Anchorage Daily News

When Mario Chalmers gets drafted by one of the 30 NBA teams today, Daniel Brown wants to make sure his former Bartlett High teammate feels the love from Alaska.

That's why Brown has organized a draft gathering at the Peanut Farm, a sports bar on Old Seward Highway. He's hoping Chalmers, who is in New York for the draft, will call in after his selection and they can broadcast his comments to patrons.

"He's a real good friend of mine," said Brown, who said he started playing ball with Chalmers at age 13. "I thought it would be something good for the community."

Peanut Farm will devote most of its televisions to the ESPN telecast, beginning at 3 p.m.

Brown said he talked to Chalmers on Tuesday, and the University of Kansas star had no inkling which team would pick him.

"It's been pretty hectic. He said he can't wait 'til it's over," Brown said. "I just want him to go to a team where he can get some playing time and fit in."

Brown was Chalmers' teammate until their senior year in high school, when Brown transferred to West High, coached by Chuck White. That season ended when West's Brian Hurn hit a last-second three-pointer to give West a 70-69 state championship win in perhaps the most thrilling state championship game played.

Brown, West's top scorer that season at 20.7 points per game and, like Chalmers, an all-state selection, went to Providence Hospital minutes into the game with a separated shoulder.

But even back then, Brown loved video highlights. He gathered teammates at his house the next day to watch the replay over and over.

Two of Chalmers' Kansas championship teammates, Darrell Arthur and Brandon Rush, may also go in the first round, according to the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World & News.

"I worked out with Mario in Indiana," Arthur said. "We reminisce all the time about the season and now going through the process is kind of like a boot camp. It's been great and we've helped each other out."

Chad Ford and Bill Simmons write for ESPN.com and disagree quite a bit about the future of former Alaska star Mario Chalmers, the Kansas guard who is expected to be drafted today. Ford thinks Chalmers is a good fit for the Sacramento Kings, who draft 12th. Simmons isn't sold. Here is what they said:

FORD: The Kings have nothing at point guard. Beno Udrih, the current Kings point guard, will convince some unsuspecting GM to offer him a full mid-level deal at five years and $35 million. GM Geoff Petrie will wisely let him go.

I've never been a fan of tiny point guards, but every time I watch D.J. Augustin, I see some Steve Nash there. He's great at keeping his dribble going until he finds the open man, he shoots it well and he's got a huge heart. But he also gets worked on the defensive end of the ball, and that scares me.

For the last week, I've been trying to talk myself into putting Mario Chalmers ahead of Augustin. He's bigger, he's clutch, he's a better defender. He doesn't have crazy floor vision, but he's just plain good.

I think I'm finally there: Mario over D.J.

SIMMONS: Here's what worries me about this pick -- if Chalmers missed The Shot in the Kansas-Memphis game, would he even be going in the top 25? You could argue that, because he made The Shot, that proved he's clutch. (A fair argument.) I'm just playing devil's advocate. I liked Chalmers in college, but at no point did I ever think to myself, "That guy is a lottery pick." This seems high to me for a career backup.

A poll on the Kansas City (Kan.) Star Web site asked readers where they thought Chalmers would be drafted:

• Lottery pick (Nos. 1-14), 17 percent

• Late first round (Nos. 15-30), 54 percent

• Early second round, 16 percent

• Late second round, 8 percent

• Not drafted, 5 percent Chalmers poll

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