Curry May Be Man for Clippers

As expected, Elgin Baylor and Co. are keeping secret which player the Clippers want to select with the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft.

With only Washington choosing ahead of them in Wednesday’s draft, the Clippers are poised to land one of the three top players making the jump from high school to the NBA. Although the Clippers haven’t ruled out Seton Hall freshman Eddie Griffin and Duke senior Shane Battier, high schoolers Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and Kwame Brown seem to head their list.

But based on the team’s needs and recent workouts, the Clippers appear to be leaning toward Curry, a Chicago high school standout.

At 6-foot-10 1/2 and 300 pounds, Curry, 18, had a solid workout for the Clippers last week and displayed the type of mobility that would fit well with young players already on the their roster, including Lamar Odom and Darius Miles.

And, maybe most important, Curry wants to be a Clipper.

“My workout went well and hopefully, I’ll get a chance to play for the Clippers,” Curry said last week. “I love their team. They have a few Chicago guys already in Darius, Quentin [Richardson] and Corey [Maggette]. They are a team on the rise, so if I go there, that will be big.”

Baylor, vice president of basketball operations, would say only that the Clippers will draft the most talented player available. Coach Alvin Gentry said that the team wanted, “a big guy who can run the floor.”

If the Clippers decide to pass on Curry, it may be because some scouts have questioned his work habits and his propensity for gaining weight. But others say Curry is a logical pick as insurance against starting center Michael Olowokandi, who will become a restricted free agent after next season and then an unrestricted free agent the season after that.

Olowokandi, the No. 1 overall pick in 1998, has been a sporadic contributor in his first three seasons with the Clippers, but he still has market value around the league.

Given Donald Sterling’s poor history of re-signing players and the prospect of a looming luxury tax, it’s unlikely the team’s owner would pay Olowokandi the going rate for an NBA big man.

Picking Curry would allow the team to play him behind Olowokandi for possibly two seasons, grooming him for a starting role.

Another plus with Curry is that he’s a legitimate rebounder who also can play power forward.

“He’s incredibly talented for a kid his size,” Gentry said. “Obviously there are a lot of things he has to work on but he’s also only 18 years old. He is one of those rare players. He has great hands and great footwork.”

The Clippers also like Chandler, a thin 7-footer with outstanding athletic ability. Because he’s from nearby Compton Dominguez High, the Clippers have had plenty of opportunities to watch him develop over the years.

Chandler may lack a true inside game but he can run the floor with anyone. He has great jumping ability and an uncanny knack for blocking shots, which helps overcome his shaky outside shot.

If he ends up with the Clippers, Chandler would give the team a defensive boost, especially with the league adopting new rules to allow zones next season.

“He’s probably the most athletic out of all the guys in terms of agility and getting up and down the floor,” Baylor said of Chandler, who, along with Brown, worked out for Washington on Monday. “A couple of other guys are better right now offensively, but at this age players are totally different after playing one year.”

Brown, a 6-10, 244-pound power forward from Georgia, did not have a great workout for the Clippers, but he has similar athletic ability to Chandler. Brown does not have a great post game and likes to face the basket. But his best strength may be his versatility.

Brown also wouldn’t mind playing for the Clippers.

“Getting younger guys and working them out to get better is their specialty,” Brown said. “They understand that it’s a risk to get any player. You can get a college player who played four years and he can be a lemon. The Clippers are willing to invest in young players.”