John salmons is not capable of running the point in my opinion, he is more like a guard he can't run an offense so if it came down it I would have to Mckie at the backup point because he is a guard who can run a team. Anyways AI can play 44 minutes every game for his entire career, so I think the 76ers should look towards the future in this draft. If they could snag Nate Robinson, I'd be happy but it is unlikely he falls to the #45 pick. Allen could be a great mentor to him, and make him a good player. On the other hand, their frontcourt is very thin they need players with potential and they need players who can produce soon as well because if Chris Webber gets hurt again they need someone to come in and be able to play well. To make a long story short, the 76ers might just need to draft the best player available because they need a little bit of everything, but the most lacking is the point guard position and the frontcourt.
We are close to draft day, I'm going to post who NBADraft.net has the 76ers taking at the #45 pick. Ian Mahinmi 6 foot 10, 230 pounds <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> NBA Comparison: Emeka Okafor Strengths: Ian is a real monster in the paint, using his good athleticism and long arms to grab tons of boards ... Reads the ball well off the rim, and even when he doesn't read it, his pure athleticism usually leads to the rebound ... Great length, wingspan and reflexes allow him to grab lots of long rebounds that would bounce right over most other player's heads... Defensively he is a beast ... Incredible reach allows him to alter and/or block shots other players wouldn't even think of contesting ... Has very quick hands, leading to lots of steals and tipped balls ... When Ian does score, many of his baskets come off tip ins and offensive rebounds ... This could account for his high shooting percentage (18-30 at 60% in Zaragoza) ... Very good at establishing position in the paint, reads the play very well when making cuts and calling for the ball ... Gets the ball in good position under the basket drawing lots of fouls ... A solid free throw shooter for a post player (70%) ... In fact, many of the points he scores come from free throws ... Runs the floor very well, and is one of those hustle players coaches always want on their team ... Always goes for the loose ball, blocked shot, or hustle rebound ... Has decent court vision when around the basket ... Foot work is good around the basket, but needs to add some moves to his arsenal ... His potential is considerable.</div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Weaknesses: At this point in his basketball career, he is still very raw and what many would call a "project" ... Still very raw offensively .... Has no shot outside of 8-10 feet ... Limited offensive skills, besides rebounding and dunking ... Strength is his biggest question mark right now. He is very good at establishing position down low, but is rarely strong enough to keep it ... Must pout on weight without losing much agility, but he's such a strong athlete, that shouldn't be a problem ... The same goes for rebounding... Must get better at anticipating shots and not try to block everything ... -Rob Salvador 10/4/04</div> This guy sounds like he has some solid potential. When you look at his strengths, they fit Philly's style of play. Mahinmi, runs the floor, makes hustle plays, and rebounds well. When you look at his weaknesses there aren't many simply the fact that he is a "project". As long as he plays hard, and hustles for the 76ers then he could be worth drafting.
^Never heard of that guy. I just think Philly needs to take the best player available regardless of position. If someone like Daniel Ewing is around, you guys should pick him up.
By picking Ian Mahinmi it would mean that the Sixers want to keep him over seas for a year or two or just make him learn on the bench for a year or two. I feel that this team is ready to win now and is one player away from doing that. If I was Billy King I would go after a proven player such as Ronny Turiaf, Brandon Bass, David Lee, or even the local kid Dwayne Jones. I would love to see Bass in a Sixers uniform, though under sized, Bass is drawing comparisons to Seattle's Reggie Evens or the Heat's Udonis Haslem. At 250 pounds Bass can be a big banger in the post for us with the ability to grab some boards. He has soft hands and knows how to use his body well the only negitive I see is his jumpshot and he is slightly undersized. He makes up for the height with his monster 7'2" wingspan and he is a hell of a shotblocker and rebounder. If Ronny Turiaf and David Lee are off the board I would look at Brandon Bass. If the Sixers indeed want a point guard with their pick I can narrow it down to three names, Filiberto Rivera, Nate Robinson, or Daniel Ewing. Nate Robinson may be the smallest player in this draft but he is by far the most athletic with his 4.4 fourty time and 42" verticle you can see why. Robinson would be great to have off the bench for Allen. Daniel Ewing is a big defensive minded point guard that I wouldn't mind to have on our bench. He spent four years at Duke but in those four years he played mainly shooting guard because of Chris Duhon. He will have to learn to adjust to the point guard spot in the NBA... The only two high school players I would take if I were the Sixers would be Amir Johnson or Louis Williams. I am high on big man Amir Johnson who is a freak athlete and can dunk the ball and block shots well. He would be a project though and would probably be ready by the time CWebb is out of his prime which would be perfect. One more thing, he averaged 8 blocks in high school. Louis Williams is a lot like Iverson that does everything good but not one thing great he has great potential that should improve over the season.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">^Never heard of that guy. I just think Philly needs to take the best player available regardless of position. If someone like Daniel Ewing is around, you guys should pick him up.</div> You sound a lot like Isiah Thomas. Talent over provision.
