THE NBA / MARK HEISLER : Webber Will Be Part of Another Fab Five in Draft

What began as a weak draft started looking better when five prize undergraduates jumped in. The kids are expected to go 1-2-3-4 and all five should be gone within eight picks.

Here’s how Wednesday’s draft shapes up:

1. Orlando--Chris Webber, 6 feet 9, 245 pounds, Michigan. Best power-forward prospect since Karl Malone.

2. Philadelphia--Shawn Bradley, 7-6, 245, Brigham Young. He’s a project, but a deluxe one.

3. Golden State--Jamal Mashburn, 6-7 1/2, 235, Kentucky. Salary-cap problems keep Coach Don Nelson from trading up for Bradley, but this guy can play.

4. Dallas--Anfernee Hardaway, 6-7, 195, Memphis State. The Warriors need another guard like a hole in the head, but they liked this big point guard so much, they were tempted.

5. Minnesota--J.R. Rider, 6-4, 215, Nevada Las Vegas. Mitch Richmond-type size and scoring potential.

6. Washington--Calbert Cheaney, 6-7, 209, Indiana. The Bullets wanted the explosive Rider but will settle for the solid Cheaney, Indiana’s first top-10 pick since Isiah Thomas.

7. Sacramento--Bobby Hurley, 6-0, 165, Duke. He’s no surprise anymore.

8. Milwaukee--Rodney Rogers, 6-6, 235, Wake Forest. The last of the five undergrads, he’s built like Mr. Universe, but so far has reached superstardom only in his own mind. “I have the determination of a (Charles) Barkley,” he says, “and the finishing abilities of a Karl Malone.” And no clue.

9. Denver--Vin Baker, 6-10, 235, Hartford. This dark horse from tiny Hartford is described as a Danny Manning type. The Lakers would love for him to slip.

10. Detroit (from Miami for John Salley)--Acie Earl, 6-9, 240, Iowa. Shot-blocker, question-mark head.

11. Detroit--Allan Houston, 6-6, 200, Tennessee. Dead-eye shooter.

12. Lakers--Lindsey Hunter, 6-1, 170, Jackson State.He has point-guard size and a shooter’s game wrapped in big-time talent. The Pistons are considering him, too. Jerry West will hold his breath the first half hour of the draft.

13. Clippers--Chris Mills, 6-6, 216, Arizona. The homeboy from Fairfax High is small for a forward, but he can play.

14. Indiana--Terry Dehere, 6-3, 190, Seton Hall. It took scouts a while to warm up to him after the last great Pirate guard, John Morton, went belly up in the NBA.

15. Atlanta--Luther Wright, 7-1, 313, Seton Hall. There’s a basketball player in there somewhere, but where? You have to wonder about a guy who leaves school early, then shows up 43 pounds over his college weight. Said Denver General Manager Bernie Bickerstaff: “To me, he’s Kevin Duckworth without the touch.”

16. New Jersey--James Robinson, 6-1, 180, Alabama. Nets’ luck: General Manager Willis Reed said he wanted local favorite Dehere.

17. Charlotte--Nick Van Exel, 6-0, 170, Cincinnati. Scrappy scorer. Can play the point, too.

18. Utah--Scott Haskin, 6-10, 250, Oregon State. The Celtics wanted him, but so far it has been one of those decades for them.

19. Boston--Malcolm Mackey, 6-10, 248, Georgia Tech. Good-looking prospect but didn’t improve much his junior and senior years.

20. Charlotte (from San Antonio for J.R. Reid)--Corie Blount, 6-9, 225, Cincinnati. He was 6-5 as a senior at Monrovia High, but spurted in college.

21. Portland--Ervin Johnson, 6-9, 230, New Orleans. A dark horse, despite his name.

22. Cleveland--George Lynch, 6-8, 218, North Carolina. No spectacular talent, but showed leadership and maturity. Tar Heels rarely bomb.

23. Seattle--Rex Walters, 6-3, 190, Kansas. Intriguing because he can shoot and might be able to play the point. A chip-on-the-shoulder scrapper, he will remind George Karl of himself.

24. Houston--Greg Graham, 6-3, 180, Indiana. The Rockets wanted Walters, but don’t lose much with Graham, a better athlete, who made a big move as a three-point shooter, from 28% as a sophomore to 51% as a senior.

25. Chicago--Gheorghe Muresan, 7-7, 315, Pau Orthez, France. General Manager Jerry Krause, who always talks of his desire to win a title without Michael Jordan, takes his shot with this Romanian, who is under contract to his French team for one more year.

26. Orlando (from the Knicks in the Charles Smith trade)--Adonis Jordan, 5-10, 170, Kansas. The Reseda Cleveland High grad is projected as a second-rounder, but the Magic wants a point guard.

