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 NBA Draft WiretapKnicks Downfall Started with Ewing TradeChris Broussard of the New York Times chronicles the decline of the Knicks, starting in the summer of 2000 when they traded Patrick Ewing. The Knicks were afraid Ewing would be disruptive if brought back for one more season, so they accepted a package of aging, injured, ill-fitting players with long-term contracts. In all, the Knicks have taken on $137.4 million in contracts for players they acquired through the Ewing trade. They could have kept Ewing around and chopped his $16 million off their payroll after the 2000-1 season. Broussard says the Knicks are now the worst positioned team in the league, both financially and in terms of getting better. Now they are eyeing the lottery. In the related piece, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News says that Knicks GM Scott Layden is on his way to China to scout Yao Ming. Ming used to be reported at 7'5", but is now showing up as 7'6". Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Heat makes early draft preparationsWhile the Heat tries to sneak into the playoffs, general manager Randy Pfund and player personnel director Chet Kammerer scurry about the globe, searching for the right player to fill what likely will be the team's highest draft choice in seven years. ''The main thing is to see all the guys we consider first-round picks,'' said Pfund, who will attend more than 50 college games this season. ``Chet identifies who we consider the lottery picks, and I try to see them during the season or the conference tournaments. ``I've upped the schedule a little bit, because we have a first-round pick this year, and it could be potentially higher than usual. We're trying to make doubly sure we see people we want to see.'' The depth of this draft hinges on how many underclassmen go pro, especially at guard and small forward. If there are a lot of early entrants, the Heat has a decent chance of filling its point guard need, even if its pick is in the teens. Missing the playoffs would mean a shot -- albeit a very slim one -- of landing likely No. 1 pick Jason Williams, Duke's junior point guard. The non-playoff teams with the worst records have the best chance to get a top three pick in the weighted lottery. After the first three picks, the order of other non-playoff teams are based on inverse order of record. Beyond Williams, only two other pure point guards are considered potential lottery picks -- Illinois junior Frank Williams and Boston College junior Troy Bell. Memphis freshman Dujuan Wagner, a combination guard, would be a high lottery pick but said he expects to stay in college. Gonzaga senior Dan Dickau, a gifted offensive player, is a borderline lottery pick. Other potential first-round point guards include Maryland senior Juan Dixon, an ace defender; former Fresno State standout Tito Maddox, who lost his college eligibility for accepting illegal benefits, and Kansas junior Kirk Hinrich, who has raised his stock. That list also would include Duke's Chris Duhon if he leaves as a sophomore. Potential second-rounders who could move up if they impress during the NCAA tournament and pre-draft workouts include Arizona junior Jason Gardner and Oklahoma State senior Maurice Baker. ''Dickau is an amazing college player, and so is Gardner,'' ESPN's Dick Vitale said. ``Frank Williams has a tendency to drift. You have a lot of good point guards. Whether they translate into pros remains to be seen.'' But, among seniors, ''the point-gaurd class is thin -- Dickau, Dixon, Baker,'' said Chris Monter, who publishes Monter Draft News. ``Teams think they can get point guards later in the draft, like Jamaal Tinsley and Tony Parker last year.'' Small forward would be the Heat's other main area of need. Duke 6-9 junior Mike Dunleavy, an exceptional shooter who can play guard or forward, would be a top-five pick. Kansas 6-11 junior Drew Goodenwould be a high lottery pick and could play either forward position. Pfund insists the Heat isn't reluctant to draft a foreign player, despite the regrettable decision to trade a No. 1 pick for Estonian forward Martin Muursepp in 1996. ''There's no big hangover for us from Martin Muursepp,'' Pfund said. ``There are issues of when [foreign players] will be available to you, how long will they take to fit in. But if we had been in position to take a European player recently, we would have considered it.'' Kammerer spent a week in Europe recently, and he and Pfund have scouted 7-6 Chinese center Yao Ming, who will go either first or second in June's draft. Although it's difficult to envision a Pat Riley-coached team drafting a high school player, Pfund and Kammerer have scouted prep players recently. Two high school seniors who are considering turning pro are power forwards Amare Stoudemire (a likely top eight pick from the Orlando area) and De'Angelo Collins (a projected mid-to-late first-rounder from Inglewood, Calif.). ''When we see high school players, it's low-key, with no interviews,'' Pfund said. Ohio high school junior guard LeBron James might be the top pick if he came out, but NBA rules prohibit that, and James said he wants to return to high school for his senior season. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets In Gooden, Out WagnerOnly 24 hours after the NBA Trade Deadline RealGM is already turning its clocks ahead to the 2002 NBA Draft, or more specifically who will be there and who will not. Drew Gooden, the 6'11" forward from Kansas University, looks as though he might be a lock to enter the draft. He is averaging 20.7 points and 11.2 rebounds in his junior season, and the way he talks he is saviouring the moment and is bound to turn pro. "This could, probably will, be my last year. We don't know yet, so I don't take anything for granted," said Gooden. He is expected to be named the Big 12 Player of the Year in two weeks, something that he takes pride in. "One of my preseason individual goals was to be (Big 12) Player of the Year and make first-team All-American," he said. "I think it's getting closer and closer to that every day. They are important as far as individual goals. My team goals are more important to me, winning the Big 12 Conference, the conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament. I'll take those three over player of the year honors any day." Another probable high draft pick could be Dejuan Wagner out of Memphis, if he came out of course. Wagner's decision appears to be opposite of Gooden's, the high-scoring guard confessing his love for the University of Memphis and his teammates, stating that he'd probably stay ad take care of unfinished business. "Right now, I think I'm gonna come back," Wagner said. "I've still got a lot to learn." Coach Calipari left the decision up to him, stating that Wagner has created many close friends on the team which is something he seems to value highly. "First of all, in the end if he feels that is what is best for him (going pro), there will be no questions and there doesn't have to be any reasons," Calipari said. "The bottom line is his comfort level. If Dajuan thinks he is ready for that lifestyle to take on the world as a man with no safety net, and if he's ready for a basketball life of 90 games . . . that's the decision he has to make." Those closest to Wagner, who averaged 21.3 points per game as a freshman, say he is unlikely to be swayed by money or potential position in the NBA draft. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Feb 2002 Archive
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