Caulton Tudor: Bull - Maggette Draft Intrigue

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

It will be interesting if the Bulls do take Maggette and if the NBA
does anything about it...
          
          
            Charlotte News-Observer 
            5/17/99
            Caulton Tudor: Maggette NBA saga puzzling 


       

                 There's not much the NCAA or any college can do about it, but 
            Corey Maggette's decision to declare for the NBA draft will always 
            raise questions. 
                 Specifically, did the Chicago Bulls, Maggette's hometown 
            professional team, circumvent the traditional framework of the draft 
            by letting the Duke freshman and/or his family know that they wanted 
            him? 
                 There is no evidence that anything of that nature took place. 
            But where there's smoke, there's often fire. In this case, lots of 
            folks at Duke and on rival NBA clubs will be awfully suspicious if 
            the Bulls, certain to draft early in the June 30 talent sweepstakes, 
            opt for Maggette. 
                 The background here is cloudy at its clearest. But it's strange 
            that Maggette, a non-starter most of the season at Duke, never 
            mentioned entering the draft this season until March news reports 
            out of Chicago indicated that the Bulls were extremely high on the 
            6-foot-6 wingman. 
                 From that point on, Maggette's status as a second-year player 
            for the Blue Devils became a guessing game. It all culminated 
            Saturday when Chicago newspapers quoted Maggette as saying he would 
            enter the draft. 
                 It could be argued, with some validity, that Maggette's pro 
            potential is too good to waste on collegiate competition. 
                 On the other hand, Maggette is a young, and frequently, erratic 
            prospect who has gone from having his talents honed by Mike 
            Krzyzewski to possibly being coached by Tim Floyd. If there's 
            anything on Floyd's resume to place him remotely close to 
            Krzyzewski's class as a coach, it's well hidden. Anyone who doesn't 
            think college coaching is important to career development should 
            check with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Tim Duncan. 
                 If the Bulls did have a role in Maggette's decision to go pro, 
            the ramifications are obvious. Pro teams with early draft picks 
            could be tempted to pinpoint their favorite college prospect, let 
            him know of their intentions and virtually rig the selection 
            process. 
                 If such practices did occur, the NCAA would have no real 
            recourse. Moving the draft declaration date for underclassmen from 
            mid-May to early April would help protect colleges from surgical 
            strikes by NBA teams to a degree, but such maneuvering could still 
            take place. 
                 And one thing is certain: If NBA teams become convinced that 
            the Bulls did tinker with Maggette, the practice will be duplicated. 
            Anything that seems to work for one team in the pros -- be it 
            basketball, football, baseball or whatever -- quickly is copied by 
            the competition. 
                 From Duke's perspective, it really doesn't make much 
            difference. Maggette is gone, as are four of his prominent teammates 
            from this year's NCAA runner-up team, and Krzyzewski faces an 
            extensive rebuilding process when he returns to work from 
            hip-replacement surgery. 
                 If the cradle was robbed, it's no longer Duke's worry. It's in 
            the NBA's lap now.