WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Enough of the mock drafts, trade rumors, workout schedules and daily soap opera "As Lamar Odom Turns" -- it's time for the NBA draft to get to the point.

Five of them, to be exact.

	UCLA's Baron Davis is among those expected to go in the top 15 picks.

Point guard is the deepest position in the first round of the draft, but NBA general managers looking for a do-everything leader would be wise to remember not every guard under 6-foot-4 is automatically a guy capable of running the show.

Scoring point guards are a dime a dozen in college -- a slight physical advantage over a defender and a shorter 3-point line regularly turn ordinary players into college stars simply because the ball is in their hands more than anyone else's.

For every Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury and Damon Stoudamire, there's a Shawn Respert, Randolph Childress or Khalid Reeves. The mission for GMs in this draft is figuring out who are the undersized two-guards who just happen to play point in college and who are the true playmakers, guards capable of making others around them better.

Five players who fit the physical mold of a point guard are expected to go in the top 15 picks. Of that group, Steve Francis, Baron Davis and William Avery shouldered heavy offensive loads during their short college careers. Jason Terry became Arizona's top offensive option in his senior season because of the void left by Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson and Miles Simon. Only Andre Miller looks like a pass-first floor general, but even he had to take on more scoring responsibilities his senior season.

So how much of the dilemma of what position these guys will play is fact, and how much is fiction?

Francis is the first to admit that he doesn't see himself strictly as a point guard.

"I'm a player -- I'm not a point guard, and I'm not a shooting guard," Francis said. "I've played point guard all my life, but I can fit in with any team."

Francis played point his first two years in college -- one season each at San Jacinto JC and Allegany (Md.) Community College -- but shifted over to play alongside true point guard Terrell Stokes at Maryland. Francis averaged 17.0 points and 4.5 assists per game during his one season in Division I.

If Chicago does select Francis first overall as expected, the Bulls have the roster flexibility to let Francis find his natural position in the pros. Chicago may use him like Philadelphia uses Allen Iverson -- as a small shooting guard capable of running the offense at times as well as sliding over to the off-guard, handing the offensive reins to a traditional point guard.

One advantage Francis has over Iverson is size -- three inches and 28 pounds. Combined with Chicago's triple-post offense not demanding a strong point-guard presence, Francis shouldn't struggle to play at either backcourt slot. His extraordinary leaping ability, which helps him create his own shot, also separates him from many of the other undersized shooting guards who failed to catch on in the NBA.

When Avery assumed the starting point guard duties at Duke last season, people wondered if he could put aside his penchant for shooting enough to distribute the ball to the Blue Devils' bevy of offensive options. Avery responded by dishing out 196 assists (5.0 per game) to just 102 turnovers. But Avery didn't wipe his own shot entirely out of his offense -- he still took five more shots than Elton Brand and three more than Trajan Langdon, Duke's more established offensive options.

Avery echoed Francis' statements about fitting in wherever his team needs him, saying that playing in Duke's structured offense didn't allow him to showcase all of his skills.

"My situation at Duke didn't require me to penetrate, but I can," Avery said. "I can definitely play some off-guard with my size (6-3), as well as defend a few off-guards."

But while Francis, and to a lesser extent Avery, deal with the stigma of being a guard without a true position, Miller is hit with a different generalization. Because he played in Rick Majerus' structured offense at Utah, Miller fights the belief held by some scouts that he can't push the tempo.

"When I got to Utah, I adjusted to the system," he said. "Now, I have to re-adjust to the NBA, running up and down the court. But guys who know me know I can play the structured game as well as the fast-paced game."

The knock on Miller has been his outside shot, and while he says it's not a lock, he's confident despite shooting 29.4 percent from the 3-point line for his career. In college, Miller made up for that by converting drives to the basket and not being afraid to pull up for a mid-range jumper. If you remove his 3-point shooting from his overall percentage, Miller shot 55.8 percent from the floor during his career.

But the in the NBA, the lane is no man's land for the little guy and plenty of college stars haven't been able to extend their range to the 23 foot, 9 inch 3-point line. But smart guards have found ways to help their teams even without a deadly 3-point touch -- just ask Avery Johnson. Or better yet, ask the Knicks.

Of the five, Miller and Davis have the best chances to look for some of their offense inside, a la Indiana's Mark Jackson. Although Davis says he sees himself as a true point guard, scouts have been telling him that he can be a good post-up guard because of his bulk (210 pounds).

Davis also got a sneak preview of an NBA point guard's game from former UCLA and current Clippers point guard Darrick Martin. During Davis' rehabilitation from a torn ACL suffered in March of 1998, he said Martin was one of the few guys he played against in pick-up games who really pushed Davis despite his injured knee.

Davis' injury also may have helped him look more appealing to an NBA team looking for a true point guard because it taught him patience and "brought a lot of control to my game," he said.

But perhaps the player best suited for life in the NBA is Terry, who sat for three years before starting because Reggie Geary and Bibby were playing ahead of him. Instead of pouting, Terry learned patience while finding the best ways he could contribute to Arizona's success -- with his defense. Those traits will make him a hit with whichever NBA coach ends up with Terry.

"Nothing's been handed to me my whole career, I've had to go out and take it," Terry said. "Being in the background and waiting my time was a learning experience for me. It helped me grow as a player."

When given the chance to start, Terry showed his game was more than defense. He earned Pac-10 player of the year honors by leading the conference in scoring (21.9), assists (5.5) and steals (2.8). The last player to pull off that feat? Oregon State's Gary Payton.

Terry may get a chance to compare notes with the current Sonics point guard very soon -- Seattle has expressed interest in giving Payton more minutes at the two-guard, and a defensive-oriented point guard like Terry would give Seattle one of the top ball-hawking backcourts in the league.

Add to that how Terry is from Seattle, and that fit excites him.

"I'd love it. That's my hometown, that's where I grew up," beamed Terry, who has Seattle's area code (206) tattooed on his chest. "I dream about it every day."

So with the workouts done, the videotape dissected and the minutiae examined down to a near-microscopic level, all that is left for these five is waiting to hear David Stern call their name Wednesday night. But whichever of these five point guards an NBA team picks, it should be a point well taken.