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 Inside the NBA
Posted: Tuesday June 15, 1999 01:31 PM Around The Rim The biggest gamble in the draft may turn on a big man from France By Jackie MacMullan
There has never been a better time to be very tall. Look at Vancouver big man Bryant (Big Country) Reeves, who just completed the most embarrassing season of his young career after showing up at training camp 40 pounds overweight. Despite his horrid showing, the Grizzlies have no plans to shop him, because they know that Reeves, love handles and all, is an infinitely better center than anyone they can obtain with the No. 2 pick in the June 30 draft. The 1999 crop of NBA hopefuls is exceedingly short of impact big men. The two best college prospects, Evan Eschmeyer of Northwestern and Todd (Little Country) MacCulloch of Washington, have the look, smell and lumbering gait of career backups. Both are projected as late first-rounders. No wonder Sacramento is monitoring the caloric intake of Oliver Miller, who has reportedly dropped 40 pounds at a fat farm. No wonder scouts got all tingly when it appeared that 7'4" Chinese center Yao Ming might declare himself eligible for the NBA draft. (He didn't.) While 7'3" Serbian center Aleksandar Radojevic has gotten the most predraft ink, Frederic Weis, a 7'2", 22-year-old center for a team in Limoges, France, may be the most intriguing gamble in this year's draft. According to Dallas assistant Donn Nelson, an avid follower of foreign talent, Weis is "soft but skilled," but his most pressing problem is that very few NBA coaches and general managers have seen him play. He has declined to work out for NBA clubs and did not show up at the predraft cattle call in Chicago last week for a physical, which is of critical importance, since Weis had back surgery on April 1. Atlanta scout Gary Wortman first saw Weis play four years ago in the Junior World Championships in Greece. "If he was working out for teams, he'd be a first-round pick," Wortman says. "But there's so much mystery surrounding him. I'm not sure how many teams would take a chance on him without giving him a physical, because of his back." Limoges owner Didier Rose, who doubles as Weis's agent, says the player's surgery was successful. "Frederic is 100 percent healthy," Rose says. Weis's decision on whether or not to play in the NBA next season will be determined by his place in the draft. "If we are at the top of the draft, we are ready to come," Rose says. "If not, then perhaps we will want a little more time." The Hawks, who are in the market for a backup to Dikembe Mutombo, are the team most likely to take a chance on Weis. They have four first-round picks and can afford to gamble. Rose says he will be disappointed if Weis falls below the top 15 in the draft. "He is the best center in Europe," the agent says. The question remains: Is that really saying a whole lot?
NBA Coaches' Work Fair: The party line: NBA coaches, scouts and general managers convened at the Chicago predraft camp last week to evaluate borderline talent. The hidden agenda: The annual gathering is a job fair for coaches. The only people there who were able to relax were the coaches with secure futures and the general managers who have all their positions filled. Everybody else was busily exchanging résumés. New Orlando coach Doc Rivers spent his time accepting congratulations -- and applications for positions on his staff. He also called pouty point guard Penny Hardaway, who exercised his option to become a free agent but told Rivers that he was willing to stay in Orlando if Rivers would give him a fair shake. "He said he feels like he's been on an island by himself," Rivers said. "I told him I wanted to get a boat and bring him back to land." Rivers's nautical maneuvers do not preclude a sign-and-trade agreement with Hardaway, who would like to go West. The Clippers want him, but Penny is thinking more along the lines of the other Los Angeles team, the one coached by Kurt Rambis for most of last season. When Rambis arrived in Chicago on June 7, he was still coach of the Lakers, but on June 10 his boss, Jerry West, jetted home from Chicago to "attend to some business," and Rambis learned that West and owner Jerry Buss were deep in negotiations with Phil Jackson. With Jackson's signing apparently imminent, Rambis stood against one wall of the gym where workouts were held, wondering why he was there. "I can't worry about things I can't control," he said softly. Ten minutes later he slipped out the back door. Detroit assistant Gar Heard, a candidate for the vacant Washington job, knows the feeling. He was thrilled when he discovered that Rivers was going to take the Magic job, because Heard had surmised that the Wizards had narrowed their choices to Rivers and him. A short time later news broke that Isiah Thomas was in the mix for the Washington job. By last Saturday, the suspense -- and the sympathetic looks from fellow coaches -- was killing Heard. "Wes told me that nothing was done yet," Heard said. "He told me to sit tight." At least Heard has a job. For every three gainfully employed coaches pressing the flesh, there was another looking for a break. Former Bulls and Detroit assistant Johnny Bach was sitting at midcourt, keeping an eye on the players -- and on the G.M.'s. Deposed Washington coach Bernie Bickerstaff popped in to remind everybody that he was still alive. Axed New Jersey coach John Calipari was working the crowd, while former Dallas coach Jim Cleamons took a long walk with Rivers to discuss joining Orlando's staff. Rivers has already decided to hire Lakers assistant Dave Wohl, who knows he'll be out of a job if Jackson takes over in L.A. Jackson's employment status also had New Jersey's staff in limbo. His rumored deal with L.A. was good news for Nets interim coach Don Casey, who fretted in Chicago on June 8 and 9 but was summoned back to New Jersey on June 10 to meet with majority owner Lewis Katz. As word spread that Casey was about to have the interim tag removed from his title, the buzzing began in earnest: What about his assistants? Eddie Jordan and Jimmy Lynam are expected to be retained -- disappointing news for coaches without a team or, with the predraft camp coming to a close, without much hope. Until next June. Think everything's hunky-dory for the Knicks in the wake of their improbable run at the NBA title? Think again. Team sources say Latrell Sprewell has told teammates he won't play for coach Jeff Van Gundy again. If Van Gundy returns, Spree wants to be traded to Atlanta.... The Timberwolves are mulling sign-and-trade options involving point guard Terrell Brandon , who can become a free agent on July 1. One possible trade: the Clippers' Lorenzen Wright and L.A.'s No. 4 pick (which Minnesota could use to take Steve Francis or Baron Davis ) for Brandon and the T-wolves' No. 6 pick. One hitch: Brandon has to agree to the deal.... People close to Grant Hill say he's leaning toward re-signing with Detroit. The Pistons are very lucky that Hill doesn't want to play on the West Coast and that the only Eastern Conference team with sufficient cap room to sign him is Chicago.... Those rumors about Cleveland hoping to hire Minnesota assistant Randy Wittman to replace fired coach Mike Fratello have died down. Jim Paxson, who will take over the Cleveland G.M. job July 1, did not speak to Wittman at the NBA predraft camp, and a source close to the Cleveland job search says the Cavs have entered into discussions with former Hornets coach Dave Cowens .... Boston G.M Chris Wallace says the best thing that could happen to potential No. 1 pick Lamar Odom , is to end up on a veteran club. "Lamar is a tremendous talent," says Wallace, "but I don't think his personality is that of a dominating player. He'd be far more comfortable as a setup guy on a team that has quality scorers, instead of a team that will ask him to be the savior."
Issue date: June 21, 1999
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