76ers Sign Second Overall Pick Evan Turner

The Sixers have announced via twitter that they’ve signed their second overall pick Evan Turner.

The NBA's CBA allows for first round picks to sign contracts with two guaranteed years and two option years.

Turner: 'I look forward to a very long career here'

Liberty Ballers posted a recap of Evan Turner’s introductory press conference. Be sure to check out all of his and Ed Stefanski’s thoughts, but here’s what “The Villain” had to say about playing with young Sixers’ PG Jrue Holliday.

“One thing you do is just work hard. Take one day at a time. Learn the system, learn how to play with each other and complement each other. I don’t want to use us being young or us being youthful as an excuse for the hard times,” Turner said when asked about the youth in the backcourt. “You just have to man up and grow up quickly and be professionals.”

“I pride myself in making my teammates better. Complement, that’s what it’s all about. Five guys out there working together and complementing each other,” Turner would go on to say during interviews after the press conference had concluded.

Does Turner Make Sixers A Playoff Contender?

The NBA TV crew discusses Evan Turner on the Sixers and whether they are contenders for a playoff spot next year. You'll also notice that Steve Smith has no clue what he's talking about.

Evan Turner Scouting Report

NBA.com had this scouting report for Evan Turner.

Dangerous offensive weapon with the ball in his hands. Excellent ball-handler and knows how to create quality looks without requiring significant separation from his defender. Effective mid-range off-balance scorer. Athletic and active, he’s effective as a finisher going to the basket or rebounding in the paint. Draws help defense, freeing his teammates for open shots and can get them the ball. Plays with unselfishness.

Also a great fact… He went to the same high school as Isiah Thomas, the one featured in the documentary Hoop Dreams.

Finger: Turner Is A Can't Miss Pick

John Finger, Sixers’ writer for CSNPhilly, was fairly effusive in his praise for the Sixers’ drafting of Evan Turner.

Better, it was a can’t miss a slam dunk, if you will. In fact, one NBA pundit called Turner the one true star of the draft. One particular bit of bombast and hyperbole declared that in 10 years we will remember Thursday’s draft as the day the Sixers drafted a Hall of Famer.

Yes, apparently the Sixers nailed it. Smartly, GM Ed Stefanski didn’t outwit himself and grabbed Turner, a 6-foot-7 guard with a seven-footer’s wingspan, a knack for making clutch plays, as well as what his draft media guide bio says: a student of the game who studies past greats and appears to have a great understanding [of the game].

Might be quick to call the kid a future hall of famer… but suffice to say Sixer fans have reason to be excited tonight.

Sixers Select Evan Turner With 2nd Overall Pick

It’s official, Ohio State’s Evan Turner is a Philadelphia 76er.

From NBA.com:

As a junior in 2009-10, won the John Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Oscar Robertson Trophy, AP National Player of the Year and NABC Division I Player of the Year. Named 2010 Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player. As a sophomore in 2008-09, named Honorable Mention AP All-American, First Team All-Big Ten, Oscar Robertson Award Finalist, NABC All-District 7 Team and ASBWA All-District v Team. Earned a Big Ten record eight player of the week awards over his career. Represented the U.S. at the 2009 World University Games.

To discuss this pick, be sure to head over to Liberty Ballers.

Video: Evan Turner Says He Is 'Pretty Confident' He'll Be A Sixer

In a video interview with ESPN's Andy Katz, Ohio State's Evan Turner says he is "pretty confident" he will be drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 2 pick in Thursday's draft.  

Turner also addresses a question about what it would be like playing for Sixers coach Doug Collins. "Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Grant Hill, he's coached some great players," Turner said.

SB Nation's Liberty Ballers has also posted an extensive interview with Turner.

Does Drafting Turner Make Iguodala Redundant?

Philly Post columnist Michael Bradley spoke to three NBA decision-makers about the Sixers' potential draft picks, essentially weighing the merits of picking Evan Turner--the likely selection, if the team's website is any indication--versus Derrick Favors. One issue that popped up is how Turner might not fit with incumbent swingman Andre Iguodala:

“If you take Turner, you have to do something with Iguodala,” a Western Conference GM says. “Turner doesn’t have the athletic ability of Iguodala, but Iguodala doesn’t have the feel for the game Turner does.”

And neither of them can shoot, although Collins assured the media Thursday that Turner should have no problem improving that area of his game. [....]