Nate Rob won't likely be around if the Sixers plan on drafting at the 45th spot. Daniel Ewing should be, and I think he could be a solid point guard but you have to wonder how much playing time he will get. Ewing is more like an impact player so making him a project probably wouldn't be the best option for Ewing or the 76ers. Lastly Louis Williams might be the best pick if were drafting a PG, AI could teach him the ropes of the game and by the time AI is ready to retire you have a point guard who has to play AI in practice who is already ready to play.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting B-22:</div><div class="quote_post">Nate Rob won't likely be around if the Sixers plan on drafting at the 45th spot. Daniel Ewing should be, and I think he could be a solid point guard but you have to wonder how much playing time he will get. Ewing is more like an impact player so making him a project probably wouldn't be the best option for Ewing or the 76ers. Lastly Louis Williams might be the best pick if were drafting a PG, AI could teach him the ropes of the game and by the time AI is ready to retire you have a point guard who has to play AI in practice who is already ready to play.</div> Allen is not that old yet. He still has many good seasons left in him. Don't you think if we are going to draft someone for AI to teach and mentor to replace him we should do that a little bit further down the line. I mean lets say AI plays another six years ( just a random number). Williams contract will have been long expired since it is a second round draft pick contract, and then when his contract does expire he is a unrestricted free agent. What is to stop him from just walking away from the orginization? I think we do not need to worry about drafting someone to take AI's spot when he retires yet. The last thing we need is to draft a player, and have him sit for years on the bench while we wait for Iverson to retire. I think we need to draft by need right now not neccessarly for the future yet. This team is a playoff contender next season, and we need a big man to help us reach that next level. I can see were you are coming from though if the 76ers draft by talent and not need.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rene?:</div><div class="quote_post">You sound a lot like Isiah Thomas. Talent over provision.</div> He's brainwashed me.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Pure Skillz:</div><div class="quote_post">Allen is not that old yet. He still has many good seasons left in him. Don't you think if we are going to draft someone for AI to teach and mentor to replace him we should do that a little bit further down the line. I mean lets say AI plays another six years ( just a random number). Williams contract will have been long expired since it is a second round draft pick contract, and then when his contract does expire he is a unrestricted free agent. What is to stop him from just walking away from the orginization? I think we do not need to worry about drafting someone to take AI's spot when he retires yet. The last thing we need is to draft a player, and have him sit for years on the bench while we wait for Iverson to retire. I think we need to draft by need right now not neccessarly for the future yet. This team is a playoff contender next season, and we need a big man to help us reach that next level. I can see were you are coming from though if the 76ers draft by talent and not need.</div> I understand Allen has a lot of years left in him, but do you really think he can play in a similar pace for the next few years? AI will not be able to play 44 minutes for his entire career that?s why the 76ers have to start looking at plans B. If the 76ers were to draft someone like Louis Williams, he could probably be in the rotation in the next couple of seasons but he would have to be patient. You can't help to think, if we draft a player who has potential in the future where else could he learn better besides under AI and MO Cheeks, Mo Cheeks was a second round pick before to he will know how to mentor Louis Williams and get him ready to play when he is called upon.
