THE NBA / MARK HEISLER : This Draft Has Several Doubting Thomas

It’s the end of the draft, as we know it.

Once NBA dynasties were built on No. 1 picks, but the new children’s crusade and the rule making players free agents in three years mean trickier personnel decisions with no assurance of retaining the player.

As the draft gets younger, it gets wilder. Past the top pick--Allen Iverson, reputed to be the second coming of Isiah Thomas--no one is sure of anything about Wednesday’s selections.

A week ago, the wily Isiah, now Toronto general manager, raved about Marcus Camby on national TV, prompting one question in the mind of everyone who knew him: OK, who does he really want? He was probably trying to get the Philadelphia 76ers onto Camby so he could pinch off the second coming of himself.

Then Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the hot Cal freshman who was in, then out, came back in. One imagines agents and alumni fighting pitched battles outside his apartment, but it’s hard to beat NBA bucks; if he goes in the top four, he’ll get a three-year deal worth at least $6.2 million.

Thomas, who first focused on Abdur-Rahim, is now arranging for a fast workout amid speculation he’ll forget all the nice things he said about Camby. At this time of year, you can’t trust the grown-ups, either.

Last spring, the first round had a record 10 underclassmen (including one high school player) and 19 seniors. This year, it looks like 14 underclassmen (including two preps), 11 seniors and four European league players.

Here’s how it looks going into the last weekend when the real jockeying starts:

1. PHILADELPHIA--Iverson, 6 feet, 167 pounds, sophomore, Georgetown. Explosive, if non-passing, point guard.

2. TORONTO--Abdur-Rahim, 6-9, 220, freshman, Cal. He may be confused, but he’s a big-time talent too.

3. VANCOUVER--Camby, 6-11, 223, junior, Massachusetts. Nice pick here; playing next to 290 pounds of Bryant Reeves will help.

4. MILWAUKEE--Stephon Marbury, 6-1, 182, freshman, Georgia Tech. He doesn’t want to play for them, but they need a point guard. They can also try to trade him for a center. Reportedly talking to the Lakers about Vlade Divac.

5. MINNESOTA--Antoine Walker, 6-8 3/4, 234, sophomore, Kentucky. Great athlete, but he’d better learn to shoot.

6. BOSTON--Erick Dampier, 6-11, 268, junior, Mississippi State. Big shot-blocker but, so far, no offensive player.

7. CLIPPERS--Ray Allen, 6-5, 198, junior, Connecticut. A year ago in a better draft, he would have gone No. 1. Disappointing season but still a fine prospect. A steal this low.

8. NEW JERSEY--Kerry Kittles, 6-5, 177, senior, Villanova. Big guard with good all-around game.

9. DALLAS--Lorenzen Wright, 6-10, 230, sophomore, Memphis State. Young, slender and promising, but a project.

10. INDIANA--Steve Nash, 6-3, 192, senior, Santa Clara. Canadian point guard, fine floor leader.

11. GOLDEN STATE--Efthimis Retzias, 6-10, 240, PAOK, Greece. General Manager Dave Twardzik flew to Greece to see this 20-year-old. They’d have to buy out the last year on his PAOK contract.

12. CLEVELAND--John Wallace, 6-8, 240, senior, Syracuse. Great tournament run but falls after displaying attitude in workouts.

13. CHARLOTTE--Samaki Walker, 6-8 3/4, 247, sophomore, Louisville. Good NCAA tournament after shaky season. Hired personal trainer, got in top shape, impressed in workouts.

14. SACRAMENTO--Predrag Stojakovic, 6-8, 200, Red Star Belgrade. This young gun (he’s 18) is rated the best of the Euro entries--”By far,” says a personnel director.

15. PHOENIX--Vitaly Potapenko, 6-10, 277, sophomore, Wright State. The runty Suns get the surprisingly nimble “Ukraine Train,” who averaged 20 points and seven rebounds in two college seasons.

16. CHARLOTTE--Tony Delk, 6-0, 190, senior, Kentucky. Went up like a rocket in workouts. Not really a point guard, but fine athlete who made 44% of his three-point shots last season.

