Sam Smith Looks At The Draft

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

He's missing a few prospects, but not bad.....

Sam Smith
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On Pro Basketball
Best of a sparse draft lot

     The first two rounds of the NCAA tournament are over: Do you know
where your NBA scouts are? Most likely back home for a few days
muttering things like, "I went to Spokane for that?"

This may be a great time for college basketball, but it's not a good
time for NBA bird dogs. About the only thing they're sniffing out is bad
prospects. The general consensus around the NBA is this may be one of
the thinnest and weakest drafts in history, the colleges having been
picked clean of underclassmen in recent years.

 The result is the No. 1 overall pick for the second consecutive year
will not be from a U.S. college. It is almost certain to be Ohio high
school sensation LeBron James. Some scouts say it's possiblethough not
likelya team could go for Yugoslavian 7-footer Darko Milicic. He
figures to go second, followed by Syracuse freshman Carmelo Anthony, if
he decides to leave school.

After that, some scouts say, it's a plummet to mostly second-round-level
talent. Though there's always a surprise, like high school player Amare
Stoudemire last year, most NBA executives doubt there's any NBA-quality
starters in the rest of the lottery and that some picked in the lottery
might not have more talent than second-rounders from recent drafts.

The result could be a rush to draft international players who could
remain overseas and not count against a team's salary cap and luxury
tax. More teams than usual also will be looking to trade lottery picks.

So here's an early projection of the first round of the draft based on
interviews with several NBA executives. The assumption here is that all
players are available for the draft, even though several of these names
are expected to remain in college or overseas.

1. LeBron James, 6-7, 240, small forward, Ohio schoolboy. Could be an
All-Star as a rookie. A great talent who will be perhaps the most
publicized player to come into the NBA since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

2. Darko Milicic, 7-0, 245, center/power forward, Yugoslavia. The
17-year-old, as a big man, isn't quite as ready as James. But he's
tough, can shoot with range, can run the floor and can handle the
ballsort of a tough Toni Kukoc.

3. Carmelo Anthony, 6-8, 220, small forward, Syracuse. Has been compared
with Tracy McGrady and Paul Pierce. A tough player who can score and a
good post-up player. Not a super jumper but an excellent rebounder. Not
the greatest shooter from long range. He could be a prototype pro small
forward who can score in the NBA immediately.

4. Chris Bosh, 6-10, 215, power forward, Georgia Tech. The name Antonio
McDyess comes to mind with some scouts, though Bosh is awfully thin. He
has great shooting range for a big man. A freshman, like Anthony, he's
athletic and has a clever inside game, but scouts wonder whether he's
strong enough to do it in the NBA.

5. Emeka Okafor, 6-9, 245, power forward, Connecticut. A defensive big
man, but not quite Alonzo Mourning. A rebounder and shot blocker who
doesn't have much of an offensive game. But a tough guy with an NBA body
who probably projects out as a Theo Ratliff type.

6. Anderson Varejao, 6-10, 235, power forward, Brazil. An agile,
creative, scoring big man. Scouts like his long arms and ability to both
rebound and run the floor like a small man.

7. Jarvis Hayes, 6-6, 220, shooting guard, Georgia. Big, strong guard
likened at times to Mitch Richmond. Not quite the shooter, but more
athletic. But there are questions about his ball-handling.

8. Dwyane Wade, 6-4, 210, shooting guard, Marquette. A little small at
shooting guard, but scouts like his attitude and fearlessness. One
likened him to Sidney Moncrief, someone who doesn't do anything great
but does a little of everything well.

9. Mickael Pietrus, 6-6, 210, shooting guard, France. A Ray Allen-type
shooting guard. Has good shooting range and is not afraid to go to the
basket and defend. Quick development of Gordan Giricek, who wasn't rated
as highly, has increased interest.

10. Nick Collison, 6-10, 250, power forward, Kansas. Described by some
as a "plow horse." But in a good way. Determined big man. He's not a
great athlete, but tough and a good shooter. Will be good off someone's
bench playing a role.

11. T.J. Ford,

5-10, 165, point guard, Texas. Has a chance thanks to Earl Boykins. Ford
isn't a great shooter and is small. But he's exceedingly quick, a good
passer and tough, and with Boykins' impact in Golden State, there may be
a move back to smaller guards.

12. Kirk Hinrich, 6-3, 180, point guard, Kansas. Smart point guard with
deceptive quickness. A solid shooter and ball-handler who could grow
into a John Stockton type.

