Thursday Insider

[Admin]

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With the potential draft prospects now set in stone, the debate can officially begin. Mike Dunleavy or Caron Butler? Yao Ming or Nikoloz Tskitishivili? Chris Wilcox or Drew Gooden?

Let's dig into the mailbag . . .

Q: Why does it seem like the Warriors have very little interest in Caron Butler? If anything, he is a better answer for their problems than Dunleavy. -- Randy, Santa Barbara, Calif.

FORD: I probably have 100 questions in my inbox about Dunleavy. The knocks on him are fairly obvious. He's soft, doesn't have the strength to play in the post but doesn't have the quickness to be a great perimeter player. I'm not sold either. But it's been hard to find a scout or a GM who isn't in love with his game. I can go on and on about the intangibles Dunleavy possesses, his court savvy, crack shooting and stellar handles. Or I could belabor the point that his game keeps improving dramatically every year . . . but Randy's point is a good one. Is Dunleavy really a fit at Golden State? The Warriors are trying to shift Antawn Jamison to the four. Offensively, he's better there. Defensively . . . eh, not so much. But if you're convinced you need a small forward, I'm not sure I take Dunleavy just because he's the consensus No. 3 pick in the draft. Butler is tougher, has a mean streak and has some experience carrying his team. Dunleavy, up to now, has been the third wheel at Duke behind Jay Williams and Carlos Boozer. The Warriors need leadership and a player who has some edge to his game. I think, with time, Dunleavy will be a fine NBA player . . . maybe even a great one. But Butler also has the tools to be an All-Star in the league and the things he brings to the table are just a better fit for a Warriors team that already lacks chemistry. With that said, from everything I hear, Dunleavy to the Warriors is a done deal.

Q: Why do I keep seeing Drew Gooden's name before more talented prospects like Chris Wilcox or even Nene Hilario. Wilcox absolutely dominated Gooden in the Final Four. He's stronger, more athletic and is a better post player. Nene is more aggressive, is even bigger than Wilcox and has much more upside? Please enlighten me. -- Scottie, Bethesda, Md.

FORD: The name of the game these days is versatility. While Wilcox is a classic four with the speed of a three, Gooden has a much more polished inside/outside game. Again, I'm not sold on Gooden. Wilcox, in a few years, has the potential to be a devastating four. I haven't heard any scout go that far with Gooden. He's pretty good for a player his size on the perimeter, but not great. And though his quickness will help him in the post, the NBA has stronger, more athletic players already camping out down there. If Wilcox had a better outside jumper, it would be a no brainer. Once again, we're back to the central question -- polish or potential? Polish sometimes wears off in the pros. Potential gets coaches fired. The word is that Memphis loves him at No. 4. That's not what my Grizzlies source is telling me, but there's much misinformation flying around right now. The Grizzlies may not be picking at No. 4 anyway. Most teams are convinced that the Grizzlies will either move up a slot and grab Dunleavy or move down in some major draft day trade. No one thinks they'll draft at No. 4. Gooden's agent, Bill Duffy, is still convinced that Gooden will be gone by then, to the point that he's not working him out for Denver at No. 5. I think the best fit for Gooden is No. 6 to Cleveland or No. 7 to New York if Wilcox is off the board. Wilcox? Cleveland will take a long look at him at No. 6 and he won't slip past New York at No. 7.

Q: Why not Nikoloz Tskitishvilli over Yao Ming at No. 1? All of the reports I have seen about Ming's workouts say that he has outstanding range for a player his size and better-than-average agility, but I have heard nothing about his post game. If you are going to be a No. 1 pick in the NBA draft at center, shouldn't you have a strong post game, knowing that they are going to be running into Shaq at sometime next year? And if his post game isn't solid, why would Tskitishvilli not be a better No. 1 pick? He is faster, with more range, better athleticism, better ball-handling, younger, and seems to have more of a ceiling than Ming for potential. -- Andy, Erlanger, Ky.

FORD: Comparing Yao with Skita is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. They're both 7-footers, but they are very different players. Yao's ability to play center is what elevates his stock. While Kevin Garnett's name has been thrown around in conjunction with Skita, no one is exactly sure what he is. He's a bigger reach than Garnett was -- think Kwame Brown here. Yes, he has amazing fundamentals and athleticism, but doesn't have nearly the game experience Yao does. Yao, at 7-foot-5, 296 pounds, will have a long NBA career barring injury. The Rockets know he can't bang with Shaq. Who can? It's his ability to draw Shaq away from the basket that intrigues teams. Both players, because of their unique skills for their size, have the potential to be franchise players in the league. Yao makes a lot of sense for the Rockets. I'm not sure how Golden State, Memphis or Denver can afford to pass on Skita. Dunleavy, Gooden, Butler, Wilcox -- none of them has the potential that Skita does.

