VITALS: 6-11, 240, Universidad Complutense (Spain) OVERVIEW: Lampe is a 6-11 native of Poland who possesses a rare blend of skills. He is an outstanding perimeter shooter who has been compared to Dallas Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki and is considered one of Europe's rising stars. The 18-year-old Lampe spent most of this past season with Universidad Complutense in Spain, which plays in a league just below the country's top league. Lampe averaged 18.6 points and 7.5 rebounds in 17 games. Although Lampe is close to seven feet tall, he has tremendous quickness and outstanding ballhandling skills. He played briefly for Real Madrid this past season before being loaned to his current club. A member of the Polish national team, Lampe also played with Alvik in Sweden in the 2000-01 season. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Picks 4-9. There is no one favorite among the six teams Toronto, Miami, the Clippers, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York. Although Lampe's name has been connected with every one of them, he has not been regarded as the favorite for any. In a sense, Lampe is the X-factor of the lottery where he gets picked will affect everyone else's status. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Dirk Nowitzki, Raef LaFrentz COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Christian Laettner, Nikoloz Tskitishvili ROLE PROJECTION: Future starter. POSITIVES: Lampe is a tremendous long-range shooter at 6-11. Furthermore, he is skilled with his back to the basket, unlike many face-up scorers at the 4-spot. However, Lampe is not just a 4. He can fit in at center and small forward as well. SHORTCOMINGS: Sure, he can shoot the rock, but can Lampe put himself in position to exploit that talent? There have been countless big men to come into the league with long-range prowess, but many of them were unable to accomplish anything because they lacked the quickness to create shots off the dribble. Lampe is not exactly light on his feet, so there is obvious reason for concern that he will be another imitator. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: "Lampe's a sweet-soft jump shooter. Consistent, hard worker, big hands, big kid, big bones. He has Ernie Grunfeld legs, but he's not a hopper, either." Phoenix Suns international scout Tim Shea
