| | By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
CHICAGO -- The only certainties that seemed to come out of the Chicago pre-draft camp were the first two picks. The consensus among scouts -- and the players themselves -- has Cincinnati senior forward Kenyon Martin moving ahead of Texas junior center Chris Mihm for the first pick. LSU sophomore forward Stromile Swift has started to secure the second spot.
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CRAWFORD CLIMBING |
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The talk at the Chicago pre-draft camp last week was less about the first round and more about which team will land Portland's Jermaine O'Neal in a trade.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Blazers were looking at trading with Chicago, Dallas, Boston or Orlando. And what was the potential goal of the trade? Possibly Michigan freshman point guard Jamal Crawford. Portland assistant Tim Grgurich knew Crawford when he was at Seattle's Rainier Beach High School and Grgurich was with the Sonics. Grgurich was the one who tipped off Fresno State coach Jerry Tarkanian about Crawford when the Bulldogs signed him during his first senior year.
Crawford was granted a fifth year of high-school eligibility and eventually signed and played last season with Michigan. Crawford played in only 17 games because of an NCAA suspension. But he averaged 16.6 points and his 6-foot, 6-inch wiry frame is tantalizing to NBA scouts who see a multi-faceted point guard.
Crawford's playmaking skills and perimeter jumper were on target during the Chicago drills. He was off during the first game, going 1-for-9 from the field. But he was 5-for-8, scoring 12 points in his team's second game. He missed the third game with a pulled groin.
But Crawford measured at 6-4 ½ without shoes, with a wing span at 6-10. Those numbers put him ahead of many of this year's point guards, who all seem to be on the dimunitive side. Trying to project where Crawford goes in the draft is the hardest part of picking the first round. Not knowing what will happen with O'Neal makes it even tougher. |
After the top two, the first round could go a number of ways. High school senior Darius Miles, Fresno State senior guard Courtney Alexander, Iowa State junior forward Marcus Fizer and Greek center Iakovos Tsakalidis will control the rest of the draft. Where these four players fall will determine the rest of the order. But Miles, Fizer and Alexander could go anywhere from Nos. 3 to 9. Tsakalidis could land anywhere from 4 to 12.
None of them played in Chicago, but all were present for the physicals over the weekend. A number of players helped themselves by being at the Chicago camp, but weren't able to crack ESPN.com's second mock draft. They might get into our third version after next week's deadline for underclassmen to withdraw (June 21) or the fourth and final mock draft the day before the June 28 draft.
Names you won't see below but could easily be in the first round by the end of the month are: Connecticut junior point guard Khalid El-Amin, Oklahoma State senior forward Desmond Mason, Saint Louis senior guard Justin Love, Italian forward Marko Jaric, Stanford senior forward Mark Madsen, Greek forward Antonis Fotsis and Ohio State senior point Scoonie Penn.
UCLA freshman forward Jason Kapono withdrew his name from the draft list and will return to school for his sophomore year.
Here's our latest list:
1. New Jersey -- Kenyon Martin, 6-9, Sr., Cincinnati: The Nets need a power player inside, especially with Jayson Williams' leg in question.
The Nets likely will get offers from the Magic for a trade for Martin. But the Nets would be smarter to hold onto the pick. Putting Martin next to Keith Van Horn makes the Nets one of the toughest frontcourts to defend in the East. Martin has moved ahead of Chris Mihm because of his potential for more of an impact next season. He's also more coveted than Mihm at this juncture.
|  | | LSU's Stromile Swift has risen to the No. 2 spot. |
2. Vancouver -- Stromile Swift, 6-9, So., LSU: The Grizzlies have fallen for Swift and won't let him slip past No. 2 if the Nets choose Martin. Swift answers the Grizzlies' needs for a shot blocker and rebounder. Adding Swift could help convince Shareef Abdur-Rahim to stay in Vancouver. Swift said he has gotten the best vibe from the Grizzlies.
