While the Heat tries to sneak into the playoffs, general manager Randy Pfund and player personnel director Chet Kammerer scurry about the globe, searching for the right player to fill what likely will be the team's highest draft choice in seven years.

''The main thing is to see all the guys we consider first-round picks,'' said Pfund, who will attend more than 50 college games this season. ``Chet identifies who we consider the lottery picks, and I try to see them during the season or the conference tournaments.

``I've upped the schedule a little bit, because we have a first-round pick this year, and it could be potentially higher than usual. We're trying to make doubly sure we see people we want to see.''

The depth of this draft hinges on how many underclassmen go pro, especially at guard and small forward.

If there are a lot of early entrants, the Heat has a decent chance of filling its point guard need, even if its pick is in the teens.

Missing the playoffs would mean a shot -- albeit a very slim one -- of landing likely No. 1 pick Jason Williams, Duke's junior point guard. The non-playoff teams with the worst records have the best chance to get a top three pick in the weighted lottery.

After the first three picks, the order of other non-playoff teams are based on inverse order of record.

Beyond Williams, only two other pure point guards are considered potential lottery picks -- Illinois junior Frank Williams and Boston College junior Troy Bell. Memphis freshman Dujuan Wagner, a combination guard, would be a high lottery pick but said he expects to stay in college.

Gonzaga senior Dan Dickau, a gifted offensive player, is a borderline lottery pick. Other potential first-round point guards include Maryland senior Juan Dixon, an ace defender; former Fresno State standout Tito Maddox, who lost his college eligibility for accepting illegal benefits, and Kansas junior Kirk Hinrich, who has raised his stock. That list also would include Duke's Chris Duhon if he leaves as a sophomore.

Potential second-rounders who could move up if they impress during the NCAA tournament and pre-draft workouts include Arizona junior Jason Gardner and Oklahoma State senior Maurice Baker.

''Dickau is an amazing college player, and so is Gardner,'' ESPN's Dick Vitale said. ``Frank Williams has a tendency to drift. You have a lot of good point guards. Whether they translate into pros remains to be seen.''

But, among seniors, ''the point-gaurd class is thin -- Dickau, Dixon, Baker,'' said Chris Monter, who publishes Monter Draft News. ``Teams think they can get point guards later in the draft, like Jamaal Tinsley and Tony Parker last year.''

Small forward would be the Heat's other main area of need. Duke 6-9 junior Mike Dunleavy, an exceptional shooter who can play guard or forward, would be a top-five pick. Kansas 6-11 junior Drew Goodenwould be a high lottery pick and could play either forward position.

Pfund insists the Heat isn't reluctant to draft a foreign player, despite the regrettable decision to trade a No. 1 pick for Estonian forward Martin Muursepp in 1996.

''There's no big hangover for us from Martin Muursepp,'' Pfund said. ``There are issues of when [foreign players] will be available to you, how long will they take to fit in. But if we had been in position to take a European player recently, we would have considered it.''

Kammerer spent a week in Europe recently, and he and Pfund have scouted 7-6 Chinese center Yao Ming, who will go either first or second in June's draft.

Although it's difficult to envision a Pat Riley-coached team drafting a high school player, Pfund and Kammerer have scouted prep players recently.

Two high school seniors who are considering turning pro are power forwards Amare Stoudemire (a likely top eight pick from the Orlando area) and De'Angelo Collins (a projected mid-to-late first-rounder from Inglewood, Calif.).

''When we see high school players, it's low-key, with no interviews,'' Pfund said.

Ohio high school junior guard LeBron James might be the top pick if he came out, but NBA rules prohibit that, and James said he wants to return to high school for his senior season.