Wednesday, May 26, 2004
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
Emeka Okafor may not be a franchise player, nor a savior on the court. But the Connecticut standout could very well be the guy who saves the Orlando Magic from self-destructing this summer.
Tracy McGrady's future in Orlando has never been more tenuous. After a tumultuous season in which McGrady openly questioned his desire to remain in Orlando, he had a heart to heart with new GM John Weisbrod. The rub was this: The Magic wanted to know, needed to know, whether T-Mac planned to exercise an opt-out clause in his contract at the end of the 2004-'05 season.
McGrady didn't have an answer. All he knew was that he wanted to win. He'd prefer to win in Orlando. But if the Magic didn't quickly get their act together, he'd take his ball elsewhere.
The task before the Magic was formidable. The team lost more games than anyone else in the league. They were capped out, thanks in large part to an injured Grant Hill sitting on the bench, wearing a cast and earning millions a month to hobble around on crutches. They had the best chance of winning the NBA draft lottery, 25 percent, but history indicated the team with the best shot almost never won.
This year's draft is filled with talented players who could make an impact on a team in three or four years. The Magic need someone who can help them now. There isn't a team in the NBA that needs Okafor more than the Magic. After earning the No. 1 pick in the draft in Wednesday's lottery, the Magic might now have the ammunition to convince T-Mac they are back on track.
Okafor won't score 20 points a game his rookie season. He'll probably struggle to fill a highlight reel. But he could give the Magic something they desperately need -- a heart transplant. Okafor's toughness, his determination, his focus and his ability to defend and block shots have been missing ingredients in Orlando for years.
If the Magic choose anyone other than Okafor in the June 24 draft, Weisbrod should go back to chasing hockey pucks.
With Okafor at center (yes, he'll be big enough to do that in the East), the Magic could focus on free agency. Centers don't come along for the mid-level exception, but point guards do. Adding Okafor would allow them to trim down the roster at power forward. Currently Juwan Howard and Drew Gooden both play the position. Perhaps they can package Gooden and a player like Pat Garrity for a veteran point, cap space or another first-round pick.
The point is that for the first time since they started falling apart, the Magic have hope. And hope equals a chance to convince T-Mac to stay around Orlando. The Magic didn't have that before Okafor bounced into their lap Wednesday night. In my book, that qualifies Okafor as a franchise savior.
Well ... almost. Now the Magic just have to hope Okafor's back is OK.
After their miserable experience with Hill -- and a McGrady recurring back injury -- the Magic understandably will be a wary of Okafor's back. If what Okafor and his agent Jeff Schwartz claim is true -- that Okafor's back is totally healed -- it won't be an issue. If problems arise, the Magic are in a difficult position. They can take Okafor anyway and hope he'll be OK. Or they can try to move a pick that no one will want.
More Lottery fallout
Having the Los Angeles Clippers move all the way up to No. 2 may be the best thing that could have happened to the Atlanta Hawks -- short of Atlanta getting the No. 2 pick itself. The Clippers have no use for high schooler Dwight Howard. They have Elton Brand, Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely at the four. Howard might be more talented than all three, but the Clips aren't about to wait three years to find out.
What the Clippers really need is a point guard. There are several in this draft -- Ben Gordon, Shaun Livingston, Devin Harris -- that they really like, but none are worth the No. 2 pick. Enter Atlanta. The Hawks want Howard in the worst way and just so happen to own two first-round picks.
Don't be surprised if Billy Knight picks up the phone and offer the No. 6 and the No. 17 choices to the Clippers for No. 2 and a player such as Peja Drobjnak (to clear more cap space in L.A.). The Clippers could use their No. 6 overall pick on their pick on a point guard, or they could it on a big man such as Andris Biedrins or Martynas Andriuskevicius -- and then use No. 17 on a point such as Jameer Nelson or Sebastian Telfair.
This year's mock draft was virtually impossible to put together. Just about every team has players ranked dramatically different. For example, one team has Gordon ranked as the No. 5 pick in the draft. Another has him 18th. One team has Peter John Ramos ranked in the top 10. Two don't have him in the first round. The list goes on and on.
