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.

The 76ers felt they had a need at small forward so they drafted Thaddeus Young in the first round with the #12 pick. Young played at Georgia Tech in college and he’s a solid 6′8″, 220 pounds so he looks the part. Young will compete with last season’s first round pick Rodney Carney for the starting job at small forward. Young is a shut down defender so that could give him an edge over Carney. Young played in 31 games at Georgia Tech and he averaged 14.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He also shot the ball well as he hit 47.8% from the floor, 41.9% from three point range and 74.3% from the free throw line. Young was a good pick for the 76ers.

The 76ers are set with Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala at guard so they should think big in the NBA Draft on Thursday. They are armed with 3 first round picks and 1 second round pick. The Sixers would be smart to draft a small forward, power forward and a center to groom behind Samuel Dalembert for the future. But don’t be surprised if the Sixers package a couple of draft picks to move up and snatch a player they want like a Joakim Noah or Jeff Green for instance. If the Sixers have a good draft they could compete for the Atlantic Division Title because it’s a very weak bunch of teams as it sits right now plus the Sixers played really well after Allen Iverson and Chris Webber were shown the door. The Sixers own the #12, #21, #30 and #38 picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Andre Iguodala has his best season ever in the NBA as he took off after the trade of Allen Iverson to the Denver Nuggets. Iguodala played in 76 games last season and he averaged 40.3 minutes, 18.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He also shot the ball all right as he hit 44.7% from the floor, 31% from three point range and 82% from the free throw line. Look for Iguodala to even be a better basketball player next season for the Sixers.

Iguodala’s numbers are starting to spike upwards as the Sixers are depending on him more on offense. In 240 career games, Iguodala has averaged 36.8 minutes, 13.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game. His shooting percentages actually went down except for free throws. Iguodala has now hit 47.5% from the floor, 33.2% from 3-point range and 78.5% from the free throw line.