The 3rd team to pick is the Philadelphia 76ers.  They are represented
by:

  Carl Chavez 

With that pick, Carl selects:

  Joe Smith, PF, 6-10.  University of Maryland 

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Philadelphia 76ers

I. Team Needs/History

The Philadelphia 76ers are coming off a 24-58 season. Dana Barros won the 
Most Improved Player award and was a strong point guard for the Sixers. 
The frontcourt of Wright, Bradley, and Spoon showed strong play, but they 
also showed that there was much room for improvement.

At the end of the 1994-95 season, this was the 76ers' roster:

B.J. Tyler (G)
Dana Barros (G)
Sharone Wright (F)
Corey Gaines (G)
Willie Burton (G/F)
Jeff Grayer (G/F)
Greg Graham (G)
Derrick Alston (F)
Tim Perry (F)
Jeff Malone (G)
Clarence Weatherspoon (F)
Scott Williams (F/C)
Shawn Bradley (C)

Burton, Barros, and Grayer were unrestricted free agents at the end of the
season. This means that the 76ers only had to leave two players
unprotected for the expansion draft.  I chose to leave Tim Perry and Jeff
Malone unprotected. Tim Perry was just a useless stiff this year, and Jeff
Malone had a sizable salary slot which could be used, if he was taken, to
sign a high-priced #3 pick (unless the pick is willing to be as nice about
salary as last year's #3, Grant Hill). 

Wait, some 76ers fans exclaim: if salary's a big concern, why not leave
Shawn Bradley unprotected? In several games in which I saw Shawn play, he
showed a lot of potential.  He's definitely no Manute Bol; Shawn is
learning to score and to defend in the NBA. 11 9 pts/9 rebs a game is
pretty good for a player who only has two years of basketball experience
since leaving school for missionary work; I consider the next two years to
be Shawn's real NBA rookie season. I think he'll earn his salary (I admit
he was overpaid, though). 

In the Usenet expansion draft, Tim Perry was taken and not Jeff Malone, which
means that both high-salary slots are still occupied. I believe I made a
mistake; I should have left Jeff Malone and Shawn Bradley unprotected so
that one of the salary slots would have been guaranteed to be lost. Plus, 
if Bradley had been taken there would of been an open slot in the Sixers'
frontcourt which could have been filled by one of the numerous excellent 
centers or forwards in this year's draft. Oh, well. 

So what does the poor team need?

---A: Center

Shawn Bradley: I've already expounded on him and how I still feel his
"Coming": 11.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.8 blks, and only 3.7 fouls per game after the
All-Star break. He's smart --he's no Opie-- and he's learning how to score
better, defend better, move better, and avoid little fouls that keep him
out of games. He still needs to work on his free-throw shooting, and he
needs to improve his strength since he just can't hold any weight. 
With Bradley and Williams (with an occasional hand from Sharone Wright),
the center position does not need any significant changes *this* year. I
think that Bradley needs to prove himself this year if he wants to stay
with the 76ers, but I also believe that he will have no trouble doing so. 

---B: Power Forward

Sharone Wright: He did well enough to avoid being considered a bust. He 
had a slow start at the beginning of the season, especially in December, 
but he came on strong afterward. Right now he shows the ability of an 
average power forward, but he has the potential to become better. In my 
opinion, he should be a sixth-man-type player. Wright has the size to 
play both center and forward. Weatherspoon can be allowed to start at PF, 
and Wright could back Spoon and Bradley. I see Wright as another Anthony 
Mason, who won Sixth Man of the Year for 94-95. Mason is a good starter, 
but he is an excellent bench player because he gives a defensive spark 
with his toughness and rebounding skill. Wright can do the same.

---C: Small Forward

Clarence Weatherspoon: what the heck happened to Spoon? At times he 
appeared to have lost the Barkley-like angry-but-nice-guy attitude that 
made him so loved on r.s.b.p and got him a double-double season average 
in points and rebounds. He seemed to relent on his opponents this year; 
he wasn't pushing as much or blocking out. He wasn't getting in good 
positions on offense or defense. As a result, his rebounding (10.1 --> 
6.9), blocks (1.4 --> 0.9), and FG% (48.3% --> 43.9%) went down a lot. 
Spoon has to remember to be more angry and less nice. His will and 
physical strength are his most important assets, since he is basically an 
undersized power forward playing in the wrong position. If the Sixers 
trade Wright to the Bulls, then I think Spoon will play better again.

