The Surprises Are Few

On the day the general managers finally had to tell the truth, the NBA draft produced the usual bushel of surprises.

Toronto’s Isiah Thomas--who praised Marcus Camby on national TV, throwing everyone off his track--actually selected him.

Syracuse’s John Wallace, praised for returning for his senior year, fell out of the lottery and tumbled to No. 18, going behind two high school kids.

Wallace fell to the Knicks who had three picks--and used them all for small forwards, despite having no starter at the other positions under 30.

Stephon Marbury cried when the Bucks drafted him, later sobbing, “I can’t even describe how I feel, I waited 20 years--20 years!--for this day and it’s here now. It’s here now!”

He was then traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves where he’ll be with his best friend, Kevin Garnett, making him even happier. He didn’t even have to wait 20 years for that one.

“I can’t believe it,” Marbury said. “It happened so quick. I was with Milwaukee for like a minute.”

Is this a great league or what?

Despite weeks of trade talks, the draft ran close to form. Allen Iverson went to Philadelphia, becoming the first point guard to be selected first overall since Magic Johnson in 1979.

Youth records fell in droves. The first round set new highs with 13 undergraduates, two high school players, and five from European leagues. There were only 11 of that vanishing breed, the college senior. The first seven picks were undergrads, yet another new mark.

Here’s how it went:

COUPS--The Grizzlies squirmed for a week, sure Thomas wanted Shareef-Abdul Rahim. They offered their No. 22 pick to the 76ers to flop picks to jump ahead of Thomas. The Sixers, fearing Thomas was really after Iverson, said no.

The Grizzlies got Abdur-Rahim just by staying put, then got Alabama’s promising shot blocker, Roy Rogers at No. 22. For the Grizzlies, the best trade was definitely the one that was turned down.

The Timberwolves’ Kevin McHale got Marbury at a bargain price: Ray Allen and a 1998 No. 1. Bringing in Garnett’s friend improves Minnesota’s chances of keeping them both.

The Cavaliers got 6-10, 277-pound Vitaly Potapenko at No. 13 and 7-3, 258-pound Zydrunas Ilgauskas at 20. The Ukrainian Potapenko is far ahead of the Lithuanian Ilgauskas but both are legitimate prospects.

BARGAINS--Jerome Williams to the Pistons at No. 26. Everyone thought he’d go in mid-round. Doug Collins loves scrappy, self-effacing players like him.

Efthimis Retzias to Denver at No. 23. The 6-11 youngster is a bonafide prospect who was ticketed for the Warriors at No. 11 but they were concerned about the year left on his Greek contract.

LONGSHOTS--Teams have trouble pulling the trigger on Europeans (Vlade Divac fell to the Lakers at No. 26 in 1989, eluding the Bulls who had three picks and passed on him three times) but the Kings stepped up at No. 14 for Predrag Stojakovic, a 6-8 Serbian.

Portland’s high-rolling Bob Whitsitt, who drafted 18-year-old Shawn Kemp in Seattle, selected 6-11, 216-pound Jermaine O’Neal out of Eau Claire, S.C. High School.

MYSTERIES--One moment Wallace was leading Syracuse into the NCAA championship game. The next, he was supposed to be a top 10 pick. Wednesday he dropped to 18. Doubts surfaced after he acted the star in workouts with teams.

“Bottom line,” said Wallace after his selection, “I’m in the NBA.”

Why did the Pacers take Erick Dampier at No. 10? Team officials say he isn’t ticketed for Phoenix, they just couldn’t pass him up after he fell to them, even if their front line goes 7-4, 6-11, 6-9. This suggests they put a great premium, indeed, on backup centers.

Why did the Knicks draft three small forwards when the starters at their other positions are ages 34, 32, 32 and 30?

Why did Milwaukee’s owner Herb Kohl, who ran out of patience with Mike Dunleavy’s rebuilding program, give up Marbury, a rare prospect, for Allen and a No. 1 pick two years away?

Who is Martin Muursepp? The Jazz drafted him with the 25th pick before trading him to the Miami Heat for future considerations. “He’s 6-9, 238,” said TNT’s Ernie Jones. “That’s all I know.”

