Clippers legendary broadcaster Ralph Lawler checks in with his answers to recent 2003 NBA Draft questions sent in by fans to Clippers.com. Check out his response and thanks to everyone who took the time to drop us an email!

Got your own Draft questions? Click here to email Ralph!

June 23rd, 2003

How good was the Greek Baby Shaq's [Sofaklis Schortsianides] workout?
--Benito
"I thought he was impressive. He has a really amazing body for an 18 year old. If he were an inch or two taller he'd have a chance to be a star. As it is, he'll likely go between 15 and 20 in the draft. The concern is that under-sized power forwards do not have a good track record in this league. (Marcus Fizer, Gary Trent, Othella Harrington, etc.)"


Do you think [Dwyane] Wade is a better NBA shooting guard than Jarvis Hayes? I don't see Wade as an NBA shooting guard. I feel like he will be a point guard in the NBA.
--Trellis
"They are totally different players. Wade will be a combo guard playing both backcourt positions while Hayes is a 'swingman' who'll play some shooting guard and some small forward. Both have the goods to be solid NBA players."



What is the status for the head coach position?
--Karen
"I think talks with Dunleavy are on-going. The New York Post reports that there has been some positive movement in the negotiations. Mike is an excellent coach and he told me during this past season that he really liked the young talent on the Clipper roster."



What do you think of Brazilian Leandrinho Barbosa?
--Louis
"I've not seen him but scouts love his game. There is concern because he's from Brazil and speaks virtually no English. That's more of a problem for a player who is a point guard than it might be for some other position."



Why do you think Pavel pulled out of this year's draft? Was he not ready for NBA ball?
"My guess is that his agent feared that concerns about the big Russian player's pituitary gland dis-order would cause him to drop a few notches in the draft this year. He'll have surgery this summer and play a full season of basketball in Italy next season. If he has a good year there, he could be the top pick in the draft in 2004. It's a real risk passing up sure money right now."