Tuesday’s NBA Draft : Clipper Pick Could Still Make an Impact

For several days after last month’s nationally televised National Basketball Assn. draft lottery, Clipper General Manager Carl Scheer got calls of condolences from friends who had seen the Clippers draw the third pick and miss out on drafting Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing.

“We didn’t lose anything,” Scheer bravely told the callers. “We’re still going to get a great player by drafting third.”

Right. And the parting gifts losers on game shows receive are almost as nice as the grand prize.

The lure of Ewing, Georgetown’s dominating 7-foot center, who is already being compared to the legendary Bill Russell, was so great that it was natural for fans and employees from the other six lottery participants to feel disappointed when the New York Knicks were named the big winners.

But now, as the NBA prepares for its college draft Tuesday in New York, you won’t hear Scheer or any other executive from a lottery team complaining real loud about what might have been had they won the lottery. Ewing, the real prize, will be joining the Knicks, but the draft is considered so deep in talent that many teams will get immediate help with their first-round picks.

“This could be a great draft,” Scheer said. “You’ve got a lot more solid players in the first round than last year. All seven lottery teams are going to get a very good player.”

Good, yes. Dominating like Ewing, no.

Other than Ewing, only Oklahoma’s 6-9 forward Wayman Tisdale and Creighton’s 7-foot center Benoit Benjamin are considered “impact players,” players who can immediately improve the fortunes of a franchise.

The Indiana Pacers, who will draft second after finishing second in the Ewing sweepstakes, have spent the last month trying to decide whether to select Tisdale or Benjamin, who made himself available for the draft after his junior season. The Pacers originally told Tisdale that they would select him if they had the opportunity. But in the five weeks since the lottery, the Pacers have taken a serious look at Benjamin.

“I can honestly say we haven’t decided,” Indiana Coach George Irvine said recently. “We don’t have to make a decision until draft day, and we probably won’t.”

That leaves the Clippers in a holding pattern, which doesn’t bother Scheer because he says either Tisdale or Benjamin will be welcomed at the Sports Arena.

Scheer always has been impressed with Tisdale, a three-time All-American at Oklahoma who averaged 25.2 points last season. And after meeting with Benjamin several times and watching hours of film, Scheer and Clipper Coach Don Chaney are equally impressed with the 7-foot, 240-pound center.

“Wayne Embry (a Pacer vice president) told me that they are still undecided,” Scheer said. “That could just be a strategy on their part, but I think they are legitimately up in the air. He said they have more information on Benjamin now and that 7-footers don’t come around all the time.

“But I think when push comes to shove, they are going to take Tisdale. The Pacers have to think of safety first. There’s no risk in taking Tisdale. Everyone knows he’s going to be a great player.”

In the opinion of most experts, there still are doubts about Benjamin’s ability and attitude. Benjamin is only 20, and he was somewhat sheltered by Willis Reed, his coach at Creighton, the last three seasons. Reed now is an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks.

Benjamin’s statistics may silence doubters, though. He averaged 21.5 points and 14.1 rebounds a game last season, and ranks third on the NCAA’s list of shot blockers, behind Akeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson, with a 4.6 average.

“We’ve got three impact players this season--that’s providing Benjamin lives up to what he’s supposed to be,” said scout Marty Blake, hired by the NBA to evaluate college talent. “He’s a potential big-time center, but he’s not a Ewing.”

Scheer admitted that Benjamin is no sure thing, but added that Benjamin will eventually develop. Several teams have made trade offers for the rights to Benjamin--the Washington Bullets, it has been learned, offered center Jeff Ruland for the third pick--but the Clippers simply won’t trade.

“Benjamin could be the best player in the draft,” said Scheer, who met with Benjamin in Los Angeles again Thursday. “Could be . Yes, ahead of Ewing. He could be. Or he could be another LaRue Martin.”

Students of the NBA will recall that the Portland Trail Blazers made perhaps the biggest error in talent evaluation ever by selecting Martin, of Chicago Loyola, ahead of Bob McAdoo in the 1972 draft. But Scheer doesn’t fear that picking Benjamin will be bad judgment.

“(Benjamin) has awesome shot-blocking tendencies,” Scheer said. “His instincts in that are better and more natural than Ewing’s. He’s a better offensive player than Ewing. He’s a great outlet passer and has a great body for the NBA. Those are the positives.

“The negatives are that he’s a 20-year-old kid who thinks you can get to point A just by getting up in the morning and putting on your basketball shoes. Ewing has demonstrated the heart of a winner. Ewing’s an animal. I don’t know that Benjamin has that yet.”

If the Clippers were in the Pacers’ position, Scheer said he definitely would be facing a difficult choice between Tisdale and Benjamin.

