THINKS THE EAGLES STOLE ONE
The NBA draft is tomorrow, and the 76ers are remaining steadfast: They still plan to select a guard with the 17th pick.
"We are looking still for a perimeter player - a one or a two," said Ed Stefanski, the Sixers' president and general manager. "We have nothing on the board but guards."
Stefanski hedged his bet a little, saying that if a trade messed with the draft board, "things could change," but otherwise expect a point guard or a shooting guard to be added to the Sixers' roster by tomorrow night.
Point guard is the team's more pressing need, with none on the current roster. Last season's starter, Andre Miller, is an unrestricted free agent. But shooting guard - specifically outside shooting - is also a concern because Willie Green and Lou Williams, the only guards under contract, are more scorers than long-range threats.
During predraft workouts, the Sixers brought in 18 players, almost all of them guards.
Stefanski said yesterday that eight players were on the team's draft board, adding that thick skin was required in meetings while team officials hashed out the board's order.
"By this time, you'd think it would be whittled down more than this," Stefanski said, adding that this year's draft was one of the most unpredictable he had seen.
Within that group of eight, three shooting guards - Jeff Teague, Terrence Williams, and Wayne Ellington - most likely still remain on the Sixers' board, and each brings different skills.
The top two shooting guards in the draft - James Harden and Gerald Henderson - will most likely be off the board when the Sixers pick.
Teague is more a combination guard, Williams is more athlete than shooter, and Ellington is undersized but highly skilled.
Teague, 21, played two seasons at Wake Forest. Some NBA scouts have compared his talent and potential to those of New Jersey Nets point guard Devin Harris. In Teague's last season in college, he shot 48.5 percent from the floor and 44.1 percent from behind the three-point line.
The issue with drafting Teague is that his game is very similar to Lou Williams': Teague provides quick bursts of scoring, can easily beat his defender on the perimeter, and has a knack for getting to the free-throw line.
Unfortunately, another similarity with Williams is that Teague is turnover-prone.
Terrence Williams, from Louisville, is being called "super athletic." He's a 6-foot-6, explosive guy who can score, rebound, and do a little bit of everything.
"Terrence can play more than one position - he's a little bigger and stronger right now," Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown told the Charlotte Observer. "He's like a point forward in some regards who can play [shooting guard] and [small forward] equally comfortably. I believe he'll bring the ball down against the press against some teams."
The downside for Williams?
First, the Sixers have enough jacks-of-all-trades on their roster. They have Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young, both "super-athletic" wing men. Second, Williams' shooting has been called "inconsistent" and "shaky," and the Sixers already have plenty of players who fit that description.
Ellington, who played three seasons at North Carolina, seems to be the purest-shooting guard of the trio: He can hit from the three-point line, off the dribble, and off the catch.
The former Episcopal Academy star's draft stock seems to have slipped because some teams are worried about his size (listed at 6-foot-4) as well as the stigma that his game is "one-dimensional" - that he is only a shooter.
The last knock on Ellington could be true, but right now the Sixers might need more guys labeled as "just shooters."
"I would love to come back to Philly and play here," Ellington told the Associated Press. "It would be a great atmosphere and something I'd be comfortable with. It would be good on my part, and I think it will help the organization."
Contact staff writer Kate Fagan at 856-779-3844 or kfagan@phillynews.com.
