The usual suspects (beat writers) weighed in with their articles following the Sixers draft:
Bob Cooney from the Daily News
John Smallwood from the Daily News
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."
I'd like to welcome Nikola Vucevic to the 76ers!
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
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.