By SETH HOLMUN
Sun Staff Writer
MEMPHIS — Jerry West was such the consummate National Basketball Association professional player that the league emblazoned his likeness on its official logo.
Wednesday night, “Mr. Clutch” made his first mark on his reshaping the Memphis Grizzlies franchise as its new president of basketball operations.
Amidst the normal swirl of trade rumors, the first four picks went as planned and the Grizzlies came up with the best available player in the draft after selecting Kansas junior power forward Drew Gooden with the fourth pick in the 2002 NBA draft.
The 6-foot-10, 230-pound All-American selection and Big 12 player of the year led the conference in scoring (19.8 points-per-game) and rebounding (11.4) while carrying the Jayhawks to the Final Four with his strong play scoring and rebounding.
As expected, Houston took 7-foot-5 Yao Ming of China, who became the first international player to be selected as the top pick. Chicago took Duke guard Jay Williams and his college teammate Mike Dunleavy went third to Golden State. After Denver selected Nikoloz Tskitishvili of the Republic of Georgia, University of Memphis guard Dajuan Wagner went to Cleveland. Former Arkansas swingman Chris Jeffries, who transferred to Fresno State, was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers at the 27th spot.
This draft was key in turning around a Grizzlies franchise that has chosen in the lottery each of its eight years of existence. Last season Memphis was 23-59 and won just eight road games.
West’s first lottery pick as General Manager of the Los Angeles Lakers was Eddie Jones in 1994. Two years later he pulled a deal for the 13th pick from Charlotte and selected a kid named Kobe Bryant.
However this decision turns out, it was clear cut to West.
“After his workout I could have bet you that he was going to be one of the top four picks in the draft,” West said of Gooden Wednesday night at the draft headquarters at the Toyota Plaza in downtown Memphis. “Because we knew he wasn’t going to get past us.”
The rest of the draft wasn’t as simple.
With a pair of second-round picks the Grizzlies took Illinois 6-11 forward Robert Archibald with the 32nd selection while they may have been looking for backcourt help. They then took UCLA small forward Matt Barnes with the 46th pick before working a couple of deals.
Memphis nabbed Barnes with the 46th pick from a three-way deal with Orlando and Houston that brought Michael Dickerson to the Grizzlies and sent Steve Francis to the Rockets among others.
They then dealt him to Cleveland along with Nick Anderson for sharpshooting guard Wesley Person. Person averaged 15.1 points a game last season and is one of the deadliest shooters in the league, knocking down nearly 45 percent of his 3-pointers.
Memphis then dealt its second round pick in next year’s draft to Milwaukee for 6-7 Texas forward Chris Owens, who played in only 11 games this season before suffering a severe knee injury.
Person will help a poor shooting backcourt put the ball in the hole and help a backcourt with question marks, especially at the shooting guard. The Grizzlies backcourt includes the inconsistent Jason Willliams (14.8 points, 8 assists, 38.2 field-goal percentage), Brevin Knight, Will Solomon, Eddie Gill, Rodney Buford and the injured Michael Dickerson, who averaged 10.8 points in four games before missing the rest of the season with a groin injury.
Only one player in that group shot over 43 percent from the floor and four shot miserably under 40 percent.
“We’re pleased because we got a NBA veteran who has years ahead of him,” West said. “He can shoot the ball from a distance and give us an ability to spread the floor and bring in one of the best 3-point shooters to Memphis.
Archibald is a hard worker and banger inside who averaged 10.6 points and was an All-Big 10 third-team selection.
Owens averaged 15.8 points and 8 rebounds a game before tearing the ACL in his right knee. He was one of 50 preseason candidates for the Wooden Award prior to the season.
“If he had not been injured this season, he would have been drafted between the 14th and 20th picks,” West said of the Texas star. “It was a great risk but it’s something we did to have a valuable player next year. He’s a big strong kid.”
Owens is currently jogging and is expected to be fully recovered before next season.
Gooden’s mother moved to Fayetteville when he was in the eighth grade and she kept up with the Grizzlies last season. Now her interest has peaked to a new level with the addition of her son and Memphis’ latest star.
“It feel good to be in Memphis,” Gooden said after being selected. “I was confident I would go there with the fourth pick but you always have doubt. I felt confident Jerry West saw something in me and he would take me.”
This year’s draft is expected to boost the Grizzlies’ offensive woes after the lack of a consistent scorer. Memphis averaged only 89.9 points a game last year and scored over 100 points in just four of its last 21 games. Memphis was 27th in the league in scoring and shot just 43 percent from the floor.
Gooden is expected to see playing time early even though Memphis has eight players who can play forward on their roster.
The Grizzlies plan to play Gooden at either forward spot and couldn’t turn down the large body with quick feet and a soft touch from 15 feet and beyond.
“Look at him, he’s an all-around player,” West said. “The day I came here I said we were going to take the best available player. We’re working at having talent at all positions. He’s one of the fastest players on the team and he’s got a big frame and he’s going to get bigger. We feel we’ve added a player that we haven’t had as far as the total package. Drew gives us a wonderful athlete and help in all those areas. We expect him to score, rebound and even come across from the weakside and block shots. He was a player we coveted.”
Last season the Grizzlies grabbed NBA Rookie of the Year 7-footer Pau Gasol and first-team All-Rookie pick Shane Battier (6-8). The Grizzlies have 6-11 Memphian Lorenzen Wright at center, along with 6-9 post Stromile Swift, who was the only Grizzlies selection in 2000 while in Vancouver. Grant Long, Tony Massenburg, and Antonis Fotsis from Greece are each over 6-9. So who will get those minutes in the paint next season?
“That’s not a concern. I think it’s a luxury to have guys I feel comfortable putting on the floor,” Memphis head coach Sidney Lowe said. “I can look down the bench and call a name and know they are going to be productive on the floor. Drew is a very talented player. We think we got someone we can put in there right away and will be productive. I can’t predict until training camp where he’s going to play most his minutes but I know we’ll have him on the floor. He can score and put the ball on the floor and he played for a great program and great coach (Kansas’ Roy Williams).”
Gooden joined Danny Manning as the only Kansas player in history to record at least 1,500 points, 900 rebounds, 100 blocks and 100 steals in his career.
He was excited to get a chance to play with the younger Grizzlies and the combination of Gasol and Battier.
“I know Jerry West and the coaching staff had to do some research, they just wouldn’t create a logjam at the forward position,” Gooden said. “I think I can contribute on the backboards and create mismatch problems at both forward spots like Pau and Shane. With all three of us on the court, that’s a lethal combination. I think I have the tools to play on the perimeter and down low, my biggest transition will be defending my opponents in the league I think.”
Last year Gasol averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while Battier scored 14.4 points and pulled down 5.4 rebounds a contest. Smith missed 12 games, averaging 11.8 points and 6.3 boards while Wright sat out 38 games with injuries, finishing the year with 12 points and 9.4 rebounds.