Q: With so many quality foreign players in the draft and Don Nelson's extensive knowledge of them, I cannot see Mark Cuban and Nellie simply sitting and watching them go to other teams. Any chance that the Mavs make a trade (Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel) to get into the first round? -- Jay, Plano, Texas

FORD: They are working very quietly, Jay. They have tried, unsuccessfully, to interject themselves into the Yao Ming sweepstakes. Forget Cuban's comments about Yao not being as good as Shawn Bradley. The Mavs would love to have him. Their main target now is Nene Hilario. The comparisons to Ben Wallace have them drooling. The team is desperate for a tough, low-post presence who isn't afraid to get nasty down low. Nene is a project offensively, but with the Mavs' multitude of weapons, they don't need him to do anything but run the floor, crash the glass and swat shots. Would teams like the Grizzlies, Nuggets or Cavs be willing to give up the No. 5 pick for Finley? They're making the phone calls.

Q: The Sixers need some more scoring to go along with Allen Iverson. Their pick in the draft won't bring much immediate help. So the only viable solution would be a trade. But the problem with that is they don't have to many assets to trade. That's where Eric Snow comes in. How much would Snow fetch on the trade market? Any rumors floating around about a Dikembe Mutombo trade to Portland for maybe Scottie Pippen or Rasheed Wallace? -- Kevin, Lawrenceville, N.J.

FORD: The Sixers and the Blazers are definitely the two most active teams out there right now. A league source told Insider Wednesday that the Sixers called the Clippers about a trade that would send Snow to L.A. for Lamar Odom. The Clippers are looking for an old school point guard to take Jeff McInnis's place, and train import Marko Jaric. Odom would be a major piece to the puzzle for the Sixers. Larry Brown has been searching for several years for the right small forward to complement Iverson. If Odom can keep his head on straight and stay away from the hooch, he still has the potential to be a superstar. The Clipps can't afford him, but Philly might be able to. Should the Clipps decide they want to keep Odom, the Hawks and the Pistons have shown interest in Snow. The team is also shopping Mutombo. Portland and New York have the most interest, but if the team could land Odom, it may be better off keeping Mutombo around another season.

Q: The Sixers need some more scoring to go along with Allen Iverson. Their pick in the draft won't bring much immediate help. So the only viable solution would be a trade. But the problem with that is they don't have to many assets to trade. That's where Eric Snow comes in. How much would Snow fetch on the trade market? Any rumors floating around about a Dikembe Mutombo trade to Portland for maybe Scottie Pippen or Rasheed Wallace? -- Kevin, Lawrenceville, N.J.

FORD: The Sixers and the Blazers are definitely the two most active teams out there right now. A league source told Insider Wednesday that the Sixers called the Clippers about a trade that would send Snow to L.A. for Lamar Odom. The Clippers are looking for an old school point guard to take Jeff McInnis's place, and train import Marko Jaric. Odom would be a major piece to the puzzle for the Sixers. Larry Brown has been searching for several years for the right small forward to complement Iverson. If Odom can keep his head on straight and stay away from the hooch, he still has the potential to be a superstar. The Clipps can't afford him, but Philly might be able to. Should the Clipps decide they want to keep Odom, the Hawks and the Pistons have shown interest in Snow. The team is also shopping Mutombo. Portland and New York have the most interest, but if the team could land Odom, it may be better off keeping Mutombo around another season.

Speaking of the Sixers, there has been a lot of confusion over an early Insider report that the Warriors were getting the Sixers pick. The questions keeps being asked, what are the Warriors giving up? If you read the original report, the Sixers sent the Warriors a future first round pick as part of the three team deal that landed Philly Derrick Coleman. While the Sixers can't techinically convey the pick to the Warriors this season (they owe a first rounder to Boston as well) they can draft a player for Golden State and then trade his draft rights to the Warriors. The Warriors may end up sending some compensation to get it this year, but this is a pick that's already owed.

