NBA draft: 76ers seek top guard with 17th pick in NBA draft

PHILADELPHIA — The 76ers showed off their spiffy new logo, a design that was really just a return to the old-school brand from some of their glory years.

The cosmetic changes are always easier to fix. Finding a way to recapture those days on the court, when All-Star players and winning records went together in Philadelphia like cheese and steak, has proved a more formidable task for the Sixers.

They've made the playoffs the last two years under two different coaches but were not a serious threat to win a series either time. Not good enough to advance, not bad enough to earn a lottery pick, the Sixers are again stuck in the middle of Thursday's NBA draft with the 17th overall pick — hardly a spot to find an impact player.

Team president Ed Stefanski hasn't played dodgeball when peppered with questions about Philadelphia's draft strategy. They need a guard, preferably a solid 3-point shooter or one who can quickly learn coach Eddie Jordan's Princeton offense.

"We are looking still for a perimeter player," Stefanski said. "We're looking for the best guard available."

Andre Miller, 33, is a restricted free agent and there are no guarantees the starting point guard will return next season. Miller's agent and Stefanski have both said they're hopeful of working out a new deal, but teams can't begin negotiating with free agents until July 1. Watch Miller move on, and the Sixers could be left without any other real point guard.

The Sixers, though, have ranked last in the NBA each of the last two years in 3-point shooting and desperately need someone who can hit from long range. They took a short-term step toward solving that problem by trading for 3-point specialist Jason Kapono, but would love a young, athletic prospect who could become their 3-point specialist for years.

Jordan, hired last month, says he has the name of his draft choice written on a piece of paper. He declined to reveal the name, but said his input is given to the Sixers front office.

"When they ask me, I give them my opinion," Jordan said. "I don't come barging in, saying, 'This is what we need to have.' Certainly, I'm in the loop."

There are three draft prospects that appear to fit the profile the Sixers have targeted for Thursday night:

— Eric Maynor. The 6-foot-3 guard out of Virginia Commonwealth averaged 22.4 points last season. He made a national name for himself in the 2007 NCAA tournament when he nailed a 15-foot jumper in the final seconds to eliminate Duke in the first round.