Good stuff from Insider -- top draft PGs and international news

["Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Apologies to those who don't consider the NBA draft a 12-month-a-year
endeavor. Anyway, some good information in here. Livingston, Felton,
Telfair and Ukic are intriguing.



Mark





Livingston, Harris top point guard list
                  By Chad Ford
                  NBA Insider
                  Send an Email to Chad Ford Friday, March 5



            After a three-year point guard drought, the 2003 draft
flooded the
            NBA with a plethora of unbelievable point guard prospects.
Kirk
            Hinrich, Dwyane Wade and T.J. Ford have been great. Luke
Ridnour,
            Marcus Banks, Zoran Planinic, Leandro Barbosa, Mo Williams
and Steve
            Blake have shown flashes of promise. Reece Gaines? Eh ...
not so
            much.


            It was about time. It had been three pretty long years since
the
            point guard explosion of 1999 brought us Steve Francis,
Baron Davis,
            Andre Miller and Jason Terry in the lottery.


            Suddenly it's vogue to be a point guard again. This year
Insider
            already has identified 15 potential point guard prospects
who could
            hear their name called on draft night. As many as four of
them could
            go in the lottery. Ironically, the player scouts feel may be
the
            best point guard of the bunch, Wake Forest's Chris Paul,
probably
            won't be in this draft.


            The amazing thing about this class is that it shows the
definition
            of a point guard gets fuzzier and fuzzier by the day. After
years of
            claiming the smallish point guard is dead, the Bucks rewrote
the
            script last summer taking Ford with the No. 8 pick. So far,
Ford has
            proved his worth.


            "I thought that tiny point guards were a thing of the past,"
one GM
            told Insider. "Now, with guys like Earl Boykins and T.J.
doing well,
            who knows? There just isn't a prototypical point guard
anymore."
            This year you have your choice of small (Jameer Nelson,
Raymond
            Felton and Sebastian Telfair), supersized (Shaun Livingston,
Sasha
            Vujacic and Roko Leni Ukic) and everything in between (Ben
Gordon,
            Devin Harris).


            Small point guards give you the speed to run a high-octane
offense.
            The big guards can play multiple positions, create defensive

            nightmares and see over their opponents. The in-betweens
tend to be
            shooting guards in point guard clothing. But with the
success of
            players like Gilbert Arenas and Chauncey Billups running and

            gunning, there's now a place for those guys too.


            Here's our first look at what should be a pretty decent
point guard
            class.


            Note: The list includes all players who we believe might
declare for
            the 2004 draft.


            1. Shaun Livingston, Peoria (Ill.)
            The line: 6-7, 185, HS Senior
            The skinny: The jury's is still out on whether Livingston
will put
            his name in. But with several NBA scouts claiming he could
be a
            top-eight pick in this year's draft, that's probably enough
to get
            him out of Coach K's hands in Duke. The comparisons to Penny

            Hardaway are pretty close, but Livingston is much, much
closer to
            the type of "pure" point guard NBA coaches love. There's no
question
            he needs to get physically stronger, but right now that's
the only
            real knock on his game. The fact he possesses an excellent
shooting
            touch and can score off the dribble at will is really gravy.
Add in
            the flair with which he plays the game, and many believe
he'll be
            the first-ever high school point guard to make a successful
jump to
            the pros.


            2. Ben Gordon, Connecticut
            The line: 6-2, 185, Junior
            The skinny: Is he a point guard or isn't he? That's still
the big
            question on everyone's mind. Gordon is a great scorer, a
good passer
            and an excellent ball handler. The fact that he almost
always plays
            under control also helps his cause. But he didn't improve
this year
            the way some scouts expected him to and it's pretty clear
that he's
            slipped just a bit this season in most scouts' minds. He's
still a
            lottery pick, but he may be closer to the late lottery than
mid
            lottery right now.


            3. Devin Harris, Wisconsin
            The line: 6-3, 185, Junior
            The skinny: No one has gained more ground this year than
Harris. He
            really wasn't on most scouts' radar screens at the start of
the
            season, but now some of them believe he's the best point
guard in
            college basketball. Harris appears to be the complete
package. He
            has the size, speed, quickness, explosiveness and shooting
stroke
            that scouts love. He's quickly catching up to Gordon in the
minds of
            the scouts who Insider's talked to. He's a late-lottery to
            mid-first-round pick right now, but he's climbing.



