ESPN Insider news--no Gasol, but get ready for Bonzi

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

Here's today's latest. Looks like Gasol is going to Golden State (unless he
goes to Atlanta first). That probably drops Rodney White to 6 (where that
Vancouver-Detroit trade probably will happen) and Battier, Griffin or Curry
to 7. (I'm assuming Brown, Chandler, Griffin/Battier/Curry make up the top
four picks, followed by Gasol.) Jersey could be faced with an interesting
dilemma if they see Battier/Griffin/Curry on the board. That slider will be
competing with Jason Richardson, Joe Johnson and DeSagna Diop for the final
spots in that top 10. The most likely to fall to the Celts seems to be Diop,
which is fine with me but doesn't appear to be what the Celtics want at all.
Let's hope Andy Katz is right about the Pistons' love affair with Troy
Murphy, which would allow the Celts to get two of the Battier/Griffin/Curry
slider-Richardson-Johnson-Diop group. I guess the other name to throw in the
mix is Radmanovic.

The other Celtics-related tidbit involves the Kedrick Brown for Bonzi Wells
deal. Insider says other "league sources" are confirming that deal. I'm not
wild about it simply because Bonzi Wells is recovering from a serious knee
injury, somewhat duplicates Paul Pierce (a big, physical, post-up 2/3) and
doesn't address the needs of athleticism or size. He just seems like a
square peg. The X-factor to the deal is what salary the Celtics would send
back to Portland, but Bonzi is only making $1.5 mill, so it's not like the
Celts could dump Kenny (unless it's a bigger deal than we think, and in
looking at the two rosters, I don't see a match). Anyway, it's not that I
don't like Bonzi Wells-I just don't think he's a great fit for the Celts.

Here's the dish:


 

