Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

June 28, 2012

Beal will go high, but where is a concern

Bradley Beal, who turns 19 today, is leaving Florida to become a high draft choice by somebody.

From news service reports

This is what Bradley Beal knows will happen today. He will turn 19. He will officially become a millionaire. And he will be handed a hat with an NBA logo on it -- he's just not sure which one.

Beal won't be taken with the No. 1 pick in tonight's NBA draft -- Anthony Davis of Kentucky has a lock on that honor -- but the freshman sharpshooter from Florida is expected to fly off the board to the Charlotte Bobcats at No. 2, Washington Wizards at No. 3 or Cleveland Cavaliers at No. 4.

"I never thought I would be in a situation going as high as I am now," said Beal, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard. "It's just a tremendous feeling."

Beal, who averaged 14.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists at Florida, was the subject of nonstop chatter through the NBA finals and rumors continued to swirl about him Wednesday.

The Wizards are very interested in pairing Beal with John Wall, and the Cavaliers, who have the Nos. 4 and 24 picks, reportedly have offered both picks to Charlotte.

The Cavaliers believe they could have one of the most formidable backcourts in the league by taking Beal and pairing him with Kyrie Irving, whom the Cavaliers took with their No. 1 overall pick last year.

"The whole thing is a little nerve-racking, the not knowing with teams trying to trade up," Beal said. "I hope I know before the draft when I'm going but I'm not sure. It's going to get real interesting. I'm very curious to see where I'm going to end up."

Beal repeatedly was asked whom he would rather play with, Wall or Irving, and refused to say whether he liked one player more than the other. But he did say that his workout for the Cavaliers stood out from the ones he went through in Charlotte and Washington.

"In Cleveland it was really competitive," he said, explaining the Cavaliers had him go one-on-one with a fellow draft prospect, Harrison Barnes of North Carolina. "We both had a great workout."

Beal, who had a 3.8 grade-point average at Florida, has the same kind of baby face as Ray Allen, a player he's often compared to. But there's nothing babyish about Beal's style of play. As the smallest of five brothers, two of whom played Division I football, Beal learned how to take care of himself early.

 

PACERS: Larry Bird will leave his job as president of basketball operations at the end of August. He was this season's NBA executive of the year.

Bird said health issues were among the reasons for his departure. He said he may need shoulder surgery and also cited longstanding issues with his back.

 

CLYDE DREXLER, an NBA Hall of Famer, denied making negative statements attributed to him about Magic Johnson in an upcoming book about the Dream Team.

In Jack McCallum's book, "Dream Team," Drexler said Johnson only earned a spot on the Olympic team and the MVP award in the 1992 All-Star game out of pity resulting from his HIV diagnosis the previous year.

"He couldn't play much by that time. He couldn't guard his shadow," Drexler is quoted as saying. "But you have to understand what was going on then. Everybody kept waiting for Magic to die. Every time he'd run up the court everybody would feel sorry for the guy, and he'd get all that benefit of the doubt."

 

BUCKS-ROCKETS: Milwaukee acquired center Samuel Dalembert, a future second-round pick and cash considerations from Houston, for forwards Jon Brockman and Jon Leuer, guard Shaun Livingston and the 12th pick.

 

TIMBERWOLVES: David Kahn, the president of basketball operations, said the team is interested in signing Brandon Roy, who is seeking a comeback after knee injuries caused him to miss all of last season.

 

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