Marc J. Spears of the Denver Post reports: The Denver Nuggets coaching search continued Friday as Dallas Mavericks assistant Donn Nelson interviewed.
Nelson, son of Mavericks coach Don Nelson, interviewed while having lunch with Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe and assistant GMs David Fredman and Jeff Weltman. Nelson was the first candidate interviewed since Wednesday's NBA draft. The 39-year-old has 18 years of NBA experience and coached the Mavericks to a 15-8 record during his father's absences over the past two seasons.

"It went well, and I appreciate the opportunity," said Nelson, who has been an assistant with Dallas since Jan. 2, 1998. "It was nice to sit down and exchange some basketball ideas with them. It's nice to be considered as a candidate. I think we're just progressing."

Nuggets interim coach Mike Evans, Milwaukee assistant Terry Stotts, Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins and former Nuggets great Alex English all have talked to Denver about the position. Other candidates expected to interview include Dallas assistant Del Harris, New Jersey assistant Eddie Jordan, Utah assistant Phil Johnson and possibly Kentucky coach Tubby Smith. Nuggets assistant Clyde Drexler is in the mix, too, but may not need an official interview because of his longtime relationship with Vandeweghe.

Vandeweghe has said he hopes to have a hire by July 14, which is the beginning of summer-league training camp.

Mavericks assistant coach Donnie Nelson may have the inside track on the head coaching position for the Denver Nuggets, the Star Telegram's Dwain Price reports, because of his experience with international players.  The Nuggets just drafted Brazilian Nene Hilario and Georgian Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

The younger Nelson has been an assistant coach for the Lithuanian Olympic team, has helped in the acquisition of many of the Mavs' foreign players and has traveled and run clinics extensively in Europe and elsewhere.

Nelson is glad to be considered.  Also under consideration are Mike Evans, Bob Huggins, Terry Stotts, Alex English, Del Harris, Eddie Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Tubby Smith and  Phil Johnson.

The NBA-drafted foreigner who commands the most intrigue, from this perch, doesn't come from China or the former Soviet republic of Georgia or even Yugoslavia, which supplied the Mavericks' latest overseas import.

It's a Brazilian, believe it or not.

The 2002 draft will always belong to Yao Ming, because he's the No. 1 pick and because he's not from this country. Yet, it's still only the Brazilian, Maybyner "Nene" Hilario, 19, whose development will impact the future of two franchises.

So the Mavericks actually stayed exactly where they were supposed to, instead of looking for immediate help, using their 55th pick to select Yugoslavian guard/forward Mladen Sekularac, and then saying they expect him to stay abroad for one more year.

The 6-8 player is under contract for one more season with FMP Zeleznik, and Nelson said "he would probably be more comfortable playing there another year."

"[But] this is a player who could very well be ready," Nelson said. "For the 55th pick, we're very, very happy to select this player."

In the year of the foreign player, the Mavericks felt lucky to land Sekularac, in fact. He is described by Mavericks assistant coach Donnie Nelson as a hard-nosed guard who is exceptional in the open court ? which happens to be the Mavericks' kind of game. Don Nelson said there was a flurry of calls just before the Mavericks selected, as teams hoped to somehow sneak away with Sekularac.

By the time the Mavs use their only pick of the draft - 55th overall - Nelson could indeed have polished off nine holes of golf. For Nelson, that prospect might be more exciting than the idea of picking a player so late in the draft, a player who likely has no chance of making the team's rotation next season.

Thus, Nelson said the route the Mavs will likely pursue in the draft is securing an international player and allowing him to remain overseas to develop for a year or two. Those players could include small forward Goran Cakic (6-foot-9) of Yugoslavia, center Mario Kasun (7-0) of Croatia, shooting guard Mladen Sekularac (6-8) of Yugoslavia or power forward Luis Scola (6-9) of Spain. If the Mavs draft an American-born player, it might be Fresno State power forward Melvin Ely (6-10), Southern California power forward Sam Clancy (6-7), or Texas power forward Chris Owens (6-7), who is from Duncanville.

