2013 NBA Draft: What to Expect From the Sixers
By Dante Nelson
It’s draft day! Everybody say “heyyyy” Say “Hooo” Okay enough of that.
Each team that goes into the draft has their own story. Some teams have loads of picks and some have none. Some may look to trade the pick for a key player and others are looking to draft a start or a project to store over in Europe or somewhere for a few years. What about the Sixers? Welp, I’m gonna talk a little bit but if you’re in a hurry, a paragraph marked with an asterisk* contains the conclusion.
Well, I think the Sixers are going to be quiet. See, some teams use the draft to trade and make adjustments or draft their franchise cornerstone. But not the Sixers. I think they’ll make their mark during free agency with all that cash. With a new GM and no coach, I’m not too sure that they would really be doing anything serious tonight.
But the question remains, what will they do? Looking at the roster, they can draft anything really because they have so many holes. And many folks report that the team is looking to go big yet again. They’re in the lottery so technically they could land a star but with a projected weak class as well as big men needing more time than other positions to develop, it could mean going through another rebuilding phase.
I think I would like to see them go for a wing player. A small forward. You could say their roster is full of wing players but contracts are up and guys like Dorell Wright and Nick Young may not be back so the wing spots are definitely up for grabs. Again, this is a weak draft so my hopes aren’t too high for a steal. Some could say Thad Young, who the Sixers got a 12 in 2007, was a steal but that was a pretty good draft class which contained the likes of Kevin Durant and Al Hortford as well as the failed Greg Oden. I have to avoid talking too much about free agency although history shows that usually a team will let you know what free agency is gonna be about by the way they draft. That said, I still would like to see them pursue Oden even though it’s probably not likely they’ll get him.
Don’t go for a PG unless you want him sitting as a project. I still stand by getting a veteran PG to help Jrue although he’s blossomed into a star this past season. And again, I don’t see a big trade going down for the team. The biggest thing I see is trading a pick for another pick or a role player. No big star action. Mainly because they don’t have any pieces to pull it off anyway unless another team was completely desperate to unload a contract.
*So yeah, even though I would like them to go for a wing, it’s probably going to be a PF/C for the 11th pick. The team needs a starting SF because Evan Turner is a wrap. Really, they should just draft the best guy available since each position could use some improvement. Okay well Thad Young and Jrue are good so PF and PG starters are fine. I don’t think drafting a big guy says anything about their plans about Bynum because, again, I don’t think there’s a star waiting to be made. If they think he can be a star, then I would assume Bynum’s gone.
What do you think the Sixers should do during the draft? Will the draft tell us about their free agency plans? Do you think the draft is gonna be as weak as I say. Hit those comments, baby and tune in tonight a 7 pm ET on ESPN for the draft. Also, follow The Sixer Sense on Twitter, Facebook, and/or Google+ for up to date analysis of the draft events for the Sixers and the NBA.