PHILLY SPORTS CORNER

A weekend full of news..

FLYERS-

The Flyers drafted Nolan Patrick last night with the no. 2 pick in the NHL draft. Before injuries, Patrick was thought to be the consensus no. 1 selection. He is a big center, ready to play. The Flyers organization and GM Ron Hextall are prone to be super-conservative with their prospects. Hopefully Patrick shines in training camp and forces the front office to add him to the Opening Day roster.

The surprise move was trading Brayden Schenn to the St. Louis Blues for a veteran center ( Jori Lehtera), the no.27 pick in the first round this year (F Morgan Frost) and a 1st round pick next year.

Not sure what to think of this. It frees some cap space. Two young prospects come back in return. But on a team struggling to score goals, why trades goal-scorer? Schenn has totaled 25 and 26 goals, respectively, in the past two seasons.

In the second round this morning, the Flyers traded up and snagged winger Issac Radcliffe with the 35th overall pick. He is 6'6 and 200 lbs, may need to fill out a bit but projects to be a goal-scoring forward.

With the draft ending today it will be interesting to see how Hextall addresses the goal tending situation. Rumors are that he isn't confident in rookie Anthony Stolarz and would like to snag a veteran goalie this off-season.

SIXERS-

I still have some Sixers questions as we ease into the summer. I'm happy with the draft- especially with PG Markelle Fultz- but still have a few concerns..

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 What do you do with Jamill Okafor? He would be good depth behind Embiid and Holmes on the front line, but Okafor is slow, and the second-unit looks for push the ball.

Problem is, it seems no one around the league wants Okafor, despite being the overall no. 3 pick in the drat several years ago. The Sixers don't want to just give him away, but he doesn't fit with this team. Bringing him back could be a risk. What if he grumbles about not playing?

Hopefully GM Brian Colangelo makes it happen and Okafor goes somewhere else where he can play and be happy.

* Playoffs? Is it realistic to think the 76'ers can make the playoffs as soon as this year? I think so, especially with the Eastern Conference being so weak. Why couldn't they win, oh, 40 games and make the 7th or 8th seed? Could they win a series and gain much-valuable experience?

A championship may still be a few seasons away. Work still needs to be done, with free agency and trades looming. The young squad also needs to jell. But I can't see why this team can't win and provide the long-suffering Philly basketball fans with excitement and taste of things to come.

*  Who came up with the stupid new nickname of "The Feds?" Nicknames are just meant to be and happen effortlessly. When you gotta think too hard to come up with a nickname, and think too hard to figure out what the nickname means, it's not a good nickname.

* Simmons.Will Simmons still play some point guard, even with Fultz on the team? Why won't Simmons play in the summer league? Does Simmons have the hunger to achieve greatness? Does he have what it takes to get better, sacrifice and work hard? Can Simmons develop a shot to go with his tremendous attributes?

* What about restricting guys' minutes and games? Will the Sixers' team doctors and coaches hold back previously-injured guys like Embiid and Simmons again? Both in games played ( back-to-back games) and minute-restrictions per game? When will all three- Embiid, Simmons and Fultz- finally play together?

* Most of all, the excitement the Sixers are bringing back to Philly basketball makes me interested again. Now, I can't wait to watch the Sixers on TV every night, as I did in the Allen Iverson days. I may even try to attend a game or two. I know they are saying that 14,000 season tickets have been sold so far, but not all 41 games. Some are 10-game plans. So, getting a single-game seat may be doable.

PHILLIES-

Good for the Phillies, winning last night in Arizona, against a top-notch Diamondbacks team that is hard to beat at home. Whoa, a two-game winning streak! The Phils are on a roll!

Realistically, they are still on apace to lose 110 games, 19 1/2 games out of first place before July. On board to "earn" the no. 1 overall pick in next summer's baseball draft.

They are still a boring team with a dysfunctional line-up. No lead-off hitter, no true clean-up hitter, no ace in the rotation or closer in the bullpen.

The players are dictating to the soft, hapless manager, telling him when they feel like playing (Neshek). Others,(Herrera) can get away with bone-headed mistakes and lackluster, dogging-it, lazy play. The entire squad has a "who cares?" attitude about them, knowing there are no consequences for bad behavior on this 2017 Phillies team.

Kudos to the front office for finally opening some roster spots by releasing dead-weight like Saunders and Gomez. Now, more needs to be done so exciting kids such as Kingery, Couzins, Hoskins and Crawford can get their shot, gain some experience this summer, and give the loyal fans ( those who still care and haven;t checked out with apathy)some hope and a reason to watch.

Deals should be made soon, as the torture of this long, painful season melts into the upcoming all-star break. Trades involving players like Joseph, Rupp and maybe even Herrera can wait until the off-season.

It's all we have to look forward to.

EAGLES-

All is quiet on the Birds for now. Training camp will begin in late July, so news will pick up  soon, especially with the Phillies fading away.  The roster may be tweaked a bit, but nothing will really happen until August.