The second pick belongs to the Los Angeles Clippers and their Net GM:

   Curtis "I ain't no Elgin" Hill  

Who risks being called a "homer" by selecting:

   Rasheed Wallace, PF, 6-10.  University of North Caolina

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1995 USENET NBA Basketball Draft

Los Angeles Clippers
--------------------

Quick Positional Summary
------------------------

Center - A problem spot for the Clippers this season.  Stanley Roberts isn't
         bad when healthy, but can he come back from another Achilles' tendon
         rupture? Elmore Spencer isn't terrible, but he isn't great. Eric
         Riley hasn't produced much in 10 minutes a game, but he's still
         filling out.

Forward - I'm not a big fan of Lamond Murray, but he had a decent year and
          can score.  If he can learn to play defense, the Clippers will have
          a quality small forward. Malik Sealy plays small forward as well.
          I think Malik's a good guy, but I don't think I'd keep him around
          except as a backup.
          Power forward is another difficult position for the Clippers. They
          have Loy Vaught and Charles Outlaw who do a nice job but are by
          no means elite players.  Tony Massenberg is another surprise (to
          some) at PF, but he's never going to be a star, either.

Guards -  A whole mess of trouble here.  Pooh is a good NBA point guard who
          might have better luck on a better team (or not). Randy Woods had
          a tough year but he's not a bad player.  Gary Grant should not be
          re-signed, period.  
          Terry Dehere is another Big East guard bust.  Eric Piatkowski should
          be a solid 2/3 man in the NBA and finished the season well. Harold
          Ellis played some good minutes at the 2 spot, too.

Coach - Bill Fitch did a good job with a really young Clippers team this
        season.

GM - Elgin Baylor, although handicapped with bad ownership, still hasn't shown
     that he's a quality NBA GM.  New blood is necessary.

Owner - Donald Sterling is possibly the worst owner in the NBA.  He should
        sell the team or hire a quality basketball man to run the organization.

What do the Clippers need?
-------------------------

Leadership.  On the court, in the front office, in the organization.

Unfortunately, by losing the lottery to Golden State, the Clippers will most
likely not get Jerry Stackhouse, who was the leader of the draft.  And unless
the team is sold and/or Elgin is let go, the leadership at the top is still
going to be not very good.

Other than that they need good players, elite players, at every position.
Center and two guard may be the most important positions right now.
Unfortunately again for the Clippers, there are no such players who are
"locks" in this NBA draft.

The pick
--------

Rasheed Wallace, 6'10", sophomore, North Carolina

A slightly risky pick due to Rasheed's "immaturity" or "youthful exuberance",
depending to who you listen to. However, the most pressing need for the
Clippers is at center.  Stanley Roberts probably won't be back and Elmore
Spencer isn't going to lead you to a championship.  Rasheed can block shots,
score and plays good defense.  He does need to put on a few pounds and will
likely be a big forward 2 years down the road.  He will be able to help at
center this season, though.


Others considered
-----------------

Joe Smith, 6'9"ish, sophomore, Maryland

Joe may well be a great NBA player, but probably at small
forward. Joe's very thin and the last thing the Clippers need is
another reed at 3/4.  I don't think he'll be able to help much at all
at center for anyone next year or perhaps ever.

Bryant Reeves, 7'0"ish, senior, Oklahoma State

I like Bryant, but I'm not sold on him as an "elite" player.  He'll help
someone down the road, but I don't think he's the man for the Clippers.


Who will the Clippers take?
---------------------------

At the #2 spot, they would kill for Jerry Stackhouse, but he should be
the first pick.  I think they will take Wallace after giving Smith lots
of consideration.  However, this is the Clippers and they may take Greg
Ostertag or Kevin Garnett.  Who knows?

However, there's a long way to go to get the Clippers into to 2nd fourth
of the NBA (let's not even consider the upper division).  They need to
start doing smart things with their draft choices.

What else will the Clippers try to do?
--------------------------------------

Nothing but draft.  They have no tradable players and trading down in this
draft out of the top 3 spots isn't very smart.

They should not resign Gary Grant.

They should draft another big man or a guard in the second round.  Many
quality guards should be available.

They might be able to package one of their forwards (Massenberg, Outlaw,
or Vaught) and their #2 to move up into a low first round pick this year
or next.  This would be a wise move.  This trade could happen next year as
well.

If the Clippers get really lucky, they'll get Wallace now, then get the
#1 next year and get Duncan and be set at center and pf for the next 6+
years.  However, one has to wonder if this kind of fortune is in the
cards for the Clippers.  This is not a franchise that gets any good breaks.

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