Agent: Raptors may pick English in first round

By Dayton Morinaga
Advertiser Staff Writer

Carl English doesn't mind people spreading rumors about him.

Especially when those rumors are about English possibly moving into the first round of next week's NBA Draft.

"If people want to talk about me being a first-round pick, keep talking," said English, a former University of Hawai'i standout. "Stuff like that can only help."

Media outlets in Toronto were reporting yesterday that the Toronto Raptors may be trying to trade their first-round pick (No. 4 overall) and forward Antonio Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for forward Raef LaFrentz and Dallas' first-round pick (No. 29 overall).

Harold Cipin, English's Toronto-based agent, said such a trade could be good news for English.

"I can't reveal my sources, but I will say this — the talk is that Toronto wants to trade down to look at Carl as a late first-round pick," Cipin said. "Nothing is guaranteed in this business, and only the Raptors know for sure. But there are a lot of reasons why that move would make sense."

English was born and raised in Patrick's Cove, Newfoundland, Canada, and has been invited to play for Canada's national team this summer. The Raptors' current roster does not include any players with Canadian ties.

"I'm not going to get my hopes up for anything," English said. "I'm willing to play for any (NBA) team, but obviously Toronto would be a good fit."

English, a 6-foot-5 guard, is in the middle of a whirlwind tour of NBA cities, participating in private workouts for various teams. Last week, he worked out for the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Yesterday, he was with the Atlanta Hawks.

"I feel like I've been shooting the ball real well," English said. "It's pretty much fly to one city, work out, then fly to another city. It's tiring, but I'm just really focused right now."

English said other players he worked out with included Josh Howard of Wake Forest, Dahntay Jones of Duke, Travis Hansen of Brigham Young, Quinton Ross of SMU, and Aleksander Pavlovic from Serbia-Montenegro.

"There's a lot of one-on-one and two-on-two drills, and I feel like I'm performing the way I'm supposed to," he said.

English is scheduled to work out for the Orlando Magic today. According to Cipin, the Magic's last-minute request to see English is another positive sign.

"They weren't on our original schedule, but they indicated that they really wanted to see (English)," Cipin said. "That means the word is spreading."

English will also attend private sessions for the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers before the June 26 NBA Draft.