Hornets Number One

NEW YORK--The Charlotte Hornets, New Jersey Nets and Sacramento Kings won the 1991 NBA lottery yesterday and the top three picks in the June 26 draft.

The Hornets, with the fifth-worst record in the NBA at 26-56, won the number-one pick when one of their seven balls was drawn out of a bin containing 66 balls with team logos. Allan Bristow, vice president of the Hornets, said he wasn't sure who Charlotte would take with the first selection.

The lottery determines only the top three picks in the draft, with the rest of the 11 non-playoff teams choosing in reverse order of record.

Denver, the worst team in the NBA with a 20-62 record, did not have one of its 11 balls drawn for the top three picks, so the Nuggets will draft fourth.

After the top four picks, the draft order will be Miami, Dallas, Minnesota, Washington, the Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando and Cleveland.

There is no consensus on the best college player in the draft, but the top prospects are forwards Larry Johnson of UNLV, Billy Owens of Syracuse, Doug Smith of Missouri and Stacey Augmon of UNLV, center Dikembe Mutombo of Georgetown and guards Kenny Anderson of Georgia Tech and Steve Smith of Michigan State. Owens and Anderson are underclassmen.

Ironically, Charlotte and New Jersey wound up with the first two picks after finishing with identical 26-56 records. A coin flip before the lottery determined that the Hornets would get seven balls in the lottery bin and the Nets eight.

Sacramento, with a 25-57 record, has expressed a desire to pick Anderson to go along with its solid front line that includes forwards Wayman Tisdale, Antoine Carr and Lionel Simmons.