Here’s the way I look at Sam Hinkie and the 76ers 2014 NBA Draft:

You have been dating a woman for a significant period of time — let’s say 9 months.   She has some issues that need work, but overall the gal is cool.  There have been some bumps in the road along the way.  However, as a whole things have gone fairly well and you really like the long term potential of the relationship.

As you approach the relationship’s one year anniversary (June 2013 to June 2014) you plan a special night for the two of you.  It has been communicated to you (although not verbally) that she too is excited about this big happening (Draft night 2014) and that your loyalty and time over the last year will be greatly rewarded.

The night goes perfectly and as you arrive back at your place, she heads into the bedroom to change into something “more comfortable”.  When she returns your gal has on flannel pajamas.  Next she heads to the fridge and grabs a pint of ice cream.  Then she plops on the couch and puts on a chic flick.

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We have reached the “sources say” portion of NBA Draft week, which means right now there are more lies and misdirections floating around the rumor mill than Swaggy P photos on Instagram.

Even though Hinkie is the most tight lipped GM is the League, he isn’t immune to the sources syndrome that has kicked into hyperdrive in the last 24 hours.  Multiple reports have the 76ers sticking at No. 3 and drafting either Dante Exum or Joel Embiid.  A number of other reports claim the Sixers are desperate to move up and are working hard to make that happen on Thursday night. One thing is for sure, the 76ers and their front office people will be in the spotlight at the 2014 NBA Draft.

So, we asked our scribes to assume Sam Hinkie’s role for a minute and submit ideas for both scenarios.

Answers and ideas after the jump.

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With the 2014 NBA Draft just two days away, we though we would check in with the online mock drafts and review how Joel Embiid’s foot injury has impacted the “expert’s” for which direction the 76ers will go on Thursday night with the third pick.

Needless to say, Embiid’s injury has created a good deal of chaos for Sam Hinkie at the No. 3 spot.  Prior to Embiid’s injury and subsequent surgery, Hinkie was likely going to draft whichever Top 3 prospect — Embiid, Parker and Wiggins — was still on the board when the Sixers went on the clock. Now, all bets are off and the Sixers appear to be a the wildcard of the teams in the Lottery portion of the 2014 Draft.

Thus, when I gathered the “expert” opinions from around the world wide web, I was very surprised to discover only two schools of thought on what Hinkie will do on Thursday night.

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With yesterday’s breaking news, that is the question.

As you know by now, Joel Embiid, the projected 1st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft has a foot fracture and will have surgery today to repair the injury.  Thursday’s headlines sent every team with a Lottery pick this year scrambling to reconstruct their Draft plans and asking, “Is Embiid worth taking a gamble on with a Top 12 pick?”

Embiid’s injury presents a very interesting dilemma for Sam Hinkie the 76ers, who as we all know have two Lottery selections next Thursday night (No. 3 & No. 10) and thus will likely have two opportunities to draft or pass on the athletic, but injury prone, 7-foot center from Kansas.

So we put two questions to the scribes here at Philadunkia…

If he is available, would you draft Embiid at No. 3?…and…If he is available, would you draft Embiid at No. 10?

Answers and ideas after the jump.

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Yesterday we reviewed and analyzed the list of prospects the online “experts” are predicting the 76ers could select with the No. 10 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.  To be honest, there weren’t any real surprises among the  “expert” forecasts and there certainly wasn’t any of the creativity Sam Hinkie showed at the 2013 NBA Draft.

So, a couple of us here at Philadunkia started wondering, “If Sam Hinkie thinks outside the box at #10 and drafts a prospect that none of the “experts” have connected to the Sixers, which player would Hinkie grab and why?”  

After the jump, four Philadunkia scribes will make a prediction on a “dark horse” selection that Hinkie could roll the dice on at #10 and provide some thoughts on why Hinkie may decide to go that direction with the Sixers second lottery pick.

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Draft day 2014 is quickly approaching.  While most mock drafts have the 76ers taking either Parker or Wiggins with their first pick (No. 3 overall), there seems to be a wide range of players who the  “experts” predict the team will select with their 2^nd Lottery opportunity, the 10^th overall pick.

We pray that Sam Hinkie grabs a prospect with the 3rd pick that someday develops into a franchise level star.  Even if Hinkie strikes gold at No. 3 the 76ers will still have a number of holes to fill, thus finding a solid prospect at #10 will still be a key to rebuilding this franchise.  Since the Sixers have so many needs to address at this upcoming draft and this deep class boasts a host of prospects who could be a good fit with the franchise going forward, there is no consensus among the “experts” as to which prospect Hinkie & Co. may take at No. 10.

So once again, we searched the world wide web and gathered up a host of “expert” opinions on what to expect from the Sixers at the 10th spot on Draft Night 2014.

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The 2014 NBA Draft is two weeks from Thursday and in case you have been living under the damaged 495 bridge in Delaware, you know that the 76ers own two (#3 and #10) Lottery slots in this draft.  Needless to say, June 26th, 2014 will be a monumental night in the history of this franchise.

In the last thirteen years, having multiple Lottery picks at the draft has also provided monumental nights for nine different NBA franchises. Unfortunately for the Sixers and Philadunkia nation, history has shown the majority of those extra special draft nights – which were once filled with so much hope and potential — have developed into monumental failures for the franchises involved.

After the jump, I’ll review the list of franchises that have owned multiple Lottery slots over the last 13 years of the NBA Draft.  Then I’ll analyze whether or not the prospects selected with those multiple Lottery picks had productive NBA careers.

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Believe it or not, 76ers big man Nerlens Noel has more going on right now than just rehabbing his knee and retooling his jump shot.  Off the court Noel is making a few business moves and recently signed on as as an athlete advisor with CoachUp, a Boston-based organization that utilizes an online marketplace to match athletes with private coaches.

Noel is the latest of a long line of Beantown area professional athletes who have joined the ranks of CoachUp to impart their wisdom.  The 76er with the classic high top fade will be working alongside other stars on CoachUp’s Athlete Advisory Council such as former Red Sox’s outfielder Gabe Kapler (CoachUp investor) and legendary Boston Bruins player, turned team president Cam Neely.

In a recent interview with Sara Castellanos of the Boston Business Journal, Noel said of his new appointment, “I wanted to be able to have an impact.”

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When you first see Nerlens Noel in person, you can’t help but marvel at the man’s stature.  At 6-foot-11, 228 pounds and a 7-foot-4 inch wingspan, he’s one of the tallest and longest players in the NBA.

I’ve had the chance to stand side-by-side with him on several occasions now and I’ve been thoroughly impressed by his measurements and what he can potentially bring to the Sixers’ frontcourt in the future.

On draft night last year, I had written off the idea that the Sixers were capable of landing the big man out of Kentucky and I was admittedly shocked when the Jrue Holiday trade had gone down.  Most draft boards had Noel off the board at No. 1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers and, as much as I liked Jrue as a player and a leader, getting two lottery picks for him while shedding salary was a heady move by GM Sam Hinkie.  The Sixers also needed to make it clear to its fans that they were parting ways with Andrew Bynum, and despite losing Jrue, getting the top center prospect in the draft did that.

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