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Nothing compares

to the Class of '99

by Terry Brown

Send an Email to Chad Ford

Also Below: Wally wishes to wave Minnesota bye-bye | Peep Show

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NBA Insider Chad Ford will return on Thursday, Aug. 13

Take Tim Duncan, Patrick Ewing, even Shaquille O'Neal and shove it.

Add in Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd and Chris Webber. Don't forget KG in '95, Kobe in '96 and T-Mac in '97. Talk all you want about late picks like Latrell Sprewell, Dennis Rodman and Nick Van Exel.

In fact, line up every lottery draft class since they started popping Ping-Pong balls in Madison Square Garden back in 1985 and when all the points have been tallied, rings passed out and max contracts signed on the dotted line, there will be no better class than 1999.

Yes, that Class of 1999.

Remember Elton Brand being the sanitary pick at No. 1, Steve Francis causing a stink in Vancouver, Baron Davis' god-awful rookie season and Lamar Odom's shadowy past. Who was Wally Szczerbiak anyways and when, exactly, was this mysterious Andrei Kirilenko going to show up if at all?

Now grab your checkbooks and start writing.

Shawn Marion, the No. 9 pick of the 1999 NBA draft, just signed a MAX deal. But not before Davis. Brand is next. And so on.

Now hold out both hands and start counting. Using all of your fingers and thumbs, sound off the teams built around this very same class that weren't supposed to have a single franchise player nor high school phenom nor foreign player with crooked pronunciation and perfect shooting form.

Richard Hamilton, the No. 7 pick, just finished the season with a 20 point per game average. Davis scored more points than anyone else on his team, as did Brand, who led his team in six different categories. Andre Miller would have too if he wasn't too busy leading the entire league in assists as well as his team in steals, free-throw percentage and minutes. Wally was second on his team in scoring, as was Jason Terry and Marion, who also squeezed in 9.9 boards per contest.

And we haven't even gotten to the most talented player of the bunch in Odom. Kirilenko might be even better.

And that's in only three years time.

Sure, Ewing, Chris Mullin, Karl Malone and Joe Dumars got things started in 1985. David Robinson, Scottie Pippen and Reggie Miller kept it going in 1987 while Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning and Dream Teamer Christian Laettner set a new standard for the promising class of Glenn Robinson, Grant Hill and Jason Kidd in 1994.

But not one of them could go as deep in terms of franchise, maxed out, bobbleheaded players.

The Class of 1993 is close with players like Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Allan Houston and Jamal Mashburn. 1996 is even better with Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jermaine O'Neal, Stephon Marbury and Steve Nash. And no class had the immediate impact of Vince Carter, Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki in 1998.

But count them again. Their names don't come to your mind immediately unless you happen to be stranded in Houston or Minnesota or New Orleans. They have yet to lead one of their teams to the title and may never see a single one of their names in Springfield or on a cereal box.

But it's not their fault that we ran out of snappy nicknames.

Brand, Francis, Davis, Odom, Szczerbiak, Miller, Marion, Hamilton, Terry and Kirilenko are already or will soon become the cornerstones of their respective franchises. Call it chance, fate or destiny. They are the best players on their teams unless, of course, they happen to play on the same team as another 1999 classmate.

It's popular myth that Michael Olowokandi, the No. 1 pick of 1998, is the second-best center in the league. But match his numbers on a 48-minute per game basis with Todd MacCulloch and you'll see what I mean.

Kandi: 16.5 ppg, 13.3 rpg, 2.6 bpg

Mac: 19.2 ppg, 12 rpg, 2.7 bpg.

And MacCulloch was the 47th player chosen in 1999. Wait until Jonathan Bender, Ron Artest, Corey Maggette, Devean George and Kenny Thomas start getting some real minutes.

Shake your head all you want. In a few short seasons, these guys are gonna start hosting reunions during All-Star games and playoff series. They'll be fighting over All-NBA spots and shooting spit wads at each other during ring ceremonies. Tonight we're gonna party like the Class of 1999.

Until, of course, the pre-lottery class of 1984 shows up with a group of guys named Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton . . .

Wally wishes to wave Minnesota bye-bye

If Wally Szczerbiak had his way, he'd have been a Knick a long time ago.

"During the summer, I want to go home to the Long Island beaches," Szczerbiak told the New York Post. "Minnesota is where I play, but New York is always my home. I've always been a big Knick fan. They've always been a team I loved to watch as a kid. It's a very intriguing place for me to play. Playing at home would be great."

Which made it that much easier for the Big Apple native to give the Timberwolves the ultimatum: Either give me a MAX extension this offseason or I'm gone.

"Seeing [shawn] Marion get it, [baron] Davis get it, I feel like I'm there with those two guys," Szczerbiak said. "I want to be paid fairly. You look at the way I play against the Ray Allens, Sprewells, the Houstons, Michael Finleys. You stack up the numbers, I just want to be compensated accordingly."

Szczerbiak, about to enter his fourth season in the NBA, averaged 18.7 points per game last season, shot 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range. He rode shotgun to Kevin Garnett in Minnesota but rumors persisted that the two did not get along. Now, Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale must decide if Wally is really worth expanding a team's payroll that has yet to make it out of the first round and is already burdened by KG's $20M-plus per year contract. He has already said that he's not trading the shooting guard despite numerous attempts by Scott Layden.

