If only...

[Catapult]

Versace knew of Griz's fate early on

By Ronald Tillery

tillery@gomemphis.com

May 23, 2003

SECAUCUS, N.J. - No one suffered more than Grizzlies general manager [censored] Versace.

A rule of the NBA draft lottery states that teams must send two representatives - someone to sit on stage and another person to watch the closed-doors proceedings.

Versace sat in that locked room for nearly 90 minutes.

He knew the lottery results in 180 seconds.

Because the draft lottery is held to determine the top three picks, the Ping Pong balls began bouncing as soon as each team was accounted for.

Three minutes later, Versace knew of the agony that Griz president of basketball operations Jerry West would go through.

The four-number combination drawn for the No. 1 pick read: 6-2-3-12.

Those numbers belonged to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The next four balls popped up for the Grizzlies about a minute later, and Versace became somber.

"I felt bad for Jerry because he was going to have to go through this excruciating process," Versace said.

Once the lottery balls were placed in the drums, they rolled around for 10 seconds. It took five seconds for each ball to emerge.

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How much does luck factor in? When the balls were drawn for the No. 2 pick, the first three numbers also matched an Atlanta combination. The fourth ball is what gave the Grizzlies the second pick.

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"It was not pleasant," Versace said.

Versace sat sequestered without access to a cell phone or any messaging devices. The NBA confiscates items that could be used to contact anyone outside the room.

Now Versace wonders if it's time to end his lottery appearances. This was the fourth year he sat in on the proceedings for the Grizzlies.

The team hasn't won the No. 1 pick in nine tries.

- Ronald Tillery: 529-2353

[DJ_Money]

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