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Lacy J. Banks On The NBA Draft
Mainly from a Chicago Bulls perspective. They have five
draft picks, including three firsts. Possible trade possibilities
with the Celtics?
NBA draft a game of chance
April 27, 1999
BY LACY J. BANKS STAFF REPORTER
Elton Brand. Wally Szczerbiak. Andre Miller. Trajan
Langdon. Evan Eschmeyer. Scott Padgett. Steve Francis.
Kris Clack.
Remember those names because one, two or three of them
might be wearing Bulls uniforms next season if
operations chief Jerry Krause strikes gold in the NBA
draft June 30.
With nine days left in the Bulls' worst season ever,
Krause and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf are preparing to
put together a new and better team via the draft,
trades and the free-agent market.
Come draft day, Krause likely will have three
first-round picks and two second-round picks. He also
will have about $24 million worth of salary-cap room
to accommodate new players.
What if Krause drafts in the top three and picks the
6-8 Szczerbiak, who opened the NCAA tournament with a
43-point performance and guided Miami of Ohio into the
Sweet 16?
``Whoever gets Szczerbiak will get a superb player,''
Atlanta Hawks general manager Pete Babcock said.
``He's a guy who has grown up around the game because
his father was a player.''
Walt Szczerbiak played in the American Basketball
Association and later was a star in Spain. Krause
likes players from basketball families--witness Brent
Barry, John Paxson and Horace Grant.
``Wally's also got really good basketball sense,''
Babcock said. ``He can shoot the ball, has good
strength and a lot of other pluses. He had a very good
year. The question marks may be his speed and
quickness on defense. And since I've only seen him a
few times this year, he just may be good enough in
those areas to do well.''
Langdon also could be a good acquisition. The 6-3 Duke
senior led the Blue Devils to the No. 1 ranking for
much of last season, averaging 17.1 points.
``There is no better big-game player,'' said former
Duke assistant Quin Snyder, who replaced Norm Stewart
as coach at Missouri.
Miller might not appeal as much to Krause because he
is a point guard with a conventional penetrating game.
But the Utah playmaker is strong, has the versatility
to play shooting guard, defends well and comes from a
strong program.
NBA rules forbid general managers and scouts from
commenting about underclassmen until they officially
apply for the draft. Among those who have announced
their intentions to file are power forward Brand and
point guard William Avery of Duke, shooting guard
Francis of Maryland and small forward Ron Artest of
St. John's. The deadline for underclassmen to declare
for the draft is May 16, and others--including
Connecticut junior forward Richard Hamilton and Duke
freshman forward Corey Maggette--might join the list.
``Any of these players would help the Bulls--and not
just because the Bulls need help at every position,''
one scout said. ``They are among the best players in
the draft, and the best players generally can play in
any NBA system.''
Krause figures to target players whose talents and
personalities are compatible with the triple-post
offense, a system devised by Bulls assistant Tex
Winter that features generous passing, fluid player
movement and balanced, equal-opportunity scoring.
Bulls coach Tim Floyd likes the offense and will stay
with it at least for another season.
``I like it from the standpoint that it gives us ball
movement and player movement,'' Floyd said. ``I also
like the fact it gives us a flow from our transition
game to offense better than most teams enjoy. Our
break hadn't been as good as we like, nor the flow.
But a lot of that has had to do with injuries and
practice time. It's proven that you can be successful
within it.''
Winter said the Bulls will seek ``players who play
within a system, not someone who wants to score every
time he touches the ball. Someone who is willing to
move the basketball and give it up. ... So we're
talking about good ballhandlers and passers, players
able to initiate the offense and also someone who can
hit the 15-foot, medium-range shot.''
Szczerbiak, Langdon, 6-9 forward Scott Padgett of
Kentucky and 6-5 swingman Kris Clack of Texas would
seem well-suited for such a scheme. Padgett has a
great outside-shooting touch and comes from a winning
program. Clack averaged 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds
in winning most valuable player honors at a predraft
camp in Phoenix. He plays solid defense but will need
to become a better shooter and ballhandler for the
Bulls' system.
The Bulls thoroughly investigate the background of
their draft picks and will be wary of bringing in
players of questionable character. They made a rare
exception in signing Dennis Rodman; despite a few
problems, the gamble paid off with three
championships. But although Lee Nailon, a 6-8 forward
from Texas Christian, has the versatile basketball
qualities that would fit in the Bulls' system, his hot
temper might rule him out.
The Bulls will need help at every position this
summer, starting at center and then moving to the
backcourt. They will go for the biggest and the best
player first and hope to get both attributes in the
same player.