Money in Banks? More than a few general managers around the league are convinced the Celtics have made some sort of promise to UNLV's Marcus Banks to select the 6-2 guard at either 16 or 20. The other pick could be for one of the Buducnost boys. But who really knows? ''There's a lot of misinformation coming out of Boston,'' one general manager quipped via e-mail. No more than anywhere else, however. ''I've been reading that we have a deal with Banks, too,'' said Celtics hoop boss Danny Ainge. ''I just love the fact that other people are so concerned with what we're doing.'' Veteran agent Michael Higgins, who also happens to represent Celtics forwards Antoine Walker and Walter McCarty, represents Banks. Higgins, normally a chatty sort, did not respond to two days of phone messages concerning Banks. There also was talk back at the predraft camp in Chicago that the Celtics had zeroed in on Banks and, adding to the drama, Banks ''came down with an injury'' at the time at least one team -- Utah -- was hoping to have him in for a workout. Ainge downplayed his geographical advantage (before coming to Boston, he lived outside Phoenix, and his son is at BYU, which, like UNLV, is in the Mountain West Conference). ''I would think Danny would have a better handle on our conference than a lot of people,'' said UNLV coach Charlie Spoonhour. ''I think what might have hurt Marcus is that a lot of our games start when people back East are going to bed.'' We'll see. The Sonics also are looking at Banks; they draft 12th and 14th and need a point guard. There's also a possibility that Oregon's Luke Ridnour will slide, possibly to where the Celtics will be picking. A week ago, that seemed inconceivable. But that's the way these things go. Remember, Vitaly Potapenko and Todd Fuller went ahead of Kobe Bryant in 1996 . . . --

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