Here is what you can expect tonight from the 76ers. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Sixers basketball staff is wrapping up its homework. That?s a good thing, because the test is on Tuesday. The 2005 NBA Draft is an evening class, so the Sixers do have some extra time to prepare. But as the 7:30 pm (ESPN) start time of Tuesday?s event approaches, 76ers President Billy King, Senior Vice President and Assistant General Manager Tony DiLeo, and their team of scouts, coaches and other basketball operations staff members will be waiting to see how the evening unfolds. This much is certain: heading into draft day, the 76ers will have at least one pick ? the 45th overall, which is in the middle of the second round. Moving up is always a possibility, as is adding a higher pick to the one they already have. It?s also quite possible that there won?t be any additional deals. ?I think there are some late first round picks that could be available, and we will look into that,? DiLeo said. ?I think it just depends on what we?d have to give up to get a first round pick and whether that would be worth it, either financially or with future picks or players or whatever.? King would like to get a higher or additional pick, but says that will depend on the situation. "This is the fun part where you get on the phones and make some calls to move up and see if the guys you want are going to be there," King said. However, King said the excitement level is somewhat diminshed this year due to a number of factors. "I think for the fact of having three key free agents, not having a lot of assets to move up, not having a lot of future picks you want to move, and also the draft not being as deep as it was the last couple of years, there?s not the excitement of trying to move up to get a certain player," he said. In the meantime, the Sixers are concentrating on who will be available at No. 45, and had that in mind through a solid week of draft workouts at the team?s practice facility last week. The team had at least three players in every day from Monday through Saturday, putting them through various drills and scenarios, doing physical testing, and conducting one-on-one interviews. ?There?s a couple things that are really important,? DiLeo said of the workouts. ?Now you have a situation where you can run them through your drills instead of seeing them in the college situation. You can sit down and talk with them. We put a lot of emphasis on the psychological testing. It?s easy to see skill level and athleticism, but it?s really hard to predict the drive they have if they want to become great ? what?s inside, the intangibles. Just sitting down with them, interviewing them, putting them through drills here and seeing how they respond to coaching and the psychological testing. They are major factors in our decision.? However, DiLeo says this pick is more likely to pay dividends down the road than it is in the coming season. ?Whoever we draft at No. 45 probably won?t make an impact the first year,? DiLeo said. ?So we?re looking towards the future. That?s one of the reasons we got the pick ? that we wanted to add another young player so every year we can continue to add to our core.? Head Coach Maurice Cheeks knows a thing or two about being a second round draft pick. Cheeks was picked 36th overall by the 76ers in the 1978 NBA Draft out of West Texas State. At the time Cheeks was not even sure if he was going to get drafted and felt lucky to have been selected by Philadelphia. "Back then you had, I don?t know how many rounds, a lot of rounds," Cheeks said. "You could take a chance on a player like myself or other players and not lose a whole lot in that. Nowadays when you have two rounds, you have to be very selective in who you are choosing, in particular if that is your only choice. You?ve got to be very selective in your choice of picks because that?s going to be your selection." If recent history is any indication, the 76ers have a way of finding players in the late going that can help them. Willie Green and Kyle Korver are two who come to mind. But whatever happens on draft night, the final grade on the 76ers decision might not be apparent right away.</div> www.76ers.com
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting CourtKing:</div><div class="quote_post">By picking Ian Mahinmi it would mean that the Sixers want to keep him over seas for a year or two or just make him learn on the bench for a year or two. I feel that this team is ready to win now and is one player away from doing that. If I was Billy King I would go after a proven player such as Ronny Turiaf, Brandon Bass, David Lee, or even the local kid Dwayne Jones. I would love to see Bass in a Sixers uniform, though under sized, Bass is drawing comparisons to Seattle's Reggie Evens or the Heat's Udonis Haslem. At 250 pounds Bass can be a big banger in the post for us with the ability to grab some boards. He has soft hands and knows how to use his body well the only negitive I see is his jumpshot and he is slightly undersized. He makes up for the height with his monster 7'2" wingspan and he is a hell of a shotblocker and rebounder. If Ronny Turiaf and David Lee are off the board I would look at Brandon Bass. If the Sixers indeed want a point guard with their pick I can narrow it down to three names, Filiberto Rivera, Nate Robinson, or Daniel Ewing. Nate Robinson may be the smallest player in this draft but he is by far the most athletic with his 4.4 fourty time and 42" verticle you can see why. Robinson would be great to have off the bench for Allen. Daniel Ewing is a big defensive minded point guard that I wouldn't mind to have on our bench. He spent four years at Duke but in those four years he played mainly shooting guard because of Chris Duhon. He will have to learn to adjust to the point guard spot in the NBA... The only two high school players I would take if I were the Sixers would be Amir Johnson or Louis Williams. I am high on big man Amir Johnson who is a freak athlete and can dunk the ball and block shots well. He would be a project though and would probably be ready by the time CWebb is out of his prime which would be perfect. One more thing, he averaged 8 blocks in high school. Louis Williams is a lot like Iverson that does everything good but not one thing great he has great potential that should improve over the season.</div> Where did u find the stats saying that Amir Johnson averaged 8 blocks a game in high school???? far as i know it was ANDREY BLATCHE but i stand to be corrected
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting B-22:</div><div class="quote_post">I understand Allen has a lot of years left in him, but do you really think he can play in a similar pace for the next few years? AI will not be able to play 44 minutes for his entire career that?s why the 76ers have to start looking at plans B. If the 76ers were to draft someone like Louis Williams, he could probably be in the rotation in the next couple of seasons but he would have to be patient. You can't help to think, if we draft a player who has potential in the future where else could he learn better besides under AI and MO Cheeks, Mo Cheeks was a second round pick before to he will know how to mentor Louis Williams and get him ready to play when he is called upon.</div> Well when AI slows down a little why not have him mentor Green. Green has already proved he can score he just needs to improve his defense, and handle a little more. We should not take a high schooler right now. Besides Louis has said he hopes he can develope his game, and become a shooting guard later in his career he does not want to run the point.