Muursepp is from Tallin, Estonia, played two seasons in Israel and last season in Estonia. Beyond that, he remains a mystery.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NBA DRAFT / THE FIRST ROUND

*--*

1. Phila. Allen Iverson 2. Toronto Marcus Camby 3. Vancouver S. Abdur-Rahim 4. Milwaukee S. Marbury* 5. Minnesota Ray Allen* 6. Boston Antoine Walker 7. Clippers Lorenzen Wright 8. New Jersey Kerry Kittles 9. Dallas Samaki Walker 10. Indiana Erick Dampier 11. Golden St. Todd Fuller 12. Cleveland V. Potapenko 13. Charlotte Kobe Bryant 14. Sacra. Predrag Stojakovic 15. Phoenix Steve Nash 16. Charlotte Tony Delk 17. Portland Jermaine O’Neal 18. New York John Wallace 19. New York Walter McCarty 20. Cleveland Z. Ilgauskas 21. New York Dontae’ Jones 22. Vancouver Roy Rogers 23. Denver Efthimis Retzias 24. Lakers Derek Fisher 25. Utah M. Muursepp** 26. Detroit Jerome Williams 27. Orlando Brian Evans 28. Atlanta P. Lauderdale 29. Chicago Travis Knight

*--*

*--Marbury was traded to Minnesota for Allen and a future first round pick.

**--Muursepp was traded to Miami for a future first round pick.

*

Complete draft C7

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

By the Numbers

A more detailed look at the first round of the NBA draft:

By Position *--*

Forward 14 Guard 8 Center 7

*--*

By Conference *--*

Big East 6 SEC 6 ACC 2 Conf. USA 2 Atlantic 10 1 Big Ten 1 Midwestern Col. 1 Pacific 10 1 Sun Belt 1 West Coast 1

*--*

By Class *--*

High School 2 Freshmen 2 Sophomores 4 Juniors 5 Seniors 11 Foreign 5

*--*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE FIRST ROUND

NO.: 1.

TEAM: Philadelphia 76ers

PLAYER: Allen Iverson

HT.: 6-0

POS.: G

YR.: So.

SCHOOL: Georgetown

COMMENT: Explosive but sometimes erratic scorer fills a definite need.

*

NO.: 2.

TEAM: Toronto Raptors

PLAYER: Marcus Camby

HT.: 6-11

POS.: C

YR.: Jr.

SCHOOL: Massachusetts

COMMENT: Brings shot blocking and low-post scoring but needs more strength.

*

NO.: 3.

TEAM: Vancouver Grizzlies

PLAYER: Shareef Abdur-Rahim

HT.: 6-9

POS.: F

YR.: Fr.

SCHOOL: California

COMMENT: Young but polished talent who could hit it very big.

*

NO.: 4.

TEAM: Milwaukee Bucks

PLAYER: Stephon Marbury*

HT.: 6-1

POS.: G

YR.: Fr.

SCHOOL: Georgia Tech

COMMENT: Streaky shooter considered the best pure point guard in the draft.

*

NO.: 5.

TEAM: Minnesota Timberwolves

PLAYER: Ray Allen*

HT.: 6-5

POS.: G

YR.: Jr.

SCHOOL: Connecticut

COMMENT: Excellent shooter with three-point range and good strength and quickness.

*

NO.: 6.

TEAM: Boston Celtics

PLAYER: Antoine Walker

HT.: 6-9

POS.: F

YR.: So.

SCHOOL: Kentucky

COMMENT: Young and erratic but maybe versatile enough for either forward spot.

*

NO.: 7.

TEAM: Clippers

PLAYER: Lorenzen Wright

HT.: 6-10

POS.: C

YR.: So.

SCHOOL: Memphis State

COMMENT: A slender project but a very promising one.

*

NO.: 8.

TEAM: New Jersey Nets

PLAYER: Kerry Kittles

HT.: 6-5

POS.: G

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Villanova

COMMENT: Disappointing senior season but a good shooter who can create his own shot.

*

NO.: 9.

TEAM: Dallas Mavericks

PLAYER: Samaki Walker

HT.: 6-9

POS.: F

YR.: So.

