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Daily draft dose: Plenty of action at top
By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Here are the latest rumors and happenings surrounding the 2000 NBA draft (through June 23):
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KATZ'S FORECAST |
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|  | | Courtney Alexander is one of the top seniors in the 2000 draft. |
Top 10 seniors:
1. Kenyon Martin, 6-9, Cincinnati
2. Courtney Alexander, 6-5, Fresno State
3. Mateen Cleaves, 6-2, Michigan State
4. Etan Thomas, 6-9, Syracuse
5. Morris Peterson, 6-7, Michigan State
6. Chris Carrawell, 6-6, Duke
7. Speedy Claxton, 5-11, Hofstra
8. Desmond Mason, 6-6, Oklahoma State
9. Mamadou N'Diaye, 7-0, Auburn
10. Jason Collier, 7-0, Georgia Tech
For Katz's complete mock draft, click here.
Return to sender:
Antonsis Fotsis, a 6-foot-9 forward from Greece, was the most significant foreign player who pulled his name out of the draft Wednesday. Fotsis couldn't be guaranteed top 20 status in the draft.
Expect Fotsis to return to the draft next season. This is the second attempt for Fotsis. He declared last year and withdrew. Olumide Oyedeji declared and withdrew last season as did Igor Rakocevic. Both are back in the draft this season. Oyedeji is a first-round pick, while Rakocevic is a likely second-round selection.
Fotsis failed to stand out at the Chicago pre-draft camp. He's a skilled perimeter-oriented forward. He still needs to get stronger before he can be considered a first-round pick.
One player who didn't receive any pub when he declared but will be a welcomed sight when he returns to campus is Texas-Pan American guard Brian Merriweather. He was one of the top scorers last season in the nation and could be again in 2001.
Final workouts:
Workouts can occur next week, but the top picks usually head to Minneapolis on Monday for a Tuesday news conference. But plenty of late first and second-round picks can still get in workouts as late as Wednesday morning, the day of the draft. |
1. Miles shaking up the lottery? The hottest talk heading into the weekend centers around Chicago taking 6-foot-9 Darius Miles (East St. Louis, Ill.) instead of Chris Mihm with the fourth pick in the draft. The Bulls would then wait for a big man with their seventh pick.
The Bulls have always liked Miles but the growing speculation among NBA personnel is they can't wait for him to be around at No. 7. The Magic have made it clear they would take Miles at No. 5 if he's available. Atlanta is a strong possibility, so Miles could go at No. 6, too.
If the Bulls take Miles with the fourth pick, the middle part of the lottery will become jumbled. But the Miles pick isn't the only potential shakeup in the top five.
The latest word out of New Jersey has the Nets thinking about switching their top pick, too. Cincinnati's Kenyon Martin has been the consensus choice (still ESPN.com's pick for No. 1), but don't be surprised if the Nets turn around and select LSU's Stromile Swift No. 1. They had him in for a workout two weeks ago and were in awe of his leaping ability. The Nets have been tight-lipped about their selection and could look at disturbing the top three by nabbing Swift.
If the Nets do that, Vancouver won't hesitate to take Martin. A move like that would certainly send shock waves through the agent community. Martin's camp has come to the conclusion that playing in New Jersey isn't that bad, but Vancouver hasn't been discussed as much as a viable option.
But the possibility still exists that the Nets could ship No. 1 to Orlando for Nos. 5 and 10 or Nos. 5 and 13 in Wednesday's draft. The latest buzz has Orlando offering No. 5 and center Michael Doleac for No. 1 (reuniting Utah products Doleac and Keith Van Horn). Another trade possibility has the Magic shipping Doleac, No. 10 and No. 13 for the No. 1 pick. If there were a trade, Martin would go No. 1 to the Magic.
For now, if the Nets still take Martin, the top 11 in the lottery could go like this: 1. Nets: Martin; 2. Grizzlies: Swift; 3. Clippers: Marcus Fizer, Iowa State; 4. Bulls: Miles; 5. Magic: Mihm, Texas; 6. Hawks: Mike Miller, Florida; 7. Bulls: Joel Przybilla, Minnesota; 8. Cavaliers: Iakovos Tsakalidis, Greece; 9. Rockets: DerMarr Johnson, Cincinnati; 10. Magic: Jerome Moiso, UCLA; 11. Boston: Courtney Alexander, Fresno State.
If the Bulls pick Miles, the selection will affect Przybilla, Tsakalidis and Alexander.
Chicago would have to pick a center with the No. 7 pick. The Magic won't let Mihm pass them by because of his potential trade value and/or value to them if they end up doing the Doleac trade. Przybilla is next in line for centers, and the Bulls would have to grab him at No. 7. That's where Alexander was supposed to be if the Bulls took Mihm at four. But if they don't, Alexander could then fall to 11.
