The Sixers won their last championship 25 years ago Saturday, May 31. Since then, not one Philadelphia team has won a championship. Is that unbelievable or what?

Since then, a generation has been born and grown to adulthood in this area without knowing what it’s like to celebrate the ultimate victory in pro sports. My son, who’s 18 in a month, has begun every season for the past eight to 10 years believing that this time, this season it will be different, whether it’s the Eagles, the Flyers or the Sixers. He abandoned the Phillies about three years back, choosing to root for the Mets, the team his father grew up rooting for.

Will one of Philly’s major four ever reach the top again? Which one will do it, or do it first? And will those of us in middle age live to see it?

It's a slow time of year for teams out of the playoffs like the Sixers.

Ordinarily, the first item on the calendar is the draft lottery later this month, but the Sixers aren't in the lottery this year. But that's OK, according to president/GM Ed Stefanski. The Sixers pick 16th (the lottery runs through 14), and Stefanski said there's plenty of good players to go around.

Although the first few players in this year's draft can be franchise players, Stefanski said it drops off after that, and a player taken eighth or ninth might be about the same as those taken in the midteens.

"I do believe we will get a guy at 16 we'll be happy with and who can help us going forward," he said.

The last player the Sixers took at 16 was Rodney Carney. Technically, they took Thabo Sefolosha with the 13th pick for the Bulls and the Bulls took Carney at 16.

Speaking of that, I wish the NBA would revise the draft-night trade thing because it leads to confusion when you look back. For example, Kyle Korver and Willie Green won't be listed under Sixers' all-time draft picks because Billy King bought the picks from other teams. The Sixers decided what players would be chosen with those picks, but because the pick couldn't be swapped on draft night the other teams, in this case New Jersey and Seattle, make the picks then trade the "rights" to the Sixers.

But I digress. Anyway, any draftniks out there who have any ideas about possible mid-teen picks?