The intrigue in Thursday’s NBA draft starts with Toronto at No. 4 because Cleveland with LeBron James, Detroit with Darko Milicic and Denver with Carmelo Anthony seem set.
The Raptors, desperate to get back into playoff contention, want to add a veteran. There have been rumors about a deal for the Knicks’ Latrell Sprewell, which seems to make little sense considering Toronto already has Vince Carter and Mo Peterson. But the Raptors’ deals and signings often make little sense. Toronto does want to unload some of its previous mistake long-term contracts, like those of Alvin Williams and Jerome Williams, both signed through 2009, and Lamond Murray, signed through 2006.
Sprewell’s contract, averaging $14 million the next two years, expires after the 2004-05 season. But trading the pick could be a shortsighted move because Georgia Tech’s Chris Bosh is impressing some as a potential star. Carter called him the best player available at that spot.
If the Knicks were to move up, it probably would be for Texas point guard T.J. Ford, who the star-starved Knicks believe could be a fan favorite and fit with Allan Houston. In that case, Miami might keep the fifth pick and have the beginnings of a young contender with Caron Butler.
But Heat coach-President Pat Riley has been talking about competing for the playoffs next season. Riley supposedly wants to move down. One deal that has been going around has Bucks point guard Sam Cassell going to Miami, one of the interested teams. The Heat has some salary-cap space available, and if it can deal for Cassell and sign Clippers unrestricted free agent Michael Olowokandi, who has a home in Florida, it could be a solid contender in the East with Brian Grant and Eddie Jones.
The Bucks would get the No. 5 pick, and they also like Ford. They probably could stay at No. 8 and get Kansas point guard Kirk Hinrich, whom some see as a Jeff Hornacek type, but better. The Bucks could take Anthony Carter from the Heat. Carter only has a year left on his contract, and the Bucks have to be looking to cut salaries to present a better balance sheet for a possible sale of the franchise.
So it seems unlikely they’ll offer Gary Payton a contract. Payton is said to be the No. 1 free-agent choice on the Los Angeles Lakers’ list, but they can only offer about a $4.5 million starting salary. Payton continues to say he is in the prime of his career and should be paid more, though he’ll be 35 when next season starts.
One place Payton might be able to get paid more and a chance to get back to the NBA Finals is Indiana. He would have to agree to a sign-and-trade deal to go to the Pacers for Al Harrington, a post-up player who could give the Bucks a nice young nucleus with the point guard they’ll add in the draft.
Indiana is desperate for a point guard and also has to unload salaries to pay free agents Jermaine O’Neal and Brad Miller. So the Pacers might take Minnesota’s Terrell Brandon, who’ll be retiring. They want to give Austin Croshere and Ron Mercer to Minnesota, but the Timberwolves reportedly want Harrington.
Calling a bluff: There’s always a lot of bluffing by general managers come draft time. Often teams talk up a player so someone else will take him and perhaps the player they want will fall. That may be the case this time with 7-footer Maciej Lampe. The Heat will work out Lampe this week. The last time they had a player in so close to the draft was when they were trying to trade for the rights to Lamar Odom.
“He’s intriguing as a young player,” Riley said. “He shoots the ball very well. If you’re going to take a risk somewhere, it would be with a guy that can stick it in the basket from 25 feet on a regular basis.”
Rumors also have Milwaukee talking about taking Lampe at No. 8, though several teams say he’s years away from helping.
Riley, supposedly looking hardest to trade out of his draft spot, says history shows teams that do generally are hurt by the deal. “Very rarely has trading for the veteran player and giving up the lottery pick worked out,” Riley said.
Young veterans like Memphis’ Stromile Swift, Seattle’s Vladimir Radmanovic (the Sonics with Nos. 12 and 14 want to make a deal) and Sacramento’s Hedo Turkoglu supposedly are available, but are they worth a top-five pick?
“I see a lot of mediocrity out there,” said Riley, “not only in the draft, but in free agency too.”
Riley said nine of the past 10 trades in which a team swapped its “significant” lottery pick for a veteran worked out for the team that acquired the pick.
Wade to Bulls? The Bulls are said to be leaning toward Marquette’s Dwyane Wade with the No. 7 pick. He might be a little biased, but Orlando coach Doc Rivers, a Marquette grad, is raving about Wade. “I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he was that good,” Rivers said. “He was clearly a head above everybody else. He blocked six shots at shooting guard and had three dunks. He’s an amazing athlete. I didn’t know he played that big. I’d love for him to slip, but that’s not going to happen.”
Orlando update: Although Rivers offers regular denials, he could be the next hot coach on the market. Following the Magic’s playoff collapse after leading the Pistons 3-1 in the opening round, new operations chief John Weisbrod sent a letter to season ticket-holders apologizing for the team’s performance. Rivers was insulted, but the organization said it expects more of him and general manager John Gabriel.
Orlando picks 15th and is expected to look for a point guard. The Magic has declared Grant Hill out for next season, but a supposedly upset Hill is telling friends he wants to try to play. The Magic doesn’t want him to play so it can get an injury exception worth half his salary and make a play for free agents like Payton, Karl Malone, P.J. Brown, Juwan Howard, Scottie Pippen and Alonzo Mourning. It’s said to be in competition with Miami for Olowokandi too.
Weisbrod also is saying after two years of limiting spending, the Magic will pay the luxury tax for the right player. But he added: “If you go into the tax, again barely make it to the playoffs and get bounced in the first round, obviously that would prove to not make a lot of sense.”
Draft talk: Illinois’ Brian Cook has been invited by the NBA to New York for the draft, which the NBA usually does for the players it believes will go in the top 20. . . . Anthony was greeted last week in Denver by cheering fans and camera crews at the airport, had a party thrown in his honor at the home of general manager Kiki Vandeweghe and then dined at the owner’s home. Ticket director Paul Andrews said “the excitement [over Anthony] right now reminds me of the 1992-93 season when Dikembe Mutombo was here.” And the Nuggets had Anthony’s nameplate over a locker already.
