NEW YORK — Sixteen potential NBA draftees met with a horde of mediafolk Monday afternoon at the Westin Hotel near Times Square, but none could answer the questions everyone wanted to know most.
Who will be drafted where and by whom at tonight's NBA Draft (5 p.m.. ESPN) at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden?
Andrew Bogut doesn't know. His father, Michael, doesn't know. And Bogut's agent, David Bauman, doesn't know. They are all hoping that the Utah all-American will be the No. 1 pick of the Milwaukee Bucks, but they haven't been given any assurances that it will happen and don't expect to know before tonight.
Then there are three point guards who might be drafted by the Utah Jazz. Each said he would be honored to be drafted by the Jazz, but said it didn't matter who drafted them and that they had no preferences.
The Jazz hope to draft either Illinois' Deron Williams or Wake Forest's Chris Paul, with North Carolina's Raymond Felton also under consideration. With the No. 6 pick, at least one of the three is expected to be available when the Jazz hit the clock. The Jazz especially covet Williams, although they would likely have to make a trade to have a chance at drafting him.
The Jazz would also love to draft Bogut, who spent the past two years in Salt Lake at the University of Utah, but he'll be long gone by the time they pick.
Bogut is expected to go No. 1 to Milwaukee or No. 2 to Atlanta and has in fact been told by Atlanta that the Hawks wouldn't pass him up. However, the Bucks haven't made such a commitment, either because they haven't quite made up their minds or don't want to show their hand early on picking Bogut or North Carolina's Marvin Williams.
"Definitely I want to go No. 1," said Bogut, changing his tune on what he told the Salt Lake media 10 days ago when he said it didn't matter.
"Milwaukee is a great city that I would fit into pretty easily. It's a little bit bigger than Salt Lake, which I liked. I don't like the big city, the crazy-type city. (Living in Milwaukee) would definitely be a plus for me off the court."
Bogut was surrounded by up to 50 reporters and cameramen during the half-hour session and he handled dozens of questions dealing with his background in Australia to his college experience to how he's going to spend the money he'll get from being a top draft pick.
Before the interview session, Bogut's father was sitting on a couch in the Westin lobby, trying to avoid the media throng, particularly from Australia, which has been pestering the Bogut family for the past few days.
Michael said Milwaukee hasn't given his son any assurances it will draft him and feels it will be like last year's draft when no one knew for sure if Dwight Howard or Emeka Okafor would be picked by Orlando.
Bauman is hopeful Milwaukee will be the team, saying, "We assume he will be. We've been given no indication he's not."
But the Bogut camp hasn't been given an indication that he will be for sure. At least Bogut knows he will be going to either Milwaukee or Atlanta.
The Jazz's situation is more muddled because of the trade possibilities and what the teams ahead of the Jazz will do.
Williams is the guy the Jazz have had their eye on ever since the end of the college basketball season. It looked like they would have a great chance to draft him after finishing with the fourth-worst record in the NBA this year, but the luck of the lottery dropped them to No. 6 and, apparently, out of contention to get Williams.
But the Jazz could still get him by making a trade with Portland at No. 3 or perhaps New Orleans at No. 4.
Three things the Jazz especially like about Williams are his size (6-foot-3), his pass-first mind-set and his defensive mentality.
Of the latter, Williams said he got it from his mother, who was the defensive player of the year at her high school.
"Defense is something I've always taken pride in," he said. "That's what wins games."
Since the end of the season, Williams said he has dropped between 15 and 20 pounds by cutting out fast food and working out with a personal trainer.
Williams sounded excited about the possibility of playing in Utah.
"I definitely think it would be a good situation for me," he said. "Coach Sloan is a great coach, they've got a great organization and aren't used to losing. They're going to try to get back on the winning track real fast. I definitely feel I'm ready. I changed my body, worked on my shot and I feel I'm ready to contribute right away."
Felton said a lot of teams have expressed interest in him and specifically mentioned Utah, Toronto, New York and New Orleans, which all have picks in the top eight. However, some reports say Felton could slip all the way out of the lottery (beyond 14), if one of the aforementioned teams don't select him.
"I think it's one of the best years ever for point guards that's ever been," Felton said.
When asked if he had a preference on who picked him, Felton said, "No," and added that it will get interesting after the top four or five picks and that "I'm just waiting to see."
When asked about the possibility of going to Utah, he said, "It's a great situation," but then added, "Any situation is a good situation."
Felton's plus is his speed — Paul called him a "speed demon" — and his winning attitude, coming from a national championship team.
Paul said each of the three point guards bring different positives and said he is good at "changing paces" and "controlling the game."
Other Jazz prospects on hand Monday included Arizona center Channing Frye and New Mexico's Danny Granger, a couple of players Bogut and the Utes saw this past season.
Frye, a 6-11 center, is projected as a top-10 pick and although the Jazz are desperate for a point guard, they might snap up Frye if they can't move up from the No. 6 spot.
"I'm going to surprise a lot of people," Frye said. "My athleticism is better than it was and I'm constantly putting pressure on myself to get better. I try to stay hungry."
Granger is another player whose stock has been rising in recent weeks and he's also expected to go in the top 10, although it's unlikely the Jazz would take another small forward.
"That would be a good place for me," said Granger. "I have plenty of memories of playing in Salt Lake and the thin air would be no problem. It would be great to play for the Jazz."
NBA Draft 2005
Where: New York
When: Today, 5:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
On the clock: Milwaukee Bucks
Draft party: The Jazz will host fans at the Delta Center to watch the NBA Draft tonight, with doors opening at 5 p.m. The event is free.
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