Philadelphia 76ers

Joshua S. Kelly – USA Today Sports While everyone is focusing on what the Phialdelphia 76ers will do with the 11th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, it is important to also note that the team has two second -ound picks in this year’s draft: number 35 and number 42 overall. The Sixers can take a few different approaches when it comes to the second round. Depending what they do with number 11, they can either draft a shooter and another big man in the second round, or they could package the picks to try and get back into the end of the first round to get a more polished prospect. Assuming they elect to keep the picks, one prospect to keep an eye on is Isaiah Canaan out of Murray State. Canaan burst onto the scene during the 2011-12 season when he averaged 19 points per game for a Murray State team that won its first 23 games of the season and eventually lost in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Canaan averaged nearly 22 points per game but didn’t receive the same notoriety because Murray State did not make the tournament. The knock on Canaan is that he comes from a small school and that he is not a true point guard. Damian Lillard (Weber State) also came out of a small school and was able to win rookie of the year for the Portland Trailblazers. As for not being a true point guard, look no further than former Philadelphia 76er Louis Williams. Lou Will, a former second-round pick, was an undersized shooting guard who came off the bench and gave the team a much needed scoring punch. Canaan would be able to do the same thing and could end up being one of those prospects that pans out in the second round. Guys like Marc Gasol, Monta Ellis, Manu Ginobili and even Willis Reed were all former second-round picks who have had successful careers. The Sixers could take a chance on Canaan and see if he becomes the next. Zach Slotter is a writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter, Like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.

It’s time for another edition of Philadunkia 4on4… As a reminder, this Philadunkia question and answer series is “loosely based” on ESPN.com’s highly successful, NBA related series of posts titled “5on5?.  Our version of this genre of posts will ask 4 Philadunkia scribes to answer 4 topical, hot button questions about our Philadelphia 76ers. Now you’re probably asking, “Why not simply stick with the “5on5? format that ESPN.com uses?” Well as any great hoops coach will tell you — playing 4on4 is the best way to truly learn the game of basketball. After the jump four key questions that are currently facing our 76ers and some answers from four Philadunkia scribes.  Included in this week’s edition are questions surrounding the upcoming NBA Draft, the Sixers coaching search and what the Sixers should do in free-agency. 1. On a scale of 1-10, how frustrated have you been by the Sixers coaching search? Jeff McMenamin:  8. It’s incredible that the Sixers have been without a coach since April 18 and yet little to no progress has been made in the candidate search. Other quality coaches are being swept away daily, while the pickings keep getting worse and worse for the 7-6. I don’t agree with going into the draft and potentially Summer League without a coach. The point of a draft is to find players that will fit a coaches gameplan on top of team needs. All signs point to Michael Curry taking over the reigns in the 2013-14 campaign. Steve Toll:  0. It seems to me that Michael Curry is going to be the head coach next season.  Players win championships, not coaches and this team isn’t close to winning anything.  Sam Hinkie and Josh Harris had a plan in place at the time of his hiring.  I think this was part of the plan. Michael Kaskey-Blomain:  8. I didn’t want them to rush into the search, but seeing all these candidates get snatched up by other teams is kind of disheartening. It seems counterproductive to get a coach after the draft when other roster moves could potentially be made. Jake Fischer:  0. I’m not frustrated at all. Sam Hinkie has mad it clear that the Sixers are going to find the team’s players before the coach and I like that approach. Yes, coaching is extremely important, despite what naive fans say. Look at this current NBA Finals: it’s a chess match. But, at the end of the day, a coach can only do so much and you need the players on the court to win ball games and perform. If the Sixers don’t hire a coach until Summer League, I wouldn’t be surprised nor upset. 2. DraftExpress.com has the Sixers taking Cody Zeller at #11, good or bad? Jeff McMenamin:  Bad. I’ve watched Zeller play. The last thing the Sixers need is another soft big man filling the paint who thinks he has range. My current NBA player comparison to Zeller is a poor-man’s Nick Collison. He has an array of post moves that can make him successful around the rim, he’s knowledgeable and he’s money from the free-throw line but he’s severely lacking in athletic ability. At best he’s a high energy guy off the bench. Against the top big men in the NBA he doesn’t stand a chance. The Sixers should use #11 on a quality scorer such as Shabbaz Muhammad and try to get back into the first-round for a athletically gifted project with size such as North Texas’ Tony Mitchell. Steve Toll:  Good. Cody Zeller is going to be a legit NBA power forward.  He might not be a good one until he is 23/24/25 but that’s not a big deal.  It is perfectly in line with the improvement curve of players his size.  I’d be totally content with picking him at #11.  That would allow the 76ers to move Thaddeus Young to small forward, FULL-TIME. Zeller, Arnett Moultrie and Lavoy Allen can fight over the 48 minutes at power forward and throw in Spencer Hawes if Bynum is re-signed. Michael Kaskey-Blomain:  Bad. They could get some size at a better value later in the draft. Jake Fischer:  Bad, but not for the reason that m

