CLIPPERS TAKING AIM AT A SHOOTER.

Byline: Joe Stevens Staff Writer

Every June, the Clippers go through a funny little song and dance before the draft. They know full well what their hopes are for the draft, but they try their best to not say anything that would give away their plans to other teams picking ahead of them.

Not this year.

General manager Elgin Baylor was more candid about the Clippers' hopes as the NBA Draft takes place tonight in New York: a shooter.

``To be honest, what we're looking for is outside shooting, which would be a person who plays two and can play the three,'' Baylor said. ``Or we'd like to get a big man that can give us some perimeter shooting. And right now, it looks like everything favors the guys in the perimeter positions, two and three. It seems like there are more of them.''

Baylor stopped short of saying exactly which player fits that mold and would be a reasonable selection with the 12th overall pick. However, it doesn't take much detective work to see that versatile 18-year-old Russian Yaroslav Korolev could be a potential pick.

The Clippers may be crossing their fingers to land Seattle prep star Martell Webster, a prep star from Seattle, but he likely will be selected much earlier. Texas A&M shooting guard Antoine Wright also is a possible selection.

The Clippers' outside shooting was so weak last season that they ranked last in the league in both 3-pointers attempted and 3-pointers made. They did not have a reliable 3-point shooter, and getting some help in that department is a priority.

On the other hand, the Clippers are not necessarily married to the idea of drafting a shooter and could select the best available player, regardless of position.

``Based on what I've seen, there are about eight guys I like, and we're at 12,'' coach Mike Dunleavy said. ``Somebody has to get pushed back by four, as far as I'm concerned.''

This could be a peculiar draft for several reasons. One is that there likely is not an impact player who will be taken. Utah center Andrew Bogut and North Carolina small forward Marvin Williams are expected to be the top two players, but beyond that, there could be surprises.

Dunleavy says the draft is such that a player selected 15th could go 30th and vice versa. That could be good news for the Clippers because they also have the 32nd pick.

Although the Clippers have a history of making draft-day deals, today is not expected to be one of those times. The Clippers' first-round pick next year goes to Orlando, as part of the deal that brought L.A. Darius Miles. NBA rules forbid teams to go two consecutive years without a first- round pick, so that makes it highly unlikely the Clippers will trade their pick.

Of course, they could swap picks with another team, but it looks unlikely that any team above them would do it. Therefore, the Clippers will try to make the most of their pick, even though at 12, they have their lowest first selection since 1997 when they selected Maurice Taylor at 14.

In addition, there is one other big hindrance that they have for selecting a top-notch player.

``The last couple drafts, I think, have been stronger,'' Baylor said. ``But I think there are players in the draft that, in time, could be very good players.''

--Note: In a move that was a formality Monday, the Clippers made a qualifying offer to Marko Jaric, making the three-year guard a restricted free agent. The Clippers can match any offer a team makes to sign Jaric.

Joe Stevens, [phone]

joe.stevens(at)presstelegram.com

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

Gulf Shore Academy's Gerald Green

Henry Ray Abrams/Associated Press

Box:

MOCK DRAFT

By Frank Burlison/Staff Writer