With the No. 1 pick in this 2022 alt-mock draft, we select …
As the NBA Draft looms and projection mockery becomes an obsession, the safest idea is to avoid pretending to know with any sliver of accuracy who Minnesota has targeted at No. 19.
Here then, in the spirit of the moment, is an alternative mock draft of the top 30 players who have represented the 76ers organization since its relocation from Syracuse in 1962.
Not necessarily a ranking of the most talented players, it is a reflection of team and individual accomplishment, skill, ability to fill a role and ultimate career achievement.
By the way, at 19 Minnesota should take that big guy from somewhere.
Start the clock:
1. JULIUS ERVING » A Hall of Famer, a world champion, statistically solid, able to fill various roles, he offered longevity, clubhouse value and a bottomless supply of highlights stunts and clutch play.
2. WILT CHAMBERLAIN » The NBA MVP in a year the Sixers won it all, his numbers and presence were massive and he slips just under the more versatile Dr. J.
3. MOSES MALONE » Also the NBA MVP in a year the Sixers went parading, one of the great centers of all time is a value pick at this spot.
4. BILLY CUNNINGHAM » There was animated debate in the war room, but his contribution to a championship team slotted him just above a player with quite similar
skills.
5. CHARLES BARKLEY »> Oddly enough, No. 5 is exactly where he was selected in 1984, and with that, a Hall of Fame career began to unfold. In the spirit of that moment, this, from Pat Williams, from the day The Round Mound of Rebound was selected: “We took our kids to the beach and they asked if they could go in the ocean. I told them, ‘Not right now, Charles is using it.’”
6. ALLEN IVERSON » The 1996 No. 1 overall pick was a Rookie of the Year, MVP, scoring champion and Hall of Fame guard who helped will the 2001 team into the NBA Finals. That’ll work.
7. JOEL EMBIID » Given a history of injury, it remains a risky play. But no one in Sixers history had a more complete skill set.
8. MAURICE CHEEKS » In 1978, he was a second-round pick. A Hall of Fame career later, he is in this lottery.
9. BOBBY JONES » The Hall of Fame run continues with one of the great defensive forwards in history and a 1983 world champion.
10. HAL GREER » A Hall of Famer on the 1967 championship team, he was named as one of the top 50 NBA players of all time.
11. DOUG COLLINS » He would have been a Top 5 talent in Sixers history, but recurring foot injuries kept him fidgeting in the Green Room through these first 10 picks.
12. ANDRE IGUODALA » A simply great all-around basketball player who would help any team, he belongs in this lottery even if there will be some hissing that he is going so high.
13. CHET WALKER » An eventual Hall of Famer who had slightly better success later in his career with Chicago, he was a reliable scorer for the 1967 championship club.
14. GEORGE MCGINNIS » The 6-8 power forward was a franchisechanging force when he arrived in 1976. Though his shooting touch declined sharply, acquiring franchise-changing forces is the whole idea of a draft and he snares the last lottery spot.
15. ANDREW TONEY » Draftniks had him projected higher, but his “Boston Strangler” legend was greater than his value.
16. CALDWELL JONES » An ever reliable frontcourt complement to Erving as the Sixers consistently thrived around the turn of the ’80s, he is a thinking-man’s selection.
17. TOBIAS HARRIS » Though inconsistent, he is the most roundly gifted of the remaining players. The key will be for the Sixers to avoid over-paying him, not that it could ever happen.
18. AARON MCKIE » The deep-insiders know the selection of a competitive defensive force, clutch shooter and ideal teammate is an inspired selection.
19. DIKEMBE MUTOMBO » He slipped in this draft because some in the room warned that if he ever ran across a top center in the NBA Finals he would be overwhelmed. But what do those clowns know?
20. FRED CARTER » Just imagine where the 9-73 Sixers of 1973 would have finished without their MVP.
21. TYRESE MAXEY » For the second time in three years, he goes at No. 21. Too much talent to ignore.
22. HERSEY HAWKINS » Never a bad idea to grab a reliable three-point
shooter late in the first round.
23. STEVE MIX » The Mayor of Mixville could shoot from distance and rebound at a double-figure pace.
24. JAMES HARDEN » One of the great players in history, he can help any team with his rare combination of shooting accuracy and vision.
25. JJ REDICK » A perfect spot to grab a player who will be franchise’s best-ever shooter.
26. LUKE JACKSON » Great as Chamberlain was in 1967, he had frontcourt help. Jackson averaged a double-double.
27. DARRYL DAWKINS » The center on a consistent playoff team. Backboard busting ability.
28. ARCHIE CLARK » A classic scoring guard.
29. WALI JONES » Perfect as a twoway guard for the 1967 champions.
30. DOLPH SCHAYES » He only played one season late in his career for the Sixers, but his Hall of Fame pedigree is not to be dismissed.
So that’s the first round. Second-round targets should include Dana Barros, Larry Costello, Clarence Weatherspoon and Mike Gminski. After that, see if you can coax Derrick Coleman into signing a two-way.