Skip to content
Sixers
Link copied to clipboard

Sixers have been unlucky with No.2 picks

Ed Stefanski uttered something that 76ers fans undoubtedly will agree with. "It's very important that we get it right," Stefanski, the Sixers' president and general manager, said of selecting the No. 2 overall pick in Thursday night's NBA draft. "We've done a lot of homework over the year. We feel good about our spot."

Ed Stefanski uttered something that 76ers fans undoubtedly will agree with.

"It's very important that we get it right," Stefanski, the Sixers' president and general manager, said of selecting the No. 2 overall pick in Thursday night's NBA draft. "We've done a lot of homework over the year. We feel good about our spot."

Assuming Kentucky guard John Wall goes No. 1 to the Washington Wizards, the Sixers are expected to choose Ohio State junior guard Evan Turner over Georgia Tech freshman power forward Derrick Favors.

History has shown that the organization hasn't exactly gotten it right when holding the second overall pick.

Marvin "Bad News" Barnes did not sign with the team in 1974. Shawn Bradley played like a choirboy after being drafted in 1993. Four years later, the Sixers shipped their pick, Keith Van Horn, on draft day to New Jersey for the seventh (Villanova's Tim Thomas) and 21st picks (Bradley's Anthony Parker). Parker and Thomas had short tenures in Philadelphia.

But the Sixers aren't the only team with a history of not getting the second pick right. Multiple times over the last 15 seasons the No. 2 pick has not panned out, compared to the No. 1 selection.

The 2003 draft is perhaps the best example.

Going first, the Cleveland Cavaliers chose LeBron James, who won his second consecutive NBA MVP honor this past season.

The Detroit Pistons then took center Darko Milicic ahead of eventual NBA all-stars Carmelo Anthony (the No. 3 pick), Chris Bosh (No. 4), and Dwyane Wade (No. 5).

Far from the dominant player the Pistons envisioned, the 7-foot Serbian played only when Detroit had insurmountable leads late in the game. He was traded to the Orlando Magic during the 2005-06 season and finished this past season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, his fifth NBA team.

In some instances - the Wizards' Kwame Brown (2001) and the Portland Trail Blazers' Greg Oden (2007) - No. 1 picks didn't pan out. But in the last 15 drafts, first picks produced three NBA most valuable players, eight league all-stars, and five rookies of the year. During that same time, the No. 2 picks have produced three all-stars and three rookies of the year. No second picks became league MVP.

NBA draft expert Jim Clibanoff, of Clib Hoops, said the disparity has a lot to do with the difference between drafting proven players and guys with huge upsides.

According to Clibanoff, in most instances the No. 1 picks were finished products, while teams were banking on upside with the No. 2 selections.

That's why he believes that the Sixers will make the best choice by selecting Turner over Favors. Turner, 21, played three seasons in college and swept the Wooden, Oscar Robertson, Associated Press, Naismith, and Sporting News awards for 2009-10 national college player of the year.

"When you are talking about a Derrick Favors as a possible candidate for No. 2, he is not ready," Clibanoff said of the 6-10, 242-pounder with a 7-4 wingspan. "He is from a physical standpoint. But just from an overall game standpoint and things coming together, it hasn't happened yet."

He believes that Turner, on the other hand, is even more prepared than Wall for the NBA.

"He is not the elite above-the-rim guy," Clibanoff said of Turner. "But he knows how to play with consistency. That's the part about it."

With Turner, the Sixers should have a great chance to end their blunders with the No. 2 pick.

Shunning the Sixers, Barnes took his act to the American Basketball Association before having an unheralded four-year NBA career with four teams. The rail-thin Bradley had a tough time against physical centers and forwards. He was traded to the Nets in 1995.

In his two seasons here, Anthony Parker was plagued by injuries. He was limited to 39 regular-season games, averaging a little more than five minutes and totaling 74 points. He was traded to the Orlando Magic before the 1999-2000 season.

Tim Thomas wasn't a good fit for the Sixers and was shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks in his second season.

"You obviously want to get it right," Stefanski said. "But you won't know until down the road.

"It's funny; I listen to all these experts after the draft say, 'Oh, this guy had a great draft. This team had a great draft.' Well, how do you know until they start playing and there's two or three years into this guy's career?"

The Sixers can only hope their No. 2 pick ends up a franchise player and not another second-pick disaster.