Mock roundup: Who will the Sixers take?
Here's a roundup of who the national media are predicting the Sixers will take with the No. 2 pick in June's draft.
After having just an 18 percent chance of getting into the top three of the lottery, something finally went right for the Sixers this season as they snagged the second overall pick in this year's NBA draft.
Ohio State's Evan Turner is the player most "experts" believe will be the guy for the Sixers, but things could change between now and the draft in June.
Every week, we'll bring you a roundup of mock drafts, along with rumors notes on what the national media are saying:
SI.com's Ian Thomsen explains why Turner will be the pick:
They'll go with Turner in hopes that he'll become their version of Brandon Roy, settling down their team and providing the leadership and playmaking that were lacking this season.
ESPN.com's Chad Ford thinks Turner will be the guy, but doesn't think he's a great fit:
Turner wouldn't be a perfect fit in Philadelphia. He would duplicate, to a degree, what Andre Iguodala and starting point guard-to-be Jrue Holiday bring to the table. But I think the Sixers will take Turner anyway.
CBSSports.com's Jonathan Feigen takes the other angle and thinks Turner is the right pick:
The closer the Sixers look, the more they might happily stick with Turner, who should fit nicely in between Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday.
RealGM.com's Christopher Reina believes that Turner could make the Sixers a much better team:
I'll love the Holiday/Turner backcourt and Ed Stefanski has a ton of pieces to work with to put the Sixers back into the playoffs. With the Hawks potentially imploding, the Sixers could become a new version of that team. They won't have a superstar, but the sum of their collective parts has the potential to be very strong... second round of the playoffs strong.
Both NBADraft.net and DraftExpress have the Sixers taking Turner as well.
On SportsCenter, ESPN's Doug Gottlieb said he thinks the Sixers will select Syracuse's Wes Johnson with the second pick.
ESPN's Chad Ford says the Minnesota Timberwolves really like Turner and might try and trade up from No. 4 to get him:
With Minnesota pining hard for Turner, don't be surprised to see the Wolves offer up the No. 4 and either the No. 16 or the No. 23 pick to Philly to move up two spots in the draft.
Daniel Abelson is a sophomore at Drexel University and a Philly.com Sports intern.