Taking a deep breath...

I'm going to hold off on analyzing anything until this weekend is over...I think there are trades to be made still.

Again - Bill King took some gambles last night, but you don't know what you can get from Thad Young. Reminds me of Rashard Lewis.

There's still some talk of movement with Yi.

So Summing Up...

Thad Young, Jason Smith, Derrick Byars, and Kyrylo Fresenko.

To quote Clifford C. Claven: "Who are four people who have never been in my kitchen?"

Goodbye Petteri Koponen, We Hardly Knew Yee

McRoberts

If Billy King wants to take him at 38, I have no problem with that. He's a big guy with good hands and can run.

Chad Ford on Petteri Koponen

Welcome to 76ers Basketball and Philadelphia FINLAND! (Shameless, I know)

Here is what Chad Ford had to say about Petteri Koponen:

Almost every team was shocked at how well Finnish point guard Petteri Koponen handled the workout. Only 18 years old, he was put up against college veterans like Taurean Green, Aaron Brooks and Sean Singletary.

Koponen, according to multiple team sources, stood out with his poise, shooting and ability to adapt his game to the speed of the workout. One executive went so far as to say he saw enough to rank Koponen as the fourth-best point guard in the draft. Others said that he was on par with Green, who also played well in the workout.

Koponen will skip the Reebok Eurocamp to continue individual workouts, and it looks like he may have a good shot at sneaking into the late first round. All of which makes it hard to understand why the Orlando pre-draft camp selection committee excluded him from the camp.

If I'm Billy King I select...

Gabe Pruitt

That's Why the Spurs are the Spurs

Splitter with the 29th pick - he won't fit into their rotation or anything.

Gabe Pruitt

Can't believe he might be on the board at 30...I think if they wanted either McRoberts or Davis they would still be there at 38.

I don't need to see ...

Glen Davis or Josh McRoberts at 30.

I like Alando Tucker, Taurun Green because he's ready to play.

Splitter is a guy I'd still like them to look at.

Not sold on Aflalo...not enough range and can't handle the ball.

Thad Young From May

Here's what we had to say about Thad Young back in May.

Jason Smith

As ... weird ... as the first pick was, the second one looks to be a good fit.

Smith has a combination of inside outside game and has improved his rebounding year over year. He's 21 so should be able to play 20 minutes a night next year.

International

I think they're going w/ Tiago Splitter

21

I would think (but i really have no idea) would be they would take either Jason Smith or Tiago Spitler.

Another possibility - McRoberts.

Well...

I really don't know what to say either. I got 4 phone calls from people who are puzzled. Mike Kern and Rob Charry are puzzled. For goodness sakes Paul Jolovitz is puzzled.

Could they be trading this pick?

If not, Billy King has some major onions.

Just a note for those of us freaking now - Thad Young was the #3 rated player coming out of high school last year and probably would have been a top 7 pick last year.

If I'm Billy King I select...

Julian Wright from the University of Kansas

WOW!

Spencer Hawes @ 10 is a BIG BREAK for the Sixers IMO.

Maybe Julian Wright will fall to 12!

Good Pick Bulls

It looks like Al Thorton people

I think Julian Wright won't be there at 12.

Yi & the Bucks

Why would you draft a player who you didn't see and who doesn't want to come to your town?
Can you imagine going from China to Milwaukee? What the hell's a brat?

Jeff Green gone...

The Celtics made a horrible trade for them, but then they prevented the 76ers from drafting Jeff Green.

Names to watch:

-Julian Wright
-Al Thorton
-Joakim Noah
-Spencer Hawes

First Good News of the night

Ray Allen to the Celtics?
Enjoy that contract.

Hypothesis

With all the Sean Williams talk, might the 76ers try to move both up and down? For example, trade to get #6 or #8 and take picks lower in the draft? Next years draft will not be as top heavy as this one, so trading a future pick could be a possibility in an attempt to move up as Chad Ford says below.

Yes Stephen A., we are optimistic.



Billy King's job is on the line tonight...I have confidence in him. I think he has a firm idea of what he wants and what he can do and will leave no stone unturned. Will he make the best decision? That I don't know. I thought Bobby Hurley Jr. was a surefire 12 year point guard. We all thought Kyle Korver and Willie Green were just chances on good college players. Could Dequan Cook be the next Gilbert Arenas or Rashard Lewis? Who's going to be left in the green room until 11pm?

