The Sixers Mock Draft Hits

Today we're going to take a spin around the good old Internet and check out some mock drafts for the upcoming 2008 NBA Draft. The Sixers currently hold the 16th pick in the first round. They're second round pick now belongs to the Utah Jazz. The Sixers are obviously going to attempt to fill one of their 2 biggest needs on draft night. That means a starting SG or a starting PF. The conventional thinking was that the Sixers would attempt to address the PF position in free agency and look for a shooter in the draft. Don't put it past GM Ed Stefanski to go with the "best player available" approach. A nice prospect at C or PG would be a nice future addition to the team. Let's check out who the mock drafts currently like at 16 for the Sixers.

MyNBADraft.com
Darrell Arthur
Position: PF
Height: 6-9
Weight: 215
Age: Sophomore
School: Kansas

Chad Ford - ESPN.com
Marreese Speights
Position: C
Height: 6-10
Weight: 245
Age: Sophomore
School: Florida

DraftExpress.com
Darrell Arthur
Position: PF
Height: 6-9
Weight: 215
Age: Sophomore
School: Kansas

NBCSports.com
DeAndre Jordan
Position: C
Height: 7-0
Weight: 255
Age: Freshman
School: Texas A&M

InsideHoops.com
Marreese Speights
Position: C
Height: 6-10
Weight: 245
Age: Sophomore
School: Florida

The Sporting News
JaVale McGee
Position: C
Height: 7-0
Weight: 237
Age: Sophomore
School: Nevada

HoopsHype.com

Darrell Arthur

Position: PF
Height: 6-9
Weight: 215
Age: Sophomore
School: Kansas

Docsports.com
Marreese Speights
Position: C
Height: 6-10
Weight: 245
Age: Sophomore
School: Florida

HoopsAddict.com
Marreese Speights
Position: C
Height: 6-10
Weight: 245
Age: Sophomore
School: Florida

Yahoo.com
JaVale McGee
Position: C
Height: 7-0
Weight: 237
Age: Sophomore
School: Nevada

Ian Thompsen - SI.com
Joe Alexander
Position: SF
Height: 6-8
Weight: 230
Age: Junior
School: West Virginia

Seems to be a trend forming eh? As teams are allowed to start working out players we should be able to get some more information. Yeah we'd love to see the Sixers try to get to the #2 pick if the Heat are really selling, but I doubt it. Don't be surprised if the Sixers take another 6-7 guy who can play some 2,3 and 4. Look at what the Hawks did and to a certain extent, the Bulls. This would fit with the "best player available" approach.

The Sixers Needs

We're assuming that the Sixers keep Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala at least for this season. The Sixers have two glaring needs that jump right out at you.

• A legitimate 2-way PF to man the 4 spot. Reggie Evans is a great energy guy and rebounder. He'll be excellent in a role as the the 2nd man (1st big) off of the bench after Lou Williams. He's not a starting 4 any way you cut it. He just doesn't have the offense. Thaddeus Young is a nice young player, but he's not suited to play the 4 unless the Sixers are going to a "small ball" lineup. The Sixers need a PF who is an offensive presence in the post in the worst way. Having such a player will mask some of Dalembert's offensive shortcomings and force opposing defenses to sag off of Iguodala a bit. The Sixers main weakness is their inability to space the floor and score in a half-court offensive set. This is the first and most difficult step to remedy that deficiency.
  
• A starting-caliber NBA 2 guard. Willie Green should be the 3rd-5th guy off of the bench, if that. The Sixers desperately need a real 3 point threat. Andre Miller, for all of the good things he is, is not a 3 point threat. Maybe Iguodala and Young will develop a deep shot. But for now the Sixers desperately need to fill that role. Think a Kyle Korver type, not as good of a shooter as Korver but a better defender.
  

They also need one more veteran big to come off of the bench and a 3rd point guard. You might want to throw another center on that list too. But those are easier roles to fill (and cheaper) than their main 2 needs. So what is the outlook on addressing these needs?

A talented big is harder to come by than a guard who can hit some 3's. Let's see who's potentially out there for the copping. We'll look at what the Sixers might do to address these needs in the draft next time.

