Kambala might get a look from Knicks

Steve Addy

Tuesday, June 26, 2001 | 10:14 a.m.

For the next step in his basketball career, Kaspars Kambala has assumed a New York state of mind.

The former UNLV center has been living in the Big Apple for the past month, working out in preparation for Wednesday's NBA draft at Madison Square Garden.

And if Kambala is drafted at all, the host New York Knicks might be the team to take him.

Kambala worked out for the Knicks alongside Seton Hall center Samuel Dalembert two weeks ago, and reportedly played well. New York does not have a first-round pick, but has two in the second round, 39th and 43rd overall, and is seeking help at power forward.

Though Kambala played center at UNLV, where he averaged 15 points and eight rebounds in 113 career games, the NBA projects him as a power forward at 6-foot-9, 250 pounds.

If Kambala goes undrafted, New Jersey, Milwaukee and Miami have shown interest in signing him to their summer rookie-free agent teams. But the Knicks were the only club to invite him for a workout.

Knicks GM Scott Layden has talked about packaging his picks to move into the first round, but Kambala is a possible selection if New York keeps its second-rounders.

"This year's draft is deep, so we feel there will be a number of players still on the board when we pick," Layden told NBA.com this week.

Some NBA scouts think Kambala will not be drafted, partly because so many promising big men have entered the draft as early-entry candidates, but also because Kambala did not play well in the May 3-5 predraft camp at Tempe, Ariz.

Website nbadraft.net does not rank Kambala among its top 15 power forwards and projects him to go undrafted.

But Kambala's performance in Tempe didn't doom him in Layden's eyes.

"The camps are invaluable, but they're just one of many sources we use to evaluate players," Layden said. "You can't discount a player's career and expect to make a good decision. You have to take everything into account."

If Kambala makes an NBA roster next year, he'll earn the rookie minimum salary: $332,817.

The more likely scenario is for him to play overseas, where he might make better money. He already has offers from teams in Israel and Spain, the latter for a reported $450,000.

Kambala has hired an agent, Michael McQuarn, son of George McQuarn, an assistant coach under Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV from 1977-80.

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