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STRENGTHS: There is no more versatile player in the draft. There are better
players who are versatile, such as Rhode Island's Lamar Odom, but no one
who does as many things well as Artest. He shoots with range, drives the
ball to the goal, is an excellent post-up scorer, creates opportunities for
teammates and is a big-play defender capable of accumulating steals and
blocks. Call him "The Expanding Man." One moment, he looks like a 6-2
shooting guard whizzing around on the perimeter. The next, he looks like a
6-9 power forward dominating the lane. Artest worked hard to make himself a
better shooter in between his freshman and sophomore season; that
determination should be an asset. It also helps that he is not a shot-hog.
He could have been a 20-point scorer but used all his offensive ability to
make St. John's a top 10-caliber team. 

WEAKNESSES: Artest could have used another year at St. John's to polish his
offensive game. Although he's got the basics, he is a bit sloppy with the
ball (105 turnovers) and not yet adept enough at handling the ball for a
team to feel entirely comfortable playing him at shooting guard. He is an
excellent passer and will be able to attack off the dribble, but he will
cut it loose more often than he should. If he does not improve his handle,
he will have to be a small forward, and he's tough enough but not quite
tall enough to be ideal at that spot. He did not have a great relationship
with coach Mike Jarvis, which has nothing to do with his decision to turn
pro, but he is a bit too emotional and may have trouble dealing with the
pressures of sudden wealth. He could use a mentor to help him deal with the
transition to the NBA. 

NBA COMPARISON/OUTLOOK: Nick Anderson, Orlando Magic. Like Anderson, Artest
is a powerful player who can nail perimeter shots. Artest comes to the
league equipped with a much more varied game, but Anderson had a greater
degree of experience when he left Illinois. Still, it can be argued the
team that gets Artest between the 6th and 10th picks, which is probably
where he'll land, may get the bargain of the draft. Consider all that
Artest did that Duke's Corey Maggette did not: carry his team, make big
shots, shoot consistently from deep, score on the block, play big minutes.
Which one would you want? 

-- Mike DeCourcy/The Sporting News 

NOTES:
Artest was as close to a "go-to" guy as St. John's had this year in its run
to the Elite Eight. A multi-talented small forward, Artest is still young
and learning, but scouts love his strength and NBA-caliber body, even more
so than conference rival Richard Hamilton of Connecticut. Artest was
comfortable helping on the boards (6.3 rpg this season), or taking it
outside and sticking the 3-pointer (37.4 percent, 1.6 per game). He's an
exciting open-court player whose conditioning (a team leading 34.1 mpg) is
very good. Artest still needs to fine-tune several aspects of his game, as
he only played two seasons of college ball. He will also need to be
patient; too often St. John's players were involved in internal squabbles. 

STATISTICS:
                          MIN   FG%   3P%   FT%    RPG   APG   PPG 
97-98 St. John's (NY)     27.2  41.5  32.7  52.6   6.3   1.9  11.6 
98-99 St. John's (NY)     34.2  46.9  37.4  64.4   6.3   4.2  14.5 
------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTALS                    30.9  44.5  35.5  58.9   6.3   3.2  13.1 
<<

Also, according to the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls are not looking to fully
exploit being $20 mil under the cap by going after big name free agents.

>>Floyd said the Bulls aren't going to break the bank pursuing a free
agent, even though they are in the best position of any team to go on a
shopping spree. The Bulls are a little more than $20 million under the
salary cap, but likely won't spend more than half of that.

"We're not going to spend all of our free-agent money this year," Floyd
said. "There's an overall plan in place that will include next year, and
possibly even the year after. As coaches, we want it all done right now.
We'd like for them to go spend it all, but I'm saying that facetiously. I'm
trying to be very patient with this whole thing."<< 

http://chicagotribune.com/sports/bulls/ws/item/0,1267,28799-28867-31107,00.h
tml

So... with the Magette trade (he may end up in Phoenix) and this stuff it
looks like the draft was just the prelude to the real wheeling and dealing.
And remember Pitino could still pull the trigger on Antoine and then end up
sending Mercer and Dana etc. to Portland rather than Seattle. (NB: Mercer
and Barros were tabbed as the stool-pigeons in the "Pierce crying"
scandal). Wouldn't that be ironic - the two players that have polarized
this list both being swapped! And Anderson apparently secure!! (I guess
because he has no trade value). Next year's line-up could be: C -
Potapenko, PF - Baker, SF - Kukoc, SG - Pierce, PG - Anderson. Talk about
getting older! The bench, in contrast could be stocked with young defensive
demons: C - Riley?, PF - Battie, SF - Artest, SG - Clack, PG - Turner (or,
knowing Pitino: C - Battie, PF - Waltah, etc.).

The next month does promises to be both interesting and frustrating. 

Enjoy! -Tom Murphy