Beyond 6 Players, It’s a Reach : NBA draft: Three UNLV players are selected in the first round, including Larry Johnson as No. 1 by the Hornets.

It was a triumph for the Rebels but a struggle for everyone else when the NBA drafted Wednesday.

As expected, Larry Johnson, a 6-5 1/2, 250-pound bruiser, went first to Charlotte. He was followed by Nevada Las Vegas teammates Stacey Augmon, taken by Atlanta at No. 9; and Greg Anthony, who went to the Knicks at No. 11, becoming the first draftee of the Pat Riley era.

Never had three players from one school gone as high. Indiana’s undefeated 1976 champions had Scott May, Quinn Buckner and Bobby Wilkerson drafted No. 2, 7 and 14, respectively. The ’79 UCLA team had David Greenwood, Roy Hamilton and Brad Holland go 2, 10 and 14. The ’90 Michigan Wolverines, knocked out in the regionals by Loyola Marymount, had Rumeal Robinson, Loy Vaught and Terry Mills go 10, 13 and 16.

With a thin field Wednesday, NBA teams were reaching as soon as the blue-chip picks ran out--by consensus, after the top six players.

“In the first round, believe me, believe me , there were some major risks,” said Laker General Manager Jerry West, thwarted in his attempt to trade for a first-round pick and forced to sit it out.

“Everybody’s excited about their first choice now, but you get into February, there might be some teams having second thoughts about their draft picks.”

The wrangling extended to the top of the draft.

The Hornets fixed on Johnson only after a spirited internal debate, with head scout Dave Twardzik championing 7-1 Dikembe Mutombo and Coach Gene Littles coming out publicly for Billy Owens before they sat down this week and got their story straight.

The No. 2 pick wound up in a palace counter-revolution, with Nets’ ownership bowing to pressure to take the local favorite, stepping in at a late meeting to argue for hometown legend Kenny Anderson of Georgia Tech rather than Syracuse’s Billy Owens.

“I guess we didn’t make the decision until this afternoon, but when we left, there wasn’t any blood on the carpet,” Coach Bill Fitch said. “Joe (minority owner Joe Taub) is a very convincing guy, and he was an Anderson guy from the get-go. But this wasn’t a Joe Taub decision, it was a Net decision. It had all our stamps of approval.”

They must have mopped the blood up because both Fitch and General Manager Willis Reed had previously come out for Owens.

Although Net owners didn’t mention it, they are thought to have drafted Anderson with an eye on his potential drawing power.

“A Kenny Anderson comes along only once every 10 years or so,” Taub said. “. . . . I’m a long-range kind of person. It came down to looking for immediate help or someone for the future. We felt we needed a point guard to make the other players better.”

This left Sacramento, in need of a point guard and eager for Anderson, with a choice to make: small forward Owens or Mutombo.

The Kings chose Owens. General Manager Jerry Reynolds said he already has a deal working for a young point guard, whom he didn’t name.

Similarly, several teams made picks that already have been swapped but not announced.

Atlanta, choosing ninth with the pick it got from the Clippers for Doc Rivers, took Augmon, who is believed to be ticketed for delivery to Charlotte.

The Hawks, using their own pick at No. 15, took Seton Hall’s Anthony Avent. He is thought to be bound for Denver in a deal for Blair Rasmussen.

Milwaukee, at No. 19, took swingman Kevin Brooks of Southwest Louisiana. Buck Coach Del Harris said he will be traded.

Harris also announced the Bucks would cut veteran center Jack Sikma.

For human interest, observers focused on the fall of Stanley Roberts, a 6-11 (according to the official measurement at the Chicago pre-draft camp) center who left Louisiana State after his freshman season, played in Spain and was thought to be a lottery pick until he ballooned 32 pounds in a matter of weeks to 309.

Golden State’s Don Nelson, picking 16th and 17th, passed Roberts by, taking 6-8 Chris Gatling of Old Dominion and 6-9, 285-pound Victor Alexander of Iowa State, instead.

The Clippers, perhaps remembering their struggles with Benoit Benjamin, who was merely pudgy, passed on Roberts at No. 22, opting instead for another center, Syracuse’s LeRon Ellis.

Finally, the Orlando Magic, with its second pick on the round, chose Roberts at No. 23.

A fourth UNLV player, center George Ackles, was drafted two picks into the second round by Miami, again tying the ’90 Michigan team, which had four players taken. However, the fifth Rebel starter, guard Anderson Hunt, who is passing up his senior season, wasn’t selected.

A crowd of 7,000 in Madison Square Garden cheered the proceedings. The general managers didn’t enjoy it as much, but they hung in like troupers.

LAKERS: Unable to trade up in the draft, they take Anthony Jones of Oral Roberts with the 52nd pick. C13

1991 NBA Draft FIRST ROUND

TEAM PLAYER POSITION HT./WT. 1. Charlotte Larry Johnson Forward 6-5 1/2, 250 2. New Jersey Kenny Anderson Guard 6-1, 168 3. Sacramento Billy Owns Forward 6-9, 220 4. Denver Dikembe Mutombo Center 7-1, 228 5. Miami Steve Smith Guard 6-6, 198 6. Dallas Doug Smith Forward 6-8, 223 7. Minnesota Luc Longley Center 7-1, 270 8. Denver Mark Macon Guard 6-3, 191 9. Atlanta Stacey Augmon Forward 6-6 1/2, 192 10. Orlando Brian Williams Forward 6-10, 242 11. Cleveland Terrell Brandon Guard 5-11, 180 12. New York Greg Anthony Guard 6-2, 190 13. Indiana Dale Davis Center 6-9, 233 14. Seattle Rich King Center 7-2, 260 15. Atlanta Anthony Avent Forward 6-8, 233 16. Golden State Chris Gatling Forward 6-8, 215 17. Golden State Victor Alexander Center 6-9, 289 18. Milwaukee Kevin Brooks Forward 6-6 1/2, 194 19. Washington LaBradford Smith Guard 6-3, 205 20. Houston John Turner Forward 6-5, 228 21. Urah Eric Murdock Guard 6-1, 194 22. Clippers LeRon Ellis Center 6-9 1/2, 237 23. Orlando Stanley Roberts Center 6-11, 309 24. Boston Rick Fox Forward 6-7, 230 25. Golden State Shaun Vandiver Center 6-8, 257 26. Chicago Mark Randall Forward 6-7 1/2, 225 27. Sacramento Pete Chilcutt Forward 6-9, 242

TEAM COLLEGE 1. Charlotte Nevada Las Vegas 2. New Jersey Georgia Tech 3. Sacramento Syracuse 4. Denver Georgetown 5. Miami Michigan State 6. Dallas Missouri 7. Minnesota New Mexico 8. Denver Temple 9. Atlanta Nevada Las Vegas 10. Orlando Arizona 11. Cleveland Oregon 12. New York Nevada Las Vegas 13. Indiana Clemson 14. Seattle Nebraska 15. Atlanta Seton Hall 16. Golden State Old Dominion 17. Golden State Iowa State 18. Milwaukee S.W. Louisiana 19. Washington Louisville 20. Houston Phillps 21. Urah Providence 22. Clippers Syracuse 23. Orlando LSU/Spain 24. Boston North Carolina 25. Golden State Colorado 26. Chicago Kansas 27. Sacramento North Carolina

SECOND ROUND

TEAM PLAYER POSITION HT./WT. COLLEGE 37. Clippers Elliot Perry Guard 6-0, 155 Memphis State. 38. Clippers Joe Wylie Forward 6-9, 210 Miami (Fla.) 52. Lakers Anthony Jones Forward 6-6,194 Oral Roberts