NBA Predraft Camp Orlando 2008
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Jeremy Pargo entered the draft for this thing, I think his plan is to do this camp, see how he stacks up against the rest of the pool and then head back tocollege for that Gonzaga championship run.
But seriously, we're gonna be stacked next season...
But seriously, we're gonna be stacked next season...
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Update on day three
One of the first day's top performers, Ty Lawson sat out today for what was cited as a hip pointer. Is it possible that he felt his
performance last night was enough to solidify his position in the 1st round and that by sitting out, he will be able to keep his stock high? It will beinteresting to see if he gives it a go on the last day.
His teammate Wayne Ellington (17pts, 7-13fg) was a different story, many felt he would go with the injury card and pull himself out of fear of digging himselfa further hole after a subpar performance. However, he showed some character and decided to fight it out in order to gain his reputation back. In the earlygoing he was on fire from the outside, hitting shots off the dribble, running off screens and spotting up.
Unfortunately, he fell victim to the awkward substitution patterns that leave players sitting for as much as 20 minutes straight of game time, plus all thebreaks.
Throughout the week, it has happened with regularity where a player puts up a nice performance in the first half, but after sitting for an extended amount oftime, he struggles to find his stroke in the 2nd part of the game. It seems that it would make more sense to play guys in 5 minute shifts (instead of 10), thatway they can go hard (instead of pacing themselves) but still keep their rhythm because they haven't sat for too long.
Another impressive game was had by Joe Crawford (15pts, 6-11fg), who despite his size, has been able to show his ability to score in a variety of ways.
Brian Roberts (17pts) had a good outing, but he seemed to be more focused on getting points instead of setting teammates up. His odds of ever playing in theNBA will depend on his ability to run a team and if his sole focus is on getting his, then his chances will decrease significantly.
Malik Hairston (12pts, 8rebs) was much more aggressive today, looking to mix it up in the paint on his way to 6 offensive rebounds and 6 free throw attempts(although he only made 2).
Sonny Weems (11pts, 4rebs) continues to showcase his improved skill and better feel for the game. Although he does have a very nice midrange pull-up, it wouldbe nice to see him use his athleticism to get to the hoop more.
Darnell Jackson (8pts, 6rebs) is proving that his workhorse mentality is something to be expected from the former Jayhawk. For the 2nd day in a row thePortsmouth MVP Jamar Butler has missed the action with a hamstring injury.
Game #5
Team Five (1-1) 101 - Team Two (1-1) 93
Gary Forbes
If there was to be a player of the day award, then without a doubt it would have to be given to Gary Forbes (30pts, 15-16ft, 2stl). Even though his team lost,it was no fault of Forbes, who almost singlehandedly brought his team back from a large deficit. In the early going Forbes looked to set his teammates up, yetwhen he realized they weren't capitalizing, he took it upon himself to put points on the board.
He may have forced the issue too much at times, looking a bit selfish, but nobody can argue with his effectiveness and results. He scored in a variety of ways:hitting tough shots right out of the triple threat, showing his touch with soft floaters and even some athleticism by getting to the hoop and absorbing contactand still having enough body control to give the ball a chance to go in.
Although he was very impressive scoring, he may have been just as good on the defensive end, where he chased Richard Roby (3-9fg) off screens and forced him toput the ball on the floor and settle for difficult shots. He can get overaggressive and get cheap fouls sometimes as he does lack great lateral speed, but onehas to respect the effort he put in on this end.
A solid game was had by the ever fundamental Josh Duncan (20pts, 6rebs, 9-10ft) who was able to score inside as well as step out to the top of the key andconvert on a reliable spot up jumper.
Bryce Taylor (11pts, 4-9fg) didn't put up the most impressive stat line, but he showed some nice scoring ability and quickness of the dribble. He is a bitundersized to play on the wing, but it is obvious that he has much more value as a scorer rather than a playmaker.
Richard Hendrix (11pts, 8rebs, 3stl) has had a bit off a disappointing week thus far, as he has yet to show any reliable back to basket post moves. He didconvert on a mini right hook, but aside from that most of his points came strictly of scramble plays and offensive rebounds. He is a very effective rebounder,but one has to be troubled by his stiffness and the slow manner in which he runs the floor.