The fickle voting republic. In the 13th spot on the Big Board, Steven Adams edged Rudy Gobert by just three votes, 41-38. Sergey Karasev was the only other prospect within shouting distance at 24. Dennis Schroeder, he of the Germanic Point Guarding Clan, was all the way back in 6th with 12 of the 162 votes. But now! Just one spot later, Schroeder has jumped Gobert (an impressive feat considering all that length), Karasev, Gorgui Dieng, and Kelly Olynyk to capture the 14th and penultimate spot on the LB Big Board with a rousing 57 of the 216 votes. Schroeder has become a nerd-favorite for mid-round sleeper over the past few weeks. Without any help from his DEA brother Hank, Schroeder combines great handles and quicks with an excellent catch-and-shoot jumper to from a long 6'2 point guard. And with his lateral speed, he could really become one of the best players on both ends in this draft class. But poor Rudy Gobert and his 7-foot-a-thousand wingspan. Kid can't catch a Big Board break. Guess shooting 72% from the field as a 20-year-old in Pro A France just doesn't do it for you people. I'm still voting Karasev 'til I die, but who knows? Maybe we see Shane Larkin or Jamaal Franklin or the newly-added Mason Plumlee storm their way up the Big Board with complete disregard for pole position or seniority. Crazy amount of variables after you get out of the Top 8. Expect insanity. Big Board ends here! We'll have our own personal Big Boards coming up over the next week and a half, but thank you all for participating and yelling at me to add people and no Giannis Adetokunbo will never be on the list because I cannot spell his name. Lots of good draft things to come. Love y'all. Vote! 1. Nerlens Noel (47%) 2. Ben McLemore (49%) 3. Otto Porter (42%) 4. Victor Oladipo (59%) 5. Anthony Bennett (48%) 6. Trey Burke (46%) 7. Alex Len (45%) 8. C.J. McCollum (38%) 9/10. Cody Zeller/Shabazz Muhammad (30%) 11. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (31%) 12. Michael Carter-Williams (27%) 13. Steven Adams (25%) 14. Dennis Schroeder (26%) Poll Who gets the LAST SPOT on the LB Big Board? Shane Larkin Rudy Gobert Jamaal Franklin Sergey Karasev Mason Plumlee Kelly Olynyk Gorgui Dieng 15 votes | Results

