Where will Shawn Bradley be living in the fall?
Orlando?Philadelphia?
Oakland?
Because Orlando won the lottery, he may not know for awhile, Reiner Bradley, Shawn's father, said Monday.
A lot of teams may make offers to get that pick from Orlando, Reiner Bradley said. "If someone other than Orlando had gotten the No. 1 pick, it might already be decided where Shawn's going."
The Magic aren't exactly weak at center, having drafted Shaquille O'Neal with last year's No. 1 pick. Orlando likely will pick power forward Chris Webber of Michigan, giving Philadelphia the opportunity to add Bradley to its roster. Unless . . .
. . . Unless Golden State packages its third pick with a solid player or two (Billy Owens is the most often-mentioned) and convinces Orlando to trade the Warriors the No. 1 pick.
In which case Warrior coach and general manager Don Nelson would finally get the big man he covets to go with his pesky and talented roadrunner crew of Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Sarunas Marciulionis etc.
The athletic 7-6 Bradley would seem to be an excellent fit for Nelson's uptempo offense.
"We're in the position to get a heck of a player or make a heck of a deal," Nelson told the Associated Press. "I'm fired up, excited, thrilled. I can hardly wait to get home and go to work. The sky's the limit."
Nelson said the Warriors are anxious to trade up their pick so they can be assured either Bradley or Webber is available to help improve inside rebounding and defense.
"There's no question Bradley and Webber are the two perfect players for us," Nelson said.
If the Warriors are unable to move up, they could either trade for an established center or choose the best available player and try to make a trade afterward. Golden State is well-stocked with forwards and guards.
If no deals are made it seems likely the 76ers will grab Bradley, though they do have some reservations about him not playing for two years, but not enough to keep them from picking him.
Since Bradley is not going to attend the NBA's pre-draft camp June 9-13 on the advice of his agent David Falk, because of his inactivity while on his two-year LDS Church mission to Australia, it will be difficult for teams to get a feel for him.
So, Philadelphia general manager Jimmy Lynam is not committing to Bradley yet, but according to Sam Donnellon of Knight-Ridder, it seems a formality if he's available at No. 2.
Lynam spent much of Sunday describing Bradley's attributes. He spoke of watching him practice at St. Joseph's during his freshman year, and of a brief clip on ESPN recently in which Bradley said he had gained 35 pounds, from 210.
"I think his accomplishments when he was probably less than a 210-pound freshman in college (averages of 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.2 blocks per game) speak for themselves. . . . He is a very, very unique player. He has a terrific feel for the game. His defensive instincts are outstanding. Obviously his size and long arms allow him to get shots similar to what (Sixers' 7-foot-7 center) Manute (Bol) does. But unlike Manute, he's very comfortable at the offensive end."
Says 76er owner Harold Katz, "His upside is giant. He's not Manute Bol. He's an athlete . . . And he's a competitor. He'll only get better and better."
Bradley would have a much stronger supporting cast with Golden State. Andrew Lang and Bol alternate at center for Philadelphia with Lang looking to head elsewhere as a free agent. Armon Gilliam starts at power forward and Clarence Weatherspoon at small forward, and Jeff Hornacek and Hersey Hawkins at the guards. Philadelphia Daily News writer Jeff Samuels said Monday it's likely either Hornacek or Hawkins will be traded.
For now, Bradley will concentrate on finishing his missionary work. He's teaching 10 people, his mother, Teresa, reported Monday. In about a week he'll have a lot of new investigators - the numerous personnel connected with the NBA.