hindsight

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

You can't second-guess yourself, but
Chad Ford is reporting that Lampe's
buyout problems weren't as bad as was
thought, and that the Knicks got the steal
of the draft (maybe the last two or three
drafts) by getting him as a second-rounder.
Personally, I think you want him locked up
for five years at rookie money if he's that
good.  But still.  He's clearly a lottery talent.
I'm not complaining.  We got the guys we
wanted; and I'm not sure that Lampe will
be that much better than Perkins in 4-5 years.

Josh

Draft Wrap: Was T.J. M.J.'s guy?
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford  Friday, June 27
Updated: June 27
3:44 PM ET



Chad Ford chat wrap
Picks one through four? Perfect. LeBron. Darko. Carmelo. Bosh.


Picks five through 14? Huh?

Typically, after draft night, we finally have the answers to all of our
questions. But after Thursday night's crazy pill fest, there were still more
questions than answers.

Also see: Draft Grades | Updated Depth Charts

Q: Did Michael Jordan or Ernie Grunfeld make the T.J. Ford selection?



 Ford

Depends on who you believe. David Stern says he didn't. Grunfeld maintained
all along to Insider that he was making the pick. But as Insider first
reported on Thursday, sources around the league and close to Jordan insist
otherwise.

Who's telling the truth? It's semantics folks.

Jordan has been negotiating with Bucks owner Herb Kohl for weeks about the
sale of the club. The draft pick was an important issue in the negotiations.
If you were spending hundreds of millions on a team, don't you think you'd
like to make the call on a rare lottery pick?

The deal is not done. It still has to go through lawyers and ultimately be
approved by the Board of Governors. Technically, Jordan couldn't make the
pick. What did anyone expect the Bucks or the NBA to say on the record?

But did Jordan strongly suggest or flat out tell Kohl who he wanted at No.
8? And did Kohl relay to Grunfeld his desire to take one player over
another?

Here's what Grunfeld told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"I had no contact at all (with Jordan)," Grunfeld said. "I did have a lot of
contact with the senator. When all these rumors started, you wouldn't have
even known that it wasn't a normal draft for us. Then all of a sudden you
have to answer a million questions.

"I was in contact with the senator, just like in the last three or four
years. We talked about it and told him what our plans were, what our
rankings were. Everything was fine. I talked with him about an hour before
the draft, and said, 'Let's get the best available player for us, and go
from there.' "

That's not going to clear anything up. Jordan was talking to Kohl, not
Grunfeld. Perhaps the Bucks' wishes were in line with Jordan's wishes on
draft night. Perhaps everyone agreed, independently, the Ford was their man.

Perhaps. But that didn't stop several sources close to Jordan from claiming
Thursday night that when the smoke cleared, Jordan got his man -- Ford.

If that isn't enough to convince you after the breathless denials on
Thursday night, here is the Journal Sentinels' take on what happened:

"Despite Stern's denial that Jordan had no part in the Bucks' selection,
sources in Washington said Jordan either influenced or outright made the
Ford pick. These sources said Ford was the player Jordan would have taken
had he still been in control of the Washington Wizards."

And, for the record. As Insider also first reported on Thursday, Grunfeld is
in line to take over as GM of the Wizards. Both the Journal Sentinel and the
Washington Post are reporting today that Grunfeld will be released from his
contract with the Bucks in the "coming days" and will interview for the GM
job in Washington. That interview is essentially a formality.

Q: What the hell happened to Maciej Lampe?



 Lampe

Lampe got caught in the annual draft day death spiral. Two things
contributed to his slide.

One, miscommunication between FIBA, Lampe's agent, Keith Kreiter, and teams
about Lampe's contract raised numerous red flags at the last minute. Many
NBA teams were under the impression that Lampe would be unable to play in
the NBA for several years.

Ooops. As it turns out, Lampe did have a $1.8 million Euro buyout provision
in his contract -- not a big deal for a lottery pick. In other words, with a
big check in his hands, Lampe could have easily been released to play in the
NBA this year.

Two, when Lampe started to slip, there weren't enough teams familiar with
him in the mid-to-late first round. Lampe, because of team commitments,
didn't come to the U.S. until just before the Chicago pre-draft camp. He did
work out for Toronto, Miami, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York, Washington,
Seattle and Memphis. But he didn't have time to get in workouts with anyone
else.

Mix in numerous pre-arranged promises in the mid-to-late first round with a
general unfamiliarity with Lampe and you have the recipe for a draft day
disaster.

