Here's an NBA mock draft from Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated. Thomsen has the 76ers picking West Virginia's Joe Alexander with the pick, over big men such as Georgetown's Roy Hibbert and Rider's Jason Thompson.
I think it's a great pick. Alexander excelled in the NCAA tournament, playing the best hoops outside of a guy named Stephen Curry. Sure, at 6'8", 230, the cognoscenti will say that he's too short to play the four and too slow to play the three. How many times have we heard that? And how many apologies have we heard from those who said that guys like Carlos Boozer and Shane Battier couldn't play in the NBA?
Alexander wins. NBA teams need to focus not solely on promise, but guys who make the plays and help their teams win games, night in and night out. Guys who keep working, guys who hit the boards and the open man, and guys who hit the clutch shot. Alexander is all of those guys. I marveled at the slippage of Boozer years ago to the second round, because all he seemed to do was make the plays, and he's proven me right.
Joe Alexander is another excellent player. The 76ers would be lucky to get him.
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2 comments:
I love Joe Alexander but it doesn't make much sense for the Sixers to draft another 6-8 SF.
If I thought Alexander could play shooting guard then I would be all for it. But Brandon Rush would be a better choice since he is a better defender (of both SG and SF positions) and can fit in nicely at both the SG and SF and compete immediately with Carney for those minutes. But more importantly he can play shooting guard if Andre Iguodala stays at SF.
This all of course is if the 76ers can get a point guard or PF prospect they really like.
Thanks, Dannie, but do they really need another swingman? My thought is that perhaps they take Hibbert and move Dalembert to the 4, giving them twin towers inside, although limiting themselves even more offensively, especially given that they now prefer to run by everyone. So, let me withdraw that comment. Rush might be the right pick, because it doesn't seem that Carney or Willie Green are long for the 76ers' world. They'll also need a back-up PG at some point, because I think they see Lou Williams working as a 2 and not a 1. Your thoughts?
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