Questions About Fontaine’s Game Push Him Off Nba’s Draft Board
Shea Seals, brick. Reggie Freeman, airball. Dedric Willoughby, clank. Isaac Fontaine, not even close.
Fontaine, Washington State University’s all-time leading scorer, was only one of several high-profile college shooting guards to be passed over in Wednesday night’s annual National Basketball Association draft.
Such exalted company apparently provided Fontaine little comfort, however, and the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder was unavailable for comment after watching the draft on television from his family’s home in Sacramento.
Instead, queries were left to Fontaine’s agent, who put a positive spin on his client’s predicament during a post-draft conference call with reporters. Kyle Rote Jr., head of Memphis-based Athletic Resource Management Inc., said the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers have expressed interest in his client as a free agent.
“This is not a fatal event by any means in his career, but it certainly is frustrating to him because he knows he’s a good player,” said Rote, whose agency also represents Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen.
“Sometimes it’s better not to be drafted late in the second round and to be free, because then you have a chance to choose the environment you are going to try and make the league in. And very few second-round contracts are guaranteed, anyway.”
Rote said Fontaine, who averaged 21.9 points per game to rank second in the Pacific-10 Conference last season, might attend the Bucks’ summer camp from July 9-11 and the Los Angeles Summer League from July 12-19.
The Lakers also hold an early camp in July, Rote said, but their interest in Fontaine might depend upon the eventual makeup of their roster, which could change drastically if a rumored trade for Pippen materializes.
While Fontaine joined Tulsa’s Seals, Texas A&M’s Freeman and Iowa State’s Willoughby among the jilted shooting guards, former WSU wing Nate Erdmann was a surprise choice of the Utah Jazz.
Erdmann, who played alongside Fontaine before following coach Kelvin Sampson to the University of Oklahoma in 1994, was one of 10 shooting guards selected. He was the 57th player taken in the 58-player draft.
The 6-6 Erdmann is considered more versatile than Fontaine, who was measured at 6-3-3/4 during last month’s pre-draft camp in Phoenix. Most NBA shooting guards are at least 6-5, and most are more athletic than Fontaine.
“He was aware that there was a probability he would not be drafted,” Rote said. “The limitations that the NBA people have consistently indicated; they wish he were a little bit taller, not a lot, but they wish he were a little bit more athletic, a little bit quicker.
“There were a few teams that weren’t sure if he could create his own shot. They know he can shoot behind a screen, they know he can shoot on spot-up situations. The question is, in a one-on-one situation, which you have to face an awful lot of in the NBA because you don’t have zone defenses, how creative can he be?”
Five Pac-10 players were drafted, led by Stanford point guard Brevin Knight, taken 16th overall by Cleveland.
California shooting guard Ed Gray, who averaged 24.8 ppg last season, was taken by Atlanta with the 22nd pick. USC’s Rodrick Rhodes was a surprise selection by Houston with the 24th pick, while Washington’s Mark Sanford went 31st to Boston. UCLA’s Charles O’Bannon was taken 32nd by Detroit.
, DataTimes