Don't count on King's draft numbers

Is Billy King just blowing smoke or trying to start a draft-day fire? As Thursday's draft nears, NBA teams will put out plenty of information and misinformation.

Last week, the 76ers president and general manager talked about parity in the draft after the first two picks, saying the Sixers could get a player at No. 12 who could be near the talent level of the No. 3 pick.

King changed his tune yesterday after the Sixers held predraft workouts with guards Acie Law IV of Texas A&M, Coby Karl of Boise State, Aaron Brooks of Oregon and Sun Yue of China.

"If we have eight players we like, then we will try to get eight; if nine, then try to get to nine," King said. "And that is where we are now, saying what is the point where we are comfortable."

Last week, the Sixers appeared comfortable at 12.

"We are comfortable at 12, but if we can eliminate anything and get to eight or five or six, it makes it better," King said.

King, whose team also owns the 21st and 30th pick in the first round, said he knows what parameters it would take to move up. And he said they are realistic.

He added that certain teams ahead of the Sixers simply refuse to trade their picks, but others will trade down.

Among the likely lottery picks the Sixers seem to be enamored with are Washington center Spencer Hawes, Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian and Georgetown forward Jeff Green, who all could be gone before the 12th pick.

King also said the Sixers hope to see Florida forward Joakim Noah in a private workout at an undisclosed date and location.

When asked about a report by Draftexpress.com that the Sixers would consider trading the 21st and 30th picks for the chance to move up to take Colorado State's Jason Smith, a 6-foot-11 power forward, King chuckled.

He mentioned other rumors he has heard about his own team, laughing as he spoke.

"Someone said we would trade Andre Miller and No. 12 to Atlanta for No. 3," King said. "I also got a call from somebody in the league asking if it was true that we were getting Kevin Garnett."

For the record, King said Garnett, who can opt out of his contract after next season, isn't coming to Philadelphia. For once, he wasn't blowing smoke.

Notes. Sixers forward Shavlik Randolph exercised his player option for the 2007-08 season. His guaranteed contract is worth $1,080,000. . . . Florida State forward Al Thornton, who is on the Sixers' radar at No. 12, is among the players working out Monday. . . . Law, who has gone through six predraft workouts, got the candor award when he said of his performance yesterday: "It wasn't one of my better workouts. I thought I played extremely hard, but I could have performed a lot better."