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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In our continuing efforts to keep you posted on the off-the-court life of 76ers icon Allen Iverson, we actually have a little bit of good news to report today.

It seems Allen will be avoiding jail time — for now.

According the the celebrity gossip juggernaut TMZ.com, shortly after Iverson’s ex-wife Tawanna Iverson filed paperwork stating that Allen owed her $40,000 in child support, Tawanna was back in court filing additional docs insisting Allen had all 5 of their kids holed up at an Atlanta hotel and refused to hand them over to their mother on the designated exchange date.

I am not a an attorney, but that does not sound like a positive series of events for Iverson.

However, according to TMZ’s sources, “The Answer” has in fact returned his kids to their mother.  Allen also testified in court that he was never holding them hostage in the first place.

More from TMZ on Allen’s latest court appearance after the jump.

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Here at Philadunkia we have attempted to keep you updated on the life and times of 76ers legend Allen Iverson now that his playing days are over.  Unfortunately, today there is more bad news.

Over the weekend, the celebrity gossip powerhouse TMZ provided us with some “breaking” news on one of our favorite 76ers of all-time.  Twelve years after his tremendous performance in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals, Iverson has a date this week with the same judge who earlier this year basically described #3 as the worst parent on the face of the earth.

According to court papers obtained by TMZ, Iverson’s ex-wife ex, Tawanna is claiming that “The Answer” owes her $40,000 in child support.  Since the judge that will preside over this new hearing is not a big fan of Iverson’s – and that’s putting it lightly – this court date will probably not go very well for Iverson.

More details from TMZ after the jump…

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It has been pretty quiet at Sixers camp since Hinkie’s hiring.  And because of the silence, no one seems to have much of an idea exactly what direction the team is going to go on many fronts —  including the 2013 NBA Draft.

However, if we are looking for a clue as to what moves the Sixers could possibly make on June 27th 2013, we may want to ask ourselves, “What Would Houston Do?”  Or W.W.H.D. for short

Hinkie was one of the members of the brain trust that was at the helm of Houston’s draft board for the past six seasons, so taking a look at trends that occurred during his tenure with the Rockets could provide the most insight as to what Hinkie may do during his first draft as the 76ers head man.

Take a minute to look down the list of Houston’s draft picks since 2007:

2007:  Aaron Brooks (Rd. 1); Brad Newley (Rd. 2)

2008:  Nicolas Batum (Rd. 1); Maarty Leunen (Rd. 2)

2009:  **HOU had no picks but via trades landed Jermaine Taylor (Rd. 2); Chase Budinger (Rd. 2); Sergio Lull (Rd. 2)

2010:  Patrick Patterson (Rd. 1)

2011:  Marcus Morris (Rd. 1); Nikola Mitrotic (Rd. 1); Chandler Parsons (Rd. 2)

2012:  Jeremy Lamb (Rd. 1); Royce White (Rd. 1); Terrence Jones (Rd. 1);

After the jump, I’ll analyze a couple of items that leap out almost immediately from that list.

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There are an unlimited number of NBA mock draft websites available on the Internet and their predictions for which prospect the 76ers will select on June 27th, 2013 are almost as limitless.

However, among the more reputable sites on the world wide web, there a consistent theme has developed which indicates that the Sixers will draft a big man later this month.

In fact when you read the predictions from the sites that are historically “in the know”, two names get linked with the Sixers time and time again – Kelly Olynyk and Cody Zeller.

Try to contain your excitement.

Neither of these centers projects out as an all-star caliber or franchise type player.  But let’s be honest, finding that level of baller at the #11 pick is rare.  However if developed properly, either one of these offensively skilled kids could be a key piece that helps Hinkie & Co. get this franchise turned around.

After the jump, we’ll take a look at both players through “expert” analysis and video.

Then we want to know, Olynyk or Zeller – “Who ya got?”

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The list of quality head coaching candidates is shrinking every day.  The Pacers are dragging their feet on giving teams permission to speak with Brian Shaw.  And Billy Cunningham ain’t walking through the Sixers locker room doors.  So the Sixers are in a bit of a predicament with their coaching search.  But are they desperate?

After reading a report from Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv you may think Hinkie & Co. are just that…According to Zagoria, the 7-6 are one of three teams that have contacted 72-year old Larry Brown about a head coaching vacancy.

The other two teams, according to the report, are the Brooklyn Nets and “possibly” the Los Angeles Clippers.

Now last month, I pleaded for the Sixers to at least meet with Phil Jackson who is in the senior citizen age bracket and has been out of the League for a bit as well, so I’ll be the first to say that there is nothing wrong with scheduling a sit down with LB.  On-court novices such as Josh Harris and Hinkie could certainly learn something from the only coach in basketball history to win a title in both college and the NBA.

However, that is as far as it should go.

It would be ridiculous to think that the Sixers are seriously considering a return to Philly for Brown.

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The City of Brotherly Love’s own Philadelphia University played host to the third annual Mary Kline Classic, yesterday. The MKC, which was founded, and is still run, by Alex Kline of TheRecruitScoop.com in honor of his later mother, Mary, features some of the top high school basketball prospects in the country while raising thousands of proceeds to National Brain Tumor Society and Brain Tumor Research at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Of the 40 players that competed this year, 20 hailed from within 50 miles of Philly.  But, the idea that Philadelphia is a Mecca for high school basketball is not a novel concept.  National media and legend has praised the level of amateur ball Philadunkia has had to offer for generations.

College basketball also has it’s own mystique intertwined within the city’s history.  The Palestra and Big 5 hoops are known commodities far outside of the tri-state area.  And, even though there technically is no Big 5 tournament, winning the annual Big 5 series is an honor each college program in the City strives to reach because in Philly, reason to trash talk is a welcome consolation for hardware.

So with all of this in mind, why can’t Philadelphia become an elite destination for pro basketball?  Why can’t Philadelphia, a city rich in basketball history at all levels, be considered a location that NBA players desire to hoop in?

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Following upon the coattails of greatness, ESPN has recently put out it’s own future NBA power rankings.

Unlike the one I bestowed upon the readers of Philadunkia last week, this is a 3 year projection by ESPN with a different set of criteria.

They use 5 categories to rate the NBA teams; Players, Management, Money, Draft, and Market.  The 76ers were ranked 24th in the NBA and 11th in the Eastern Conference over the next 3 years.  This list (like all long term projection features) need to be taken with a grain of salt, especially if you have a functioning brain and see the Knicks ranked behind the 76ers.

Today at Philadunkia, I will take a closer look at these ESPN ‘Future Rankings’ and see how things shake out.

My thoughts on ESPN’s ‘Future Rankings’ after the jump.

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With the news that the Atlanta Hawks hired longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer yesterday, there have now been three coaching hires in the NBA since the 76ers parted ways with Doug Collins.

The soon-to-be Charlotte Hornets have hired former Lakers assistant Steve Clifford and the Phoenix Suns have moved on from the Alvin Gentry era by hiring former Jazz assistant Jeff Hornacek.  Further, the Milwaukee Bucks met with Michael Curry and the Nets requested and were denied an opportunity to meet with Doc Rivers.

But, outside of a small Dei Lynam blurb last week that the Sixers talked to Brian Shaw during the NBA Draft Lottery, Sam Hinkie and company have made no news and generated zero rumors in terms of their search for a new sideline general.

So, is it time to start panicking in Philadunkia nation?   

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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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