Quotable: The Sixers NBA Draft Edition

by Jordan Sams on Jun 24, 2011 12:40 PM PDT in 2011 NBA Draft

The usual suspects (beat writers) weighed in with their articles following the Sixers draft:

Below are notable quotes I pulled from the three articles, along with tweets from Sixers players.

Doug Collins

"We are incredibly thrilled to draft Nikola Vucevic," said coach Doug Collins. "I liked him from the moment I saw him at the Chicago predraft camp. He is a hard-working, skilled big man with a desire to succeed who gives us more size in the frontcourt, which is a need. He is a player that we are ecstatic to have on our roster and I look forward to coaching him."

Nikola Vucevic

"[Doug Collins is] a great coach and also a great person and I'd really fit his system," Vucevic said of Collins. "I felt like it was a great fit for me. I watched a lot of them and I know they have a great young team for years to come."

"I think I have to work on everything but one of the main things I need to work on is my NBA three-point range. I think that is something that would really help at the next level for someone my size to be able to expand the floor and I think I just still need to work on my body and become stronger and quicker. I think that defensively I'm better than people give me credit for. I have good size and I have good length so I can use that. I think that I read the game well defensively. My coaches at USC were defensive minded and they taught me a lot about it."

Ed Stefanski

"With this draft, it was very difficult to project with the 16th pick a guy that would come in right away and play for the 76ers," Stefanski said.

"We talked to so many teams about so many things, moving here and moving there," Stefanski said. "We were very serious about moving up, but we couldn't do it because the price was too expensive. It fell our way."

"I think he's a stone cold center. He's not going outside to cover fours [power forwards], he's got the legit size to be a center, and that's what he is. He's a stretch type of center because he can shoot the ball [from outside] and around the basket he can shoot with his left or right hand. He's your typical European type of player because he's so fundamentally sound. He is a player we've seen all year, and he rose and he rose. He's a kid that we really, really like. He was in the mix all along with us."

"Everyone talks about Jrue, he's like the folk hero with these kids," Stefanski said. Their eyes light up and people want to play with Jrue and Vucevic said he would love to play with Jrue."

"This was a brutal draft. . . . There were surprises all night long. In the draft room, we were shocked at where particular players went. Again, we were just looking to see if Vucevic could fall to us."

"He wanted to come here. His agent told me," Stefanski said. "The kid is in love with [coach] Doug Collins and wants to play for him, so he's going to get his opportunity."

Evan Turner on Twitter

I'd like to welcome Nikola Vucevic to the 76ers!

Thaddeus Young on Twitter

I know who we taking ... But I can't tell

Well I knew 2weeks ago u all will find out n a sec

I like the pick ppl

We got the tallest man in the draft who can shoot, score, post up,and block shots ... Sounds good to me

Marreese Speights on Twitter

S/o to my boy Lavoy Allen for coming to the sixers #showyaluv I know he happy to stay in Philly

Summary

Nikola really wanted to play for Doug Collins, and with Jrue Holiday, apparently.
Ed Stefanski described the draft as "brutal". No kidding.
Ed Stefanski also said we drafted a "stone cold center". Throw that in with "Basketball Sense."
Thaddeus Young said he knew about the pick two weeks in advance. If so, good thing the Sixers went in with an open mind.
Mo Speights enjoys Lavoy Allen. Michael Levin says Allen rivals Speights with his Twitter prowess.

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Comments

thads comments

every team knew who they wanted 2 weeks ago. doesn’t stop them from going in with an open mind, but you better have a gameplan.

by pqrk on Jun 24, 2011 12:49 PM PDT reply actions

Is "Stone Cold Center"...

…any relation to “Stone Cold BOSSin’?”

I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, there will be no trade for Monta!

by dweebowitz on Jun 24, 2011 1:41 PM PDT reply actions

I’m so sad.

"I make love to pressure." - Stephen Jackson
"My passion is more passionate than ever." - Greg Paulus

by joe_digiacomo on Jun 24, 2011 1:48 PM PDT reply actions

What’s up with this “big man that can stretch the floor” crap? I want a center that can socre inside the paint. Jump shooting is a nice skill to have especially in the pick and roll. But I don’t understand why they want him to take three pointers. Is it there way of trying to compensate for Iggy’s and Turner’s lack of ability to hit a 3-pointer? Does this mean that they see Iggy and Turner as part of the future?

by Noble Psychopath on Jun 24, 2011 2:34 PM PDT reply actions

One thing I just thought of, a lot of people were complaining that we don’t take Euro players, well we technically did with our 1st pick

by The Legend on Jun 24, 2011 3:44 PM PDT reply actions

out of curiosity

who would you rather have Turner and Vucevic or Favors and Singleton

Let's get it Birds.

by homestar2281 on Jun 24, 2011 4:09 PM PDT reply actions

Probably the latter.

Liberty Ballers / Ridiculous Upside / Twitter

The Artist Formerly Known As The Artist Formerly Known As Michael Bourn

by Michael Levin on Jun 24, 2011 11:31 PM PDT up reply actions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcgpIuD_JyQ From DraftExpress.

You know, and I’ll put the disclaimer that it’s one workout video. But the guy looks like a much superior player to Hawes.

Hawes shot 40% from the field last year and frankly, he could only hit a jumper once in a blue moon. Nikola looks like a REAL jump shooting big man.

Nikola’s also much stronger underneath the basket and a lot more fluid with his feet,.

Rather than Hawes, Brad Miller anybody? I see Nikola potentially as a starter

by LeQuan Glover on Jun 24, 2011 4:53 PM PDT reply actions

Thanks for all the Draft Info

Not a huge Sixers fan but drafts always interest me. Just wanted to thank all the bloggers and comments for providing some great info and opinions.

Sounds like Vuke fills a need, was not a huge reach, and is a hard worker. Certainly not flashy but should I have been expecting a game changer at #16? The second pick of the entire draft last season was the Sixers great chance to get an elite player without having to ‘blow-up’ the team. Choosing in the teens is unlikely to change much. I’m at least glad if Sixers wanted him so badly that they did not trade up.

I totally agree that the second round pick was a complete waste. Though it was slightly bad luck that some high upside fliers went just before their pick. In retrospect they should have moved up, but hard to guess all those guys would go so quickly. Going for an overseas or small school scorer would have made much more sense. But really, no matter who they drafted, how much of a chance would they have?

by phxphilly on Jun 24, 2011 9:07 PM PDT reply actions

Glen Macnow is an idiot

by The Legend on Jun 25, 2011 7:15 AM PDT reply actions

by andyreidswaistline on Jun 25, 2011 1:57 PM PDT reply actions

Looks like he’s about to jam the violin bow right into Jrue’s engine room. Is that the “increased physicality” we’re looking for from our starting C? :)

I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, there will be no trade for Monta!

by dweebowitz on Jun 25, 2011 5:29 PM PDT up reply actions

I remember reading a quote about this play. He said something along the lines that he didn’t expect Jrue to dunk because he didn’t know he could jump that high.

by Ben16 on Jun 25, 2011 6:23 PM PDT up reply actions