---D: Shooting Guard

Jeff Malone: This man is old, but he still scores, and scores, and 
scores... If I were the real Sixers GM, I would keep him on the bench as 
a sixth man to rest Burton or a drafted SG. He has a sizable salary, so 
the Sixers should find a way to get rid of him if they draft a good SG.

Willie Burton: this free agent should be re-signed by the 76ers. Burton's
confidence returned this season under John Lucas' presence. He averaged
15.3 ppg, including a 53-point game against Miami. Although his FG% (40%)
is low, almost 1/3 of his shots were 3-pointers (38.5% 3PT%). I see him as
the kind of player one uses when points are needed; a do-or-die kind of
player. He seemed to play better when the Sixers were behind (except 
against Miami, when he had a different goal...).

This is the 76ers' weakest position. Burton is not guaranteed to play 
again with them because he is an UFA, and Malone does not have the 
stamina to play for a long time. Even if Burton does re-sign, he is too 
inconsistent to rely on. Both players lack defensive skills.

---E: Point Guard

Dana Barros: this free agent should also be re-signed. He was voted Most 
Improved Player for the 94-95 season. He averaged 20.6 ppg, 7.5 apg, and 
shot 46.7% from the 3pt line. Although, in my opinion, Barros is more of 
an SG than a PG, he has learned the position well. All he needs to do is 
show more composure in important situations and to get his players more 
involved in games instead of trying to win the game by himself. For 
example, Barros had a 50 point game but the Sixers still lost because 
Barros (and Lucas) didn't get the other players going. Once Barros learns 
that a PG needs to have leadership and motivational skills, he will 
become a near-elite PG. Right now he's just a SG with lots of assists.

---F: Bench

Scott Williams: A capable backup at both center and forward. I put him at
center because there are enough forwards on this team already. He was
third on the team in rebounding (6.4). He can be a hard-working player at
times, and also a hard hitter with his elbows. If needed, Scott could step
up and score a little (6.4 ppg), although his primary use was for defense
and enforcement. He still was second on the team in field-goal percentage
at 47.5%. Like Bradley and Malone, he's a little expensive on the salary
side (20 mil plus over several years). 

B.J. Tyler, Corey Gaines, Greg Graham, Derrick Alston, Jeff Grayer:
	Who?! Well, at least Jeff Grayer had an average year, but he was 
an UFA. The Sixers should re-sign him if they can. The bench is where the 
Sixers really need to improve. Out of the other picks from last year, B.J. 
Tyler showed that he can back up Barros and Derrick Alston proved himself 
to be a decent backup forward with his rebounding. Gaines and Graham 
should be cut during training camp to make room for the new draft picks.

II. 76ers Selection (and explanation)

I pick Joe Smith as a PF/C for the 76ers.

At first glance, this seems like a stupid pick because the Sixers are 
already stocked at PF, and there is a need for a SG. Smith, however, is the 
best man available, and there has been some trade rumors floating around 
involving either Spoon or Wright. As I mentioned before, I think Spoon 
should be moved to PF, but that probably can't happen because of his 
size. Therefore, Smith should start at PF and Spoon at SF. Wright can be 
traded to a team that needs a PF. One trade could be Wright for 
B.J. Armstrong or Ron Harper, since the Bulls have shown an interest in 
Wright, and the Sixers need a reliable scorer at SG (I think Harper's bad 
year was a fluke--he can't play Phil Jackson's style of play, and John Lucas 
has shown an ability to use players the right way: look at the 
improvement in Barros, Burton, and Bradley). Another possible 
trade could be Wright or Smith for Sprewell at SG. Basically, both Wright 
and Smith are good trade bait.

Alternatively, Wright can be the sixth man as I described earlier, and 
he can switch with Bradley, Smith, or Spoon. Another alternative would be to sign George McCloud for 
a SG, if Burton is unavailable.