Jeremy Pargo (11pts, 5ast, 6reb) stepped up today and showed that he can do some good things on the floor. He has a nice build and he is able to use it to bodypeople and get into the lane. One of the concerns is his PG efficiency as his decision making at times was questionable en route to 5 TOs.
A pleasant surprise this week has been the play of Drew Nitzel (11pts, 4ast), who has continued to show his touch from the outside, but has also been able toget into the lane and finish or find the open man. He was patient, waiting for his turn, but when he found his grove he was able to make some nice moves intransition to get by people and also some crafty no-look passes.
John Reik did not play again and it is safe to say that he should withdraw his name from the draft as he is a long way off from being able to compete at thislevel.
Game #6
Team Six (2-0) 99 - Team Three (0-2) 78
Mike Taylor
One of our early sleeper choices seems to be the talk of the camp and there is absolutely no doubt that Mike Taylor (24pts, 8-12fg, 2-5 3fg) has played himselfinto serious draft contention.
Considered to be undersized and not a natural point guard, Taylor more than makes up for it with his length, quickness, open court speed and tremendous leapingability. He goes a hundred miles per hour and as a result gets out of control at times, but today his handle looked very smooth and he only committed 1turnover.
He showed that his range can go well out to the NBA 3 and even though he does hang in the air a bit too long before releasing the ball, his great elevationallows him to still shoot the long ball effectively.
The fear with Taylor could be his somewhat troubled past and inconsistent play that he showed this season in the D-league. As a result these great performancesmay have to be taken with a grain of salt in fear that they are not just a flash in the pan.
Marcelus Kemp (14pts, 7-10fg) had a nice game, coming back well from a tough shooting game the previous night. He looks much more comfortable and has found hisshooting stroke converting on some nice midrange shots. His strong body gives him a nice advantage when getting to the hoop as he can take contact well.
A player that cannot say the same is the fairly soft Davon Jefferson (7pts, 3-5fg), who for the most part was satisfied with settling for 17 foot jumpers andcompletely shying away from contact on the few drives that he did attempt.
Sean Singletary (15pts, 8ast, 3 rebs) had a good game running his team, showing that his subpar performance in game 1 was just an off night and a question ofcomfort. He has fairly good form on his jumpshot, but it seems that his inability to hit from the outside consistently may hold him back some because it allowspeople to play off of him.
His size also hurts his effectives on the offensive end, but it does not seem to be an issue on defense, as he was able to stay in front of Lester Hudson(13pts, 4stls) for the most part. Hudson came into camp with some hype, but a lot of his weaknesses have been exposed as he has trouble getting by people withhis subpar quickness and only decent ball handling. With his size he must play PG at the next level, but the necessary skill and savvy to man that position islacking from Hudson's package.
A very good stat-line was had by DeMarcus Nelson (22pts, 8-14fg, 5rebs) who was able to do some nice things offensively and be his usual aggressive self on thedefensive end.
Marty Leunen (11 pts, 9rebs) did not make any flashy plays, but he picked his spots well and was able to put together a nice game.
One of the first day's top performers, Ty Lawson sat out today for what was cited as a hip pointer. Is it possible that he felt his
performance last night was enough to solidify his position in the 1st round and that by sitting out, he will be able to keep his stock high? It will beinteresting to see if he gives it a go on the last day.
His teammate Wayne Ellington (17pts, 7-13fg) was a different story, many felt he would go with the injury card and pull himself out of fear of digging himselfa further hole after a subpar performance. However, he showed some character and decided to fight it out in order to gain his reputation back. In the earlygoing he was on fire from the outside, hitting shots off the dribble, running off screens and spotting up.
Unfortunately, he fell victim to the awkward substitution patterns that leave players sitting for as much as 20 minutes straight of game time, plus all thebreaks.
Throughout the week, it has happened with regularity where a player puts up a nice performance in the first half, but after sitting for an extended amount oftime, he struggles to find his stroke in the 2nd part of the game. It seems that it would make more sense to play guys in 5 minute shifts (instead of 10), thatway they can go hard (instead of pacing themselves) but still keep their rhythm because they haven't sat for too long.
