http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/108806446467980.xml Hornets prepared to react If needs can't be filled, they'll draft best player Thursday, June 24, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer The wish list that Hornets general manager Allan Bristow will take with him into tonight's NBA draft includes seven names. But with 15 teams making 17 picks ahead of him, Bristow isn't sure any of those players will be available when the Hornets select at No. 18. If not, Bristow will go to his contingency plan: The Hornets will pursue the best available player, regardless of whether he fills either of the team's biggest needs -- at shooting guard and backup center. Bristow said this week the Hornets would consider drafting St. Joseph's point guard Jameer Nelson, despite already having point guards Baron Davis and Darrell Armstrong on the roster. Nelson, a consensus national College Player of the Year, is expected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick. He worked out for the Hornets on Tuesday, and Bristow said he was impressed. "Point guards are hard to find, and we have one of the best in the league," Bristow said. "We have needs at other positions, but sometimes when you're drafting at 18th, you have to get the best player available. Jameer is definitely one of the best players available. "I feel you can't pass up that kind of quality athlete if you feel he's got the upside to become a star." Hornets coach Byron Scott, hired last month, will have input on the team's draft selections. Scott said he wants the Hornets to become younger and more athletic, and one way to meet that criteria is by building through the draft. The Hornets are picking at No. 18 for the second consecutive year. In the second round, they will select 44th. In the first round last year, the Hornets drafted forward David West, who became one of the team's best rebounders. Meanwhile, Bristow hasn't ruled out the possibility of making a trade to move up in the first round to land a player such as shooting guard Kirk Snyder, or someone else projected to be taken among the top 15 picks. Snyder, who played at Nevada, had an impressive workout with the Hornets several weeks ago. Most of the mock drafts have him going no later than 13th in the first round. "There's always a possibility (of making a trade to move up)," Bristow said. "I don't think it's a high probability, but it's something we're definitely intrigued about doing." If the Hornets remain at No. 18, available players could be J.R. Smith, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard who played at St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey last season; Sasha Vujacic, a 6-foot-7 shooting guard who played on the Slovenian Junior National team; and Rafael Araujo, a 6-foot-11 center from Brigham Young. "This is the same problem you always have when you draft from 16 to 20; there is not anything you can say that's definitely going to happen," said Bob Bass, who will work his final draft with the Hornets before retiring next week as the team's executive vice president of basketball operations. "So that makes it a difficult situation in terms of what we might get." If the Hornets select a guard in the first round, they are likely to use their second-round pick on a backup center with college or international experience. In 2000, the Hornets selected center Jamaal Magloire with the 19th pick in the first round. Magloire made the Eastern Conference All-Star team this season. Last year, the Hornets' used their second-round pick on center James Lang, who entered the draft after his senior season in high school. But Lang was eventually cut without playing a regular-season game. "You're always looking for players who can help you immediately, and I'm talking about as much as David West helped us last year," Bristow said. "But probably 70 percent of the guys that we've looked at are not in that category." . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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