Feb 20, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Evan Turner (12) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The Timberwolves defeated the 76ers 94-87. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Draft is less than two months away. With the Sixers missing the postseason after entering the season with such lofty expectations, here’s a look at some of the decisions that have led to this point.

While it is much easier to dissect a decision after the fact; for instance, the trade for Andrew Bynum. Regardless, here is the draft selections made by the Sixers over the last decade, and analysis of each draft.

2003: In a draft regarded as one of the best in NBA history with talents like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony, the Sixers had just a late-second round pick. Enough said. On the bright side, the Sixers didn’t have the second overall pick. If they had, we know that they would have made the same franchise-crippling mistake that the Detroit Pistons made, and drafted Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade.

2004: “With the ninth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Andre Iguodala.” It’s hard to blame the Sixers for this pick. Iguodala was a jack of all trades in Philly. He played suffocating perimeter defense, made plays for others, scored, rebounded well, and mentored younger players in his later years under Doug Collins. A few notables taken after Iguodala were Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, and Kevin Martin. With that said, the Sixers made a rare solid pick.

2005: In 2005, the Sixers may have gotten their best value in comparison to their draft position. Without a first-round pick, the team wasn’t on the clock until midway through the second round. With the 45th pick in the draft, the Sixers selected Louis Williams. Williams was the best player off the bench during his time here, and even led the team in scoring last season before heading to Atlanta.

2006: The Sixers had the 13th pick in the 2006 draft, and used it on Thabo Sefolosha. Sefolosha has been a solid pro, now with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Rajon Rondo was still on the board when the Sixers were on the clock, and was eventually taken 21st overall. Paul Millsap, soon-to-be-free-agent, slipped all the way to the second round before Utah took him 47th. It’s hard to put the blame here on the Sixers for passing on these guys in favor of Sefolosha, especially Millsap, who had a second round draft grade according to everyone.

2007: Thaddeus Young was the Sixers lone selection in the first round in 2007, taken 12th overall. Not much criticism can come of this draft; Thad has proven himself to be a capable change-of-pace power forward in the NBA. In his first season as a full-time starter, Young established himself as the most consistent, hardest working 76er.

2008: Ha! This is by far the pick that should be scrutinized the most. Not only is this easy to blame the organization for now, but the pick drew much criticism from the day of the draft. The Sixers took Marreese Speights of Florida with the 16th pick overall, passing on the likes of Roy Hibbert, Javale McGee, J.J. Hickson, Ryan Anderson, Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, Nikola Pekovic, DeAndre Jordan, and Omer Asik. It is far too simple to say this pick was a bust simply because of Speights’ inability to produce, but the pain in knowing the number of impact guys remaining in the draft is astronomical.

2009: Jrue Holiday. Not much to say here. Jrue Holiday made his first All-Star appearance this season and established himself as one of the NBA’s up-and-coming stars. Ty Lawson was still on the board when the Sixers were on the clock, but no harm done.

2010: Evan Turner was selected 2nd overall in 2010, and was instantly dubbed the savior of a struggling franchise. It hasn’t been that smooth of a transition to the NBA for Turner, and he hasn’t been as consistent as expected from the Naismith Award winner at Ohio State.  Anyone who tells you the Sixers made the wrong decision here is delirious. John Wall was the consensus fist pick; Evan was the consensus second. However, DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe, and Paul George all went after Turner, and have had more productive NBA careers thus far.

2011:  Ah, Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic was selected 16th overall by the Sixers, and after just one season was shipped to Orlando in the blockbuster trade for superstar center Andrew Bynum. Doug Collins has taken much criticism for hindering the growth of the 7-footer from USC in his rookie year, especially after blossoming into a budding star with the Magic. Vucevic has established himself as a double-double threat on a nightly basis after playing only sparingly in Philly. Kenneth Faried was taken after the Sixers’ selection, along with Chandler Parsons and Isaiah Thomas, who were both selected in the second round.