Another impressive game was had by Joe Crawford (15pts, 6-11fg), who despite his size, has been able to show his ability to score in a variety of ways.
Brian Roberts (17pts) had a good outing, but he seemed to be more focused on getting points instead of setting teammates up. His odds of ever playing in theNBA will depend on his ability to run a team and if his sole focus is on getting his, then his chances will decrease significantly.
Malik Hairston (12pts, 8rebs) was much more aggressive today, looking to mix it up in the paint on his way to 6 offensive rebounds and 6 free throw attempts(although he only made 2).
Sonny Weems (11pts, 4rebs) continues to showcase his improved skill and better feel for the game. Although he does have a very nice midrange pull-up, it wouldbe nice to see him use his athleticism to get to the hoop more.
Darnell Jackson (8pts, 6rebs) is proving that his workhorse mentality is something to be expected from the former Jayhawk. For the 2nd day in a row thePortsmouth MVP Jamar Butler has missed the action with a hamstring injury.
Game #5
Team Five (1-1) 101 - Team Two (1-1) 93
Gary Forbes
If there was to be a player of the day award, then without a doubt it would have to be given to Gary Forbes (30pts, 15-16ft, 2stl). Even though his team lost,it was no fault of Forbes, who almost singlehandedly brought his team back from a large deficit. In the early going Forbes looked to set his teammates up, yetwhen he realized they weren't capitalizing, he took it upon himself to put points on the board.
He may have forced the issue too much at times, looking a bit selfish, but nobody can argue with his effectiveness and results. He scored in a variety of ways:hitting tough shots right out of the triple threat, showing his touch with soft floaters and even some athleticism by getting to the hoop and absorbing contactand still having enough body control to give the ball a chance to go in.
Although he was very impressive scoring, he may have been just as good on the defensive end, where he chased Richard Roby (3-9fg) off screens and forced him toput the ball on the floor and settle for difficult shots. He can get overaggressive and get cheap fouls sometimes as he does lack great lateral speed, but onehas to respect the effort he put in on this end.
A solid game was had by the ever fundamental Josh Duncan (20pts, 6rebs, 9-10ft) who was able to score inside as well as step out to the top of the key andconvert on a reliable spot up jumper.
Bryce Taylor (11pts, 4-9fg) didn't put up the most impressive stat line, but he showed some nice scoring ability and quickness of the dribble. He is a bitundersized to play on the wing, but it is obvious that he has much more value as a scorer rather than a playmaker.
Richard Hendrix (11pts, 8rebs, 3stl) has had a bit off a disappointing week thus far, as he has yet to show any reliable back to basket post moves. He didconvert on a mini right hook, but aside from that most of his points came strictly of scramble plays and offensive rebounds. He is a very effective rebounder,but one has to be troubled by his stiffness and the slow manner in which he runs the floor.
Jeremy Pargo (11pts, 5ast, 6reb) stepped up today and showed that he can do some good things on the floor. He has a nice build and he is able to use it to bodypeople and get into the lane. One of the concerns is his PG efficiency as his decision making at times was questionable en route to 5 TOs.
A pleasant surprise this week has been the play of Drew Nitzel (11pts, 4ast), who has continued to show his touch from the outside, but has also been able toget into the lane and finish or find the open man. He was patient, waiting for his turn, but when he found his grove he was able to make some nice moves intransition to get by people and also some crafty no-look passes.
John Reik did not play again and it is safe to say that he should withdraw his name from the draft as he is a long way off from being able to compete at thislevel.
Game #6
Team Six (2-0) 99 - Team Three (0-2) 78
Mike Taylor
One of our early sleeper choices seems to be the talk of the camp and there is absolutely no doubt that Mike Taylor (24pts, 8-12fg, 2-5 3fg) has played himselfinto serious draft contention.
Considered to be undersized and not a natural point guard, Taylor more than makes up for it with his length, quickness, open court speed and tremendous leapingability. He goes a hundred miles per hour and as a result gets out of control at times, but today his handle looked very smooth and he only committed 1turnover.
