Murphy - Point Guards

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

< At 6-6 with a terrific scoring touch, Gaines has suitors lined up all the 
way down the board, including the Celtics with the 16th and 20th picks. 
One has to think that if Gaines - who was particularly impressive during 
his workout with the locals - is available at 16, he'll be donning a green 
jersey Friday afternoon.> - Murphy

Banks who?

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Ford could be a point well taken

Point Guards/by Mark Murphy
Monday, June 23, 2003

First in a series looking at the NBA draft.

Some NBA teams - make that most of them - adhere to the unwritten rule 
that sub-6-foot guards no longer cut it.

Calvin Murphy, Michael Adams, Spud Webb and Muggsy Bogues would have 
a tough time finding takers in this era of the big guard.

Jameer Nelson, the 5-10 (maybe) Saint Joseph's junior who withdrew 
from the draft last Thursday, certainly got that impression from two 
different NBA teams.

So explain how, in a draft described as the deepest in memory for point 
guards - or combo guys who can play the point - the top candidate is a 
relative munchkin.

It was agreed long ago that Texas' T.J. Ford was a rare talent - a 
pinpoint passer who had no problem operating in traffic. But the fact 
that his diminutive size (5-10, again maybe) hasn't been an issue tells 
you just how special Ford may be.

No matter how many ways you juggle the order of players like Kansas' 
Kirk Hinrich and Oregon's Luke Ridnour, Ford's name routinely comes out 
as the one likely to go the highest in the draft.

And now that Bulls point guard Jay Williams is laid up with 
career-threatening injuries as the result of a motorcycle accident last 
week, another team may have joined in the run for a playmaker. That 
said, the Bulls still have Jamal Crawford, a talented point guard at 
least as good as anyone in the draft.

And though the Bulls have been trolling for shooting guard types, with 
Frenchman Mickael Pietrus and Georgia's Jarvis Hayes exciting many 
teams with their athletic brands of offense, Chicago may be tempted 
to take a dip with the seventh pick after the Clippers make an expected 
run at Ford with No. 6.

Chicago has been impressed by Hinrich, a disciplined playmaker who 
brings good size to the position, not to mention a solid reputation for 
always hitting the open shot. He shot 43 percent from 3-point range 
last season.

The Bulls have also been linked to Marquette's Dwyane Wade, a 6-4 
shooting guard who some believe could play the point. Teamed with 
Crawford, his playmaking skills wouldn't be so severely challenged and 
he could rely on his athleticism.

Ridnour suffers from comparison syndrome. Like Dallas' Steve Nash, he 
has a floppy head of hair and a similar style that translates well to 
both the open court and half court. As such, Ridnour's fans can't 
contain themselves. But if he actually has Nash's game, then his 
reputation as a potential lottery pick will be well worth the talk.

Nor does there seem to be a detractor when the subject is Louisville's 
Reece Gaines. At 6-6 with a terrific scoring touch, Gaines has suitors 
lined up all the way down the board, including the Celtics with the 
16th and 20th picks. One has to think that if Gaines - who was 
particularly impressive during his workout with the locals - is 
available at 16, he'll be donning a green jersey Friday afternoon.

Now that the Spurs' Tony Parker of France has made his mark, the field 
of international playmakers has also expanded. Leandrinho Barbosa is an 
athletic 6-3 playmaker who stars in Brazil. Paccelis Morlende, a 6-2 
veteran of the French league, and a 6-7 combo guard from Bosnia named 
Zoran Planinic may have also worked their way into first-round range.

Next: Shooting guards/small forwards.