            4. Jameer Nelson, St. Josephs
            The line: 5-11, 190, Senior
            The skinny: All of the euphoria from an unbelievable season
at St.
            Joseph's has really helped Nelson's stock. Last season he
was a
            borderline first-rounder. Without changing his game at all,
he's now
            planted himself firmly in the first round. How high? Several
teams
            that had him in for individual workouts last spring claim
they
            weren't overwhelmingly impressed and hadn't seen anything
this year
            that's changed their opinion. There's no question that
Nelson is a
            good scorer and can run a basketball team. He also has NBA
strength,
            which is a plus. However, his small stature and a lack of
lateral
            quickness probably have him slipping a bit once individual
workouts
            begin. His range right now is anywhere from 12-24.


            5. Raymond Felton, North Carolina
            The line: 6-0, 190, Sophomore
            The skinny: It's not clear whether Felton will be in the
draft, but
            if he is he'll challenge Nelson for the fourth point guard
taken in
            the draft. Felton's lack of size and his inconsistent
shooting
            stroke hurt his cause, but his blazing speed and feel for
running a
            team make up for it. Several scouts consider Felton the best
"pure"
            point guard in the draft and claim that he's on par with
T.J. Ford,
            a lottery pick last season. Right now Felton is considered a

            mid-first-round pick.


            6. Sebastian Telfair, Brooklyn
            The line: 5-11, 180, HS Senior
            The skinny: He has the talent. I think there are no
questions left
            about that. What scouts are fretting about are his size and
his
            maturity. Those are the two big reasons why Livingston is on
top of
            this list and Bassy is here. Telfair has a lot of influences
around
            him right now pushing him to go pro. A cover story this week
in
            Sports Illustrated won't help things. It's probably a
mistake.
            Lottery picks are rarely used on players under 6-feet, even
great
            players with tons of college experience. It would be
unprecedented
            for an undersized high school point guard to get that type
of
            commitment from a team in the lottery. If he doesn't get a
lottery
            commitment, he'd be stupid to come out now. Two years from
now he'll
            be at the top of this list. If a lottery team can wait that
long, it
            might just make a deal. But if I were Telfair's adviser, I'd
tell
            him to go to school. The Clippers (the one lottery team said
to be
            enamored with him) aren't worth the trouble.


            7. Sasha Vujacic, Udine (Italy)
            The line: 6-7, 205, 19 years old
            The skinny: Vujacic, a native of Slovenia, impressed scouts
with a
            good performance at the Chicago pre-draft camp last season.
He's a
            6-foot-7 combo guard with some definite point guard skills.
He's had
            a great season playing two guard for Udine, but scouts feel
he can
            make the transition to the point in the pros. He'll need to
get
            stronger and speed up his game to succeed in the NBA, but
several
            scouts see a young Brent Barry when watching him. He's a
great
            shooter and has special court vision. He's now a lock for
the first
            round and could go as high as 15 depending on how he looks
in
            workouts.


            8. Roko Leni Ukic, Split (Croatia)
            The line: 6-5, 180, 20 years old
            The skinny: One of the real sleepers in the draft. He just
signed
            with SFX agent David Bauman (who represents Peja Stojakovic
among
            others) and Bauman is claiming that Ukic is definitely in
the 2004
            draft. Bauman is also claiming that Ukic has no substantial
buyout
            issues to deter teams from taking him. He's a big kid, but
he's all
            point guard, according to several scouts who have seen him.
Several
            scouts claim he's the best young point guard in Europe right
now,
            averaging 15.2 ppg for KK Split. There are issues about his
body
            (he's rail thin) and his long-range shooting touch (Will he
be able
            to sink an NBA 3?) but teams love his energy, ball handling,

            quickness, work ethic and athleticism for a point guard that
size.