2012: It’s too early to tell what Maurice Harkless and Arnett Moultrie will amount to in the NBA, but both look to be promising for their respective clubs. Harkless was another piece in the Bynum trade, and showed glimpses of an above-average player in Orlando this season. Moultrie rarely played early in the season, coming back from a pre-draft ankle injury, but showed promise late in the season. The Sixers apparently had Moultrie in the top ten of their draft board so getting him late in the first round was a steal in their opinions. With a new coach and most likely more minutes, it should be interesting to see what Moultrie has to offer.

Needless to say, the Sixers have put themselves in a whole with some of their recent draft choices, but some weren’t as bad as they are made out to be. Of course it’s easier to sit here and criticize a struggling organization for not selecting players that we now know are impact players, some All-Stars, when they had the chance.

Just to give you something to ponder, here is what the Sixers’ roster could look like if they drafted differently.

• Center - Nikola Pekovic, Roy Hibbert
• Power Forward - Kenneth Faried, Serge Ibaka
• Small Forward - Andre Iguodala, Nicolas Batum
• Shooting Guard -Paul George
• Point Guard – Rajon Rondo
• Sixth Man – Louis Williams

Mar 21, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Philadelphia 76ers players Jrue Holiday (11) , Dorell Wright (4) , and Thaddeus Young (21) react during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets won 101-100. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

As promised, this is the second day of a ten day round table regarding the Sixers. Each person featured answered ten questions, and we’ll bring you their answers to a different question every day.

We asked each member of our staff, along with fans and some of the biggest writers in the nation what the most disappointing part of the 2012-2013 season was already. To see their answers, read yesterday’s round table.

Today’s question: “What, if anything, are you optimistic about looking forward?”

Below are everyone’s answers.

“Well, Jrue Holiday’s pretty good, isn’t he? There are so many elite point guards in the NBA these days that it’s tough to stay competitive without one unless you also have LeBron James. The Sixers have one of the most promising PG talents in the league, and they got him on a pretty great value for the next four years.”

- USA TODAY Sports NBA Writer Sean Highkin

 

“Jrue Holiday was an All-Star and Thad Young had his best year as a pro.”

- Chuck Bausman, Sports Editor at Philly Daily News

 

“Jrue Holiday. This season, we learned that he has the ability to be a very good point guard in this league for the next 10 years.”

- Roy Burton, Bleacher Report and SB Nation

“The Sixers have a couple very nice young pieces in Jrue Holiday and (Saint) Thaddeus Young. Both guys have a lot of ability and would be perfect compliments to a dominant scorer either inside or outside. If they can add that type player (the player they thought Bynum would be) then Sixers fans should be reasonably optimistic.”

- Robby Kalland, SB Nation

“Jrue Holiday definitely has been a cause for optimism this season. Whether Bynum was healthy or not, I don’t think anyone expected what Holiday did this season, setting career-highs in points, rebounds and assists per game and being selected as an All-Star. He’s been pretty awful over the last few weeks of the season, but it’s also the first time he’s logged this many minutes and had this much responsibility for an entire season. He’s even come out and said that the wear and tear of this season has surprised him and he’s worn down. Going forward, I think you have to be excited about what this guy can do for the Sixers. He is just 22 years old. I think what Thaddeus Young has done this season has some merit as well. He’s pretty much who he has always been offensively, an efficient and smart scorer. What I’ve really liked about Young this season, though, is how much more active he’s been on the glass and on defense than he has been in years past. He seems to have worked on his rebounding technique and is more aggressive on the boards. He’s also becoming a smarter defender and has obviously worked on his ability to jump passing lanes. That’s definitely got to count as a positive for this season and for the future.”

- Cody Williams, Rant Sports

“The young core of Jrue Holiday and Thad Young is a great reason for Sixers fans to keep the faith.  After the Andrew Bynum experiment this season, it is time to build a team around Holiday and Young for the future.  I am also not quite ready to run Evan Turner out of town, and I think it will be interesting to see if Turner can grow under a new coach.”

