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http://foxsports.com/nba/home/nba_news.cfm?source=st&cont_id=62958

MJ, Wizards look to trade
June 04, 2001
BY FRANK BURLISON
FOXSports.com

There's a tad more than three weeks to go before the June 27 NBA draft
and not one player has emerged as an obvious choice for the franchise
holding the top spot -- the Washington Wizards.

Will the Wizards -- or, more to the point, team president (and
soon-to-be guard?) Michael Jordan -- opt for one of two college
forwards, Eddie Griffin or Shane Battier?

Or will Jordan -- and coach Doug Collins -- really be bold and make the
Wizards the first ever team to tab a high school senior No. 1?

Maybe neither of the above.

At least a couple of long-time friends of Jordan's believes No. 23 will
ultimately seek to trade the selection for at least one NBA veteran who
can more readily immediately turn the team's fortunes around -- whether
Jordan is wearing a uniform or not.

Jordan has had up-close looks at Griffin and preps Tyson Chandler, Kwame
Brown and Eddy Curry recently and has been impressed with each of them.

"But he thinks Griffin (the 6-foot-9, recently turned 19-year-old who
played just one season at Seton Hall) is the only one who could help the
team right away," said one of Jordan's buddies, who didn't want to be
identified.

Jordan and Collins (whose son, Chris, is a Duke grad and assistant
coach) are also fans of Battier. But no one believes the Wizards -- or
anyone who might trade into the spot -- would use the first pick for the
College Player of the Year.

A couple of NBA players whose availability would pique the interest
Jordan and the Wizards are playmakers Gary Payton of Seattle and Mike
Bibby of Vancouver.

Pre-Draft campers try to break into first round

Approximately 65 players are expected to participate in drills and
scrimmages during NBA's Pre-Draft Camp that will being held June 5-8 at
Moody Bible College in Chicago.

But only two of those athletes -- guards Gilbert Arenas of Arizona and
Trenton Hassell of Austin Peay -- are considered certain first-round
picks.

Those who could greatly enhance their first-round hopes with strong
performances in Chicago include underclassmen Kirk Haston of Indiana,
Sam Clancy of USC, Omar Cook of St. John's, Kenny Satterfield of
Cincinnati and Keith Bogans of Kentucky. Some of the seniors are Rashad
Phillips of Detroit, Ken Johnson of Ohio State and Earl Watson of UCLA.

Most of the players expected to be lottery selections -- including
Griffin, Chandler, Curry, Battier, Joe Johnson (Arkansas), Jason
Richardson (Michigan State) and Rodney White (Charlotte) -- will undergo
NBA-administered physicals and be weighed and measured with the other
players Friday in Chicago.

Draft notes

• Kwame Brown -- the consensus of a dozen or so scouts polled at the USA
Trials in Colorado Springs as the best prospect in the draft -- is set
to participate in "private" workouts scheduled by his agent, Arn Tellem,
for the Bulls (who pick No. 4), Washington and Atlanta (No. 3), in
Chicago.

He isn't expected to be around for the Bulls to pick him at No. 4,
though.

• Some scouts believe that the teams holding the most interest in Tyson
Chandler are the L.A. Clippers (at No. 2) and the Golden State Warriors
(No. 5).

Griffin and Chandler held individual workouts for the Clippers and both
were impressive.

But the Clippers aren't likely to commit to either until they also work
out Brown and Curry in Los Angeles.

• A senior who has helped himself considerably in the post-season
workouts is 7-1 Loren Woods of Arizona.

Woods has already added about 15 pounds (he's now up to about 225) and
most scouts project him more as a power forward ("four man") than they
do as a traditional center.

He's a cinch Top 13 (lottery) selection who could be knocking on Top 10
status by June 27.

• Some scouts were mildly surprised that senior Jeff Trepagnier (USC)
elected not to play in Chicago and even more so that freshman Gerald
Wallace (Alabama) is also skipping the Moody Bible College workouts.

Their respective representation (Tellem for Wallace and Jeff Schwartz
for Trepagnier) believe that any questions about those players'
jump-shooting skills -- a concern of many -- have been answered in the
positive.

• DeSagana Diop, the 7-0, 300-pound graduate of Oak Hill Academy who
came to the U.S. from Senegal less than two years ago, is expected to be
a Top 10 selection and has scheduled workouts with Vancouver (No. 6) and
New Jersey (No. 7).

Although Dallas doesn't hold a first-round selection, some think the
Mavs -- whose scout, Amadou Fall, is from Senegal and responsible for
bringing Diop to the U.S. -- may try to swing a deal to wangle a spot at
which Diop could be available.