Welcome to the 1996 Usenet Mock draft. A quick administrative note:
unlike previous years, I will not be posting the scouting reports.
Keeping two copies (one in ASCII and one in HTML) was too big of a
headache. To see the scouting reports, please visit the web site:
http://sunsite.unc.edu/craig/draft/1996_draft/1996_draft.html.
With that taken care of, its on to the draft. The first pick
belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers. Their net GM is:
Albert Lee
Albert selects with the 1st pick:
Allen Iverson
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Free Agents:
Derrick Alston, Richard Dumas, Sean Higgins, Tony Massenburg, Vernon
Maxwell, Ed Pinckney, Trevor Ruffin, Greg Sutton, LaSalle Thompson
I. Team Needs/History
Well, let's put it pretty bluntly --- the Sixers are a sad, sad team.
They finished last season with a horrid record of 18-64, and due to
the team's failures, John Lucas was fired from both his GM and head
coaching positions. New team owner Pat Croce brought in Brad
Greenberg to replace Lucas as his new GM. They still have yet to sign
a coach(See bottom) It seems like the last 5 years or so, the Sixers
have had pretty high lottery picks -- yet somehow they manage to
remain in the cellar due to unlucky/poor selections...recent
selections include Clarence Weatherspoon, Shawn Bradley, Sharone
Wright, and Jerry Stackhouse...both Bradley and Wright are no longer
with the Sixer club.
What the Sixers need most right now is a center and and a point guard.
here was the 76ers most played lineup last
season...Weatherspoon-Alston-Pinckney-Stackhouse-Maxwell (Nba.com)
A. CENTER
Who do the sixers have at center? Well after Bradley was traded to
the Nets for Coleman, left them with a slew of journeyman players.
The Sixers nine starting centers have been: Bradley, Williams, Wright,
Coleman, Brown, Thompson, Alston, Massenburg and Pinckney all had
their turns starting at center. Right now, it looks like Massenburg
and/or Pickney could play the bulk of their time at this
position...These two can provide solid rebounding, but are
questionable in terms of their offensive ability. In addition, Scott
Williams and LaSalle Thompson are experienced veterans who will
provide some depth at this position. This is definitely a point of
weakness for this Sixers ball club.
B. POWER FORWARD
Power forward could either be covered by Derrick Alston or Derrick
Coleman. IF(and this is a HUGEIF) Coleman shows up to play every once
in a while, whether he is too lazy, plain dogging it, out of shape, or
injured, he will provide a solid all-star caliber player to the Sixers
frontcourt. Coleman has the ability to nail the outside jumper, has
some nifty low-post moves, and has decent dribbling ability. However,
he must also watch his balooning weight...Alston, Thompson, or even
Clarence Weatherspoon provide additional depth at this position.
C. SMALL FORWARD
Clarence Weatherspoon had a solid season last year. He had a total of
31 double-doubles for the Sixers and was the team's leading rebounder
with 9.7 boards a game, and also was the team's leading shotblocker
with 108 blocks for the season. He is the team's leader and one of
its cornerstones at the team goes through another of its rebuilding
periods.
D. SHOOTING GUARD
Jerry Stackhouse proved he was worthy of last year's number 3
selection. The former UNC Tarheel finished the season as the sixers
leading scorer, averaging 19.2 points per game. However, he shot a
dismal 41.4% from the floor. He is still learning the shooting guard
position since he was a small forward during college. He still needs
to work on his dribbling and 3 point shot, but is blessed with high
hops and spectacular dunking ability. As long as he continues working
on his game, Stackhouse will indeed become one of the league's premier
guards and marquee attractions. Also coming off the bench for
somefirepower in the backcourt were Trevor Ruffin, Sean Sutton, and
Rex Walters. Ruffin in particular can light it up with his outside
shootong ability, but needs to work on his consistency as well as
defensive game.
E. POINT GUARD
Last year, John Lucas brought in Vernon Maxwell, an ex-Houston
Rocket to fill in at the PG slot. However, he is more of a SG, and
had difficulty in providing the team with a leader. He sure can
provide offense a times, but is by no means a point guard. He tied
for the team lead with 4.4 assists per game was third in scoring with
16.2 points per game. This is definitely where I believe the Sixers
to be headed in their draft day selection
II. Your Selection (and explanation)
My selection was a tough one to make. I would definitely go after
either a center, or a point guard. Since there are no great big men
in this draft, the Sixers will most probably go after what is
availabele. So here goes: "With the first pick of the 1996, Usenet
NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select Allen Iverson, PG from
Georgetown."
