CLIPPERS DRAFT: FOR CLIPPERS, A GAME OF WAIT AND SEE SIXTH PICK COULD BE BIG MAN KAMAN OR POINT GUARD FORD.

Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer

For the past week, Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor and director of player personnel Barry Hecker have been talking to other NBA teams, trying to figure out which players will be taken before the Clippers' sixth pick in the draft today.

The two are receiving information, but unfortunately for them, they're not sure what to believe.

``Usually what happens is we start calling each other, and everybody lies to each other,'' Hecker said. ``The personnel guys will call each other, and the general mangers, too. Hopefully, by when the draft starts, we'll have a pretty good feel. But there's always some surprises.''

Capping the week of lies, the Clippers will pick sixth in the draft. Baylor has not ruled out trading with the pick, but making a trade appears unlikely.

Baylor and Hecker refused to say which players the organization is leaning toward. In fact, when Baylor was asked the player he expects to draft, he answered, ``John Doe.''

But with only five picks in front of them, it is not hard to see the Clippers' possibilities.

The first four picks are practically set in stone. They are LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. Thus, the player the Clippers select is contingent upon who is picked by the Miami Heat with the fifth pick.

Speculation indicates Miami is leaning toward 7-foot Polish forward Maciej Lampe, and if not him, then perhaps Marquette guard Dwyane Wade. So the Clippers might have a chance to draft Wade, but if not, they might select Chris Kaman, a 7-foot center from Eastern Michigan, or maybe even speedy Texas point guard T.J. Ford.

Ford could be a good fit with the team because point guard Andre Miller is expected to get an offer from the Utah Jazz in which the Clippers likely won't match. Center Michael Olowokandi also is expected to sign elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent, so maybe Kaman would make sense to pick. But many regard Wade as the best available player, regardless of position.

``We're looking for a player that will fit in best with our team,'' Baylor said. ``We want a player we can feel will be productive, maybe not right away but in time. But hopefully, he can come right in and be productive.''

Even with all the variables, the draft should be one of the least complicated endeavors for the Clippers this offseason. They still have not hired a full-time coach. Dennis Johnson has the tag of ``interim head coach,'' yet former Lakers coach Mike Dunleavy met with the organization twice, including once with owner Donald T. Sterling.

The Clippers also will be part of a ``free-agent derby'' next month. They have four unrestricted free agents: Olowokandi, Eric Piatkowski, Sean Rooks and Cherokee Parks, and four restricted free agents: Miller, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Lamar Odom. Teams can make offers for the players July 16, and the Clippers have the right to match any offer made to a restricted free agent.

As for the Clippers' plans, Baylor offered no comment, and Sterling has denied requests for interviews.

--Notes: In a move that was a formality, the Clippers made qualifying offers to Brand, Miller, Maggette and Odom on Wednesday. The team was required to make the offers to establish the team's right to match an offer that any of the four might receive.