We now move on to the non-lottery picks.  The first of these picks
belong to the Miami Heat (who teased their GM into thinking that 
they might move past the first round :-)).  That teased GM is:

  Rob Clough

The Heat use the 12th pick to select: Sharone Wright, 6-11, C. Clemson ================================================================ Team Needs/History: The Miami Heat have been the expansion team that's made all the right moves and hired all the right people, but they've not received the credit or the hype that the Magic or the Hornets have gotten. Yet they're the only recent expansion team that's been to the playoffs twice, and took the #1 seed Atlanta to five games in their series before bowing out. The Heat's bad luck in the lottery is what has prevented them from entering the nation's consciousness, but it hasn't prevented from building a solid team, relying on the draft and developing a solid core of players. Now the Heat have attained a certain level of success, and the key is to maintain and improve and keep up with the other rising powers like Charlotte and Orlando. As the Bulls and Knicks age and slowly fall apart, the expansion teams will eventually rule the East. The Heat's philosophy was to build entirely through the draft, and not to take shortcuts on older players to get a few more wins. The Heat have done fairly well in the draft, getting Rony Seikaly, Grant Long, & Kevin Edwards in their first draft (the latter two being second round steals), Glen Rice & Sherman Douglas in their second draft, Willie Burton & Bimbo Coles in their third, Steve Smith in their fourth, and Harold Miner & Matt Geiger in their fifth. Their biggest goof was drafting 6-11 clod Alec Kessler in the first round--he hasn't amounted to much of anything other than a med school prospect. What's worse, they released Terry Davis in order to keep Kessler, and Davis had become a very productive player in Dallas until his injury problems. They also goofed (IMO) in trading last year's pick to Detroit for John Salley. More on the players later. What the Heat need now, and what they have always needed, is another big man. Anyone who can rebound, who can play some interior defense, block shots, clog the middle and generally allow Seikaly a chance to play more at power forward. They need an athletic big man, one who can run the floor and is used to playing in an uptempo style. Team Evaluation: Centers: At 6-10, Rony Seikaly is probably too small and not athletic enough to play center. He's also better facing the basket. Despite all that, he's been one of the league's best rebounders the past few years, despite having little help from anyone else on the team. He also has greatly improved his shooting, has a decent hook shot and really goes after offensive rebounds. His foul shooting is also respectable after graduating from Bricklayer's U (Syracuse). Seikaly has worked hard to become a very good player and one of the ten best centers in the league. He would benefit from being able to move out to PF some more, however. He played very well at times in the playoffs, with that 20 rebound game, but was screwed out of more playing time by the coaching staff. John Salley was brought in to play defense, rebound and block shots--in other words, to help out Seikaly. However, he caused controversy, first by starting over the popular Grant Long, and contributing to Grant holding out. He also got injured midway through the season, and didn't play much after that. He will never be more than a competent player, and he wasn't even that last year, most of the time. In his second year, he played much better, and held down the position when Seikaly was injured. He's still not the answer at PF, however. I still would prefer him as a quality sixth man than as a starter, but I'm not sure he's willing to play that role again. Alec Kessler is a washout, a high-price bust. He's a nice shooter, but has hands of stone. He's also extremely slow. He played very little this year as Geiger really proved himself. Matt Geiger surprised by improving dramatically this year. His new haircut (smooth head with beard) seemed to inspire him to be much more active. He has fit in well with the Heat's up-tempo style and showed that he could score and rebound effectively in the league. A very effective backup he should only improve as he develops a little shot. Forwards: Glen Rice had an all-star kind of year. He was the fourth leading scorer in the eastern conference and had many 30+ games. His shooting stroke returned after an off year, and a big part of it was the return of Steve Smith to take some of the shooting pressure off of him. His ability to shoot off the dribble improved and his rebounding was good as always. A franchise cornerstone. Grant Long is the heart and soul of the Heat. A tireless worker, great shooter and good rebounder, he does all the dirty work on this team. Still, he's not big enough, strong enough or athletic enough to play at the power forward spot full time. No one's been able to move him out of the spot, though. He potentially could be 6th man of the year if moved there, to play any of the frontcourt positions, but I'm not comfortable with Grant as a starter. Willie Burton has had numerous physical and mental problems since coming into the league, but he's the only member of the Heat who can really slash to the basket--he's by far the quickest forward, and possibly the quickest player, on the team. He continued to have injury problems this year but he had his moments off the bench when he put up big scoring numbers. It's doubtful that at this stage of his career he'll ever become a consistent player, but he's a good player to have on the bench. Still, it might not be a bad idea for the Heat to draft a slashing SF-type to provide a little competition. Perhaps a second round acquisition might not be a bad idea, since the position is deep this year. Keith Askins is a good back-up who can slash to the basket and hit the three at times, but is very inconsistent. A good role-player. Salley and Kessler also play some forward (see under centers). Guards: Steve Smith is the primary reason the Heat