The Philadelphia 76ers used the 50th overall pick on 22-year old, 6’9″, 225 pound power forward Lavoy Allen out of Temple.  Allen played in 33 games for Temple last year and he averaged 33.9 minutes, 11.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.8 blocked shots per game.  Allen played in 135 games in his four years in college and he averaged 32.2 minutes, 10.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game.  The Sixers didn’t have to look too far for Allen as he has been playing right here in Philly the last four years.

The 76ers picked 20-year old center Nikola Vucevic with the 16th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft last night.  Vucevic is a legit center at 6’10″, 260 pounds and that’s just what the Sixers need.  Vucevic played in 34 games at USC last year and he averaged 34.9 minutes, 17.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.  He played in 87 games in his three years in college and he averaged 27.7 minutes, 11.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  This was a great pick for the Sixers.

The 76ers own the #16 and #50 picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft.  The Sixers need a legit center but they aren’t likely going to find one with the #16 overall pick.  That means the choice with likely come between a power forward like Kenneth Faried or a shooting guard like Travis Leslie, Josh Selby or Marshon Brooks.  The Sixers will likely take the best big man available with the #50 overall pick.

The 76ers used the #2 overall pick of the NBA Draft on 21-year old shooting guard Evan Turner. Turner played in 31 games (all starts) for the Ohio State Buckeyes last season and he averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He finished his career at Ohio State (3 years) playing in 101 games (94 starts) in which he averaged 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The 76ers got the perfect fit in Turner who will likely step right into the starting lineup next to last year’s first round pick Jrue Holiday giving them a ton of athletic ability in the backcourt. The only weakness Turner has is his outside shooting but he’ll have plenty of time to work on that before the season starts.

The Philadelphia 76ers have one glaring hole on the roster right now and it’s at shooting guard. The Sixers just happen to have the 2nd pick in the NBA Draft and Evan Turner of Ohio State will be sitting there for them. The biggest question I have is will Turner and Iguodala be able to play together as they are very alike. I don’t see it being much of a issue as the Sixers would have a very solid starting five if they pick Turner tomorrow night which is expected to happen. The Sixers only have one pick in tomorrow’s nights draft (#2 overall).

The Philadelphia 76ers selected 19-year old point guard Jrue Holliday with the 17th pick in the NBA Draft last night. Holliday played in 35 games in his only season at UCLA and he averaged 8.5 points, 3,8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Holliday has a lot of learning to do before he’s ready for prime time. The hope here is that the Sixers re-sign Andre Miller and let Holliday learn behind him.

The 76ers figured that you can’t go wrong with a Gator and that’s part of the reason they selected Speights. Speights is a power player all the way as he stands 6’10″, 245 pounds with attitude. He played in 69 games (36 starts) in his career at Florida and he averaged 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Speights also made an amazing 63.3% of his attempted FGs at Florida. This was a solid pick for the Sixers.

The 76ers have acquired Herbert Hill from the Utah Jazz for center Kyrylo Fesenko. Hill is a 6’10″, 240 pound power forward from Providence. Hill played in 99 games for Providence and he averaged 9.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.9 blocked shots per game. He shot 61.4% from the floor and only 56.6% from the free throw line. Hill will likely backup Jason Smith as a rookie for the Sixers. This was a good move for the Sixers because Fesenko might not come to the U.S. for a while.

The Portland Trailblazers really wanted guard Petteri Koponen after the Sixers drafted him. So they sent the Sixers shooting guard Derrick Byars and cash for him. Byars played 2 seasons for both Virginia and Vanderbilt in college. Byars was projected to be drafted in the first round by most draft experts so the Sixers look like they made a nice trade with the Blazers. Byars is 6’7″,220 pounds so he will give the Sixers nice size when he gives Iguodala a break. Byars has played in 126 games in college and he averaged 11.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game. He’s a good shooter as he hit 46.3% from the floor, 39.7% from three point range and 69.8% from the free throw line.

Jason Smith was a player the Sixers really wanted but the Miami Heat snagged him right before their pick. So the 76ers traded Daequan Cook, a 2009 second round pick and cash to Miami for Smith. Smith will likely get a chance to start as a rookie at power forward for the 76ers and he should team up well with Samuel Dalembert on defense. Smith is a big guy at 7’0″, 240 pounds at he used that size to his advantage at Colorado State. Smith played 87 games there and he averaged 14.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals and 1.7 blocked shots per game. Smith hit 54.8% of his shots from the floor, 30.8% from three point range and 75.1% from the free throw line. The Sixers were smart to trade for Smith and they will likely benefit right away in his rookie season.