Philadelphia 76ers Obtain Draft Rights to Arnett Moultrie from Miami Heat

PHILADELPHIA, PA. – JUNE 28, 2012 – The Philadelphia 76ers announced that they have acquired the draft rights to Arnett Moultrie, who was the 27th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, from Miami in exchange for the draft rights to Justin Hamilton (45th overall pick) and a protected future first round pick.  Moultrie was an early entry candidate for the draft following his junior season at Mississippi State.

Moultrie (6-11, 249) was named First Team All-SEC after averaging 16.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists this past season while shooting 54.9% from the floor.  He led the conference in rebounding and ranked tied for 10th in the nation.  Moultrie also shot 78.0% from the line in 2011-12 after shooting 58.7% his first two seasons combined.

Doug Collins Believes 76ers Will Resign Lou Williams

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins believes the team will do what it takes to bring Lou Williams back to the team.  Williams opted out of the last year of his contract on Saturday.  Said Collins, “I know Lou loves the fans, the city, the organization, his teammates and has the utmost respect for coach Collins and his staff,” Rose said Saturday night. “Based on what Lou has done in terms of production on the court, leadership and excepting his role off the bench for the betterment of the team, I also believe the Sixers will step up to keep him like they did last summer with Thad [Young].

Fantasy Baseball: Paul Goldschmidt

by Michael DeLuca

Paul Goldschmidt of the Arizona Diamondbacks has turned it on lately and is still available in 30% of fantasy Leagues.  Pick him up while he’s hot.  Over the last 30 days, Goldschmidt is batting .377 with 6 home-runs and 2 stolen bases, ranking him #1 among all first basemen for the time period.

Fantasy Baseball: Alex Rios

by Michael DeLuca

Now is the time to pick up Alex Rios of the Chicago White Sox.  Rios is hitting .297 with 8 home runs and 7 stolen bases but is still unowned in 35% of fantasy leagues.  After a dismal 2011 campaign, Rios appears to be back to his 201o form where he batted .281 with 21 home-runs and 34 stolen bases ranking him among the best outfielders in fantasy baseball.

Bleak Outlook for Philadelphia Phillies

John Morosi on Twitter

Scout on ‪#Phillies‬: “They’re not young. They’re not healthy. And their system is thin.” Not a good scenario.

PCPSPORTS TAKE – It’s said but true.  I know it’s not a popular idea but the Phillies best option is to trade Cole Hamels for the biggest haul they can get (which would be substantial).  I say this regardless of where they are in the standings come the trade deadline.  A package that starts with 3B Will Middlebrooks and SS Xander Bogaerts from the Boston Red Sox would get it done for me.

Philadelphia 76ers Moving Up For Andre Drummond?

by Jordan Sams | Libertyballers.com

Alex Kennedy, of Hoops World, speculated the same as many when he discovered that the Philadelphia 76ers met with Andre Drummond at the 2012 NBA Draft combine.

It’s important to take this for what it is – pure speculation. This isn’t a rumor, breaking news, or anything of this nature. I assume Kennedy just tweeted the same thought we all had when Drummond’s name became associated with the Sixers. He’s a consensus top five prospect, and his floor is probably no lower than pick eight or nine. He’s not falling to the Sixers at 15 – no way, no how.

So, why did the Sixers meet with Andre Drummond? Are the looking to trade up into the top five? Top 10?

I’ve been adamant in my stance that the Sixers will not trade up in this year’s draft – assuming it would take Andre Iguodala to do so. It just doesn’t make sense to me on a few levels. First, I don’t think Doug Collins wants a pick for Iguodala – he wants to win now. Second, why would a team in the top 10 inquire about Iguodala? He’s a valuable asset, but only for a contender with an established star.

by David Murphy | Philly.com

BALTIMORE — In the corner of an emptying clubhouse, Jonathan Papelbon sat in a metal folding chair and hastily stuffed his belongings into a red duffel bag. That it was his most significant workload of the afternoon should not come as a surprise. True, the Phillies’ bullpen inherited a tie game in the seventh inning. True, that bullpen was operating with one of its setup men unavailable and the other on a short leash. True, that bullpen already had recorded nine outs and was facing the heart of the Orioles’ order in the bottom of the 10th. But the $50 million closer never threw a pitch. Because the Phillies were on the road.

All of this makes sense to the succession of managers who helped develop the group-think that now dictates when and where the most talented and highest-paid reliever in a bullpen should be used. Certainly, it makes sense to Charlie Manuel, who defended the strategy as gospel after the Phillies suffered their eighth loss in nine games, all but one of the losses occurring without an appearance by Papelbon.

“I remember when I first came here, you guys used to second-guess the hell out of me when I had [Billy] Wagner,” the manager said when grilled on the strategy, which led him to use a low-on-the-totem-pole lefty like Joe Savery against the righthanded hitting heart of the Orioles’ order instead of a $12.5 million-a-year righty like Papelbon. ‘‘But still, you don’t play that way. If you are going to keep your closer healthy, and you are going to use him in winning situations in the game, you do not do that.”

Lou Williams Likely To Opt Out and Leave Philadelphia 76ers

The offseason could be a busy one for Rod Thorn and the Philadelphia 76ers. With the draft quickly approaching and decisions to be made on the state of their roster, there could be more than a few arrivals and departures.

One of those departures likely will be guard Lou Williams.

Williams came off the bench and led the Sixers in scoring with 14.9 points per game this season, though his numbers dropped off during the playoffs. However, with an early termination option in his contract, Williams can opt out and test the free-agent market, perhaps to land a job as a starter elsewhere.

That’s exactly what the Sixers’ president expects from the team’s leading scorer.

“Right now I would say Williams probably will [opt out of his contract],” Thorn said.

Meanwhile, there were reports from the draft combine in Chicago this week that the Sixers were prepared to

Philadelphia Phillies Interested In Will Middlebrooks

by Nick Cafardo

A major league source indicated that the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been watching the Boston Red Sox a lot lately, may be more interested in rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks than veteran Kevin Youkilis. The Phillies are looking to get younger, especially if they deem this season a washout at some point. It doesn’t appear the Red Sox would have interest in dealing Middlebrooks, though.

PCPTAKE: It’s easy to see why the Phllies would be more interested in Middlebrooks than an aging Kevin Youkilis.  The question is would the Red Sox be willing to deal him.  If so, the Phillies definitely have the pieces that it would take to get such a deal done.  The team is in desperate need of a young bat and should be willing

Toronto Raptors Offering 8th Pick and Ed Davis for Philadelphia 76ers Andre Iguodala

By Matt Moore | Senior NBA Blogger

The Raptors are shopping for a wing like Andre Iguodala. (Getty Images)

The Toronto Raptors have gotten a 5-15 draft pick the past five years. That spot is chock full of tweenerf forwards at that spot, again. They don’t need any more tweener forwards. They need an impact player. They’re ready to go forwad. Which is why they’re looking to trade their No. 8 pick for an impact player, according to ESPN:

And that’s why the Raptors have already made it known to rival teams that their lottery pick on June 28 — No. 8 overall — is available to a trade partner that can provide the elite small
forward they seek, according to sources close to the situation.

With a slew of league execs
having converged on Chicago this week for the NBA’s annual pre-draft camp, sources told ESPN.com that the Raptors have at least two known trade targets: Memphis swingman Rudy Gay and Philadelphia’s Andre Iguodala.

via Sources: Raptors shopping pick for forward – TrueHoop Blog – ESPN.

This makes a world of sense for Toronto. They’re essentially getting their star rookie by bringing over Jonas Valanciunas from Europe, their top pick from last year. With what’s on the board, they’re in a position to add a major player.