3. Los Angeles Clippers -- Marcus Fizer, 6-8, Jr., Iowa State: The Clippers could shock the draft and pick Darius Miles. They could play it safe for a shooting guard and take Courtney Alexander. But the safest pick, thus far, is Fizer. He's a power player who can give the Clippers some size and production inside as Michael Olowkandi continues to develop. Fizer isn't opposed to playing for the Clippers.
4. Chicago -- Chris Mihm, 7-0, Jr., Texas: The Bulls covet a center and have the pick of Mihm, Joel Przybilla and Iakovos Tsakalidis with this pick. Portland could be looking to trade with the Bulls for Jermaine O'Neal. But O'Neal can't play in the post as consistently as Mihm. The Texas center is the safest choice for the Bulls. He also has the outgoing personality that meshes well with Elton Brand in the Bulls quest to regain their place as the Second City's favorite team.
5. Orlando -- Darius Miles, 6-9, HS, East St. Louis (Ill.): Doc Rivers is the perfect coach for Miles -- a player's coach who can teach, but also deliver the necessary discipline. The Magic could ship this pick to New Jersey for Martin or send Miles to Portland for O'Neal. If the Clippers take Miles or Alexander, look for the Magic to draft Fizer. Miles doesn't think he'll drop past five. He might know something no one else does yet.
6. Atlanta -- Mike Miller, 6-8, So., Florida: Miller is only working out for Atlanta, Chicago and Orlando, which gives an impression that he thinks he's going somewhere between Nos. 4 and 7. Miller is a scoring small forward with defensive deficiencies. But he's a fit for Hawks GM Pete Babcock and Atlanta coach Lon Kruger. If the Hawks pass on Miller, they'll probably grab either Alexander or DerMarr Johnson.
7. Chicago -- Courtney Alexander, 6-5, Sr., Fresno State: Alexander believes he's the top shooting guard in the draft, perhaps the best player in the draft. He might be, but he's not going in the top two. Alexander could land as high as No. 3, but he might drop to seven. He's the perfect fit for the Bulls, who need a scorer on the wing. Playing in Chicago would be a dream for Alexander, who models his game after his idol MJ.
8. Cleveland -- Joel Przybilla, 7-0, So., Minnesota: The Cavaliers need a big man with the unknown availability of Zydrunas Ilgauskas for next season. Tsakalidis is a possibility here, but Przybilla won't slip past the Cavaliers -- if he's not taken by Orlando or Chicago. His stock has risen as he takes off body fat and adds muscle while working out in the Bay Area.
9. Houston -- DerMarr Johnson, 6-9, Fr., Cincinnati: The versatile shooting guard would slide in next to Steve Francis and in place of or substituting for Cuttino Mobley. Johnson won't slide past Houston if he's still available. Johnson could go as high as No. 3. His upside and ability to play three positions make him a tantalizing pick.
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OTHER RUMBLINGS |
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Sources at UCLA told ESPN.com that Jason Kapono is leaning toward going back to school unless he can get a guarantee from the Lakers that he would be taken in the first round. Kapono skipped out on the Chicago pre-draft camp, but hasn't hired an agent.
Khalid El-Amin and Scoonie Penn (who didn't show up in Chicago) are battling to be the fifth or sixth point guards taken in the draft. Four seem to be locks for the first round: Jamal Crawford, Hofstra's Speedy Claxton, St. John's Erick Barkley and Michigan State's Mateen Cleaves.
Justin Love continues to be one of the surprises of the draft camps, but he's still a 6-1 shooting guard in a point-guard's body. Mason could easily work his way into the first round with impressive workouts, especially for teams that need athletes. Mark Madsen continues to be a hard-working, productive forward at the draft camps and will either go late in the first or get a guaranteed deal from a team high in the second round.
Marko Jaric was more aggressive than Antonis Fotsis in Chicago but might be too much of a tweener at 6-7 to be a lock in the first. Meanwhile, Fotsis wasn't strong enough to consistently battle underneath.