He showed that his range can go well out to the NBA 3 and even though he does hang in the air a bit too long before releasing the ball, his great elevationallows him to still shoot the long ball effectively.
The fear with Taylor could be his somewhat troubled past and inconsistent play that he showed this season in the D-league. As a result these great performancesmay have to be taken with a grain of salt in fear that they are not just a flash in the pan.
Marcelus Kemp (14pts, 7-10fg) had a nice game, coming back well from a tough shooting game the previous night. He looks much more comfortable and has found hisshooting stroke converting on some nice midrange shots. His strong body gives him a nice advantage when getting to the hoop as he can take contact well.
A player that cannot say the same is the fairly soft Davon Jefferson (7pts, 3-5fg), who for the most part was satisfied with settling for 17 foot jumpers andcompletely shying away from contact on the few drives that he did attempt.
Sean Singletary (15pts, 8ast, 3 rebs) had a good game running his team, showing that his subpar performance in game 1 was just an off night and a question ofcomfort. He has fairly good form on his jumpshot, but it seems that his inability to hit from the outside consistently may hold him back some because it allowspeople to play off of him.
His size also hurts his effectives on the offensive end, but it does not seem to be an issue on defense, as he was able to stay in front of Lester Hudson(13pts, 4stls) for the most part. Hudson came into camp with some hype, but a lot of his weaknesses have been exposed as he has trouble getting by people withhis subpar quickness and only decent ball handling. With his size he must play PG at the next level, but the necessary skill and savvy to man that position islacking from Hudson's package.
A very good stat-line was had by DeMarcus Nelson (22pts, 8-14fg, 5rebs) who was able to do some nice things offensively and be his usual aggressive self on thedefensive end.
Marty Leunen (11 pts, 9rebs) did not make any flashy plays, but he picked his spots well and was able to put together a nice game.
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As I said early Forbes is that dude and he is showing it on both ends of the court .
Gary Forbes
If there was to be a player of the day award, then without a doubt it would have to be given to Gary Forbes (30pts, 15-16ft, 2stl). Even though his team lost,it was no fault of Forbes, who almost singlehandedly brought his team back from a large deficit. In the early going Forbes looked to set his teammates up, yetwhen he realized they weren't capitalizing, he took it upon himself to put points on the board.
He may have forced the issue too much at times, looking a bit selfish, but nobody can argue with his effectiveness and results. He scored in a variety of ways:hitting tough shots right out of the triple threat, showing his touch with soft floaters and even some athleticism by getting to the hoop and absorbing contactand still having enough body control to give the ball a chance to go in.
Although he was very impressive scoring, he may have been just as good on the defensive end, where he chased Richard Roby (3-9fg) off screens and forced him toput the ball on the floor and settle for difficult shots. He can get overaggressive and get cheap fouls sometimes as he does lack great lateral speed, but onehas to respect the effort he put in on this end.
Gary Forbes
If there was to be a player of the day award, then without a doubt it would have to be given to Gary Forbes (30pts, 15-16ft, 2stl). Even though his team lost,it was no fault of Forbes, who almost singlehandedly brought his team back from a large deficit. In the early going Forbes looked to set his teammates up, yetwhen he realized they weren't capitalizing, he took it upon himself to put points on the board.
He may have forced the issue too much at times, looking a bit selfish, but nobody can argue with his effectiveness and results. He scored in a variety of ways:hitting tough shots right out of the triple threat, showing his touch with soft floaters and even some athleticism by getting to the hoop and absorbing contactand still having enough body control to give the ball a chance to go in.
Although he was very impressive scoring, he may have been just as good on the defensive end, where he chased Richard Roby (3-9fg) off screens and forced him toput the ball on the floor and settle for difficult shots. He can get overaggressive and get cheap fouls sometimes as he does lack great lateral speed, but onehas to respect the effort he put in on this end.
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Told yall.
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^
wanna know how weak this camp is??
Joe Crawford looks good
wanna know how weak this camp is??
Joe Crawford looks good
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"Jeremy Pargo entered the draft for this thing, I think his plan is to do this camp, see how he stacks up against the rest of the pool and then head backto college for that Gonzaga championship run.
