So with the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft the Philadelphia 76ers selected Evan Turner from Ohio State University. The pick was far from a shocker, in fact almost every mock draft that I saw and almost every fan I asked had the team making that selection. So I guess you can say for the 1st time in a long time the team “listened” to its fan base.
I think it goes without saying that the Sixers made the “safe” pick. Turner was the most polished player in the draft and should have an instant impact on the team.
Yeah they could have selected a player like Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins, a guy whose ceiling may be a little higher and may turn in to a star. But why roll the dice like that? With the state that the franchise is in, the last thing they could afford to do is screw up this pick.
The Sixers were in desperate need of a “new face” of the franchise. They needed a guy they could sell to the fans and make them believe good times were around the corner. They needed a guy that could come in right away and contribute just like Allen Iverson did when he was drafted.
Turner is that guy. He has a chance to fill a void that the Sixers have had for a while. Last season the team lacked a player with a mid-range jump shot and one that was not afraid to take the big shots. Turner has all of that.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Turner will lead this team to a championship this season, or the next. But I will go on the record and say he will make the Sixers better and also attractive to free agents.
However I hope that the Sixers organization doesn’t get caught up in the Evan Turner love fest and becomes complacent this offseason. The team still needs a few more pieces to the puzzle and will need young players like Thaddeous Young, and Marreese Speights to step up their game.
Although the Sixers are a few years away from being a true contender, the drafting of Turner was a step in the right direction. Yeah Turner may not become the next Brandon Roy or the next Tracy McGrady and could turn into a bust (just like any player drafted can turn out to be). But in my mind the chances of that happening are very slim. Look for the Sixers to be an improved team filled with excitement and promise for the future.
Next year I see 45 wins for the Sixers and a 5-6 seed in the playoffs.
This isn’t really a stretch prediction considering the pre-Eddie Jordan Sixers were a playoff team. A lot of people tend to forget that. I don’t know that Doug Collins is a even a good coach but it will make a difference. Frankly I don’t think Cheeks was a good coach or even Jim O’Brien for that matter, but they are both better than Eddie Jordan and got the Sixers into the playoffs. The Sixers FINALLY have a big back court that can at least, on paper, defend against other teams that mostly all have back court players at 6-5 or better. The big issue that I see is that the team seems more like a run an gun type team and I don’t see where Elton Brand fits in. They should be interesting watch. I know that much.
Sixers arent a 1-year fix so they did rite in grabbing Turner. Back court is possibly set so now they can focus on other issues moving into next year. With a team like the Sixers its best to get one area right to build off of and thats what they did. Still a few years and a couple good moves away from being legit but this was a good start.
i cant wait to watch im excited for the 1st time in a while but honestly i dont think we make the playoffs and if we do its by default like we will be 40-42 with an 8 seed. when we made the playoffs we had good pg play. i just dont see us getting anywhere near that type of consistent pg play but i do see us being way more compettitive and just flat out better with dougie at head coach.
at least we r talking sixers