? ? ? ?
So much for the top four picks in Tuesday night's NBA draft."Weirdest draft I've ever seen," declares Chicago Bulls general manager Jerry Krause, a veteran draftologist.
It's not like we don't have a handle on who the individuals might be. It's just that nobody knows the order, because, well, because . . .
1. There is no consensus No. 1 pick.
There are no Lew Alcindors, no Magic Johnsons, not even any David Robinsons. Danny Ferry's nice, but no savior. Sean Elliott may be somewhat damaged goods. Pervis Ellison strikes some as too casual. Stacey King scored in college, but is he just a bigger Wayman Tisdale? Glen Rice cannot put the ball on the floor. But those will be five of the top six chosen. The other is J.R. Reid, who last week was anointed by Charlotte owner George Shinn as the Hornets' selection in the No. 5 spot.
2. There is a loose cannon in the leadoff spot.
No offense, guys, but the rest of the league thinks you folks in Sacramento are kinda weird. There are more Bill Russell-as-GM stories surfacing all the time. Did he really fall asleep in the stands at an All-Star Game? Did he verify the status of Jim Petersen's balky knees by asking his agent, and then casually sign him to a seven-year, $7 million-plus contract? On the other hand, he is known for his sense of humor, and he doesn't care what anyone thinks - ever. Did he make his mind up three weeks ago as to the identity of his No. 1, and is he leaking stories and cackling while he watches the world scurry around in the aftermath?
It's like trying to figure out what's going on in the Kremlin. "Except that in the Kremlin, everything is done for a purpose," says one NBA insider. "There is no evidence of any such thinking in Sacramento."
In such hands resides the No. 1 pick in the 1989 NBA draft.
3. What's with Elliott's knee?
A few weeks back, it was inconceivable he'd go lower than No. 2 (the Clippers). Then he was examined at the Chicago predraft camp, and questions arose about a knee. He had surgery during high school, and wore a brace during his four-year Arizona career, never missing a game.
Now they're worried the knee will have a short life. The assembled doctors requested an MRI, a test that is supposed to determine the long-range future of the knee. It was performed last week at Cedar Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.
The results appear to be in the eye of the beholder. One team says their interpretation is that the knee will be good for three years, max. Another team says there is nothing to worry about. Huh?
"We've all got the information," says Denver Nuggets president/general manager Pete Babcock. "But it is subject to interpretation."
What this means is that a great talent who merited serious consideration all season as the No. 1 pick could now go as low as ... No. 6? Eight? Who knows?
4. Who's gonna be picking where?
Sacramento (1), the Clippers (2), San Antonio (3), Indiana (7) and Golden State (14 and 16) have all categorically stated, at one time or another, that they would be interested in trading their picks. Chicago (6 and 20) has a well-documented history of trading places on draft day (it's how the Bulls got Charles Oakley and Scottie Pippen). Don't ever count the Celtics out of any trade thoughts, either.
All any of this would do is reshuffle the deck. The first eight players, and probably the ninth, will remain the same no matter who picks where. But if you're a Danny Ferry, there's a heck of a difference between playing alongside Harold Pressley as opposed to Michael Jordan.
5. Yugomania
The first nine names in the draft (in some order) will be:
Danny Ferry, Sean Elliott, Pervis Ellison, Stacey King, Glen Rice, J.R. Reid, George McCloud, Randy White and Tom Hammonds.
Unless . . .
Unless someone takes his courage pills Tuesday morning and decides it will be worth every conceivable bit of aggravation to put Vlade Divac in his team's uniform. In that case, the 7-foot Yugoslavian would easily crack the top 10, because no one doubts for a second he belongs there on athletic merit.
Dealing with the appropriate Yugoslav authorities, language barrier (he speaks virtually no English), cultural adjustment and the fact that no European ever plays any defense are all impediments to consider, but the chance to get an agile 21-year-old big man who can shoot and pass may prove irresistible.