"
West Coast Conference championship maybe.
Are you a Zags fan?
Why has Downs not become the player everyone thought he would?
Does Heytveldt(sp?) have attitude issues with his teammates? I saw him arguing alot in their game in Raleigh for the NCAA's this year
West Coast Conference championship maybe.
Are you a Zags fan?
Why has Downs not become the player everyone thought he would?
Does Heytveldt(sp?) have attitude issues with his teammates? I saw him arguing alot in their game in Raleigh for the NCAA's this year
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is that the same Gary Forbes who og went to Virgina???
My guy played highschool ball with him
My guy played highschool ball with him
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I see the player list, you don't have to tell me
He's about the 40th best player available....he's putting in work tho, as I suspected.
Ya, Cake he's that Gary Forbes.
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Same guy.Originally Posted by Seymore CAKE
is that the same Gary Forbes who og went to Virgina???
My guy played highschool ball with him
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I really feel like more then another draft this year the players out of the small school are going to put in work
I'm putting Forbes on this list because he went to U-Mass.
1. Forbes
2. Jason Thompson
3. Lester Hudson
4. Will Daniels
5. Courtney Lee
I feel that these kids are going to be sold players. There are other players but I like this group to be good role players on their teams. All have a chancebut I feel Will needs to have good workouts.
John Riek needs to get out of the draft and go to college for real.
Looking toward the 09 draft watch out for Chris Lowe he will be top of this list next year.
I'm putting Forbes on this list because he went to U-Mass.
1. Forbes
2. Jason Thompson
3. Lester Hudson
4. Will Daniels
5. Courtney Lee
I feel that these kids are going to be sold players. There are other players but I like this group to be good role players on their teams. All have a chancebut I feel Will needs to have good workouts.
John Riek needs to get out of the draft and go to college for real.
Looking toward the 09 draft watch out for Chris Lowe he will be top of this list next year.
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He's a bum right now and a project in every sense of the word.
Shame how people have treated him and handled his situation. Feel bad for the kid.
Shame how people have treated him and handled his situation. Feel bad for the kid.
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I was just going to ask what happened to dude, I remember him at UVA then he was gone... had no idea what happened to him. It makes sense now why my guytransfered to UMass with this new info . Did he kill in the A 10?
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Yah, he was Player of the Year
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See my guy always said he was crazy talented and UVA did him dirt trying to make him play the 4 or some crazy !#@% like that cause they had J.R ... theyshoulda just ran a 4 guard set. Lord know SS could've used him this yr
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why do they keep showing the tv booth instead of the play on court?
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OJ looks to be in pretty good shape..
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Pooh and Juice
sidenote: if we don't draft him I won't watch/support them for the next 5 entire seaon next yr believe that!
maybe not 5 but still...
sidenote: if we don't draft him I won't watch/support them for the next 5 entire seaon next yr believe that!
maybe not 5 but still...
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NBA Pre-Draft Camp, Day Four
by: Jonathan Givony - President
May 31, 2008
Fatigue began to set in for many of the prospects and scouts in attendance here in day four, causing much of the attention to turn to the 15 physical-onlyplayers, who were here to participate in the combine and conduct light drills and skills-based workouts that drew quite a crowd of high-level NBA executives.
Darrell Arthur, Joe Alexander, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, Donte Greene, Anthony Randolph, JaVale McGee, D.J. Augustin, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, EricGordon, and Brook Lopez, Jerryd Bayless, and DeAndre Jordan were the players the NBA types had an opportunity to drool over. This was an interesting setting,since the lottery candidates joined in on all six of the pre-draft camp teams here, giving us an unique comparison gauge to evaluate their physical tools andskill-sets alongside second round and mostly undrafted prospects. With a good number of NBA GMs on hand to take in the action, there were many interestingdraft-related conversations going on at all times in the stands, some of which we got to take part in.
Opinions on how much we were able to learn from the workouts here were very mixed. Some were very happy to be able to see all these players in action in personand take a look at what type of shape they are in, while others called it "a complete waste of time" due to the absolute lack of competitive play.The drills consisted mostly of ball-handling skills for guards going through cones, post-ups for bigs, mid-range and long-range spot-up and pull-up jumpers,and some very basic transition play. The sample size of shots the players took was limited, so keep that in mind.
