PG Ratings from ESPN Insider

["Sean Giovanello" <sgiovanello@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Note: The list includes all players who have declared 2003 draft. An
asterisk (*) by a player's name indicates he is either a college
underclassman who has not hired an agent or an under 22 international player
who can withdraw his name before the June 19th deadline.

1. T.J. Ford, Texas
The line: 6-0, 162, Sophomore
The skinny: Ford's stock got a huge boost when he measured 6-foot-0 and 1/4
in Chicago. He's widely regarded as the top point guard in college hoops. He
may be the fastest player in basketball, pro or college. Has an uncanny
ability to see the floor and deliver it with laser-like accuracy. Call it a
kind of point guard sixth sense -- the same stuff that fuels Jason Kidd's
mojo. His only real weakness is his size and lack of a consistent jumper.
Still, at a recent workout for the Raptors, he was hitting every shot. He's
not for everybody, but there's almost no way he falls out of the Top 10.
Look for him to go as high as No. 4 to the Raptors. He won't slip past the
Bucks at No. 8.

2. Kirk Hinrich, Kansas
The line: 6-4, 186, Senior
The skinny: Hinrich is pulling away from the competition as the second-best
point guard in the draft. Hinrich's workout reviews have been solid to
stellar everywhere he's gone. Hinrich worked out better than any other point
guard they've had in. If the Bucks pick a point guard at No. 8, and T.J.
Ford already is off the board, it looks like Hinrich is the guy. Hinrich has
the size, floor vision, ball handling, unselfishness and long-range jumper
that scouts beg for in a point guard. While some worry about his strength
and lateral quickness, most teams feel he's go as high as No. 8 to the Bucks
and no lower than No. 15 to the Magic.

3. Reece Gaines, Louisville
The line: 6-6, 205, Senior
The skinny: He's 6-6, has legitimate point-guard skills, is a great athlete
and has developed into a legit 3-point marksman. Several scouts used words
like "slick" and "savvy" to describe his play. If teams are convinced he can
be a full-time point guard in the pros, he's got a great shot at the late
lottery. If they think he's a combo guard, he's looking at a mid-to-late
first-round selection. Right now he could go as high as No. 10 to the
Wizards and should slip no lower than No. 15 to the Magic.

4. Leandrinho Barbosa, Brazil*
The line: 6-4, 220, 20 years old
The skinny: Barbosa's had several strong workouts over the past few weeks.
Teams are amazed by his speed, explosiveness, lateral quickness and
6-foot-10 wingspan. A couple of issues are holding him back. How quickly can
Barbosa learn English? That's the biggest question in most scouts' minds.
One Western Conference coach told me he loves Barbosa, but he's afraid to
draft him early because of the language barrier. Your point guard must be
able to communicate with the coach and his teammates. His agent has him in
English lessons for two hours a day; he better make it four. A few teams are
also worried about an unorthodox jump shot. It goes in, but his slow release
makes it easier to block. He's considered a one-year project, but he'll
probably go anywhere from No. 14 to Seattle down to No. 21 to Atlanta.

5. Luke Ridnour, Oregon
The line: 6-2, 167, Junior
The skinny: Ridnour has gotten some pretty mixed reviews over the past week.
While teams like his shooting touch and his innate feel for the game,
concerns about his quickness, toughness and ability to play defense in the
NBA are lowering his stock a bit. Two teams that have worked him out claim
they like him, but don't project him to be much more than a back-up point in
the NBA -- especially for the first two or three years. Of course, that's
what they said about Steve Nash in 1996. He'll go as high as the Warriors at
No. 11 or he could slip all the way to No. 20 to the Celtics.

6. Marcus Banks, UNLV
The line: 6-2, 200, Senior
The skinny: Think a poor man's Baron Davis. Banks already has an NBA body
and an NBA-type game. He's strong, can get to the basket at will and already
plays solid defense. He's got great court vision and can really run the
break. However, he has issues. He's an inconsistent shooter from the
perimeter, is turnover prone and scouts fear he's closer to 6-0 than 6-2.
His strong workout in Boston has led many to believe he'll be taken there.
He could go as high as Boston at No. 16 or slip all the way to San Antonio
at No. 28.

