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'He holds the key'
All eyes on Krause as draft approaches
Posted: Wednesday June 30, 1999 03:07 PM
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Want to know a secret: Many wonder what Bulls GM Jerry Krause (left) and owner Jerry Reinsdorf will do with their No. 1 pick. Jonathan Daniel /Allsport |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- This NBA draft isn't about Elton Brand's true height, Steve Francis' vertical leap, Wally Szczerbiak's jumper or Lamar Odom's risk factor.
It's about Jerry Krause's secret plan to rebuild his dynasty.
As the clock ticked toward the moment Wednesday night when commissioner David Stern will walk to the podium, the general manager of the Chicago Bulls had everyone wondering whether he'd trade the No. 1 overall pick.
"It's nerve-racking," Francis said. "It's the last day, and you hear so many rumors and so much that's going on."
Just when it seemed the field had been narrowed to Francis or Brand as the top overall pick, Odom showed up Tuesday and said it was his gut feeling he'd be picked No. 1 by Chicago. Szczerbiak and UCLA guard Baron Davis are expected to round out the top five.
Around the league, the talk was that the Miami Heat were trying to move up to get Odom, while the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets were discussing a trade that would send Scottie Pippen to Los Angeles for Glen Rice and Robert Horry.
Atlanta and Golden State made a deal, the Hawks sending Mookie Blaylock and the No. 21 pick to the Warriors for Bimbo Coles, Duane Ferrell and the 10th overall pick.
The order of selection at the top of the draft -- the first five being Chicago, Vancouver, Charlotte, the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto -- figured to change in some way by time the draft begins.
"It's a mystery to me, just like every other player is really wondering where they're going," Francis said.
Krause has been talking to numerous teams to explore dozens of trade options, and many people around the league expected him to deal the No. 1 pick.
"He holds the key," NBA scouting director Marty Blake said. "But he's not going to give any hints as to what he's going to do."
For weeks, the widespread belief was that the secretive Krause had his eyes on Szczerbiak, the smooth shooting forward from Miami of Ohio. The one rumor that kept popping up had Krause trading the No. 1 pick to Toronto, with the Raptors giving up the fifth pick and Tracy McGrady.
"There's a very good possibility that we will not make any decision on the draft choice until Wednesday afternoon," said Krause, who is trying to rebuild the Bulls following the breakup of the team that won three straight titles from 1996-98. "We don't feel there's an advantage to us to making it sooner."
Said coach Tim Floyd: "If somebody knocks Jerry out with a trade, then I'm sure we'll have to look at it and go that way."
Such statements were the reason why all the top players had a greater air of uncertainty about them than usual on the day before the draft.
Some of the comments were downright bold: Brand sounding eager to play for Vancouver; Szczerbiak saying he would "love" to play for the Clippers; Odom saying he had spoken to Krause several times.
"Chicago's in more of a rebuilding stage," said Brand, the college player of the year, "They don't have superstar-level talent.
"Vancouver has Mike Bibby at the point, Felipe Lopez had a stellar year, I think surprised some people. Then you've got Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Big Country (Bryant Reeves) down low. I think I could fit in there."
Brand, who left Duke after his sophomore season, is a 6-foot-8 forward who played center in college and averaged 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds.
Francis, a 6-3 guard, averaged 17.0 points for Maryland and skipped his senior season.
Davis, a 6-2 point guard from UCLA, figures to be chosen no lower than fourth.
Szczerbiak, a 6-7 forward, should be chosen no lower than fifth.
Aside from Krause's maneuverings, another big draft uncertainty was Odom.
A 6-10 phenom from Rhode Island who could play three positions in the pros, Odom may have hurt his stock by declaring for the draft, then trying to pull out. He then missed several workouts scheduled by NBA teams.
He was not on time for Tuesday's media availability session held by the NBA. On Monday, he worked out in Providence for the Bulls, Raptors, Clippers and Timberwolves. Odom also held an earlier workout in Vancouver.
"Lamar is a great kid. I don't understand what's going on. No one does," Szczerbiak said. "He's probably going through a real tough time. He's probably very indecisive, probably has a lot of people pulling him in all kinds of different directions and he's probably like a rubber band about to snap."
Rounding out the top 10 draft slots are Minnesota, Washington, Cleveland, Phoenix and Atlanta, which will likely be choosing among Jonathan Bender of Picayune High School in Mississippi, guards Jason Terry of Arizona, Richard Hamilton of Connecticut, Andre Miller of Utah and William Avery of Duke.
Lottery teams Cleveland, Toronto and Seattle will choose 11th, 12th and 13th, and the rest of the first round includes four picks for Atlanta (Nos. 10, 17, 20 and 27) and three for Utah (19, 24 and 28).
"I've never seen a draft where more people in the late first round were willing to deal their first-round picks," Wizards general manager Wes Unseld said.
"Everybody's just feeling each other out, throwing a lot of stuff against the wall, trying to see what sticks. For me, it's as thick as I've seen it. I'm not getting a straight answer from anyone. Maybe because nobody has any."
A source close to the Rockets, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to The Associated Press that the Lakers had approached Houston on Tuesday with the offer of Rice and Horry, a trade that would reunite Pippen with coach Phil Jackson.
Pippen struggled in his first season with the Rockets and their stagnant offense, and Rice never really fit in with the Lakers after being acquired at midseason for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell. The trade would seem to be a fit for both teams.
"It's up to Houston whether to do it or not," the source said.
Chicago (Nos. 1 and 16), Toronto (5 and 12), Cleveland (8 and 11) and Minnesota (6 and 14) have two picks apiece.
Dallas, New Jersey, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Detroit, Orlando and Portland have no first-round picks.
Avery worked out last week for the New York Knicks, who choose 15th.
"They said they were thinking about trading up and doing some things, but a lot of teams are," Avery said. "That's why tomorrow night's going to be an interesting night."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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