- Matt Buesing, Fire and Ice Radio

“The Sixers led by Holiday and Young.  I want to see the continued growth of Jrue Holiday.  He was great for 3/4 of the season and very much deserving of his All Star selection.  His play down the stretch of the season dropped off and I attribute that to tired legs.  He’s a young guy and was asked to carry a very large load for a team that struggled to put the ball in the basket.  Going forward, I expect Jrue to get stronger physically and mentally, and play at a high level for an entire 82 game season.  Also, Thad Young proved to be so valuable to this team because of his effort and energy everytime he stepped on the court.  No matter the situation, Thad brought it each night and was a joy to watch.  I expect his effort to continue to shine in years to come and I think he will continue to evolve as a leader.”

- Greg Duca, Fire and Ice Radio

“I’m optimistic to see Jrue and Thad grow together. Hopefully the Sixers can trade Turner for a solid big in the offseason.”

- Jeff McMenamin, Sixers Columnist at Philadunkia

“Thad. In his 5th year, Thad put up his best numbers of his career, averaging 15 points and 7.5 boards while shooting 53% from the floor. The man is a beast and I love watching him play. Interestingly enough, Thad played tremendous on Fridays, averaging 17.5 points and 9 boards on a whopping 59% from the floor. There’s something to say about a guy whose willing to show up to work on a Friday night, and give it his full effort, because I sure don’t when I work Fridays.”

- Sports Pro, Average Bro & Sports Pro

“Now that they have Jrue Holiday’s older brother, I’m pretty psyched to see the T-shirts that people come up with. Plus the brother thing is working for the Upton’s right now so there’s that.”

- Average Bro, Average Bro & Sports Pro

“Whether the organization can make the right moves. Hire the right athletes to pursue and find better opportunities that don’t include Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum and Spencer Hawes.”

- Danny Solis, The Sixer Sense

“The near future (1-3 years) looks grim. I can’t say I’m excited about what will happen. They have money but the FA class is rather weak and I fear the Sixers will spend money on players that won’t really take the team to the championship level. Instead, it’ll be just to be relevant, as usual.”

- Dante Nelson, The Sixer Sense

“Unfortunately, there is nothing specific that I am optimistic about going into next season. There is too much uncertainty to pinpoint a bright spot of the future, besides of course Jrue. That being said, the extensive minutes and pressure of this season got to Jrue towards the end, and that’s too scary of a prospect to not hope his role is eased a bit next year. Anyway, I’m optimistic and hopeful that the front office makes some kind of move(s) that promote long-term success over immediate 6, 7, 8-seed mediocrity, and get Jrue some help before he gets run to the ground. More optimistic thoughts will come in the offseason after the future is a bit more clear.”

- E.J. Aguado, The Sixer Sense

“The two things I am looking forward to are Jrue Holiday and Arnett Moultrie. Holiday is an all star point guard that has great court vision and has a well rounded game. Moultrie is still very raw but has the potential to be a solid power forward in this game. Hopefully next year’s coach will play him more minutes so he can develop.”

- Scott Boutcher, The Sixer Sense

“As bad as this past season has gone for the organization, I am still optimistic for the team’s future. Jrue Holiday has proven his value around the league and was selected to his first All-Star team.  While it will be sad to see Doug go, I think the team can use a change of direction. With a new coach, I am excited to see if Collins was a factor in the lack of Evan Turner’s development. The Sixers have many options this summer, with a ton of cap space, a lottery draft pick, and many tradable assets. The future may not be as bright to some fans, bu there are reasons to be optimistic heading into this summer.”

- Steve Garlatti, The Sixer Sense

“Jrue. Other than that, not so much really. I think the Sixers are going to try to blow it up this season. Trade Evan, Thad, and hope some one takes Kwame in a deal. I think Dorell and Swaggy are both gone. The Sixers will have some money though; So there’s that.”

- Spencer Layman, The Sixer Sense

Now that we’ve given you some expert opinions, here’s a look at some responses from fans via the Twitter world.

@sixersense the kid @yungsmoove21 and the young bul @jrue_holiday11.But no one is untouchable for the right trade

— seth (@RupacShakur) April 17, 2013

@sixersense absolutely none happy Doig is gone but until a legit GM is brought in it will never change

— Sam McClafferty (@arocketsa) April 17, 2013

That’s it for the second day here at The Sixer Sense Round Table, thanks for reading! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s edition, a look at the Sixers’ best win of the season.