1. Kwame Brown, PF, Washington Bullets- The firstinitial overall selection to be chosen from the high school ranks, he comesfrom Glynn Academy High School in Georgia. 6-11, 240. Can score from the insideand outside, handle the ball and get up and down the floor. "We feel likewe have a quality kid and his potential is unbelievable," president ofoperations Michael Jordan said. "We don't know what this kid is capable ofdoing, that's the beauty of why we drafted him. We don't know. In a couple ofyears he may be a star."
2. Tyson Chandler, PF, Chicago Bulls- Vancouver drafted Chandler andthen dealt him with F Brian Skinner for Elton Brand. Chandler is a 7-1,225-pound athlete from Dominguez (CA) High School. Needs to bulk up, and maymove to small forward until he does. Has a nice jumper.
3. Pau Gasol, SF, Atlanta Hawks- The highest draft pick ever to come directlyfrom a foreign country. A 7-1 “small” forward who played for FC Barcelona,Spain, where he averaged 18.5 points and 6 rebounds this year while shootingalmost 70 percent from the floor. 20 years old. Not particularly fast, but awell-rounded player. When all is said and done, Gasol will end up with theGrizzlies. The two teams agreed on a trade which will send him, G Brevin Knightand C Lorenzen Wright in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. "He's played ata high level of European basketball," Vancouver GM Billy Knight said."He has a lot of experience that a lot of 20-year-olds don't have. Wethink he has the potential to be an outstanding player."
4. Eddy Curry, C, Chicago Bulls- The third high school player takenamong the top 4 picks. Comes from Thornwood (IL) High School. A fine physical specimenbut is a ways off from being a scoring threat. At 6-11, 285, is often comparedto Shaquille O¹Neal. Is fast like O¹Neal, but needs to work on his stamina. "Youthis a concern," GM Jerry Krause said of Curry and Chandler. "But when wegot the opportunity to get two players who we had ranked in the top couple onthe board, it's hard to turn that down. Two young athletes like that don't comealong that often. This is not a denigration of anybody else
because I can't say enough good things about Elton. He's going to be an All-Star.We just got a unique chance. . . . The last time we got two athletes in thisbuilding as good as [Chandler and Curry] in one day was the day [Scottie]Pippen and [Horace] Grant came here [in 1987]. I was pretty happy thatday."
5. Jason Richardson, Golden State Warriors- The first collegiate player taken.The 6-6 small forward comes out after a short but impressive two years atMichigan State, where he averaged 14.7 points per game this year. Incredibleathlete who can penetrate. Needs work on shooting and foul shooting. "Ican't wait to get out there," Richardson said. "I'm a student of thegame and watch other players. It's all about rebuilding, and I'm a playerwho hates to lose. I fit in great with the Warriors. I fit in perfect if I'm a starteror a role player."
6. Shane Battier, SF, Vancouver Grizzlies- National champion Duke¹sleader. Averaged 19.9 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior. All-around player;one of the best defenders in the country. 6-8, 220. Chosen by manyorganizations as the NCAA player of the year. "You like to add a guy withcharm, intelligence and good looks, but you also like to get a guy who is aplayer, too," Knight said. "We got a guy who can help be thefoundation of this team."
7. Eddie Griffin, PF, Houston Rockets- Comes out after his freshman yearat Seton Hall. Great athlete who needs to work on his shooting. Also was expelledfrom high school because of a fight, and later hit a collegiate teammate. Averaged 17.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg and 4.4 blocks. Griffin was chosen by the Nets, whothen swapped him for the Rockets¹ three first-round choices. "No way inthe world did we think we would have the opportunity to get this guy,"coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "Three picks help you fill some big holes.(But) we think we got someone special. How many times do you get a chance toget a special player? Now we got this guy."
