The Evan Turner effect
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The Evan Turner effect
What's this? The 76ers have produced some good news?
After more than a year of poor decisions and poor performances, finally that misery (and a 27-55 record) added up to a lucky break, and the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, scheduled for June 24 at Madison Square Garden.
Although right now the draft pick is just a number -- No. 2 -- it's more than likely it'll turn into a certain player -- namely Ohio State shooting guard Evan Turner -- on June 24. Of course, per usual, there is speculation that Stefanski might entertain the notion of trading the pick. Let's hope not. Here's the quote that is fueling that thought process. It's from last night: "If the first pick, everyone's saying is John Wall, then we have the next, we can take anybody we want. We can entertain offers from a lot of people, so this is important for us. And we needed something positive after the year we just went through."
But Stefanski also said: "I'm looking up on that stage and I see that we have a 19 year old point guard in Jrue Holiday who can flat out play, and now we're going to match that up with a #2 pick in the draft and the other pieces we have with the 76ers, we feel confident that we'll turn this around quickly."
So, the No. 2 pick, what does this mean?
First, does it affect the team's coaching search? It doesn't seem it will. Although the Sixers' job became increasingly more desirable now that they possess such a potent draft pick, it seems the wheels are still in motion towards bringing in Doug Collins as the team's next head coach. Second, does it affect the status of President and General Manager Ed Stefanski? It's possible it could. The Sixers are looking a whole lot better today than they were yesterday. Here's this Inside the Sixers column from two weeks ago: Hanging in the balance. There hasn't been any formal word that Stefanski has the vote of confidence, but it might come soon. Sure, this stroke of luck wasn't Stefanski's doing, but the good feeling might extend to a pat on the back. Third, let's do something we haven't done in weeks: look at the lineup.
Sending rookie point guard Jrue Holiday to the draft lottery was a clear indication that he's the point guard of the future. Did you see that "whew" he offered when the Sixers landed the No. 2 pick (instead of the No. 1 pick and point guard John Wall)? So the Sixers' point guard position, barring catastrophe, is on lock down.
Now, the Sixers add Evan Turner to make a backcourt of Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner. Sounds like every Sixer fans' dream? It also keeps open all the team's other assets for trading and bartering. If the Sixers had landed a pick from 6th through 8th, they likely would have taken some unproven big man with lots of upside, but no immediate impact. If they'd landed that mediocre pick, Stefanski would have entered this summer looking to deal for a legitimate scoring shooting guard. He would likely have had to package Andre Iguodala with another player, perhaps Lou Williams, or put together an enticing package of young guys (maybe Thaddeus Young as the core) to find that guy. Or Stefanski would have had to find a way to secure the No. 2 pick and get Evan Turner, trading away assets to do so.
None of that matters now. The team's most gaping hole -- at shooting guard -- can easily be filled. And Stefanski will have the rest of the summer to decide what he wants to do with guys like Samuel Dalembert, Jason Kapono, Andre Iguodala ...
So, for argument's sake, let's say the Sixers draft Turner and next year's training camp opens with a potential starting backcourt of Holiday and Turner.
What about the front court?
The same problem remains for the team: Both Iguodala and Young play small forward. Yes, Young can score well at power forward, but he can't defend and he can't rebound against power forwards. So that leaves the team with an expendable asset -- either Iguodala or Young -- to get a piece it does want. If Stefanski wanted to really turn this team over to youth, he could package Iguodala and Dalembert (whose contract expires after next season). Stefanski has all kinds of options now. So, for argument's sake, let's say Stefanski goes with youth, finds a new home from Iguodala, and goes with a starting trio of Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, and Thaddeus Young.
That would get fans excited.
Power forward seems pretty locked up right now as well, but in a different way than Holiday: It belongs to Elton Brand because, with that contract, he's not going anywhere. Considering this is an upbeat post, let's look at Brand's situation through some optimistic glasses: Last season he was coming off back-to-back season-ending injuries. Last season was his first full season back and he looked bad at times, but good at times. For argument's sake, let's say Brand plays much better next season. Not like his old self, but stronger than last season, maybe 16 points, 8 rebounds a game? That would be a starting four of Holiday, Turner, Young, Brand.
Center spot is where it gets tricky. Can Stefanski trade Dalembert this off season? He's more of an asset now that his contract is expiring. Believe it or not (and I know at least one poster refuses to believe it), other teams are willing to take Iguodala's contract, other teams actually consider him a piece of the puzzle, and other teams are willing to take Dalembert's contract if it means they get Iguodala. That's not a rumor, that's a fact. So it's likely Stefanski could make something work this off-season with Dalembert. Maybe in return the Sixers would get as a piece one of the young centers in this year's draft. At this point, there's a good chance Dalembert won't be in a Sixers uniform next season.
That would make the team's starting lineup: Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Elton Brand, and Player X.
That would make the Wachovia Center a much more exciting place to be. All thanks to some ping-pong balls.
