<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> <h3>Sixers Oh-fer Netting Overseas Players</h3> </p> Senior vice president Tony DiLeo, who played and coached in Germany, was well aware of a versatile young big man named Dirk Nowitzki. They had looked into the possibilities of a young Russian named Andrei Kirilenko. They had tried to sign a rugged young Argentinian forward named Andres Nocioni.</p> </p> Had they not landed Andre Iguodala in 2004, they would have taken Latvian big man Andris Biedrins, who had spent 6 weeks training in Philadelphia.</p> </p> Trying to acquire Chinese big man Yi Jianlian was probably, at best, a reach. But they did try. They traveled to China and to Southern California to watch him train, to get to know him. But, holding picks Nos. 12, 21 and 30 and with a suspect roster, they weren't exactly dealing from a position of strength.</p> </p> To this point, and to their detriment, the Sixers are oh-fer. -- <font color="#000000">Philadelphia Daily News</font></p> </div></p>