So what does all of this mean? The Knicks, who seriously debated between
Michael Sweetney and Lampe with the No. 9 pick, get him in the second round.
Not only is it the steal of the draft, but also an indictment on several NBA
teams that picked lesser players over Lampe because they were unfamiliar
with him.

Q: Great, Lampe's the steal of the draft. Given the Knicks' track record
with international players, will he ever play in New York, let alone in the
NBA?

If Scott Layden screws this one up, Knicks fans should stage a revolt. Lampe
loses, and the Knicks save, essentially, $5.9 million in guaranteed money.
The good news for Lampe is that he's now a second-rounder. That means the
Knicks aren't constrained by the rookie salary scale.

If Lampe had gone No. 29, he would've made $803,400 this year and never have
gotten out of his buyout. At pick No. 30, however, the Knicks could give him
a two-year deal at around $2 million a season. Combine that with the
$350,000 they can contribute to a buyout and they can get Lampe out of his
contract now.

While it makes sense to leave some kids overseas to develop, it makes less
sense for Lampe. The quicker he gets to the NBA and begins developing
strength and more quickness, the quicker the Knicks will get some bang for
the buck on the floor. Besides, his buyout actually goes up the next two
years. Do it now and you save some money.

Q: Who got promises on draft night and who got screwed?

There seemed to be more promises than ever in the first round this year.
They started with Marcus Banks of UNLV at No. 13. The Celtics essentially
told Banks he was their guy and Banks quit working out for other teams.
Despite that fact, his stock continued to soar and the Celtics had to move
up three picks to assure that the Sonics and Magic didn't take him early.
The Celtics also promised high school big man Kendrick Perkins and were able
to trade down to get him at No. 27.

It looks like rumors that the Suns made a deal with Zarko Cabarkapa turned
out to be true. It's hard to imagine that they would've passed on Lampe for
Cabarkapa who, at the same size, isn't the shooter that Lampe is, nor does
he have the body.

The Nets had locked in weeks ago on Croatian point guard Zoran Planinic. Did
you see where coach Byron Scott said he was the top-rated point guard on
their board? Now you know why Planinic quit working out after "injuring" his
back in the second Nets workout.

The Blazers promise to Travis Outlaw was one of the worst kept secrets in
the league, though some last-minute drama from new president Steve Patterson
appeared to put it on shakier ground for a while.

The Pistons locked up Carlos Delfino weeks ago, but sweated whether he'd be
on the board right up until the Lakers took Brian Cook at No. 24. Intel
suggested that the Hornets, Jazz, Nets (if Planinic was off the board) and
Lakers all had interest. The Pistons spent the previous 24 hours trying to
move up in the draft to land Delfino, but were unsuccessful.

On the flip side. . . obviously several other international players,
including Sofoklis Schortsanitis, Zaur Pachulia and Malick Badiane, didn't
get promises or had them broken. Usually, top international prospects won't
keep their name in the draft without some sort of guarantee. The Grizzlies'
decision to take Troy Bell and Dahntay Jones in the first round killed them
as it pushed other coveted American players down in the draft.

Q: A couple of picks in the first round didn't make a lot of sense. Are
there any trades in the works that just haven't been announced?

Start with the Bulls at No. 7. Clearly they believe Jay Williams isn't
coming back any time soon by drafting Kirk Hinrich. But is there more there?
By drafting Hinrich, they immediately reignited a point guard controversy
that almost tore the Bulls apart last year.

There was already talk Thursday night that the Bulls may now try to package
either Hinrich or Crawford, along with several other prospects like Marcus
Fizer and Donyell Marshall, in an effort to secure a top-flight small
forward.

The Warriors' selection of Mickael Pietrus made no sense either. With Jason
Richardson firmly planted as the starter, where will Pietrus play? GM Garry
St. Jean said as much on Thursday night. Expect there to be a trade or two
this summer. Richardson and Mike Dunleavy seem to be the two most likely
candidates.

"You can say maybe there are needs at certain positions, but we felt like
when you pick that high, you shouldn't lessen your scope on players with a
big upside versus addressing a need," St. Jean told the San Francisco
Chronicle. "I'm not going to disrespect any of those guys who play the
point, but we think the guy we took clearly had the biggest upside on the
board.

"We're trying to accumulate assets. If you have assets that are coveted by
other teams versus just addressing a need with players who you don't think
have the potential to be front-line players . . . that was our mind-set. We
can work the roster the remainder of the summer."

Q: It was a pretty boring night for trades. Did anything almost go down?

There were a lot of rumors on Thursday but it appears nothing came close to
going down on draft night.