            9. Jarrett Jack, Georgia Tech
            The line: 6-3, 200, Sophomore
            The skinny: Here's your American sleeper. He's got good size
and
            nice court vision for a point. He's got the NBA body and
            athleticism. He's had a pretty solid season for Georgia Tech
and is
            said to be leaning toward testing the waters. Scouts worry
that the
            plays a little out of control at times, but they feel the
talent is
            there. The biggest question for Jack is really whether now
is the
            right time to declare. Given the depth at the position, it
seems
            like he'd be better off staying one more year at Tech.


            10. Chris Thomas, Notre Dame
            The line: 6-1, 182, Junior
            The skinny: He's a true point guard, but his size and lack
of
            strength are scaring teams away. He doesn't have the speed
or the
            floor vision you'd like to have in a point his size. He's a
good
            shooter, but scouts consider him just an average athlete.
Some have
            compared him to a poor man's Mike Bibby. But given Bibby's
            up-and-down NBA career, that doesn't make him a lock for the
first
            round. He flirted with the draft last year, but couldn't get
a
            first-round commitment. Has anything changed this year?
There won't
            be 10 point guards selected in the first round, that's for
sure.


            11. Ivan Koljevic, Buducnost (Serbia)
            The line: 6-2, 175, 19 years old
            The skinny: Koljevic got off to a hot start for Buducnost
this
            season, but lost his starting job when the team changed
coaches.
            Since then his numbers have really started to suffer. To
make
            matters worse, scouts are still pretty split on his ability
to make
            the transition to the point in the pros. No one questions
his
            ability to score at will, but most haven't seen the
playmaking
            skills to confidently declare that he's a first-rounder at
the end
            of the day. He'll need great workouts for that.


            12. Chris Duhon, Duke
            The line: 6-1, 190, Senior
            The skinny: We've been hearing some nice things about Duhon
lately
            that suggest that he'll be drafted and have a chance to
stick in the
            league. Scouts still contend that he has the athleticism,
            intelligence and court vision to be a good pro, but he's
just not
            the type of player who you ask to run your team 30 minutes a
game.
            Expect him to go somewhere in the second and then expect him
to make
            a roster.


            13. Marcelo Huertas, Paulistanto (Brazil)
            The line: 6-3, 200, 20 years old
            The skinny: Another international sleeper who has been
personally
            endorsed by Leandrinho Barbosa. Huertas has been described
as a poor
            man's Steve Nash. He's another athletic, sharp-shooting
point guard
            who's received little to no exposure in Brazil. The good
news is
            that he doesn't have a buyout, speaks fluent English and is
            ambidextrous. The few scouts who have seen him play like
him. We'll
            wait until he gets over here and begins workouts before
assigning a
            draft stock to him. For now let's just say that he's
emerging on
            everyone's radar screen.


            14. Blake Stepp, Gonzaga
            The line: 6-4, 200, Senior
            The skinny: He's slow, doesn't have a great handle, rarely
gets to
            the hole and is known as just a so-so defender. So how does
Stepp
            get on this list? With zone defenses gumming up the lane,
shooting
            now comes at a premium and Stepp is an unbelievable shooter
with
            real point guard skills. He's not going to out run anyone,
but teams
            make take a look in the second round and consider Stepp.
They
            underestimated Kyle Korver last year because of very similar
issues
            and Korver has been a contributor in the league. Stepp's cut
out of
            the same mold.


            15. Marcus Moore, Washington State
            The line: 6-6, 208, Senior
            The skinny: He was ranked much higher last year based on his
size,
            scoring ability and floor vision. But he tanked at the
Chicago
            pre-draft camp and then has suffered through a so-so season
at
            Washington State this year. He's had his moments (like a
29-point
            outburst against Arizona earlier in the season) but for the
most
            part he's fallen off the board. He'll get a second look at
draft
            camps and I think people understand that the potential is
there. But
            will it actually translate into draft buzz? Moore may have
missed
            his opportunity.


            Best of the Rest: Luis Flores, Manhattan; Timmy Bowers,
Mississippi
            State; Antonio Burks, Memphis; Jason Parker, Tulsa;
Alexsandar
            Capin, Germany


            Wait until next year: Chris Paul, Wake Forest; Dee Brown,
Illinois;
            Shannon Brown, Michigan State; Cedric Bozeman, UCLA
            Draft Cards



            Drejer in 2004 draft? It looks like former Florida forward
Christjan
            Drejer made a bigger mistake than anyone realized by
dropping out of
            Florida to sign a pro contract with F.C. Barcelona. League
sources
            have told Insider Drejer will automatically be entered into
the 2004
            draft.


