NBA draft night:
Who will the Sixers score?

Off the Dribble
By Ryan Smith

Trying to predict what the 76ers will do this Thursday — draft night in the NBA — is equivalent to trying to predict what type of outing to expect from Phillies’ starting pitcher Adam Eaton on any given night.
It’s just not possible.
Last week, Sixers president and general manager Billy King spoke about the parity that exists in this year’s draft. After the first two picks, he believes, it is very well possible that the Sixers can land a player at their No. 12 spot who could be just as talented as the guy who goes No. 3.
That would make one think that King plans to stay put at No. 12.
I mean, what would make one think that the Sixers will make a trade to move up in a draft that is filled with so much "parity," as the general manager says?
The answer is simple: Over the last half decade, King and the Sixers’ brass have thrown fans more curveballs on draft nights than Eaton usually does in one inning.
Just last year, King traded down three spots, from 13 to 16, to scoop up forward Rodney Carney.
In 2003, the team swung two draft-day trades that landed guards Kyle Korver and Willie Green.
In 2003, the Sixers had pick No. 16, but traded down to take guard John Salmons at 26.
So with all of the draft-day swindling that has gone on in recent years, it is highly likely that King will pull something off again this year.
Only this time, if the Sixers trade their pick, they are expected to move up in the draft order — not down, as they have in recent years.
And after holding pre-draft workouts on Friday with senior guards Aaron Brooks (Oregon), Acie Law (Texas A&M) and Coby Karl (Boise State), as well as 6-foot-9 Chinese guard Sun Yue, it became clear that, although King sees lots of parity, the franchise’s approach to the draft will be no different than it has been in the past.
"That’s what we’re trying to get to now," King said after the workouts. "When do we get to a point where we’re comfortable? We’re comfortable with number twelve, but if we can get to (picks) eight, five or six, it makes it better. It makes the chances of making a mistake maybe not as great."
Making a trade-up even more of a likelihood this year is the fact that the Sixers also own picks No. 21 and 30 in the first round, both of which were acquired last season in the deal that sent Allen Iverson to Denver.
On Friday, King said he knows what it would take to move up, adding that it is a real possibility.
He confirmed what many NBA observers have already speculated: There are at least a few teams among those in the top 10 that may be willing to trade down.
One team in particular jumps out when speculating about possible trade partners: the hated Boston Celtics.
First, the Celtics tanked the second half of last season in an attempt to secure one of the draft’s top two picks — Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.
When that plan failed miserably and the Celtics ended up with pick No. 5, they turned their attention to trying to trade with Minnesota for superstar forward Kevin Garnett.
That seems to have failed as well, leaving the Celts with just a No. 5 pick that won’t do much good for a roster with as little talent on it as any in the league.
If Boston really wants to begin the rebuilding process, the Sixers and their three first-rounders would be the perfect trade partner.
But even if the Sixers are able to somehow secure a higher pick in Thursday’s draft, it is still anyone’s guess as to what player they’ll choose.
Of the possible lottery picks that Sixers management seems most enamored with are Colorado State forward Jason Smith, Washington University center Spencer Hawes, Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian, Georgetown University forward Jeff Green and Florida State forward Al Thorton, who worked out with the team on Monday.
King also said the Sixers hope to get a look at University of Florida forward Joakim Noah in a private workout at some point in the next few days. ••
Columnist Ryan Smith can be reached at 215-354-3114 or smithry@phillynews.com