made the playoffs this year. He is the team's leader and chief motivator. He's a clutch shooter who has become a reliable outside threat. He played more at OG this year and so his assist numbers went down, but he really plays at three positions at any given time, depending on the need. He's excellent under the basket as well. Will soon become a big-time player. Brian Shaw had a much better year. After the coaches decided to install him at PG, his numbers improved. His assist numbers were up, and his rebounding is still solid. Still not a great shooter. An expendable player. If Harold Miner ever gets his act together, Shaw might go. But the Heat can't resist using two 6-8 guards as their starting backcourt, and at times it is hellish for other teams. Bimbo Coles is the classic NBA back-up point guard. He's totally unselfish, a good shooter and more of a pure point than Smith. He ran amok in the playoffs, making Shaw sit for much of the time as he was the only player taking good shots. He was a big factor in both of their wins. One of the better sixth men in the league, and is still very young. One of the Heat's second round steals. Harold Miner had his moments of glory, but was injured for much of the year and didn't last long as a starter. Harold is just an awful defender and doesn't have much range on his shot. However, he can still take it strong to the rim and is a good foul shooter. Won't be the star that the Heat hoped for, but could still be good for instant offense. He had the occasional 20-point outburst in limited time and this is probably the best way to use him. Glen Rice and Keith Askins can also play guard. Overall: The Heat are a hard-working team that shoots fairly well (especially free throws) and is very athletic. They had a very good season that could have been better if Seikaly hadn't gotten injured towards the end and they had ended up with a better playoff seeding. They played well in the playoffs and had a chance to beat the Hawks, but couldn't overcome their defense. If they had had a great power forward as an offensive threat, they could have won. The Heat have been a Larry Johnson, Derrick Coleman or Alonzo Mourning (not to mention Christian Laettner) away from becoming a dominant team. They won't get a player like that with the #12 pick, but they will get someone good with all these players coming out. My selection: Sharone Wright, Clemson Sharone has been thought by many to be a lottery pick, and I doubt that he'll actually fall this low. But he represents what the Heat need most: a force on the boards who can block shots, rebound, and score. Clemson has a very good history of producing big men (Grant, Nance, Campbell, Davis) and Wright has a chance to be as good as any of those guys. He's as good a rebounder as Davis, and a better scorer with much better hands. He's tougher than Campbell. His only negatives are a little too much bulk and a somewhat lazy attitude. Still, he doesn't have to dominate for the Heat, just play well. He would be able to back up Seikaly ably, and hopefully push Long out at the PF position. He's not a great shooter but he should simply root himself in the low post like a Grant might, using his muscle to score. The Heat have long needed an enforcer and Wright fits the bill. Other possible picks: (see above for other PF's). The Heat have a history of drafting by talent rather than position (I know, this doesn't explain Alec Kessler), but I think in this case they have little choice but to draft a big man. And they have a decent enough position to get a big man. There is a chance that they might get a high-scoring SF who's also a good defender, and a better chance that they might draft such a player in the second round. I considered Eric Montross, but Wright's shotblocking ability and better rebounding numbers gave him the edge. Montross probably wouldn't fit that well into the Heat's running game, anyway. Probable selection: If available, definitely Howard or Rozier. Any of the top PF's, I would think. Carlos Rogers will probably be available at that spot, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Heat nab him. Other moves the team should make: Kevin Loughery has taken the Heat as far he could, and did a very good job in bringing the team together. The Heat now need someone who can take them to the next level, and I think it's time for Billy Cunningham to make himself coach. From the current rumblings, I don't think this will happen. At this point, the Heat need a good motivator, but not a drill sergeant. Either a mellow older coach or an energetic younger coach who can relate to the players. Trading Brian Shaw is always a good idea. If the draft doesn't work out, or the Heat take a SF or (god no!) a SG, then say goodbye to Miner or Burton. In general, however, the Heat are young, tough and almost completely set. At this point, they can almost draft for depth. Don't forget that they have Ed Stokes over in a Euroleague trying to improve, so he might be on the team next year. ===================================================================== Draft Summary: 1. Milwaukee Bucks GM: Bobby Davis Pick: Glenn Robinson, PF, 6-8. Purdue University. 2. Dallas Mavericks GM: Theo Wendt Pick: Jason Kidd, PG, 6-4. Cal. 3. Detroit Pistons GM: Eric Iverson Pick: Grant Hill, SF, 6-8. Duke. 4. Minnesota Timberwolves GM's: Kevin Hansen Toni Morgan Pick: Donyell Marshall, SF, 6-9. Connecticut 5. Washington Bullets GM's: Jim Nagle The Crossjammer Pick: Juwan Howard, PF, 6-10. Michigan 6. Philadelphia 76ers GM's: Brent Halliburton Pick: Yinka Dare, C, 7-0. George Washington 7. Los Angeles Clippers GM: Paul Osmond Pick: Carlos Rogers, PF, 6-11. Tennessee State 8. Sacramento Kings GM's: Don Hearth Daniel W. Huang Pick: Clifford Rozier, PF, 6-9. Louisville 9. Boston Celtics GM: Ellie Cutler Pick: Lamond Murray, SF, 6-7. Cal 10. Los Angeles Lakers GM: Kosh Pick: Jalen Rose, SG, 6-8. Michigan 11. Seattle Sonics GM: Aaron Gill Pick: Wesley Person, SG, 6-6. Auburn 12. Miami Heat GM: Rob Clough Pick: Sharone Wright, C, 6-11. Clemson Next up: 13. Denver Nuggets GM's: Rick Grubin John Exby


Craig Simpson - Usenet Draft Commissioner