My Thought on Sixers Two Lottery Picks: Patience

I'm a Sixers fan.

I'm a passionate Sixers fan.

I want to see my team do well every year. I want the Sixers to be competitive, but I understand that these things take time.

The old saying goes like this: "Rome wasn't built in a day." You can certainly equate that to this decade of the 76ers. Being an Atlanta Hawks fan would be fun. It would be fun to compete for the a playoff spot every year and it would be fun to take the Indiana Pacers to a 7th game, only to lose in the first round.

Again.

So with the selection of Kansas center Joel Embiid with the third overall selection in the draft, I get it.

I understand what package expected in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and the first overall pick was too much and when a player like Embiid falls in your lap, you have to take him/. You have to "sniff" at the opportunity, as general manager Sam Hinkie said in his post-draft press conference.

It's a move that had to be made.

It's a move that if Embiid heals his foot correctly, a young player who has only 3-4 years of basketball on his tires, he should be fine. The Sixers don't need Embiid right now, they arent competing for the Atlantic division title anytime soon. They will need Embiid in two years, however, when they pair him along side Nerlens Noel and attempt a David Robinson and Tim Duncan "twin tower" type front court.

As far as the selection of Dario Saric goes, I will break it down like this: why not?

It's the most frustrating part of their draft because you spent a whole season with the thought that the player selected with the tenth pick would come in and contribute and grow with your team immediately. That won't happen with Saric. Saric will spend at least two season in Turkey and will not be sporting a Sixers uniform for quite sometime.

Also, acquired in the Saric trade was a future first round pick in 2017 that was originally in the Andrew Bynum debacle of a trade. In that selection, Hinkie not only made up for the past and is also paving the way for the future as well.

If and when Saric comes over for the Sixers, he will provide instant versatility for your offense and his game should look drastically different than it does now. The selection of Saric is questionable especially with a player like Doug McDermott left on the board.

McDermott later was traded to the Chicago Bull in exchange for the 19th overall selection. I am certain that Hinkie had that offer on the table from the Bulls and could have pulled the trigger as soon as their pick came up. Instead, Hinkie decided to select a player like Saric, who two years down the road could be a better player than any of those two players you could have selected.

All in all, I give Hinkie a B+ draft grade and it would have been an A if indeed we were going to see Saric in the NBA this season.

Just have patience, folks.

I understand that many of you don't want to wait 45-60 minutes at a restaurant for a good 8 oz steak, you'd rather go to the diner across the street and sit down right away. I dont mind waiting that 60 minutes if I know that my meal and glass of wine will be well worth it.

Hopefully, Hinkie's plan will be worth the wait.