Of course, there will probably be one or two picks like Utah's selection of Andrei Kirilenko last season. The Russian forward wasn't a regular on mock first round lists leading up to the first day. |
10. Orlando -- Quentin Richardson, 6-6, So., DePaul: Richardson might be the hardest player to figure in the draft. He could be packaged in a trade if the Magic takes him. He could also be used as bait to land free-agent-to-be Tracy McGrady. Richardson could go as high as No. 7 to Chicago, but he could also drop to the mid-teens. Richardson has scheduled workouts with Dallas, Cleveland, Boston, Detroit, New Jersey, Chicago, Orlando and Atlanta. The New Jersey workout is likely in case he's packaged in a trade with the Nets.
11. Boston -- Iakovos Tsakalidis, 7-1, AEK Greece: Tsakalidis' representatives told ESPN.com in Chicago that he can get out of the final year of his contract with AEK. But the buzz in Chicago was that Tsakalidis would be hard to get next season. Boston might be willing to try to wiggle him out of the deal. The Celtics need a wide body inside. If they don't go with Tsakalidis, it's probably because they couldn't get him next season.
12. Dallas -- Olumide Oyedeji, 6-10, DJK Wurzburg: The Celtics could upstage the Mavericks and take Oyedeji at No. 11. If they don't, the Mavericks will have a tough choice between Oyedeji and UCLA's Jerome Moiso. Both are rebounding forwards, but Moiso might be ready to help out sooner. Oyedeji is playing on the same team as Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, giving them another connection with the Nigerian.
13. Orlando -- Jamal Crawford, 6-6, Fr., Michigan: This is the wild-card pick. The Magic need to take a point guard with one of their three picks, but they could easily pick one up in a trade or trade this pick. If they keep it, the options are Crawford, Mateen Cleaves, Speedy Claxton or Erick Barkley. The early favorite is Crawford with a chance at being traded to Portland.
14. Detroit -- Jerome Moiso, 6-10, So., UCLA: The Pistons will take some flak if they pass on Cleaves and Morris Peterson, but their first need is for an inside presence. Moiso would be hard to pass up if he's available. He could become a Theo Ratliff-type player after the Pistons let him go to Philadelphia.
15. Milwaukee -- Etan Thomas, 6-9, Sr., Syracuse: The Bucks covet a rebounder, even though they're going to re-sign Darvin Ham. Thomas won't get past the Bucks if he's available. They would grab Moiso if he's at No. 15, too. If the Bucks can't land either one of these players, then they'll go with the best available athlete or scorer. They still need to sign Tim Thomas this summer.
16. Sacramento -- Morris Peterson, 6-7, Sr., Michigan State: Peterson is working out for Dallas, Houston, Orlando, New Jersey, Chicago, Cleveland, Atlanta, Seattle, Sacramento, Boston, the Clippers, Detroit, New York and Milwaukee. Obviously, he's not sure where he's going. But the Kings could use a wing. They don't have any free agents in their top eight, but Jon Barry is their only scoring perimeter player off the bench.
17. Seattle -- Mamadou N'Diaye, 7-0, Sr., Auburn: The Sonics' first choice is for a big man, with aging Horace Grant serving as their starting center. N'Diaye would give the Sonics an athletic big man who can block shots. He has the potential to be more of a scorer and could be a steal for the Sonics if he falls to No. 17.
18. Los Angeles Clippers -- Keyon Dooling, 6-3, So., Missouri: Dooling could go higher if the Magic and Bulls want to go with a point or the Pistons opt for one at No. 14. But if they don't, he seems to be next in line behind Crawford. Dooling didn't bother showing up in Chicago, and the talk is he has been told he's in the top 20. The Clippers want and need a point with this pick. If they don't go with Dooling, they'll take either Crawford (if the Magic pick falls through) or Erick Barkley.
19. Charlotte -- Chris Carrawell, 6-6, Sr., Duke: Carrawell has stayed away from all of the spring draft camps. The Hornets need an aggressive wing with this pick. They could go with St. John's Lavor Postell, Oklahoma State's Desmond Mason or Carrawell. He probably won't drop past Charlotte if he's available because of his Duke pedigree.
