John Smallwood: Stefanski steps up to plate for Sixers in NBA draft
WELCOME TO YOUR first NBA draft as president and general manager of the 76ers, Ed Stefanski.
Hope you survive the experience, or at least do better than many of your predecessors.
Donte Greene of Syracuse may be selected by the Sixers with their 16th overall selection in the 2008 NBA draft. (Getty Images)
It's unreasonable to expect Stefanski to find a franchise-altering player at No. 16 in tonight's draft, but hopefully, he will buck the trend of the majority of the Sixers' draft history and hit a double to left instead of whiffing on a third strike.
The Sixers' draft results are full of what-ifs, did-not-becomes, and flat-out misses.
The draft has been the Sixers' Waterloo.
For every Charles Barkley and Allen Iverson (and over the past 25 years, there isn't much more than Barkley and Iverson), there are three Shawn Bradleys, Chris Welps or Sharone Wrights.
The downward spiral started in 1985, the year after Barkley was drafted fifth overall.
At No. 21, the Sixers drafted South Alabama forward Terry Catledge instead of Oregon State forward A.C. Green, a valuable contributor to three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, or Wisconsin-Stevens point guard Terry Porter, who had a long and productive career with Portland.
The Sixers' version of "The Curse of the Bambino" happened in the 1986 draft when they traded the No. 1 overall pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Roy Hinson.
The Cavaliers drafted North Carolina center Brad Daugherty, who made five All-Star teams in eight NBA seasons. You think Barkley could have won a title with Daugherty playing next to him?
Oh well, spit happens.
Unfortunately, Sixers management had a lot of saliva.
In 1987, they took Welp, leaving point guard Mark Jackson and the late Reggie Lewis on the board.
In 1988, trading big for little wasn't necessarily bad, but you wonder what would have happened had the Sixers swapped Charles Smith for Mitch Richmond, Dan Majerle or Rod Strickland, instead of Hersey Hawkins.
It doesn't matter who was left on the board in 1989 (Vlade Divac was the best) because anyone would have been better than Kenny Payne at No. 19.
The 1990s began with the Sixers having no first-round pick for the first two seasons.
The 1992 draft had Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Christian Laettner, Jim Jackson, LaPhonso Ellis, Tom Gugliotta and Walt Williams.
At least Todd Day was also off the board before the Sixers took Clarence Weatherspoon at No. 9.
Scorched Earth Decision, Part II happened in '93.
Orlando had the No. 1 pick and wanted Memphis State point guard Anfernee Hardaway to team with O'Neal.
