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LSU star drops into Warriors' lap

In retrospect, the Warriors could have saved a whole of money on their cell-phone bills.

After churning through their contact lists in an attempt to improve their ill-positioned first-round selection, one of the most talented players in the draft tumbled right into the Warriors' path Thursday night.

Freshman forward Anthony Randolph of LSU, who just a few weeks ago had been expected to merit a top-10 selection, instead slipped all the way to No. 14, where Golden State eagerly snatched up the athletically gifted but scale-challenged forward, who measures out at 6-foot-10 and 197 pounds.

"We were sitting there, kind of amazed he was still there (on the board)," Warriors executive vice president Chris Mullin said. "I was surprised all the way through. I thought each pick was potentially that he would be gone. There were guys on the board we liked, but no one as much as him."

"I think the best-case scenario happened for us at 14."

It was the first time since 2000 — when the Warriors finally finished paying off the Chris Webber trade from six years earlier — that Golden State came out of draft day without one of the top 11 picks. Talent-wise, Randolph probably ranked among that group, but rumors of mediocre workouts knocked his stock down.

"This is the dream, to play in the NBA," Randolph said."It doesn't matter where I went or how high I went."

Warriors coach Don Nelson declined to speak Thursday, but earlier this week, he gave Randolph's hometown newspaper, the Dallas Morning News, a succinct description: "Star."

That was a unanimous sentiment in the Warriors' draft room, where Mullin had been searching for a player with star potential, rather than just settling for a solid pro.

"We feel he has star quality. We feel fortunate to have him," Mullin said. "For our system (he) can play multiple positions. Obviously he's long and athletic. I don't think there's a ceiling for him right now."

Nelson had flooded the media for days with suggestions that his team was chasing Rider forward Jason Thompson, and the gambit appeared to work when Sacramento, choosing 12th, passed on Randolph in favor of Thompson. When Portland selected Kansas guard Brandon Rush, Golden State was in the clear.

"I don't smoke," Mullin said of the subterfuge, "Nellie smokes a lot, though."

With his build and left-handedness, the 18-year-old Randolph bears an extraordinary physical resemblance to last year's top Golden State rookie, Brandan Wright. But where Wright played primarily at power forward last season, Mullin said he envisions Randolph as a small forward to begin with, possibly going to shooting guard or power forward as the situation dictates.

Wherever he plays, Mullin expects Randolph will be able to create mismatch problems.

"He does handle the ball, and he makes plays that we feel ... (are) NBA plays," Mullin said. "He's a 6-10 long player, so if (the opposition) play small on him, you can give him the ball and let him go over people. They play big on him, he has the ability to handle the ball, put it on the floor and get his own shot."

Randolph worked out for the Warriors at their headquarters Saturday, along with Thompson and Kansas forward Darrell Arthur, and clearly outshone the other two players, Mullin said.

As one of the youngest players taken in the draft — Randolph turns 19 on July 15 — one thing Randolph does not do is provide the Warriors a ready-made boost to last season's 48-win team, meaning that will have to come either through a trade or free agency.

"Maybe it takes a little bit of time (to develop), but the talent is what you're looking for," Mullin said.

With his slight frame, Randolph would seem to be destined for problems guarding larger specimens in the NBA. But he said he was able to match up without problem against bigger bangers in the SEC — including new teammate Richard Hendrix, a 6-9, 250-pounder from Alabama who was selected in the second round with the No. 49 overall pick.

"Some people look at it as a blessing, but for my profession it's kind of a hindrance; I don't put on weight, I just get stronger," Randolph said. "I think my size won't be a problem because my strength will make up for it."