A history of Bryan Colangelo's first-round picks

FOR THE FIRST time since 1996, the Sixers will be making the opening pick of the NBA draft when they tab their selection on Thursday. This was part of former general manager Sam Hinkie's plan, but now it is being overseen by Bryan Colangelo, who was brought in as president of basketball operations in April - shortly after Hinkie resigned his post amid speculation his role was going to be diminished.

Colangelo, who turned 51 earlier this month, will be commanding his 19th draft; he was the general manager in Phoenix for 11 seasons and held the same role for the Toronto Raptors for another seven.

"I think Bryan is a very intelligent basketball man," said a league executive. "He always has had a thorough outlook on the draft process. He's very detailed and open-minded . . . He'll take the best available player and won't take for need.

"He's a little bit of a risk-taker but also will lean towards best available. But he is not averse to taking a risk at all. I'm sure come draft night, he'll have thought it through thoroughly and will make the right decision."

There have been some good draft selections by Colangelo over the years, and one that he will never live down for its failure. Here's a breakdown of his top first-round choices through the years:

1995: Michael Finley, 21st overall

Overview: The Suns were coming off a 59-23 season, led by Charles Barkley, Danny Manning and Kevin Johnson, and chose the 6-7 wing out of Wisconsin. Finley only played one-plus seasons for the Suns, but was valuable in a trade the next season that brought Jason Kidd over from the Dallas Mavericks.

1996: Steve Nash, 15th

Overview: Maybe the best pick Colangelo ever made, but it was Nash's second run with the team that helped the cause. Colangelo chose Nash even though he had Kevin Johnson and then acquired Kidd soon after. Nash was dealt in 1998 to Dallas for some players and a first-round pick, which turned into Shawn Marion in 1999. Nash returned as a free agent in 2004 and led a very successful Phoenix run while garnering two MVP awards.

1997: Though the team didn't have a first-round selection, Colangelo plucked Stephen Jackson out of Butler County Community College with the 42nd pick. Though he never played for the Suns, Jackson stayed in the league for 14 years and averaged 15.1 points for his career.

1999: Shawn Marion, 9th

Overview: In eight-plus seasons with the Suns, Marion made four All-Star teams and led the league in steals twice. He averaged 18.4 points, 10 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks during his time in Phoenix. The versatile forward had the ability to cover small and big forwards, was terrific at getting the ball to the basket and, though he possessed one of the ugliest shots ever, proved to be a capable medium-range shooter. If the Nash selection was Colangelo's best pick, this was his second-best.

2000: Jake Tsakalidis, 25th

Overview: Who? Think hard. The 7-2 center averaged close to 20 minutes a game in three seasons for the Suns, with very limited success (5.8 points, 4.7 rebounds). More serviceable NBA players taken later in that year's draft included Eddie House, Eduardo Najera and Michael Redd.

2001: No first-rounder

2002: Amar'e Stoudemire, 9th

Overview: Another terrific pick; Stoudemire became a matchup nightmare for teams with his ability to hit jumpers out of the high pick-and-roll, get to the rim and rebound. He fit perfectly into the Suns' up-tempo style, their trademark at the time. In eight seasons with Phoenix, Stoudemire averaged 21.4 points and 8.9 rebounds.

2003: Zarko Cabarkapa, 17th

Overview: Not the best choice here. The 6-11 Serbian did virtually nothing in his three seasons in the league. Later first-round picks included David West, Boris Diaw, Leandro Barbosa and Josh Howard. Selected in the second round were Zaza Pachulia, Matt Bonner, James Jones and Kyle Korver.

2004: Luol Deng, 7th

Overview: Colangelo traded Deng, a two-time All-Star, to Chicago for the rights to Jackson Vroman, who was taken by the Bulls at No. 31, and a 2005 first-round pick, which became Nate Robinson. This will not make Colangelo's list of better moves.

2005: Nate Robinson, 21st

Overview: The diminutive point guard had a productive NBA career, but Colangelo traded him before he ever took the court for the Suns. He and Quentin Richardson were dealt to the Knicks for Kurt Thomas and Dijon Thompson. In 11 seasons in the league, Robinson has averaged 11 points with eight teams.

2006: Andrea Bargnani, 1st

Overview: If you are not a fan of Colangelo, this is Exhibit A. In seven seasons to open his career with the Raptors, despite averaging 15.2 points, the 7-footer averaged only 4.6 rebounds and turned out to be a huge disappointment, especially when you consider he was chosen ahead of LaMarcus Aldridge.

2007: No first-rounder

2008: Roy Hibbert, 17th

Overview: Soon after, traded the rights to Hibbert and others to Indiana for an aging Jermaine O'Neal and the rights to Nathan Jawai.

2009: DeMar DeRozan, 9th

Overview: A very solid pick in a draft that didn't seem very strong, but wound up producing Steph Curry at seven. DeRozan has gone to a couple of All-Star Games and is the leader of a team that is vying to be one of the best in the East. He averaged a career-high 23.5 points this season and shot a respectable 44.6 percent from the floor.

2010: Ed Davis, 13th

Overview: Davis lasted just over two seasons with the Raptors and was a decent role player. This was a strange draft without many sure picks, especially after the top 10.

2011: Jonas Valanciunas, 5th

Overview: Colangelo was looking to fill a big-man need with this pick and decided to go with the 7-foot Lithuanian. Others who were available were Klay Thompson (11th) and Kawhi Leonard (15th). Valanciunas has improved in each of his five seasons and averaged 12.8 points and 9.1 rebounds this past season, both career highs.

2012: Terrence Ross, 8th

Overview: The wing man out of Washington has been solid for the Raptors, averaging close to 10 points a game in what has now become a bench role. Colangelo tried desperately this offseason to land free agent Steve Nash, but Nash decided to go to the Lakers. Colangelo quickly acquired Kyle Lowry from the Houston Rockets, and now Lowry is an All-Star point guard.

Word came out Tuesday that the team has told Ben Simmons he will be the top pick, which is a surprise to mostly no one. The real fun of the draft for fans will probably come the rest of the night. The Sixers almost certainly use their 24th and 26th selections and call it a draft. Colangelo has shown a penchant for wheeling and dealing on draft night. Thursday should be no different.

@BobCooney76

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