Courtney Witte is not going to tip his hand. Oh sure, the Sixers draft guru and director of player personnel will answer questions from media, but hes not going to let on which player (or players) the team is focusing on for the June 28 draft.After all, the teams needs are pretty evident.Bigs that can protect the rim and guys who can put the ball in the basket, Witte said about the types of players the Sixers are looking for in this years draft.We know what our weaknesses are. Wed like to improve our shooting and wed also like to get a big that can help us down the road also.The Sixers lamented their dearth of a low-post presence for much of the second half of the season with head coach Doug Collins pointing out that an energetic big man was what his team was missing the most. So a big guy with the ability to protect the paint and a player who can shoot the ball and spread the floor are the top two criteria the Sixers are looking for, which, come to think of it, are two attributes of players that most teams are looking for.But for the Sixers, a youthful team that was within four minutes of advancing to the conference finals, those areas are more glaring than with most teams.So with the No. 15 pick of the June 28 draft, Witte believes the Sixers will have plenty of options. Based on the talent that the brass saw at the combine in Chicago and then the workout camp in Europe last week, the Sixers will be able to find a good player in the draft.Each draft is relative, but this year it just so happens that those are the two areas where players are more bountiful than last year or the year before, Witte said after prospective draftees Moe Harkless from St. Johns and Hollis Thompson from Georgetown worked out at the teams training facility at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (see story).
Better yet, based on the track record going back nearly a decade, the Sixers have done a pretty good job at selecting a quality NBA player. Since 2004, the Sixers have drafted at the No. 9 to No. 50 slot (excluding the No. 2 pick in 2010) and come away with Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams in the second round, Oklahoma City standoutThabo Sefolosha at 13 in 2006, Thad Young and Daequan Cook at 12 and 21 in 2007, Marreese Speights at 16, Jrue Holiday at 17 and Nik Vucevic and Lavoy Allen last season at 16 and 50.Add in Evan Turner with the second overall pick from two years ago and the Sixers have drafted well despite a lack of lottery picks.In addition to the No. 15 pick, the Sixers have the 45th and 54th picks in the second round. The team has some pressing issues that likely will be resolved soon after the team makes its picks. In fact, theres even a chance that some of the issues concerning the likes of Elton Brand, Iguodala and Williams (amongst others), could be linked to the Sixers moves in the draft.Team president Rod Thorn and Collins have the most input on how the team will shape up over the next month so there is a chance that No. 15 pick could be a chip in a larger deal, perhaps one that could land the team an established NBA player.Then again, the Sixers could just keep all their picks and draft them straight up.There is a lot of talk going on now, Witte said. Rod is on the phone a lot and it will increase the next 10, 11 or 12 days, but as of right now, were just evaluating the players.That player could already be identified, too. Last summer at the combine in Chicago, Collins saw Vucevic and fell hard for the big man out of USC. Perhaps that lightning bolt struck again in a draft filled with a deeper pool of talent?In the meantime, Witte and the player personnel gang will be investigating every angle of every player eligible for the draft.Every day you have to be more educated with the players, Witte said. We have background things going ontalking to the coaches. Thats the kind of process. The tape work, its still ongoing, but weve watched a lot of film on these players so now its more background talking with their agents, their coaches and the people involved in their lives and going over that kind of information.In the end, of course, talent will be the biggest deciding factor for the Sixers.We always try to look for the best player, Witte said. If a player has a chance to be special down the road you cant overlook that.E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com