MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / June 27, 2000

Thoughts to ponder while on the clock at the NBA Draft…When was the last time there was this much uncertainty about who was going to be the first player selected in the NBA Draft? The New Jersey Nets hold the key to the rest of the draft with the first pick. Do they go with Cincinnati forward Kenyon Martin, arguably the bestplayer in the draft but a major risk coming off a broken leg? Do the Nets take LSU forward Stromile Swift, perhaps the player with the biggest upside but one who only played one and a half years of college ball? Does New Jersey go the center route and take Chris Mihm of Texas, a player who some feel may be too soft to succeed in the rough and tumble world of the NBA? There is also Iowa State forward Marcus Fizer, like Swift an inexperienced player.

The Nets can trade the pick to a number of willing suitors. Or they canreally take a risk and draft Darius Miles, a center out of East St. Louis(Ill.) High School. Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett have shown that playersright out of high school can make it in the NBA given a couple of years to develop. But it’s a big gamble to take such a player number one overall. Of course, the draft is a crapshoot anyway. Remember, Michael Jordan andPete Maravich were not the first players selected in their respective drafts.

Look for New Jersey to take Martin, giving them insurance now that Jayson Williams has retired due to injuries. Vancouver will grab Swift withFizer, Mihm and Joe Przybilla going two-three-four to Los Angeles, Chicago and Orlando, respectively. Also watch for the Bulls and Magic,both with multiple picks in the first round, to be the most active tonight.

This draft is a deep one, so much so that players like LSU’s Jabari Smith, Auburn’s Chris Porter, Connecticut’s Khalid El-Amin, UCLA’s JaRon Rush, Indiana’s A.J. Guyton and Ohio State’s Scoonie Penn could all very welldrop into the second round. A team with a high draft pick, like the Nets,could trade down and still get a number of good players.

What’s the over-under on when football fans will start throwing things at their televisions when Dennis Miller is on Monday Night Football like they did when Howard Cosell was an announcer? You know it’s a slow news week on the Saints’ front when Fetch Monster is grabbing all the attention. And come on, there are a lot more dogs on theteam that the Saints could get rid of first.

There was a question the other day about what was wrong with the Houston Astros. An old baseball adage about “the best trades are those youdon’t make” come to mind. You think the Astros would love to have CarlEverett, Mike Hampton and Derek Bell back? But the worst trade the team may have made at this time is trading the Astrodome for Enron (10-run) Field. Yes, Enron is a major improvementover the Astrodome but this current Astros team was built for its former home and is suffering mightily in its new one.

And no, there are no plans to rename the Astros the “New Orleans Zephyrs West.” Finally, predictions for Wimbledon – Pete Sampras for the men, Martina Hingis for the women.

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