7. Zoran Planinic, Croatia*
The line: 6-7, 215, 21 years old
The skinny: Planinic wowed teams like the Nets, Spurs, Sonics and Bucks in
individual workouts. His surprising athleticism, lethal outside shot and
knack for finding the open man have teams scrambling to get him in for a
closer look. When you're 6-foot-8 and considered a "pure" point guard, teams
are going to notice. It's not inconceivable Planinic could work his way up
to No. 14 to the Sonics, but it's more likely that, with more strong
performances, he'll end up at No. 22 to the Nets or No. 28 to the Spurs.
There's still a possibility that he slips into the second round.

8. Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph's*
The line: 6-0, 190, Junior
The skinny: Nelson helped himself in the Chicago camp, but did he help
himself enough to make it into the first round? He's already got an NBA
body, can take his guy off the dribble at will and is an excellent rebounder
for someone his size. But he's still just 5-foot-11 without shoes. He'd be
much better off returning to school and coming out next season when things
aren't quite so crowded.

9. Chris Thomas, Notre Dame
The line: 6-1, 182, Sophmore
The skinny: He's a true point guard, but his size and lack of strength are
scaring teams away. The word in Chicago was Thomas would stay in the draft
no matter what. Early predictions by some that he was a mid-first-rounder
appear to be way off. Someone like New Jersey or Minnesota could gamble on
him in the first round. More likely, he'll be an early second-round pick.

10. Troy Bell, Boston College
The line: 6-2, 183, Senior
The skinny: No one helped his stock more in Chicago than Bell. He shot the
ball well, proved he was capable of running the point and excelled at most
of the physical tests teams ran him through. Right now he's projecting as a
Bobby Jackson-type instant scorer off the bench. Will that be enough to get
him into the first round? Bell caught the Lakers' eye at No. 24, and
Minnesota will take a long look at No. 26, but most likely, he's now an
early second-rounder.

11. Maurice Williams, Alabama*
The line: 6-1, 183, Sophmore
The skinny: Williams is a slick point guard with all of the requisite tools.
He has superb handles and a killer crossover that helps him get the ball to
the basket. He loves to drive and dish and is also solid running the pick
and roll. He plays in control and has a nice mid-range game. He's also a
strong floor leader. He does have his flaws, however. He gets abused at
times on the defensive end. He has the strength and size to be a good
defender, but hasn't shown the effort. He isn't a great athlete. He's quick,
but not explosive. He needs to work on his jumper, especially his 3-ball.
After just a so-so performance in Chicago, expect Williams to drop out of
the draft and return to school. If he doesn't, he's a second rounder.

12. Paccelis Morlende, France*
The line: 6-3, 190, 21 years old
The skinny: The next Tony Parker? Morlende was actually once ranked higher
than Parker in France. He's a great athlete with good size for a point
guard. However, he doesn't have Parker's "knack" for running the point.
Still, he's intriguing and the reviews from the few workouts he's done are
positive. Right now, it looks like Morlende is stuck in Round 2.

13. Kristaps Volters, Latvia
The line: 6-2, 185, 22 years old
The skinny: When NBA scouts start traveling to Latvia, you know there's
something to his game. Volters could be this year's Milos Vujanic. He's an
electric point guard that zooms up and down the floor and is lethal from
long range. His dad was a legendary coach on the Russian national team. He's
fallen off the radar screen a bit because of where he plays, but lately he's
gotten a lot of attention from scouts. He's a second rounder.

14. Marcus Hatten, St. Johns
The line: 6-2, 163, Senior
The skinny: Size. Size. Size. If he were 6-foot-5, he'd be a lottery pick.
He's an explosive scorer who can absolutely dominate a game when he gets it
going. But is he a point guard? His underwhelming performance in Chicago
didn't help anything. He's stuck in the second round.

15. Jermaine Boyette, Weber State
The line: 6-2, 187, Senior
The skinny: Boyette was a dominant scorer in both the PIT and the Chicago
pre-draft camp, but teams still wonder if he can handle point guard duties
in the NBA. Someone will take a chance on him in round two.

Others to watch: Steve Blake, Maryland; Brandin Knight, Pittsburgh; Jason
Gardner, Arizona; Julius Barnes, Stanford; Derrick Zimmerman, Mississippi
State