Draft Prospects....

[JThorne ST <JThorneST@aol.com>]

These are the guys that I could see the Celts drafting at the moment:

I'll do this in order of how I want.......

Larry Hughes 6'5" 195 2G/PG St Louis FR. Okay, why would I want a guard when
we have Anderson and Mercer. Very simple, this kid has got awesome talent and
is tailor made, I mean perfect for the Pitino system. With him, you have a
couple of options, you can start him at the 2 guard, and move Mercer to the 3,
where he will have, by and large a huge quickness advantage. Or you can have
him be a dynamite scorer as a 6th man for a year or two and then eventually
perhaps, he could step in and be your point guard at 6'5"or has Mercer gets
stronger you can then move Mercer to the 3. Even more than a center in my
opinion, we need another option to score. He's it, he may, or may not be
there...

Al Harrington 6'8" 222  WF St Patricks HS, Elizabeth NJ. I've watched both the
McDonalds game, and the Nike Hoop Summit and have taped it. Harrington could
be an ideal 3 for us, as he has pretty good build already and is not as
fragile as his counterpart, Rashard Lewis. He can hit the deep 3, he can
dribble, and his post game isn't bad, especially when he would be a 3. But he
is raw, but down the line he could be a great 3, which is the position I think
we need the most, because your more likely to get a star quality 3 than a star
center. He also is a great kid and has a good head on his shoulders. Pretty
good chances he'll be there

Dirk Nowitzski 6'11" 225 WF/PF Germany. He too played in the hoop summit, and
was the clear star scoring 33 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. He can drive to
the hoop, he can rebound, and he can shoot. A lot of people are real high on
him, and I would be too if we played the typical NBA way. I don't know if he's
quick enough for the pressing system, but he can definitely be a good
offensive player, just not sure on his athleticism. One potential plus/minus
is that he could continue to play in Europe, which if did that for just
another year would benefit, but he could become an icon there and would be a
headache to get him over here. Too early to tell if he'll be there or not.

Robert Traylor 6'8" 290 PF JR Michigan.  Huge in the paint area and would
provide a low post scoring presence. Has range about to 15 feet and has great
leadership qualities, and extremely good feet and movement. In that regard, he
is much like Shaquille O'Neal except 3 inches shorter and a little better foul
shooter. Impossible to move, but he probably could afford to lost at least 15
pounds and he would be even better. Pretty good chance he'll be there.

Lamar Odom 6'9" 225 WF FR Rhode Island. He didn't play, this his freshman year
because of grade problems, but he is much like Al Harrington, except he is an
inch or maybe two bigger. He can handle the ball, he can score outside and
inside and he is pretty unselfish. Actually the player he compares to most in
ability in my opinion is Antoine Walker. He is immature, but Rick Pitino
heavily recruited him to play at UK last season so there's interest there. A
very good probability he'll will be there at 10.

Keon Clark 6'11" 230 PF/C UNLV SR. Very athletic, and can jump out of the gym,
both for rebounds and alley oops. Decent post game, and is sort of a cross
between Antonio McDyess and Kevin Garnett. Could definitely play some center
in the Pitino system, but the best move with him would probably be to stick
him at the power forward slot and move Antoine to the 3. However, he is very
immature and his head seems to be absent at times, so there's a bit of a
gamble there, although I do not think he has had substance abuse problems. He
should be there at 10.

Nazr Mohammed 6'11" 240 C JR Kentucky. A low post player who Pitino discovered
in Chicago in HS when he was severely overweight but has worked very hard to
make himself a good player. Has gotten better since he went to Lexington and
has a good jump hook with both hands. His range is probably about 10-12 feet.
Good shot blocker and a good body. Pretty good quickness and is familar with
the Pitino system. Will probably go around where the Celtics pick but might be
a reach because he's a true center; and after Michael Oliwakandi of Pacific is
the best center in the draft.

I don't see them taking anyone else but who I mentioned unless someone slips
like Vince Carter. Rashard Lewis is another possibility, but I just don't see
it.