Jackson Will Talk to Rodman About Tardiness

Dennis Rodman, who has been on his best behavior most of the season, was late and did not practice Friday with the Chicago Bulls, two days before the opener of the Eastern Conference finals against Indiana.

Coach Phil Jackson didn’t explain Rodman’s tardiness or reveal if there would be a fine or punishment.

“Dennis did not practice today. He was here and worked out,” Jackson said after a nearly three-hour practice and video session.

“He was late.”

Why?

“Dennis and I will talk about that,” Jackson said without further elaboration.

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Unlike a year ago, the winner of the NBA draft lottery on Sunday isn’t going to get a slam dunk for a selection.

There’s no Tim Duncan to pick. Hence, no quick fix.

“This is a draft that is position specific,” Orlando Magic General Manager John Gabriel said. “There are probably five guys that are on the lips of every GM and personnel guy in the league.

“The depth of players mirrors last year. The impact players are about the same--it’s limited. The difference is there is no ‘Dunc-fest’ here.”

San Antonio won the lottery last year and didn’t hesitate in taking Duncan, who became the rookie of the year. The addition of the 7-footer to a frontcourt that included David Robinson helped the Spurs make a turnaround from 20-62 last season to 56-26 this year.

While no one has emerged as the obvious first pick overall, teams are going to find excellent players by position--Arizona’s Mike Bibby at point guard, Vince Carter of North Carolina and Paul Pierce of Kansas at the swing position, Antawn Jamison of North Carolina and Raef LaFrentz of Kansas at forward and Pacific’s Michael Olowokandi at center.

Denver, which had the worst record in the league this season, has the best chance at getting the first choice in the draft, to be held June 24 in Vancouver. The Nuggets (11-71) have 250 of the 1,000 four-number combinations assigned for the lottery.

Toronto is next with 200 chances and is followed by the Clippers (157), Golden State (105), Vancouver (104), Dallas (64), Sacramento (44), Philadelphia (29), Milwaukee (15), Boston (14), Detroit (7), Orlando (6) and Washington (5).

Not all the teams have a shot at the first pick.

Toronto and Vancouver cannot select No. 1 until the 1999 draft because of their expansion agreements. If either gets the first choice, it would drop to second.

Washington also can’t pick first because of trade agreements. The choice would go to Golden State, Orlando or Utah. The Wizards won’t pick until the second round.