SCHOOL: Louisville

COMMENT: Good shot-blocking defender who impressed in NCAA tournament and workouts.

*

NO.: 10.

TEAM: Indiana Pacers

PLAYER: Erick Dampier

HT.: 6-11

POS.: C

YR.: Jr.

SCHOOL: Mississippi St.

COMMENT: Shot blocker with an NBA body but has limited offensive skills.

*

NO.: 11.

TEAM: Golden State Warriors

PLAYER: Todd Fuller

HT.: 6-11

POS.: C

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: North Carolina St.

COMMENT: Nice post game and brings size.

*

NO.: 12.

TEAM: Cleveland Cavaliers

PLAYER: Vitaly Potapenko

HT.: 6-10

POS.: F

YR.: Jr.

SCHOOL: Wright State

COMMENT: “Ukraine Train” helped considerably by very impressive pre-draft workouts.

*

NO.: 13.

TEAM: Charlotte Hornets

PLAYER: Kobe Bryant

HT.: 6-6

POS.: G

YR.: Prep

SCHOOL: Lower Merion (Pa) HS

COMMENT: Ballyhooed high schooler with loads of NBA potential.

*

NO.: 14.

TEAM: Sacramento Kings

PLAYER: Predrag Stojakovic

HT.: 6-8

POS.: F

YR.: Frgn

SCHOOL: PAOK (Greece)

COMMENT: An 18-year-old considered the cream of the European crop.

*

NO.: 15.

TEAM: Phoenix Suns

PLAYER: Steve Nash

HT.: 6-2

POS.: G

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Santa Clara

COMMENT: A very nice floor leader with good shooting range but lacks quickness.

NO.: 16.

TEAM: Charlotte Hornets

PLAYER: Tony Delk

HT.: 6-1

POS.: G

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Kentucky

COMMENT: Not a natural point guard but impressed in workouts and has three-point range.

*

NO.: 17.

TEAM: Portland Trail Blazers

PLAYER: Jermaine O’Neal

HT.: 6-10

POS.: C

YR.: Prep

SCHOOL: Eau Claire (S.C.) HS

COMMENT: Big questions about the maturity of this slender high schooler.

*

NO.: 18.

TEAM: New York Knicks

PLAYER: John Wallace

HT.: 6-8

POS.: F

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Syracuse

COMMENT: Brings nice inside-outside scoring despite falling in draft because of attitude.

*

NO.: 19.

TEAM: New York Knicks

PLAYER: Walter McCarty

HT.: 6-9

POS.: F

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Kentucky

COMMENT: A big small forward without any real strengths.

*

NO.: 20

TEAM: Cleveland Cavaliers

PLAYER: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

HT.: 7-2

POS.: C

YR.: Frgn

SCHOOL: Atletas (Lithuania)

COMMENT: Called a young Rik Smits but will be a project first.

*

NO.: 21.

TEAM: New York Knicks

PLAYER: Dontae’ Jones

HT.: 6-7

POS.: F

YR.: Jr.

SCHOOL: Mississippi St.

COMMENT: A talented shooter but another forward?

*

NO.: 22.

TEAM: Vancouver Grizzlies

PLAYER: Roy Rogers

HT.: 6-10

POS.: C

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Alabama

COMMENT: A big shot blocker with limited offense and a knee problem.

*

NO.: 23.

TEAM: Denver Nuggets

PLAYER: Efthimis Retzias

HT.: 6-1

POS.: C

YR.: Frgn

SCHOOL: PAOK (Greece)

COMMENT: Young but thought to be ready to contribute right away.

*

NO.: 24.

TEAM: Lakers

PLAYER: Derek Fisher

HT.: 6-1

POS.: G

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Arkansas Little Rock

COMMENT: A very quick off-the-dribble left-handed point guard.

*

NO.: 25.

TEAM: Utah Jazz

PLAYER: Martin Muursepp**

HT.: 6-8

POS.: F

YR.: Frgn

SCHOOL: Estonia

COMMENT: Virtual unknown who averaged 16.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in Europe.

*

NO.: 26.