Another Western Conference exec uses the word “redundancy” to describe the Turner-Iguodala pairing, since both players need the ball in their hands to be effective. “There’s not enough floor space for the two of them,” he says. The selection of Turner “might lead them to do commit to trading Iguodala,” he says. Now, that’s an idea. But how is it possible? Iguodala still has four years and roughly $56.5 million left on his Superfund site of a contract. Taking responsibility for that could lead to the beheading of a GM. Then again…

Bradley came away with his talks with the GMs convinced that the Sixers should take Favors, "and worry about fixing the two guard spot in the future."

He's not the only one who isn't sold on the Turner/Sixers combination. Tom Ziller of NBA FanHouse says DeMarcus Cousins should be the pick because of his offensive skill and teammates like Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, and Thaddeus Young could cover for his defensive lapses.

Sixers Fix Turner Slip-Up On Website, But Probably Too Late

Tom Ziller of NBA FanHouse has the details:

UPDATE, 3:30 PM: The Sixers have removed the image from the page. The page is now just a blank black page with the subject line “Sixers draft Evan Turner.” At the same time, the Sixers website now has blank black pages with the subjects and appropriate URLs for [DeMarcus] Cousins and [Derrick] Favors. This is straight-up CYA posturing — those pages were not live when the Turner one was first found. We tested them.

Indeed, the Sixers vastly underestimated the cunning of internet sleuths when they tried to apply that fix.

Sixers' Website Hints That Evan Turner Could Be Their Man

Via SBNation.com, a page on the Philadelphia 76ers’ official website strongly suggests that the 76ers have decided to draft Evan Turner with the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. The page shows a photo illustration of Turner’s name next to the Sixers’ logo on the big draft board, just below the Washington Wizards’ selection of John Wall. The text below reads, “Lower Level Season Tickets Start At $999.” Importantly, changing Turner’s name in the site’s URL to a different draft prospect’s, such as DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors, yields only a “page not found” error.

This is either the best smokescreen of all-time, or the worst draft-pick secrecy of all-time.

Evan Turner Was Disease And Accident Prone As A Child

Dick Jerardi at Philly.com has a great profile of Evan Turner and he chronicles the rough start the prospect had during his youth.

“[My family] said I was sick, like, every other day,” Turner said last week from the Washington office of his agent, David Falk. “They were wondering if I was ever going to be fully healthy, live a normal life.”

Turner, 21, obviously does not remember all the details, but he does remember countless visits to doctors, “trying to get help.”

“When you’re a little kid, you’re just used to it,” Turner said. "I always thought, ‘Something is always wrong. That’s part of life.’ "

His mom, Iris James, was right there for all of it.

“Measles, pneumonia, eczema, rashes, adenoids,” she said from Chicago. “It was just one thing after the other. It was a mess.”

Eventually, he put most of the illnesses behind him.

“And then he started becoming accident-prone,” James said.

Evan Turner Works Out For 76ers

On Thursday, the presumptive #2 pick in the draft, Evan Turner, worked out for the Philadelphia 76ers. It was the only workout Turner has scheduled, according to Philly.com.

“Going through a workout at an NBA facility was a lot of fun,” Turner told reporters after his session for team executives at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “I think it was a good atmosphere and I think I made a lot of shots today.”

Turner also got a taste of his potential future home.

His stops included a visit to Geno’s, for a cheesesteak, no cheese. He also toured the Wachovia Center and had a chance to interact with some fans in his travels. The Sixers’ brass took him to dinner as well.

SB Nation's Liberty Ballers also has video of Turner's visit.

Evan Turner Is Focused On Philadelphia

The Philadelphia 76ers projected pick for the second overall spot in the NBA Draft, Ohio State's Evan Turner, seems to believe that the Sixers give him the best chance to succeed.

At least that's what his agent, David Falk, told the Washington Post's Michael Lee.

According to the source, the Wizards made several inquiries with Evan Turner's agent, David Falk, but Falk was not receptive, convinced that the Wizards would take Wall. He has focused all of his attention on Philadelphia, which holds the second overall pick.

Falk told me last week in Boston that he thought the 76ers were a better fit for Turner.

It's difficult to determine how far to read into this, but it does seem like like Turner's camp has at least decided the 76ers will be selecting Turner next Thursday.