"Obviously it's a big compliment they don't want to part with me and really want me to be back," Szczerbiak said. "I feel comfortable there, too. But you never know what to expect. In this business, you always have to keep an open mind. New York is a very intriguing place."

Layden seems more than willing to work out a sign and trade and give Szczerbiak a MAX deal, but the problem is that he has thrown so much money around during his tenure in New York that no one in the league wants to take on any of his players and their huge contracts in exchange. But if Minnesota believes it might really lose an All-Star with no compensation . . .

Hence the ultimatum.

"Minnesota's great, but it's pretty darn cold in the winter. There are a lot of intriguing places to play in the NBA, and no question the Knicks are one of them. If the extension gets done this summer, the extension gets done. But there's no question in my mind I'm not locked into Minnesota by any means."

Wally Wants Knicks

Marc Berman / New York Post

Peep Show

Mavs: Mark Cuban has spoken. None of his players without adequate insurance will be allowed to play in the upcoming World Championships. And even then, he'd rather them sit it out entirely. And that includes you, All-Star point guard and soon-to-be free agent Steve Nash. "The likelihood is that we would honor Mark's request," said Bill Duffy, Nash's San Francisco-based representative. "We all know where Steve's heart lies, but as patriotic as he is, Mark Cuban signs his checks." Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Bradley and Raef LaFrentz were also expecting to play. "Each of our guys knows we are partners in a business," Cuban said. "Although the players would enjoy playing in these games, winning a championship for the Mavs takes precedent." Nash did show up for Team Canada's practice recently with national coach Jay Triano saying: "I understand what [Cuban's complaint] is about but Steve practiced today and we expect he'll be able to play. We'll just see what transpires from here." Team Canada has already lost Todd MacCulloch and Jamaal Magloire from their roster for similar reasons.

Nuggets: Strike four! Dallas assistant coach Del Harris has withdrawn his name from Denver's head coaching search. "He put loyalty ahead of ambition," Harris' agent, Warren LeGarie, said Sunday. "The business [in Dallas] is still unfinished. It was a question of choosing the unknown or choosing something very known . . . It was a situation where we were beginning to talk about the deal and Nellie kind of got to Del a little bit and tweaked his loyalty strings. It made more sense to stay with the same group that he's really enjoyed." Harris joins Jazz assistant Phil Johnson, Dallas assistant Donn Nelson and New Jersey assistant Eddie Jordan as former candidates.

Sonics: Seattle icon Gary Payton spoke out recently about his team's status and direction while deflecting questions about his own impending free agency. "Losing my homey is a big loss for me, but I think he's going to be happy," Payton said of the Vin Baker trade. "He wanted to move, and this wasn't the right city for him. We've talked, and I think he's happy about where he is at right now. This is a new start for him, and what he has to do is start over and become the basketball player that he was a few years ago." He mentioned that the players the Sonics got in return may not help the team but that he is actively recruiting Rashard Lewis to re-sign with the team.

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[Traceman]

Now he is or soon will be the "cornerstone of the franchise?" Check out this quote:

"Brand, Francis, Davis, Odom, Szczerbiak, Miller, Marion, Hamilton, Terry and Kirilenko are already or will soon become the cornerstones of their respective franchises."

Why would we trade a guy who is, or soon will be, the cornerstone of our franchise?

I agree with Ford's premise that the '99 draft class is one of the best ever, though I would still give a SLIGHT edge to the '96 class. I think that the best players in the '96 class are better than the best players in the '99 class, at least so far. As the players in the '99 class reach their primes, that could change

[Gray Mule]

Look again, at the top. Reply to Ford, but this one is

by Terry Brown.

I don't believe Ford has changed his mind yet. He might,

if he can get all his facts straight. Sounds like he should

talk to Terry Brown.

Gray Mule

[Traceman]

[Playoffs03]

class of 96

allstar game appearance: (9 players)

shareef, ray, iverson, walker, peja, jermaine, kobe, nash, marbury

none of the following will be allstar, but they are pretty good.

delk, fisher, jyd, othella harrington, mcinnis, ilgauskas, shandon anderson, lo wright, kittles

class of 99

allstar game appearance: (4 players)

davis, brand. francis, wally

how many of the following will be allstar in 3 years?

odom, bender, rip, andre, JT, marion, artest, posey, glover, kenny thomas, krilenko, devean george, jumaine jones, nailon, zhizhi, t-mac canada

only odom, andre, JT, and marion (maybe rip and artest) have chances to be an allstar in the next 3 years.

[Guest]

what about the "andre" you mentioned? he's pretty good...

[Playoffs03]

i think andre miller could be an allstar this coming season if one of the following top notch point guard in the west is injuried. they are:

francis, payton, nash

andre and bibby are right behind them in the west.

[Guest]

Bibby shouldn't be mentioned in the same breath as Miller when it comes to the point position. As a guard in general as the all-star team is composed, perhaps yes, but as a straight pg...no way.

[BlackHawkDown]

A.Miller is better than Nash.