The Cavs need a big man and they've got Tsakalidis in Cleveland over the weekend. If his contract can be settled by draft day and he can play in the league next season, Tsakalidis could become a Cav. The Rockets are leaning more toward Johnson, even if Alexander is on the board.
Sources close to UCLA confirmed what sources close to the Magic said about their interest in Moiso. Doc Rivers is in love with his versatility and his scoring ability as a small or power forward. If he's on the board, he's gone at No. 10. Moiso could play next to either Mihm or Doleac in the post. That leaves Alexander dropping to the Celtics. Boston needs a big man, but they won't take a chance on Olumide Oyedeji if Alexander is still available.
The Celtics could use another scorer on the wing after Ron Mercer was shipped to Denver. Adrian Griffin is the starting wing next to Kenny Anderson. Putting Alexander on the floor with Anderson, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker could make the Celtics a quicker, more perimeter-oriented team. A team like that could get by another year with Vitaly Potapenko in the middle.
Oyedeji is going back for his second visit to Boston over the weekend. But the Celtics need a proven player at No. 11 if they can get one. Oyedeji is an unknown commodity, even as a consistent rebounder.
The trade talk is still buzzing about Portland's quest to get Michigan freshman Jamal Crawford. The Magic likely will take him at No. 13, with the potential for a trade still in existence. Even if the Magic were to keep the pick, they would be fine with Crawford. He gives them a long-term solution at the position.
2. Invitations going out for draft: Duke's Chris Carrawell can start booking his reservation, while the NBA legal department finalizes the list of attendees at the draft next Wednesday.
The NBA is worried about being embarrassed by having players in attendance that don't get drafted in the first round. But that's the key point. Carrawell isn't a lock for the lottery. In fact, it would be an absolute shock if he went in the first 13 picks. But Carrawell is a lock for the second part of the first round. No one expects Carrawell to get out of the first round. The NBA takes into consideration first-round locks, and Carrawell fits the profile. He's one of the first to be invited who is being looked at as a mid to late-first round lock.
The usual number in attendance hovers around 15. The only face that might look pained if he drops is Alexander's. The rest of the invitees shouldn't feel the need to give a Steve Francis-like frown when they're drafted.
3. Stevenson still hard to figure: Fresno (Calif.) High School senior DeShawn Stevenson is still one of the hardest players to place in the draft. He could go as high as No. 16 to Sacramento or as low as No. 29 to the Lakers. The latest buzz has Seattle very interested at No. 17 if they don't like the big men who are available. Utah, which needs an athletic wing, is a strong possibility at No. 23, as is Phoenix at No. 25.
One certainty is being a high school draft pick isn't as glamorous as other players think. Miles and Stevenson have been ushered to seven to eight cities in a tight two-week stretch. Both players have been studied, poked and prodded and have got to be tired of the process.
The excitement drives them through it, but at least one person associated with Stevenson said he was spent.
4. Locks in the first round: While most of the NBA is starting to think 19 to 29 is a crap shoot, the two best locks seem to be Carrawell to the Hornets at No. 19 and Florida's Donnell Harvey to the Knicks at No. 22. Harvey is the perfect fit for Jeff Van Gundy. The Knicks coach only wants aggressive, hard-working players, and Harvey is the answer. He has limited offensive skills. But he would make signing Kurt Thomas unnecessary.
The Hornets want an active, swing player and Carrawell would be the answer for them. Carrawell has worked out for the Jazz as well, but he'll only be on the board if the Hornets pass on him.
5. Second-round chatter: Two players who might end up high in the second-round who have plenty of vocal followers are Stanford's Mark Madsen and Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera. Unfortunately, Madsen's and Najera's supporters are mistaking talk from NBA teams for a bias against both players. Not true. Both players likely will get guaranteed contracts, but it might not happen until high in the second round. There's nothing wrong with that. Plenty of players come out of the second round with guaranteed contracts and have lengthy careers.
The wrath should be sent to the NBA teams that pass on these players for unproven underclassmen. Dallas could take Najera at No. 31. The Mavericks are expected to complete a trade with Denver for the 37th pick, too. Dallas would ship Robert Pack, Sean Rooks and Hot Rod Williams for Chris Gatling, Popeye Jones and the 37th pick. Denver acquired the 26th pick from Utah in a deal Friday.
The Knicks picked up the Celtics second-round pick at No. 39 because of the Chris Mills trade.
Regardless of what happens, second-round teams like the L.A. Clippers, Dallas, Chicago, Washington, New Jersey, Houston, New York and Atlanta will get quality players. St. John's Lavor Postell, who could slip to the second round, and Saint Louis' Justin Love would be steals high in the second.
ESPN.com's Andy Katz will be checking in every day with the latest draft news leading up to the June 28 event.
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