Remember that dreadful draft in 1986, when Pearl Washington and Chris Washburn and just about everybody else in that class turned out to be a major stiff for one reason or another?

	Lewis, just 21 years old, is beginning to fulfill his promise.

Well, I've just found the anti-1986 draft -- which, as it turns out, has general managers around the league shaking their heads in the same fashion. Except instead of asking, "Why did we draft that guy?" they are bemoaning, "Why didn't we draft that guy?"

Take a look at the 1998 draft. Go ahead, look. And you see there, at the bottom, that thing called the second round.

There are just an unbelievable number of players in that second round who are actually forces in the league today.

Incredibly, four of them are in Seattle: Picks 31 through 34 were, in order, Ruben Patterson, Rashard Lewis -- the league's next big star along with Tracy McGrady -- Jelani McCoy and Shammond Williams.

Pick No. 41, selected by Houston, was Cuttino Mobley. Jahidi White was chosen No. 43 by Washington. And to a lesser degree, but still somewhat talented, is Ryan Bowen, who was taken 55th by the Denver Nuggets.

That's seven players in the second round who are making major contributions to their respective teams -- and some of them, most notably Lewis and Mobley, are probably going to be big names in this league when their careers are over.

"It's an anomaly," Sonics general manager Wally Walker said. "But if you go back, we said coming into that draft that it was unusually deep. Even now, within our organization, there are some people questioning why we took Vladimir Stepania in the first round instead of Rashard."

Don't think people in the Houston organization are not having those same discussions. They lucked out on Mobley, because somebody somewhere should have lost their job if he had not worked out.

That was the year the Rockets had three first-round picks, and everybody around the league was certain they were going to use one of them on Lewis, a Houston native.

	Drew

	Francis

	Dickerson

Instead, No. 14 rolled around and they took Michael Dickerson -- who eventually wound up in Vancouver in the deal for Steve Francis. Then No. 16 rolled by and they took -- gulp! -- Bryce Drew. Then No. 18 rolled around and they chose -- gulp! choke! gag! -- Mirsad Turkcan. You think somebody has a little splaining to do?

There may never again be a draft like that one in 1998. It's probably too early to tell about this year's crop of rookies, but look at last season. There's not even a name in the bunch that makes you think of anything but three-years-and-out. Maybe Todd MacCulloch has a bright future. And maybe Evan Eschmeyer and Chris Herren. Maybe.

But certainly nobody like that other group. And through the years? Who is the standard-bearer for second-round picks? Nick Van Exel? And he was drafted, what, eight years ago? I mean, did you see all the players this past summer alone who were up for the restricted free-agent exception of $3.8 million?

That's actually the good thing about being a second-round pick -- if you happen to make it. You don't get a guaranteed contract, but most teams sign you as a rookie for one or two seasons. So while your first-round counterparts are locked into their four- or five-year deals, the second-rounders can actually make serious cash after their second seasons.

	McLeod

	Mohammed

Lewis, Mobley and White all got the $3.8 million this year, more than any of the first-rounders are making. (By the way, what are Keon Clark, Roshown McLeod, Tyronn Lue, Sam Jacobson, Nazr Mohammed or Stepania, Drew or Turkcan doing going in the first round?) Patterson is up for the same thing this coming summer, and McCoy and Williams will get big raises, although probably not as large as the other three.

Then, after next season, White, Lewis and Mobley all can go for the big cash -- the maximum. Van Exel is the only other second-rounder ever to get the maximum. Meanwhile, all the other first-round picks are still in their rookie contracts.

Well, all except Turkcan. Has anybody seen him around? I heard he's hanging with Pearl.

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