By Mike Cranston
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE ó An unlucky night at the lottery leaves the Charlotte Bobcats with plenty of work to do before the NBA draft.
The Bobcats drew the No. 9 pick in the first round Tuesday, drawing groans from season ticket holders attending a reception at Time Warner Cable Arena.
After going 32-50 this season, the Bobcats had just a 2.8 percent chance to get the No. 1 overall pick. They had a 72 percent chance to get the eighth pick but fell a spot when Chicago moved up to capture the top choice.
iWeíre going to have to get fortunate in a lot of ways,î said general manager Rod Higgins, who represented the Bobcats at the lottery in Secaucus, N.J. iThereís not an exact science when youíre drafting 1-2, let alone at No. 9. Our homework is going to have to be done. At No. 9, I think thereís going to be a good player there. Will it be a need? You just never know because you donít know whatís going to happen before you.î
Texas point guard D.J. Augustin and UCLA big man Kevin Love could be candidates for Charlotte.
Higgins said Brown will be heavily involved in the draft process.
iLarry is a guy that has seen thousands of players, thousands of games,î Higgins said. iHis input is very important to us getting to where we want to go.î