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The Best of the Best

© Chris Lin

Only the best of the best survive. It's as simple as that. On Tuesday, June 23, in Vancouver, Canada, the premier basketball league in the world held its annual draft. For those who felt the time was right to enter into the professional ranks, this was the day of their dreams. There were many who wished to play in the NBA. Only a few would be able to don a NBA uniform. Although the pool of potential players was not as talented as years past, there was plenty of excitement and surprise.

With the first pick, the L.A. Clippers selected Michael Olowokandi, the 7'1'' Nigerian from Pacific University. This surprised many, because Mike Bibby, the Arizona guard, was expected to be the Clippers' choice. This should work out for the perennial cellar-dwellers, who need all the help they can get. Antawn Jamison of North Carolina, who was the NCAA's best player last year, was picked by the Toronto Raptors, but would soon be shipped over to Golden State for his former teammate, Vince Carter, whose tremendous athletic ability made him such a high commodity. The Warriors need a consistent player in the paint and the Raptors could use an explosive scorer to rake in the points and the fans. The two Kansas All-Americans, Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce, were picked by Denver and Boston, respectively. Denver played it safe with LaFrentz, who can score and rebound, but most importantly, he has a great work ethic. Pierce had a surprisingly low pick, and finally the Celtics picked a guy who wasn't a Kentucky Wildcat. Pierce fits in nicely with Rick Pitino's young Boston squad. For these struggling teams, they only hope that these young talents will push their teams to the next level, and hopefully, to the championship.

For those teams who are among the league's elite, or almost there, the draft was a chance to improve and to someday replace the aging stars and veterans. After the magical Chicago Bulls won their sixth championship of this decade, it seems as though the team will split up. Michael Jordan seems ready to retire, Scottie Pippen has plans to join another team, and coach Phil Jackson has announced that he will not return. It seems like the Bulls will have to start all over again. With the second-to-last pick in the first round, they did the best they could and drafted Corey Benjamin. Benjamin could lead the next generation of Bulls, and with Ron Harper and Toni Kukoc, could be a bigger surprise than many people expect. As for the Eastern Conference runners-up, the Indiana Pacers, who pushed the Bulls to a seventh game in the conference finals, the team stands to remain intact, unless a trade develops. With the 25th pick, Al Harrington, the St. Patrick's star who was proclaimed the best high school player in the country, was selected by Donnie Walsh. Harrington is a gamble, but with former superstar and now coach Larry Bird, franchise player Reggie Miller, and the other Indiana veterans, Harrington could mature to be the next Pacer superstar. And the most important thing is that Indiana has time.

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