8. DeSagana Diop, C, Cleveland Cavaliers-- Another prep star (Oak Hill Academyin VA.) who has been compared to Shaq. 7-0, 300. A former soccer star inSenegal who has only played basketball about 1 1/2 years. Imposing frame ondefense but needs time to develop his offensive skills. Suffered a stressfracture in his foot in Feb. Good rebounder who can run. "I can score anddo a lot of good things," Diop said. "My defense is better than myoffensive skill and I think that is something normal. I've just got to try tocome and work and get better. I can shoot the ball pretty well for a big man. ³
9. Rodney White, PF, Detroit Pistons-- Played one year at Charlotte, averaging18.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Good all-around player, but needs more experience. 6-9,238. White was the man Detroit wanted. ³The way he plays, moves and shoots,you¹d think he was Glenn (Robinson),² president Joe Dumars said.
10. Joe Johnson, SF, Boston Celtics-- 6-8, 225-pound sophomore fromArkansas. Averaged 14.2 ppg and 6.4 rpg this year. Needs a lot of polish, butis a good passer and ballhandler.6-8, 225.
11. Kedrick Brown, SF, Boston Celtics- Comes from Okaloosa-Walton CommunityCollege, and thus does not have experience against top competition. Veryathletic with a lot of potential, but that¹s all it is right now. 6-7, 225. “I¹mecstatic about the 10th and 11th pick, Joe Johnson and Kedrick,” coach JimO¹Brien said. “I wrote down my wish list from a talent standpoint. I wantedthree-point shooters that are athletic and can handle the basketball. I thinkpeople like that are exactly what we needed.”
12. Vladimir Radmanovic, Seattle Supersonics-- The second international playerchosen, he comes from Yugoslavia. Good shooter, defender and passer. A bit thinat 6-9, 205. "We felt like we needed a big man," Coach Nate McMillansaid. "And the guys that were left for us, (Brendan) Haywood and (Stephen)Hunter, there were some red flags that we had about those guys. And(Radmanovic) was the guy we felt had the best ability."
13. Richard Jefferson, SF, New Jersey Nets-- Comes out after his junioryear at Arizona. 6-7, 225. Good shooter, defender and leader. Athletic.Averaged 11.3 ppg in 2000-01. The Nets actually used their lone first-roundpick on Griffin, and dealt him for the three choices made by Houston in theround. “We really like Richard Jefferson,” president Rod Thorn said. “We thinkhe is one of the best athletes in the draft. He plays two positions and is a tremendousdefender. We felt he would be there at 13, and that really triggered (thetrade).”
14. Troy Murphy, PF, Golden State Warriors-- Comes out afteraveraging 21.8 ppg and 9.2 rpg as a junior at Notre Dame. Good shooter, butneeds work on his power game to become a capable power forward. A leader. 6-11."How can you argue about a guy who's a big man and can put upnumbers?" coach Dave Cowens said, "That's pretty nice -- we'refortunate to get him. I'm very pleased, it makes me very happy when you can geta big guy who can shoot. 'Bigs' win for you."
15. Steven Hunter, C, Orlando Magic-- Averaged 11.4 points as a soph at DePaul.Needs to work on his shooting, and that includes at the line. Not ready tocontribute at the NBA level just yet. A bit skinny at 7-0,215. "He is not a great player,” coach Doc Rivers said. “He's not even agood player yet. But you look at his athletic ability, his size and what we believeis his intent to improve, and he has a chance to be like one of the young guyswho went at the top of the draft."
16. Kirk Haston, Charlotte Hornets-- 6-10, 230. Comes out afterhis junior campaign at Indiana, where he averaged 19.0 ppg and 8.7 rpg this year.Good all-around player. 6-10, 230. "He is a big-play shooter,” GM Jeff Bowersaid. “That registered very loudly. One of the comments I heard from two BigTen coaches is this is a player who is not afraid of end-of-game situations.This is a player who wanted the ball."
17. Michael Bradley, PF, Toronto Raptors-- Averaged 21.1 ppg and 10.5rpg in this, his junior year at Villanova, while leading the nation with a 69.2percent field goal clip. At 6-10, 245, he played center there but will move topower forward in the NBA. Has good all-around skills. "We felt Michael wasthe best player available at that time," GM Glen Grunwald said. "Andwe're hopeful that he will have some veteran big guys to work with and learnfrom."
