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          [Philadelphia Online] THE PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS Sports
                          Thursday, June 26, 1997
                                      
                          Sixers? Call it NBA Daft
                                      
                              by Jeff Samuels
                          Daily News Sports Writer
                                      
   
   There's a Tim on the board. He's big, smooth, talented. The pick's a
   classic no-brainer.
   
   Yo, Sixers.
   
   Tim Thomas?
   
   As we said, a classic no-brainer.
   And, oh, by the way . . . ...
   A swingman type at 21?
   
   Yet another one at 34?
   
   And, for a change of pace, a shooting guard at 37? One so stirring
   that he quickly was dealt away for . . . a second-rounder next year?
   Dare we say bring back the Revolution?
   And to think this night began with everyone thinking the Nets were the
   pinheads.
   Oh, well, on to the teams that had a clue . . .
   BIGGEST WINNERS
   1. Spurs. Tim Duncan was a no-brainer. And the thought of him playing
   alongside David Robinson, even with that Gregg Popovich character at
   the controls, is frightening.
   
   2. Celtics. For a guy who struck out on every deal he tried to make,
   Rick Pitino didn't exactly wind up destitute. Chauncey Billups at 3?
   Ron Mercer at 6? On a team that already has Antoine Walker? Sorry,
   Sixers, you've just been passed.
   
   3. Cavaliers. Drafting 13th and 16th, they came away with perhaps the
   best pure athlete in the draft (Derek Anderson) and one of the
   highest-rated point guards (Brevin Knight). We shudder to think what
   our heroes would have done at those spots.
   NEXT BIGGEST WINNERS
   1. Bulls. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen instead of a No. 3 and a
   No. 6? That's a big, fat ''W,'' regardless of what Jerry Reinsdorf
   might think.
   
   2. Nuggets. When you trade away a 6-11 starting center (Ervin Johnson)
   and two other players and manage to walk away with your top pick (6-11
   Tony Battie) and Milwaukee's (Danny Fortson), ya done real good.
   
   3. Warriors. Yeah, Adonal Foyle is a tad short for a center at 6-10
   and badly unpolished. But he's also the leading shot-blocker in NCAA
   history, weighs 250 pounds, answers this team's most pressing need and
   is THE GUY THE SIXERS SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN AT NO. 7 INSTEAD OF TIM
   THOMAS! Temple's Marc Jackson was a fine pickup in the second round,
   too.
   
   4. Jazz. Jacque Vaughn with the next-to-last pick in the first round?
   The rest of the league should be ashamed.
   
   5. Pistons. With the 19th pick in the 1997 NBA draft, the Detroit
   Pistons select . . . a 6-11, 265-pound honorable mention All-America
   who averaged almost three blocks a game last season. Is Scot Pollard
   the perfect fit for these guys or what?
   
   6. Magic. A backcourt of Penny Hardaway and Johnny Taylor should
   convince Chuck Daly once and for all that he'll be happy back on the
   sidelines.
   
   7. Peter Vecsey, who, as TNT continually reminded, called the first
   seven picks and hit 'em all.
   BIGGEST LOSERS
   1. Yep. You guessed it: Our heroes. And that's even with the
   surprisingly excellent Kebu Stewart selection at 36.
   
   2. Rockets. What was that Rodrick Rhodes pick at 24?
   
   3. Heat. If Charles Smith and Mark Sanford are such fine talents, how
   come we never heard of either one?
   BEST MOMENT
   Antonio Daniels sharing his feelings with TNT's Craig Sager on being
   drafted No. 4 just a year after the death of his brother.
   WORST MOMENT
   Daniels saying he felt he'd just honored his brother's memory and
   Sager sticking a mike in his face and blurting, ''How?''
   BEST REMARK BY A TV GUY
   TNT's Rick Majerus, to his former star, Keith Van Horn: ''With all
   that money you'll be making, are you going to get a hairstylist?''
   SECOND BEST REMARK BY A TV GUY
   TNT's John Thompson, on Pacers No. 1 Austin Croshere: ''I'm glad to
   see him go and I have the scars to prove it.''
   THIRD BEST REMARK BY A TV GUY
   TNT's Hubie Brown, on Anderson's knee injury apparently being the
   reason he lasted until the 13th pick: ''This reminds me of the draft
   when everybody was afraid to take Sidney Moncrief.''
   DUMBEST REMARK BY A TV GUY
   Brown, on playing with Billups: ''You have to have eyes.''
   BEST PIPES
   The lilting island tones of Foyle.
   SECOND BEST PIPES
   The deep French tones of Olivier Saint-Jean.
   COLDEST WELCOME TO A NO. 1 OVERALL PICK
   Popovich, during what was supposed to be a friendly, little bit with
   Duncan: ''Obviously, we expect a lot. Tim knows that.''
   WORST LOOK
   Our man Tim Thomas, whose white pinstriped suit was outdone only by
   his gleaming black shirt.
   SECOND WORST LOOK
   The bright, shiny turquoise three-piece worn by Clippers No. 1 Maurice
   Taylor.
   BEST ARLISS$$ IMPERSONATION
   Was it just us or was super-agent David Falk really in the crowd with
   every player?
   BEST PREDRAFT QUOTE
   Pitino, asked the Celts' most pressing needs: ''A point guard, a
   shooting guard, a small forward and a center.''
   2ND BEST PREDRAFT QUOTE
   Pacers coach Larry Bird, asked why he didn't accept Pitino's
   invitation to remain in the Celtics' front office: ''My job was
   finished in Boston. As you can see, I left Rick with a lot of great
   players.''
   BEST PREDRAFT MALAPROP
   NBA scouting director Marty Blake, trying to praise the draft's
   frontcourt talent: ''It's the finest crap I've seen in a long time.''
   
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                     Copyright Thursday, June 26, 1997