The juiciest had the Sonics, Heat and Wizards discussing a possible trade
that would've sent the Sonics two first-round choices to the Heat, the No. 5
pick to Washington and the Sonics would have acquired power forward Kwame
Brown, according to the Tacoma Tribune. However, Washington is not ready to
give up on Brown just yet, so the Wizards ended the talks.

Talks that would've sent Marcus Camby to the Blazers for Arvydas Sabonis and
the No. 23 pick never got off the ground, according to GM Kiki Vandeweghe.

There were lots of rumors surrounding Sam Cassell. Several had him being
shipped to Minnesota, Miami and even Portland last night. The most reliable
had him being shipped to Minnesota along with Ervin Johnson for Joe Smith
and Anthony Peeler two league sources told Insider.

The Bucks have called a 3:30 p.m. news conference to announce the trade.


Chat wrap: Chad Ford
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----



Welcome to ESPN.com's moderated chat room. On Friday, June 27, ESPN NBA
Insider Chad Ford dropped by to take your NBA draft questions in chat.
Ford writes the daily NBA Insider column for ESPN Insider. He also in a
frequent contributer to ESPN.com and ESPN the Magazine and makes weekly
apperances on ESPN Radio and ESPNEWS. Before joining ESPN, he was the
co-founder and executive editor for sportsTALK.com, a sports information
website.

The following is a transcript of the June 27th chat:





Chad Ford: Hey everyone. Thanks for coming. What a wild night last night.
The draft always throws you a few curves and this one seemed to throw one
after another. Let's get rolling.




----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Dave (Cleveland OH): With Paul Silas and Lebron James, are the Cavaliers a
playoff team??

Chad Ford: In the East anything is possible, but theyr'e still very young,
will be weak defensively and don't have the experience to do close out
deeper teams. But I will say this. If Paxson puts LeBron, Davis, D Miles,
Boozer and Z. Ilgauskas on the floor together, they'll be fun to watch. As a
Cavs fan . . . that should be enough for this year.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Jason (New Orleans, LA): So it looks like the Pistons ar the big draft-night
winners. What will these guys bring to the team next year?

Chad Ford: Not sure. Darko will get minutes, but he'll be battling for
playing time alongside Cliff Robinson and Mehmet Okur. Delfino may return to
Italy for one more season -- the Pistons are leaving that up to him. But the
long term impact of those two will be enormous. I think Delfino would've
been a lottery pick had it not been for that ankle injury.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Ron(Oakland): Will the Nuggets be able to pull of the blockbuster of the
summer by signing Kidd and O'Neal? They would have a serious chance at the
finals if they did.

Chad Ford: Kidd, Carmelo, Nene and O'Neal. That would be a team, wouldn't
it? I think those expectations may be a little high. But not impossible.
Kidd wants to win now and he'd like to play with a dominant big man. If he
could convince O'Neal to leave Indiana (it won't be easy) they could be a
real force in the West. But the only way they can afford to do it is to move
Marcus Camby for Sabonis. They'd need around $25 million in cap to sign
those two. Right now they have roughly $18.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
John (Miami): Bosh: Bust or SuperStar???

Chad Ford: Superstar in four years.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Jon (Miami): With the Heat's excellent selection of Dwyane Wade, it looks
like Eddie Jones is on the way out. What are some possibilites and rumors to
where he might be headed and who would the Heat get in return?

Chad Ford: Maybe. I think Pat wouldn't mind moving Jones but if he can't
Wade's capable of playing in that backourt with Jones. Who wants Jones?
There's still talk that the Heat and T-Wolves would consider a deal that
would send Jones to Minny. I don't buy it.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
JC (Camp LeJune, North Carolina): Did the Clippers finally do something
correct?

Chad Ford: C'mon now. They messed up again. I would've grabbed Ford or
Hinrich. By the time they develoop him, he'll be playing for someone else.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Ken (Addison, IL): Hey Chad, What's up with my Bulls? I do not feel that
they did anything to address their main position of need, SG! This team is
now loaded with PF's. Was this done in preparation for a future trade? Also,
do you feel that Kirk "The Hobbit" Hinrich can play the two? Thanks, you're
great at what you do.

Chad Ford: Obviously they believe Jay Williams isn't coming back. But it
looks like another PG controversy is already brewing. Don't be shocked if
one of them gets moved -- Crawford still has a lot of trade value.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Andy (Madison, WI): What do you think of the Ford pick? Will he contribute
right away? Does this mean Payton is not coming back or Sam I am will be
traded (if so, hopefully for a decent post player)?

