two more going pro

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@BATTELLE.ORG>]

Maybe three... Eddy Curry made it official last night, although everyone
knew he was going pro. Reportedly Jason Richardson, the Mich. St. swingman
who has been compared to Vince Carter, will announce today that he's coming
out. And his teammate, burly power forward Zach Randolph, is close to
announcing. That's three more in the lottery pool.

Personally, being from Big Ten country, I've seen plenty of Richardson and
Randolph. I'm not convinced on Richardson, but I wasn't convinced on Vince
Carter either, so what do I know? He's 6-6, athletic, can run and jump like
a deer and generally plays hard. But his outside shot is a real question
mark in my mind. I guess he played well against the NBA Olympic team last
summer, although I didn't see any of those games. Randolph would be great
for the Celts. He's a power forward. Period. He knows how to use his body,
has soft hands and a soft touch around the basket, quick feet. I'd love to
see him in Boston, but I'm betting his stock soars as the draft approaches
and he climbs into the top five.

Also, Jason Williams' mother says Jason is staying at Duke one more year.
That's too bad, because he would have gone in the top five and knocked
someone else to the Celts. Anyway, there seems to be a clear top six at this
point (in no particular order), with plenty of time for more early entries
(Yao Ming?) and late risers:

1. Curry
2. Eddie Griffin
3. Tyson Chandler
4. Zach Randolph
5. Jason Richardson
6. Dasagna Diop

After that, you're probably looking at... Shane Battier, Brendan Haywood,
Rodney White, Loren Woods, Troy Murphy, Michael Bradley, Jamaal Tinsley,
Frank Williams, Joe Johnson, Joe Forte... If you're looking for possible
Celtic picks, look in that group. The Celts need guys like Ming and Williams
and Kwame Brown to declare and hope someone's stock goes up so that one or
more of that group of six (plus Ming, Williams, Brown) slips to that 10-11
range. If the Celts could come away with two of those players, it would be a
great draft.

Mark