European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 26, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday., june 26. 1991 the stars and stripes Page 25nba draft s six by Jan Hubbard new Day the similarities Are intriguing and a. Certainly for the first six teams in the 1991 draft a the prospects Are exciting. Tonight they will choose from a six Man group Liat includes a Center who was born in Africa a bundle of excitement from the acc and a Short powerful Forward. A group with similar roots entered the Aba in 1984�?. Akeem Olajuwon from Nigeria a Michael Jordan from North Carolina and Charles Barkley who seemed to get Shorter each time he. Was measured As the draft 1991 group May not have anyone who will become As great As those three players but As a group the top six this year ultimately May be even stronger. A this reminds me of the year of Olajuwon Sam Bowie Jordan Sam Perkins Barkley and Mel Turpin a said Aba scout my director Marty Blake. A that turned out to be a Good draft., Turpin did no to do Well and Bowie got Hurt but you had three great players and Perkins has been pretty Good.�?�. The current group includes Dike be Mutombo the 7-2 Center from Zaire and Georgetown who May yet be the no 1 pick in a the draft Kenny Anderson the electrifying Point guard from Georgia tech Larry Johnson the powerful Forward from in nov who was listed at 6-7 in College but recently was measured at 6-5vh Syracuse a Billy Owens who May be the most skilled player in the group Doug Smith who at 6-10, can Pla either Forward position and Steve Smith the High scoring 67 guard from Michigan state. All come from winning pro i a is. My will make big Money. And As a result All will be expected to have significant and immediate Impact because All will go to losing teams whose ians want to win. None seems frightened by the. Prospect. However each a has been successful enough in College to believe that Success in the Aba is inevitable. If there is one common thread running through the elite members of the 1991 draft it is Confidence. A but they also Are realistic about the task at hand which they should be because they will be playing for 1. Charlotte 26-5b, .317 2. New Jersey 26-56, �?�-�?T17 3. Sacramento 25-57, �305 4. Denver 20-62, .244 5. Miami 24-58, .293 6. Dallas 28-54, .341.1 Hose 1990-91 records Are in 8aik contrast to what the College players recently experienced. But they will join their new team with eyes wide open. A look at the top six in order of Quot Liege winning percentage 1. Larry Johnson playing for a bad team a it cues me something to build on. 1 in t Teel bad at All. In Chicago Wien Michael first went to the. Gum a championship was never Thuu Glit of. Michael has built that meeting High expectations a a whatever team i go to the Only dung in a going to offer is hard a work. Whatever the coach wants me to do. I la say coach i m Larry Johnson. In a Here to do what you need me to do. That a basically it. You need me to do this ill do it. You need me to Back up this Guy ill do it. You need me to Start and try to get 30 Points and 12, 14 rebounds ill try to do that a. Marty Blake comment a Larry Johnson is going to be a hell of a player. He needs to learn a Little finesse on getting his shots off but he a got no problems.�?�2. Billy Owens playing for a bad team a a that a something in be got to get used to. In be talked to Derrick Coleman Owens former College teammate who plays for the new Jersey nets. He said that the Money s Good but he hates losing. Maybe i can go in there and they just need me to get into the program to do better. If not in be just got to get used to it and try to work to become better. If i had my Choice my Tea would be meeting High expectations �?o1 have a feeling the. Fans Are going to put a lot of pressure on me. That s How it was at Syracuse. I was supposed to take them to the championship game. I think in a mature enough to. Handle that pressure. In a not going to go out on the court and try to do things in be never done ,. .2 Marty Blake comment a Owens can be an All Star at \ two positions and at some Point he could play the Point in the. Passing game. He a a Small Forward big Forward with All Star .3. Doug Smith playing for a bad team a a it a going to be a change. In a just going to go in and try to make. The. Best of any situation whether its going in and playing right away or if i have to wait. In a just going to go in and do the things that Are asked of me by the coaching staff v and Hope it works out. I can Deal with losing. That a part of Competition to be Able to accept losing for a a meeting High expectations �?o1. Feel Good about that. I like to be put into a situation where 1 have. To produce. In a just going to try to do the things the coaching staff asks me to do in a just going to do my Best. I try not to expect anything. I just try to go out and play hard. That a the Way in be always approached basketball. 1 figure it i play that Way ill continue to a Marty Blake comment a if 1 was a team and had a Chance Roget Doug Smith i would take him and be 4. Dike be Mutombo playing for a bad team a i done to really mind wherever i�?Tm.-, going. My Point of View is that i a Hope people will treat me right and i will do what i can to get the team better. Ill work really hard i and help the team get to where it really wants to be and try to make the _ meeting High expectations a i listen to what people Are saving. 1 think its up to my. A coach who will work with me to Tell me what i have to do and it s up to me to do what 1 have to do. And if i do i think 1 will be a really Good basketball player. 1 have progressed a lot. I break so Manv records Lor blocking shots and grabbing so Many rebounds. And i think will continue with Larry Johnson Billy Owens Doug Smith Dike be Mutombo the same ideas and those things that in be been doing in Marty Blake comment a Emu. is going to be a hell of a player. Next year he will Block three shots get from 6 to 10 rebounds and make you change any number of shots. He a. Only played three years. You can to find centers and he loves to play.�?�. .5. Kenny Anderson playing for a bad Cam a it he bigger the Challenge the bigger the Reward. If 1 come in Ami do average and make my team better than they were that a a big Reward. It s just a big Challenge for me to be a Point guard and have leadership at an Early age. But its something in a looking Forward a Kenny Anderson meeting High expectations �?o1 really understand a lot of people putting a lot of expectations on us As athletes its not our fault that people nut us on a Pedestal. But we just have to learn to Deal with that. Those who can to Deal with it look to other things As far As drugs. Its something in a learning How to Deal with. I created this monster. 1 played Well in College my High school and 4 have the can to let other people get me Down turn my dream into disaster. I want to be a professional so its something in be got to Marty Blake comment Quot lies a a great Point guard it s going to take him a while physically but artistically he has no problems. He can get his shot he can penetrate and handle the Hall. But Steve Smith physically he a going to have trouble covering people at first.�?�6. Steve Smith playing for a bad team a just being in the Aba ill just be Happy being there. There arc a lot of positives going to a bad team like that. You might get the Chance to play right meeting High expectations i a those Are High expectations from fans. I guess fans expect a lot because teams Are paying a lot of Money.4�?Tm just looking to go in and play the Best i can. And if i have to sit Down and wait my turn ill be willing to do Marty Blake comment a Steve Smith is the no. 1 shooting guard. He a also shown he can play the Point. He a going to give some team a lot of
