Former Miner Arnett Moultrie Drafted by Heat, Traded to 76ers

Former UTEP Miner Arnett Moultrie is now on that long list of players traded on draft night.  Moultrie was nabbed by the Heat with the 27th pick of draft.  Later in the night, Moultrie was traded to the 76ers for Philadelphia's 45th pick, center Justin Hamilton, and a future first round pick.

I thought Moultrie was a good fit for Philly to begin with.  Elton Brand isn't getting any younger, and the 76ers are a run and gun style of team that can utilize Moultrie's athleticism.  The 76ers were often on the losing end of the battle on the boards, and Moultrie can immediately alleviate that problem.

I'm sure media and fans alike were scrambling through their notes when Philadelphia took St. John's Moe Harkless with the 15th pick.  The knock on the 76ers the past few years is that they have too many of the same kind of player clogging the depth chart.  The Philly brass has assured the fans and media that Harkless is a different kind of player than fellow small forwards Andre Iguodala, Evan Turner, and Thaddeus Young.

On Friday, we talked to Sean Brace of ESPN Philadelphia.  Brace feels Moultrie might struggle to get quality minutes with Elton Brand (and his massive expiring contact) still on the roster and the emergence of Temple's Lavoy Allen.

Call me naive, but I truly feel the former Miner will buy into Doug Collins' system and be a productive player right off the bat.  I know one thing for sure; if Moultire consistently defends and rebounds, he will see plenty of minutes as a rookie.