            He will not have the right to withdraw his name if he
doesn't like
            his draft position the way most college and international
            underclassmen do. Drejer's hand is forced because of rule
that
            states that if a college player fore goes his college
eligibility
            and signs with pro team, he immediately becomes eligible for
the
            next NBA draft. NBA spokesman Tim Frank confirmed this
            interpretation to Insider on Thursday.


            That could be a major blow to Drejer, who was considered a
likely
            lottery candidate at the start of the year. However, a lack
of
            playing time, combined with his decision to jump ship for
Barcelona,
            will take its toll on his draft stock. He's now looking like
a
            borderline first-round pick. Had he stayed in school another
year,
            he may have been able to increase his draft stock back into
the
            lottery.


            Former Michigan State center Erazem Lorbek faced a similar
dilemma
            last year. Lorbek declared for the NBA draft last spring,
pulled his
            name out of the draft and then signed with a pro team,
Skipper
            Bologna, in July. Normally, under this rule, he too would
have been
            put into the 2004 draft.


            However, Lorbek's agent, David Bauman, told Insider that
Lorbek
            received a special exception because of some bad advice
given to the
            family by league lawyers. Originally, Lorbek was told that
he would
            have the ability to enter the draft and remove his name the
way all
            young international players do. When the league realized the
mistake
            it granted Lorbek the exception. Bauman claims that Lorbek
will be
            entering his name into this year's draft. However, he will
be able
            to withdraw if he doesn't like his draft stock.


            Spanish cup sensation: A plethora of NBA scouts and GMs were
in
            Spain last week watching the Kings Cup. Almost all of them
came away
            raving about Joventut Badalona's Rodolfo "Rudy" Fernandez.
The
            18-year-old, 6-foot-5 inch two guard walked away with MVP
honors and
            wowed scouts with his athleticism, scoring ability, outside
shot and
            active defense.


            "He could be a devastating offensive player in the NBA," one
scout
            told Insider.


            Another went even further. "He's the best Spanish prospect
since Pau
            Gasol, no question."


            Based on the advice of several international scouts, we're
going to
            move him into the top 10 of our Insider international
rankings. The
            only two guards we have ranked higher at the moment are
Russia's
            Sergei Monya and Slovenia's Sasha Vujacic.


            Podkolzine, Andriuskevicius shine at junior tournament: The
other
            big destination for most league scouts was a junior
tournament held
            in Forli, Italy. The tournament was for players born in 1984
and
            later and featured two big-time prospects in Pavel
Podkolzine and
            Martyans Andriuskevicius.


            Podkolzine (7-5, 300) led his team to the championship with
a
            dominant 31-point, 20-rebound performance. Eye witnesses
claim that
            he faced constant double and triple teams and still scored
at will.
            The performance really heightened the mood of several
scouts, who
            had begun to wonder when Pavel would ever show his
dominance.
            "He was amazing," one scout said. "I've been waiting a long
time to
            see that. He looks a hundred times better than he did last
year.
            Based on what we saw in that tournament, he's a legit top
three pick
            in the draft."


            Another scout wouldn't go quite that far. "He was good, but
the
            competition was young and no one could match his size," the
scout
            told Insider. "Still, I'll be stunned if he's not a top 10
pick on
            draft night. He really has the chance to be special."


            The other player who caught many scouts' eyes was Insider
mystery
            man Andriuskevicius (7-3, 250). This was the first time many
GMs and
            scouts were able to see him play, and according to reports,
he
            didn't disappoint. He dropped 20 points and 18 rebounds in
the final
            game, showed his ability to score in the post and on the
perimeter
            and reportedly took the ball coast to coast on one play.


            We've been projecting for several months now that he was the
sleeper
            of the draft, and based on the reports we're now hearing
from scouts
            who saw him in Italy, he could be one of the top three
international
            players taken in this year's draft.