THE BIGS

• Antawn Jamison is the only player who's technically available at this point who fits the bill for what the Sixers are looking for in their PF. But Jamison is turning 32 and he's said that he wants to re-sign with the Wizards.
• Elton Brand could opt-out of his contract with the Clippers and hit the market. He's 29 but he's a proven All-Star and great teammate who's played with Andre Miller before. If he hits the market look for the Sixers to make a push.
• Jermaine O'Neal could opt-out but it's doubtful. He could go back to his original position a the 4 and that might help to rejuvenate him. It's more likely that he stays with the Pacers under his current deal and they attempt to trade him.
  
• Shawn Marion is another guy who could opt-out but it's doubtful. He's not a traditional PF but he has the length to play there and he'd fit with the Sixers new philosophy. As a bonus he would be the best 3-point shooter on the team as of right now.
• Emeka Okafor is a restricted free agent but he's too similar to Dalembert.
  
• Josh Smith is also a restricted free agent. He also has the most upside of anybody on this list. If his game keeps developing he could be scary good. He's also a helluva shot blocker and can hit the 3 ball a bit. The downside is that his post offense is not very developed and he's still more "upside" than All-Star. Plus the Hawks would match just about any offer for him. A sign-and-trade is probably the only way it would happen.
• Nenad Krstic is yet another restricted free agent. He's coming off of an injury and is a center by trade. But Sixer GM Ed Stefanski was a big supporter of him back in Jersey. If the Sixers did something along the lines of trading Dalembert & change to Indiana for Jermaine O'Neal, Krstic could be brought in to play center.

THE LITTLE GUYS

• Monta Ellis is another restricted free agent. He's an undersized 2 and is similar to Lou Williams in some ways. But Ellis has a better shot and has proven he can cut it as a starter in the NBA. The Sixers might be hesitant to tie their fortunes to another undersized shooting guard. But Ellis is a dynamic scorer and the Sixers need that. It's unlikely that the Warriors would not match any offer for him.
• Ben Gordon is another restricted free agent undersized shooting guard. But he can score in bunches and can really shoot the 3. The Bulls might not match an offer for him and he might come for a cheaper price than expected. It would be interesting to see if he'd take the full mid-level exception if offered it.
  
• Gilbert Arenas has an opt-out for this season. Yes he's technically a point guard but he's the best scorer that's out there for the taking and he loves taking the big shots at the end of games. But he's made noise about taking less money to stay in Washington. If the Clippers end up with cap room and he's out there, look for them to make the full court press.
• Corey Maggette also has an opt-out. It would have a certain sense of irony if Maggette and Brand both ended up together again, this time on the Sixers? Maggette fits everything the Sixers need in a 2 guard, minus great defense. Maggette might not get any offers anywhere else for anything over the mid-level exception. If the money's right he would be a great fit on the Sixers.
• Ron Artest also has an opt-out. From what I hear, the Sixers kicked the tires on an Artest trade around the trade deadline. He can shoot the 3, play lock down D and play the 2 or the 3. For the right price I think the Sixers would be very interested. But I see Artest staying in Sacramento or going to Dallas or New York for the mid-level exception.
  

So What Does This Tell Us?

When you look at the Sixers roster a few thins jump right out at you.

• Samuel Dalembert has a long way to go. Dalembert is a nice defensive and hustle player but he has failed to develop any kind of consistent offensive game. He's ok at the foul line, gets some oops and put backs and hits the occasional baby hook. I could be describing Reggie Evans' game or Samuel Dalembert's. Only Dalembert makes over twice as much money. In short Sammy is overpaid and has 3 long years left on his deal. That is going to clog the Sixers salary cap for the final two years of the deal.
• Reggie Evans isn't going anywhere. He's everything Dalembert is except not as good of a shot blocker or free throw shooter. But he's locked in for 3 more years at $4-$5 million and is an excellent rebounder. The fans in Philly have grown to love Evans so don't look for him to go anywhere.
• Willie Green should've been traded instead of Kyle Korver. We'll get into Willie later but to make a long story short he has no business being a starting 2 guard in the NBA. He'd be nice 6th man if he can improve his 3-point shot but the Sixers already have Lou Williams to be that guy. Moving Green to a team that could use him properly should be a priority for the Sixers, even if they only receive a small expiring contract in return.
• If the Sixers keep this core together, they can add 1 marquee free agent starting at about $10 million per season. That's it if they sign Iguodala and Williams to extensions not to mention Andre Miller.
  
