Draft busts not only blunders made by Sixers

June 30, 12:27 PMDelaware Basketball ExaminerJonathan Marshall

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(AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

 After the confetti falls and the NBA champion has been crowned, the summer is a time where fans envision ways to reach the top and recall past busts that have left their teams years behind due to the draft. 

 The 76ers have found some nice talent in the draft with the likes of Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala, and Thaddeus Young.  Of course, this year’s selection of UCLA guard Jrue Holiday is yet to be determined. They certainly have had some draft day blunders. 

In Larry Brown’s first year as head coach in 1997, the Sixers thought Keith Van Horn was the second best player after losing out on the Tim Duncan sweepstakes.  Van Horn was selected over Chauncey Billups and Tracy McGrady.  Duncan and Billups both have rings, while McGrady has enjoyed an All-Star career.  Van Horn is no longer in the league retiring in the 2005-06 season.

The following year, a draft day promise landed them Larry Hughes. That would cost them Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce. In that same year, they selected Casey Shaw a few slots ahead of Rafer Alston and Philadelphia native Cuttino Mobley in the second round.  

Who can forget 2001, when Samuel Dalembert, who has been the subject of much criticism was selected ahead of two star guards in Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas. With Iverson in the same backcourt, nobody knows how these players would have developed, but we will never know.

Every club makes draft mistakes (Hello, Clippers).  Instead of beating on a dead horse, let’s take a look back at players who once called Philadelphia home and have turned out to be solid pros. 

First are three players who would have provided much needed help in the long ball department. Kyle Korver, Raja Bell, and Anthony Parker are names that come to mind.  Korver was solid beyond the arc and a fan favorite from 2003 until he was traded last season to the Utah Jazz, who are enjoying his shooting prowess. 

Bell , who now plays for the Charlotte Bobcats, was a contributor for the 2001 finals team. After not sticking on with the team, he would go on to be apart of the fast pace Phoenix attack.  Bell also was named to two All-Defensive teams.

Many people may not recall Parker. He was hampered by injuries that limited him to only 39 games from 1997-1999.  Parker found a home last year with the Raptors after developing his game in the Euro league.  In each of his three seasons in Toronto  he has averaged double figures. 

John Salmons experienced a coming out party this season with the Bulls, being a major player in their seven game first round series against the Celtics.  Salmons experienced sub-par success in Philly, never averaging more than eight points a game.  He finished in the top thirty of the league’s top scorers list with 18.3 points per game. 

Perhaps the one player out of this who’s who list of former players that has made the biggest impact is Bruce Bowen.  He was a journeyman before realizing his NBA dreams in 1997 with the Heat.  Fans barely knew Bowen, as he was traded in 1999, his only season with the team.  Bowen, who was just traded to the Bucks, has earned a reputation as one of the leagues best defenders and helped the Spurs win three championships. 

Taking away the draft mistakes, it’s easy to see that putting the above mentioned players with key components of this year’s roster would make a pretty decent team.  A roster that included Dalembert, Iguodala, Young, Elton Brand, Andre Miller, Marreese Speights, Louis Williams, Bowen, Korver, Bell , Parker, and Salmons, though may lack the star power that Orlando, Cleveland , and Boston has, possibly would have contended for the Eastern Conference crown. 

 Of course, depending on how these former players developed, the Sixers may not have picked up certain players like Brand, Iguodala, or Miller, but its still fun to wonder what if.