Tag: Mo Cheeks

Ranking the top 5 second-round picks in Philadelphia 76ers history

Here are the top 5 second-round draft picks made in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers.

With the 2022 NBA draft now just a week away, it is now time to dive back into the draft history of the Philadelphia 76ers and see how well the franchise has done in the past in terms of being able to find some gems past Round 1 of the draft.

In this edition, Sixers Wire will rank the top five second-round picks in the draft history of the Sixers. The criteria will be based on the impact made on both the franchise and the league and they have to be picks made by the Sixers.

For example, Kyle Korver will not be on this list because he was selected by the then-New Jersey Nets before being traded to the Sixers.

With that being said, let’s get into the list:

Ranking the top 5 draft picks made in Philadelphia 76ers history

It is now time to rank the top 5 draft picks made in the long history of the Philadelphia 76ers.

With the 2022 NBA draft now right around the corner, now is the time to look back at the draft history of the Philadelphia 76ers as they prepare to make a selection in 2022.

Recently, Sixers Wire ranked the top 5 worst draft picks made in the history of the franchise. The Sixers have had some very talented players come through the City of Brotherly Love, but they have also made some draft mistakes–just as every franchise has done before.

In this edition, Sixers Wire is going to rank the top 5 draft picks ever made in Sixers history. The list will be based on what that player did specifically in a Philadelphia uniform and the impact he had on the franchise.

With that being said, let’s get into the list:

Putting together the all-time great Philadelphia 76ers roster

Here is an all-time Philadelphia 76ers roster consisting of the franchise’s all-time greats.

The Philadelphia 76ers get set to begin the 2021-22 season on Wednesday, kicking off the 75th season in NBA history. The league has been honoring the all-time greats in the history of the game as they have been putting out lists of the top 75 to ever play.

Here at Sixers Wire, we are not going to put out a list of the top 75 Sixers ever, but we will put together our all-time Sixers roster consisting of all of the legendary players who have thrown on a Sixers uniform.

To put together such a team, you have to go back and sift through a lot of history. The Sixers are one of the more historic franchises in the NBA so this gives a lot of players to choose from.

Here are our picks for the all-time Sixers roster in their franchise history starting with the five starters and the 10 bench players for a total of 15 on the roster:

Draft Rewind: Sixers select future Hall of Famer Mo Cheeks in 1978

We wind the clocks back to 1978 when the Philadelphia 76ers drafted Mo Cheeks in the draft.

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The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 1978 NBA Draft coming off a tough loss to the Washington Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals. They battled, but they could not get a handle on Elvin Hayes and Bob Dandridge as they bested Julius Erving and the Sixers in six games.

Philadelphia did not have a first-round pick in the draft and they had to wait until the 36th pick in Round 2 to make a selection. With that pick, they rolled with a man by the name of Maurice Cheeks out of West Texas A&M and he immediately made an impact.

He played 29.4 minutes per game as a rookie as he ran the show on offense. He was a guy who could score in double-figures consistently, but he would much rather make sure the offense runs smoothly and the Sixers definitely benefited from that. He became an All-Star for the first time in 1983 when he averaged 12.5 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.3 steals while helping the Sixers win a title.

Cheeks made three more All-Star games in Philadelphia before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 1989 in a deal that sent Johnny Dawkins and Jay Vincent to the Sixers. He then spent some with the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets before retiring in 1993.

He finished as Philadelphia’s all-time leader in assists and his number 10 jersey hangs in the rafters at the Wells Fargo Center. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. He coached the Sixers from 2005 through the beginning of the 2008-09 season. [lawrence-related id=38482,38479,38474]

Maurice Cheeks on Michael Jordan: ‘He was on a whole different level’

While the world was watching ESPN’s 10-part documentary on Michael Jordan, Maurice Cheeks was recollecting his overlap with the G.O.A.T.

Like most of us, Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks hasn’t been able to get his full basketball fix over the past two months. Fortunately, ESPN made the decision to move up the release and airing of their 10-part documentary entitled The Last Dance which chronicled the rise of Michael Jordan and the birthing of the Chicago Bulls dynasty.

Cheeks, whose NBA playing career ended after the 1992-93 NBA season, experienced Jordan’s rise first-hand. Cheeks spent the first 11 years of his NBA career as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. A member of the 1983 championship team, the Hall of Famer made four All-Star teams, three of which he overlapped with Jordan.

Before the Bulls rose as a power in the Eastern Conference, though, led by Julius Irving, Moses Malone and Cheeks, the Sixers were a perennial contender. That gives Cheeks a rather unique perspective.

Ranking fifth all-time in steals, Cheeks has been a fixture in the coaching world since he played his final game in 1993. Like most of his contemporaries, the documentary brought back some vivid memories.

Cheeks spoke with The Oklahoman’s Joe Mussatto about his memories of Jordan.

“I don’t think people that played against him and watching this realize the level of competitor he was… When you’re watching this, you can see it. But when you’re playing, maybe somebody playing against him could see it, but I don’t know. He was on a whole different level than most people are used to.”

Cheeks, who happened to grow up in Chicago, knew that there was something special about Jordan. Although the two only met in the playoffs once (in 1991, when Cheeks was in the twilight of his career), the Chicagoan knew that Jordan and the Bulls were destined for greatness. Not even he knew that he would eventually witness the rise of one of basketball’s greatest dynasties.

“You knew at some point they were going to be good because (Jordan) was that good,” Cheeks said. “Six championships? I don’t know if anybody ever thought that.”

As the NBA tries to figure out how they can complete the 2019-20 season, the basketball community was transfixed by the documentary showing the rise of Michael Jordan.

Cheeks, though, experienced it first-hand.