Chad Ford: The Bucks are looking to divorce Cassell. Payton they'll leave
for Jordan to decide. I'd guess that Jordan would want GP around. He loves
the veterans. If that's the case, you can bring along T. J. slowly.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Matt - Calgary, Alberta: What's up man? Give me a little hope for my Knicks.
Tell me that Lampe is gonna get stronger and will prove that he belonged in
the top 10. Tell me that McDyess will stay injured so we can at least begin
to develop Sweetny. Tell me that Milos will change his mind and join the
club sooner than later.

Chad Ford: Lampe's drop was due to two reasons. 1. He had only worked out
for lottery teams. 2. Concerns about his contract scared those teams away.
After that, he was in free fall. The Knicks got a steal. I'm not sure you
want McDyess to stay injured. Sweetney's good, but he's not that good.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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terd ferguson(oakland CA): is J-Rich gonna be traded?

Chad Ford: Maybe. He and Mickael Pietrus play the same position, which is
fueling the rumors. However, there's more to it than that. Eric Musselman
isn't high on Richardson because of his lack of defense. I wouldn't be
shocked if they packaged him and Dunleavy and tried to get a young point if
Arenas leaves.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Tom (Redmond, WA): Why no love for Collison or Ridnour? At least Collison
will play like a PF -- Cook looks like another big guy that wants to be a
'3', and the Sonics already have a guy like that (R. Lewis).

Chad Ford: I like both Collison and Ridnour. It's the fit in Seattle I don't
get. For the style they play Ridnour is good because he pushes the ball. But
he's a terrible defender and it's going to be a big issue. Collison is
solid. If I had a good center, he'd be my first choice. But I don't think he
can go at it alone. I would've taken Reece Gaines and Brian Cook. I know
Cook shoots from the perimeter, but he did most of his work in the paint
this year.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Reggie (LA): Chad, you have been very critical of the Celtics picks. Given
the way the draft unfolded, who would the Celtics have picked to earn an "A"
from you?

Chad Ford: I would've taken Pavlovic at No. 13 and Brian Cook at No. 20.
Pavlovic would give them a legit third scorer. Cook's ability to spread the
floor and go in the post makes him a much better pick up.

Chad Ford: You can always pick up a point guard in free agency or even stick
with Bremer. I feel at the position you're in, you take the best player
available.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Brett from New York, NY: Is Jason Kidd really going to leave the Nets or is
he just trying to maximize his leverage with the team to get perks for his
family and/or obtain input with respect to personnel decisions?

Chad Ford: I'm not sure what he's up to. The Nets will give him the max, no
question. So what's the point if he really wants to stay in NJ? I don't
think the Spurs are a good fit, Thorn would never do a sign-and-trade with
the Nets, and Kidd would have to convince Jermaine O'Neal to join him in
Denver before that makes a lot of sense.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Brad (LA): What do you think of Kobe's comments to test the free agent
market? Is it just motivation to get the Laker office to get to work or does
Kobe want to prove he can win without Phil and Shaq? Why does he break the
news so early?

Chad Ford: It's not really news. This has been in the L.A. papers for weeks.
Big deal. He's opting out. So does almost everyone else. Will Kobe be in
L.A. after next summer. If Phil and Shaq are staying, my guess is that he
will too. BTW, I thought the Lakers had a great draft. I really like Cook at
24 and Walton at 32. They'll both help next year.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Kevin Garnett (MN): Ndudi Ebi? Rick Rickert? What's goin on here man? I
wanna win next year, not in four. At least is there still a Terrell trade
comin up? But why would we want Sam Cassell and Ervin Johnson? I'd much
rather play with Hudson and Rasho. What's McHale and Flip doin here? Help a
brotha out. Love the Insider by the way. Peace

Chad Ford: Sorry KG. Ebi and Rickert are about four years away from helping
you. Brandon may get you a guy like Jalen Rose or Eddie Jones. But will
either guy make a big difference? I think the Wolves are in trouble, it's
going to be tough to get done what they need to get done.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Bobby (Carrolton, TX): Chad, thanks a lot for all your work on the draft,
you're awesome! If the Mavs can sign Alonzo Mourning, how well do you think
Josh Howard will be able to fill their other need - a SF who can play
defense and score inside? Thanks.

Chad Ford: If they get Zo and Howard develops, they'll be scary.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Jasmin(Atl): Why does Dick Vitale hate foreign players? He even criticized
Darko going 2nd.

Chad Ford: People in general are wary of the unknown. Until Dick and other
media members start traveling over there and experience first hand what
these kids are doing, they aren't going to understand. It boggles my mind
that you can hate players you've never seen. That's what we've tried to do
at Insider this year. Give the fan an Inside, more informed, look at these
international kids. It's not about hyping them. Just getting the information
out.