• Rodney Carney's value to this team right now is he is honestly the Sixers best 3-point shooter. He might have a little value to another team that likes to run. If the Sixers keep Iguodala and Thaddeus Young there's probably not a lot of burn for Carney unless he develops into a starting-caliber 2 guard.
• NBA rookie contracts are great for teams. Looking at the numbers Thaddeus will be paid until 2011-12 makes it conceivable that the Sixers could trade Iguodala. He and Thaddeus are very similar and Young is younger and cheaper with nearly unlimited potential. Neither is really a 2 or a 4 and Lou Williams is entrenched as the 6th man. That could make one of them extraneous, especially if it's in exchange for a solid 2 or a 4.
  
• It would seem to make perfect sense to try to lock Andre Miller up with a 2 year extension if possible. That's if you want to keep this core together. If the Sixers are able to sign a top level free agent this summer, Miller might be inclined to do so. Most likely though he'd want at least a 3rd year on any extension if not more.
  

The Sixers Current Roster

Before we get down to business, have you ever tried the ESPN NBA Trade Machine? It's my favorite feature of all of the stuff the Worldwide Leader offers. NBA trades are so complicated by nature and it's also nice to know contract lengths, years remaining and what players teams own the rights to.

Unrestricted Free Agents With Player Options
Calvin Booth ($1,141,838)

Unrestricted Free Agents With Team Options
NONE

Unrestricted Free Agents
Chris Webber (Buyout/Retired) ($19,000,000, buyout for $15,856,251)
Aaron McKie (Allan Houston Rule/Released) ($7,000,000)
Kevin Ollie ($3,441,900)
Shavlik Randolph ($1,080,000)
Louis Amundson ($687,456)
Herbert Hill ($427,163)

Restricted Free Agents
Andre Iguodala ($2,804,889) (Qualifying offer for 2008-09 - $3,800,625)
Louis Williams ($800,000)

1 Year Remaining on Contract
Andre Miller (2008-09 - $9,999,999)
Rodney Carney (2008-09 - $1,655,760) (2009-10 Team Option - $2,539,935) (2010-11 Qualifying Offer - $3,568,608)
Jason Smith (2008-09 - $1,326,360) (2009-10 Team Option - $1,418,880) (2010-11 Team Option - $2,187,913) (2011-12 Qualifying Offer - $3,135,279)
Thaddeus Young (2008-09 - $1,968,120) (2009-10 Team Option - $2,105,400) (2010-11 Team Option - $2,901,241) (2011-12 Qualifying Offer - $3,992,108)

2 Years Remaining On Contract
NONE

3 Years Remaining On Contract
Samuel Dalembert (2008-09 - $10,520,000) (2009-10 - $11,360,000) (2010-11 - $12,200,000)
Willie Green (2008-09 - $3,388,000) (2009-10 - $3,682,000) (2010-11 - $3,976,000)
Reggie Evans (2008-09 - $4,640,000) (2009-10 - $4,960,000) (2010-11 - $5,080,000)

Welcome. Or Something.

Welcome to "Re-Hire Billy King. Then Fire Him. Again". Let's just go with "Fire Billy King" even though it's inaccurate because Billy King is not employed by an NBA team. The Knicks will hire him though. C'mon they're the Knicks and Billy King loves to hand out huge contract extensions. That's a match made in, well I'm not sure, but it's somewhere very bad. Or Billy could re-team with Larry Brown under Michael Jordan in Charlotte. How spectacular would that be?

Anyway, down to business. This blog will deal primarily with the Philadelphia 76'ers. We'll be operating year-round with analysis, news and opinions. We're currently gearing up for the NBA Draft and free agency. The Sixers had a nice little run last year and what they do in the upcoming months will determine the shape the franchise well into the next decade. So stick with us for these exciting times. Or don't. Or just critique and complain. Whatever makes ya happy.

We'll try to keep you up-to-date with the latest Sixers news locally and from around the Web. We're still working out what the particular daily, weekly and monthly schedules and features will be, but they'll be great so it's all good. See ya on the flip side.