"With the NBA draft countdown ticking toward 48 hours, Sixers president of basketball operations Rod Thorn did nothing to calm the sea of speculation about what will play out come Thursday night.

If anything, he stirred the waters even more.

"After the first maybe three or four picks, it's pretty wide open as to where people are going to go," Thorn said after the team's final pre-draft workout Tuesday. "So you have to be prepared for a lot of different scenarios and that's what we're trying to do."

Two more big men strolled through the PCOM doors for the Sixers' eighth workout, with Thorn, general manager Ed Stefanski and assistant coaches in attendance. All told, the staff brought in 23 bigs and 13 perimeter players over the past 17 days.

So most signs point to a post man landing in Philly later this week, right? Not so fast. The best laid plans may end up in the Prudential Center trash on Thursday.

"I think there's a good chance that we will [draft a big]," Thorn said, "but we also may not."

Thorn knows the wild nature of draft night better than anybody. He's witnessed it from all sides – as a player selected second by the Baltimore Bullets (1963), as an assistant coach for the Nets (1976), as the general manager of the Chicago Bulls (1978-85), as the NBA's Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations (1986-2000) and most recently as the Nets' president (2000-2010).

During his first draft in Philadelphia, Thorn has used his vast experience and connections to survey the field of teams across the league, attempting to solve the puzzle that will come together in Newark, N.J. Talking to a variety sources has given the Sixers' brass "some indication" of who will be available at 16, but sometimes the draft can be about as predictable as Russian roulette.

"Guys that you think might go in the top 5-8, they may be available at 16," Thorn said. "That's how close the skill level is on some of these players. It's in the eye of the beholder.""