wright have been hyped up the wazoo. Never underestimate a smart(er) person with something to prove. Plus he reminds me of the last famous Thaddeus in Pennsylvania; no matter what Young's political affiliation is, a Radical Republican reference must be worked into his nickname.

Pick #21: Daequan Cook was kind of a puzzling selection here, even if you somehow believe ESPN's graphic that has Iguodala at shooting guard and Korver at forward in Philly's "starting lineup." Cook was then humorously traded for the guy picked one spot ahead of him by Miami, Jason Smith. And I wondered why the Heat were a mess. Smith, meanwhile, has the potential to develop into a much-needed presence on the boards, having recorded double-digit rebounds in the last eight consecutive games of last season (and in 18 games overall).

Pick #30: Right before this pick was made, Ric Bucher disclosed the full terms of the Cook-Smith deal--Miami not only gets Cook, but also cash and a 2009 second-round pick as well. I can see throwing in a few bucks to sweeten the deal, but who the hell also throws in a pick to get a guy who went all of one spot ahead of your own. I half-expected Billy King to hold up a newspaper describing the deal today and proclaim "Peace in our time."

Literally ten seconds after this happens, the Sixers pick Petteri Koponen, a 19-year-old who led his team to the Finnish League championship last year. Writing that last clause still makes me cringe. Experiencing it in real-time was far worse, a viciously delivered one-two punch. I felt like I just got out of the shower with nothing to dry myself but a hand towel, then discover that it's really John Candy's XXL underpants, a la Steve Martin in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

Pick #38: As if there were some draft gods punishing the Sixers for their ignominious flop at the first round's finish line, Nick Fazekas and Glen "Big Baby" Davis go off the board at 34 and 35. Philly picks the vowel-averse Kyrylo Fesenko until shipping him to Utah for the 55th pick, Providence's Herbert Hill. When I think about it, Utah could have been behind both of those selections. Both fit the Jazz's draft pattern: the white foreigner or the inoffensively-named guy from a non-marquee school (Dee Brown notwithstanding). The Sixers also get mysterious "additional considerations" in this trade. I speculate that this could be anything from Mormon Tabernacle Choir Tickets to Andrei Kirilenko.

Mercifully, there is another trade announcement between #30 and #38: Koponen to Portland for cash money and 2007 SEC Player of the Year Derrick Byars. Excuse me while I put on this mask, Paul Allen.

A really, really weird draft for the Sixers when all things are considered. The question now is what to do with all of these prospects. None of the picks were traded for veteran help as I had speculated, and there's no way that Philly's opening night roster includes four rookies. There's still time to deal, though, and I'm still nowhere near as depressed as Simmons.

But that, I fear, isn't much of a feat these days.

Billy King Works Out Yi Jianlian, Pulls Brain Muscle

Though most of mock draft scenarios I've seen have 20-year-old Chinese phenom Yi Jianlian off the board well before the 12th pick, the Sixers brass couldn't contain their excitement after seeing him practice yesterday. In Los Angeles.

And even though the phrase "Chinese phenom" should at least trigger circumspection, Billy King is highly impressed:

“[At the workout] you are able to see a lot more things that you aren’t able to see in a game,” King said. “He was shooting three pointers, handling the basketball, just seeing him run…. We were able to see him do some of the same tests that we do for guys, they did for us here like the shuttle runs, the sprints, the vertical jumps and those things.”

Oh, I get it. Apparently Yi never dribbles, runs, or shoots threes during an actual game. But at least he passes the President's Physical Fitness Test with flying colors. Good scouting, guys. Quite a trip to see a guy whom the Chicago Bulls, of all people, are reportedly doing everything short of reprising the "baptism scene" from The Godfather to trade up for.

And from the Danny Almonte Files come accusations that Chinese authorities fudged Yi's age to preserve his eligibility in junior competitions, echoing doubts that have been expressed as far back as 2003. Personally, it's hard for me to believe that a guy could be playing on an Olympic basketball team at the same age when I was learning how to parallel park.

Sixers Work Out Yi Jianlian [Official Site]
The Next Yao Ming? [Time Magazine]

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.

Sixers Finally Out Of Playoff Hunt, Self-Loathing Can Begin

Though it might have been a case of the Eastern Conference stooping down to accommodate them, the Philadelphia 76ers actually managed to keep themselves in the race for the 8th playoff seed until losing to the Orlando Magic this afternoon. Shavlik Randolph can now stop pretending to rehab his ankle and concentrate on deflecting people wishing to bring their gayness on him.

Can you imagine the Sixers sneaking into the playoffs? Would people even have noticed?

There's a surprising amount of good news in all of this. The Sixers have been playing .500 ball since the Allen Iverson trade (and 24-20 since they pulled a K-Fed on Chris Webber), quite miraculous for a team that had lost 12 in a row at one point in the season. They'd be a "second-half" playoff team in the East, no question.

But that's not all--the Nuggets included TWO first round picks in this upcoming draft (projected to be the deepest draft since 2003--pretty much because they're forcing kids to take one year of college now) with Joe Smith and Andre Miller. That's like passing up three European vacations on the Showcase Showdown for a sweet motorcycle, an ugly dinette set, and a huge jukebox that you don't even have room for in your garage. Thanks, Denver!

Some current projections have Philly taking a lot of "name" college players. I'm high on Acie Law, but I'd also like to see them get a legitimate center.

This is but another manifestation of addition by subtraction. More importantly, it's more evidence to support my dad's "always trade your most talented, athletic player" theory--if he's popular but hasn't won a championship within a few years, he must go. This was right on the money for Bobby Abreu, who had become my father's favorite whipping boy the past few seasons.

He has similarly railed on Iverson ever since the Finals loss in 2001. He always contended that A.I. was only around for the purpose of A.I.S.--Asses In Seats. I would also point to the fact that the "Controversy" section of Iverson's Wikipedia page is not only footnoted but organized chronologically over several years.

Now I'm thinking he might really be on to something. Brian Dawkins and Simon Gagne had better call their agents.