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Carmelo or Darko?

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: News and notes from Portsmouth | Draft rumors: Bosh will likely declare for the draft | Is Nellie on the hot seat? | Peep Show

NBA Insider Chad Ford will be chatting live from Portsmouth on ESPN.com today at Noon ET. Click here to submit your questions.

PORTSMOUTH, Va. -- While college seniors battle for their lives here in Portsmouth, the chatter among NBA scouts and GMs over the last week predictably has little to do with the kids who actually bothered to show up to the camp. With a plethora of international scouts and executives packed in the stands, a rather intense debate is emerging concerning the order at the top of the draft.

Some teams think Darko Milicic is the No. 2 pick

No need to worry LeBron James fans. With one or two minor exceptions, the scores of NBA people Insider talked to this week all feel that, at the end of the day, James will be the No. 1 pick. For reasons that we've discussed before, teams think his combination of unusual skills, size, personality and drawing power at the gate make him one of the most intriguing prospects ever.

What everyone is debating now is whether Carmelo Anthony somehow passed Darko Milicic as the No. 2 consensus pick. Anthony's stellar play in the NCAA Tournament not only converted many of Anthony's unbelievers, it also made Anthony a household, and thus more marketable, name. Several league executives told Insider this week that they feel that ultimately, Anthony will surpass Darko as the No. 2 pick.

xOthers vehemently insisted that Darko, with his combination of skills, size, maturity and nasty streak, is really a slam dunk to go No. 2. Not surprisingly, the debate often mirrored the executives' experience. Those who spent time in Belgrade with Darko all feel Milicic is the better pick. Those who decided to stay in the U.S. this year are leaning toward Anthony.

It's probably safe to say you can't go wrong with either one. For the first time since the 1994 draft, when Glenn Robinson, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill went 1-2-3, three franchise-type players are making life easy for the for the NBA's three lottery winners. But this year's draft may challenge one of the long held philosophies concerning the NBA draft -- teams draft the best player available, regardless of needs. One Western Conference executive explains:

Other scouts believe Anthony will go No. 2

"I think the rule about drafting the best player available almost always holds true," the executive told Insider. "But when your dealing with prospects that are very close as far as talent level and potential are concerned, I think teams ultimately use need as a tie breaker. In Darko and Carmelo's case, team needs will determine who goes No. 2 and who goes No. 3."

Insider talked to scouts or executives from every lottery team on Thursday trying to determine what they'd do if they had the No. 2 pick and LeBron was off the board. Some were open, some refused to answer. Here's Insider's take on where each team stands in the Darko vs. Carmelo debate.

Cavs: Wait 20 minutes until GM Jim Paxson stops beating his head against the wall after finding out he won't get LeBron at No. 1. Several Advil later, it doesn't take Jerry West to figure out that with a glut of two guards and small forwards (Ricky Davis, Darius Miles, Jumaine Jones, Dajuan Wagner), Darko is the way to go. Carlos Boozer has been excellent for the Cavs this season, but he's no Darko. Darko's ability to play both the low and high post, his strong perimeter game and that nasty streak would make him a formidable sidekick to Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the paint. If the Cavs went with Anthony, they'd have to trade either Miles or Davis to make room. Given Miles' awful year and Davis' terrible attitude, neither player's trade value is soaring.

Edge: Darko

Nuggets: This may be the toughest call out there. The Nuggets have a pretty strong frontcourt with Nene Hilario, Marcus Camby and Juwan Howard (if he returns). On the flip side, the team is in desperate need of some backcourt help. Adding Gilbert Arenas via free agency would help the problem, but it sure looks like the Nuggets could use Anthony. His maturity, ball handling skills and versatility would be a good fit in the Nuggets' system, especially if they go with more of a scoring point like Arenas. With that said, don't be shocked if the Nuggets opt for Darko. They took two international players last season and they've scouted Darko as much as any team in the league. Camby and Howard won't be around forever. The combo of Darko and Nene in the frontcourt may just be too much to pass up. The Nuggets have enough money to address their backcourt needs via free agency (they're said to be in love with Corey Maggette). An eventual starting five of Arenas, Maggette, Nikoloz Tskitishvili or Rodney White, Darko and Nene would have size, athleticism and surprising maturity for such a young team.