Good Luck BK.

Shocking Results from a Fan Poll

Can't believe people are so down on Shawn Bradley!

Chad Ford Last Gasp

Interesting note from his mock draft today (we hear at The Promised Land had this nailed a few days ago):

One trade scenario has the Sixers trading No. 12, No. 21 and a future first-round pick to Milwaukee for No. 6, with the Sixers then selecting Green -- the guy (along with Yi) they covet the most in the draft. The other had the Mavs offering Devin Harris for No. 6.

Someone to Keep an Eye on Tonight with a Late Pick

Jared Dudley

Don't be surprised if he's the pick at 21 or 30....he can rebound and understands his role and plays good defense.

C's not moving

Danny Ainge said "we're sticking at 5".

Billy King is hoping he doesn't like Jeff Green.

Chad Ford Update (T Minus 27 hours)

Thanks Chad!

• The Bobcats are telling teams they'll make a decision sometime today on what to do with the No. 8 pick. As we discussed on Monday, they have been shopping this pick hard for the past several weeks and collected five to six legitimate offers for the pick.

Andy Katz reported last night that the Suns were one of the teams in the mix to get No. 8. That explains why they had Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Jeff Green in on Tuesday. And why they'll get Brandan Wright and Al Thornton in today.

However, a source says the Suns are not the front-runners to get the pick. Several other teams are offering better deals for No. 8, including the Sixers (offering No. 12 and No. 21), Warriors (offering Monta Ellis and No. 18), Grizzlies (???) and one mystery team that the source refused to disclose.

• The Sixers are also talking with the Bucks about a deal that could get them the No. 6 pick in the draft. They'd likely use the pick on Yi Jianlian, if he's still there.

Billy King Quote

King said there were three to four scenarios in which the Sixers could move up. He then offered yet another rumor that he read on ESPN.com: If Milwaukee at No. 6 doesn't get the players it wants, the Bucks might be willing to deal that choice for the Sixers' 12th and 21st picks.

After delivering this rumor, King smiled.

His thoughts?

"No comment."

Marc Narducci Article

The thought here is that if they get that #6 pick, they'll take Jeff Green.

Vanilla Gorilla Update

Thanks to Promised Land reader Cecil for passing this story about Matt Geiger along....Thanks Larry and Billy for the big contract!

Moving Up

With so much speculation around the Sixers moving up, I thought it might be prudent to see what it would take - from other teams to tango. Listening to WIP LATE NIGHT last night and hearing the calls Big Daddy took, a lot of fans had some great trades. Unfortunately, Al Horford and Mike Conley aren't coming together to play with Andre Igoudala in exchange for two low picks and Andre Miller.



Having said that:

5. Boston

Seems the Celtics need...to sell tickets. They're becoming a non-entity in Boston and New England with the Red Sox and Patriots having premeire players and winning championships. That's why you're hearing Jermaine O'Neal and Kevin Garnett's names being floated. I really can't see either of those guys showing up to training camp on the first day in Waltham, MA. I also don't expect Danny Ainge and Billy King to make a trade to improve each other directly as they are in the same division. The C's big tradeable assets are the #5 pick and Al Jefferson. Jefferson is unknown to me, I don't know that he's a winning player on a winning team yet....the #5 pick is good for a 10 year starter.

Odds of 76ers getting this pick: 10/1

6. Milwaukee

The Bucks have some good assets to build around and can score a Jeff Green, Corey Brewer or Yi to really help their team in the short and long run. They would also hop on Mike Conley in a heartbeat. The bottom line is if they're going to trade, they'd have to get a player back who will immediately contribute and a good pick. I guess the Sixers would trade Andre Miller, but they might be able to get the player at 6 that they would at 8.

Odds of Trade: 7/1

7. Minnesota

Owner Glen Taylor seems to have gotten the hint; its ok to make $20 million a season in Minnesota as long as the team is good. Now that the team stinks, and its Minnesota and not Phoenix or LA or Miami, the $20 million comes "with strings". Thats why he's directly involved in getting KG out of Minnesota by Labor Day. With a Mega Star and a high draft pick, count on Minnesota doing SOMETHING, maybe not with the Sixers, but maybe through another team.