And the lottery teams will be entertaining offers. The Bulls like Duke's Luol Deng, but GM John Paxson will likely try to move at least one of his high school players (probably Tyson Chandler) and could try to package him with the No. 3 pick to get another solid veteran.
The expansion Charlotte Bobcats, believe it or not, are also exploring moving their pick. If they can pick up something of value and still get their man, they'll do it.
The Washington Wizards are in an awkward position as well. The top players projected to be on the board at No. 5 are point guards (the Wizards already have Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes and Juan Dixon), threes (they drafted Jarvis Hayes and Jared Jeffries the past two years) and big guys who will take years to develop. The Wizards are anxious to get to the playoffs and may not have patience for any of that.
The Phoenix Suns don't really have a many needs right now other than clearing cap room. They say they won't dump their pick for that reason, but at No. 7, there might not be anyone on the board that fits their plan.
The bottom line is that most of the teams in the lottery aren't comfortable with their draft positions, and many of the teams in the second half of the draft covet high school or international players. They have the patience and roster room to bring them along slower. I think you'll see a flood of deals before the draft and on draft day, with playoff teams swapping younger veterans for lottery picks with bigger upsides.
Don't be surprised if two teams with three first-round picks -- Boston and Utah -- also try to consolidate. There's no value in having three picks, given this year's draft crop. Both teams could try to package picks to move up higher.
If that doesn't work, the Celtics and Jazz will move on to another popular strategy -- drafting young international players that are willing to stay overseas for another year or two. The Jazz could use two of three picks in that fashion. The Celtics may only go that route with one pick.
Several international players, including Marytnas Andriuskevicius, Kosta Perovic, Tiago Splitter, Sergei Monya and Peja Samardziski, appear willing to do it. Teams such as the New Jersey Nets, Detroit Pistons and the Jazz have gone that route with great success in the past.
But they've always drafted players late in the first round. No one's done it in the lottery -- yet. This year may be a first.
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
Emeka Okafor may not be a franchise player, nor a savior on the court. But the Connecticut standout could very well be the guy who saves the Orlando Magic from self-destructing this summer.
Tracy McGrady's future in Orlando has never been more tenuous. After a tumultuous season in which McGrady openly questioned his desire to remain in Orlando, he had a heart to heart with new GM John Weisbrod. The rub was this: The Magic wanted to know, needed to know, whether T-Mac planned to exercise an opt-out clause in his contract at the end of the 2004-'05 season.
McGrady didn't have an answer. All he knew was that he wanted to win. He'd prefer to win in Orlando. But if the Magic didn't quickly get their act together, he'd take his ball elsewhere.
The task before the Magic was formidable. The team lost more games than anyone else in the league. They were capped out, thanks in large part to an injured Grant Hill sitting on the bench, wearing a cast and earning millions a month to hobble around on crutches. They had the best chance of winning the NBA draft lottery, 25 percent, but history indicated the team with the best shot almost never won.
This year's draft is filled with talented players who could make an impact on a team in three or four years. The Magic need someone who can help them now. There isn't a team in the NBA that needs Okafor more than the Magic. After earning the No. 1 pick in the draft in Wednesday's lottery, the Magic might now have the ammunition to convince T-Mac they are back on track.
Okafor won't score 20 points a game his rookie season. He'll probably struggle to fill a highlight reel. But he could give the Magic something they desperately need -- a heart transplant. Okafor's toughness, his determination, his focus and his ability to defend and block shots have been missing ingredients in Orlando for years.
If the Magic choose anyone other than Okafor in the June 24 draft, Weisbrod should go back to chasing hockey pucks.
With Okafor at center (yes, he'll be big enough to do that in the East), the Magic could focus on free agency. Centers don't come along for the mid-level exception, but point guards do. Adding Okafor would allow them to trim down the roster at power forward. Currently Juwan Howard and Drew Gooden both play the position. Perhaps they can package Gooden and a player like Pat Garrity for a veteran point, cap space or another first-round pick.
