The 2009 NBA Draft is so close, and yet still so far away.Scores of NBA hopefuls are on the verge of learning their professional destination after more than two months of waiting, but in a draft where only the No. 1 pick is a certainty, many players — including former LSU guard Marcus Thornton — could be waiting long into Thursday night.”What we’re hearing right now is that he could fall anywhere between 19 and 30,” said LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson. “There’s a lot of phone calls from coaches and general managers.”It’s a foregone conclusion that the Los Angeles Clippers will select Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin to start the night, but just about anything else is possible after the 2009 Naismith Award winner goes off the board.Aran Smith, NBADraft.net draft analyst, said the decisions of teams like Memphis and Oklahoma City with early selections could determine if Thornton winds up as a mid-first or late-second round pick.”He has a real shot to be a first-rounder,” Smith said. “There are a lot of teams moving to get into the first round. It’s even possible a team with no first round picks could really like him and try to move up.”Whether or not that happens is a mystery not even Johnson can solve.”There’s a lot of stuff up in the air right now,” he said. “My job is just to keep the guys grounded and remind them these NBA teams won’t expose their hands. These teams are looking at them new just like I was last year. They want character references. They want to know about these kids.”Thornton isn’t the only Tiger with something to gain (or lose) from the draft drama. Former Tiger center Chris Johnson is poised right on the fringe of the draft’s second round, with NBADraft.net listing him as the draft’s final pick to the Miami Heat.”He hasn’t quite solidified a spot yet,” Smith said. “A lot of teams are looking at him at the perimeter but it just isn’t a sure thing. I’d say his chances of getting drafted are at 50-50 or maybe lower.”
HORNETS SEEK LATE STEALWhile Thornton and Johnson look for an NBA home, the New Orleans Hornets hope to bolster their roster after a disappointing exit from the NBA playoffs.Many fans and publications expect the Hornets to make a front court addition after center Tyson Chandler finished the playoffs with a 3.8 points per game average following a botched trade to Oklahoma City.Mock drafts from Sports Illustrated suggest the Hornets could select North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough with their No. 21 pick, while others suggest Pittsburgh center DeJuan Blair.Another possibility is to add backcourt depth from the strong point guard class. Names such as Pittsburgh forward Sam Young, Wake Forest guard Jeff Teague and Virginia Commonwealth University guard Eric Maynor have been suggested as possible backups to the Hornets’ starters.”In a weak draft like this, you probably won’t find an NBA starter with the 21st pick,” Smith said. “They could go with a two guard, or a big guy like Blair. This is also a strong point guard class, and New Orleans could really use a backup for Chris Paul.”Smith thinks the Hornets would be best served with Maynor learning the point guard position behind Paul.”With a weaker draft, you don’t need a starter. You can afford to fill some holes,” Smith said. “Someone like Maynor would be a very good backup or even a possible starter. He’d also be a valuable trade asset, and he’s learning his position from Chris Paul. So it’s a really good situation.”—-Contact David Helman at [email protected]