NBA Notes : Pacers Plot Their ‘Strategy’ for Draft Lottery

Even without help from the most respected para-psychologists in the Indianapolis area, the 1988 college draft lottery seems to be made for the Pacers.

In the last six years, the Pacers have had the second pick in the draft three times. Another time, the Pacers had traded their pick to the Portland Trail Blazers, who also got the second pick. In the four-year history of the lottery, the Pacers have had the second pick twice.

Pacers General Manager Donnie Walsh has said, “This will be a two-man draft,” so if history repeats, the Pacers should be satisfied with the second pick, which Walsh plans to use to draft Sean Elliott or Danny Ferry.

But Walsh is not content to rely on history. To ensure the Pacers get the best possible pick in Sunday’s lottery, Walsh has enlisted as many psychics as he can find. He refused to divulge the number, but he indicated that ultimately it would be more than 10. “We’ve got psychics working on this and we’re going to find more,” Walsh said. “We’re flooding the market. It’s not just a receptor thing. We’re not asking psychics to merely tell us what pick we’re going to get. We’re asking them to flood the market with vibes that will help us get the No. 1 pick.”

Walsh also said no one should be fooled by the relatively small size of the Pacers’ home town. “You haven’t been to Indianapolis lately,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of psychics here.” Walsh was a little concerned when he heard the San Antonio Spurs had a special plan. In 1986, Spurs fan Roberto Pachecano won a lucky-charm contest by suggesting the Spurs use a red chameleon, an ancient mariner’s good-luck charm. Pachecano flew to New York for the lottery, wore the charm, and the Spurs got the No. 1 pick and selected Navy’s David Robinson. Pachecano will return to New York with the charm, and Robinson, who officially will be released from the Navy on Saturday, will attend a Spurs lottery party in San Antonio on Sunday.

“We’ll have to inform our psychics that there are other vibes out there,” Walsh said. “We’re a little concerned about the competitive vibes. We’ll just have to get more psychics.”

Walsh at least will not have to contend with Los Angeles Clippers voodoo. Last year, the Clippers flew a fan to New York and he sat in the audience and, in mantra-like fashion, quietly repeated, “Give me Manning. Give me Manning.” The Clippers won the lottery and drafted Danny Manning, but as Clippers luck would have it, he had a major knee injury. So why subject Elliott or Ferry to that?

Walsh also must contend with the Sacramento Kings’ lucky rock. Yes, rock, which was given to Kings Coach Jerry Reynolds by a superstitious fan.

“I guarantee you we’ll have the first pick,” Reynolds said. “I’ve been rubbing my lucky rock every day. All we’re concentrating on now is who we want to take.” But no one is taking the Kings seriously. They’ve been in the lottery twice. Each time they got the sixth pick. Last year, the Clippers owned the Kings’ pick. The Clippers got the sixth pick. Count on the Kings to draft sixth.

The Pacers, however, should be taken seriously. The feeling here is that they will get no worse than the second pick. But Donnie, it’s only a feeling. It is, however, getting stronger.

The most jovial group in the lottery should be those happy-go-lucky Dallas Mavericks, who missed the playoffs for the first time in six years and have no special feelings. When asked if he planned to bring a good luck charm, bright and cheery General Manager Norm Sonju said, “Oh no, no. I’m not into any of that. I’ve taken enough University of Chicago probability courses to know that we’ll probably have our envelope taken out with the first six.” Nothing like acute optimism.

And then there are Miami Heat executives Billy Cunningham and Lewis Schaffel, who have decided to send Coach Ron Rothstein. “Lewis and I decided that if he does improve us in the lottery, we’ll take credit,” Cunningham said. “If he doesn’t, we’ll blame him. He can’t win.”

During the last nine years, the Clippers have had nine draft picks in the top 10 selections, but they still have been unable to win more than 36 games in any of those seasons. The last two seasons, they have erupted for 17 and 21 victories. But they are encouraged because in the last week of the regular season they beat the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Utah Jazz. The Clippers apparently ignored the fact that in the last week of the season the Lakers, Warriors and Jazz took them about as seriously as Mike Tyson would take Mr. Rogers. But, for the Clippers, it’s the little victories that count.

The Atlanta Hawks have said they will make no major changes and General Manager Stan Kasten has said Coach Mike Fratello will return. But Fratello reportedly is not happy that Kasten has refused to extend his contract, which has only one year left. If there is some sort of shocker and a coach of one of the league’s better teams leaves for another job, Fratello may ask the Hawks for permission to interview for that opening. Perhaps a disclaimer should be inserted here: Any resemblance between this scenario and a scenario that would have Rick Pitino leaving the Knicks for the University of Kentucky, and Fratello interviewing for the New York job, is merely a coincidence.