USA Today: Second-round picks get first-rate scrutiny

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/draft/2003-06-23-hidden-gems_x.htm

Three teams enter Thursday's NBA draft in the waiting room. The Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers will have to sit patiently as the first 29 players are drafted because none of them have a first-round pick.

It's to the second round that the general managers for these teams must shift their attention, unless they opt to trade up for a first-round pick.

Sacramento won't even have a second-rounder after sending its only pick (56th overall) to Boston on Monday for the rights to Darius Songaila, the 6-9 former Wake Forest star who played last season in Russia.

Second-rounders have become a hot commodity in recent years as quality players drafted in the second round have made a lasting impact.

"We got Todd MacCulloch at 47 (in 1999)," says Tony Dileo, director of player personnel for the 76ers. "He turned out great. He started at center with New Jersey and started with us when he came back. To find an NBA center at 47 is a gem."

He hopes to repeat that success on Thursday. The 76ers have the 50th pick.

Houston, which had the luxury of the No. 1 overall draft pick last year, found a gem with the 41st pick in 1998. Cuttino Mobley was an unknown guard from Rhode Island. He's now a co-captain and starting guard with the Rockets.

Indiana, which has the 49th pick, is charting unfamiliar waters. The Pacers have had only two second-round picks (2001 and 2000) since 1997.

Conventional thinking says there would be less work and preparation if a team had only one second-round pick. But, in fact, there's more homework. Players drafted late are well thought out and well picked. There's no Mr. Irrelevant — the last pick — as there is in the NFL draft.

"With the 50th pick, it's tough to really find a range of players, because at that point players are all over the (draft) board," Dileo says. "If you're picking in the top 10, there's a smaller range of about six or seven players you're really interested in and focus in on. But at 50, it may be 20 or 30 players you're looking at."

Generally, second-round picks don't necessarily fill needs for a particular position. General managers opt for the best player available and hope he becomes the next rising star.