NBA DRAFT : A Net Result for O’Bannon : Bruins: He goes to New Jersey with No. 9 pick. Zidek a Hornet at No. 22, Edney a King at No. 47.

Weighed down by whispers and medical charts, UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon on Wednesday night wound up with the woeful New Jersey Nets, who promptly suggested that their long run of disastrous luck had ended at last.

“We caught a break,” Net Coach Butch Beard told reporters in New Jersey after choosing O’Bannon with the No. 9 pick overall, “for the first time in a while.”

For O’Bannon, mostly, it was a relief simply to be able to end the merry-go-round of speculation, interviews and doctors poking and prodding his surgically repaired left knee.

“I’ll tell you, I’m glad that’s all over,” O’Bannon said from his Toronto hotel room early this morning, his family still sounding raucous in the background. “It’s not fun not being in control of your destiny, and that’s how I felt.”

With red flags flying over the condition of his knee, which required reconstructive surgery five years ago and showed some signs of arthritis in pre-draft examinations, several teams picking ahead of the Nets privately and publicly acknowledged that they feared the knee would not hold up over an 82-game NBA season.

“I’m sure it did scare some people off,” O’Bannon said. “But I don’t have anything to prove. They know how I play. Everybody’s out to save their own necks, and I don’t blame them.”

So, O’Bannon, the most valuable player of the this year’s Final Four and generally regarded as one of the five best players in the draft--and the best senior--fell to the Nets’ No. 9 slot, behind four sophomores, one high schooler and three other seniors.

“I think the Nets made one of the biggest steals of the draft,” said O’Bannon’s four-year teammate, center George Zidek, who was elated himself as a mini-surprise first-round selection, chosen 22nd overall by Charlotte. “Ed should have gone higher than ninth.

“He’s a warrior, and he’s going to deal with whatever position he’s in and succeed. I know that.”

The third UCLA senior, point guard Tyus Edney, was selected in the second round, the 47th pick overall, by Sacramento.

O’Bannon, who has grown increasingly restless with the focus on his knee, said he never understood why the NBA was so concerned about an injury that happened so long ago--and that he seemed to overcome for good during UCLA’s drive to the title.

“My leg is fine,” O’Bannon told reporters from Toronto earlier in the evening. “You can look at the films and see over the years I’ve gotten better and my legs have gotten stronger.”

Said UCLA Coach Jim Harrick: “I thought he would go higher. It’s amazing that people think his knee’s hurt--he played four years on it, never had any problems on it, never missed one game because of it.”

Willis Reed, the New Jersey general manager, said O’Bannon would immediately replace the departing Chris Morris (an unrestricted free agent) in the Nets’ lineup at small forward. They hope his presence enlivens the recently dimming performances of former top picks Derrick Coleman and Kenny Anderson.

O’Bannon said that he won’t go to New Jersey with any preconceived notions about the troubles the franchise has experienced.

“I’m approaching this with a lot of optimism,” O’Bannon said. “I think everything will be fine, they’re a great team and they’re very well-coached. I’m personally going out there with strictly positive thinking. It’s something that I’m looking forward to.”

Harrick said that O’Bannon will help New Jersey most in the transition game.

“They’ve got those three left-handers now, that’s going to make them tough,” Harrick said. “Ed can get down on the break with Kenny Anderson, and Kenny can get him the ball. This gives them a terrific all-around player to go with Coleman and Anderson.”

Said O’Bannon: “I hope that we can get things going on the fast break. Hopefully, that’s going to be our style.”

Meanwhile, Zidek, who played a total of 60 minutes his freshman year at UCLA after coming from the Czech Republic, and until this season wasn’t considered anything close to an NBA prospect, said this day was the fulfillment of a dream.

“Stunning is a pretty fitting term,” said Zidek, who had a strong senior season, NCAA tournament and, perhaps most important, a strong showing at the NBA’s final draft camp in Chicago. “I was coming from a position where nobody even thought I was going to play at UCLA. The only people who knew who I was were maybe basketball junkies who memorized the name of everybody on the team.

“All the hard work I put in the last three years just came true. I’m just really happy and excited to be drafted by the Hornets, be a member of a very young prospective team.”

Zidek sent special thanks to former UCLA assistant coach Mark Gottfried, who recently left to take the head coaching job at Murray State, for all the mornings he spent working with Zidek.

“This is about more than money,” Zidek said. “I think about the personal achievement I made. I spent countless hours in the gym, and I’m the proof for rest of the young players, it doesn’t matter where you start, you can end up in a good position. That’s a really great feeling.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

The First 10

NO. TEAM PLAYER P HT. WT. SCHOOL 1. Golden State Joe Smith F 6-10 225 Maryland 2. Clippers* Antonio McDyess F 6-9 220 Alabama 3. Philadelphia Jerry Stackhouse G 6-6 218 North Carolina 4. Washington Rasheed Wallace F 6-10 225 North Carolina 5. Minnesota Kevin Garnett F 6-10 220 Farragut HS 6. Vancouver Bryant Reeves C 7-0 292 Oklahoma St. 7. Toronto Damon Stoudamire G 5-10 171 Arizona 8. Portland** Shawn Respert G 6-3 195 Michigan St. 9. New Jersey Ed O’Bannon F 6-8 217 UCLA 10. Miami Kurt Thomas F 6-9 230 Texas Christian

* Traded rights to McDyess to Denver.

** Traded rights to Respert to Milwaukee.

The first-round draft picks for the Clippers the last 10 years:

Year: Player

1985: Benoit Benjamin

1986: No selection

1987: Reggie Williams

1987: Joe Wolf

1987: Ken Norman

1988: Danny Manning

1988: Hersey Hawkins

1989: Danny Ferry

1990: Bo Kimble

1990: Loy Vaught

1991: LeRon Ellis

1992: Randy Woods

1992: Elmore Spencer

1993: Terry Dehere

1994: Lamond Murray

1994: Greg Minor

1995: Antonio McDyess

* 1988--In a three-team trade, traded Michael Cage and the rights to Hawkins for Gary Grant (from Seattle) and Charles Smith (Philadelphia).

* 1989--Traded Reggie Williams and the rights to Ferry to Cleveland for Ron Harper and three draft picks.

* 1994--Traded Mark Jackson and the rights to Minor to Indiana for Pooh Richardson, Malik Sealy and the rights to Eric Piatkowski.

* 1995--Traded Randy Woods and the rights to McDyess to Denver for Rodney Rogers and the rights to Brent Barry.