NBA Draft, Reduced to 3 Rounds, to Be Held Tuesday for 25 Teams

The National Basketball Assn. college draft, reduced to three rounds and increased to 25 teams, will be held Tuesday with a long list of question marks following Danny Manning.

Manning’s selection by the Clippers was assured on May 21 in the NBA lottery.

Joining the draft this year are two expansion teams, the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat, who will pick eighth and ninth, after the seven spots determined in the lottery.

The draft will be reduced from seven rounds to three this year and to two in 1989, a concession made by the league in the April 25 collective bargaining agreement with the players. TBS will televise the proceedings, beginning at 9:05 a.m., PDT.

The Clippers, who also have the No. 6 pick in the first round, will look to improve on this season’s 17-65 record. But the Indiana Pacers, who won the second choice, will be building upon a 38-win season that just missed being enough to make the playoffs.

General Manager Donnie Walsh said the Pacers’ high draft position, coupled with their close proximity to playoff status, could lead them to select 7-foot 4-inch Rik Smits of Marist.

“We’re considering him heavily,” Walsh said. “We haven’t made up our minds, but you don’t get a chance to get a center often, especially in the team position we’re in. We missed the playoffs in a tiebreaker.”

Smits averaged 24.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.9 blocked shots and shot 62.3% as a senior.

After the Clippers and Indiana, the first-round draft order, barring trades, will be Philadelphia, New Jersey, Golden State, the Clippers, Phoenix, Charlotte, Miami, San Antonio, New York, Washington, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Seattle, Houston, Utah, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Portland, Cleveland, Denver, Boston and the Lakers.

The 76ers have a pressing need for a shooting guard and have narrowed their choices to Hersey Hawkins of Bradley, Rex Chapman of Kentucky and Mitch Richmond of Kansas State.