| Sixers Questionably Add Long-term Project Authored by Brian Poliakoff - June 30, 2005 - 3:14 pm
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Excuse me, I mean the 76ers select Louis Williams, guard, South Gwinnett High School.
Not that I've seen this guy play even once, but scouting reports from the "experts" say Williams is a gifted athlete with a knack for scoring who lacks shooting and passing capabilities.
Now doesn't that sound familiar to Sixers fans.
Philly already has the best player in the NBA to carry the aforementioned attributes on his shoulders in Allen Iverson.
But what if AI gets hurt or what about the future?
I was under the impression that Willie Green was AI's security blanket.
Green's playing time was limited due to his AI comparisons, so I'm shocked that Billy King would select another AI-esque baller to join the squad next year. Especially after he tendered a qualifying offer for Green right before the draft took place.
This may mean that King will dangle Green in a sign and trade deal for a veteran point guard or rebounding big man. If not, the Sixers will have three small shooting guards on their roster next year.
What irks me the most is that Williams won't do much, if anything to improve the Sixers next season. He's a project that if completed will take years for the Sixers to reap benefits from.
That is something the Sixers can ill afford. Philly fans need immediate improvement after going through three coaches in two seasons, and exiting the playoffs in the first round this past season.
Additionally, the window of opportunity to win with the aging Iverson and Chris Webber is not too long.
I am not saying that mid-second round picks pan out often, but choosing a high school kid almost assures no immediate impact next season. And both Green and Kyle Korver are perfect examples of second round picks that did contribute something right away.
So who should King have chosen?
Couldn't Ryan Gomes (No. 50 to Boston) or Lawrence Roberts (No. 55 to
Seattle) filled a more pressing need for this team? The Sixers lack of frontcourt depth is something that must be addressed.
Undersized athletic guards come around quite often.
But King let two solid college rebounders slip by in favor of a 6-2, 175-pound kid who plays a position that the Sixers don't have a pressing need for.
Marc Jackson is the only back up big man on the roster next season who can produce.
Perhaps King knows he will sign a productive veteran big man to spell Webber's aching knees or that Williams will eventually be a star.
Either way, the pick still doesn't make much sense.
So will Williams see any action next season? I think so, but not much in the Wachovia Center. Thanks to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, King has the option of sending Williams to play in the NBDL.
And just for arguments sake, lets say that Williams surprisingly shows he can play at this level sooner than anticipated. He still won't be able, at 6-2, to be paired with the 6-foot Iverson for too many minutes without causing match-up nightmares.
The kid could pan out to be a great player. Obviously time will tell.
But even if we could forecast the future and know he will be very good, the Sixers currently still could have snagged a player with the No. 45 pick who could produce almost immediately.
The drafting of Williams was as questionable as the advice that the plethora of non-drafted underclassman and high school kids received prior to Tuesday night's draft. |
