The Philadelphia 76ers Perfect (and delusional) Draft Scenario
Jan 23, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Zach LaVine (14) dunks the ball in the second half against the Stanford Cardinal at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA won 91-74. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
So we are entering the heat of draft season. Tomorrow starts the NBA Combine in Chicago, next Tuesday will be the Draft Lottery and the Draft is at the end of June. So let’s start up some pure madness!
“With the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, The Philadelphia 76ers select the freshman sensation from Kansas University, Andrew Wiggins.” –Adam Silver.
Sixers fans all around rejoice, riots, burns couches, eat Philly Cheesesteaks until they go into a food coma. Andrew Wiggins is the coveted prize in this years draft. Sixers fans have been salivating over him since that HoopMixtape YouTube video came out last year. His pterodactyl-like length, uber-athleticism and “insert adjective here” potential all make him a perfect pick for any team, but especially the Sixers. Their run and gun type offense would be the ideal spot for him to land. Wiggins has his flaws but since this is the “The Perfect Sixers Draft” post, we won’t talk about flaws.
“With the 8th pick in the 2014 draft, the Philadelphia 76ers draft Noah Vonleh, freshman out of Indiana University.”
This pick (note* Sixers probably won’t draft at 8, but once again… no flaws) will probably determine what the Sixers do for the rest of the draft. If the Sixers take the Derrick Favors like player in Noah Vonleh, you should probably start saying your goodbyes to Thaddeus Young. Thad was a hot commodity around the trade deadline and that can only mean he’ll be even hotter come draft time. Thad could potentially net a mid-first, or two, depending on the team. You could look at the Suns, who have picks 14, 18, and 27. You could also look at the Bulls, who have picks 16 and 19. Last team that could be a fit is the OKC Thunder, who own the 21st and the 29th pick in the draft. All three teams could be in the market for a veteran player who is on a very fair contract. So let’s select a team at random and make a trade!
I talked to two guys on twitter yesterday; Kevin Ferrigan (@NBACouchside, Bulls fan) and Kristofer Habbas (@Kris_Habbas, Suns writer) about two potential trades. I offered them Thaddeus Young in a trade scenario. Kevin said he would take Thad plus a 2nd round pick for the 16th and 19th picks in the draft. Kris said he would take Thad and the 10th for Markieff Morris, 13th and 27th pick. In this case, we’ll roll with the Bulls trade.
“We have a trade to announce. The Sixers send Thaddeus Young and a future 2nd round pick to the Chicago Bulls for the 16th and 19th picks in the 2014 draft.”
So Thaddeus will net the Sixers two first rounders? Very gusta. So now what will the Sixers do?
“With the 16th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Zach LaVine, point guard out of UCLA”
YUUUSSSSSSSSSSSS! All my fanboy dreams have come true! The Sixers get a combo guard, someone who can either play PG when Michael Carter-Williams is sitting or play SG and pair up with MCW. LaVine still has a ways to go as far as “making the right choice” goes, but his athleticism, length, shooting and potential will haves teams drooling.
“With the 19th Pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select PJ Hairston from the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League”
This pick was probably the hardest to make. With KJ McDaniels and Adrien Payne still on the board, it was tough to take him over those two. PJ Hairston’s best attribute is his ability to get buckets. The Sixers like to get buckets; therefore, they are a perfect match.
So with that, let’s recap. The Sixers select Andrew Wiggins, Noah Vonleh, trade Thaddeus Young for two picks, and select Zach LaVine and also PJ Hairston. As far as a first round haul goes, that would be a pretty damn good one. Wiggins and Vonleh are day-one starters, LaVine and Hairston will probably play heavy minutes with the Sixers and the Sevens.
#HinkieGonnaHinkie