Edge: Darko

Heat: With Alonzo Mourning's future still up in the air, the decision may come down to who the Heat realistically believe they can land in free agency. If they're going all out to land Michael Olowokandi or Brad Miller, Carmelo will be their guy. If they're after Arenas or Lamar Odom, Darko is their guy. The Heat say they'd be happy with either one, but ultimately I think coach Pat Riley will identify with Darko's toughness. He likes kids who can play right away, and while everyone is fawning over how Carmelo is dominating kids two or three years older than him, Darko's battled 10-year veterans night in and night out for the last two years.

Edge: Darko

Raptors: Landing the No. 2 pick would be a huge boon for a team that desperately needs another marquee name to take some of the heat off of Vince Carter. The Raptors need talent everywhere, but early indications are that they're leaning toward Carmelo. The franchise has been reeling ever since Tracy McGrady walked out the door. While he doesn't have the raw athleticism or power of T-Mac, his ability to handle the ball and swing between positions looks like the perfect complement to Carter. Bottom line, don't expect them to pass on another chance to add a top-tier scoring threat. With the spotlight on Carmelo for a while, maybe Vince doesn't have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders anymore.

Edge: Carmelo

Clippers: We know, it just isn't fair. The Clippers are the place where all good young prospects go to die. You have to honestly wonder whether both kids would be better off pulling a u-turn and pulling their name out of the draft if the Clips pick one or two. It's tough to project the team's needs when it has eight free agents and still haven't given any indication what it's going to do with them. Our guess is that the Clips will keep Brand and Odom and let the Miller, Olowokandi, Maggette and company slip away. Neither player is a perfect fit, but the Clippers probably go with the guy they're more familiar with.

Edge: Carmelo

Pistons (via the Grizzlies): Jerry West loses his pick if it isn't No. 1 overall. That's great news for the Pistons, who could really use either player. The team is grooming Tayshaun Prince to replace Michael Curry, but Anthony is pretty major upgrade over both players. His point forward ability would be a huge plus when you consider point guard Chauncey Billups prefers to shoot more, pass less. But you know, with Tony Ronzone in the Pistons' front office, how the team feels about Darko. The Pistons do have some big men -- Ben Wallace, Zeljko Rebraca and Mehmet Okur -- but none of them has the offensive potential of Milicic. An eventual front line of Wallace, Darko and Okur would be huge. Literally.

Edge: Darko

Bulls: Jerry Krause believed that his team was one sweet shooting point forward away from the playoffs before he abruptly resigned. By all accounts, Anthony would be the answer to his prayers. Whether the new leadership in Chicago will feel the same way is anyone's guess. You could certainly make an argument for Darko here. Originally, Krause envisioned Tyson Chandler playing small forward. A front line of Chandler, Eddy Curry and Darko would be the biggest in the league. It could go either way.

Edge: Carmelo

Hawks: With Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Glenn Robinson dominating the four and three spots, respectively, neither Darko nor Anthony is a perfect fit in Atlanta. However, Anthony's versatility will be tempting. The team could get away with playing him at shooting guard until it found a way to dump the Big Dog. Darko would also be intriguing if the team could dump Robinson and move Shareef to the three.

Edge: Carmelo

Knicks: If Scott Layden gets the No. 2 pick and adds another small forward to the mix, I'm pretty sure the team, and the New York media, would revolt. Take Darko and run.

Edge: Darko

Wizards: Michael Jordan's never been a big fan of international players and he sees a little bit of Scottie Pippen in Anthony. Based on his comments this week that he'd seriously consider drafting Anthony over LeBron, I think it's safe to project Carmelo as the winner here.

Edge: Carmelo

Warriors: The last thing they need is another small forward. I think Mike Dunleavy would jump off a cliff if the team drafted Anthony. Miliic would be a great fit for the Warriors. Troy Murphy's been awesome for them this season, but he doesn't have the offensive game that Darko does. Darko's versatility in the high and low post would also be a big plus.

Edge: Darko

Sonics: With a logjam at small forward and shooting guard, and an undrafted, undersized rookie getting most of the minutes at power forward, the choice here would be very clear cut. It's Darko all the way baby.

Edge: Darko

Grizzlies (via the Rockets): As much as the Grizzlies like Darko, he's the last thing they need right now. They already have power forward logjam issues with Pau Gasol, Stromile Swift and Lorenzen Wright. Anthony would be a great fit in their offense running the point forward position. Mike Miller could move to the three. Suddenly, the Grizzlies never looked scarier.