18. Jason Collins, C, New Jersey Nets-- Comes from Stanford, where hewas a sophomore after being redshirted twice. The 6-11, 255-pounder has a well-roundedgame, but seems to injure easily. 14.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg this year. "Hebasically plays the same position as Keith (Van Horne)," Thorn said. "Therewas some speculation at the time we took (Griffin) that Keith better pack hisbags because how are we going to play three guys together. That has some merit.We think Keith is going to have a big year for us."
19. Zach Randolph, PF, Portland Trailblazers-- Played one year atMichigan State before deciding to turn pro. Will move to power forward from hiscenter position. Not a good shooter, inexperienced and is slow. May not be a goodfantasy player even if he does develop his game. Averaged 10.8 ppg and 6.8 rpgin 19.8 minutes. 6-9, 275. "If he has a good summer and a good camp, I wouldsay he probably could play some minutes and get some rebounds," presidentBob Whitsitt said. "But there is a lot of his game, obviously, that isn'tgoing to be ready. We didn't take Zach with the idea that, 'Oh my goodness, hehas got to be this or that next season.' We're comfortable developing him.Whenever he's ready, he's ready."
20. Brendan Haywood, C, Orlando Magic-- As North Carolina¹s center, heshowed a huge upside, but lacked consistency. When he is on his game, he canscore, rebound and play defense. 12.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg in 2000-01. Horrible foulshooter. 7-0, 268. Cleveland drafted Haywood and then traded him to Orlando forC Michael Doleac. Doleac was dealt in order to clear salary cap room. “I don¹tknow if you can ever have enough size,” GM John Gabriel said of Hunter andHaywood. ³We wanted to give ourselves a chance to make improvement in thefrontcourt, and there are no guarantees with free agency. I thought we did thattonight.”
21. Joseph Forte, SG, Boston Celtics-- Only the second guardselected. 20.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3.5 apg as a sophomore at North Carolina. A goodshooter who had good collegiate three-point ability. 6-4, 185. “We just feltJoe Forte was the best player available by a wide margin,” director of playerpersonnel Leo Papile said. “If this draft was held last Oct. 15, he would havegone [from Nos.] 4 to 7. You might say, `why did he slip?' The reason isbecause of the real depth of this draft. We rated him the No. 2 shooting guardin the draft.”
22. Jeryl Sasser, PG, Orlando Magic- The first point guard taken in the draft,though he averaged just 4.1 apg to go with his 17-point average as a senior atSMU. Needs to work on his shooting range and selection. 6-6, 200.
23. Brandon Armstrong, New Jersey Nets-- 6-4, 180. Played at Pepperdine,and
came out after averaging 22.1 ppg as a second-year player. Good range and
excellent free throw shooter.
24. Raul Lopez, PG, Utah Jazz-- The secondplayer taken from Spain. A gamble, with his 5-11 height and the fact the Jazzwill have to wait for him. Plays for the Real Madrid club, with whom he isunder contract for four years. Utah thinks Lopez will be able to play for themin two years. The buyout price will be $5 million, whenever it does happen.Averaged 6.6 points and 2.3 assists, but showed long-range shooting ability. "Inbuilding for the future, we feel he was the best point guard available to us,”VP of operations Kevin O¹Connor said ³The big consideration we had was thefuture."
25. Gerald Wallace, SF, Sacramento Kings-- A freshman from Alabama.Tends to be too headstrong. Needs work on long-range and foul shooting, andneeds a lot of work overall. A project. 9.8 ppg. 6-7, 210. Started just twiceat Alabama, but Wallace says he was playing out of position. "He's aworld-class athlete," president Geoff Petrie said, "a special athletewith size and strength and speed and quickness. His potential upside, if ithappens, could be something special."
26. Samuel Dalembert, C, Philadelphia 76ers-- Has been compared to ayoung Theo Ratleff, but he has work to do to get to that level. Miles away frombeing a solid pro. Doesn't have a shot anyway. Averaged 8.3 ppg as a soph at SetonHall. Born in Haiti, where he lived until he was 14. Needs to put some beef onhis 6-11, 230-pound frame.6-11, 230. The Sixers were all set to pick Wallacewhen the Kings grabbed him, and had to settle for Dalembert. "He was thebest player there,” coach Larry Brown said. “He's the best athlete, I thoughthe had the biggest upside.”
