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PHILADELPHIA -- Andre Iguodala will get a chance to use his
superb passing skills playing with Allen Iverson. The versatile Arizona swingman was selected by the Philadelphia
76ers after he slipped to the No. 9 pick in the NBA draft Thursday
night. Iguodala averaged 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists as a
sophomore last season. "I think it's a good situation for me," Iguodala said. "I can
be a good complement player to Iverson and they have good finishers
inside with (Samuel) Dalembert and (Kenny) Thomas." Some mock drafts had Iguodala going as high as No. 3 to Chicago. "It gives me motivation to show eight other teams that passed
on me that I'm a good player," said Iguodala, whose workout for
the Sixers wasn't announced because his agent wanted to keep it a
secret. With Iguodala on the board, Philadelphia didn't need to use the
allotted five minutes to make its pick. "We didn't think he'd be there," Sixers general manager Billy
King said. "I think he'll be a great all-around player. His
athletic ability is something we coveted." The 6-foot-6 Iguodala can play both guard spots and small
forward. An excellent passer but inconsistent shooter, Iguodala has
been compared to Scottie Pippen. "He's a little more athletic than Scottie," assistant general
manager Tony DiLeo said. "He's an unselfish player. He likes
giving the ball up. He defends and rebounds well for his
position." Iguodala last year became the first Arizona player to lead the
team in rebounds, assists and steals in the same season. He
finished with three triple-doubles. The Sixers are coming off a disappointing 33-49 season, missing
the playoffs for the first time since the 1997-98 season. Iguodala
is the first pick under Jim O'Brien, the third coach hired by the
Sixers since Larry Brown resigned after the 2002-03 season. He is Philadelphia's highest selection since the Sixers took
Larry Hughes at No. 8 in 1998. Hughes was traded 1{ years later. Other players picked at No. 9 in past seasons include Tracy
McGrady (1997), Dirk Nowitzki (1998), Shawn Marion (1999) and Amare
Stoudemire (2002). But there's also been several busts picked
ninth, including Tom Hammonds (1989), Willie Burton (1990) and Ed
O'Bannon (1995) and Joel Przybilla (2000). O'Brien, the former Boston Celtics coach hired to replace
interim coach Chris Ford in April, was in Lexington, Mass., for his
daughter's graduation on Thursday, leaving the personnel moves to
King, DiLeo and director of player personnel Courtney Witte. "We think he can be an excellent defensive player," O'Brien
said in a conference call. "He's so skilled. He's a guy that can
hurt you in a number of ways."
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