Sixers 2008 Draft Center

Draft Day Q&A with Ed Stefanski

With the NBA Draft tonight, 76ers President and General Manager sat down with SIXERS.COM to answer a few questions about the team and their philosophy as he finalizes his preparations in advance of his first draft with the Sixers.

The conventional wisdom is that we should target a big man with the 16th pick in the draft; are there any players available that fit that mold, who can also play our style of up-tempo basketball?
Ed Stefanski: Yes, we are very fortunate for this draft at number 16 to have a host of big men that still will be available. It’s an unusual draft, usually big men, who are good players, are off the board this late in the draft, but it’s not the case this year. So we feel very comfortable that the player we pick will also fit a need.

Can you possibly shed light on the rationale behind working out players who are not projected to be high draft picks, but are brought in to workout for a team that holds only one pick, in the middle of the first round?
ES: You have players that you could purchase or acquire a second-round pick for. So you bring in some players you may like to do that for or if the player doesn’t get drafted then we bring them in for summer league or as a free agent for camp in the preseason.

When you and members of the 76ers Basketball Operations Staff have a potential draft pick in for a workout and interview, what is it you look for from a player during the question and answer session?
ES: In the question and answer session – we’re not psychologists – I like to see the kid look me in the eye when I ask a question or I like to see what his personality is like, how he converses with you. We have some pertinent questions that we like to get answers to. A lot of our basketball stuff should and has been done because we’ve watched the kids live. Scouts have also done tapes and reports on them. Now we get a chance to see their body up a little bit closer, but meeting the kids is very important in the interview process.

One of the things the Sixers look for in a player is character. Can you comment on what you look for in the character of a potential draft pick?
ES: We do background checks or talk to AAU coaches or their college coaches about the kids. For various reasons we will hire a private investigator or a background check because we are concerned and want to bring in kids that have been good in the community and that don’t have a lot of issues. Sometimes a kid has an issue that can be explained, but if there is a recurring issue or problem then that is a red flag for us.

Can prospects dramatically change there draft position through an individual workout?
ES: I don’t think it should be dramatic in my eyes, because they’ve put together a body of work prior to working out. It should be just an additional piece to the puzzle or a tool to make a decision. I don’t put 100% stock into how the kid does in a workout for us, if he does poorly I don’t write him off the board, if he does well I don’t just take him to the top.

How quickly can things develop as far as trades are concerned on draft night?
ES: They can go very quickly, you know we are talking to teams in front of us and behind us, but right now I don’t see us making a move from 16. It can change rapidly though; you have to be ready to pull the trigger if you like it.

We’ve heard that when the draft starts team try to get a sense of what other teams are interested in doing such as moving up or down in the draft. Is that something you constantly think about during the draft?
ES: No, we lay our ground work early, Tony (DiLeo) and I have made a lot of phone calls, so we know who would want to move up or who wouldn’t. We feel comfortable now. If for some unknown reason all of our guys fall of the board, which is probably mathematically impossible, and then we would look at alternative plans.

You have been credited with a strong ability to break down overseas talent, what players from overseas caught your eye in preparation for this years draft?
ES: Well, having people think that is nice, but I have been fortunate too. You never know when you draft a kid and whether he will be a good player or not. I guess in the draft this year what I see from Europe is the kid [Danilo] Gallinari from Italy is a very nice player. I believe he will be off the board before we pick at 16. There is a kid named [Nicolas] Batum from France, another skilled kid who I think could be around our area so we are doing a lot of studying on him. Then there’s a kid named [Ante] Tonic, a big kid, who probably is more towards the latter part of the draft so he probably won’t be in our plans right now. The European players this year are not going to be as prevalent as they have in the past in the first round. It works in cycles from year-to-year, you will see more of a European influence in the next few drafts.

Can you share your feelings on how the basketball operations and coaching staffs help influence the selection that you make in the draft?
ES: Our approach is that the assistant coaches conduct the workouts. I learned a lot from Lou Lamoriello, who is the president and general manager of the New Jersey Devils, who has won numerous Stanley Cups. I worked for him earlier in my career and he was very big on scouts because that’s what they do for a living. The head coach obviously has influence but the assistant coaches are working out the players and working hard at that so we just let them do their jobs and the personnel staff does their jobs. So it’s going to be the personnel side along with Mo’s (Head Coach Maurice Cheeks) input that makes the decisions about the draft.

Going into this draft are the Sixers more inclined to take a player of exact need or the best player available?
ES: We will always take the best player available but what is fortunate for us this year is that the best player will be a big man which fits one of our needs.

How, if any way at all, has the draft changed since you began as a scout with the Nets 10 seasons ago?
ES: It has not changed, it’s still a lot of effort from a standpoint of watching a lot of tape and getting out there but I enjoy all of this. I enjoy the draft it’s a lot of fun, and then I love to see how the kids progress to see if I was right or wrong on the guy, so I don’t think its changed that much.