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Sixers' jackpot: 2d pick in draft

Luck was on the 76ers' side Tuesday night in Secaucus, N.J. Despite having just a 6 percent chance of landing the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, the Sixers overcame the odds with a helpful bounce from some ping-pong balls and are now slated to select second overall.

Ohio State's Evan Turner, a 6-7 guard and the Big Ten player of the year, is projected to be the second pick in the draft. (AP Photo / Amy Sancetta)
Ohio State's Evan Turner, a 6-7 guard and the Big Ten player of the year, is projected to be the second pick in the draft. (AP Photo / Amy Sancetta)Read more

Luck was on the 76ers' side Tuesday night in Secaucus, N.J.

Despite having just a 6 percent chance of landing the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, the Sixers overcame the odds with a helpful bounce from some ping-pong balls and are now slated to select second overall.

They had entered the draft lottery with the odds pointing toward securing the sixth or seventh overall selection.

The Washington Wizards landed the No. 1 overall pick despite entering the lottery with only a 10.3 percent chance of doing so. The New Jersey Nets, who had the best chance of winning the top pick at 25 percent, slipped to No. 3 overall.

Now that draft order has been determined, attention turns to the talent. Early prognosticators have projected the top picks as Kentucky freshman point guard John Wall at No. 1, Ohio State swingman Evan Turner at No. 2, and Georgia Tech big man Derrick Favors at No. 3.

Team officials have said that their biggest need would be at shooting guard, a position Turner could fill. The draft is scheduled for June 24 at Madison Square Garden.

"We're ecstatic and this is the break we've been looking for," said Peter Luukko, chief operating officer of Comcast-Spectacor, the team's parent company. "You have guarded optimism going into these things, and to get this break, it's the beginning of a new start. We can't wait until the draft."

The Sixers finished the 2009-10 season with a record of 27-55, the league's sixth-worst, and entered the lottery with a 5.3 percent chance of landing the top spot.

"We hope our fans are as excited by the outcome of tonight's draft lottery as we are," Ed Stefanski, the team's president and general manager. "We are fortunate that the ping-pong balls bounced our way tonight."

Luukko said this turn of fortune would not affect the decision regarding the team's coaching vacancy, created when Stefanski fired Eddie Jordan on April 15.

Multiple sources have confirmed that former NBA coach and current TNT analyst Doug Collins is likely to be offered the position, although second interviews for Collins, Avery Johnson, and Sam Mitchell could be executed this week.

Rookie point guard Jrue Holiday represented the Sixers at their on-air podium in Secaucus.

The lottery, in which teams are revealed in reverse order starting with the No. 14 spot, held true to odds until the No. 6 position. When the television coverage showed that the Golden State Warriors had slipped to the No. 6 spot, that meant that the Sixers had moved into one of the top three spots.

As soon as Golden State's position was revealed, a smile came across Holiday's lips: He knew that the Sixers, who came in with the sixth-worst record, were in the top three.

A few minutes later, the Sixers were revealed as possessors of the No. 2 pick.