27. Jamaal Tinsley, PG, Atlanta Hawks-- Averaged 14.3 points and 6.0assists as senior at Iowa State. Still has a lot to learn, especially ondefense, and his free-throw accuracy is low for a guard. Tinsley was drafted byVancouver and then traded to Atlanta for a future pick.
28. Tony Parker, PG, San Antonio Spurs-- Played for Paris Basket Racing inFrance. Can put up the numbers, but is not NBA caliber yet, and is a project.6-2, 175. 19 years old. "We're thrilled," coach and GM Gregg Popovichsaid. "Parker's a heck of a player. You don't fill needs with the 28thplayer taken in the draft. You hope to get a guy who will fill a role for youin a couple of years. With Parker, we hope we got more than that."
29. forfeited (Minnesota)
30. Trenton Hassell, SG, Chicago Bulls-- Some wonder why he slippedso far, because he has demonstrated the ability to do everything you might ask.Could be because Austin Peay isn¹t as big-name a school as some others. 6-5, 200.Netted 21.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 4.4 apg as a senior while averaging more than37 minutes.
31. Gilbert Arenas, SG, Golden State Warriors-- Good shooter, but his6-3, 188-pound frame undoubtedly had something to do with his slippage. 16.2ppg as a soph at Arizona this year, but needs work on his defense.
32. Omar Cook, PG, Denver Nuggets-- Drafted by Orlando and then tradedto the Nuggets. Showed the ability to run the point while averaging more than 38minutes as a freshman at St. John¹s. Can shoot too, but has an on-court attitudeproblem. 6-1, 190.
33. Will Solomon,PG, Vancouver Grizzlies-- A small (6-1, 185) shootingguard at Clemson, and will have to switch to the point in the pros. A risky proposition,especially since he isn¹t a great athlete. Came out as a junior after averaging19.6 points.
34. Terence Morris, SF, Houston Rockets-- Chosen by Atlanta and thendealt to Houston.Averaged 12.2 points and 7.7 boards as a senior at Maryland.6-9, 205. Has a reputation as somewhat of a head case on the court.
35. Brian Scalabrine, PF, New Jersey Nets-- A player with great attitudewho has shown good all-around ability. Averaged 14.7 ppg as a senior at USC. 6-9,250.
36. Jeff Trepagnier, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers-- A great athlete who canrun and jump. Can put them in from the outside too. Needs work on his defense.Good attitude. A 9.0-point average at USC this year. 6-4,195.
37. Damone Brown, SF, Philadelphia 76ers-- A smart player with good all-aroundskills, but not a good outside shooter. 16.4 ppg and 8.8 rpg at Syracuse thisyear, and did hit close to 80 percent of his foul shots. 6-9, 200.
38. Mehmet Okur, PF, Detroit Pistons-- Playing in the Suproleague inTurkey, he averaged 7.3 ppg in 16.2 minutes. Played on multiple national teams.Good outside shooter. 6-11, 249.
39. Michael Wright, PF, New York Knicks-- At 6-7, 238, might be toosmall for power forward and not quick enough for small forward. Averaged 15.6ppg and 7.8 rpg as a junior at Arizona, where he played inside the paint.Not a good outside shooter but can hit his free throws.
40. Earl Watson, PG, Seattle Supersonics-- A very capable point guardfrom UCLA, where he netted 5.2 apg this year. Averaged 14.7 ppg as a senior, helpedby a fine shooting touch. 6-1, 190.
41. Jamison Brewer, PG, Indiana Pacers-- Came out after his sophomoreseason at Auburn, in which he averaged 8.4 ppg and 5.2 apg. Not a good outsideor free-throw shooter. 6-4, 180.
