Holiday to represent 76ers at draft lottery

The 76ers are hoping their youngest player will bring them some luck in the NBA draft lottery next Tuesday in Secaucus, N.J.

The team will send rookie point guard Jrue Holiday as their podium representative. The Sixers have a 5.3 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick in the draft. If odds hold, the Sixers would have the No. 6 selection in the draft, scheduled for June 24 at Madison Square Garden.

Holiday, who turns 20 on June 12, started 51 games last season for the Sixers, averaging 8.0 points and 3.8 assists per game.

Two more candidates. The Sixers' coaching search continued Monday in Phoenix, where team president and general manager Ed Stefanski met with Phoenix Suns assistant Dan Majerle and Portland Trail Blazers assistant Monty Williams.

Monday's interviews came on the heels of Sunday's interviews in Dallas, where Stefanski - joined in the process by assistant general manager Tony DiLeo and team consultant Gene Shue - met with former Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Bill Laimbeer.

Stefanski has officially interviewed six candidates for the team's coaching vacancy: Doug Collins, Avery Johnson, Mitchell, Laimbeer, Majerle, and Williams.

According to several sources close to the situation, the Sixers are still "a while" from hiring their next coach.

On April 15, Stefanski fired Eddie Jordan less than 24 hours after he completed his first season, with a record of 27-55.

Stefanski's own job remains in doubt, although he has continued in his same capacity since season's end.

Majerle, 44, played 14 seasons in the NBA, retiring in 2002.

"Dan has been integral to the success of the Suns on both ends of the court this season," Stefanski said in a news release. "He has played for some of the best coaches in the history of the league, and his approach to coaching is the same approach that made him so successful as a player - hard work, dedication, and a team-first philosophy."

The 38-year-old Williams played 10 seasons in the NBA, including a stint with the Sixers during the 2002-03 season. Williams spent the 2004-05 season as a coaching-staff intern on the Spurs' NBA championship team before joining Nate McMillan's staff in 2005.

"Monty has proven to be a valuable asset on the bench in Portland," Stefanski said.