On Thursday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer initially reported that the Philadelphia 76ers and Temple product Khalif Wyatt agreed to a partially guaranteed, multi-year contract.

Wyatt officially signed the papers on Friday evening,  following in the footsteps of Lavoy Allen and becoming the second Temple Owl from the Fran Dunphy era to being his NBA career with the Sixers.

The contract comes after Wyatt, a 6-4 guard who went undrafted in the 2013 Draft, averaged 13.8 points, 3.2 assists and 1.2 rebounds on 45.8 percent shooting in 5 games with the 76ers during the Orlando Pro Summer League in July.

On Friday, Philadunkia scribe Jake Fischer called up a very humbled Wyatt, just hours after his NBA dream became realized.  After the jump is Philadunkia’s exclusive interview with Wyatt, his first since putting pen to paper and officially becoming a member of the Sixers.

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Every single player in the NBA will tell you, that it’s a long road full of hard work to get to where they are today.  There are plenty of dreamers in every city in America who hope to one day make it to the League, spending hours and hours each day perfecting their craft in order to move themselves closer to their ultimate goal.  Some have the height, some have the talent, some have the heart and determination, but a very minuscule number actually get the chance to play in the League and an even smaller number actually get their names called on draft night every year.

Lavoy Allen is one of those exceptions.  In 2011, the Sixers selected Allen with the 50th pick in the 2nd round. 11 picks later and he would’ve missed the cut, having to prove everything he could at an NBA team’s invitation to training camp that he’s worth a contract as an Undrafted FA. ESPN, as his former Twitter handle read, even ranked him as the worst player in the NBA before his rookie year began, as “Mr. 500”.

Yet, here Allen is, about to embark on his third season in the League and not letting the odds or critics bring him down.

Allen averaged career highs in points (5.8) and rebounds (5) per game last season for the Sixers while starting in 37 games.

Philadunkia’s Jeff McMenamin got a chance to catch up with Allen on Tuesday night, where he was a panel speaker for the Beyond Sports Summit — an event which raises awareness on the impact that sports has in being a catalyst towards social change throughout the world.

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From a basketball perspective new 76er Royce White, who once was considered a top 5 talent in the 2012 NBA draft, could be a huge addition to the Sixers front court.

As a high school kid, White was named “Mr. Basketball” in the state of Minnesota and he averaged 13 points 9 rebounds and 5 assists per game with Iowa State.  Last season in 16 games with Houston’s D-League affiliate, White had averages of 11 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3 assists per night.

Statistics like these from a power forward who allegedly “can’t shoot” are outrageously impressive.    But imagine if he added a shooting stroke — White’s ceiling would be ridiculous.

Still, if the power forward is ever to get on the court in the NBA and realize his potential, the 76ers need to equip White with every tool possible to help him best deal with the mental health issue that his holding back his NBA development.  White’s condition which is commonly referred to as general anxiety (specifically for White it is the anxiety of flying) and as we all know, it keeps him from traveling to games with the team.  Sam Hinkie & Co. will now go down in the history of the NBA for implementing the first “system”, good or bad, for dealing with general anxiety in a player.  Thus, White’s career, fair or unfair, will affect the career of every future NBA player with a mental health issue.

On a recent pod cast with Landolakers.com White talked about everything regarding his mental issue and his plans to get on the court this year for the 76ers.  After the jump we’ve transcribed for you some of his quotes from that interview and provided some reacts to the power forward’s words…

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The 76ers made a number of bold moves during the 2012 off-season that for one reason or another did not work out in the best interest of the franchise.  Andrew Bynum, Kwame Brown, Nick Young and Jason Richardson immediately come to mind.

However, the one acquisition the Sixers made prior to last season that worked out beautifully was the addition of television sideline reporter Molly Sullivan.  Think about it for a minute.

Sullivan appeared in more games than Bynum and Brown combined, made better on-court decisions than Swaggy P and her number is certainly more cap friendly then Jason Richardson’s.

In short, you don’t need advanced analytics to determine that Sullivan was the newcomer of the year in Philadunkia nation.

The lovely and talented (borrowing that line from David Letterman) Sullivan recently gave Philadunkia editor C. Smith a few minutes via email to answer a number of Sixers related questions.  After the jump, Sullivan talks Andrew Bynum, the Holiday trade, the end of the DC era and racing Ryan Lochte in the pool.

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A simple phone call during the 2013 NBA Draft changed the face of the Philadelphia 76ers franchise for good when point guard Jrue Holiday was shipped to the New Orleans Pelicans for forward Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first-round pick.

Holiday was a budding star for the 76ers and the most well-known amongst fans.  He was an All-Star last season and led the team in both points and assists.  Jrue averaged career-high’s with 17.7 points and 8.0 assists per game.  His efforts were strong enough to get him an invitation to Team USA basketball mini-camp at the end of the month in Las Vegas.

With Holiday out of town, the baton is now passed to forward Thaddeus Young.

Young, the longest tenured Sixer on the teams roster, also had a strong performance last season of 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals last season in his first full season as a starter.  He’ll have to shoulder the load for the Sixers offensively while rookie Michael Carter-Williams adjusts to his role as the teams new point guard and Noel recovers from a torn ACL.

Philadunkia scribe Jeff McMenamin had the chance to talk with Young about his reaction to the draft night trade, being the new face of the franchise, his thoughts on Andrew Bynum leaving town and what he expects from the team in the future.