One rumor making the rounds has the Mavs trying to move up to the No. 6 slot, currently held by Cleveland, so they can draft center Maybyner "Nene" Hilario of Brazil. At 6-11 and 260 pounds, Hilario is a fierce rebounder and shot- blocker and could be the inside presence the Mavs sorely lack.

It's for Houston. Chicago. The Bay Area. Memphis. Denver. Etc.

It's for the hapless; it is their only hope.

It is not for Dallas, not anymore at least.

Hallelujah.

The Mavericks, with but the 55th pick, aren't, for all intent and purpose, in the 2002 draft on Wednesday. But that's just fine. They don't need to be. They're better than a draft-needy team now. They're one of the best clubs in the league.

When you're club is this good, the draft is rarely of any use, unless you own one of the top picks or discover a Tony Parker, as the Spurs did last summer, late, late, late. When you're a team within sight of the summit, you're not looking for greenhorns. You're looking for longhairs to shove you to the top. The Kings' biggest acquisition last off-season wasn't a rookie. It was a budding NBA guard, Mike Bibby.

The Dallas Mavericks waived forward Danny Manning on Monday, the AP reports.  Manning was drafted first overall in 1988 by Los Angeles Clippers.  He's now 36.  He signed with Dallas last offseason but missed half the season and was not included on their playoff roster.

Do we believe Nelson because the low-level pick isn't likely to produce a prospect with immediate-impact ability?

Or do we believe Nelson because he has something sneaky up his sleeve, like he's planning to deal his way into the first round and finish with the draft excitement early enough to go to sleep before the end?

Those are the eternal questions with Nelson and cohort Mark Cuban in charge: What do we believe, and what are the chances they'll make a move? The two have paired for two drafts. The first produced dizzying deals and four picks by the end, the second yielded the club's original two second-round picks, neither of which was around by the start of the season.

This time, the general manager and owner are all but guaranteeing that whomever the Mavericks select in this year's draft ? even if they somehow deal their way to a higher pick ? won't have much of an impact on the squad.

The Mavericks' restricted free agent Wang Zhizhi resurfaced recently in Los Angeles and was interviewed by telephone by the Star Telegram's Dwain Price.  Countering speculation that he was defecting from China, Wang says he has stayed in America to improve his game against superior competition.  Moreover, he says, the Chinse officials are not upset that he has not returned to China.

The Chinese Basketball Association has sent two letters recalling Wang to China so he could practice with the national team.  Wang has ignored them both.  "They wanted me to come back, but it was important for me to stay here to improve my basketball skills," he said.  Wang says he has been working to improve his defense and rebounding.  He has coaches, he says, but won't say who those coaches are and who his competition is.

Wang plans to join the Chinese national team in Indianopolis for the World Championships, starting August 29th.

The Cavaliers may be looking to trade down in the draft. Chris Tomasson of the Beacon Journal reports that the word around the NBA is the Cavs, not enamored with players who might be available with the No. 6 pick, are looking to trade down in the draft. ``I think they're going to trade down,'' said agent Michael Coyne, who has had many talks with NBA officials about his client, Brazilian forward Nene Hilario.

It?s possible that the Cavs could pick Hilario at #6 and then trade him to one of the many teams that covet his size and athleticism. They include Phoenix, which picks No. 9, and Milwaukee, which selects No. 13. Dallas also likes Hilario, but the Mavericks don't have a first-round pick.

The Arizona Republic reported Saturday that Phoenix and the Cavs may swap picks and the Suns would forget about a first-round pick owed by the Cavs the next time they make the playoffs. In addition to Hilario, the Suns like Georgian forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Maryland forward Chris Wilcox.

Cavs general manager Jim Paxson said Friday that trading down is a possibility. Coach John Lucas said Saturday it's ``too early'' to say whether it will happen.