Q: I am 21 years old and have been a season ticket holder/die hard Orlando Magic fan since the team originated in the late 1980s. Should we trade Mike Miller (Tracy McGrady's best friend on the team) and our 18th pick for either a top-5 pick or a good veteran like Antonio McDyess? Do we hang on to Miller in case Grant Hill never makes it back and go for a veteran free agent like Charles Oakley? Do we make no moves, use our 18th pick and draft Melvin Ely, Marcus Haislip or Curtis Borchardt if they are still around. Do we trade our pick and a lesser player than Miller for say the Clippers' No. 8 pick in hopes of landing Amare Stoudemire? -- Ric

FORD: The Magic really struck out in the draft last season. Stephen Hunter was a reach at No. 15 and Jeryl Sasser was a bust at No. 22. They traded the best player they drafted, Brendan Haywood, and now have big holes to fill in the middle and at the point. They could probably land a point, either Dickau or Frank Williams, at No. 18. Ely and Haislip will also be around. But they'd love to get their hands on a player with more potential. They'd love to get Wilcox, Nene or even Stoudemire but they'll have to give up Miller to do it. If the Grizzlies can't land Dunleavy, they would have interest in Miller for the No. 4. The Cavs at No. 6, the Heat at No. 10 and the Wizards at No. 11 would also be interested. But giving up on Miller means you have faith that Hill is healed. From my conversations with Magic sources, I'm not sure they're there yet.

Q: Do you think that the Wolves could trade Wally Szczerbiak to a team like Memphis, Cleveland, LAC or Miami if they ended up getting Dajuan Wagner on draft day? In my opinion, Jerry West, Jim Paxon and Pat Riley would love to have Wally? So do you think there is a possibility of Stern announcing a trade June 26th that has Szczerbiak's name in it with Wagner or another player? -- Jordan, Kingman, Ariz.

FORD: With Terrell Brandon's future still in doubt, and Chauncey Billups exploring free agency soon, the Wolves have a big problem at point guard. They would love to interject themselves in the Andre Miller or Baron Davis talks, but Wally alone isn't going to get it done. There's been talk of Wally going to the Grizzlies for the No. 4 pick, but it doesn't look like it got serious. The Cavs would love to have him, but they won't give up Miller to get him. The Heat are an intriguing possibility, but with an impending extension on the way, he probably doesn't fit their budget. The problem with grabbing a high lottery pick is that, after Jay Williams, there isn't a lot of point guard talent in the high lottery. Wagner isn't a point guard, even he believes that. He would give them another scoring option but they would have to subtract one (Wally) to get him. They might be better off, trying to trade into the mid-first round for Dickau or using their second-round pick on a guy like Tito Maddox or Smush Parker.

Q: Who's the best second-round point guard? Smush Parker, Steve Logan, Jannero Pargo, Marcus Taylor, J.R. Bremer or Lynn Greer? -- Erick, Orlando, Fla.

FORD: Parker has been getting a lot of love lately from teams and Bremer is simply the most athletic player in the draft. The question about both of them is whether they are just two guards in midget suits. As far as pure point guards go, I think teams are more enamored with Miami's John Salmons and Fresno State's Tito Maddox. Pargo has also strung together some impressive workouts. I made a few phone calls and here is the consensus ranking of the point guards after Jay Williams, Frank Williams and Dan Dickau are off the board. 1. Parker 2. Salmons 3. Maddox 4. Logan 5. Bremer 6. Pargo 7. Taylor 8. Greer.

Dunleavy staying in the draft

Ronald Tillery / Memphis Commercial Appeal

Lucas applauds Dunleavy

Chris Tomasson / Akron Beacon Journal

Gooden tops list at deep position

Marc J. Spears / Denver Post

Wilcox goes from bench to draft gem

Jon Siegel / Washington Times

Mock Draft 3: Foreign defections shake up late first round

With so much commotion going on late in the first round, several international prospects decided Wednesday to sit this draft out. Among the most prominent names were Georgian big man Zaur Pachulia, French two guard Boris Diaw and Brazilian forward Anderson Varejao.

All three players were seeking first-round guarantees. The Nuggets were initially enamored with Diaw, but as they worked out more prospects, they couldn't guarantee to Diaw that they'd take him at No. 25. Pachulia received positive feedback from several teams late in the first round, but his agent, Marc Fleisher, thought he'd be better off waiting another year.

"He's done so well in workouts," Fleisher told Insider. "Every single team has been surprised by the kid's skill level. I wonder if he wouldn't be better off waiting a year. He's just 18 years old. He's got plenty of time."

Diaw's and Pachulia's defection is great news for several college stars like Casey Jacobsen, Carlos Boozer, Tayshaun Prince and Freddie Jones who were sitting firmly on the first-round bubble. It may also open the door for a few other international prospects like Australia's David Andersen, Argentina's Luis Scola, Greece's Lazarous Papadoupolos and Turkey's Fatih Solak.

Here's Insider's THIRD MOCK DRAFT. We'll make updates daily, as warranted, from now until the end of the draft. We'll also put together a second-round mock draft on Monday.

Workout Watch: Wilcox leaves teams wanting more

Chris Wilcox's final workout in Phoenix Wednesday had teams hungry to see more.

