The Philadelphia 76ers said the right things about Marcus Camby's game and nothing at all about whether they plan to make him the first overall pick in the NBA draft June 26.
Camby said all the right things about the 76ers and nothing at all about the controversy surrounding his acknowledged acceptance of gifts from would-be agents while still in college, a violation of NCAA rules.And what nobody said was that it doesn't appear likely that the 76ers will make Camby, college basketball's player of the year last season, the first player taken in the draft.
Camby worked out for the 76ers on Thursday. Afterwards, general manager Brad Greenberg shut off all questions about Camby's recent admission that he indirectly accepted jewelry and money from agents while he was still playing at Massachusetts.
"At the request of Marcus and his agent, any questions pertaining to what is going right now in regard to the litigation in Hartford around the mess that has developed with an agent . . . is off limits for today," Greenberg said.
Camby has accused one lawyer, Wesley S. Spears of Hartford, Conn., of attempted blackmail in a failed attempt to have Camby name Spears as his agent.
While Camby didn't talk about his situation, he did say he thought college players should be paid "walking around money" for meals and movies.
With the controversy off limits, the focus shifted to why the 76ers, who need a point guard and a center, would consider choosing Camby, who said he's most comfortable as a forward.
"He deserves consideration with the best players in the country," Greenberg said.
The projected top three picks in the draft are Camby and two point guards - Georgetown's Allen Iverson and Georgia Tech's Stephon Marbury.