Edge: Carmelo

News and notes from Portsmouth

Penn's Ugonna Onyekwe was the star of Portsmouth on Thursday.

Penn's Ugonna Onyekwe, a 6-foot-8 swingman from Nigeria, was the buzz kid during Day 2 at Portsmouth. Onyekwe's superior athleticism, long wing span, offensive rebounding and frantic full-throttle play really had scouts talking after he dropped 15 points, 13 boards and two blocks on 7 of 12 shooting Thursday.

"Onyekwe's on a different level than just about everyone here," one scout told Insider. "I think he really helped himself today. The offense they ran at Penn really concealed some of the things that he does well. They ran a very structured ship up there. His ability to create shots for himself off the dribble really makes him stand out. If he could just start draining some threes, his stock would go through the roof. It's really a lesson to all the kids who skipped this camp. There's still time to make an impression."

Onyekwe was surprised at all the attention he received. As we talked after the game, representatives from the Knicks and the Grizzlies approached him to set up interviews.

"I know that I have to prove that I can play against better competition," Onyekwe told Insider. "I felt I had a very good game, that I got my points within the flow of the game. But I'm a little surprised at the big reaction. I've been doing this for four years at Penn. I guess now people are finally noticing."

While scouts still feel that Onyekwe's lack of consistent outside jumper and shaky ball-handling skills will cripple his chances in the draft, Onyekwe thinks that the critique is ridiculous. The Nigerian native is a relative newcomer to the game. He didn't play organized basketball until his family moved from Nigeria to London when he was 15. At age 17, he traveled to America to play two years of high school ball. Onyekwe claims that he's still learning the finer points of the game.

"The jump shot will come. I'm working on it. The ball handling will come too. The thing is, I'll work hard. I'll make the adjustments I have to make. Wait and see."

Teams are likely to be patient. This is a terrible draft for small forwards and few players have Onyekwe's athleticism or upside. Teams expect that he'll receive an invitation to the Chicago camp. A strong performance there (and that improved jump shot he's promised) could make him a lock for the second round.

The surprise player of the day had to be BYU's Travis Hansen. Hansen, a 6-foot-6 swingman with above average athleticism, a killer jumper and great floor vision, impressed scouts with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds on 7 of 9 shooting Thursday.

"I love that kid," one Eastern Conference executive told Insider. "He's a sleeper. He's very tough, deceptively athletic and he has NBA range on his three-point shot. I'm not sure he does anything great, but he does just about everything well. He's probably the most complete player, from a skill standpoint, here."

Hansen knows he has several stereotypes to overcome. Teams fret over his age. He took two years off after his freshman year to serve a LDS mission in Chile. Hansen also knows that teams often revert to clichés about skinny white kids from BYU, not exactly an NBA basketball factory, when describing him. Hansen remains extremely confident.

"I know what I can do," Hansen said. "All I wanted was a chance to prove myself. I got it and I'm going to make the most of it."

He's already doing that. Two teams, the Clippers and Grizzlies, have been scouting him heavily over the season. He also has a big fan in former NBA star, coach and BYU alumni Danny Ainge. Ainge has been making calls in his behalf, hoping to get Hansen's foot in the door. It's working. Several NBA teams told Insider that they would definitely have him in for private workouts once teams can start working out players. If worst comes to worst and Hansen doesn't get drafted, he's not afraid of what awaits him overseas. He speaks fluent Spanish from his days in Chile and wouldn't mind taking his wife and 2-month-old child, Ryder, to Spain if his NBA dream doesn't pan out.

Ohio's Brandon Hunter had a good night. His bruising 11-point, five-rebound performance had scouts smiling. For those of you who haven't seen Hunter play, he reminds me of a stronger and more offensively skilled Gary Trent. The good news is that he measured in at 6-foot-7. That's not the ideal size for a power forward, but before the official measurements, teams were insisting that he was closer to 6-foot-5.

LSU's Ronald Dupree is another big-time athlete who could sneak into the second round after a strong performance on Thursday. He had several highlight reel dunks on his way to an 11-point, four-rebound performance.

Marquette power forward Robert Jackson (6-9, 253) impressed with a whopping nine offensive rebounds. His 18 points didn't hurt his cause either. But eyebrows were raised a bit when Jackson officially measured in at 6-foot-9 with shoes, and 6-foot-7½ without them. He was wearing some serious elevator shoes for his physical.