27. Phoenix--Conrad McRae, 6-9, 222, Syracuse. A slighter Acie Earl.

On the bubble: Lucious Harris, 6-4, 190, Cal State Long Beach; Scott Burrell, 6-6, 218, Connecticut; Thomas Hill, 6-4, 200, Duke; Sam Cassell, 6-2, 195, Florida State; Evers Burns, 6-7, 260, Maryland; Ed Stokes, 6-11, 260, Arizona; Darnell Mee, 6-4, 177, Western Kentucky.

BEN, WE HARDLY KNEW YE

It seems like yesterday that Benoit Benjamin came back to Los Angeles.

As a matter of fact, it was only four months ago. Benoit played barely 10 minutes per game and finished his Laker career without accomplishment or incident.

In a minor miracle, West found a taker in Reed, Benjamin’s coach at Creighton. The Lakers once harbored some hopes for Benjamin when Magic Johnson was playing, on the theory that Johnson could keep him awake and into the game. In the Nets’ law-of-the-jungle atmosphere, with Derrick Coleman snarling at all shortcomings and the New York press corps monitoring it, forget it.

“Now that the Nets have gotten Benoit, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Chuck (Daly) go to the broadcast booth,” said agent Norman Blass. “I mean, who could blame him? You want to go in their locker room with Chris Morris, Derrick Coleman and Benoit Benjamin? I wouldn’t go in there without Al Capone.”

Put Reed down as another member of an endangered species.

The Lakers got Sam Bowie, who has two seasons left on his $3.2-million-a-year contract, compared to Benjamin’s three. In two years, Johnson’s and Bowie’s salaries will go off the cap and in three, James Worthy’s will, enabling the Lakers to bid for free agents. They’ve got a long way to go to get back, but they’re on their way.

FACES AND FIGURES

The Celtics go into the draft with a single need: basketball players of any size or position. The Reggie Lewis situation is still up in the air. The Celtic team doctor is on record as concluding that Lewis’ heart condition could be life-threatening if he plays, but Lewis got a second medical opinion, clearing him to return. The Celtics may ask Lewis to sign a medical waiver, but for the record, they say he’s back. “We’re not in the medical business,” Senior Vice President Dave Gavitt said. “Reggie is very comfortable. We accept that.”

Two Indiana players, Cheaney and Graham, are expected to go in the first round of the draft, but only one other Hoosier--Isiah Thomas--plays in the league. “If anything, it shows you how good a coach Bobby Knight is,” said Miami Heat co-owner Billy Cunningham. “He gets so much out of his players. Still, you do think about that a little bit before you draft a player from a school like that.” Indiana busts include Scott May, Kent Benson, Steve Alford and Keith Smart.

Sacramento scout Scotty Stirling, on Rodney Rogers: “He looks to me like he should play like Larry Johnson. He’s got that kind of body, but he doesn’t play like that.” . . . The 76ers will dump Manute Bol, Andrew Lang, Charles Shackleford, Armon Gilliam, Eddie Lee Wilkins, Greg Grant and Ron Anderson from last season’s team, about $8 million in salary, moving them $4 million under the cap. The Pistons are interested in Lang. . . . The Rockets are talking to Houston resident Moses Malone about becoming their backup center. So far, they don’t like his salary numbers.

The Charlotte Hornets have given teams permission to speak to Kendall Gill’s agent, Arn Tellem. Gill is about to sign a one-year qualifying offer that would make him an unrestricted free agent in a year. Gill is featured in trade rumors concerning several teams, the Lakers among them. . . . The Seattle SuperSonics got seven calls from teams interested in Derrick McKey and turned them down. “If he’s such a strange player, why is it everybody wants him?” General Manager Bob Whitsitt asked. Answer: Because they think he’ll come cheap.

New Dallas Coach Quinn Buckner is bringing in former Portland and Miami personnel man Stu Inman as a consultant. This does not look like a vote of confidence for Maverick personnel director Rick Sund. . . . Once again, the Bulls used their annual celebration to needle management and the coaching staff. Will Perdue made up another wry poem: “The third title is oh so sweet/I know because once again/I had the same damn seat/Is a fourth title ahead for us?/I don’t know/I’ll probably be driving a bus.”

Center Bill Cartwright’s $2.4-million contract has an $800,000 buyout option the Bulls may exercise to make room for Toni Kukoc. This is a gamble, because Cartwright remains their best defensive center. With Cartwright, the Bulls play straight up against opponents such as Patrick Ewing and Brad Daugherty, but when he’s out, they double-team and scramble. . . . Heat Coach Kevin Loughery, putting the best possible face on the trade of this year’s No. 1 pick for Salley: “I don’t think we’d get a player as good as John Salley at 10.” Yeah, it would be hard to duplicate those eight points and six rebounds per game.