Sixers Select Turner with 2nd Pick

By: Joseph Vozzelli

NBA Commissioner David Stern walks up on-stage, pick in hand, in front of a raucous crowd in The Theater at Madison Square Garden and announces: “With the 2nd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select…Evan Turner, Guard from Ohio State.”

There must have been a collective sigh of relief which fell over all of Philadelphia, especially the fans gathered at the Wachovia Center for the Sixers’ Draft Party. The Sixers had made the right choice and quite frankly the easy choice, in deciding to bring Turner into the fold. From the moment the Sixers acquired the second overall pick after the Draft Lottery, the fan base wanted Evan Turner and made it known that no other player would be good enough.

And NBA scouts agreed with Sixers’ fans. Besides John Wall of Kentucky, no player stood out quite like Turner throughout the pre-Draft workouts. NBA talent evaluators believe that Turner might even be more NBA-ready than Wall, who was picked #1 overall by the Washington Wizards.

The most glaring difference between these two potential NBA stars is experience. Turner spent three years in college, playing in the defensive-savvy Big Ten conference. He averaged 20.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in his junior year and had Sixers scouts drooling over him.

On the other hand, Wall, arguably the most talented player in this year’s Draft class, is considered “raw” because of the game he played as a Kentucky Wildcat. Wildcats Head Coach John Calipari allowed Wall to use his quickness and speed to get to the bucket. I think Wall projects as a Rajon Rondo in waiting, because like Rondo, he will need to improve upon his jump shot and drive-and-dish game if he wants to become an NBA star.

What makes Turner special is his versatility. His 6’7” frame adds size to the Sixers’ backcourt. During his junior year at Ohio State, Turner played at point guard and throughout his college career, he spent time on the court as a shooting guard and small forward.

Of course, the Sixers did due diligence, trying to hold their cards as close to their chest as possible, but there was no doubt among the 29 other NBA GMs that Sixers’ President and General Manager Ed Stefanski would select Turner with the second overall pick. The Sixers did work-out Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson and Georgia Tech’s Derrick Favors, who Sixers new head coach Doug Collins was rumored to like the most. In the end, though, Stefanski called the Turner pick a unanimous decision by the Sixers’ management.

Turner would appear to be the backcourt mate of second year point guard Jrue Holiday next season. If that indeed did happen, the Sixers would have the youngest guard tandem in the league with 21-year-old Turner and 20-year-old Holiday.

“There’s going to be some learning curves and some bumps,” Turner said. “At the same time, I feel everything will be all right.”

However, Sixers’ head man Doug Collins does not view the Holiday and Turner combination as a done deal because he expects veteran point man (I am using that term very loosely) Louis Williams will compete for the starting job with Holiday.

“I don’t want there to be an assumption about who’s going to start,” Collins said. “I want a job to be open and whoever takes it, takes it.”

Asked about playing with Turner next season, Holiday knew what his potential backcourt partner could bring to the table: “We could start off on defense,” Holiday said. “He takes defense to the heart. And offensively, we’re just smart players.”

At Ohio State, Turner learned the art of defense under the tutelage of head coach Thad Matta. His 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks per game might not seem all that impressive. But most scorers as lethal as Turner take possessions off while on defense. However, Turner understands the importance of defense.

Sixers fans might have to endure growing pains as Holiday and Turner get acclimated to each other’s games, but for a team which went 27-55 last season, the future appears to be the brightest it has been in years.

The Turner selection does make the Sixers’ depth chart bulky at the big forward, hybrid 2-3 position because Turner along with Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, and Andres Nocioni, could all play at small forward. And the Sixers have an even bigger problem in figuring out who will be the starting center or power forward.

GM Ed Stefanski said the Sixers were confident that Elton Brand, Marreese Speights, or Spencer Hawes could fill in the gaps at power forward or center, but the head coach made no bones about it: “We’re not done [making changes],” Collins said.

Sixers management have some hard decisions in front of them and a trade may be on the horizon. After the team parted ways with what had been the franchise’s Achilles heel for the past ten years in Samuel Dalembert, the Sixers appeared poised to make their team a Conference Championship contender in the coming years.

Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand would appear to be the obvious trade victims, given last season’s debacle, which saw Brand relegated to coming off the bench and the constant rumors that have swirled around Iguodala throughout his Sixers career.

However, it is certain that acquiring a big-name free agent is out of the question.

“I don’t think we will be able to get involved until late in the free agency period after teams use their money,” Stefanski said. “Then I think we can become aggressive in a trade situation. We are looking. We are not going to stop until we get the players that Doug wants. Making that trade, we are going to miss Sammy for blocking shots, but Sam didn’t want to be here. We are changing the culture.”

Whatever happens, in the upcoming months, the Sixers will have a new backcourt filled with an influx of young talent.