Pistons
must draft well, or else
NBA Central by Bill Nichols
CLEVELAND - As usual, the Detroit Pistons are on the sidelines
during the National Basketball Association playoffs, but they
now are playing a different type of game, one which could help
to turn the franchise around.
While Milwaukee, Chicago and Indiana are reaching for the NBA
brass ring in the playoffs, General Manager Jack McCloskey and
Coach Scotty Robertson are burning the midnight oil preparing
for the college draft. This lottery could make the Pistons instant
contenders, or, if mistakes are made, pretenders once again.
Saddled with the poorest record in the Eastern Conference, Detroit
will flip a coin with Dallas, the worst of the West, to determine
the first selector.
The Pistons will have either the first or second pick and also
approximately the 12th, which they received as compensation
when Leon Douglas signed with Kansas City.
The Pistons say they will pick the best available athlete, but
it’s certain that if they choose first the best athlete
will be one who stands 7-2 or 7-4 … they want a center.
The draft will be held June 9, but the key date is April 25,
the deadline for undergraduates to declare themselves eligible
for the NBA.
This is the date the Pistons will know if 7-4 Ralph Sampson
will leave Virginia for glory and gold. If Sampson decides to
remain in college, it’s likely that Kentucky’s 7-2
Sam Bowie will make the jump to the pros.
Insiders predict that one of the two super sophomores will opt
for pro ball, but his identity will be a mystery until April
25.
Two years ago the Pistons had three first-round choices and
selected, under the guidance of ex-coach Dick Vitale, the forgettable
Roy Hamilton, Greg Kelser and Phil Hubbard. Kelser missed the
better part of this season with injuries and only in recent
months has Hubbard become a solid, if not great, professional.
Robertson used regular center Kent Benson as a power forward
in the closing weeks of the season and it appears the much-maligned
former Indiana Hoosier has found a home on the wing.
It’s believed the Pistons also want another guard who
can make a contribution as a rookie.
ATLANTA: The long-predicted firing of Coach Hubie Brown
finally occured on March 26. Hawks President Mike Gearon made
the announcement after a meeting of the club’s board of
directors in West Palm Beach, Fla., where the Atlanta Braves
were training. Both the Hawks and Braves are owned by Ted Turner.
Brown had just three games to go to complete his fifth season
as Hawks coach. A year ago, the Hawks won the division title,
but were riddled with injuries this season.
Brown, 47, reportedly was one of the highest paid coaches in
the NBA. The contract settlement was said to give Brown $420,000
in cash and $270,000 in deferred compensation for the three
remaining years on his contract.
INDIANA: The Pacers will select 15th or 16th and it’s
believed they are looking for a strong forward and strong shooting
guards.
Also, they will make every effort to sign free agent center
James Edwards. They also may get into the market place and trade
for a shooting guard.
Coach Jack McKinney speaks highly of Cleveland’s veteran
guard, Randy Smith, who is expected to be traded. The Cavaliers
are in the market for a defensive guard and a Smith-for-Dudley
Bradley deal could be worked out.
CHICAGO: The Bulls have the option to take Portland’s
first-round choice this year or next and that decision probably
will not be made before the undergraduate collegians declare
their intentions.
Another question mark concerning the draft is the health of
guard Ronnie Lester, who missed just about all season following
knee surgery.
If the Bulls can count on a healthy Lester, they will go after
help at forward. But if the former Iowa star can’t cut
it physically, Coach Jerry Sloan and General Manager Rod Thorn
will go after help at the guard positions.
The story is that Indiana University sophomore Isiah Thomas
will turn pro and he could be just the guard the Bulls are seeking.
Unfortunately for Chicago, it will not pick until some 15 players
are chosen and if Thomas comes out, he will be grabbed by then.
Mark Aguirre, THE SPORTING NEWS’ Player of the Year, reportedly
will come out of college a year early, but the DePaul forward
will be drafted just after the “super center” is
selected.
MILWAUKEE: The Bucks will be paying for their success.
They will not select in the first round until some 19 or 20
players are picked. But there is another route the club could
take.
Milwaukee may trade to pick up a quality power forward. If Bob
Lanier should retire, the Bucks will go after a center, possibly
Oregon State’s Steve Johnson, if he is available.
If the Bucks should go on to win the NBA crown, Lanier may hang
up his sneakers. He’s had another injury-plagued season.
Until they trade to improve their drafting position, the Bucks
are relying on old promises, “the best available player.”
CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers are on record that they will
try to acquire a topflight free agent. They don’t have
a first-round pick until 1987, which means there is a high school
sophomore somewhere who will be Cleveland’s No. 1 draft
choice-or an eighth grader who plans to turn hardship.
Cleveland will also try to stabilize its coaching position.
Interim coach Don Delaney would like to take over the coaching
reins next season, but controversial Owner Ted Stepien has not
said what he plans to do.
One thing for sure, Larry Creger, the Cavaliers’ director
of player personnel, is expected to be elsewhere next season.
This article by Bill Nichols
appeared in The Sporting News [date]
Reproduced with permission of the author.