Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Top Two Turner

Securing the second pick in the draft certainly brightens the future for the 76ers.  It is simple; They desperately needed some relief and having their pick among a promising young litter of rookies (minus John Wall, who is a lock at number one), provides just that.  Unfortunately, this is where things stop being so simple.  Entering the free agent frenzy that is the summer of 2010 the team sits at a crossroads, and the management of the second pick is one of the most important decisions that has faced the franchise in recent memory.  The decision on what to do with this second pick determines the course of the franchise for the immediate future, and may allow the Sixers to lock up their next superstar; a spot that has remained vacant since the departure of Allen Iverson. 

The obvious pick here is Evan Turner, an explosive scorer and versatile guard from Ohio State, who many hail as the second-coming of turner 2Brandon Roy. Turner has the potential to provide the Sixers with a legitimate scoring threat and pairs well in the backcourt with second-year stud Jrue Holiday.  This duo could hold down the backcourt for a handful of years and may well be worth building around.  For all his talents however, Turner is far from a lock at the second spot.  Whispers from inside the organization lend to the fact that the Sixers are flirting with selecting a big man in the second slot, and the departure of longtime starting center Samuel Dalembert  only adds fuel to that fire.  Cousins and Favors, the draft’s two top bigs, are the other  names most often being mentioned as potential picks for Philadelphia. 

Other options include trying to move the pick and pursuing a top-tier free agent.  This however would require moving an enormous contract, either that of Brand of Igoudala, along with the pick, which may prove to be extremely difficult considering the Sixers overpaid considerably for both players.  Facing such circumstances, it seems that the reasonable thing for the Sixers to do would be to select the best overall player in Turner, who together with Holiday may help to provide the franchise with a sense of future security. 

Thursday will be an exciting day for the Sixers and Evan Turner alike, and if indications are correct, the two may soon be celebrating together.  

turner

0 comments:

Post a Comment