Ex-Hog seen as a good fit with Celtics
BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
FAYETTEVILLE -- Before Wednesday night's NBA Draft, Joe Johnson said his best
of nine private workouts for teams holding lottery picks was with the Boston
Celtics.
"I was just more relaxed and really in the flow of things," he said. "Things
just clicked."
The Celtics obviously liked Johnson's workout, too, because they made the
former Arkansas and Little Rock Central standout the 10th pick of the first
round Wednesday night in New York.
"I've always loved the Celtics," Johnson said. "It's an honor to play for
them."
Johnson, who declared for the NBA Draft on April 26 after his sophomore
season with the Razorbacks, became Arkansas' first top-10 pick since 1992,
when Todd Day was chosen eighth by the Milwaukee Bucks. He is the Razorbacks'
first lottery pick since 1995, when Corliss Williamson was chosen 13th by the
Sacramento Kings.
"When I entered the draft, I wasn't sure what to expect," Johnson said.
"People told me I'd go late in the first round, so I was so elated when they
called my name [10th]."
Johnson, 6-8, had career averages of 15 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and
1.7 steals in 53 games for Arkansas the past two seasons. He has been
projected to play small forward, shooting guard and point guard.
"Playing at Arkansas has gotten me ready for what I need to do [in the NBA],"
Johnson said. "Getting up at 5:30 in the morning for practice has mentally
prepared me for what's about to happen, and [Razorbacks] Coach [Nolan]
Richardson's system of getting up and down the floor and getting after it on
both ends of the floor has helped me out. "I'll take it on the professional
level now."
Boston also had the 11th pick in the first round and chose forward Kedrick
Brown, 6-7, from Okaloosa-Walton (Fla.) Junior College, who signed with LSU
this year but then opted for the draft.
"I am absolutely ecstatic to be able to get Joe and Kedrick," Boston Coach
Jim O'Brien said. "We really hit a home run with these two picks."
Johnson's pick drew high praise from TNT's panel of commentators covering the
NBA Draft.
"Versatility is his middle name," said Kenny Smith, a former point guard with
the Houston Rockets.
"This young guy has it all ... he's the total package because he passes as
well as he scores, rebounds and posts up," said Hubie Brown, a former NBA
coach. "This guy has got the total game."
Louisville Coach Rick Pitino coached the Celtics the previous four seasons
before resigning this year. O'Brien, an assistant to Pitino at Kentucky and
with the Celtics, was promoted to replace Pitino in Boston. Pitino accurately
predicted on TNT's telecast that Boston would select Johnson right before the
pick was announced.
"[Johnson] is Jim O'Brien's style of basketball player," Pitino said. "They
want somebody like [Celtics forward] Antoine Walker who can put it on the
floor, shoot it and make plays. "This is another talented young man, maybe
physically one of the more
talented basketball players in the country."
O'Brien also compared Johnson to Walker, who played at Kentucky and was the
sixth player picked in the 1996 NBA Draft by Boston as a sophomore after
helping lead the Wildcats to the NCAA title.
"I think [Johnson] is a three-man [small forward], I believe he has the
ball-handling abilities of an Antoine Walker, that he can do some things,
create some things," O'Brien said. "With both picks [Johnson and Brown],
especially in Joe, we wanted people that could shoot the long ball, create
their own shot at the end of the shot clock and are willing to pass the
basketball and are unselfish players."
Charles Barkley, the longtime NBA star for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix
Suns and Houston, said of Johnson, "Any player that plays for Nolan
Richardson is going to be tough, No. 1, and is going to play hard for you
every night."
Barkley also joked with Johnson after he was picked.
"Hey, Joe, I'm going to give you some advice -- get used to your family being
nice to you, because they're going to always want to borrow money,"
Barkley said. "Don't forget that -- they're only being nice now because
you've got a ton of money."
Johnson said he is excited about becoming a Boston teammate of Walker and
Paul Pierce.
"I think I'll fit in well with them," Johnson said. "I'm excited to go to
Boston now and make the best of it."
This article was published on Thursday, June 28, 2001