HOOPSAHOLIC

Opinionated blog about the NBA and everything that comes with it
@HoopsaholicBlog
Magazine Posts Table of Contents
Thunder Buddies Nearing Return OKC May Actually Be In Some Trouble

Would Kentucky beat the Sixers?

Posted | Views: 788
Is it really that crazy to think? I mean c'mon let's have some fun here, because if we actually got to see the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Kentucky Wildcats I would be way too happy of a person. It'll never happen, but Eric Bledsoe went ahead and said what we all were thinking.. The Suns guard said that he believed that the number one ranked college team, Kentucky, would beat the winless and ever so tanking Sixers. The statement itself is incredibly bold because not only is he calling out a group of professional athletes, but he's calling out his peers. The funny thing about it is that there's a chance he could be right. 
The statement by Bledsoe sparked a lot of  conversation about the subject. Talking heads from every end of the US debated whether Bledsoe was right, or if he fell victim to the ever so decieving "eye-test". Bledsoe is apart of BIG BLUE NATION, so he may be a little biased. Personally, I think it would be a stretch, but Bledsoe isn't too far off with his assessment of the matchup. 
Think about it, the Sixers have nine players on their roster that are undrafted and have had to work their way into a roster spot. Most of them should quite honestly be in the D-League or playing over seas. These guys play for Philly and are in the NBA and you probably didn't even know it: Robert Covington, Drew Gordon, JaKarr Sampson, Henry Sims, Hollis Thompson, Jerami Grant. Are you serious?? Who are these guys... Yes the roster does have a little bit of talent in Michael Carter-Williams and Nerlens Noel, but this team has made it no secret that it's tanking. Literally they're actually accomplishing their goal which is to be really bad in order to get another top pick in the 2015 draft. 
For Kentucky, they have six players alone that are projected to go in that 2015 draft according to Draft Express, and five of those six are projected to go in the first round.  Freshman Karl-Anthony Towns, junior Willie Cauely-Stein and sophomore Dakari Johnson are all slotted in the top-20 picks. Then on top of that throw in Aaron and Andrew Harrison and Alex Poythress who will definitely get drafted. The roster is even more stacked than that with Tyler Ulis, Devin Booker, Trey Lyles and Marcus Lee not expected to leave for the draft by 2015. 
So now that the rosters of the two teams are laid out in front of you, which one do you think would win? Vegas let the world know that they don't think it would be much of a game. Jeff Sherman from Westgate Las Vegas Super Book tweeted yesterday that the Sixers would be 17 point favorites against the Wildcats. It's hard to go against the folks in Vegas, because they're normally pretty close with their lines and estimates. Many people believe there's a major difference between professional and college players and I normally tend to agree. This instance is a little harder for me to side with the professionals though because I don't know how many of those guys would really be on any other NBA roster besides the Sixers. If they're trying to tank, wouldn't they purposely have guys on the team that aren't supposed to be good?? Quite honestly it's hard for me not to choose Kentucky because they have some kids on the team who really intrigue me, but I'll give the slight edge to Philly because if the two teams actually had to play, I doubt they would let themselves lose to a college team. 

Positive Perspective: If the Sixers continue to be bad enough, they may get lucky enough to draft one of these Kentucky players. 
Would Kentucky beat the Sixers?