Pat Riley and Larry Brown (JG/DX)
Clearly the most impressive workout of any of the 15 players belonged to Derrick Rose. Not so much for what he showed, but mostly just for what he is. He gotup and down the floor fluidly and smoothly, covering tons of ground with each and every stride, and looked excellent changing speeds and operating skillfullywith both hands in the ball-handling drills. His athleticism is nothing short of stunning, starting with his phenomenal first step, his ability to changegears, and his incredible explosiveness finishing around the basket. He came out with a business-like approach, and left no doubt about just how unique histalent-level and physical tools are. A nice bonus was the way he shot the ball, hitting more than one NBA 3-pointer and looking solid from mid-range as well.
[table][tr][td]
[/td] [/tr][/table]
AP
Also catching our eye was Russell Westbrook, who came out very seriously and didn't seem to be taking anything for granted. He was fantastic in thetransition drills, flying up and down the court with his terrific athleticism, and also shot the ball fairly well after starting off slowly. His ball-handlingskills are just OK at this point.
D.J. Augustin brought both a high skill level in the drills and excellent quickness, making him a pretty impressive workout player to take in in a setting likethis. It really seems like his size is the only thing that can hold him back. He also had an unbelievably fast run in the 3
by: Jonathan Givony - President
May 31, 2008
Fatigue began to set in for many of the prospects and scouts in attendance here in day four, causing much of the attention to turn to the 15 physical-onlyplayers, who were here to participate in the combine and conduct light drills and skills-based workouts that drew quite a crowd of high-level NBA executives.
Darrell Arthur, Joe Alexander, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, Donte Greene, Anthony Randolph, JaVale McGee, D.J. Augustin, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, EricGordon, and Brook Lopez, Jerryd Bayless, and DeAndre Jordan were the players the NBA types had an opportunity to drool over. This was an interesting setting,since the lottery candidates joined in on all six of the pre-draft camp teams here, giving us an unique comparison gauge to evaluate their physical tools andskill-sets alongside second round and mostly undrafted prospects. With a good number of NBA GMs on hand to take in the action, there were many interestingdraft-related conversations going on at all times in the stands, some of which we got to take part in.
Opinions on how much we were able to learn from the workouts here were very mixed. Some were very happy to be able to see all these players in action in personand take a look at what type of shape they are in, while others called it "a complete waste of time" due to the absolute lack of competitive play.The drills consisted mostly of ball-handling skills for guards going through cones, post-ups for bigs, mid-range and long-range spot-up and pull-up jumpers,and some very basic transition play. The sample size of shots the players took was limited, so keep that in mind.
Pat Riley and Larry Brown (JG/DX)
Clearly the most impressive workout of any of the 15 players belonged to Derrick Rose. Not so much for what he showed, but mostly just for what he is. He gotup and down the floor fluidly and smoothly, covering tons of ground with each and every stride, and looked excellent changing speeds and operating skillfullywith both hands in the ball-handling drills. His athleticism is nothing short of stunning, starting with his phenomenal first step, his ability to changegears, and his incredible explosiveness finishing around the basket. He came out with a business-like approach, and left no doubt about just how unique histalent-level and physical tools are. A nice bonus was the way he shot the ball, hitting more than one NBA 3-pointer and looking solid from mid-range as well.
[table][tr][td]
AP
Also catching our eye was Russell Westbrook, who came out very seriously and didn't seem to be taking anything for granted. He was fantastic in thetransition drills, flying up and down the court with his terrific athleticism, and also shot the ball fairly well after starting off slowly. His ball-handlingskills are just OK at this point.
D.J. Augustin brought both a high skill level in the drills and excellent quickness, making him a pretty impressive workout player to take in in a setting likethis. It really seems like his size is the only thing that can hold him back. He also had an unbelievably fast run in the 3
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Hoopshype's Take
[font=Tahoma, Arial, Verdana]Big guns show up[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]by Matthew Kamalsky / May 31, 2008[/font]
With this year's edition of the Pre-Draft Camp drawing to a close, executives got the chance to watch the likes of DerrickRose and Michael Beasley perform in basic drills for the first time this offseason. The day also featured the usual three games and acombine, giving the participants one last chance to show their stuff.
