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Magic centers on size

Orlando takes 7-0 Steven Hunter, then trades for 7-0 Brendan Haywood.

By ROGER MILLS

© St. Petersburg Times,
published June 28, 2001

ORLANDO -- The Magic wanted size and help at guard.

It got both ... and then some.

In keeping with the franchise's habit of wheeling and dealing on draft day, Orlando pulled another set of surprises in Wednesday night's draft.

The Magic selected DePaul center Steven Hunter with the 15th pick, traded center Michael Doleac to the Cavaliers for the rights to North Carolina center Brendan Haywood and grabbed guard Jeryl Sasser from Southern Methodist with its second first-round pick, No. 22 overall.

In the second round, Orlando selected St. John's point guard Omar Cook and traded the pick to Denver to satisfy a previous obligation.

"As drafts go, this was a great one for us," Magic general manager John Gabriel said. "We feel like we addressed our needs with athleticism, with the acquisition of Hunter, with shot blocking with the acquisition of Haywood. We're very, very pleased. ... A home run."

Born on Halloween in 1981, the 7-foot Hunter has the potential to scare anyone trying to come down the lane. Void of an athletic shot-blocker and a consistent rebounding presence inside the past two seasons, the Magic had its eyes on Hunter from the get go because he seems to fit perfectly with the team's philosophy.

"This is a guy who played two years of basketball and is only 19 years old," said former NBA coach Hubie Brown, a TNT analyst. "You put him in the Orlando style of play, pressing, trapping, zone matchups, and now you have a shot blocker which they have not had with their present center position. This is a good fit for Orlando and a great fit for Hunter."

Hunter, who played two seasons with the Blue Demons, was considered a long shot for the first round at the end of the college season. But as he marched through the league's three predraft camps, Hunter showed he could score as well as play defense.

"I've grown a lot and got a lot better as a player," said Hunter, who has added about 20 pounds since the end of the college season and weighs about 230. "The season doesn't really reflect the type of player I am. During the season, I had flashes of it. I don't want to say anything about DePaul, but as a team (we weren't) able to get it going. That's part of the reason I left; I wanted to reach my potential as a player."

As a sophomore, Hunter put up modest numbers, averaging 11.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. He was often criticized for not being aggressive enough on offense. Where he did excel, Magic officials said, was in his ability to get up and down the floor and play solid defense.

"He has a chance to be a great player," Magic coach Doc Rivers said. "He's not a great player. He's not even a good player yet. But he has a chance to be all those. One thing he can do now is block your shot. The other thing he can do is outrun you down the court."

"I think I can add a lot of rebounding and a lot of shot blocking," Hunter said. "I think I'm the most athletic of all the big men in the draft."

With a couple of surprise picks in the top 10, namely Atlanta taking Pau Gasol at No. 3 and Jason Richardson going to Golden State with the fifth pick, the Magic sat quietly, hoping Hunter would fall to the 15th pick.

When Golden State grabbed Notre Dame's Troy Murphy at No. 14, Orlando grabbed Hunter but kept Haywood in its plans.

Haywood, like Hunter, is expected to immediately clog the lane, grab rebounds and reject a few shots. He set school records for blocked shots (304) and field-goal percentage (63.7).

"He's 7 feet tall, has a great body, blocks shots and went to North Carolina," Rivers said. "North Carolina players tend to do better in the league. They fit into a system there, and I think they are allowed to express themselves a little bit more when they get to the NBA."

Haywood said he should fit in perfectly with the Magic. "Look at the team," he said. "They have all the scoring they need. My job will be to rebound and block shots."

Sasser likely was one of the draft's biggest surprises. Not considered a first rounder by many, Sasser is another wing player who can score and run the floor.

More important, in a conference that features Allen Iverson, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell, Sasser is expected to bring immediate defensive help.

"He's a relentless worker as a player," Gabriel said. "His approach will fit in very well the way Doc coaches the team. This guy's a flat out point guard stopper. He's the best defensively that I have seen come into our building in a long, long time."

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