The Indiana Pacers have the 11th pick in Thursday's NBA draft -- and know who they want -- and if Larry Bird has his way, they'll add another pick later in the first round.
Citing the depth of talent in this draft, the Pacers president said he's looking to make a trade that would give the team a second pick.
"There's going to be a heck of a player at 11, a guy that can help us, no question about that,"
Bird said Thursday in his first public comments since draft-eligible players began individual workouts. "We've talked to a number of teams about different scenarios, and we've got some things in the works."
"If we can get another pick, it'd be just great. . . . We'd like to have another pick in this draft, and that's what we're trying to get right now."
As is the case with nearly every executive before a draft, Bird declined specifics.
Some teams, though, are obvious candidates. Portland, with a roster stacked with young players, is looking to trade the 13th pick. Seattle (Nos. 4 and 24) and Memphis (Nos. 5 and 28) have multiple first-round picks. So does New Jersey (Nos. 10 and 21).
Portland, Seattle and Memphis are in the Western Conference, so a trade with the Eastern Conference Pacers might be more plausible because the teams wouldn't compete for the same playoff spots.
Bird said the Pacers know who they want with the 11th pick.
"I've got a good feeling who we're going to take right now, and we think he'll be there,"
Bird said.
The Pacers' biggest needs are point guard and post player, and when asked which one he wanted to pick, Bird said, "One of the two."
After several seasons of off-court incidents, the Pacers have a heightened awareness of character issues. Bird said the team has used every available tool to research prospects.
"We do it all. We talk to a lot of people. We've got guys out there doing background checks,"
he said. "It's a little different than it used to be."
Bird said individual workouts are critical because they allow players to show what they can do as opposed to what they may have been limited to doing in the structure of a certain college's system.
"In here, you can see how athletic they really are,"
Bird said, standing just off the court at Conseco Fieldhouse where Kansas' Darrell Arthur, Butler's Mike Green, Ben Davis High School graduate Stanley Burrell and others worked out Thursday.
"A lot of places in college, teams are so good the kids can't do things they want, whether it's one-on-one, pick and pop. Coaches want them to stay down low. We've seen a number of players come through here that are lot more athletic than we thought they were because they were in a structured offense."
UCLA guard Russell Westbrook, a potential Pacers draft target, was supposed to work out but did not and will not in the future. Bird said 6-3 sophomore Westbrook has been hurt, adding that his absence won't affect the team's opinion of him.
A number of players who make the rounds on the workout circuit are potential second-round picks. The Pacers have the 11th pick in the second round, 41st overall.
"The last couple years, we've had guys that we've sent overseas. At 41 this year, we feel we'll get a player that has the possibility of making our team."
"I think it's a great draft. I think the top 20 picks are going to be players that step in and play right away."
