The Bulls launched their post-Michael Jordan rebuilding project last night. And it began with Duke forward Elton Brand.
In their first step toward returning to their ’90s dominance, the Bulls selected the 6-foot-8, 260-pound Brand with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft at the MCI Center in Washington.
Brand,a Peekskill native who left Duke after his sophomore year, became the first New Yorker to be taken No. 1 in the draft since Lew Alcindor was chosen by the Bucks in ’69.
“It’s amazing,” an exuberant Brand said after shaking commissioner David Stern’s hand on the podium. “Three years ago I was a senior at Peekskill High School, a small suburban school in Westchester, N.Y. Now I’m the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. It’s amazing.”
It also was an amazing night for New York state, which was represented by three players selected in the top six picks.
Possibly the most talented player in the draft, and maybe the most troubled, Queens native Lamar Odom was taken No. 4 by the Clippers. Odom, a 6-10 forward who played one season at Rhode Island, missed several scheduled workouts with teams, which might be the reason he dropped as far as he did.
After signing with an agent, Odom had tried to return to Rhode Island for another year. But the school turned him down, not wanting to fight a losing battle with the NCAA.
Two picks later, at No. 6, the Timberwolves chose Miami of Ohio star Wally Szczerbiak, a 6-7 senior forward from Cold Spring Harbor, L.I.
Coming off his stunning NCAA Tournament, Szczerbiak impressed a number of teams during his workouts, especially Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale.
As for Brand, who came off a spectacular season when he was the consensus National Player of the Year, he will be expected to lift a depleted Bulls team that had the third worst record in the league after winning three consecutive titles.
Brand said he could hardly sleep the night before the draft.
“Ron Artest and I were up all last night just talking,” Brand said. “We couldn’t sleep.
“I did want to be the No. 1 pick. I think any player who thinks they’re the best wants to be No. 1.”
Brand, 20, averaged 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds last season and led the Blue Devils to the NCAA championship game, which they lost to Connecticut.
With the second pick, the Grizzlies selected 6-foot-3 high-flying shooting guard Steve Francis, who played two years of junior college and one season at Maryland before bolting for the draft.
At Vancouver, Francis, a second-team All-America last season, will make up an exciting backcourt by playing alongside Mike Bibby.
It was rumored that the Clippers were hoping to take UCLA sophomore point guard Baron Davis, but that was out of the question when Davis went to the Hornets at No. 3.
Davis, who missed the first four games of last season after ACL surgery to his left knee, averaged 15.9 points.
With the No. 5th pick, the Raptors took high schooler Jonathan Bender, a 6-11, 205-pounder from Picayune, Miss. However, Toronto will reportedly trade the rights to Bender to Indiana for Antonio Davis.
Richard Hamilton, a 6-6 junior star for UConn, received big cheers from the MCI Center crowd after being taken by the Wizards at No. 7. Hamilton, a first-team All-America, averaged 21.5 points.
The Cavs, picking No. 8, went for a point guard in Andre Miller, a 6-2 senior guard from Utah.
Perhaps the most surprising pick of the draft was Shawn Marion, a 6-7 junior forward from UNLV, who was not well known nationally. Marion, however, can score, as he averaged 18.7 points.
As for the Hawks, they selected Jason Terry from Arizona, a point guard who will replace Mookie Blaylock, who was dealt to the Warriors on Wednesday.