So we took the weekend to mull over Ed Stefanski’s selection of UCLA’s Jrue Holiday with the #17 pick in the last Thursday’s NBA Draft and we’re still NOT “in love” with the decision. Don’t get us wrong, we understand why the Sixers took Holiday, but that doesn’t mean we have to love it.

However after reading a host of recaps and reviews of the NBA Draft over the weekend, a majority of which gave the Sixers glowing reviews for their work on Draft Night, we’re starting to come around and realize that maybe Holiday was the best decision for the Sixers at No. 17. After all the Sixers are not one draft prospect away from the Eastern Conference Finals, especially with the moves made by Orlando, Cleveland, Atlanta and Washington. So maybe drafting for the future was the right move, but we reserve the right to change our minds.

Here’s what the “experts” are saying about the Sixers grabbing Holiday…

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This post has nothing to do with the 76ers selection of Jrue Holiday at #17 last night. We’ll get that post up later.

We just wanted to give a big congratulations to all the kids with ties to Philly that were drafted last night in NYC. We especially want to say congrats to former Episcopal Academy standout Wayne Ellington. Ellington had to wait a while to hear his name called, but finally Minnesota sent his name into David Stern at #28 and soon he’ll been living the life of a baller.

Plus he had this great looking number on his arm last night when he was spotted out at dinner in the Northern Liberties section of the city.

Our congrats also go out to…

Tyreke Evans (American Christian Academy / Memphis) who was selected at #4 by the Kings.

Gerald Henderson (Episcopal Academy / Duke) who was selected at #12 by our man Larry Brown and Charlotte.

Dante Cunningham (‘Nova) who was selected at #33 by the Portland Trailblazers.

Ahmad Nivins (St. Joe’s) who was selected at #56 by the Dallas Mavericks.

The 76ers pulled off a bit of a surprise tonight with the 17th pick. As expected Ed Stefanski drafted a point guard, but his name just wasn’t Ty Lawson or Eric Maynor and that’s where the WOW factor came in.

UCLA’s Jru Holiday kept sliding down the Draft Board and when it was their turn at #17 the Sixers grabbed the kid. Some will label this as a steal as Holiday was projected by many to be a Lottery pick.

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We’re blogging live as we catch the 2009 NBA Draft. The Sixers are aleady behind the 8-ball so to speak as three teams in front of them in the Eastern Conference — Orlando, Cleveland and Atlanta have all made huge moves that make them instantly better.

As though it is not difficult enough to be a Sixers fan lately, there is an extremely frustrating area that goes largely unnoticed; the NBA Draft.  The Sixers perennial mediocrity and yearly first-round playoff exits leave them with a disappointing end of season, and even worse, no high draft picks. 

The Sixers always seem to be making their first selection in the mid-teens, a few picks after all the potential lottery players have been snatched up, leaving the fans with little to get excited about pre, or post draft.  Sure, they’ve had some decent selections, and much of their current team was built through the draft, but as a fan it is very difficult to get excited about a late first rounder who seems destined to be a perennial role player. 

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76ers beat writer Kate Fagan on the Inqy is reporting that:

“An NBA source has confirmed that Stefanski has shopped power forward Elton Brand, last off-season’s blockbuster acquisition. That same source indicated Brand is unlikely to be traded because he has four years and $65 million left on his deal and has health concerns because his last two seasons ended in injury.”

WOW.

Lets forget for a moment that Brand was the Sixers key acquisition in the last off-season and that Stefanski broke the bank to sign him. Our question is after the disastrous start to his career in Philadunkia nation, what NBA GM would be stupid enough to trad for Brand and take on his gigantic salary that would leave any organization cap strapped.

With the NBA draft only a few hours away, experts all over the country have been making predictions as to where this year’s crop of players will end up.

For the Sixers the point guard position is one of the biggest questions on the roster and there has been a constant buzz over the possibility of drafting a prospect to play that spot for the home team. 6’3” combo guard out of VCU Eric Maynor or 5’10” UNC point man Ty Lawson appear to be the lead candidates to hear their name called at #17. The buzz of drafting a new point guard has been accompanied by rumors that the Sixers will pull off a sign and trade with Andre Miller, shipping star point guard to another team in exchange for a similar veteran point guard. Of course the reality is that the Sixers may not have a chance to sign and trade Miller if he goes with another team or if the Sixers just let Miller walk and simply sign someone to take his place.

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As we all know, the 76ers hold the 17thpick in the 2009 NBA Draft and even though we’re sitting outside the Lottery, history has shown that some very solid to great NBA prospects can be had with the 17th selection in the NBA Draft.

Did you know that since 1996 Draft, only four players chsoen in the 17th spot are no longer in the League? That means 9 out of the 13 picks or 69.2 % of the players drafted with the 17th pick in the NBA Draft since 1996 are still contributing in the NBA today. That’s good news for the Sixers and all of us here in Philadunkia nation.

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After much rumor and speculation, the 76ers have officially changed their primary logo and color scheme with a return to the traditional “76ers basketball” logo and the red, white and blue color scheme.  According to the Sixer PR Department, the basketball logo was last used during the 1996-97 season and consists of a color scheme that was originally established in 1963 and used during the Sixers’ two championship seasons in 1966-67 and 1982-83.

The only enhancement with the new logo will be a rectangular “court” shaped enclosure around the ball logo with the city name “PHILADELPHIA” grounded along the bottom and silver accent shaping the entire perimeter.

“By bringing back the old Sixers logo, we are connecting the past with the future,” said Comcast-Spectacor Chairman Ed Snider. “This logo evokes memories of some of this franchise’s proudest moments. We also made this change because we understood how much this logo means to our fans, this franchise and to our city. The fans had a big input on this decision. We’re excited and we want the entire City of to be excited for Sixers basketball.”

The Sixers will introduce a new secondary logo and wordmark at a later date.  Additionally, the team will unveil a new court design and uniforms later this summer. 

We are two days away from the 2009 NBA Draft and as we all know, the 76ers hold the 17th pick this year. Even at this late stage, there does not seem to be a consensus on what move the Sixers will make. As you slide down the Draft Board to the Sixers it seems that most “experts” feel Ed Stefanski will take a guard at number seventeen. Could be a point guard, could be a shooting guard or it could be a combo guard, who knows. But there are also those who think the Sixers have their eye on yet anoth and after his surprise workout for the Sixers this past weekend, it could be a real possibility for the Sixers. However we think it is a smoke screen.

Once again, we searched the world wide web and gathered up a host of “expert” opinions on what to expect from the Sixers on Draft Night 2009. While we did find a lead candidate, we think you’ll surprised at the lack of agreement among the “experts” and how many of them are flip-flopping on their predictions as well as a few of the names being put out there as a possible pick by Philadunkia’s home team.

 
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