Well, the Philadelphia Sixers have already been covered once, but Jon from Passion and Pride has this interest NBA draft preview to contribute.
What do Hilton Armstrong, Yaroslav Korolev, Robert Swift, Nick Collison, Melvin Ely, Vladimir Radmanovic, Etan Thomas, Aleksandar Radojevic, Michael Doleac, Austin Croshere, Vitaly Potapenko, Cherokee Parks, Khalid Reeves, George Lynch, Harold Miner, Greg Anthony, and Alec Kessler have in common? They were the last 17 draft picks at pick twelve. Unimpressed? You should be. You could argue that George Lynch turned out to be the best of that group.

Sixers fans remember how limited we were offensively when Lynch roamed the court as our starting small forward. We were solid defensively, with shotblocking, rebounding, and forcing turnovers creating easy baskets on the other end. However, the offense couldn’t sustain itself without opportunities in transition. Iverson had to bail ‘em out time and time again, but it wasn’t his heroic efforts that gave the Sixers a chance to compete for the title. It was their solid defense that held the opponent in check.

It seems like an eternity since those offensively challenged days. However, the Sixers are still lacking an offensive punch to go with Andre Iguodala’s emergence on the wing. While we need a post presence and some depth at forward, what we need most is somebody with a scorer’s mentality. In addition, finding help on the backboards and a low post presence are key.

Q. WHERE TO START?

A. Andre Miller - The Sixers can stand pat and fill these needs, if they play it smart. The low post presence that clearly is worth trading up for is Al Horford. I personally think it would take more than Andre Miller and the 12 pick for him, but I don’t hold a lot of faith that Atlanta realizes this. Miller and the 12th pick likely could land Milwaukee’s 6th pick, but I would prefer to wait on Miller and dump Willie Green instead. Then, next summer when Miller becomes a free agent, you have more flexibility if you want to sign him or look elsewhere for a point guard.

Next year’s point guard class is supposed to be strong (according to St. Joe’s coach Phil Martelli on NBC10’s Sports Final last night - I’ll take his word that he knows a little about point guards and I’m too lazy…ahem, busy…to check on that). Besides, it gives you another year to evaluate Louis Williams. I’m not crazy about Conley, and Acie Law is really a combo guard. You can take Law at 12 if he’s there, but only if he’s the best available player.

Q. AFTER MILLER, THEN WHAT?

A. Looking to the frontcourt - It remains to be seen if the Sixers would trade Sam Dalembert or Steven Hunter on draft day. Either one can be had for the right deal. Again, we return to Horford. The Sixers need to exhaust every possibility to get him. However, if the price is too high then the Sixers should stay at 12. What price would be too high? For some, anything that doesn’t include Iguodala is just fine. I would be open to a 3-for-1 trade here, but don’t like the idea of trading the 12th and 21st picks if you can help it. I do like the idea of trading multiple members of the supporting cast. The most likely to go would be Miller and his expiring contract.

Q. Ok, what about the prospects?

A. There’s several guys to like that you can feel comfortable picking 12th if you do your homework. I’ve clearly endorsed Horford, so exhausting all possibilities that fall short, the Sixers still have some options. Brandan Wright is an intriguing prospect and worthy of trading up to get him. If you can do a deal, you’re in the ballpark of selecting Horford anyway. Joakim Noah is probably the next best bet, but he has too many limitations in his game to consider trading pieces to get him. After Noah, Spencer Hawes has a lot of potential and solid fundamental skills with which to develop. Both Hawes and Noah will be great complimentary players with decent NBA careers. Unfortunately, that won’t make them stars. That’s why the Sixers should look elsewhere. No, I’m not talking about a Yi Jianlian slide to 12…at least I hope not.

There are a few options at the forward spot that fills the most need for the Sixers. The player you’ve gotta love is Al Thornton. He played the power forward position for Florida State, but he possesses a solid midrange game and is an excellent shooter. The thing I like about him was that he came up big in big games. He also averaged 9 boards and just shy of 20 points per game. He fits the mold of the undersized power forward that is making waves in the new NBA. He has the athleticism to play small forward as well. He’s a tenacious player who would thrive playing alongside Andre Iguodala.

After Thornton, you’ve got Jeff Green, Julian Wright, and Corey Brewer. Two of those three will be gone at 12. Whoever is available, and it’s likely to be Wright, has question marks about whether they possess the big time scorer’s mentality. That’s why I’d turn to the backcourt if I don’t get Thornton (option number 2 behind Horford).

Option 3 is Acie Law IV or Rodney Stuckey. Both players are clutch scorers. They also give Iguodala another ballhandling option. I see both players as combo guards who can make an immediate impact. For a comparison, pick your favorite combo guard in the league and there you go. These guys know how to play and would fill it up from the perimeter.

If you end up going with door number three, you’d have to look inside for your next pick. The Sixers just can’t go into next season with a big man rotation of Sam Dalembert, Steven Hunter, and Shavlik Randolph. While Joe Smith would definitely be worth bringing back, there’s likely a better situation out there for him (Chicago?).

Aaron Gray would give them a big body to address their needs in the middle, although he could possibly be had a 30. If you’re confident in him or Kyle Visser as the backup plan, pick 21 could be used for a foreign investment. Tiago Splitter and Rudy Fernandez are likely to be available at 21 and won’t play in the NBA next year due to contractual issues. Once they decide to come over, you can expect a huge contribution for either one. It could be as early as one year later, but it gives the Sixers flexibility in signing their picks and managing the cap. The Sixers need one more year to get things under control.

Q. Isn’t the only way to get things under control is to fire Billy King?

A. Perhaps. But let’s give him the chance to atone for his mistakes. After all, he did draft Andre Iguodala and that was a nice find. As long as you’re not asking him to re-up contracts, I think he’ll make the best move possible here. He can’t oversign for Joe Smith if he wants to bring him back. He’s resisted the urge to flip Miller to a contender (a wise decision, considering that his expiring contract becomes very valuable this season). We need to be patient. It was impatience that lead to the trade of Chris Webber, but it was a trade that was right for the time as Iverson’s days were numbered already. It’s going to take the Sixers a few years to right this ship, but if they make the right decisions in this draft, they’ll be on their way. It could happen quicker than people think. Playoffs, anyone?

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