We have ended the first round and go on to the teams without
a first round pick. The first of those teams is the Charlotte
Hornets (who's first round pick ended up with Seattle). The Hornets
in the real NBA draft will be picking at the 38th spot. Here they
pick at 28. Their usenet gm is:
Richard Shoffner
and he selects:
Derrick Phelps, PG, 6-4. UNC
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Draft History
The Hornets have been extremely lucky with their draft picks.
They have also been extremely stupid with their draft picks. I think
the needle has settled on the "lucky" side for now, as they should be
at least final eight contenders for the forseeable future. Now is the
time that Charlotte management must begin to show how smart (or
stupid) it really is. Their record will be too good to get a lottery
pick most years; they must be able to identify the 5 or 6 impact
players that are available later in each year's draft and get one of
them. Good luck.
Their first choice in 1988 was the star-crossed Rex Chapman.
Who said all white guards were heady, coach-on-the-floor types? Rex
was DUMB. He has loads of physical ability, but no court sense at
all. He is currently frustrating the Bullets. Why pick him? A
Caucasian with explosive talent is rare. But if a kid born and raised
in Kentucky is lacking basketball sense, what makes you think you can
teach him any?
Their 1989 pick was another mistake in hindsight. They took
J.R. Reid with the #5 pick and expected him to be a superstar. They
must have quit watching him after his freshman year at Carolina.
Thirty pounds later, he had lost the quickness he needed to be great.
Charlotte drafted him, gave him the big contract, then got
dissatisfied when he was only a decent player. He was traded to San
Antonio. Charlotte now has a hole at power forward which J.R. would
fill perfectly. The only reason he is not in Charlotte today is the
size of his contract.
The 1990 pick was Kendall Gill. How was this fiasco allowed to
happen? This man was headed towards being the best shooting guard not
named Jordan in the NBA. Are you telling me there was no way Gill
could be kept happy in Charlotte? I suppose there is enough blame for
everyone involved, but I wish he were here instead of Seattle.
These three drafts have a common pattern. First, profess
undying love for the player, and sign to a large contract. Next, watch
him play and slowly become dissatisfied. Next, make life hard for the
player with comments, head games, and contract squabbles. Finally, get
rid of the player (because you feel you must) for much less than he is
worth. This is the "stupid" part of their draft history.
The luck is obvious. The addition of Larry Johnson in 1991 and
Alonzo Mourning in 1992 turned the Hornets into legitimate contenders.
Scott Burrell will be a useful player for them as well, although I
wish they had been able to keep Greg Graham. The Hornets will be
getting teens and twenties picks for the next few years; we will see
if the front office can get anything out of them.
Team Needs
Center--Alonzo Mourning should be a major star for the next
8-10 years, barring injury. He has the whole package--offense, defense
and attitude. He needs some backup help, though. Frank Brickowski
played very well here while Alonzo was injured, and this is a role I
would like to see him fill. Unfortunately, he may become a free agent
and leave. Kenny Gattison is wide, but too short. Leron Ellis is tall
enough, but too skinny. If Mourning can play 40 minutes a game, they
can get away with having these two back him up.
Power Forward--The Hornets may see this as their greatest
strength. I see it as a hole. Someone keeps insisting that Larry
Johnson is a power forward. Charlotte will NEVER win anything that
matters with Larry Johnson at power forward. His career will never be
what it could be because he uses up so much energy playing men much
bigger than he is. Move this man to small forward immediately!
Gattison tries hard, but his skills are marginal. He needs to stay a
backup. Ellis is just not physical enough to start here, but he is an
OK backup. What they need is a bruiser--someone to rebound, play
defense and body up on post men so Alonzo can swoop from the weak side
and block shots. Sounds like a job for J.R. Reid to me.
Small Forward--Here the Hornets are loaded. If they had any
sense at all, they would put Larry Johnson here to start and change
the style with their substitutions. Need instant offense? Dell Curry.
Need defense? David Wingate. Need both? Scott Burrell. All three of
these men can swing to shooting guard as well, giving the Hornets
great versatility. Eddie Johnson will likely leave the Hornets, but
Curry duplicates his strengths. If the Hornets insist on keeping
Larry Johnson at power forward, Burrell will likely be the starter
here.
Shooting Guard--Hersey Hawkins starts here. He is a very good
shooter and a complementary player. He, unlike Gill, can be content
being the third option on the team. But he lacks Gill's explosiveness
and his defensive tenacity. He is also on the short side (6'3") for a
two guard in today's NBA. The three men mentioned above fill in the
minutes as backups.
Point Guard--If Muggsy Bogues were a foot taller, he would be
the best point guard in the league and EVERYBODY would know it. Well,
he's only 5'3''. He may still be the best point guard in the league,
and all anyone wants to know is "When are you going to get rid of
Muggsy?" Answer: When you can find somebody better. It might be a
long time. No one can control a game at the pace Muggsy sets with as
few turnovers as he has. No one's dribble is safe when he is in the
area. He has consistently been among league leaders in assists the
past few years. Muggsy is the man for at least the next couple of
years. The backups need work, though. Tony Bennett is small and
inadequate. His excellent outside shooting cannot overcome his
ineffective defensive play. Rumeal Robinson is just plain lousy. It
was obvious to all except Hornet management that his game would not
work with Bristow's passing game. He is not in the Hornets future
plans.
