The Expansion Charlotte Bobcats have made their first trade. The Bobcats traded the No. 4 and No. 33 pick in the draft to the Los Angeles Clippers for the Clippers' No. 2 pick. As part of the trade, the Bobcats have agreed to select center Peja Drobjnak in Tuesday's expansion draft.

Drobjnak will become the first player on the Bobcats roster. "Peja is thrilled about being the first member of the Bobcats," Drobjnak's agent, David Bauman, told ESPN Insider.

The Bobcats are now in position to take either Emeka Okafor or Dwight Howard in Thursday's entry draft.

"We are extremely pleased to be able to move up into the No. 2 two spot in the draft," Bobcats general manager-coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. "We are trying to build our team with the best possible players and being able to pick second in the draft exemplifies our commitment to accomplishing that goal. This opportunity was available to us and we are happy to complete the deal."

The Clippers wanted to move down to draft a point guard. They like Ben Gordon, Devin Harris and Shaun Livingston, but one source said that Gordon would be their pick.

By dealing Drobjnak, the Clippers clear another $2.6 million from their cap. When factoring in the savings by moving down in the draft, ESPN calculates that the Clippers could have over $13 million to spend on free agents this summer.

In the era of LeBron James, talented high school players get special attention from NBA scouts and lots of publicity from the community of basketball fans.

All of this tends to inflate expectations of how much these young men can accomplish early in their playing careers.  

But teams know that their development will take time.

"There are some very talented players in this year's Draft, but you'll have to wait for most of them to develop," Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld said. "A lot of players like Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal and Kevin Garnett have become stars, but it took time. Nobody stepped in besides LeBron James and had major influence out of high school."

While NBA executives understand the pitfalls of prematurely bringing young players into the pro game, these diamonds in the rough have a strong appeal to teams after the excellent success of several young guns.  Brimming with potential and possible futures bright enough to alter the course of a franchise, these prospects are a tempting proposition on Draft night.

"Most of us wish these players would go to college to get more seasoning and to mature emotionally and physically," Grunfeld said. "But it's hard to pass on a kid in the Draft."

Here begins the story of yet another kid being promised great things his agent couldn't deliver.

Usually today would be the day he would be able to return to school, but David Harrison, a 7 foot center from the University of Colorado is ineligible to return because he signed with an agent. Buffaloes coach Ricardo Patton said Wednesday that was a mistake.

"I think he got bad advice from an agent," Patton said. "I think his agent totally misled him."

"It was after he got back from spring break, but it was too late," Patton said. "He'd already made his mind up. I asked him where he thought he'd go in the draft, and he said top 10. He said that's what his agent told him."

ESPN.com's mock draft does not have Harrison going in the first round. NBAdraft.net projects Harrison to be taken No. 33, the third pick in the second round.

Michael Lee of the AJC writes that Dwight Howard stepped into a ballroom of the Wyndham Hotel in downtown Chicago Saturday not knowing exactly where he will wind up in the June 24 NBA draft.

"I'm hearing two places -- Orlando and the Hawks," the former Southwest Atlanta Christian star said at a pre-draft media session. "Orlando in my left ear and the Hawks in my right ear. Both places are home. They're in the South. It's warm."

The Orlando Magic owns the No. 1 pick and Howard will work out with the team this week. He said he plans to perform for at least two more teams before the draft, including the Hawks.

Howard sounded less than optimistic about the prospect of going to the Los Angeles Clippers, who currently hold the rights to the No. 2 pick and already have a stockpile of power forwards, including Elton Brand.

Nate Robinson is in constant motion at the Moody Bible Institute, the site of the NBA's pre-Draft camp in Chicago.  
The basketball he played to audition for NBA teams has tired him out.  "My body was a little sore today," he said.  "Everybody was a little slower today, not just me. But I managed. I still did my thing."

Robinson poured in 22 points on the first day of the camp and established himself as the darling of the event right out of the gates.  