DePaul's Sam Hoskin, a 6-foot-9, 258-pound power forward, had a solid 20-point outing in the early game. He's got the size and body teams like in a power forward, but his rebounding skills are pretty suspect. He grabbed only three boards on Thursday and averaged just 7.6 rpg during the season.

Virginia's Travis Watson (6-8, 255) rebounded from a terrible opening night performance to score 13 points and pull down 16 rebounds. Watson is another player who has the size to play in the pros, but really lacks the athleticism or scoring acumen to get scouts really excited.

Probably nothing was as important to many of these kids as the official height and measurements that were released Thursday night. Among the guys who saw their stock drop the second the results were announced: Kevin Johnson, a power forward from Tulsa, measured just 6-foot-5½ without shoes. Before the tournament, teams were talking about how Johnson would have to make the transition from the four to the three to make in the league. Now, he'll have to go from the four to the two. That's probably not going to happen. Alabama's Erwin Dudley measured just 6-foot-7 without shoes. UNLV's Dalron Johnson was listed at 6-foot-10 in college, but he measured 6-foot-7¾ at Portsmouth.

Draft rumors: Bosh will likely declare for the draft

Bosh could be a top-four pick this year.

It looks like Carmelo Anthony won't be the only blue chip college freshman to throw his name in the draft. A source close to Georgia Tech forward Chris Bosh told Insider on Thursday that Bosh will put his name in. According to the source, the feedback he's getting from NBA teams place him the top five. Apparently, that's just too good to pass up.

Assuming UConn's Emeka Okafor and Texas' T. J. Ford both stay in school, Bosh will likely become the consensus No. 4 pick in the draft behind LeBron James, Darko Milicic and Carmelo Anthony.

Bosh, a 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward from Texas, has size, athleticism and an inside-outside game that has teams drooling

Bosh was named second-team All-ACC and made the league's All-Defensive team. He led Tech with 15.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.1 bpg and 56 percent shooting from the field. Bosh's 47 percent shooting from beyond the three-point line has everyone giddy.

While Bosh wasn't spectacular this season, he was steady. He scored in double figures in 28 of Tech's 31 games. He topped the 20-point plateau eight times and has pulled down double-digit rebounds in 13 games.

That's pretty impressive for a skinny kid who many thought would take much longer to develop.

"He's taken us all a little bit by surprise," one Western Conference GM told Insider. "You look at him and he just looks too frail to play down low. But he's shown some real toughness and some surprising versatility. I think we look at him now as a different player. He's more in the mold of a Kevin Garnett or a Pau Gasol. He may never carry a lot of bulk, but that doesn't mean he can't be effective."

Still, scouts say that he's a few years away from being ready. "I wish he'd stay in school," one scout said. "But I don't blame him for coming out. He's a big time prospect."

The nation's two best undersized power forwards, Georgetown's Mike Sweetney and Mississippi State's Mario Austin, will now go head-to-head in the draft.

Sweetney (6-8, 260) who averaged 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds on 55 percent shooting this season for the Hoyas, announced Thursday that he was putting his name in the draft. He will not hire an agent or withdraw from school, Georgetown coach Craig Esherick told the Washington Post. Sweetney said he wants to explore his options in the draft, and they'll probably be pretty good.

Insider conducted an informal poll of eight NBA scouts here at Portsmouth. Surprisingly, all eight said they'd take Sweetney over Austin.

"Both kids are talented, but Sweetney's a better offensive player in my opinion," one scout told Insider. "I think the key with Sweetney is free throw shooting. The guy gets to the line and he makes his free throws. Not many big men do. I think that will be his big value in the pros."

Sweetney averaged almost 10 free-throw attempts per game this season and shot 74 percent from the line. Austin (6-8, 260), on the other hand, averaged just 5.1 free-throw attempts and shot 67 percent from the line.

With marginal first-round prospects like Rick Rickert and Doug Wrenn now declaring for the draft, the flood gates are now open. Several NBA sources expect Washington State combo guard Marcus Moore (6-6, 210) to be the next guy to put his name in the draft.

Moore averaged 18.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 4.7 apg this season. He scored a career-high 42 points against Gonzaga and also had a 35-point effort against Arizona.

Scouts love his explosiveness and claim that he's a legitimate point guard prospect, but his 35 percent shooting from the field may scare many of them off.

"He's a big time scorer, but his shot selection is terrible and he plays out of control at times," one scout said. "Teams will love him in workouts, but I'd be leery. He won't be options 1-5 in the NBA next season. How's he going to handle that?"