I knew it had to either be Marbury or Iverson, but Iverson was IMO the
best player in this draft. What I mean by best player is that he is
the most talented player. Also he will be able to make an immediate
contribution to his team as well as as a major contribution for his
team down the road. Iverson is solid in all aspects of the game, and
is just an amazing player. His explosiveness off the dribble, and his
amazing "hops" make him the biggest offensive threat of the NBA draft.
In addition to his amazing offensive skills, he is a quick and solid
defender. He really puts pressure on the opposition, leading
Georgetown with 3.35 steals/per game. Also, he was named Big east
defensive player of the year both this year, and last year, his
freshman year. However, Iverson, is not a complete Point Guard. He
needs to learn to pass the ball more. I'm sure that's something that
will develop for Iverson. He hasn't needed to pass at all since he
could always take it to the hole by himself. I'm sure he won't be
reluctant to feed the ball to Stackhouse if they're running down the
floor together
III. Others considered (and why considered)
Marcus Camby, Forward, UMASS:
Camby was named player of the year by an assortment of organizations
for his outstanding all around play in guiding UMASS to the final
four.
Camby is a talented player that who was also both an offensive and
defense presnece for the Minutemen. He is a talented low-post player,
is quick off the dribble, and has good touch on his jumpoer. In
addition, he is a defensive menace with great shot blocking and
shot-altering ability. Some knocks I've read is that although he is
6'11", he is still a wirey 220 lbs thin. I'm sure he'll definitely be
hitting those weights.
Stephon Marbury, Point Guard from Georgia Tech."
Marbury is also a talented player. He is a talented passer, as well
as has a lightning quick crossover dribble, and good range on his
jumper. What is most important tomany is that Marbury can pass
...During his freshman season, he was needed to dish the ball off to
teammates and gladly accepted this role, and excelled as well in
guiding Georgia Tech to the ACC Championship. Also, he proved to be
one of the team's goto guys when it became necessary. I wish he would
have stayed another year, but despite his youth, he will certainly be
a top 5 pick. He has great potential
Ray Allen, SG/SF UCONN: I like this guy too! He is a great player
also. He is a tremendous player. He has a sweet, soft touch on his
outside jumper. He can take it to the hole and elevate! However, his
defense is a little suspect, but I'm sure he'll be working hard to
improve his team. He is the reason for UCONN's great success this
year. His clutch play helped carry UCONN to big wins over tough
BIGEAST rivals. Ray Allen is the real deal. This guy will be a fine
NBA player.
IV. Who the team will probably take
I know it it will definitely be a PG, but who? I think they will
probably take Iverson...You can't go wrong here. I know that both
Iverson and Marbury will be stars in this league, and right now it
might be good to go with Iverson. Since the Sixers are moving into a
new building for this upcoming season, Iverson could provide some of
the showtime they need to fill the new arena.
V. Other moves that the team should make
The Sixers should aim to re-sign the following free-agents: Derrick
Alston, Tony Massenburg, Sean Higgins, Vernon Maxwell, Ed Pinckney,
Trevor Ruffin, Greg Sutton, and LaSalle Thompson. Maybe the Sixers
could try pursuing a free agent. I'm not sure how much $$$$ that they
have to work with, but maybe they could work on signing an able-bodied
big man or some veteran backcourt help.
They should also make sure Derrick Coleman, former #1 overall
selection by the Nets, and former Rookie of the Year, keeps himself in
shape over this off-season. They need to get this into his head. If
he shows up to training camp overweight (last report he was 280),
then they should waive him, or just get rid of him. The Sixers need
commitment from its players, and if DC is gonna continue getting his
hefty salary, then he'd better produce.
And most importantly, Owner Pat Croce, and GM Brad Greenberg need to
bring in a solid coach. They need someone who will discipline his
players into playing defense and playing a team game, and mold this
team into a group of winners. Who could this be? Well, possibly Bob
Hill who might be let go from his current coaching job with the Spurs.
Other possible candidates include Chris Ford, Allen Bristow, or Phil
Jackson(Well, he hasn't finished negotiating his contract with Bulls
management yet, but prolly doesn't even want to *think* about
inheriting this lovely job of being coach of philly)
What I've heard is that after ex-UMASS coach Calipari signed with the
Nets, that the Sixers will pursue Portland Trail Blazer's Asst Coach
John Davis to rebuild this team. Look for Davis to be named coach
within the next week.
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Craig Simpson - Usenet Draft Commissioner