Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 30, 1990 TAG: 9006300013
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN SMALLWOOD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
With Curry, Gill and Rex Chapman, Charlotte's first selection in the 1988 draft, the Hornets have three shooting guards. Each will be paid in the million-dollar-a-year range.
"I had heard earlier [that they were thinking about Gill]," said Curry, who was a second-team All-American at Virginia Tech. "I was a little surprised. [The Hornets' management] told me that if they didn't see a big guy left, they were going to take the best athlete available. They said they wanted a guard who could play both the one [point] and two [shooting guard] spots."
Gill, who is 6 feet 5 and 200 pounds, fits both requirements. He led the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 20 points and finished as the Illini's No. 7 career scorer with 1,409 points. He also is a skilled ball handler who had 99 assists last season.
"Look, I'm a guard, period," Gill told The Charlotte Observer. "I can play point. I can play inside. I'm a guard."
The Hornets have said Gill could be used at both guard spots or small forward. Most NBA scouts have projected the Matteson, Ill., native at shooting guard. That is why Curry has some reservations about what Gill's selection could mean to his future with Charlotte.
"[Gill] plays my position," said Curry, who signed a four-year, $4.5 million contract with the Hornets in January. "We also have Rex at that position. I don't understand why Gill was the selection, but that's out of my hands. Whether I wanted them to draft him or not, [it] was not up to me."
The Hornets, who have undersized J.R. Reid playing center, passed on Louisville's 7-foot center Felton Spencer, who went to the Minnesota Timberwolves with the sixth pick. In all, 14 players taller than Gill were drafted after him.
"I can't explain this," Curry said. "In a sense, it was the same as when they drafted Rex. The circumstances were different, but they said they wanted a big man, then passed up on [Miami Heat center Rony Seikaly] to get Rex."
Gill's selection began speculation that the Hornets will look to trade a shooting guard. An NBA source told the Charlotte newspaper that the Hornets have talked to the Philadelphia 76ers about a trade involving Curry.
If Curry were to be moved, it would be his fourth NBA team in five years. Curry was selected with the 15th pick of the 1986 draft by the Utah Jazz. In 1987, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was Charlotte's first pick in the 1988 expansion draft.
"I think there will be some movement," said Curry, who averaged 16.7 points last season. "I don't know if it'll be Rex or me. I love Charlotte, but I wouldn't be totally against a trade.
"It would depend on the team. If I got with the right team, and I thought we could win a championship, it wouldn't be too bad."
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by CNB