Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 28, 1990 TAG: 9006280280
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
Coleman, a 6-foot-10, 235-pound All-America forward, was the all-time leading rebounder in collegiate history and Syracuse's all-time leading scorer with 2,143 points. He was a starter for four years for the Orangemen and was almost universally considered the best NBA prospect.
With Coleman taken, big men became a scarce commodity. Of the remaining 26 picks in the first round, 13 were guards or perimeter players.
Seattle took 6-3 Oregon State point guard Gary Payton and Denver followed with LSU's 6-1 Chris Jackson, a 29-point scorer in his two years in college. Not since Detroit took Isiah Thomas with the No. 2 pick in 1981 has a guard been taken as high as Payton.
Then came 6-7 Georgia Tech standout Dennis Scott, an outstanding perimeter shooter who was taken by Orlando, and 6-5 Illinois guard Kendall Gill, selected by Charlotte. Gill said he hoped to go to Clippers, where he could have been a teammate of another former Illinois player, Ken Norman.
"Unfortunately, I had to go to Charlotte," Gill said. "At least it's the only show in town."
The selection of Gill gives Charlotte three shooting guards - including former Virginia Tech star Dell Curry - and raised speculation of a trade involving either Curry or Rex Chapman. But Curry said Wednesday night that he had not heard anything regarding his status with the Hornets. Curry was traded by Utah to Cleveland after his rookie year, then was chosen by Charlotte from Cleveland in the Hornets' expansion draft.
"I wouldn't prefer [another trade], but it would depend on the team. I don't think anybody on an expansion team is solid," Curry said when asked if he thought he'd established himself in Charlotte. "They're looking to get better. I really don't know what their plans are."
The string of shooters taken in the draft was broken when Minnesota selected 7-foot Felton Spencer of Louisville and the Sacramento Kings grabbed 6-7 Player of the Year Lionel Simmons of LaSalle with the first of their record four first-round picks.
The Kings later selected guard Travis Mays of Texas at No. 14; 7-foot center Duane Causwell of Temple with the 18th pick, and forward Anthony Bonner of St. Louis at No. 20.
The seventh pick was the Kings' own after they finished with a 23-59 record this season. The other picks were acquired in trades with Dallas and Utah. The Mavericks sent the 14th and 18th picks to the Kings in a deal that brought Rodney McCray to Dallas.
After Simmons, three more players expected to play guard in the NBA were chosen.
Bo Kimble, the nation's leading scorer at Loyola Marymount with a 35.3 average, was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers, who can use him as insurance while Ron Harper recovers from an injured knee. Willie Burton, a 6-7 forward in college, was grabbed by Miami, which acquired the ninth and 15th picks from Denver for the No. 3 selection.
Atlanta, which had switched first-round picks with Golden State earlier in the day, then took Michigan point guard Rumeal Robinson.
Robinson was the first of three Michigan players taken in the first round, matching the most ever from one college team in the same year.
Forward Loy Vaught was selected by the Clippers with the 13th pick and forward Terry Mills was Milwaukee's selection at No. 16.
Indiana had three players taken in the first round after its undefeated national championship season in 1976 - Scott May, Bobby Wilkerson and Quinn Buckner. UCLA matched that in 1979 when David Greenwood, Roy Hamilton and Brad Holland were chosen in the first round.
The Nets, whose 17-65 record was the worst in the NBA last season, haven't had a first-rate first-round selection since Sleepy Floyd in 1982.
Since then, they have taken Jeff Turner, Pearl Washington, Dennis Hopson, Chris Morris and Mookie Blaylock. Only the past two, Morris and Blaylock, are still with the team.
Coleman was considered the top prospect in the draft, but questions about his attitude left some doubt the Nets would take him.
"I'm a warm, loving kind of guy," Coleman said. "I think most guys from the inner city get a bad rep. At Syracuse, a lot was blown out of proportion."
Coleman said he expects to be a starter.
"They need a couple of players to help them out," Coleman said of the Nets. "Hopefully, I'm one of those."
Payton was thrilled to be taken by the SuperSonics.
"I wanted to stay on the West Coast and help Seattle out," he said. "They needed a leader and I think they got one. They have so many premier players who can score. I think I can get them the ball."
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB