Dei-mails: NCAA freshmen, Moultrie, and more

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Answering your e-mails as the Sixers prepare for a five-game West Coast road trip.

I want the Sixers to finish in the bottom three, get a couple quality draft picks and start improving next year. If they can get a tough guy for underneath the hoop, they have a shot at becoming a legitimately good team. Until they show me otherwise, this management team gives me hope.

-Albert Parker

Albert’s sentiments about being a bottom-three team are shared by many -- currently the Sixers are tied with Orlando for the third-worst record in the NBA (8-20, .286 winning percentage).

The 2014 draft class has been surrounded by hype for some time now. Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Aaron Harrison, Marcus Smart -- the names get thrown around often. And, yes, frontcourt help would certainly be a boost, but so too would a legitimate shooting guard.

The Sixers will get at least one, maybe two very good players in next June’s draft. New Orleans' first-round pick is currently a lottery pick, but the Pelicans have just the 13th-worst record (12-14).

Yes! Looking forward to getting @JuliusRandall or @JabariParker22_ Please keep losing!

-Michael Hillocks ‏(@mhillocks)

Randle is 6-foot-9, 250 pounds and is averaging 18.2 points and 11.3 rebounds for Kentucky. He shoots 54.5 percent from the floor. Size and muscle in the frontcourt would be a welcomed change.

Elton Brand brought it, but he was past his prime when he accepted the Philly max in the summer of 2008. Randle won't turn 20 years old until next November.

Parker is 6-foot-8, 235 pounds and is averaging 22.1 points and 7.8 rebounds. The the three-point shot is part of his repertoire, too -- he shoots 47.5 percent from downtown.

Both players will go in the top five. Meanwhile, Michael doesn’t mention Wiggins, who is averaging 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and is shooting 46.6 percent.

Wiggins certainly seemed to have more cache before he began his college career at Kansas, but his stock could rise again as his freshman season plays out. He's still a top-five pick, but before, No. 1 overall was all the talk.

What is Arnett Moultrie's status? Is he playing this season or will he be cut?

@RomansRoad1

Moultrie has been in the gym with the Sixers regularly at home practices. He does not participate in contact activities but he does shooting drills and often can be seen on the treadmill. How close he is to playing basketball scrimmages is unknown following his September ankle surgery, but Sixers head coach Brett Brown is impressed with Moultrie’s commitment to his conditioning.

The Sixers did pick up the third-year option on Moultrie's rookie contract, so they won’t be cutting him.

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