TEAM: Detroit Pistons

PLAYER: Jerome Williams

HT.: 6-8

POS.: F

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Georgetown

COMMENT: Athletically gifted with a tremendous work ethic that won raves at workouts.

*

NO.: 27.

TEAM: Orlando Magic

PLAYER: Brian Evans

HT.: 6-9

POS.: F

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Indiana

COMMENT: Outstanding outside shooter who can also rebound well.

*

NO.: 28.

TEAM: Atlanta Hawks

PLAYER: Priest Lauderdale

HT.: 7-3

POS.: C

YR.: Frgn

SCHOOL: Peristeri Nikas, Greece

COMMENT: A definite project but one with tremendous size.

*

NO.: 29.

TEAM: Chicago Bulls

PLAYER: Travis Knight

HT.: 7-0

POS.: C

YR.: Sr.

SCHOOL: Connecticut

COMMENT: Good shot blocker but a big-time project.

*--Marbury was traded to Minnesota for Allen and a future first round pick. **--Muursepp was traded to Miami for a future first round pick. (BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE SECOND ROUND

*--*

NO. TEAM PLAYER HT. POS. 30. Houston Rockets Othella Harrington 6-9 F 31. Philadelphia 76ers Mark Hendrickson 6-9 F 32. Philadelphia 76ers Ryan Minor 6-7 F 33. Milwaukee Bucks Moochie Norris 6-1 G 34. Dallas Mavericks Shawn Harvey 6-4 G 35. Seattle SuperSonics Joe Blair 6-10 F 36. Clippers Doron Sheffer 6-5 G 37. Denver Nuggets Jeff McInnis 6-4 G 38. Boston Celtics Steve Hamer 7-0 C 39. Phoenix Suns Russ Millard 6-8 F 40. Golden State Warriors Marcus Manns 6-8 F 41. Sacramento Kings Jason Sasser 6-7 F 42. Houston Rockets Randy Livingston 6-4 G 43. Phoenix Suns Ben Davis 6-9 F 44. Charlotte Hornets Malik Rose 6-7 F 45. Seattle SuperSonics Joe Vogel 6-11 C 46. Portland Trail Blazers Marcus Brown 6-3 G 47. Seattle SuperSonics Ron Riley 6-5 G 48. Philadelphia 76ers Jamie Feick 6-9 C 49. Orlando Magic Amal McCaskill 6-11 C 50. Houston Rockets Terrell Bell 6-10 C 51. Vancouver Grizzlies Chris Robinson 6-5 G 52. Indiana Pacers Mark Pope 6-10 C 53. Milwaukee Bucks Jeff Nordgaard 6-7 F 54. Utah Jazz Shandon Anderson 6-6 F 55. Washington Bullets Ronnie Henderson 6-4 G 56. Cleveland Cavaliers Reggie Geary 6-2 G 57. Seattle SuperSonics Drew Barry 6-5 G 58. Dallas Mavericks Darnell Robinson 6-11 C

NO. TEAM SCHOOL 30. Houston Rockets Georgetown 31. Philadelphia 76ers Washington State 32. Philadelphia 76ers Oklahoma 33. Milwaukee Bucks West Florida 34. Dallas Mavericks West Virginia State 35. Seattle SuperSonics Arizona 36. Clippers Connecticut 37. Denver Nuggets North Carolina 38. Boston Celtics Tennessee 39. Phoenix Suns Iowa 40. Golden State Warriors Miss. Valley State 41. Sacramento Kings Texas Tech 42. Houston Rockets Louisiana State 43. Phoenix Suns Arizona 44. Charlotte Hornets Drexel 45. Seattle SuperSonics Colorado St. 46. Portland Trail Blazers Murray St. 47. Seattle SuperSonics Arizona St. 48. Philadelphia 76ers Michigan St. 49. Orlando Magic Marquette 50. Houston Rockets Georgia 51. Vancouver Grizzlies W. Kentucky 52. Indiana Pacers Kentucky 53. Milwaukee Bucks Wisconsin GB 54. Utah Jazz Georgia 55. Washington Bullets Louisiana St. 56. Cleveland Cavaliers Arizona 57. Seattle SuperSonics Georgia Tech 58. Dallas Mavericks Arkansas

*--*