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It’s thirty minutes after the Sixers third straight loss in the OPSL, and lottery pick Michael Carter-Williams emerges from the locker room with ice packs on his knees and a smile on his face.

You would think, and it would be understandable, that the 6’5 point guard would be exhibiting some amount of frustration over his summer team’s record and his personal performance (15-60 shooting).  But on the contrary, Carter-Williams’ body language is upbeat and his mind is focused on the future.  As the interview commenced, the first question I asked was about his struggles shooting at OPSL and if he attributes that to tough defense or shots just not falling.

“It’s a little bit of everything.  I’m getting the shots I want it’s just about me knocking them down,” Carter-Williams opened up.

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If you have paid any attention to the basketball world since 2005, you are very aware of the Zeller family.  The family’s oldest son, Luke first joined the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2005 before graduating in 2009.  Tyler soon entered the college realm in 2008, suiting up for the esteemed North Carolina Tar Heels.  He graduated in 2012, but not before serving as a reserve in a national championship game and being named an AP 2^nd Team All-American in his senior year.

Then, along came along Cody.  After he posted a stellar freshman campaign in 2011-2012, he decided to stay at Indiana for one more season and was considered to be the front-runner for the top pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

During the 2012-13 college basketball season, Cody and fellow top draft prospect Victor Oladipo, helped Indiana hold the No. 1 overall ranking in the AP Poll for a total of 11 weeks over two separate stints.  Tom Crean, Zeller and company earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and were thinking championship.  But, a sensational season for Zeller and the Hoosiers came to end in a somewhat embarrassing defeat at the hands of Syracuse in the Elite 8.

Putting IU’s “March Madness” disappointment behind him, Zeller went to work on his game and body.  All of the hours he logged were obvious during mid-May at the NBA Combine in Chicago, as Zeller tested off the charts in the Combine’s athleticism drills and physical measurements.  He did not participate in any live-ball activity in Chicago, but the reports from his post-Combine individual workouts have been stellar.

That’s good news for Philadunkia nation as nearly every creditable NBA Draft blog or website has the Sixers picking Cody Zeller on June 27th, 2013.   According to the blogosphere, the Sixers selecting Zeller is a bigger lock than Kim Kardashian having her picture taken by the paparazzi today.

Given the likelihood of Zeller becoming a Sixer, Philadunkia scribe Jake Fischer recently caught up with Cody before his workout with the Charlotte Bobcats to talk about his ongoing Draft process and the possibility of being selected by the Sixers at #11.

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Todd MacCulloch may not be a name synonymous with NBA success, but for a period of time in the early 2000’s he was a big part of some very good teams. His numbers were never eye-popping, but he was a consistent contributor to two Finals-bound teams, and enjoyed four solid seasons before a chronic foot condition forced him into an early retirement.

Most notably, he was a member of the most recent Sixer team to make it as far as the Finals, serving as a backup to Dikembe Mutombo. Recently, Todd sat down with Steven LeBron Radio to discuss his time in the NBA, playing with Allen Iverson, and his career as a pinball player.

It’s always good to hear from Todd.

After the jump, check out some highlights of what he had to say, and be sure to check out the full podcast at Steven LeBron radio.

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A quick Google Images search of Damien Wilkins will put his career for you in a nutshell.  In that search, you’ll see the 6-6, 225 pound swingman dawning a vast variety of the NBA jerseys.  Wilkins has been one of the lucky few who have been able to live the life of an NBA journeyman.

But recently, Wilkins, the current starting shooting guard for the 76ers, hasn’t been playing like a nomadic bench player.  In fact, the 8-year veteran out of the University of Georgia has been averaging 15.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals in 29.0 minutes per game over the team’s last five contests.  Wilkins, who has started 10 games for the Sixers, has been a spark plug for Doug Collins’ team ever since he was inserted into the starting unit to replace a hobbled Nick Young.

Even though the veteran and well-respected locker room presence has been turning heads on the court for the Sixers of late, not many in the City of Brotherly Love truly know a lot about Wilkins off the court and what his thoughts have been about his first season rocking the fabled red, white and blue.

With that in mind, Philadunkia scribe, Jake Fischer, caught up with the Sixers’ cagey veteran and talked about his family lineage, the Sixers struggles this season, his days with the Seattle Supersonics and his obsession with Wawa.

 
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As we all know, in the summer of 2012 the 76ers front office traded Andre Iguodala, cut ties with Elton Brand and let Louis Williams walk.  When Doug Collins & company removed these important veterans from the Sixers roster Jrue Holiday was thrust into several key roles for this team. 

Jrue’s now the floor general,  primary option on offense,  locker room leader and  face of the franchise.  That’s a heavy load for a 22-year old to carry.

So how has Jrue responded during the most challenging season of his young NBA life? 

Career highs in points and assists.

Eighteen double-doubles.

One triple-double.

Four games with 30 or more points.

A trip to the 2013 All-Star Game.  

In short, he’s stepped up to the challenge.  In fact, to say that Jrue Holiday has been one of the few bright spots for the 76ers (tip of the cap to Thad Young) in an otherwise very disappointing year for this franchise is an understatement.       

Earlier this week, Jrue jumped on the phone with Philadunkia’s Jeff McMenamin for a few minutes to discuss his breakout season, playing in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game, the struggling Sixers, the difficulty of the upcoming schedule and of course, Andrew Bynum. 

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