It looks like the Celtics will be caught between a rock and a hard place in
their quest to grab Spanish star Pau Gasol
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=10009> . A league source
told Insider yesterday that Golden State is leaning heavily toward taking
Gasol with the No. 5 pick in the draft. 
The 7-1, 220 pound small forward is considered to be the top European
prospect in the draft. Gasol has drawn comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3252>  and Toni Kukoc
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=2148> , though some
European scouts feel his game more closely resembles Kevin Garnett
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3007> 's. 
Golden State GM Gary St. Jean has fallen in love with Gasol, the only player
not to have even one NBA workout during the draft process. The Warriors
believe he is less of a risk than taking a high school big man or Seton
Hall's Eddie Griffin
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=479> . Furthermore, the
Warriors believe that Gasol may have as high a trade value as any of the top
lottery selections. If they select Gasol, they will entertain trade offers
from teams like the Celtics and Rockets, hoping to land a veteran or muliple
first round picks. 
If Gasol is selected by the Warriors, he'll make enough money to buy out his
contract with F.C. Barcelona and begin playing in the NBA this season.
According to the source, the Warriors broke their silence about their
affinity for Gasol after his agent Herb Rudoy threatened to pull him out of
the draft if he wasn't sure he'd be selected in the top 6. 
Several contingencies could punch holes in the Warriors' plan. 
The last few days, Hawks GM Pete Babcock has mentioned Gasol's name
prominently in interviews. It's believed that the Hawks will select either
Duke's Shane Battier
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=127>  or high school
star Kwame Brown <http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=10001>
at No. 3, but Gasol would be an intriguing pickup for them. Babcock could
put him under the tutelage of Toni Kukoc, another of Rudoy's clients. 
Secondly, if Kwame Brown or Tyson Chandler
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=10002>  fell to the
Warriors at No. 5, they'd be hard pressed to pass him up. 
This poses a major obstacle to Gasol's three most ardent suitors, the
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=Cle> Cleveland Cavaliers
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=cle> , the
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=Bos> Boston Celtics
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=bos>  and the
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=Hou> Houston Rockets
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=hou> . 
Cleveland GM Jim Paxson has been vocal about his disinterest in grabbing
Gasol, even at No. 8. That's nothing more than a smoke screen the league
source told Insider. Paxson has had extensive negotiations with Rudoy
concerning Gasol. Rudoy also represents another Cavs player, Zydrunas
Ilgauskas <http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3121> .
Even if Cleveland had to wait a year for Gasol, Paxson was planning on
selecting Gasol at No. 8 if he fell that far. 
The Celtics were beginning to believe the Gasol might fall to them at No.
10. They have been loathe to give up their 10th and 11th picks just to move
up in the draft. The Rockets have been trying for weeks to move up, so far
unsuccessfully. 
Jordan settling for Kwame? 
If agent Arn Tellem has it his way, Kwame Brown
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=10001>  will be the
first high school player in NBA history to go No. 1 in the NBA draft.
According to the New York Times, Tellem met with Michael Jordan yesterday in
an attempt to secure Brown as the top pick Wednesday. 
Whether Jordan is actually leaning toward Brown is a different story.
Insider learned Monday that neither Brown nor high school phenom Tyson
Chandler <http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=10002>  was
impressive Saturday in a head-to-head workout for Jordan. According to the
source, Jordan still believes that Charlotte forward Rodney White
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=1325>  is the best
player in the draft. 
Jordan may be leaning toward Brown, who is the most coveted player in the
draft, because he has the most trade value. So far Washington's attempts to
trade down in the draft have been unsuccessful. A subtle suggestion by
Chicago GM Jerry Krause that the Bulls would take a long look at White when
they select at pick No. 4 also may be holding the Wizards back from any
possible trade. 
Expect Washington to keep listening to offers right up to the start of the
draft. "Having No. 1 helps the phones ring," Rod Higgins, Wizards assistant
GM, told the Washington Post. "I would imagine, as we get closer to the
actual draft every team will be doing their due diligence to improve their
individual teams." 
*	Wizards Close to Selecting Georgia High School Star
<javascript:launchBrowser('http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/26/sports/26NBAA.h
tml', 'sitelineWin', 700, 550)> 
Mike Wise/New York Times 
*	Wizards Favor Brown, Chandler
<javascript:launchBrowser('http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45
231-2001Jun25.html', 'sitelineWin', 700, 550)> 
Steve Wyche/Washington Post 
Elevator Up, Elevator Down 
The NBA has released its list of 14 players invited to the Green Room, ready
to appear on TV at the draft. Typically, as teams fine tune their thinking
and players rise and fall on the want lists, the Green Room invitees are the
best gauge of who is projected to go in the lottery 
The only real surprise was the inclusion of JUCO star Kedrick Brown
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=10017> , who has come
out of nowhere to be projected as a top 10 pick. How obscure is Brown?
Several top teams didn't even see tape on him until Monday. His agent, Arn
Tellam, has kept him under wraps. Several league sources confirmed an
Insider report yesterday that Brown will likely be selected by the Celtics
and then traded to the Blazers for shooting guard Bonzi Wells
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?statsId=3254> . 
Left off the list were Loren Woods
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=2665> , Michael Bradley
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=503> , Joe Forte and
Richard Jefferson <http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=2678>
. UNC center Brendan Haywood
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=162>  may be the only
player on the Green Room list not to go in the lottery. 
Woods had a solid work out with the Magic Monday, according to league
sources. The Magic have invited Woods back for a third workout today versus
another of their favorites, Steven Hunter
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=1300> . The concern with
Woods hasn't been his workouts, however. He's gotten rave reviews from teams
who have seen him play. It's Woods mental toughness and lack of focus that
continue to be the biggest question marks about his game. 
Curiously, Iowa State point guard Jamaal Tinsley
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/player?playerId=896> , who is widely
thought to be in free-fall, canceled a workout with the
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=Cha> Charlotte Hornets
<http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=cha>  (No. 16) yesterday.
Tinsley also backed out of a workout with the Seattle Supersonics (No. 12).
"They decided he was going higher than us" at No.16, Hornets vice president
Bob Bass told the Charlotte Observer. Maybe he knows something we don't.