Between one of the 4,289 emails Mike has sent in the past month, one of them focused on our new draft feature, "Why the Sixers should draft ________." Mike listed ten or so players, and everyone took one prospect they would tout. Well, apparently the last one to the dinner table gets stuck with Mason Plumlee and Cody Zeller - two of, if not the two most maligned prospects in the LB Community. Remember, kids. Constantly check your email. So here we go. I will now convince you that the Sixers should draft Mason Plumlee. Mason Plumlee NO! NO! NO! RT @wheresbenrivera I think the Sixers should draft Mason Plumlee.— Kenny Brophy (@kjbrophy) June 15, 2013 @wheresbenrivera said no one ever— Eric Tung (@tungeric) June 15, 2013 @wheresbenrivera no one cares. Fold the laundry.— MJC (@mjcamps53) June 15, 2013 Moving on. Cody Zeller Cody Zeller is tall and white. I think we're all in agreement there. And unless Larry Bird can somehow reenter the NBA Draft (Bird's back issues are a concern at age 56; but still some nice 2nd Round value there), just about every white NBA prospect will have to shed the ‘soft' label, and the ‘stiff' label, and the ‘slow' label. And I'm guilty of it, too. I'm always expecting the Next Todd Fuller, the mountainous North Carolina St. Center whose foot speed rivaled that of a glacier. "You white? Then you Ben Affleck." - Role Models You big? You white? Then you're Todd Fuller. During the NBA Draft Combine, Zeller finished first in the lane agility drill and the standing vertical leap (34.5 inches). He ran the fastest three quarter sprint of any big man, and recorded just a 4.5% body fat. 4.5%. More: Mock Drafts Sixers Going Big He's the Anti-Kwame. The only two people I know with lower body fat are the venerable Jordan Sams and the late, great Ravishing Rick Rude. Zeller's gonna eat a salad, and then beat his man down the court. He's a big who can run the floor. A big, who can help us shed this plodding, slow-paced half court offense that we've hung our mediocre hats on for the past two seasons. (The Sixers finished 20th in pace this season. Finished 24th last year). I don't know what these combine tests mean. That's Derek's department. I'm just a guy who has a bunch of Pawn Stars episodes on DVR. But I do know that Zeller Brothers are like computers. Each one is better than the last. Was it a fluke? Is Zeller really just a workout warrior? Or is Cody Zeller more athletic than his skin color suggests he should be? Per Draft Express : Zeller's stock took a bit of a hit this season, to the point that he is no longer a lock to get drafted in the top five as he was projected to start the year. He'll need to have a good showing during the pre-draft process, particularly in matchups with other players at his position, but it's difficult to see him falling too far in the draft considering he's an athletic 7-footer with tremendous scoring instincts. Barring injury, it's safe to say Zeller will be in the NBA for a long time. This last line seems to be the consensus of most draft experts. Zeller could carve a niche in this league as a solid rotational player for years to come. And with the 11th pick in a really weak draft, what else can you ask for? Greedy little fellas, you are. Is Bill Russell available at #11? Is Steven Adams, and his 7 points and 6 boards per game, actually Ralph Sampson in disguise? People want the home run pick. Swing for the fences. A bunch of Ryan Howards swinging at breaking balls low and away. And I hear ya. The Sixers need a superstar. I get that. But he's not here. Not at #11. Not in this year's draft. By most accounts, Cody Zeller had a down sophomore campaign compared to his freshman season. And while his FG% decreased slightly, his rebounding percentage, a question mark of his game, improved. Before the season, he was considered a top-5 pick. Now, some teams' fans won't go anywhere near him. Cody Zel

Calling all dunkers, gymnasts, and trickers! It's time to squad up for 2013-14 Open Auditions! Details: http://t.co/Xz0EWk4ZDe — Sixers Flight Squad (@FlightSquad76) June 14, 2013 So many thoughts... 1) Is "squad up" the new "turn up"? 2) The page that the link takes you to says that the Sixers are looking for people who have experience in "gymnastics, acrobatics, tricking and basketball." Not just one or two of these things, but ALL FOUR. Because I'm sure that's common. 3) Hold up... tricking??? Couldn't they have found a better word for that? "Arrested Development" (the TV show, not the music group) taught us that "a trick is something that a whore does for money" - I'm sure that's not what the Sixers are looking for. Then again, they do have attendance issues...4) They ask for both a head shot and a full body shot on the application. So not only do you have to turn tricks, but you have to look good as well. I smell a discrimination suit. --------------------------------- Hahahaha pat pat https://t.co/uJtccPvo1o — Dorell Wright (@DWRIGHTWAY1) June 13, 2013 After the recent release of Vine on the Android platform, I'd thought that we'd see some better quality videos come from the service. I was wrong. And if that wasn't pointless enough, there's this. Oh... and this. --------------------------------- Here's Andre Iguodala's new Twitter avatar: A picture of him back from his days at Franklin Fine Arts school in Chicago (be sure to note that he's wearing what appears to be a pair of Air Jordan 13s - I'll defer to Tanner for confirmation of that). If you were expecting snark, I apologize. There really isn't anything bad to say about the picture - hell... it's far less incriminating than this. Or this. And it's definitely better than this. Besides, if I did bring up something negative, Dre would probably throw a drink in my face. ------------------------------------------------- Dope RT @SpicerPR: Thanks to Spike TV for having my client @NickSwagyPYoung tonight pic.twitter.com/BwRTDKO3TQ — Nick Young (@NickSwagyPYoung) June 9, 2013 I'm sure there was a valid reason for Nick Young to be at the Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, but I'm more interested in the actual honors themselves. Here are a few choice selections from this year's show: Virtuoso: Jamie Foxx I guess this award is for someone who is a skilled artist, and Foxx clearly fits the bill. Not only did he have a commendable performance in "Django Unchained" last year, but he's probably the best actor in the upcoming "White House Down" (though I don't know if that's much of an accomplishment). And let's not forget: This is the same man who once played both Ray Charles ("Ray") and Wanda from "In Living Color." Most Manticipated Movie: Man of Steel Really? I must be out of touch, because there are three movies I'm looking forward to more than that ("The Wolverine", "World War Z", "Elysium"). In the least manticipated movie category, "One Direction: This Is Us" was a runaway winner. Funniest M.F.: Jimmy Kimmel Again... I'm a bit lost on this one, but I will admit that this video of Kimmel in Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" is golden. Mankind Award: Felix Baumgartner You may not remember the name, but he happens to be the only man who has executed a sky dive FROM SPACE. I'm not sure what the point of the feat was, but it's safe to say that no one had a better eight minute and eight second stretch over the past 12 months. Well... maybe Levin did when he learned about the Sam Hinkie hiring while suffering the effects of a contact high at the Bottle Rock Music Festival. ------------------------------------------------- @marczumoff were you ever involved in secret government surveillance in the 80's? #PRISM — Michael F. Paolucci (@michaelp27) June 11, 2013 I can't lie: The only PRISM that I fully understand is the former Philly-based television network that ceased operations in 1997. A quick primer: PRISM was a prem

