The Sixers reacted to the situation, tried to move up but couldn't.
Then fortune stepped in, just like a year ago.
"It was very similar," Sixers assistant general manager Tony DiLeo said after the team made Holiday their pick in the 2009 draft. "He was one of the guys we were targeting.
"We tried to move up but couldn't do it. We're very fortunate because most people had him going in the top 10. For him to drop to us, we're ecstatic. He was definitely what we wanted."
The Sixers said they were drafting small.
Most, although not me, figured it would be the best point guard left. Holiday, 6-3, 180 pounds, was better than they expected.
"He has great upside, displays aggressiveness on both ends of the court, has a great nose for the ball as well as the size and strength to play both guard positions," Sixers president/general manager Ed Stefanski. "He has an NBA body. Big, big upside."
"Upside" is a key word concerning the Sixers.
Given the youth of their core players - Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Lou Williams, Speights and Jason Smith - the Sixers are still a work in progress.
Even if forward Elton Brand comes back healthy, it's difficult to see the Sixers challenging the Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference next season.
Obviously, the goal is always immediate improvement, but the reality is that Sixers' time is still probably a season or two away.
Fans who are disappointed when the Sixers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs the last two seasons probably don't want to hear about Holiday's upside. But it fits in with the ultimate plan of building this team into a legitimate title contender.
That's not going to happen until those core players mature and develop.
Holiday, 19, has the potential to grow into a special point guard right about the time the rest of the Sixers reach their prime.