"I can say he was one of the better guys from the guys we saw, but there's a lot of guys who are not in this camp," Seattle Sonics coach Nate McMillan said. "He played under control and opened some eyes here."

After a phyisical, Robinson will have to decide whether he should he return to the University of Washington or remain eligible for the NBA Draft after his impressive performance in Chicago.  

It's a big gamble on his basketball future:  Robinson could earn millions of dollars if he is selected in the first round or he could get nothing if he's chosen in the second round and doesn't stick with a team.

"There's a lot of people who went in the second round. Rashard Lewis did it and he signed a big contract," Robinson said.  "You just have to have faith in God. That's about all I can say. He is not going to let me fail. Even if I do go back to school that's not a failure. I just wasn't ready for it."

As a courtesy to prospective NBA players, the league office draws projections from a committee of six to eight general managers who offer an opinion on likely Draft position.  But the committee does not always provide an accurate gauge.

By Marco Fracasso

The Reebok Eurocamp, like the Big Man Camp, was held at the La Ghirada sports complex, in Treviso, continuing between the 3rd and the 5th of June. This time around the 40+ players (almost exclusively the best young talent in Europe) from all positions were invited to show their stuff, with the oldest player (Mile Ilic) being 20 years old and the youngest being 15 (Danilo Gallinari).

The prospects:

Roko Leni Ukic: (6-5, 183 pounds, 1984)

Probably the player who had the biggest impact on the floor. At 6-5 he has great size and very good ball-handling for the point guard position. He has very quick feet and hands, reminiscent a little of Ginobili as far as the way he reacts to what?s happening on the floor, he has good court awareness and the mental and physical tools to go along with that. His 6-7 ? wingspan makes him a threat defensively in the passing lanes. He?s very aggressive on defense, something that has to be corrected a bit because he gambles a lot as many of those guys do. He showed the ability to contain the penetration of smaller players very well, something that he didn?t always have, which is great as far as his NBA potential is concerned.

He?s a very good athlete, although he does need to become stronger, but he has yet to turn twenty and his body looks far from mature. He?s really great leading the fast break, but he?s not always patient enough in the half court game. He forced several situations by over-penetrating, running into brick walls, and he was caught getting up in the air a couple of times without having decided what to do yet.

Because of plays like that he ended up with too many turnovers, a problem that needs to and probably will be cut down with more experience and maturity. Ukic is very creative off the dribble, he can find the open man while slashing both on the perimeter and with a close pass; he?ll likely be able to beat his man off the dribble even in the NBA.

According to scouts, he?s probably going to be drafted somewhere in the second half of the first round, with how close to the middle depending on his individual workouts. Since he hasn?t been paid by his team for several months now, he?s free to opt out of his contract at any time.

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For the rest of the prospects, click here:

Prepster Smith leaps into Suns' draft view

Paul Coro
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 6, 2004 12:00 AM

Josh Smith is a viable possibility should the Suns hang on to their No. 7 pick in the NBA draft. But he is a perplexing talent.

He's only the second-best high school player from the Atlanta area, behind Dwight Howard. He is listed as the No. 3 U.S. high school prospect. But he's also considered the draft's most athletic player.

So where does that leave the Suns, for whom Smith, a 6-foot-8 swingman, is working out today?

The Suns, the NBA's youngest team this season, would have to be comfortable with not only going young again, but with a player whose consistent effort has been questioned.

"I admit I have some raw potential," Smith said.

" . . . I think I can be somewhat of an immediate contributor. I know I have a lot to learn, but I have some advantages because of my athleticism."

We're talking springs that put his elbows above the rim. He was attractive enough for adidas to sign him to a reported six-year, $12 million shoe deal. He has worked out for Charlotte, Washington and Atlanta, which have the three picks just ahead of Phoenix.

"Josh is an amazing athlete, but he is a lot more skilled than people give him credit for," Smith's agent, Brian Dyke, said.

"Everybody thinks he's raw, but he knows he's got a lot to learn."

(click to continue)