Odds of Trade: 3/1

8. Charlotte

In Charlotte, they care about one thing - Making $$$$! They have no veterans. They have no leadership. They have an owner, Robert Johnson, who is notoriously cheap. They're GM, Michael Jordan, stinks. They played at the league minimum last year - and would have gone lower if they could. If there's a way to get younger (read: cheaper), they'll do it.

Odds of Trade: 2/1

9. Chicago from New York

Ah Zeke...always helping others. Chicago will trade to get the right front court player. The Sixers don't have that player. Garnett might be that player. They'll trade young players to get some low post scoring, and they have the players to trade. I'd trade the #12 pick for Luol Deng or Kirk Heinrich (not happening).

Odds of Trade: 5/1



Bottom line - I think they can move up to 8, maybe 7. That gives them a lot more options than 12 does. It would take both picks and maybe a player.

Sean Williams

Seems the Sixers are sending key scout, extremely underrated assistant coach , and our blog's namesake, Moses Malone to Boston to see Sean Williams. Williams, much like former Eagle Bernard Williams, likes to smoke pot and play hoops. Sean is just a better cager than Bernard.

There's a great article today by one of the premiere NBA writers Peter May of the Boston Globe regarding Williams. Former 76er head coach and luminary John Lucas had this to say about the situation:

"Sean doesn't have any real-life issues," Lucas says. "There are other guys I've had here who have had real-life issues. He doesn't. His issue is, he just wants to smoke some weed sometime -- and you can't. We're learning how to handle life issues without smoking weed to medicate. I would venture to say, he hasn't smoked any more weed than a lot of the other guys who are going to get drafted. The difference is, he got caught. Now, the question is, do you have an addiction? That's another issue. If it's worth it to you, if you have to have it, then you have an addiction, because look at what you've lost. If it's not worth it to you, then we're on our way. And I think he's more than on his way."

Does he worry about Williams?

"He worries me from the standpoint that he's going to get a speeding ticket or a ticket for running a red light," Lucas says. "That's it."

Let's get one thing straight...this kid can play. If they could tell him when the drug test would be do you think that would help his career?

Dick Jerardi

Great article today on Jeff Green by Dick Jerardi in the People Paper today...

Andre Miller - He Ain't Goin' Nowhere

Speculation is rampant that Andre Miller is on the move - we here at The Promised Land are against that ... good news is so is Billy King.

From today's Newsday:

Philadelphia 76ers GM Billy King, who has three first-round picks Thursday, has publicly shot down speculation that he's considering trading point guard Andre Miller and the 12th pick to Atlanta for the third selection. The Hawks, perennially inept on draft day, also are said to be considering a deal for Portland's Zach Randolph.

Rumors and Innuendos

Chad Ford put out his 5th and updated version of the draft and has some interesting twists...the major piece of news is that the Sixers are angling for the 8th pick. Chad also has Corey Brewer going at that spot...I'd be surprised if they moved up for Brewer.

According to his latest mock draft:

The 76ers prefer to get their hands on a guy like Al Horford, Jeff Green or Brandon Wright.

And one final thing - I've heard from multiple sources about the Andre Miller to Atlanta trade - not going to happen. Would you make that trade if you were the Hawks?

Al Thorton

Looks like Billy King and the brass won't let Al Thorton slip past 12. I guess I wouldn't have a problem with that...but...what problems does he solve?

Was he the best player on the court last year when the 'noles played the Gators? Yes.

Is he old, meaning that the 76ers will pay lower dollars for a more mature possible starter? Yes.

Is he better than Rodney Carney? Probably.

Will he solve the low post dilemma? I don't know...and thats what worries me about him.

Will he rebound? I think so.

Can he play defense? When they say the knock on him is "consistency", I read that as "defense".

2008 Free Agent List

John Hollinger of ESPiN put this list together of the 2008 free agents...not that the 76ers will have these guys on the team, but they'll be able to use their cap space to be big players and manipulate the roster.

Marc Narducci

From today's Inquirer:

Among the likely lottery picks the Sixers seem to be enamored with are Washington center Spencer Hawes, Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian and Georgetown forward Jeff Green, who all could be gone before the 12th pick.

D.A.

Is it just me or is it a treat to have David Aldridge writing about the hometown 15? He did a great job this morning of summing up where Billy King is.

