New York ? Danny Manning, who carried lightly regarded Kansas to the 1988 NCAA basketball championship, was picked No. 1 in the NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers today.
The Clippers, winners of just 29 games in the last two seasons, gained the right to draft the All-American by winning the NBA lottery on May 21.
“I don’t think I personally can turn around a team, but with three first-round picks last year having a year under their belts and with two more this year, the Clippers could be a competitive team next season,” said Manning, who was in New York for the draft.
He said it is too much to expect him to be a savior for the franchise, which hasn’t been in the NBA playoffs in 12 years.
“I can’t be a savior because there is too much talent in the NBA to do that,” Manning said. “Twelve years out of the playoffs is not nice to think about. In my career, I’ve always been on teams that have won. I’m not saying the Clippers will have a great team, but I’m sure we’ll have a better team.”
Manning is expected to join a front line that includes NBA rebounding champion Michael Cage and center Benoit Benjamin, a former third pick in the first round who has largely been a disappointment.
“The rap on Benoit is that he’s lazy, but I’ve heard he can play when he wants to,” Manning said. “We don’t get many West Coast games in Kansas, so I haven’t seen him play. I feel I’m the kind of guy who can motivate a teammate, but I can’t do it right away. I have to establish some credibility.”
The 6-foot-10 Manning finished as the Big Eight’s all-time leading scorer with 2,951 points, the sixth highest total in NCAA history.
For his career, he averaged 20.1 points and 8.1 rebounds. As a senior, he averaged 24.8 points and 9.0 rebounds and capped the season with 31 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in the title game against Oklahoma.
