Sixers must weigh talent, need, experience in draft

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Saturday, June 4, 2011
Posted: 6:16 p.m.

By Dei Lynam
CSNPhilly.com

It is the time of year when coaching staffs get back in the gym along with the front office brass and they evaluate talent, talent that may or may not be available when the Sixers make a selection at No. 16 and 50 overall in the upcoming NBA draft.

Bringing players into their practice facility is part of a process that allows for the organization to make the best selection possible. But before the players ever walk through PCOMs doors, they have seen plenty.

Collectively with all our scouts, weve seen them a lot, Courtney Witte, the Sixers director of player personnel said. I cant even count how many times we have seen them, but I know its a lot.

The common thread to Saturdays crop of players was size. They ranged in height from 6-foot-9 to 6-11. An admitted need for the Sixers is rebounding and shot blocking but Witte warned that need always comes after talent.

If the talent is equal and you have your rankings and your evaluations as a group are equal, then you look at need, Witte stressed. You cannot make a mistake like Portland did with Bowie over Jordan.

Witte was referring to the 1984 draft, when the Trail Blazers selected Sam Bowie out of the University of Kentucky with the second overall pick, leaving Michael Jordan for Chicago to take with the third pick. Bowie was 7-foot-1 and Portland was in need of a center.

But having a superstar like Michael Jordan should have trumped that decision.
Need vs. best player available is one decision that teams have to make. They also have to decide if potential outweighs proven talent, which appears to be the growing trend. Still, Witte believes when it comes to the actual workouts, there is no substitute for experience.

I think it would be great if I had a magic wand and make them all four-year guys because as a generality you can just notice the maturity right off the bat, Witte said.
They know how to interact. They know more about the world. Unfortunately, we cant make that happen, but four-year guys are always refreshing.

One thing that makes this evaluation process difficult is players declining to pay a visit to teams they think will pick too deep in the draft. For instance, a player may be projected to go in the top 12, therefore visiting the Sixers who have the 16th pick would be viewed as unnecessary. The problem is, 20 guys think they are top-12 talent, which means eight will drop below their threshold.

I am not a mathematics major but right now there are twenty-plus people that think they will go in the top 15, Witte said.

The consensus about this years draft is that there is not a lot of separation between players and because of that, teams are looking more at need instead of talent.

I think you still can get quality players as you go down the draft, Witte said.

The Sixers will continue their evaluations on Monday when they welcome Joffrey Lauvergne (France), Antonio Pena (Villanova), Lester Prosper (SUNY-Old Westbury), Willie Reed (St. Louis) and Trey Thompkins (Georgia) in for visits.

E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com

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