The Sixers can wait another year for a SG in the draft, unless they are 
able to finagle one from the second round like Brent Barry. Only if 
they're able to get a second-round pick through a trade, of course...

III. Others considered (and why considered)

Jerry Stackhouse: because he's the most-hyped player in the draft next to 
Garnett. He's got all the tools necessary for the NBA except great 
defense, and that can improve with time. I didn't take him because he was 
already taken, of course.

Ed O'Bannon: I really wasn't sure whether I should take Smith or O'Bannon 
with the 3rd pick. On the one hand, Smith will be a better player, but 
there are lots of Sixers at his position. On the other hand, O'Bannon is 
a better player NOW, and since he has the range and speed of a SF he can 
let Weatherspoon play PF. I decided on Smith because of Smith's potential 
and Smith's trade value. 

Shawn Respert: Another player I seriously considered, because of the need 
for a SG. However, several Sixers fans e-mailed requests to me that I 
*not* pick him. The main complaint was that he was small. I disagree; 
there are many examples of small guys who are excellent scorers simply 
because they're super shooters or great at driving into the lane: Tiny 
Archibald, Fred Brown/Gus Williams, Mark Price, Tim Hardaway, Mahmoud 
Abdul-Rauf... Respert's defense is decent, too. Eventually, I decided against
picking Respert because Smith's value as a player and trade bait was much 
more. 

Basically, it was a toss-up between Smith's value and future skill, and 
Respert's and O'Bannon's present skill. I chose Smith.

Brent Barry: A small-school (Oregon State, Gary Payton's alma mater) player 
who I think should be picked in the second round. Unfortunately, the 
Sixers have no second-round picks this year... Barry is the son of Rick 
Barry, and he inherited a lot of skill from his father. He is well-known 
for his defense (2.7 SPG). He's a good rebounder for his size (6'6", 180 
lbs.), his passing and speed is great, and his shooting has improved game 
after game. But nobody knows who he is; I didn't know about him until I 
talked to a couple of people and read Scott Johnson's scouting report.
Oh, and he's a white man who *can* jump!

IV.  Who the team will probably take

If Stackhouse is available, he's the Sixers' pick. Stackhouse can play SF 
and Spoon PF, or Stackhouse can be SG, Spoon SF, and Wright PF.

If Stackhouse is gone, then they'll take either Smith, O'Bannon, or 
Respert if they're smart. If they're stupid (well, Katz is still 
there...), they'll take Rasheed Wallace. I know I'm in the minority on 
him: I don't think he'll be an impact player. I think Wallace should go 
in the middle of the first round. I also don't like Wallace's 
attitude and we know that John Lucas has problems handling people with 
attitudes like Rodman.

V.  Other moves that the team should make

If certain rumors come true, Wright and the #1 pick can go to the Bulls for 
Pippen. Although this trade gives the 76ers a superstar player, it also 
wrecks their rebuilding process because the 76ers have no second round 
pick this year, so the 76ers won't be able to pick anyone this year. And 
next year their record would not be as bad, so their picks would be lower 
in a weak draft (most of the good players are coming out this year).

I think a better idea would be to trade Wright for another player if no 
draft picks were involved. The players I see as acquirable are 
Latrell Sprewell, Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin, Sarunas Marciulonis, Kendall 
Gill, Ron Harper, John Starks, or Kenny Anderson, I recommend against 
Anderson because of his negative attitude, and Starks because of his *ack* 
clutch *wheeze* play *cough*. Getting Hardaway at PG would allow Barros 
to play SG, where he could get even more points (maybe 23-25 a game?). 
Sprewell would bring back some toughness that could rub off on Spoon and 
Bradley. Marciulonis and Mullin can score and shoot (but they're getting 
as old as Malone). Gill or Harper could get the minutes they need to be 
productive, and Gill's defense is excellent. Unfortunately, I only see a 
good chance of getting Harper because the other teams (Golden State, 
Seattle, New York, New Jersey) have good power forwards already.

There is no chance of trading Bradley. His salary's too high. He's a good 
player, though; I think the Sixers should keep him.
 
Alternatively, free agents are available: Willie Burton of course, Chris 
Morris, and George McCloud are the ones I'd consider useful.

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