Mr. Snider showed faith in Paul Holmgren...it seems to be paying off. Because of the nature of the beast, King's rebuilding should take about 2 years, but the results MUST be evident or he'll start to feel the heat in the one way Mr. Snider will pay attention to - season tickets and luxury boxes revenue.

Also, Bill Simmons is doing a podcast; great chat with Rick Bucher about what the NBA is all about in 2007.

MantoMan

From Phil Jasner today:

Add longtime NCAA and former New Jersey Nets analyst Bill Raftery to the list of people contacted by Comcast SportsNet as a potential successor to Steve Mix as the Sixers' TV analyst. Raftery, a onetime star guard at La Salle, is recovering from hip-replacement surgery.



I got no problem spending 100 nights w/ Mr. Raftery (The 76ers plus college games).

Top 11 + 2

Interesting note in an article by Marc Narducci about where Billy King sees the draft moving:

King has mentioned that, through the conversations with teams and agents, he thinks there are two players who could be selected in the first 11 who aren't on the Sixers' top 11 list.

Marc Narducci Article

Looking at the top 11 from Chad Ford's List (Link), and from information gleaned from....no where, you'd have to think that Yi and Thorton are the two guys who would be "out". Just a hunch.

1. Greg Oden
2. Kevin Durant
3. Al Horford
4. Yi Jianlian
5. Brandan Wright
6. Corey Brewer
7. Jeff Green
8. Mike Conley
9. Julian Wright
10. Al Thornton
11. Joakim Noah

Yi

Random Thoughts:

• Jeff Green, Yi Jianlian, Brandon Wright, Al Horford...you have to think Billy King is going after one of these 4 guys and knows he'll take the last one of them and feel good. You would also have to figure none of them will be there at 12. You would also have to figure that with two mega-stars and a superstar (Kobe, Garnett, O'Neal) on the trading block there are opportunities to be a broker and turn a few picks into a higher one (Chicago, Minnesota, and Atlanta seem to be the most active in wanting to change their teams. The Lakers just seem like a mess right now; seems they haven't recovered from the day Shaq left.)
• They went and saw Yi yesterday with a lot of people - either a smokescreen or the picture is coming together. They'll see Al Thorton next week. There are no other players between 3 and 12 who fit the bill for what the Sixers need - Beef.
• I still think that if there was any way to get Mike Conley Jr. I'd try to do it

Just a reminder -

76 Big Shot - The Promised Land will be filing live reports from the draft next week...if there is anything you think we should dig on, just let us know.

Chad Ford Update

A few interesting tidbits from Chad Ford on ESPiN today - he's got Horford being a solid #3 in the draft and Conley #4. He mentions that Al Thorton will be who the Sixers take at 12; but mentions that the Sixers are desperately trying to move up to get Horford or Brandon Wright...we here at the Promised Land applaud that strategy.

DelcoTimes.com

Jack McCaffery Article

Seems the "local media" is picking up on what we here at the Promised Land already know...that we've hit the bottom already!

G-Man

Not that we here at 76 Big Shot have anything against Mike Gminski, especially as he was the Center on the 1989-90 Atlantic Division Championship Team, but I don't see any upgrade in the broadcast booth from the G-Man to The Mayor.

The Mayor at least knew the team and was happy to help at training camp.

Joe Juliano & HouseKeeping

Thanks to Dad for supplying the best Phillies tickets in the park tonight - about 8 feet away from Charlie Manuel. Watching him manage for 8 innings is like watching a National Geographic special about an animal in the woods...Charlie seems to get along with ALL of the players. The coaches didn't talk much, especially Jimy Williams and Charlie Manuel to each other. Seems that Dubee kinda stays to himself. Then, after Rowand got hit for the second time, a few fans we're giving Contreras a hard time, and Charlie turned around and got into it with the fans...good stuff.

On the way back, we got to hear Joe Juliano with Glen Macnow on WIP at 9:45ish...Joe didn't have much to report that we didn't know but did make a good point...the 76ers do not have room to take on 3 first round picks on their roster unless they cut someone or a few someones. I think I'd like to have Joe Smith back next year if we can get him on good terms, NOT BAD TERMS BILLY! If not I'd personally rather have the 3 kids...but that's me.

Finally, a giant thank you to the readers who have started reading the site...I hope you enjoy the content and hope you all know how much I enjoy doing this....I would like this site to make a difference in the fans viewing and venting experience. I am shocked at how many people have been logging on and hope to keep this going until we have a good team.