“If both players realize their potential, I’d rather have Benjamin,” Scheer said. “We’re probably in more need of a power forward, but a good center doesn’t come along frequently. I guess we have two centers--one and a half, maybe--that people want (Bill Walton and James Donaldson), but we don’t have any power forwards people want.

“There’s always a possibility we could trade for a big forward if we draft Benjamin. Boston wants to trade (veteran forward Cedric) Maxwell, and all they want is something in the future, not a player. That’s a possibility.”

The Lakers, by virtue of finishing with the league’s second-best record, have the 23rd pick. Last week, General Manager Jerry West flew Georgetown forward Bill Martin, Villanova forward Dwayne McClain and DePaul’s Tyrone Corbin to Los Angeles for physicals and interviews. The Lakers also are believed to be interested in Oregon State forward A.C. Green.

All West will say is that the Lakers want to draft an aggressive, rebounding forward.

After Tisdale and Benjamin, any number of players could be selected in the top 10. The drafting order, fourth through 10th, is: Seattle, Atlanta, Sacramento, Golden State, Dallas, Cleveland and Phoenix.

Until recently, it was believed that Seattle would draft Detlef Schrempf, who at 6-9 has played every position for the University of Washington. Now, however, the SuperSonics are reportedly leaning toward Wichita State forward Xavier McDaniel, even though Schrempf was judged the most valuable player at the Aloha Classic in Hawaii, a tournament for college seniors.

McDaniel was the first player in NCAA history to lead the nation in both scoring, with a 27.2-point average, and rebounding, 14.8, last season. McDaniel is listed at 6-8 by the NBA, but he actually is only 6-6 and that has made several teams reconsider drafting him as a big forward.

“If he was 6-8, he’d be better than Tisdale,” Scheer said. “But he’s not 6-8. He’s mean. He’s an animal. He can score either inside or outside.

“I heard McDaniel was going to Seattle and I was surprised when I didn’t hear that it would be Schrempf. I think Schrempf is a terrific player. He plays four positions and he’s totally dedicated to basketball. He does a lot of things Larry Bird does.”

Blake is equally impressed with Schrempf.

“He could be another Bird if he develops in the next few years,” Blake said.

Tisdale, McDaniel, Schrempf and Louisiana Tech’s Karl Malone are considered the top forwards, but centers Jon Koncak of SMU and Joe Kleine of Arkansas are expected to be drafted in the top seven.

Atlanta, drafting fifth, is expected to pick the 7-foot Koncak. Either Sacramento, with the sixth choice, or Golden State, with the seventh, will take the 6-11 Kleine. Sacramento reportedly offered guard Larry Drew to Seattle in order to move ahead of Atlanta and draft Koncak, but the SuperSonics want to be assured of the chance to draft McDaniel.

Golden State, which will undoubtedly lose center Joe Barry Carroll to free agency--actually they lost him last season, to Italy--also is trying to trade up in the draft to assure itself of picking either Koncak or Kleine. If the Warriors aren’t able to draft either center, they reportedly will select Malone or St. John’s guard Chris Mullin.

As in most drafts, guards aren’t as popular as forwards or centers. Some general managers believe that if Golden State doesn’t select Mullin seventh, he may not be drafted until the lower half of the first round.

Among the other forwards who figure to be picked in the first round are Memphis State’s Keith Lee, Villanova’s Ed Pinckney, Virginia Union’s Charles Oaklay, South Alabama’s Terry Catledge and Oregon State’s Green.

Not too long ago, Lee was considered a certain top 10 pick, but because of his inconsistent play in the NCAA tournament and his refusal to play in the Aloha Classic, his value has diminished. Pinckney’s value, on the other hand, has steadily grown since he led Villanova to the NCAA championship.

“Keith Lee is a question mark,” Blake said. “Somebody’s either going to get a very good player or a question mark. Lee has some great skills, but he has problems changing ends (defense to offense) and he has limited mobility.

“Pinckney’s elevation in everybody’s eyes is directly related to the NCAA championship. I don’t like him as much as other players. There are some people who wouldn’t take him in the top 20. In my mind, he’s a good college player who could develop.”

After Mullin, the top guards will be Michigan State’s Sam Vincent, younger brother of Dallas Maverick Jay Vincent; little-known Terry Porter from Wisconsin Stevens Point, and Joe Dumars from McNeese State.

It is believed that the Lakers will draft Georgetown’s Martin if he is available that late in the first round. If not, the Lakers probably will go with McClain of Villanova.

Red Auerbach, Boston Celtic president, also is interested in Martin, and the Celtics could draft him ahead of the Lakers because of a previous trade involving Dallas, Portland and the Celtics, giving the Celtics the 20th pick instead of the 24th.