Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, May 24, 1993 TAG: 9305240043
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
It could happen June 30.
The Orlando Magic defied the longest odds of any team in the 1993 NBA draft lottery Sunday - 1 in 66 - and won the right to the top pick for the second consecutive year.
The 11 team representatives at the lottery were stunned when NBA commissioner David Stern opened an envelope with the logo of the No. 2 choice (Philadelphia), leaving the Magic the winner.
This was the first time since the lottery was shifted to a weighted system in 1990 that a non-playoff team with the best record won the right to pick first.
"What can I say - it's Magic," Orlando general manager Pat Williams said after bounding offstage with a wide grin. "Suddenly, we went from No. 11 to No. 1."
In the days leading to the draft, Williams had said that if Orlando won the lottery it would be tantamount to "World War III breaking out, with Switzerland winning."
Last year, Orlando won the Shaquille O'Neal sweepstakes and the 7-foot-1 star went on to become rookie of the year. This time, Williams' choice won't be as clear, but the Magic will have a chance to put together the tallest frontline pair in NBA history.
To do so, they will have to take a chance on Shawn Bradley, a 7-6 question mark from Brigham Young. Bradley didn't play the past two seasons while on a Mormon mission in Australia, but he has excellent skills for a player of his height.
The Magic also could choose Chris Webber of Michigan or Jamal Mashburn of Kentucky, two extremely talented forwards who left college early.
Williams said he never bothered thinking about who he would pick with the No. 1 choice.
"Right now I really have no idea," he said. "We were thinking that we'd be picking 11th."
If the Magic passes on Bradley, he's almost certain to be drafted by the center-starved teams picking second and third - the Philadelphia 76ers and the Golden State Warriors.
The fourth through 11th picks - determined by inverse order of the teams' records - went to Dallas, Minnesota, Washington, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Denver, Miami and Detroit. The Heat has the option of sending its pick to the Pistons to complete an earlier trade.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB