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Bullets Make Howard Fab 5th, Also Take McIlvaine

The Washington Bullets made the expected move last night when they used the fifth pick of the first round of the National Basketball Association draft on Michigan power forward Juwan Howard, a 6-foot-9, 250-pound inside force who adds rebounding and size to a team that needs it.

"I'm ecstatic to get a player of his caliber," Bullets Coach Jim Lynam said. "He's a terrific pick, a guy who will fit in immediately."

The Bullets went for more size in the second round, when they used the 32nd overall pick on Marquette seven-footer Jim McIlvaine, who may head to Europe for a year or two of development.

Howard's selection came near the end of a long day in which Bullets General Manager John Nash discussed trades for point guard Jason Kidd and had brief discussions with the Chicago Bulls about all-star forward Scottie Pippen. In the end, Nash didn't want Pippen badly enough to surrender Tom Gugliotta and Rex Chapman.

Nash had a decent chance of landing Kidd had the Dallas Mavericks used the second pick on Grant Hill. But when Dallas went for Kidd, Nash's trade chances evaporated because Detroit, which had the third pick, wanted Hill. The only suspense came from the Minnesota Timberwolves, who chose between small forward Donyell Marshall and Howard.

Minnesota officials informed Nash early in the day that the Wolves would take Marshall, and Nash happily settled for Howard, who seemed delighted with the developments.

"I'm so excited I could go out and play tomorrow," Howard said. "I should fit in real well. The team needs a guy like me, an inside rebounder and scorer who can step outside too. It's a team on the rise. They've got a lot of young talent in guys like Calbert Cheaney, Tom Gugliotta and Rex Chapman. I'm excited because it's a place that has so much to offer in terms of history."

Nash considered Clemson's Sharone Wright, North Carolina's Eric Montross or some of the other center prospects, but decided any of them would be a stretch. A center would have been a better fit, but the Bullets believed quality was more important.

"It kind of unfolded as we anticipated," Nash said. "We're delighted Juwan Howard is going to be part of our future. He was very impressive when we brought him in. We knew about his talent. I was really impressed with his insight. I think he's a leader type.

"He's a fine young man and is going to have a very productive NBA career. Someone has coached Juwan Howard. He has a discipline about his game. He's an efficient player and has a high level of skill and technique. He's a lot further advanced than many of these young players."

The Bullets don't know how much better Howard, 21, will make them, but they're confident that times are getting better at USAir Arena. In three drafts, Nash has added potential stars Gugliotta, Cheaney and now Howard.

Nash was unable to address his immediate needs at point guard and center, but he promised that he's not finished. He'll probably allow Pervis Ellison to become a free agent on Friday and will use that $2.3 million salary slot to sign Howard. If he can move another veteran, he could have the cash to sign a free agent like Chicago center Scott Williams or Miami point guard Brian Shaw.

"We will be in the free agent market," Nash said. "We can probably sign only one. We need to add another player in addition to Howard. To do that, we may have to subtract. We now have some depth and may be in a better position to do that."

Howard was the first signee of Michigan's Fab Five recruiting class in 1991, which also included Chris Webber and Jalen Rose. That group went to two straight NCAA national championship games, and Howard averaged 15.3 points for his career. He's coming off a junior season in which he averaged 20.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He's a premier rebounder and passer, and the Bullets are expected to use him mostly at power forward.

He is one of five players in Michigan history to score 1,500 points and collect 700 rebounds. Rudy Tomjanovich, Glen Rice, Roy Tarpley and Bill Buntin were the others.

Lynam probably will begin the season with a three-forward rotation that includes Gugliotta and Don MacLean. Howard also can play some center in certain situations, but regardless, the Bullets got bigger and added a big-game player.

Lynam may rotate Cheaney, Chapman and Michael Adams at guard. Kevin Duckworth and Gheorghe Muresan would split most of the minutes at center, but Lynam will make more decisions as he watches his players during summer league games and discovers who is available on the free agent market.

Nash was cheered when he informed a crowd of about 5,000 about his move -- before the first round.

"We could have moved down and picked up two players," Nash said. "We weren't interested in numbers. We wanted quality. We wanted to move up, but it didn't become a serious consideration. We tried to make a deal, but it was too costly. We reached the point where we couldn't afford it. We got a good player."

Asked if the Bullets had been tempted to take a center -- a more comfortable fit -- Lynam said: "When you're losing over a period of years, it means your talent base is not what it should be. Don't look at the positions. Worry about the mix after you accumulate a little more talent."

The Bullets were leaning toward taking Kentucky forward Rodney Dent in the second round, but the Orlando Magic grabbed him one pick before their choice. So they went with McIlvaine, who averaged four blocked shots last season and had 399 for his career.

Nash said the Bullets would look at him this summer, but wouldn't have been surprised if he ended up in Europe.

"We had no expectation he'd be there," Nash said. "We were surprised he was on the board and delighted to have him. Most people had projected him to go as high as 18. The talk was that Milwaukee would take him. Where we selected him was almost a no-brainer in terms of his up side. Whether he can step in and play right now is a question. He has proven he's a superior shot-blocker."

Bullets Notes: Free agent power forward Tim Burroughs, who has spent the past two years in Europe, will be at the Bullets' free agent camp July 8-12 at Bowie State.