NEW YORK, 22 June 2003 — Seventeen international prospects will take their chances in Thursday’s National Basketball Association Draft following the decision by 14 others to withdraw their names from early entry consideration. Russian giant Pavel Podkolzine, who stands 7-foot-4, and FC Barcelona’s Anderson Varejao led those who dropped out by Thursday’s deadline. Spain’s Varejao did so for the second year in a row.
That left a solid group of global candidates for the annual talent selection by NBA clubs. The record for first-round choices among non-United States players was seven in 2000 but many scouts expect that mark to fall next week. While Cleveland plans to select US high school prodigy LeBron James with the top pick, the Detroit Pistons plan to make Serbian 7-footer Darko Milicic the second player selected. Only China’s Yao Ming, last year’s top choice, has gone higher than second among international players in the NBA Draft. Two French players from Pau Orthez, Mickael Pietrus and Boris Diaw-Riffiod, have risen in scouts estimation in recent weeks. And the 7-foot-4 Serbian Goliath figures to get a taker on size alone. China’s Xue Yuyang, a 21-year-old 7-footer from the Hong Kong Flying Dragons, could follow the path opened by Yao, Mengke Bateer of the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and Wang Zhizhi of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ayers Named Coach
of NBA 76ers
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Randy Ayers was named coach of the Philadelphia 76ers here on Friday, replacing Larry Brown after four years as an assistant with the NBA club. The 76ers also considered Eddie Jordan, who instead took the vacant job as coach of the Washington Wizards. Brown resigned shortly after the 76ers were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals and took over as coach at Detroit, which had eliminated Philadelphia. Brown made potential retirements an annual issue with the 76ers.
