Weisbrod Discusses Draft

Would you say the trip to the pre-draft camp was productive?
“Yes, it was really productive. Every year it seems that fewer and fewer of the big names compete in the camp. It is an opportunity to get a lot of business done with the other general managers and make sure you have a deep grasp on the 60 or 70 guys that are going to comprise the last of the first round and all of the second round.”

You met with Emeka Okafor and Dwight Howard, the two kids expected to go one and two in the draft. You had the team psychologists and the doctors look them over a little bit. How much time did you get to spend with both of these kids?
“I haven’t spent much time with the kids at all. I did spend quite a bit of time there with each of their agents. We interviewed a bunch of other kids which was really the reason we brought Doc Lodato up there. We interviewed Josh Childress and Devin Harris. We talked to a lot of guys there but as for Howard and Okarfor, we’re waiting to do those sessions when they come to Orlando, which will be this week. We’ll get both kids in this week and really have a chance to spend some significant time with them.”

Everyone jumps on board with popular opinion and sees Okafor and Howard going as the top two picks. Do you see Okafor and Howard going 1-2, or can another player slip into a top-two position?
“I don’t think so, though you’re right, it is a little bit of blind leading the blind, and everyone follows along. But in this instance I really can’t foresee anyone overtaking either of those guys. There is still a lot of question as to which of them will be one and which of them will be two. But unless someone were to get some real negative medical information on Okafor’s back or something that traumatic, I can’t see anyone supplanting those two guys in those first two slots.”

Is it true that Okafor measured out taller than people thought? Didn’t he measure over 6’9 in bare feet, instead of 6’8?
“I have heard conflicting reports. The first report is that without shoes he was 6’9 and ¾ which would have been far bigger than people had been talking about. Then this morning I heard that was 6’8 and ¾ without shoes, and a lot of people had questioned if he was 6’8 with shoes, so it gets a little goofy. I felt like asking how thick his socks were. But I think that he was bigger than they expected and obviously that is a positive thing for him.”

And Howard was an inch or two smaller than many thought he was. He measured out at 6’9, is that correct John, in bare feet?
“Yeah, he was 6’9 and ¾ I think. He was long, his wingspan and his reach. He might not have been as tall as some people were projecting but the build of his body, and torso length, all these things evaluated there, he is a real long and lanky kid which is obviously effective playing his position.”

The word I have heard from several sources are that his growth plates are not closed, he might grow 2-4 more inches, you could be looking at a 7-1 power forward.
“We will be x-raying his growth plates when he his here...the level of detail that this thing gets to just to make sure you know exactly what you are to get in both scenarios.”

How much interest is there from other teams in the number one pick?
“Quite a bit. You adjust with getting no sleep, but the whole time I was in Chicago my meetings began at 6:30 in the morning, and I don’t know if there was a night where I was in the rack before 3 a.m. It is a lot of activity and a lot of conversation and obviously with everyone being physically in the same place it spurs even more conversation, so we’ll see. I haven’t proactively gone out there to try to peddle the pick certainly, but we answer the phone when it rings and it has been ringing a lot.”

Would you be leaning more toward keeping it or trading it?
“At this point I can say that I have not heard anything that would make me trade it, so right now we would be inclined to just do what we’re doing and make the pick. But obviously I have to stop short of saying we’re definitely going to make the pick because who knows what could happen between now and the 24th [of June].”

In your estimation are Howard and Okafor running neck and neck? Is one of them Smarty Jones, pulling ahead, and is the other going to be Birdstone catching them at the wire? Is there any kid that stands out above the other right now?
“No, really I would say not. I would say the night that we won the lottery, probably Okafor was the assumption. In terms of evaluation of what kind of pro he is going to be and some of the research, it is pretty much a dead heat for us right now. I think the decision could likely end up being how the rest of the team is going to look. You can’t build a team in a vacuum, and we have a lot of other things we need to get done besides making this draft pick. I think if we feel comfortable that the rest of the team is going to shape out with quality veterans we would feel more comfortable going with a younger kid like Howard. If we’re not as sure about that and we need the immediacy of Okafor’s maturity, then he would probably get the nod. But right now it’s real close.”

Is it set in stone that Tracy McGrady will meet with Rich DeVos on Friday?
“No, I don’t know exactly how all that was started. I know Bob mentioned when he was in Chicago that it was his intention to get Rich and Tracy together, and I’m sure that will happen. But Rich and Bob are coming to town Friday because that is the day Okafor and Howard are working out and Rich wanted to meet those kids. I think Bob threw out that it would be a nice idea if Tracy were in town that that would happen too, but frankly, we don’t even know if Tracy is in town right now, and certainly nothing has been scheduled.”

Is there any update on Tracy and being traded?
“Well you might have heard while we’ve been on this call my phone has been beeping. That is actually Arn Tellem on call waiting, and we’ve been talking constantly and there is not really an update so to speak, because to protect the integrity of that discussion we’ve committed to one another to keep it under wraps until it is resolved. I do think it will be resolved rather quickly and I would still say I expect to go the draft table knowing what is going to happen with Tracy. I know that is a short time window, but I really believe we’ll get it done one way or another before the 24th.”

Can you clarify if Howard and Okafor will work out together or even on the same day?
“They’re not going to work out together. Neither of them was very receptive to that idea, but they are going to work out on the same day. They’re going to fly in Thursday night I believe. Okafor will work out in the a.m., and Howard will work out in the p.m., the afternoon session. Okafor didn’t care where, how, or who he worked out with, he was pretty wide-open. Howard’s people were pretty insistent that they wanted us to see Okafor first, and then Howard wanted to go after Okafor, and that is the way it is set-up right now. [Tentatively] Friday morning, Okafor. [Tentatively] Friday afternoon, Howard. It should be an interesting day.”

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