Chad Ford: I've got to run folks. Thanks to all of you who've been with us
these past few months as we've tried to break down the draft. For you
Insider's out there, don't go into hibernation. On Monday we start tackling
free agency and a sneak preview of the 2004 NBA draft.
----------------------

Draft becoming a short-term investment
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
 Friday, June 27
Updated: June 27
11:45 AM ET


Now that LeBron is a Cavalier, Milicic a Piston and Anthony a Nugget, the
only question left is whether James will finish his career in the same city
where it began, or Darko will become synonymous with Detroit and if Carmelo
will ever even call Denver home.


In the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the NBA was sure to include
a rookie salary scale that was based on a three-year contract with two
additional years at the team's option. This was, of course, the most logical
way of keeping players who had absolutely no NBA experience from making more
money than veteran NBA players. But it was also the best way of ensuring
that clubs would have sufficient time to develop their drafted talent before
turning them over to free agency and possibly losing them forever.

But it hasn't exactly worked out that way.

In 1994, Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill were the first three
players drafted. And not one of them is still playing for the Bucks,
Mavericks or Pistons today. In fact, not a single lottery pick in that class
is still on his original team's roster.



 Garnett
The 1995 class has only one lottery pick still on his original team, and it
cost the Timberwolves more than $200M to keep Kevin Garnett, leaving little
wonder why the rookie salary scale came into effect in this particular
season.

The biggest news of last night's draft was that Kobe Bryant will reportedly
opt out of his contract next season and become a free agent. Well, if
Antoine Walker is eventually traded, as the rumors go, then that will leave
only Allen Iverson and Kerry Kittles from the 1996 draft class still with
their original teams.

Let's remember, this was the year the Bulls drafted Travis Knight with their
first round pick and then renounced him before he ever made it to Chicago.
He went from guaranteed first rounder to minimum salaried free agent. In the
next seven seasons, he would go from Los Angeles to Boston, back to Los
Angeles and then to New York.

Only Tim Duncan and Austin Croshere are left from the 1997 draft lottery
class. If Michael Olowokandi leaves the Clippers as expected, that will
leave only Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce from
the 1998 class. Is Lamar Odom gone? What about Jason Terry? Are Steve
Francis, Baron Davis, Wally Szczerbiak and Shawn Marion the only lottery
picks left from 1999?

One year after the lockout and ensuing Collective Bargaining Agreement, the
draft class of 2000 has reached the three-year mark with team options
hanging in the balance and not even No. 1 pick Kenyon Martin knowing for
sure what his future will hold in New Jersey.

Joe Johnson, the No. 10 pick of the 2001 class, has already been traded.
Drew Gooden, the No. 4 pick of the 2002 class was traded 51 games into his
rookie season.

Carmelo Anthony of the 2003 class going once . . . going twice . . .

The players from the Class of 1998 have just completed their fifth season in
the NBA and, if unsigned already, will become unrestricted free agents on
July 1 and can sign with any team of their choosing on July 16. But if
circumstances remain the same as in the four classes prior to them, they
will move on as 45 of those 52 lottery picks did.

And we're not talking about just any players.

Olowokandi was the No. 1 pick in the 1998 draft and has his bags packed.
Elton Brand, the No. 1 pick of the 1999 draft, will be playing for his third
team around this time next season. Mike Miller, the Rookie of the Year in
2000, is already playing for his second team.

What will become of Kwame Brown, the No. 1 pick of 2001?



 Williams
The 2002 draft class placed Yao Ming in Houston. But what about Jay
Williams? Mike Dunleavy? Gooden is already gone, perhaps followed closely by
Nikoloz Tskitishvili. That's four of the top five picks of only one year ago
to the day.

NBA clubs, as mentioned earlier, can keep their first round draft picks for
five seasons and then get to throw more money at those players than any
other team when those contracts run out. For specific business reasons, the
NBA wanted identifiable players with each franchise to foster growth within
that city's fan base and ensure a strategically sound team.

Think of John Stockton, the No. 16 pick of the 1984 draft playing for no
other franchise but the small-market Utah Jazz after 19 seasons.

He is the exception. Even extreme. But should he be?

Teams of today are trading away their players (Mike Bibby, No. 2 pick of
1998), are being forced to trade their players (Steve Francis, No. 2 pick of
1999) and wish they could trade away their players (Stromile Swift, No. 2
pick of 2000).

So far, five players were selected in the first round last night by one team
and then traded before they could adjust their draft caps which only makes
us wonder what would have happened if the new colors Cleveland picked out
didn't match the pearl job on that new Hummer of LeBron's.



--------------------------