Good Reading

Thanks to Matt Kamalsky of DraftExpress.com for this article about the state of the Sixers...a couple of good graphs about the efficiencies of key 76ers and a great breakdown of the cap.

Asset development people...and the class of 2009 free agents.

Jeff Green Article

It seems the Sixers made sure to let everyone see that Green will not slip past 12....but he may not be a 76er.

Refer back to the 04 draft and Andre Iguoudala...they kept that on the down low...it seems they've hired a PR firm to let everyone who isn't watching Paris in jail that Green is impressive and will be gone by 12.

Today's Workouts

Sixers Notes

Today the Sixers will bring in an impressive list of players - Georgia Tech freshman forward Thaddeus Young, LSU junior forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Colorado State junior center Jason Smith (whose stock is apparently rising), and Vanderbilt senior swingman Derrick Byars.

You have to think there's a good chance one of these guys will be picked at 21 or 30...maybe not by the Sixers though. I think today is "what are we going to be missing?" day...

Also interesting to note that the Sixers are GOING TO Washington DC to see Green...you think they'll tell him that there's no way he gets by #12?

The Finals... and other things

So 76er fans, what did we learn about the NBA in May 2007?

• Even if you have that "special" player, you need balance on defense. Sure LBJ went MJ in Game 5 and Magic in Game 6 (with a special 'sheed ending for the Cav fans), but Varejo, Z, Gooden, Hughes, Snow etc...really played tight team defense (along with LBJ). This was especially prevelent in Game 5.
  
• It sure helps to have "that special player"...in the East, it seems you can get to the second round any year because everyone is so up and down. Besides LBJ and maybe Dwayne Wade, there are no other stars you have to plan around on a nightly basis. For as good as Rip Hamilton played in the series against the Cavs, the key player for Detroit, Wallace, was up and down. Hence the results for Detroit...for everyone hoping to build a "team" a la Phoenix or Detroit, note the number of championships that those two teams have won (1). If Billy King plans on having a spread floor with lots of options, does that really mean he has no options at the end of the game? And I don't want a 6 foot shooting guard to score 30 points either.
• Where is the 76ers special player? Remember, the last 3 years MVPs have been drafted below 8 (Nowtizki and Nash), neither are American, and flashy athletisicm aren't part of their games. I'm convinced there are "special" players in this draft - I'll call a special player someone that instantly becomes the focus of the other teams offensive/defensive game plans - but I think b/c of the age of the kids is younger, its much tougher to see who will develop.
  
• While Michael Conley Jr. goes up in scouting, the fact that Jeff Green is on the fence is not good for the 76ers on two fronts:
• He could be a good fit with the Sixers THIS year
• It's one less player that will be available in the top 10 that was a sure fire high pick...that pushes the Spencer Hawes and Tiago Spitler down to 12. The pick loses some inherent value and becomes less valuable should a trade in the top 7 become available
• It sure feels like Bill the King will be moving one if not more of those picks...I hope he stays in the draft this year as much as he can...nothing like getting 2009 draft picks to fire up the fan base. Right now we need ASSETS and they come $0.70 on the dollar this year.
• The Cavs will take the Spurs to 6 games...the Cavs will get hurt by the pressure defense the Spurs will apply to Hughes and Gibson and unless LBJ knees Bowen in the onions at some point, he will wear down by the end. The Cavs have two things going for them - LBJ and good matchups with Duncan.
  
• Chris Webber is a dog. Maybe he can play for the Spurs or Cavs next year to get his ring. I'm sick of hearing what a good guy he is too...where are the banners in Chrysler Arena Chris?
  

You might notice that we've taken a step back on the player reviews - we'll get back into that when things start to shake out a little more after Orlando. The one thing I think we all know is that we have no idea where the Sixers are going to draft and that 12 is probably less than 50/50.

One final note - only here on 76BigShot - a senior official on USA Basketball was talking to a colleague recently and the conversation of "How will Greg Oden be in relation to LBJ?" as a force in the NBA. This official said "Greg Oden in the best prospect to come out of college basketball and will be the best player in the NBA...soon."

Congrats E Snow

...and the rest of the Cavaliers.

Our new AI can guard LBJ in a series.