Two years later, Philadelphia did get better value from a draft deal when it chose Pittsburgh forward Charles Smith at No. 3 and immediately shipped him to the Clippers in exchange for Hersey Hawkins and a first-round pick in 1989. Unfortunately, the pick ended up being Kenny Payne, of Louisville. The 2,500 fans at the Spectrum to watch a telecast of the event booed the pick lustily.
"They did the same thing to Dan Majerle last year in Phoenix, and he turned into a very good player," Sixers owner Harold Katz said afterward. "I expect Kenny Payne to start and play for us right away and not take 30 or 40 games.
"I think you're going to be very surprised about this kid. He can flat-out shoot. He can rebound. He can run. He was the best player available."
Payne started 13 games and averaged 3.5 points before calling it a career after 4 years.
In 1993, the Sixers rolled the dice on Shawn Bradley, a 7-6 curiosity out of BYU. Bradley had played only one season of college ball, but his height made him an intriguing gamble. Alas, Bradley was too thin to be dominant, much less effective, as an NBA big man, and he was shipped to New Jersey a month into his third season in a deal that netted the Sixers Derrick Coleman.
In 1996, Pat Croce's good luck and a fortuitous bounce of the ping-pong balls brought the Sixers Allen Iverson. While Iverson's tenure in Philadelphia, particularly the ending, was harrowing, he did breathe life into a club floundering in darkness. His disdain for practice might be one part of his legacy, but so too should the 19,583 points he scored as a Sixer.
It's a pity Croce didn't have similar luck the following year. The Sixers did improve three spots thanks to the lottery, but picked second. The Spurs took Tim Duncan with the No. 1 pick and became a dynasty. The Sixers settled for Keith Van Horn, who was quickly dealt to the Nets.
Oh, well. That's the way the balls bounce. *
