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Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown has never believed in drafting exclusively for need.
That doesn't mean he would object to trading the 12th pick for a veteran who would fill one of those needs.
Asked Thursday about swapping a lottery pick for a veteran this draft, Brown replied, “Whatever makes our team better.” Then Brown listed all the needs that should be filled, internally or externally, to make this into a playoff team.
Brown mentioned the “hole” at power forward behind Boris Diaw, plus the need to find a backup shooting guard and maybe a third point guard.
Brown has a reputation for preferring veterans. That might be overstated – he worked well with a young team this season – but with the Bobcats holding playoff expectations next season, it sounds like Brown would welcome the reliability veterans represent.
The two in-house candidates to fill the backup power forward spot are Sean May (a free agent) and Alexis Ajinca. Both are question marks.
Brown might go to Chapel Hill this weekend, in part to visit retired Tar Heels coach Dean Smith, but also to check in on May's progress.
May is working out while taking classes at North Carolina. Brown said the draft could be a factor in how the Bobcats deal with May's free agency, but that won't be the only factor.
“My biggest thing is to (evaluate) the progress he's been making,” Brown said. “Obviously, he's a huge asset.
“We were all hopeful he'd be able to start last year. We'll see how things go.”
Brown said Ajinca's lack of weight and strength make it iffy whether he'll be in the rotation next season.
“Right now, I don't know (if he's ready for) the physical part of the game,” Brown said.
“He has the tools, the skills, but there's a lot more involved when you're talking about Lex.”
Charlotte 49ers forward Lamont Mack was among six draft candidates the Bobcats auditioned Thursday. Brown praised Mack's athleticism, but this is the first, and so far only, NBA workout Mack has had. He said he's looking into playing professionally overseas.
The Bobcats have another workout scheduled today that will include Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair.
The Bobcats are skipping summer league this year to save money. Brown is looking at alternatives to get the young players some experience. Point guard D.J. Augustin will be participating in a USA basketball camp during July.
Brown said they might place Ajinca, Sean Singletary and one or more draft picks on another franchise's summer-league team. The downside, he said, is that complicates minute distribution for the other franchise's summer team.
Brown also might hold a summer camp in Charlotte for the young players, draft picks and some free agents.
Assistant coach Dave Hanners has spent his time since the season ended cataloguing the plays the team ran, including “ATOs” – things Brown spontaneously drew up during timeouts.
That's resulted in a 420-page playbook.
