Draft articles (Sporting News)

["Jaims" <jaims@impactnet.com>]

Ten players who would be a steal in NBA draft
By Mike DeCourcy - The Sporting News


It used to be teams in the NBA draft went into the second round looking for
steals, for players everyone else may have under-evaluated or who seem to
have the ability to develop into productive players. Now, that's the
objective from the first pick.

There still are players, though, who will be chosen in next Wednesday's
draft who will fit the old definition of "steal," the way Cuttino Mobley and
Cedric Henderson and Anthony Carter have in the past few years.

It's as hard to find them as ever. What is it that makes Mobley an NBA
regular and Miles Simon that guy at the end of the bench? If the teams in
the league knew precisely the difference, then Mobley wouldn't have been
passed through 40 picks. Evaluating second-rung talent is as difficult as
anything the pro scouts are asked to do.

Perhaps this guide to the potential steals available in the draft can help:

Mark Karcher, shooting guard, Temple: Everything so many scouts missed with
Mobley and Henderson is there with Karcher: The guy is a player. It's that
simple.

Karcher made huge shots in his second year at Temple, is physically and
mentally tough, is a nice long-range shooter, has a mid-range game and
handles the ball well enough to create room for himself to shoot.

His body looks better every day. He's not a dynamic athlete, but he will
hold his ground. The team that gets him in the second round should
celebrate; the team wise enough to grab him in the first should be
respected.

Ernest Brown, center, Indian Hills Community College: It's not certain he'll
be available in the second round, but it is apparent there'll be some
centers taken ahead of him who may not be as promising.

Brown does not have the sort of lower-body base that will make him an
effective match for Shaquille O'Neal, but he does have the sort of dynamic
athletic ability that has made Antonio Davis a valuable commodity. Brown
shoots well from 12 feet and has excellent shot-block timing.

He has not played great competition, which will slow his progress, but he
could be a productive player near the close of his second season.

Dan Langhi, small forward, Vanderbilt: Langhi just couldn't seem to get a
lot done at the spring tryout camps, but it never was because he was
overmatched. He needs to be stronger, but he's a fine athlete who always
seems to find the flow of a game.

He'd have to be able to make shots for a team that did the least bit of work
to get him open; Langhi hit .403 from 3-point range and had 14 games of 25
or more points as a senior.

He's got the same spring in his step, the same energy, that Fred Hoiberg
showed at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp a half-decade ago; it took him time, but
Hoiberg became a serviceable player. Langhi has that ability, and another
half-foot of height to put to use.

Pete Mickeal, shooting guard, Cincinnati: Mickeal did himself no favors by
clashing with coach Bob Huggins at the end of the 1999-2000 season, but he's
still the best defensive perimeter player in the draft.

It's hard to figure why Chris Carrawell is viewed as a lock first-rounder
and Mickeal is languishing as a likely second-round pick. Carrawell is more
capable with the ball in his hands, but is just as suspect as a shooter and
not quite as athletic as Mickeal. It seems like a team that gets Mickeal in
the second round gets similar possibilities for a lot less money.

Primoz Brezec, center, Union Olimpija (Slovenia): For a team looking to find
a bargain at the center position -- which certainly is not uncommon in the
draft -- Brezec is a player who runs well, has decent feet and appears to
understand how to gain position to rebound.

He is not offensively polished and has not been productive for his European
club, but he's nearly 7-2 and hasn't yet turned 21.

Malik Allen, power forward, Villanova: It's not fair to take credit for this
suggestion. Allen was virtually invisible at the Chicago camp until a
colleague mentioned how well he was playing. Then, he was impossible to
ignore.

Allen is not a great athlete and does not have the sort of instincts that
make up for that, the way a Paul Silas did. But Allen plays smart and plays
hard and would certainly be able to give a team the sort of minutes that Don
Reid has provided as an NBA player. Midway through the second round, a bet
on a solid backup might be smart.

Eddie Gill, point guard, Weber State: A bunch of point guards are likely to
be selected ahead of Gill, but there may not be a great difference between
him and the others. He is quick with the ball, alert and uncommonly
aggressive. How many others at his position enjoyed a triple-double in
college (15 points, 14 assists, 11 rebounds vs. Montana State)?

Gill is a streaky shooter, but he creates opportunities with his speed. The
problem is that at 6-0, he needs to be even a step quicker or a bit better
jumpshooter to make teams comfortable taking him.

Johnny Hemsley, shooting guard, Miami: There are so many promising
two-guards in this draft that Hemsley is easy to misplace, but he is a solid
athlete who can make shots from 12 to 20 feet.

He does not have the long-range shooting nor the ballhandling skill to be a
sure thing, but he is competitive enough to be worth considering.

Nate Johnson, small forward, Louisville: It sometimes seemed Johnson was
spending all of his energy keeping his talent hidden while playing for the
Cardinals. Rarely has a player done so little with so much.

Because of his ability to put the ball on the floor and get past his man,
Johnson looked sharp at the pre-draft camp, which was a surprise only
because no one knew he'd pick that week to compete. He's definitely a
gamble, and certainly not somebody to hand a guaranteed contract, but if
he's there when the picks start to approach the 50s, he's worth grabbing.

Jason Hart, point guard, Syracuse: If only Hart could shoot, he'd be closer
to the top of the first-round list than the bottom of this one.

Hart has great speed for a point guard his size and defends the position
well. He's not a creative point. He can get the ball into the lane, but
doesn't do enough when he gets there. If a team is willing to work with him,
though, or draft him to establish a relationship and then find the proper
place to develop his skills, Hart may yet become a contributing player in
the league.

Jaims