According to multiple reports, former Sixer Andre Iguodala will opt out of his contract with the Denver Nuggets next season to become a free agent. Iguodala, whose lone all-star season came with the Sixers in 2012, is set to make $16.2 million next season. By opting out, he’ll have the ability to sign a five-year contract with the Nuggets or a four-year deal with another team. The news is somewhat surprising, considering the Nuggets held a 57-25 record last season. Yet as a No.3 seed in the Western Conference, the Nuggets were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors. Their head coach George Karl was fired and their GM Masai Ujiri also left for a job with the Toronto Raptors. What’s more surprising is the move by Iguodala to decide to take less money in order to have a better shot at an NBA title. Iguodala averaged 13 points, 5.4 assists and 5.3 assists last season, his first with the Nuggets after arriving in a four-team blockbuster trade from the Philadelphia 76ers that also involved Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum. The question now is what destinations Iguodala could possibly pursue?  The obvious choice would be for Iguodala to sign with the Cavs who’re in need of an athletic point-forward like Iguodala, but their sights seem to be set on bringing LeBron James back in town. Another team that could fit for Iggy is the Detroit Pistons who just hired Maurice Cheeks to be their head coach, who used to coach Iguodala on the Sixers. They could also use a forward of Iguodala’s caliber and they have over $20 million to spend in free-agency this summer. Iguodala teaming up with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond would wreak havoc defensively on opposing offenses. Lastly, maybe Kobe Bryant got Iggy on the horn? There’s a lot of talk that Dwight Howard will likely be out of L.A. by summer’s end and Iguodala and Bryant seem to have a good relationship. They’re constantly going back and forth on Twitter and were members of Team USA together last summer. It seems as of Iggy misses the spotlight as well and he’d instantly have that again as a member of the Lakers. Wherever he decides to go, he will be a valuable asset to any team and as of now it seems like he’ll come at an affordable price tag. Follow @SixersBlog

Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly looking for a solid offensive point guard to backup starter Jrue Holiday next season. One player in particular the 76ers are interested in is Detroit Pistons point guard Will Bynum. Philadelphia simply had too many players backing up Holiday this past season who were inconsistent in their play. Royal Ivey, Jeremy Pargo, Charles Jenkins, and Maalik Wayns all spent some time backing up Holiday during the 2012-13 season, but none of them really took advantage of the opportunity. Ivey received the most playing time, but he was also the least productive of the bunch when it came to scoring and assists. Bynum had a terrific season off the bench for the Pistons last season. He averaged 9.8 points, 3.6 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 18.8 minutes per game in 65 contests. He also managed to convert a solid 46.9 percent of his 8.3 field goal attempts per game and 31.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. There is no question the 30-year-old would be an instant upgrade for the 76ers, which could be enough to get them back in the playoffs next season. To hardly lose a step when Holiday (17.7 points per game) gets a rest is something that could be very troubling for opponents. Detroit is interested in re-signing Bynum, although they are unsure if they are willing to pay him over $3 million per season. Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers are also looking to upgrade their backup point guard position. They could be the biggest threat that prevents Philadelphia from signing Bynum, unless of course the 76ers are willing to pay more money.