--Kate
First of all, never compare Iguodala to Turner....Turner's handle is his strength while Andre's lack of handle is his weakness. Having a great handle changes everything for a 6'7" NBA player, it opens up the entire floor. Kate, I will believe you that someone will take Iguodala's deal when someone actually does. I do agree with Holiday, Turner, Young, Brand as the core. Coached by Collins, thats a nice start.— JonKap- HIRE WOODWARD,FIRE STAFANSKY,HIRE BACK KING, PICK EVANS,TRADE DALAMBER,KEEP KAPANO,BREAK LOOSE SOME MONEY AND GO AFTER STODELMIER. STARTING LINE UP HOLIDAY, EVENS,IGGY, BRAND, STODELMIER. BENCH KAPANO, WILLIAMS, SPRIEGHTS, GREEN,MEEKS,ETC. NOW YOU HAVE THE CORE OF A WINNING TEAM.— OLD39TH
- Kate- If T'Wolves pick Cousins with their pick-any chance they do a Iggy for Al Jefferson deal? then we're talking....— CRS1
- Think about Indiana at #10, plus Dunleavy for Igoudala. Then you take Aldrich, Whiteside or I actually think Daniel Orton may be a great pick. He played behind Cousins, who scares me a little in that he reminds too much of Derrick Coleman....tons of talent but will he waste it or use it??— shova
- I feel like Turner is the same as Thad Young. Decent at a lot of stuff, great at nothing. Give me Cousins. He is a freakin beast. And he can do something that few in the NBA can do...score in the low post.— Billy Walls
- Holiday, Turner and Young, plus something significant for Igudala, and a REAL head coach is something I think I can start to unhate this imposter that used to be the sixers about.....That sounds pretty interesting— ILUVPHILLYCITYOFLOSERS
- As soon as the final three teams were left,last night, an before they went to a comercial, they showed J. Wall. He said "Not Philly". I rewinded it four times an read his lips. Y would he say this? Is it that this organzation sucks. Or was it that we did not need a point guard? But did the Nets need a point guard?— Trulz923
- Although the 76ers should consider all options, including trading down and dumping a bad player/contract, they will probably draft Turner. It's the safe pick, they love guys between 6'4-6'9 whom they feel can play multiple positions, and athleticism is more important to them than skills. It also gives them the excuse to keep Dalembert. If you are watching the NBA playoffs, you realize that you need more than athletic swingmen to go far and win a NBA title.— 76erfn
- i was a big fan of Speights and especially Young...up until last season. They both have talent to dominate...yet how come we still haven't seen it? Can we safely blame that just on crappy coaches or an Iggy in the way? May be part of it, but i am concerned about the game IQ and competitiveness of Young and Speights, which makes the next move with this team less clear. If Turner is a true go to scorer (which is why he is rated 2nd best player in the whole draft) then Andre might be able to shine in the role most of us think he was always best suited for (the pippen role). Those who want to send Andre and Sam out underestimate the defense Andre plays on dominant sg/sf players. When was the last time Kobe, Wade, Lebron, Pierce etc. had an above average game while playing Philly? As for Sam, he is frustrating to watch, but he also manages to be in the top 5 in the league per48m in rebounding and blocked shots. He is a big time interior defensive presence...something critical to have to take advantage of the size we will have in the frontcourt. Green and Lou can't guard the 3pt line...but with Sam at center, Turner and Jrue can smother the line better without worrying as much about staying in front of slashers. We won't solve our 3pt defense if we lose our interior presence. All this to say we might just be better off keeping everyone, or trading Young and Speights for a big with game IQ.
- Sentence I NEVER thought I'd ever hear: "We can't afford to lose Dalembert" Really CBent?? BTW why is Speights not even being mentioned? He's young and appears to have some talent. I would include him in the "core" of Holiday, Turner, Young, Speights— ericyshel
- Jonkap says Iguodala doesn't have a handle. That's just nonsense. You don't sport 5.8 assists a game with only 2.7 turnovers while being your teams' leading scorer and not have a great handle. That being said, Iguodala does have trouble breaking people down in one on one situations. I find that both troubling and baffling. He needs to learn the in your face pull up jumper from 17 feet. That will miraculously cure the problems with his handle :)— incog69
- Trading Iguodala is basically unneccessary. No need for Ed to get ambitious(we already know what happens when that happens). The starting backcourt is barely legal so take the foot off the gas and let the perimeter trio of Holiday, Turner & Iguodala gel. You get playmaking, scoring and defense. Plus, per Synergy, Holiday shot 46%(72 attempts) on Catch & Shoot 3-pointers while Dala shot 37%(on 155 attempts) in the same scenario. Lets see what their shooting will look like with a creator of Turner's caliber making the kick out pass, first. What they should do is take advantage of Snider's good mood due to the Flyers and get permission to buy another pick in the 1st round, see if they can get Solomon Alabi or Daniel Orton as the future Sam replacement while the current Sam is still here. If they pull that off, they should not make any more moves until the trading deadline(barring moving expiring contracts like Kapono or Green for future assets, either pups or picks).— rswknight
- Hey Kate....Iong term could Michael Beasly fit 76ers. Word is Miami would trade him...Iggy for beasley...Miami has cap space to take iggy ..Beasly, Young, Turner, holiday + center— howardp
I would give more insight to this article but I have an interview today with the Sixer's management for the Head Coaching vacancy. If I get it I'll break the news to you first- Great article, but one comment. You said: "Sure, this stroke of luck wasn't Stefanski's doing..." It most certainly was his doing. He created a team just bad enough to get a good pick. I'll give him a high five for that, and a pat on the back as he's walking out the door.— brianveitz
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