42. Bobby Simmons, SF, Seattle Supersonics-- A good offensive player whocan slash to the hoop as well as shoot, but lacking on defense. The DePaul juniorscored at 16.7 ppg this year, while pulling down 8.6 boards. 6-7,210
43. Eric Chenowith, C, New York Knicks-- A big (7-1, 270) pivot manwhose heart has often been questioned while at Kansas. Averaged only 9.5 ppgand 7.6 rpg in just 22.7 minutes as a senior.
44. Kyle Hill, PG, Dallas Mavericks-- Has shown very good all-around ability,but played for a small school (Eastern Illinois). Averaged 23.8 ppg and 4.0 apgas a senior. 6-2, 180. Outstanding free throw shooter.
45. Sean Lampley, SF, Chicago Bulls-- Has good all-around offensiveskills, but might need to switch to shooting guard, which would be quite achange in roles from the one he had at California, in which he was often a lotcloser to the hoop. Had 7.2 boards as senior, but will have trouble gettingmany as a pro, in all likelihood.
46. Loren Woods, C, Minnesota Timberwolves-- Good skills for a big man.Can run the floor. 7-1, 244. As a senior at Arizona, averaged 13.2 ppg but only6.5 rpg. Did block 2.9 shots per contest. Had been expected by many to go muchhigher.
47. Ousmane Cisse, PF, Denver Nuggets-- Had to be disappointed to bedrafted this low after foregoing college. At St. Jude (AL) High School, showedthat his defense is ahead of his offense. Can score in close, but needs atleast a medium-range shot. 6-8, 238.
48. Antonis Fotsis, SG, Vancouver Grizzlies-- Plays with Panathinaikosin Greece. Very good offensive player who has some moves. Needs to work on defense.Very skinny at 6-9, 210.
49. Ken Johnson, C, Miami Heat-- His forte is the blocked shot; heaveraged 4 per game as a fifth-year senior at Ohio State. Had 12.5 ppg, mostlyfrom close to the hoop. Defense is far better than his offense. 6-11, 235.
50. Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, C, Portland Trail Blazers-- Comes fromCameroon, but played at Georgetown. Averaged less than 10 ppg this year,playing a little more than half the time. 7-0, 257.
51. Alton Ford,PF, Phoenix Suns-- Came out after one year at Houston.The question is why. Didn¹t exactly set the world on fire with his 10.8 ppg average,6-8, 271. Not a good outside shooter.
52. Andre Hutson, PF, Michigan State-- Averaged 13.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg as a seniorat Michigan State. Tough on the inside, but has some range on his jumper. Hit62.5 percent of his shots this year. 6-8, 240.
53. Jarron Collins, PF, Utah Jazz-- Jason¹s twin. He must not have eatenas many vegetables though, because he¹s an inch shorter at 6-10. 12.8 ppg, 6.7 rpgas a senior at Stanford. Can score around the basket, but that¹s pretty muchthe extent of it.
54.Kenny Satterfield, PG, Dallas Mavericks-- 14.4 ppg, 4.9 apg as a sophat Cincinnati. Has skills, but needs to work on discipline and defense and develophis jump shot. Coming out early didn¹t help him. 6-2, 185.
55. Maurice Jeffers, SG, Sacramento Kings-- At 6-4, 295, might be a bitsmall to play shooting guard in the NBA. Averaged 16 ppg as a senior for St. Louis.Demonstrated he can hit the three-pointer, although he was very selective aboutthat shot.
56. Robertas Javtokas,PF, San Antonio Spurs-- Played for Lietuvos Ritasfor 1 1/2 years after one semester at Arizona. Averaged 11.2 ppg and 8.4 rpg in23.7 minutes over first 22 games this year. Great jumper but awful foul shooter.Also a bit thin at 6-10, 200.
57. Alvin Jones, C, Philadelphia 76ers-- 13.4 ppg, 10.4 rpg and 3.3blocks for Georgia Tech this year. Very good defensive player who gets most ofhis points from close to the basket. Not a good fantasy prospect. 6-11,265.
58. Bryan Bracey, SF, San Antonio Spurs-- 18.6 ppg and 7.1 rpg led hisOregon squad this year. All-PAC 10 selection. Very good athlete, but needs workon his ballhandling. 6-7, 210.