Denver Nuggets forward Andre Iguodala is planning to opt out of his contract and test the free agent market. Considering that the Sixers right now are composed of Jrue Holiday, Thad Young and a pile of pumpkin innards, and with no superstar on the horizon, it might behoove them to complement their young, athletic starters with a versatile veteran, one who plays an exciting game and can contribute on both ends of the floor. That was the Nuggets' plan, anyway, and until Danilo Gallinari's knee and Stephen Curry's offensive game exploded, it looked like it might work. Would not a savvy general manager find a use for such a talent as Iggy? I should hope so. But would he come back here? Setting aside monetary considerations (every man has his price) and considerations of winning (probably more likely in another landing spot, at least for the time being), would Iguodala come back here? It's a situation that reminds me of a guy dating a girl who's too great for him, but eventually getting complacent and seeing only her flaws, getting bored and dumping her. They still run in a lot of the same circles, so after a year or two, they're both single and run into each other at a party and have a conversation like this: Andre Iguodala: Hey, Philly fans. Good to see you. How's it going? Fans: Iggy! You look great--how's Denver? Iggy: Oh, thanks. You know, Denver was awesome for a year, but I'm testing the free agent waters--you know, trying to cash in, plus with Dano's knee and Ujiri and Karl gone, I'm not sure if that's the best situation anymore. Fans (the rusty gears begin to turn crankily in his boozy, lusty head): Oh, that's too bad. Where are you looking? Iggy: I'm not sure yet--things will settle down after the Finals and the draft when everyone has a coach hired. Maybe Cleveland or Dallas--could be pretty great to play with a legitimate scorer. Fans: Oh, I bet. I bet. Iggy: So how are things with you? Fans: Well, you know, Bynum and I broke up--that didn't work out as well as I expected, and Doug Collins is gone, Evan Turner wasn't an adequate straight-up replacement for you, we collapsed near the end of the season...it was just an all-around unpleasant experience. Iggy: I'm sorry to hear that. Well, I should really be getting back to the party. It's great seeing you again. Fans (doing that drunken squinting finger-wagging thing): We should get back together, Dre. Iggy: Oh yeah? Fans: Yeah. We were together so long and had so many great times. What do you say? Iggy: I say you treated me like shit, dumped me for a 25-year-old with degenerative knees the instant you could and said you'd do it again even when he didn't play a game for you and submarined your season. I played killer defense, passed and rebounded well and, oh by the way, was a pretty good offensive player for you for eight years, and all you ever talked about was how I wasn't the end-of-game scorer you needed. Well of course I'm not, because hero ball is dumb. And anyone who makes his decisions based on what national sports columnists think about Kobe Bryant based on, you know, math and facts is probably going to call for dumping his team's best player for a kid who can't dance or bowl without hurting himself, let alone cut his hair like a fucking human being. You know, Fans, I knew you'd come crawling back. I'm sorry I can't be the best player on a championship team, but I'm going to throw down some killer dunks and run the floor like I give a crap for 40 minutes and give you 15, 5 and 5 while playing persistent defense on your opponent's big, athletic, high-scoring small forward--you won't need to go through any of those to make the NBA Finals anytime soon, will you? Say, LeBron, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony? And you know what, if Dano doesn't blow out his knee and Steph Curry doesn't have the best two weeks of his life, maybe I do get closer to being the best player on a championship team. No, what you mean is that I'm not the one guy you can get, sur

A round-up of the weekend's top Sixers stories, highlights and notes.

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports Surprisingly, the Philadelphia 76ers draft projection has taken an interesting turn. A few mocks currently has the team taking Indiana forward/center Cody Zeller at the number 11 overall pick in the first round of this year’s NBA Draft. At one point, Zeller was considered a top seven or eight pick but because of the rise of other lottery picks his name has fallen a bit. For Philadelphia, that is just fine. With the uncertainty regarding the future of center Andrew Bynum, it will be tough to keep enough depth down low going into next year without addressing it in the draft. If Bynum is left un-signed by the 76ers, they could use another big. Zeller would also be able to back up power forward Thaddeus Young in some cases. Zeller has been a stud in college and has the potential to play either position down low. An all-around great player in college, Zeller averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds last year. To show his versatility he also threw in over a block and a steal per game as well. It’s certain that Philadelphia could use a guy like Zeller coming off the bench – for now. They like Young down low and Spencer Hawes did a decent job filling in for Bynum last year. With Zeller rotating in, they could wind up having a very decent front court. It will be interesting to see if Zeller winds up dropping as low as he could be projected to go. He is quite the talented prospect and will benefit an NBA franchise greatly. Will it be the 76ers? We’ll find out next week. Ryan Heckman is a Senior NBA writer for RantSports.com also contributing to the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman  or add him to your network on Google.