Is Nellie on the hot seat?

After starting the season 14-0 and leading the Mavs to the second-best record in the NBA this season, you'd think Don Nelson's job has never been safer.

Not so according to several NBA GMs who claim that Nelson's job is in jeopardy if the Mavs falter early in the playoffs this season. According to the sources, Nellie is fearful that owner Mark Cuban has already lost patience and will attempt to bring in a more defensive-minded coach like Jeff Van Gundy if the Mavs can't get it done this year.

Cuban has publicly said that he's happy with Nelson and the team in general, but his unwillingness to offer Nelson a contract extension has raised a few eyebrows. The pressure's on right now and the Mavs are wilting. The team did get a big break when the Lakers moved up to the fifth seed in the West on Thursday. But most analysts still predict that a Mavs-Lakers first-round showdown will probably happen.

The Mavs' inability to improve their defense, coupled with the struggles against the elite teams in the NBA, has given Cuban serious issues to weigh. But the Mavs' biggest problem down the stretch this year has been fatigue and injuries. Losing Michael Finley for the last month of the season was a huge blow. With him, the Mavs would've likely held onto the top seed.

Of course, all of these concerns disappear if the Mavs win it all or play tough in the Western Conference Finals. Cuban has had a good relationship with Nelson in the past, and as long as there are signs of improvement, it seems unlikely he'd make a move.

Still, you can understand why Nellie's sweating like Shawn Kemp. With a Lakers showdown looming, the Mavs' future has never been in more doubt.

Nellie's reviews on the decline

Kevin Sherrington / Dallas Morning News

Fatigue, Finley's injury have Mavs sinking in stretch run

Art Garcia / Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Peep Show

Utah Jazz: The demise of coach Jerry Sloan has been, as they say, greatly exaggerated. "I don't have any plans to go anywhere," he said in the Salt Lake Tribune. "Not that I know of." Rumors started by Sports Illustrated had the 61-year-old coach wanting to exit with longtime point guard John Stockton at the close of this season. "I look at that, I consider all those type of things, in the summer," said Sloan, who is in his 15th season as coach of the Jazz. "I've always had those sort of feelings -- When's it going to be my last year? When's it going to be my last game? -- but I have them every year. And I guess I'm here today."

New Jersey Nets: When Jason Kidd speaks, New Jersey Nets listen. "Jason Kidd's our leader,'' small forward Richard Jefferson said in the NY Times. "It's like when Michael Jordan in Washington is pointing fingers, nobody is going to say anything because he's our leader. It shouldn't take him to light a fire underneath somebody, but these are the things that need to be done." In yesterday's paper, Kidd criticized his teammates after a loss to the lottery-bound Hawks. In today's paper, he made sure they heard him. "At this point I would hope I wouldn't have to say anything after our performance yesterday," he said. "Talking is one thing and playing is another. You can only bring it to somebody's attention, and as a team, then we got to go out there and fix it."

Milwaukee Bucks: In 1985, Senator Herb Kohl bought the Milwaukee Bucks for $18M. Now, he's willing to part with it, for say, $170M. "I field many inquiries with respect to the Bucks, but not every one of them is one we choose to pursue," NBA commissioner David Stern said in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The leading candidate seems to be Craig Leipold, a Racine business executive who is majority owner of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League. Stern pointed out that the new Charlotte franchise was purchased for $300M and the Boston Celtics for $360. "There is a formula," he said. "And it's not precise."

Davis

Toronto Raptors: Co-captain Antonio Davis has a bum knee and a bum ankle and it looks like the only way to fix them is climbing up on that operating table. "I'm not headed for surgery for sure," Davis said in the Globe and Mail. "I was trying my best to rule it out. But from what I'm hearing, I can't rule it out. It's just something that's may be inevitable." The 34-year-old veteran of 10 NBA seasons did have one request, though. "My thing is, before I go under I'm like, 'Look, don't take nothing out,' " Davis said with a laugh. "I know doctors think that that's a good thing, but don't go taking anything out."

Sloan Refutes SI Article Concerning His Future

Phil Miller / Salt Lake Tribune

Teammates Take Note of Kidd's Criticism

Liz Robbins / New York Times

Interest in Bucks is rising

Don Walker / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Davis facing off-season surgery

Robert MacLeod / Toronto Globe & Mail