Sixers Schedule Workouts With Draft Prospects Turner, Favors, Cousins, And Johnson

The Philadelphia 76ers, who own the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, announced today that they've scheduled workouts with Ohio State's Evan Turner, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors, Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins, and Syracuse's Wesley Johnson. More from the release:

“We want to make sure we get an additional look at the players available to us with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft,” Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski said. “These are all very talented prospects who can make an immediate impact at the next level and while exploring these options, we would have to be presented with a blockbuster offer to even consider trading this pick.”

It's assumed that the 76ers, who already have dynamic perimeter players like point guard Jrue Holiday, combo guard Louis Williams, and swingman Andre Iguodala, would nab a big man with this pick. Yet the inclusion of Turner and Johnson calls that assumption into question, and might hint that Philadelphia is open to trading down.

The draft is less than two weeks away, and yet the only given is that John Wall will go first overall to the Wizards.

Sixers to workout Demarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors

David Aldridge of NBA.com is reporting that the Sixers have scheduled workouts with the top big men in the upcoming NBA draft.

"First, a source says that less than a week before the June 24 Draft, the Sixers have tentatively scheduled a workout in Philly that will feature Kentucky center DeMarcus Cousins and Georgia Tech forward Derrick Favors, the top two big man prospects in the Draft. There would be no reason to schedule such a workout — and certainly no reason for either Cousins or Favors to attend — if there wasn’t some kind of indication sent by the Sixers that they’re seriously considering one or the other with the second pick,"

via CSNPhilly

ESPN's Ford: Sixers Most Interested In Evan Turner, But Take That Info 'With A Grain Of Salt'

It's a lock that the Washington Wizards will make John Wall the first overall selection in this year's NBA draft, which means the Philadelphia 76ers, owning the second pick, will have plenty of options, which include Ohio State's Evan Turner, Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins, and Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors. Chad Ford of ESPN Insider has had trouble pegging what the Sixers will do:

Since the mock draft, I've gotten a number of strong signals from inside the Sixers' organization that Turner is the guy they'll take at No. 2.

While the signals certainly could be legit, I take some of those indications with a grain of salt. Since Turner is the consensus No. 2 pick in the draft, the Sixers want other teams trying to trade up for him (the Wolves and Pacers seem to be the hottest suitors) to believe they're taking him. If teams think he's slipping, they'll begin dealing with New Jersey instead.

Sixers leaning toward Favors?

ESPN's Chad Ford reports that the Sixers are leaning toward taking Georgia Tech F Derrick Favors with their second pick.

"I've heard various sources make pretty forceful arguments that three different players are second on the 76ers' board: Evan Turner, DeMarcus Cousins and Derrick Favors. At times, I've been persuaded by all three. But now it looks like the Sixers are leaning toward Favors, according to what I was told on Monday by a credible source familiar with coach Doug Collins' thinking. Turner isn't a great fit next to Andre Iguodala. And while Cousins is a perfect fit in the middle, the team has some concerns about his on-court attitude. That leaves Favors, who has as much upside as any player in the draft. His measurements out of Chicago are virtually identical to Dwight Howard's -- which means he should be just fine playing center. All of this can change once players undergo individual workouts and interviews, but from what I can gather, Favors has the lead if the Sixers decide to keep the pick." -- Chad Ford

Check out the reaction at Liberty Ballers.

Top 5 reasons to draft Evan Turner

Did the Flyers bring the Sixers good luck?

Ed Snider apparently wanted some of the luck the other team he runs to rub off on the Sixers…

Philadelphia brought its own lucky charm, a used hockey stick from the Philadelphia Flyers’ rally from 3-0 down to stun the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Still looking for a coach after firing former Wizards coach Eddie Jordan, they stand to grab either Turner or Wall.

via Yahoo sports

Sixers Draft '10: 2nd Pick Brings Questions

Will the Wizards pass on Wall? Will the Sixers take Turner, Favors, or Cousins? Will the Sixers trade the pick?

And of course… who will be the guy that actually makes this pick? Is this a decision Ed Stefanski makes?

Philadelphia 76ers get the second overall pick in 2010 NBA draft

The Sixers didn't win the "John Wall Sweepstakes" tonight, but literally got the second best thing. With last year's first round pick, Jrue Holliday on hand for good luck, the Sixers lucked into the second pick of the draft in tonight's NBA lottery. The Sixers grabbing the second pick was a surprise, considering the number of ping pong balls in the hopper favored them to pick around 6 or 7.

Better get to know the name Evan Turner... In the meantime, Nets fans(is there such a thing) get to lament that the NBA doesn't always reward abject failure with the #1 overall pick like the NFL...