Tonight Will Look More Like a Prom Than a Draft

Kids rule, officially!

Since 1995, when Kevin Garnett of Chicago’s Farragut Academy, became the fifth pick in the draft, four more high school players with names as illustrious as Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Darius Miles, or as forgotten as Jonathan Bender, became lottery picks. But today the preps won’t simply participate in the process, they’ll dominate it.

Nineteen-year-old Kwame Brown, who attended high school in Brunswick, Ga., a beachside town of 65,000 in the southeast corner of the state, is expected to become the NBA’s first prep No. 1 overall pick.

Of course, there’s still the possibility of a trade, so the honor could go to Eddy Curry of South Holland, Ill. or Dominguez High’s Tyson Chandler.

In any case, all three of them are expected to go in the top five.

The situation is even more volatile than usual, with teams discussing deals for stars as prominent as the New Jersey Nets’ Stephon Marbury and the Vancouver Grizzlies’ Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Until the draft begins today at 4:30 p.m., PDT, teams are required to maintain media silence, or as Don Nelson, then of Golden State, once remarked when asked about his plans: “I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”

Washington Wizard President Michael Jordan spent Tuesday shopping the No. 1 pick, asking teams for large packages. including stars like the Bulls’ Elton Brand and Marbury.

Being Mike, he’s expected to push it right up until the minute Commissioner David Stern announces the Wizards are on the clock.

If Brown goes first, the Clippers are expected to choose between Chandler, a 7-0 tower of potential, if a reedy one, and Curry, a wider, if lower-jumping one who’s 6-10, 301.

No. 3 Atlanta is torn between Chandler, Curry and Seton Hall’s 6-9 Eddie Griffin . . . and reportedly close to trading the pick to the Grizzlies for Abdur-Rahim.

If the Grizzlies get No. 3, they’re expected to take Curry or 6-11 Spanish forward Pau Gasol.

If the Grizzlies take Curry, they’ll break the hearts of the Bulls, leaving Chicago with nothing better than Shane Battier, a high-quality guy who doesn’t figure to be a star.

Below, here’s how it could go:

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

MOCK NBA DRAFT: FIRST ROUND

SELECTION ORDER OF PLAYERS, COMMENTS BY MARK HEISLER

*--*

No. Team 1. Washington 2. Clippers 3. Atlanta 4. Chicago 5. Golden State 6. Vancouver 7. New Jersey 8. Cleveland 9. Detroit 10. Boston 11. Boston 12. Seattle 13. Houston 14. Golden State 15. Orlando 16. Charlotte 17. Toronto 18. Houston 19. Portland 20. Cleveland 21. Boston 22. Orlando 23. Houston 24. Utah 25. Sacramento 26. Philadelphia 27. Vancouver 28. San Antonio

*--*

*

Player: Kwame Brown

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-10

Wgt.: 243

Class: HS

School or Affiliation: Glynn (Ga.) Academy

Comment: Big athlete with all-around skills. Could hit big but it won’t happen fast.

*

Player: Tyson Chandler

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 7-0

Wgt.: 228

Class: HS

School or Affiliation: Compton Dominguez

Comment: Considered the prep with the biggest upside but also the most question marks.

*

Player: Eddie Griffin

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-9

Wgt.: 222

Class: Fr.

School or Affiliation: Seton Hall

Comment: Good-sized small forward who plays even bigger.

*

Player: Eddy Curry

Pos.: C

Hgt.: 6-10 1/2

Wgt.: 301

Class: HS

School or Affiliation: Thornwood (Ill.)

Comment: Oh, happy day! The object of the Bulls’ affection slips through to them!

*

Player: Pau Gasol

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-11

Wgt.: 227

Class: Fgn.

School or Affiliation: FC Barcelona (Spain)

Comment: Depending on whom you ask, he’s either the next Dirk Nowitzki or an untested Euro-hype.

*

Player: Jason Richardson

Pos.: G

Hgt.: 6-5

Wgt.: 213

Class: So.

School or Affiliation: Michigan State

Comment: Has an explosive upside, and Grizzlies are all for that.

*

Player: Rodney White

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-7 1/2

Wgt.: 243

Class: Fr.

School or Affiliation: Charlotte

Comment: Stock soared and faded but Michael Jordan said he was the best prospect in the draft.

*

Player: Joe Johnson

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-7

Wgt.: 226

Class: So.

School or Affiliation: Arkansas

Comment: All-around player and a safe pick for the Cavaliers, who need a small forward.

*

Player: Shane Battier

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-8

Wgt.: 229

Class: Sr.

School or Affiliation: Duke

Comment: No way Pistons can pass on this local product at this point in the draft.

*

Player: Vladimir Radmanovic

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-9

Wgt.: 227

Class: Fgn.

School or Affiliation: FMP Zeleznik (Yugoslavia)

Comment: Celtics wanted Gasol, but this good-looking prospect drops to them.

*

Player: Kedrick Brown

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-6

Wgt.: 222

Class: So.

School or Affiliation: Okaloosa-Walton (Fla.) CC

Comment: Speculation is Celtics will trade him to Portland for a veteran and Trail Blazers’ No. 19 pick.

*

Player: Troy Murphy

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-10

Wgt.: 230

Class: Jr.

