Anchorage Daily News

Oh what a difference a clutch NCAA title game performance, a Sports Illustrated cover shot and some impressive workouts can make.

Click to enlarge

Story tools

Comments

E-mail a friend

Print

Digg this

Seed Newsvine

Send link via AIM

Font size : A | A | A

Fresh off that run, Anchorage native Mario Chalmers is enjoying an ascendant move from marginal NBA prospect to potential lottery pick in Thursday's NBA Draft held at New York City's Madison Square Garden. He's expected to be the third Alaskan selected since the draft went to two rounds.

Lottery picks are the first 14 made by teams with the worst records the previous season. The Chicago Bulls have already received the first pick.

Three months ago, online prognosticators such as NBADraft.net and DraftExpress.com had the Kansas point guard going as a middle second round pick, a player who might be better off returning for his senior season.

Chalmers' teammates Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur were considered the potential pro studs on the Jayhawks' roster.

But after Mario's magical March and an announcement that he would test the draft waters as a junior, the Bartlett graduate began appearing in the late first round in many mock NBA drafts, going to teams like the San Antonio Spurs or the New Orleans Hornets.

After a string of strong workout sessions with Phoenix (No. 15), Denver (No. 20), Cleveland (No. 19), Washington (No. 18), Portland (No. 13), Indiana (No. 11) and New Orleans (No. 27), Chalmers has moved up to late first round among many prognosticators, possibly ahead of Rush and Arthur.

ESPN's Chad Ford has Chalmers going to the Sacramento Kings in his latest mock draft with the 12th pick. Fellow ESPN college hoops guru Andy Katz reported that the Suns like Chalmers at No. 15 with the Orlando Magic at No. 22 the lowest he would drop.

Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com is reporting that Chalmers has a promise that the New Orleans Hornets will select him with their No. 27 pick should he last that long.

Chalmers and his father Ronnie, the former head coach at Bartlett who is the director of basketball operations for Kansas, made it clear in recent interviews that the player wouldn't keep his name in the draft unless he was going to be in the top 25 players selected.

"Based on the reports we're getting back, it looks like a lock for the first round," Ronnie Chalmers told ESPN's Katz.

Of course, all pre-draft talk is pure speculation. Other Alaskans have shown that anything can happen on draft day.

Former East star Trajan Langdon, who was not considered a lottery pick heading into the 1999 NBA draft due to defensive shortcomings, was picked No. 11 by the Cleveland Cavaliers after graduating from Duke. He lasted three years with the Cavs before moving on to a successful career in Europe.

Carlos Boozer, a four-year star for Juneau-Douglas High, seemed like a lock for the first round in 2002 after a junior season at Duke in which he averaged 18.2 points and 8.7 rebounds.

But NBA scouts were scared off by Boozer's size: At 6-foot-9, he didn't project as a pro center and seemed to lack the athleticism to play power forward. He slipped all the way to the Cavaliers at No. 34 in the second round but has turned into an all-star with the Utah Jazz.

For his part, Chalmers isn't paying much attention to all the hubbub.

"I try not to worry about that because that's other people's opinions," Chalmers told Suns.com. "It's not the GMs, so I try not to pay too much attention to it."

CHALMERS' RESUME

AT KANSAS: After dominating the Alaska prep ranks, Chalmers improved his scoring and shooting numbers each year at Kansas while adjusting to the rigors of Division I basketball. One of the top defenders in the country, he averaged more than 2.5 steals each season, twice setting the Kansas record for most thefts in a season. He won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award after his sophomore season. As a junior, his assists-to-turnover ratio improved to 2.3-to-1, while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 47 percent from three-point range. Then he ended his three-year career with a flourish -- a 30-point outburst in the Big 12 title game, an NCAA Championship run and the tournament Most Outstanding Player award.

NBA LINEAGE: Cousin Lionel Chalmers, a standout guard for Xavier, was picked in 33rd in 2004 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. He played 34 games in 2004 and has been playing in Europe since then, most recently for Italian power Benetton Treviso.

STRENGTHS: Among those mentioned by online draft prognosticators: wing span ... outstanding defender ... great in passing lanes ... fantastic shooting percentages ... deadly shooter with feet set ... rarely turns the ball over ... unselfish ... executes offensively ... understands his role ... incredibly efficient ... very crafty ... improved every year at KU ... national champion.

WEAKNESSES: Among those mentioned -- undersized ... Good, not great, athlete ... not a true point guard ... mechanical offensively ... average NBA ball-handler ... lacks shot-creating ability for himself and others ... lacks mid-range game ... loses accuracy shooting off dribble.

College Statistics

Year G Pts Reb Ast A/T Stl FG% FT% 3P%

2007-08 39 12.8 3.1 4.3 2.3/1 2.5 .516 .746 .468

2006-07 38 12.2 3.0 3.3 1.4/1 2.6 .491 .770 .404

2005-06 33 11.5 2.2 3.8 1.4/1 2.7 .445 .788 .375

THURSDAY: The NBA draft will be broadcast live at 3 p.m. on ESPN (cable Channel 34).

ADVERTISEMENT