The point is that for the first time since they started falling apart, the Magic have hope. And hope equals a chance to convince T-Mac to stay around Orlando. The Magic didn't have that before Okafor bounced into their lap Wednesday night. In my book, that qualifies Okafor as a franchise savior.
Well ... almost. Now the Magic just have to hope Okafor's back is OK.
After their miserable experience with Hill -- and a McGrady recurring back injury -- the Magic understandably will be a wary of Okafor's back. If what Okafor and his agent Jeff Schwartz claim is true -- that Okafor's back is totally healed -- it won't be an issue. If problems arise, the Magic are in a difficult position. They can take Okafor anyway and hope he'll be OK. Or they can try to move a pick that no one will want.
More Lottery fallout
Having the Los Angeles Clippers move all the way up to No. 2 may be the best thing that could have happened to the Atlanta Hawks -- short of Atlanta getting the No. 2 pick itself. The Clippers have no use for high schooler Dwight Howard. They have Elton Brand, Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely at the four. Howard might be more talented than all three, but the Clips aren't about to wait three years to find out.
What the Clippers really need is a point guard. There are several in this draft -- Ben Gordon, Shaun Livingston, Devin Harris -- that they really like, but none are worth the No. 2 pick. Enter Atlanta. The Hawks want Howard in the worst way and just so happen to own two first-round picks.
Don't be surprised if Billy Knight picks up the phone and offer the No. 6 and the No. 17 choices to the Clippers for No. 2 and a player such as Peja Drobjnak (to clear more cap space in L.A.). The Clippers could use their No. 6 overall pick on their pick on a point guard, or they could it on a big man such as Andris Biedrins or Martynas Andriuskevicius -- and then use No. 17 on a point such as Jameer Nelson or Sebastian Telfair.
This year's mock draft was virtually impossible to put together. Just about every team has players ranked dramatically different. For example, one team has Gordon ranked as the No. 5 pick in the draft. Another has him 18th. One team has Peter John Ramos ranked in the top 10. Two don't have him in the first round. The list goes on and on.
And the lottery teams will be entertaining offers. The Bulls like Duke's Luol Deng, but GM John Paxson will likely try to move at least one of his high school players (probably Tyson Chandler) and could try to package him with the No. 3 pick to get another solid veteran.
The expansion Charlotte Bobcats, believe it or not, are also exploring moving their pick. If they can pick up something of value and still get their man, they'll do it.
The Washington Wizards are in an awkward position as well. The top players projected to be on the board at No. 5 are point guards (the Wizards already have Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes and Juan Dixon), threes (they drafted Jarvis Hayes and Jared Jeffries the past two years) and big guys who will take years to develop. The Wizards are anxious to get to the playoffs and may not have patience for any of that.
The Phoenix Suns don't really have a many needs right now other than clearing cap room. They say they won't dump their pick for that reason, but at No. 7, there might not be anyone on the board that fits their plan.
The bottom line is that most of the teams in the lottery aren't comfortable with their draft positions, and many of the teams in the second half of the draft covet high school or international players. They have the patience and roster room to bring them along slower. I think you'll see a flood of deals before the draft and on draft day, with playoff teams swapping younger veterans for lottery picks with bigger upsides.
Don't be surprised if two teams with three first-round picks -- Boston and Utah -- also try to consolidate. There's no value in having three picks, given this year's draft crop. Both teams could try to package picks to move up higher.
If that doesn't work, the Celtics and Jazz will move on to another popular strategy -- drafting young international players that are willing to stay overseas for another year or two. The Jazz could use two of three picks in that fashion. The Celtics may only go that route with one pick.
Several international players, including Marytnas Andriuskevicius, Kosta Perovic, Tiago Splitter, Sergei Monya and Peja Samardziski, appear willing to do it. Teams such as the New Jersey Nets, Detroit Pistons and the Jazz have gone that route with great success in the past.
But they've always drafted players late in the first round. No one's done it in the lottery -- yet. This year may be a first.