School or Affiliation: Notre Dame

Comment: SuperSonics need an entire new front line and he’s the most solid big guy left.

*

Player: Loren Woods

Pos.: C

Hgt.: 7-1

Wgt.: 246

Class: Sr.

School or Affiliation: Arizona

Comment: Sometimes disappointing as collegian and has back problems, but he has a lot of game.

*

Player: Brendan Haywood

Pos.: C

Hgt.: 7-0

Wgt.: 266

Class: Sr.

School or Affiliation: North Carolina

Comment: Superior everything, except motivation, though he managed to turn it up on pre-draft circuit.

*

Player: DeSagana Diop

Pos.: C

Hgt.: 6-10

Wgt.: 315

Class: HS

School or Affiliation: Oak Hill (Va.) Academy

Comment: Dropped like a rock after late-season injury but rawest of prep centers still a good prospect.

*

Player: Richard Jefferson

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-7

Wgt.: 223

Class: Jr.

School or Affiliation: Arizona

Comment: David Wesley, who’s 6-1, isn’t the Hornets’ shooting guard of the future.

*

Player: Steven Hunter

Pos.: C

Hgt.: 6-10

Wgt.: 224

Class: So.

School or Affiliation: DePaul

Comment: Did little to impress in college but did a lot better on pre-draft circuit.

*

Player: Zach Randolph

Pos.: F-C

Hgt.: 6-7

Wgt.: 270

Class: Fr.

School or Affiliation: Michigan State

Comment: Skeptics worry that he’s Tractor Traylor II, but he’s a low-post threat.

*

Player: Michael Bradley

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-9 1/2

Wgt.: 227

Class: Jr.

School or Affiliation: Villanova

Comment: Pick may be ticketed for Celtics, who need big men.

*

Player: Jason Collins

Pos.: C

Hgt.: 6-10

Wgt.: 251

Class: So.

School or Affiliation: Stanford

Comment: Cavaliers need help in case Zydrunas Ilgauskas has more problems, Chris Mihm stays soft.

*

Player: Jamaal Tinsley

Pos.: G

Hgt.: 6-1

Wgt.: 199

Class: Sr.

School or Affiliation: Iowa State

Comment: Celtics are looking forward to their post-Kenny Anderson era.

*

Player: Omar Cook

Pos.: G

Hgt.: 5-11 1/2

Wgt.: 189

Class: Fr.

School or Affiliation: St. John’s

Comment: In worst-case scenario, Magic may move Darrell Armstrong to get cap room for Antonio Davis.

*

Player: Kirk Haston

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-8

Wgt.: 242

Class: Jr.

School or Affiliation: Indiana

Comment: Rocket Coach Rudy Tomjanovich is looking for a shooter.

*

Player: Joseph Forte

Pos.: G

Hgt.: 6-3 1/2

Wgt.: 193

Class: So.

School or Affiliation: North Carolina

Comment: Undersized but hard-nosed. If you look at him just right, you can see Jeff Hornacek.

*

Player: Samuel Dalembert

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-10

Wgt.: 250

Class: So.

School or Affiliation: Seton Hall

Comment: Project player Kings can begin to groom in case Chris Webber leaves.

*

Player: Ousmane Cisse

Pos.: F

Hgt.: 6-7

Wgt.: 250

Class: HS

School or Affiliation: Montgomery (Ala.) St. Jude

Comment: Wide-body with warrior attitude. Larry Brown loves talented kids, at least until they show up.

*

Player: Tony Parker

Pos.: G

Hgt.: 6-1

Wgt.: 180

Class: Fgn.

School or Affiliation: Paris Basket Racing (France)

Comment: Belgian-born young point guard was the best of this year’s thin crop at position in workouts.

*

Player: Gilbert Arenas

Pos.: G

Hgt.: 6-2

Wgt.: 199

Class: So.

School or Affiliation: Arizona

Comment: He’s short for a shooting guard, but everything else is fine.

NOTE--Minnesota forfeited first-round pick

2ND ROUND: SELECTION ORDER

*--*

No. Team 30. Chicago 31. Golden State 32. Orlando 33. Vancouver 34. Atlanta 35. New Jersey 36. Cleveland 37. Philadelphia 38. Detroit 39. New York 40. Seattle 41. Indiana 42. Seattle 43. New York 44. Dallas 45. Chicago 46. Minnesota 47. Denver 48. Vancouver 49. Miami 50. Portland 51. Phoenix 52. Milwaukee 53. Utah 54. Dallas 55. Sacramento 56. San Antonio 57. Philadelphia 58. San Antonio

*--*

Changes in First-Round Order--11. Boston from Denver; 14. Golden State from Indiana; 18. Houston from Phoenix through New York and Orlando; 21. Boston from Phoenix through Denver; 22. Orlando from Milwaukee through Houston; 23. Houston from Orlando through Dallas; 27. Vancouver from Lakers through New York.

*

Changes in Second-Round Order--32. Orlando from Washington; 37. Philadelphia from Clippers; 39. New York from Boston through Seattle); 40. Seattle from Denver through Boston; 42. Seattle from Orlando; 43. New York from Seattle; 44. Dallas from Houston; 45. Chicago from Charlotte; 47. Denver from Toronto; 48. Vancouver from New York; 52. Milwaukee from Chicago; 56. San Antonio from Lakers.