June 29, 2007

Lucky 13th
He waited a while, but Jayhawk never doubted he would be a lottery pick.

By J. BRADY McCOLLOUGH
The Kansas City Star

When the Philadelphia 76ers selected Georgia Tech forward Thaddeus Young with the 12th pick in the 2007 NBA draft, Julian Wright didn't worry.

The ESPN cameras locked onto Wright, a Kansas sophomore, projected as a surefire lottery pick back in April, likely hoping for some sort of Brady Quinnlike draft day expression of disbelief after another team passed on him. Wright didn't oblige. Instead, he told himself to trust the process that he and agent Rob Pelinka had followed to Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.

"I really felt that I would not fall out of the lottery," said Wright, a native of Chicago Heights, Ill.

Wright's good faith paid off only five minutes later when the New Orleans Hornets drafted him with the 13th pick in the first round, confirming his belief all along that he would be a lottery pick in one of the deepest drafts in NBA history.

"I was really happy and relieved," Wright said. "I wasn't picked as high as the teams that I worked out for, but I'm relieved that a team like New Orleans saw things in me. That was refreshing to know."

The difference between lottery -- the top 14 picks -- and pick No. 15 is really window dressing when it comes down to it, but Wright did say when he decided to leave KU that his being a lottery pick was a factor.

Projected as high as the No. 7 pick early on, Wright missed out on about $600,000 a year by going 13th. Wright will make around $1.5 million in his first year with the Hornets and have the potential to make about $4.5 million if Wright plays a third year with New Orleans.

Wright said the last thing on his mind Thursday night was going on a shopping spree backed by his newfound financial security.

"Now that I'm drafted," Wright said, "I'm not out to get crazy stuff. I have really good support that's kept me comfortable and reasonable in my spending."

Instead, one of the first things Wright thought about after hearing his name called and shaking hands with NBA commissioner David Stern was the opportunity to help rebuild the city of New Orleans.

"I'm the type of person that always tries to be a positive influence," Wright said. "Anytime I can help a place be better than it was when I got there ... I'm going to do my part to be a good citizen down there."

The Hornets were projected by many to draft Southern California scoring guard Nick Young. But they also didn't expect Wright, believed to be one of the players with the highest upside, to fall into their laps. Hornets general manager Jeff Bower told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that Wright's versatility was too good to pass up. It's also possible that the Hornets' drafting of Wright will make it easier for them to let free agent Desmond Mason walk.

Wright, a first-team All-Big 12 selection his sophomore season, will compete for minutes with Hornets forwards Peja Stojakovic, David West, Rasual Butler and possibly Mason. Kansas coach Bill Self said he expects Wright to have an immediate impact. More than that, though, Self sees Wright's ceiling as extremely high.

"I think he could be an All-Star," Self said. "Of all the guys that were taken in this draft, 10 years from now, he has a chance to elevate himself ahead of the guys that went ahead of him because of his potential."

As is the custom on draft night, the comparisons to current and former NBA players were unavoidable. New Orleans coach Byron Scott referred to Wright as "a poor man's Magic Johnson."

Wright wasn't so sure about that.

"I heard that. I laughed," Wright said. "I haven't even played a game yet. We'll see."

The main criticism of Wright during the draft process was his ability to score, but the Hornets won't need Wright to be a No. 1 or No. 2 scorer.

"I'll definitely have a chip on my shoulder in that regard," Wright said, "but I'm not out to prove that I can score. I'm not going to focus on that, because that's not what got me here."

To reach J. Brady McCollough, e-mail jmccollough@kcstar.com

J. Brady McCollough - jbrady@coveringsports.com (email) - 816-868-2621 (cell)