'No pressure'

Playing for hometown Wizards is least of Dixon's worries

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With all Juan Dixon has gone through, it sounds almost trite to wonder whether he'll feel any pressure playing for his local NBA team.

Dixon lost both parents to AIDS when he was a teen-ager in Baltimore, but he persevered to become Maryland's all-time leading scorer while leading the Terrapins to the NCAA title in April.

Now he's the No. 17 overall pick by the Washington Wizards, who figured Dixon's heart far outweighed any reservations about his 6-foot-3 height.

"It's all fun -- that's how I think about this game," Dixon said Thursday during his introductory news conference at the MCI Center. "What I went through, that was tough. A lot of people wouldn't be able to get through that, but I stayed strong with the help of my brother Phil and extended family.

"So there's no pressure. I played in this area for the last 4 1/2 years, and I didn't feel any pressure at all. It's all fun, and I'm going to continue to have fun."

Dixon was joined by No. 11 overall pick Jared Jeffries of Indiana and No. 39 selection Rod Grizzard from Alabama. The Wizards also chose Spanish guard Juan Carlos Navarro at No. 40, but he's under contract to F.C. Barcelona and isn't expected to play in the NBA next season.

In Jeffries and Dixon, the Wizards got the two players they targeted -- and vice versa. On Sunday, both told general manager Wes Unseld they wanted to play in Washington. "Be careful what you wish for," was Unseld's response both times.

Both players are tweeners -- Jeffries is a small forward with power forward size. Dixon is a shooting guard with point guard size. Coach Doug Collins said it doesn't matter, and he cited the Philadelphia 76ers and coach Larry Brown as an example.

"Everybody talks about position and body size. What's Allen Iverson's position?" Collins said. "What did Larry Brown do? He said we're going to get Eric Snow, and let Eric Snow be Eric Snow and Allen Iverson be Allen Iverson.

"It's our job as personnel people to make sure we put the right pieces so that we can bring out the best in everybody."

Jeffries said many of the teams that worked him out tried to pigeonhole him as a power forward -- and that's one of the reasons he wanted to be drafted by the Wizards.

"A lot of teams wanted power players," Jeffries said. "That really wasn't me. I'll play inside. I like to post up and go in strong, but I like to also be able to go outside and maneuver.

"Is [Juan] is a point or is he is a shooting guard? Am I a power forward? Small forward? That really doesn't matter. Both of us can play basketball."

Jeffries and Dixon will get work at multiple positions during summer league games in Boston in July. Grizzard, also a guard, won't play in the summer league because he's recovering from a broken leg, an injury that caused him to plummet in the draft.

With Kwame Brown, Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood, Collins has a very young roster. He said the Wizards will probably use their one midlevel salary cap exemption to sign a veteran big point guard or small forward.

And, of course, Collins is unsure whether Michael Jordan will play another season. Jordan, who usually started at small forward last season, isn't expected to announce his decision until late August.

 

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