17. PORTLAND--Jerome Williams, 6-8, 201, senior, Georgetown. No shooter, but a tremendous athlete, the rage of the pre-draft circuit. He’s supposedly a young Scottie Pippen or Dennis Rodman. Now if they can just find a young Michael Jordan for him to play alongside.

18. NEW YORK--Walter McCarty, 6-9, 217, senior, Kentucky. Big small forward.

19. NEW YORK--Kobe Bryant, 6-6, 199, Lower Merion (Pa.) High. Second wave of the prep invasion. Smaller than Kevin Garnett but has ability.

20. CLEVELAND--Todd Fuller, 6-10, 255, senior, North Carolina State. Late bloomer, good post game.

21. NEW YORK--Jeff McInnis, 6-4, 190, junior, North Carolina. Point guard with fine tools but reportedly tried Coach Dean Smith’s patience.

22. VANCOUVER--Dontae’ Jones, 6-7, 225, junior, Mississippi State. Talented but considered the wackiest member of this class of teens and recent teens.

23. DENVER--Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 7-2, 258, Atletas Basketball Club, Lithuania. Admirers see a young Rik Smits if they squint just right.

24. LAKERS--Moochie Norris, 6-1, 178, senior, Western Florida. Point guard from nowhere who made a name on the pre-draft circuit.

25. UTAH--Priest Lauderdale, 7-3, 343, Peristeri Nikas, Greece. A Chicago kid who couldn’t cut it academically and developed in Greece. A project but a Mark Eaton-sized one.

26. DETROIT--Roy Rogers, 6-9, 232, senior, Alabama. Fine shot-blocker, would go higher except for problem knee.

27. ORLANDO--Ryan Minor, 6-7, 230, senior, Oklahoma. Admirers saw Dan Majerle, but he slid last season.

28. SEATTLE--Jermaine O’Neal, 6-10, 220, Eau Claire (S.C.) High. Another talented, if slender, prep, but pros wonder if he can handle the life. Says a personnel director: “Seventeen, going on 16.”

29. CHICAGO--Brian Evans, 6-9, 218, senior, Indiana. Fits in triangle offense, which needs spot-up shooters.

PICKING UP PIECES OF THEIR VICTORY

Breaking all records for blowing up after winning a title, the Bulls’ organization almost split down the middle within hours of its fourth title.

By midweek, negotiations over a new contract for Coach Phil Jackson had broken off and Chicago TV stations were reporting he was gone, playing the story, of course, ahead of such mundane concerns as Whitewater and world peace.

Behind the scenes, Jackson reportedly demanded General Manager Jerry Krause, who plays the family pit bull to owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s stern pater familias, be barred from the team’s airplane. Jackson wanted Krause’s office moved from the training facility and equal say in the draft, which Krause rules with an iron hand.

Reinsdorf, no man to sell out a faithful servant, refused, making it clear at the trophy presentation when he called Jackson “the greatest coach in the league” but noted: “If you had to give credit to one man, that guy that put them all here . . . Jerry Krause!”

Seeking to disabuse Jackson of the rest of his illusions, Reinsdorf refused to see his agent, Todd Musburger, brother of ABC’s Brent, making him go through Krause, who put him through the wringer.

Musburger leaked word he was being treated badly. Krause dialed it up, announcing that if Jackson wasn’t signed by the draft, neither he nor his assistants would be allowed to participate.

By Wednesday, Jackson seemed ready to resign and the Bulls seemed ready to let him. The next day, however, Jackson agreed to return--for one season, preferring to take $2 million and work rather than go home to Montana for nothing.

Other highlights of the week included Rodman saying a very bad word at the victory celebration. Said Jordan, turning to Mayor Richard Daley, “That’s Dennis for you.” All the Chicago TV stations were carrying the rally live and couldn’t catch it, but a SportsChannel official noted: “We did edit it out for the replay.”

Ahead lie negotiations with Jordan and Rodman for new deals, so imagine the possibilities.

Next fall, the Bulls (or most of them) will be back, but it might not be the same happy crew that crushed all opposition. Jackson will be a lame duck, rumored for every job that is open or is expected to be. Jordan will have proved his point, gotten his long-sought contract and could get bored again. Rodman may have a two-year deal, giving him until the spring of ’98 to dream up new pranks.

In other words, the rest of the league might have a chance, if not a great one.