20. Philadelphia -- Hidayet Turkoglu, 6-8, Turkey: The Sixers pick could change daily. They have two options: go for a big point or a big small forward. If Crawford were available, they would pick him. They're bringing in SMU's 6-7 Jeryl Sasser for a workout (he's going to Boston, too). He hasn't decided if he's going to stay in the draft or not. But a source said Turkoglu had a decent workout with the Sixers. He could be a surprise selection at No. 20.
21. Toronto -- Craig "Speedy" Claxton, 5-11, Sr., Hofstra: The Raptors want a point guard and are in love with Claxton. If he's available, they'll likely take him over Barkley or Cleaves. Claxton has proven he's not afraid of anyone by playing in each draft camp. He has worked his way up to the first round and won over scouts with his decision making and consistency in each camp.
22. New York -- Jamaal Magloire, 6-11, Sr., Kentucky: The Knicks need size with the future of Patrick Ewing and free agent Kurt Thomas unknown. They took a lot of heat for last season's pick of Frederic Weis. They won't make another mistake. Magloire proved during the season that he can play stronger when pushed.
23. Utah -- Lavor Postell, 6-6, Sr., St. John's: Postell has earned first-round status after emerging as the most consistent and athletic player in Phoenix and Chicago. The Jazz need quickness on the perimeter and scoring with the departure of Jeff Hornacek. Postell led all scorers in Chicago with 18.7 points a game. Mason could be a selection here, too.
24. Chicago -- Erick Barkley, 6-1, So., St. John's: No way does Barkley slip past the Bulls if he's still on the board. Two point guards are going to slip and at this juncture they might be Barkley and Cleaves. Putting Barkley this low probably will draw criticism, but the needs of the above teams and the emergence of Crawford has pushed him further down in the draft. But the Bulls would be the winners of this draft if they kept their picks and got Mihm, Alexander and Barkley.
25. Phoenix -- Jason Collier, 7-0, Sr., Georgia Tech: The Suns need another banger with Oliver Miller listed as a free agent. Collier hasn't shown up to any of the draft camps, but could push Luc Longley in the middle if the Suns take him. If Phoenix wants to gamble for the future, they might take a long look at DeShawn Stevenson.
26. Utah -- Hanno Mottola, 6-9, Sr., Utah: Mottola is scheduled to work out for the Jazz two days before the draft. He made an appearance in Chicago, but just for the physical. Mottola could slip out of the first round if the Jazz don't take him. But he's a safe pick for them. He's a versatile scorer and won't mind being in Salt Lake City.
27. Indiana -- Donnell Harvey, 6-8, Fr., Florida: Harvey won himself a first-round spot by scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 boards in the one and only game he played in Chicago (tendinitis in his knee took him out of the camp). The Pacers can use more size and rebounding up front after letting Antonio Davis go to Toronto last season. Harvey can be more of an impact player next season than Jonathan Bender, who the Pacers selected No. 5 last year.
28. Portland -- Mateen Cleaves, 6-2, Sr., Michigan State: This is a tricky call. Cleaves could go at No. 13 to Orlando. But he could also drop all the way to the bottom if the Blazers want to package a trade. The Pistons would have to pass on Cleaves to let this happen, so too, would the Bulls, Clippers and Sixers. Putting Cleaves this low is a reach, but Cleaves doesn't have a buzz around him just yet. He has worked out for Detroit and is set to work out for Orlando and Chicago.
29. Los Angeles Lakers -- DeShawn Stevenson, 6-5, HS, Washington Union (Fresno, Calif.): Sources said Stevenson has been told he's a first-round pick. But by whom? Stevenson has worked out for Chicago, the Clippers, Sacramento and is scheduled for workouts with Seattle, Phoenix, Boston and Orlando. But if Stevenson drops to the bottom, the Lakers might find it hard to pass him up. Kapono is also a potential pick with this spot.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. | |
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