WELL, I GUESS what happened with the Flyers yesterday pretty much confirms the impending sale of the 76ers.
Ed Snider would not have rained golf-ball-sized hail on the Sixers' draft night by trading captain Mike Richards and Jeff Carter if Comcast was going to retain more than a minimal stake in the city's NBA franchise.
Considering the magnitude of the Flyers' moves, it might have helped the Sixers gain a little more traction today had they done something a little more innovative last night.
They tried, but they couldn't.
In the end, the Sixers went big and young by drafting USC junior center Nikola Vucevic with the 16th overall pick.
It's a nice pick.
Vucevic is a 7-footer with a wing span measured at 7 1/2 feet. He averaged 17.1 points and 10.3 rebounds and was a first-team All-Pac 10 performer.
Just 20 years old, he should fit in nicely with the Sixers' continued rebuilding process.
"He has a pro-type game right now," Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski said of Vucevic. "He also fits a need. I think because of his size and shooting ability, he will compete for time in the rotation.
"He's a stretch-type center because he can shoot the ball. He's your typical European center because he is so fundamentally sound."
Good pick, but not enough to compete with the huge moves the city's other franchises have made in what has been a truly remarkable 18 months in Philadelphia sports.
The Flyers traded the players they said were going to be the cornerstones of their organization for the next decade.
The Eagles moved out of the Donovan McNabb era to the Kevin Kolb era and then to the Michael Vick era.
The Phillies assembled a pitching rotation for the ages with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt.
They even transitioned from closer Brad Lidge to Ryan Madson.
The Sixers' most significant move was adding head coach Doug Collins.
See the difference?
This is nothing against Vucevic because I like this pick. It's just that the Sixers desperately need a "Wow factor" to elevate their stature, and a 20-year-old center from USC doesn't add up to that.
But that's the hand the Sixers have been dealt.
Last night wasn't like a year ago when the Sixers had the second overall pick and selected 2010 NCAA player of the year Evan Turner out of Ohio State.
Of course, the fact that Turner had a shaky rookie season toned down the level of excitement.
So there was only a limited amount of enthusiasm that the 16th pick was going to generate regardless of who it was.
