Percy Allen / NBA reporter
Regular season over — bring on draft talk

	JOHN DAVID MERCER / AP Connecticut's Emeka Okafor, left, earned his degree in three years and led the Huskies to the national title this past season.
	E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Related stories Percy Allen's NBA power rankings Taking the lead twice; the week ahead

Here they come now.

Dwight Howard. Ben Gordon. Emeka Okafor.

All three players declared for the NBA draft last week. They weren't the first high-school basketball players and collegiate underclassmen to do so, nor will they be the last.

The early entry eligibility deadline to enter is May 10, and soon we will hear from Gonzaga's Ronny Turiaf and the wonderfully gifted Marvin Williams out of Bremerton.

Luol Deng will surely leave Duke after just one season with the Blue Devils, which is a year longer than prepsters Josh Smith and Al Jefferson, who are considered lottery picks, will ever spend in college.

Some might say it's time to focus on the playoffs, but for the folks in Seattle and in places such as Chicago, Phoenix and Orlando, where professional basketball is played on television and not in local arenas, all we really have is the NBA draft, which promises hope for better days.

We place our faith in the hands of scouts and talent evaluators such as Sonics general manager Rick Sund, who flew to Europe for a two-week exploration of the top talent overseas.

Sund openly wondered if the Sonics, who are undergoing the third year of their youth movement, need another rookie.

They will likely select 12th for the third time in four years. Unfortunately, early reports indicate that it's a five-player draft. That means only a handful of prospects are reasonably expected to carry their teams from the lottery to the playoffs, much like Carmelo Anthony did for Denver this season.

Recent Sonics history says selections that low in the draft are a gamble. Vladimir Radmanovic was chosen 12th in 2001, Desmond Mason taken at 17 in 2000, and Corey Maggette was selected at 13 in 1999 before being traded to Orlando.

And in many ways, last year's 12th overall pick, Nick Collison, will be the Sonics' top rookie going into next fall's training camp.

So chances are better than average that the Seattle will either get rid of the pick in a trade or make a deal to move up in the draft, which is a scenario Sund alluded to when he said he's looking to make a big deal this summer.

That's what we have to look forward to here for the next two months. We'll learn the names of a few foreign-born players. However, we'll never truly get an understanding of what they might do in the league because video footage of their games is limited.

We'll get to know Stanford's Josh Childress, whose on-court versatility is appealing. Some may think that he's a future replacement for Rashard Lewis.

And Williams, a player many have likened to a young Kevin Garnett, will tempt us with all that he might deliver the Sonics.

All of it is hope and fantasy league basketball. Not exactly scintillating stuff, but in the absence of the playoffs, you look toward the future.

In Atlanta, Howard's parents pray each day that the Hawks somehow land the top pick in the draft and take their son — who attended Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy — No. 1 overall.

Howard's father, Dwight Sr., had a message for Billy Knight, the Atlanta general manager: "We're going to pray that the balls fall the right way for the Hawks."

In Orlando, Okafor has visited several communities and reportedly sought a place where he might buy real estate and settle down. The Magic, which has the NBA's worst record and best chance at landing the top spot, won't tip its hand, but is said to be leaning toward choosing the Connecticut All-American.

The debate between Okafor and Howard isn't as compelling as the one that ensued last year between LeBron James, Darko Milicic and Anthony.

Both have drawn comparisons to likely Hall of Famer David Robinson. Okafor, who is a chiseled 6-foot-10, 250-pounder, resembles Robinson in stature, whereas Howard, a 6-11 power forward, is a devout Christian, much like the former San Antonio Spur.

"I need to represent God and myself on the court and off of the court, rekindle what David Robinson did in the league," Howard told Dime Magazine in an interview before his senior season.

Okafor or Howard?

Their character isn't in question. Okafor graduated in three years with a 3.75 grade-point average, while Howard served as the student government association co-president and sang in the chorus.

Their basketball skills are similar as well. Each is projected as a power forward in the NBA. Okafor averaged 17.6 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.6 blocks while leading UConn to the national title. Howard averaged 25.5 points, 18.3 rebounds and eight blocks while leading the school to Georgia's Class A championship.

So again, whom do you choose?

Howard or Okafor?

In some places, the debate is more important than the games being played right now.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com

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