One of the two most reliably fun days of the sporting calendar is finally here. Just like the NFL Draft back in April, follow the news and notes of the Sixers and the rest of the league live with me as I pace nervously, check my phone repeatedly for Phillies/Astros updates, and slop pizza in my mouth.
Two of the side treats of the NBA Draft are the ridiculous outfits worn by the draftees and which player’s mother has everyone go “Damn!” While I am not going to do a ranking for the latter because that’s weird, I think everyone will agree that Maria Harper still has her fastball. As for the “drip” of the draftees, things were pretty tame. There was no Jalen Rose or Kelly Oubre stealing the show on this evening. Ace was the flashiest, but the whole fit seemed a bit slapdash. It wasn’t until Asa Newell showed up towards the end that we had our winner, edging out shirtless Carter Bryant who obviously took the biggest positive swing (as opposed to baggy shorts wearing Tre Johnson who took the biggest negative swing).
Best Dressed Rankings so far:
- Asa Newell
- Carter Bryant
- Joan Beringer
- Ace Bailey
11:00p – Looking at the Sixers
I was a little worried at first that Daryl would be shipping VJ out the door not unlike what happened with Mikel Bridges a few years ago (that wasn’t Daryl but the scar remains). I think we are good now though. Let’s take a look at the Sixers.
We now have 4 quality guards assuming Quentin Grimes returns: Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, Grimes, and Edgecombe. There was clearly a plan in place to further buttress the position considering rumors placed only Edgecombe and Dylan Harper on the Sixers radar. All are probably considered combo guards as none are true #1s. That’s not ideal, but not terrible either. Moving the ball and bringing it up last year were definite issues, so at least now we should be able to have at least 2 on the court at all times. Depending on the matchup, you could probably get away with having any 3 of them on the court at a time assuming Joel Embiid and Paul George are out there too.
What this does is allow the Sixers to stay competent even if they shouldn’t win a lot of games. Ideally, these 4 can make Paul George look good next year, good enough to be traded.
At #35, it would be nice if they picked a high energy forward. I have my eye on 4 guys who made it to the second round:
- Rasheer Fleming – all the measurables and can shoot, but might not exactly know how to play basketball
- Noah Penda – strong, long, and athletic, but has a messed-up shot. That’s fine!
- Adou Thiero – he is a super athlete who could be a very good defender but doesn’t know how to shoot. The shot isn’t broken like Penda’s though.
- Johni Broome – Seems like the ideal jack of all trades master of none, undersized back up center type that the Sixers need spending 18 minutes a night running his ass off.
All are forwards with defensive upside. I doubt Fleming will be there, but the other three are certainly possible.
10:30p – Embiid Targeting to be Ready for Camp…WTF
Jesus Christ, what a non-news bomb Daryl dropped in the middle of this draft. He just said that Joel Embiid is targeting to be ready for camp. At first, that seems completely innocuous. Planning to be ready by camp after off season surgery seems positive, right? Well, last year Joel was planning to be ready for camp too and he wasn’t. That’s not what should alarm anyone though. He had arthroscopic surgery back in mid-April. Recovery time was supposed to be 6 weeks. Well, 6 weeks was about 4 weeks ago. We have had ZERO update since then and it is probably safe to assume that he isn’t running if he has no solid expectation of being back for camp. That’s really bad news.
What the hell does “targeting being ready for camp” mean anyway? Nothing. That’s what you say when you have nothing good to say. A solid “he’ll be ready for camp” would have been easy to say if Joel was already moving around. He clearly isn’t. All that statement means is that he wants to be ready for camp, we want it too Joel.
Look, this isn’t unexpected. I am pretty pessimistic about the whole thing anyway, but it sucks to hear this kind of news during the draft.
UPDATE: The rest of the NBA world seems to be taking this as good news because Daryl says he is attacking his rehab. I think when it comes to Embiid I just hear the negative.
9:45p – Derik Queen to New Orleans…uh oh Zion
Derik Queen, the all offense no defense, center goes to New Orleans after a trade up with Atlanta. How in the world are they planning to play him along with Zion? This team looks like it is going to shake up EVERYTHING. My dream of Zion going out the door to Miami is alive and well.
The Pelicans now have Queen and Fears in what looks to be a culture change in the Crescent City. Unfortunately, they traded an unprotected first next year to get Queen. That, along with #23, is just too much!
UPDATE: The pick is the more favorable of New Orleans and Milwaukee, meaning that’s a great bit of business for the Hawks. That is a valuable trade chip especially if Giannis gets moved.
9:30p – The Suns Get Two Centers???
Just as the Rockets drafted Khaman Maluach for the Suns, it also came out that Mark Williams of the Hornets is on the move for a 2029 first and the 29th pick. Two centers??? Man, Phoenix just hates draft picks huh? As soon as they get one, they have to get rid of it. In this case, it 2 picks. What the hell is this team doing?
Mark Williams is up for a contract extension next year, an extension they will either not want to pay because he is too good or because he lost his job to Maluach. Just a dumpster fire of an organization that again has no way to improve their team.
8:45p – Ace Bailey to the Jazz, and Now I Hate Him
I didn’t know it until the second the Jazz picked him, but now I hate Ace Bailey. He sabotaged his ability to go to Philly and now I’m rooting against the kid. I’m not a hateful person I don’t think, but it was like a dagger seeing him go up there and put on a Jazz hat. He was supposed to be a Sixer.
Maybe Utah is the best place for him. You could not have a more polar opposite landing spot. Utah loves their basketball and won’t get down on him. He will have low expectations and lower media presence compared to what could have been. Maybe he did right for himself, but I won’t be rooting for him. Damnit, I sound like such a jackass. He’s 19 years old. I hope it goes away.
8:30 Sixers select VJ Edgecombe
The Sixers go with the safest pick on the board with VJ Edgecombe. He is the best athlete in the draft who tries hard on defense and shoots better than you’d think. The best part though is that he gives a shit which means he has a high floor.
DO NOT ASSUME HE STAYS! Just because the Sixers selected him doesn’t mean that he won’t be on the move. It is a long night ahead. Everything is still in play, but this at least gives a solid foundation for the Sixers evening. I’ll go into more detail later once we are out of the lottery
Everything else has been chalk so far. Now we need to see where Ace ends up.
UPDATE: Assume he stays.
Philly Front Office 
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