NEW YORK -- On the eve of the 2004 NBA draft, absolutely nothing was certain.
All signs point to a wild draft night here tonight, and with a bevy of trades already disrupting the lottery this week, the status of former Duke forward Luol Deng and near-Duke point guard Shaun Livingston is up in the air. Either of the highly rated players could be chosen as early as third in the draft, or as low as eighth or ninth.
Deng or Arizona's Andre Iguodala appeared to be the top candidates to go to the Chicago Bulls, who seemed to be going after a forward with the third pick until general manager Jim Paxson also obtained the No. 7 pick in the draft from Phoenix for a future first-round pick and a second-round pick tonight. Now that Chicago has made the deal with Phoenix, their strategy may have changed.
Regardless, Deng had positive workouts with the team and expressed his happiness with the Bulls franchise.
"That'd be great if it happened," Deng said about potentially being selected by Chicago. "I'd be a great fit for that organization."
After a swap that sent the second overall pick to the Charlotte Bobcats, slot No. 4 belongs to the Los Angeles Clippers, who have a serious need at point guard. The organization will likely choose between Livingston, Devin Harris out of Wisconsin and former Connecticut guard Ben Gordon.
The three guards have different strengths. Livingston is a young and wiry 6-foot-7 floor general, who many NBA scouts think has the most potential out of the group. Harris and Gordon, however, are much better shooters and are commonly viewed to have much more complete games. Harris felt upbeat on the eve of the draft.
"It's a little freaky," Harris said about recent workouts with various NBA teams Wednesday afternoon. "It's pretty exciting. The Clippers, Atlanta, Phoenix--all those teams have shown interest."
Livingston was not as thrilled with his performance in the workouts as Harris, especially after one confrontation with Saint Joseph's graduate Jameer Nelson. The smaller yet stronger Nelson was able to muscle around Livingston in front of NBA scouts.
Later, Livingston said that he had never played against an opponent as quick and as strong as Nelson. Livingston's stock may have suffered a bit during these workouts, and as a result the Clippers may pass on him at No. 4, despite Livingston's thinking otherwise.
"Since they traded [down from the No. 2 pick], they might pick me up," he said. "[The Clippers' workout] went well. I showed a little bit of what I can do. I don't feel the workouts covered my strength a lot because mine is like five-on-five, but I feel that I did well though."
The Dallas Mavericks also did well for themselves Wednesday, when they sent more shivers through the NBA draft war rooms in a blockbuster deal shipping Antawn Jamison to the Washington Wizards for the fifth overall pick, Jerry Stackhouse and former Blue Devil Christian Laettner.
Other Duke alums paved the way for Deng to be a lock in the first round selections starting at 7 p.m. The last time a Blue Devil was taken in the first round was in 2002. In that draft, Jay Williams was selected No. 2 by Chicago, and Mike Dunleavy went to Golden State as the No. 3 pick. In 2001, Shane Battier was drafted by the Grizzlies sixth overall. And in 1999, four Duke players were taken in the first round: Elton Brand at No. 1, Trajan Langdon at No. 11, Corey Maggette at No. 13 and William Avery at No. 14.
Ironically, there is one Blue Devil who has enjoyed more success than many of the Blue Devils selected recently in the first round. Carlos Boozer was selected No. 35 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2002.
Like Boozer was in 2002, this year Chris Duhon may be on the bubble between the first and second rounds, with the Bobcats interested in grabbing him sooner rather than later. Despite his uncertain draft positioning, Duhon's former coach Mike Krzyzewski thinks that his point guard will find a niche in the NBA.
"Chris Duhon, I think, will be a really good pro for a long period of time," Krzyzewski said.
The destinations of Duhon and Deng could hinge on what Orlando does as far as trading star guard Tracy McGrady. Also, Los Angeles Laker Shaquille O'Neal has demanded a trade, and it is possible that a deal involving the All-Star center could involve tonight's draft picks. A single trade of this magnitude could change the entire texture of the draft.
Not that the trades thus far haven't had enough of a ripple effect in a year when even the top selection is uncertain. In recent years there has been little drama when NBA commissioner David Stern announced the first pick of the night. But tonight, there are two candidates who could conceivably claim the top spot when the Orlando Magic get on the clock: UConn big man Emeka Okafor and Georgia prep star Dwight Howard.
Okafor is a more established player and considered a safer pick because of his experience playing on the college stage.
When asked if he thought he would make an immediate impact in the NBA, Okafor said, "If I didn't, I wouldn't be here. I think at the very least I can grab 10 points and 10 rebounds. At the very least. That's like baseline. I know that if I work hard that those will improve."
Okafor's rival for the top spot, Howard, is commonly compared to Kevin Garnett, and is considered to be loaded with potential after wowing scouts with his athleticism and mature attitude.
Indeed, even without a big trade today, this draft will be remember for the record number of high school players in the pool.
"High school players are in style," noted former Nevada guard Kirk Snyder.
With all the youngsters available, the draft lottery has new meaning. Will teams favor the solid, more established college players like Okafor, Nelson and Harris? Or will they be willing to risk their picks and money on untested high school talents like Livingston and Howard?
Be prepared for a night full of twists and turns.
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