13. Brian Cook, 6-10, 240, power forward, Illinois. Versatile big man
who may be able to take advantage of zone rules and shoot from the
outside in the pros. Senior has come a long way with mature game, but
toughness a question.

14. Sofoklis Schortsianitis, 6-9, 255, power forward, Greece. Billed as
Baby Shaq, but more a Baby Eddy Curry, which may not be too bad. Strong
with an NBA body, but raw. The concern is he may be closer to 6-8.

15. Luke Ridnour, 6-2, 175, point guard, Oregon. Plays with a daring and
swagger that reminds some of the style of Jason Kidd, if not the talent.
Good passer and ball-handler.

16. David West, 6-8, 235, power forward, Xavier. A little undersized,
but a versatile all-round big man who is an excellent midrange shooter.

17. Chris Kaman, 7-0, 255, center, Central Michigan. He's a 7-footer who
can shoot, but there are questions about his toughness. Best observation
of year from Kent State coach Jim Christian, who said if Kaman were from
Slovenia, NBA scouts would be calling him a top-five pick.

18. Boris Diaw, 6-9, 215, small forward, France. An excellent athlete
and good defensive player who has been slowed by injuries. Could be a
Toni Kukoc-like matchup problem with ability to play shooting guard.

19. Josh Howard, 6-7, 205, small forward, Wake Forest. Multitalented
player who has been the surprise of the Atlantic Coast Conference. A
good competitor who can shoot and defend. Brings comparisons to Shane
Battier with ability to do a little of everything.

20. Mo Williams, 6-1, 185 point guard, Alabama. Creative, mature point
guard who's an exciting ball-handler. Not a great shooter or super
athlete, but teams like his leadership potential.

21. Mario Austin, 6-8, 260, power forward, Mississippi. Good inside
player, though scouts wonder about his size despite his long arms. So
the name Elton Brand comes up.

22. Reece Gaines, 6-6, 205, shooting guard, Louisville. A good combo
guard who may not be the ideal point guard but is big enough for
shooting guard with decent range.

23. Zarko Cabarkapa, 6-11, 230, power forward, Yugoslavia. One of those
European big guys a team will take a chance on hoping he'll stay in
Europe and develop. Long arms with the ability to handle the ball in the
open court.

24. Dee Brown, 6-0, 175, point guard, Illinois. Super-quick guard can
shoot and run a team. Reminds of Allen Iverson because of his high
school quarterback experience, but can't score like Iverson.

25. Rick Rickert, 6-10, 210, power forward, Minnesota. A good outside
shooter with questions about his ability to stand up to NBA power
forwards and hold post position.

26. Aleksandar Pavlovic, 6-7, 210, small forward, Yugoslavia. Athletic
swingman who slashes to the basket. A good ball-handler with decent
shooting range. Another player to hide overseas for a few years.

27. Mike Sweetney, 6-8, 260, power forward, Georgetown. A smallish power
forward who draws the dreaded "tweener" label. But he's tough and
relentless.

28. Josh Childress, 6-8, 205, small forward, Stanford. A good rebounder
for his size. He can handle the ball well enough to be a point forward
and has a good shot.

29. Kendrick Perkins, 6-10, 260, Texas schoolboy. Someone hopes they'll
find another Amare Stoudemire. He's a powerful player who attacks the
boards, supposedly a poor man's Moses Malone.

The talent level is so equal that many players could go anywhere from
the middle of the first round to the middle of the second round, so here
are some other names to watch:

Mississippi high school player Travis Outlaw, Chris Marcus of Western
Kentucky, Chris Thomas and Torin Francis of Notre Dame, Dahntay Jones
and J.J. Redick of Duke, Steve Blake of Maryland, Jason Gardner of
Arizona, David Lee and Matt Bonner of Florida, Ricky Paulding of
Missouri, David Harrison of Colorado, Hollis Price of Oklahoma, Keith
Bogans of Kentucky, Marcus Hatten of St. John's, Darius Rice of Miami,
Ronny Turiaf of Gonzaga, Ray Felton and Rashard McCants of North
Carolina, Brandin Knight of Pittsburgh, Troy Bell of Boston College,
Zoran Planinic of Croatia, Slavko Vranes of Montenegro, Malick Badiane
of Senegal, Carlos Delfino of Argentina, Marcus Vieira of Brazil, Victor
Khryapa of Russia and Pavel Podolzin of Italy.