Draft. Quickly.
It kills me that the Sixers wound up with this kid. There are so many teams that could really use him, that need him, that aren’t in such general disarray as the Sixers. The team doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going. Thaddeus Young is a small forward that may end up playing power forward even though he dislikes playing power forward (or at least that’s what he told me back in 08. Maybe he’s changed his mind.) Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes are now part of their foundation down low. Iguodala was dangled, then retracted, then dangled, then retracted, as if the organization was like some sort of telescopic arm. Sixer fans continue to tell me that Jrue Holiday is the future at point guard and I remain skeptical. But they watch that team night in and night out, so we can go with it.
The real problem is that the Sixers are a team that’s not looking for leadership. They’re looking for chemistry and a system that works. Maybe Doug Collins will be the one who brings that. But Turner could be so much more. I started gawking at the kid’s numbers five games into last season. I thought they’d tail off (and they did, sort of), but the fact that they were there showed what he was capable of, and when trying to determine a ceiling, that’s a pretty good sign. Then he broke his back. I figured that meant a drop to the teens for him. I mean, the kid broke multiple vertabrae. Who comes back from that? Who fights through that?
Then, not only did he come back, but he came back with a vengeance. I watched his second game back against Minnesota where he went 9 of 16 from the field, with 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals, and simply could not believe it. He was everywhere. All the time. Then a few days later, I caught him against Purdue, where he leveled 32 points on 11 of 21 shooting (!) and 9 rebounds. This three games back from a broken back.
The performance and numbers and athleticism are why he will get drafted. But if we’re writing a narrative, the fact that he busted his ass to get back and play means something. Sure, it was partially because he probably knew what this season meant for his draft stock and he had to protect his livelihood. But it also shows a hyper-competitveness that will serve him well. Not to go all You-Know-Who-Has-A-Bestseller-About-The-History-Of-Basketball here, but there are guys you want to step onto that floor for your team, or alongside you if you’re a player. Guys you can count on, who are going to go out and execute, no matter what. And Turner has shown every evidence of being that guy.
And maybe I’m wrong. Maybe they’ll trade Iguodala. Maybe Iggy will accept a lesser role and they’ll turn the keys over to Turner. They should. Because Turner shows every indication of being the kind of guy who drops into enemy territory, blows up the supply station, then goes home with the enemy general’s wife.