"The optimum is we bring him in and put him through some things we want to see," Denver general manager Kiki Vandeweghe told the Arizona Republic. "And I think it really works the best for the kids, too. Obviously, he's very talented. He's young. I got to talk to him for a few minutes and he seems like a real good kid. With that kind of physical ability, he'll probably do very well in the NBA."

"You wanted them to show some of his athletic ability," Suns coach Frank Johnson told Suns.com. "That is a strength of his, his ability to get out on the break. He runs like a small forward. More than anything, I would have loved to see that."

Still, Wilcox's potential has intrigued just about everyone in the draft.

"He's got a very, very big upside," Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe said. "He's very competitive. He has the ability to block some shots. He was good."

There were a few more revelations Wedensday. Jared Jeffries' stock looks like its on the rise. Maybe it isn't inconceivable that he could go as high as No. 4 to Memphis.

The Grizzlies, Wizards, Knicks and Cavs have all asked for repeat workouts. But first he'll workout in Miami today.

"I doubt if he'll last past 11 in the draft, and I'm sure he's playing well enough in these workouts that teams one through seven are looking at him now," Pacers president Donnie Walsh told the Indianapolis Star.

Because of the large number of players and workouts Insider has collected, you must click here to go to a complete list of workouts.

Teams learn little in Wilcox workout

Bob Young and Norm Frauenheim / Arizona Republic

Wilcox Wraps Up Third Workout

Dustin Krugel / Suns.com

Nuggets must now sift data

Kyle Ringo / Rocky Mountain News

Jeffries works on moving up in draft

Terry Hutchens / Indianapolis Star

Peep Show

Nets: Two key big players on the team were scheduled to undergo minor surgery today -- Kenyon Martin (right wrist) and Aaron Williams (arthroscopic surgery on both knees). GM Rod Thorn confirmed what several conference officials had said, that the Nets could trade down because of the stockpile of young players already on their roster, and that could enable the Nets to draft a European league player for the future. "I'm leaving all my options open," Thorn told the N.Y. Times. "We talk to people every day."

Magic: GM John Gabriel said Wednesday he believes Horace Grant will return for a 16th NBA season. Meanwhile, veteran center Patrick Ewing, who turns 40 in August, has yet to inform the team of his plans for next season. "It's still a delicate issue, and when they feel it's time to make an announcement I'm sure they will," Gabriel told Florida Today. "Both have had great careers and they're still thinking things over. But I really think Horace is leaning toward playing again."

Heat: Don't expect Tim Hardaway, whose contract will likley be bought out by the Nuggets, to return to the Heat. "Everyone knows what Tim was, but he moved on, and we moved on," coach Pat Riley told the Miami Herald.

T-Wolves: The T-Wolves are exploring signing Khalid El-Amin as a backup point guard in case Terrell Brandon isn't ready to play this season. "He's a winner and he makes other people better," coach Flip Saunders to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "He's lost 20 pounds; he looks like he's a junior in high school." Point guard William Avery won't be back. Saunders might have found a replacement in his back yard. "It's very exciting just to think about it," El-Amin said of playing in his hometown. "We'll see what happens."

Mavs: Coach Don Nelson said Wang Zhi-Zhi will not play on the Mavericks' summer-league team because of the franchise's promise that Wang would return to China. "That doesn't mean that we don't want to re-sign him," Nelson told the Dallas Morning News. "We do." . . . The team also learned that coveted international free agent Ognjen Askrabic will play for his club team, FMP Zeleznik, for one more season before testing the NBA free-agent route.

Hornets: The team has tendered a qualifying offer to Lee Nailon, a restricted free agent who made the league minimum $540,000 as a second-year player last season. "I think he'll love to stay here, but he's got to look out for his family and his career," Hornets coach Paul Silas told the New Orleans Times Picayune. "The dollars that he's going to get, who knows what that's going to be."

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[Traceman]

That is preposterous, particularly when I'd bet Odom/Dooling/#8 would get then Andre Miller.

[Admin]

Haha if they think Snow can get them Odom, just imagine what they think they can get from us for Snow? Maybe Reef or JT? LOL

[ATLien_]

I don't know what in the food at the ESPN building, but I am thinking shrooms. Snow for Odom LOL.

Hey what do you guys think of their ratings for the 2nd round PG's? I was under the impression that Maddux was suppose to be the best then Parker.

[ATLien_]

I found some info on the Salmons guy from Miami here is the link http://hurricanesports.ocsn.com/sports/m-b...ons_john01.html

He sounds very good to me. He would be another versatile player to go with our versitile lineup. Man he is 6-7 and gets lots of steals and assist. Seems to be some solid players slipping into the second. Would anyone be suprised if one of the best players in this years draft came out of the second?