Re: Guidelines For The Celtics Draft

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

Ray wrote... "If you want a project, go after Randolph, or Johnson
from Ohio State."

****

Ray, I'm a Randolph fan also, but if you're comparing Diop to Ken Johnson,
you obviously haven't seen much of Ken Johnson. I love the guy as a college
player, and think he probably has a Michael Stewart-type career ahead of him
in the NBA. He's a great shot-blocker, but that's it. He's about 6-10 and
wiry, so he can't play center full-time. He doesn't have the skills to play
power forward. He may contribute more right away (although I'm not so sure
about that), but there's not much upside there. Would I take him at 22?
Maybe. 

Diop, on the other hand, has NBA size and by all accounts potentially has
serious NBA skills. He's a shot-blocker, but a much better rebounder than
Johnson. Will he score? I don't know, but I know he's worth a shot if he
slides to 10. The stress fracture is a concern, without question, but aren't
all these guys risks? You take the risk with Diop because the reward is so
great.

In my dream world, Diop and Randolph are sitting there at 10 and 11 and the
Celts snatch them both. In reality, I'm hoping one of them slides to that
point. At this point, and it's extremely early, I don't believe either is
likely to happen.

If that doesn't happen, I'm still hoping for Brendan Haywood. NBA size and
skills, but stuck on a team that didn't use him enough. I really believe he
could be a better pro than college player.

Mark