DRAFT PICKS:
Jrue Holiday, G, 6-3, UCLA (first round) -- Sixers like him for his defense and ability to play both guard positions, though he expects to play the point in the pros. Likely to be a reserve, at least to start the season. PLAYER NEWS:
--F Andre Iguodala and F Thaddeus Young are two of the 23 young players participating in the three-day USA Basketball mini-camp in Las Vegas. Team president Ed Stefanski flew out to Vegas to watch the workouts and intrasquad scrimmage.
--F/C Marreese Speights averaged a team-leading 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds for the Sixers/Nets entry in the Orlando Pro Summer League, though he only shot .394 from the field. Free agent G Dionte Christmas, a former Temple standout, was next among Philly players at 9.3 points.
--C Samuel Dalembert, F Jason Smith and rookie G Jrue Holiday worked on half-court drills with new coach Eddie Jordan and associate head coach Mike O'Koren July 21. Dalembert, who played his high school ball in Montreal after growing up in Haiti, said he really likes the Princeton offense because it gets everyone involved at that end of the floor, even though his strengths don't seem to be reacting on the court and basketball IQ.
"I played that system before in high school," Dalembert said. "That's a really great system. It's really working for a lot of the teams. A lot of championships have been won with this system. I really believe in it."
MEDICAL WATCH:
--F Elton Brand (right shoulder surgery) is playing basketball again and expected to be 100 percent prior to the start of training camp.
--F/C Jason Smith (left ACL surgery) has begun basketball activities wearing a brace and should be ready to go for training camp.