My Selection
My selection (and I am really amazed that I was able to get
him) is Derrick Phelps of North Carolina. He is arguably the best
on-the-ball defender in the college ranks. He has the height
(6'3"-6'4") to handle most point guards. He has quick hands, long
arms, and the desire to play defense. His only weakness is poor
shooting, but I don't mind that for two reasons. One, he will work
diligently and get better. Two, the Hornets already have enough
scorers. What they need is defense, and Phelps will provide that at
the point position. Hopefully, by the time Muggsy starts to slow down,
Phelps will be ready to switch roles with him. This would provide the
Hornets with quality play at point for the next 8-10 years.
Others Considered
My main focus was on Gaylon Nickerson, but he was snapped up
two picks earlier by the Knicks. I think he has the potential to be an
impact player in the NBA. Other guards I was thinking about were
Howard Eisley of Boston College, Stevin Smith of Arizona State, Damon
Bailey of Indiana and Brooks Thompson of Oklahoma State. Had both
Phelps and Nickerson been available, I would have taken Phelps because
he was a true point all of his career and Nickerson went back and
forth. Phelps also faced a more consistent level of competition than
did Nickerson.
I also had Eric Mobley of Pittsburgh in the back of my mind.
This is a big guy with athleticism and a mean streak. He has a lot of
potential. I might have been willing to take a chance on him, but both
Phelps and Nickerson would have had to be off the board.
Who the Hornets will take
I have no earthly idea. The Hornets have not shown any logic
up to this point; why should they start now? I think they should spend
most of their pre-draft studies on guards. You almost never get a tall
man worth anything at all with a #38 pick. They have plenty of small
forward types now. They should only be looking for a ballhandling
guard with decent size and defensive ability.
Other moves the Hornets should make
1. They should try to land a free agent power forward to help
Alonzo and force LJ to play the 3 spot. Renounce Rumeal Robinson and
Eddie Johnson, add their money to the cap room, and make a run at
Horace Grant. If they can't afford him, then try for Scott Williams
or whoever else is available. The Hornets need to enter camp with
another big guy that is good enough to start.
2. They need to hire a "bench coach" to help out the most
clueless head coach in the NBA. Allan Bristow apparently has nude
pictures of George Shinn and farm animals. Since he can't be fired,
they should add a real NBA technician to the bench (a la Jack Ramsay)
to help out with strategy.
3. They should try to get taller as a general plan. The
overall team height is below average, which limits their options on
offense and defense. The running game and pressure defense will work
during the regular season, but playoff games slow down and rely on
halfcourt play at both ends. The Hornets are just too short to be
competitive in a grind-it-out series against a contending team.
4. They must be consistently intense on defense. The Hornets
have a wealth of scorers and an uptempo offense. Too often their plan
for the defensive end was to outscore the other team. Good defense
moves teams forward in the playoffs, and that doesn't just mean
shotblocking. The rest of the team would do well to follow Bogues' and
Wingate's examples and tighten up.
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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
13. Denver Nuggets
GM's: Rick Grubin
John Exby
Pick: B.J. Tyler, PG, 6-1. Texas
14. New Jersey Nets
GM: Matthew Mitchell
Pick: Dontonio Wingfield, PF, 6-9. Cincinnati
15. Indiana Pacers
GM: Richard Burton
Pick: Charlie Ward, PG, 6-0. FSU
16. Golden State Warriors
GM: Mike Moore
Pick: Eric Montross, C, 7-0. UNC
17. Portland Trail Blazers
GM: Mike Northam
Pick: Jim McIlvane, C, 7-1. Marquette
18. Milwaukee Bucks
GM: Bobby Davis
Pick: Brian Grant, PF, 6-8. Xavier
19. Dallas Mavericks
GM: Theo Wendt
Pick: Kendrick Warren, SF, 6-8. Virginia Commonwealth
20. Philadelphia 76ers
GM: Brent Halliburton
Pick: Voshon Lenard, SG, 6-4. Minnesota
21. Chicago Bulls
GM: Andy Knipp
Pick: Eric Piatkowski, SG, 6-7. Nebraska
22. San Antonio Spurs
GM: Varun Singh
Pick: Khalid Reeves, PG, 6-1. Arizona
23. Phoenix Suns
GM: Curtis Hill
Pick: Aaron McKie, SG, 6-7. Temple
24. New York Knicks
GM: Alan Sepinwall
Pick: Arturas Karnishovas, SF, 6-10. Seton Hall.
25. Atlanta
GM: Mark Mitchell
Pick: Billy McCaffrey, SG, 6-4. Vanderbilt.
26. New York Knicks
GM: Alan Sepinwall
Pick: Gaylon Nickerson, SG, 6-3. NW Oklahoma St.
27. Orlando Magic
GM: Tom McGuian
Pick: Bill Curley, PF, 6-9. Boston College
28. Charlotte
GM: Richard Shoffner
Pick: Derrick Phelps, PG, 6-4. UNC
Next up:
29. Cleveland
GM: Mark Wensell