Friday's activities were highlighted by the presence of this draft's top 15 prospects. The session consisted of transition shootingdrills, and then some position-specific work. While these drills don't indicate much about a player, it is an easy way to gauge how much work they'veput in recently, and how they approach practice.
Anyone who watched the Memphis Tigers play this year knows that Derrick Rose is a freak athlete, but nothing makes that more apparent than watching himparticipate in offensive drills again token defense. He may be the best athlete in basketball, casually attacking the basket at a speed that most playerscan't even achieve in game settings. He didn't shoot the ball particularly well, but made a few NBA threes and showed off his amazing repertoire ofcrossovers and change of direction moves. The fact that he not only participated, but went hard on every repetition is probably a good sign.
Anthony Randolph, on the other hand, struggled to hit anything, but it is his potential, not his current skill level, thathas him slated as a lottery pick by most scouting services. He has ridiculous length and athleticism, and it shows when he attacks the rim, but he's got along way to go.
No player struggled as much as JaVale McGee amongst the lottery-bound participants, and while he's a tremendous athlete,he needs to work on staying confident after he misses from the perimeter. His calling card is his jumper at this point, but he was struggling to hitanything.
Jerryd Bayless was essentially going through the motions, not trying to simulate game situations and looking generallydisinterested. He was still hitting his shots consistently, and his ability as a shooter can't be questioned.
Donte Greene went out of his way to show off his athleticism every chance he got, throwing down a number of impressive tomahawk dunks. Hisjumper looked decent, but his ballhandling still needs work.
Russell Westbrook is one of the most impressive athletes in the draft, and while he looked good in transition shootingdrills, he went from making 1 of 5 shots in his first rep of shooting coming off of cuts to making all 5 on his second rep. He's obviously got the rawtools to be great, and just needs the right situation to excel.
Darrell Arthur had a very nice showing, looking crisp in the post, and the mid-range, while managing to bank in a couple ofthree's from the top of key on consecutive reps. Brook Lopez was the other big man in Arthur's group, and isn't the smoothest postplayer, but is effective nonetheless.
Kevin Love seems to have trimmed down a bit, and looked bouncier in transition drills. He'll always excel in thissetting, given the polish he has on his game. Joe Alexander is in a similar boat, looking effortless in almost everything he does.
DJ Augustin is a heck of an offensive player, knocking down his shots with consistency and showing a very quick first step.He shot the ball well, but not as well as OJ Mayo, who looked simply incredible from the mid-range. DeAndre Jordan is longand athletic, but he's really raw, and it shows.
Michael Beasley can shoot the NBA three, which should render every team outside of the top-two worried. He looked scary goodin drills. Eric Gordon can hit the three effectively, and has tremendous footwork for a player his age.
Though these drills may not mean much, they are a useful point of departure as we move into private workouts. Measurement results from thecombine should be available soon, bringing with them even more insight into these players.
[font=Tahoma, Arial, Verdana]Big guns show up[/font]
[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]by Matthew Kamalsky / May 31, 2008[/font]
Friday's activities were highlighted by the presence of this draft's top 15 prospects. The session consisted of transition shootingdrills, and then some position-specific work. While these drills don't indicate much about a player, it is an easy way to gauge how much work they'veput in recently, and how they approach practice.
Anyone who watched the Memphis Tigers play this year knows that Derrick Rose is a freak athlete, but nothing makes that more apparent than watching himparticipate in offensive drills again token defense. He may be the best athlete in basketball, casually attacking the basket at a speed that most playerscan't even achieve in game settings. He didn't shoot the ball particularly well, but made a few NBA threes and showed off his amazing repertoire ofcrossovers and change of direction moves. The fact that he not only participated, but went hard on every repetition is probably a good sign.
Anthony Randolph, on the other hand, struggled to hit anything, but it is his potential, not his current skill level, thathas him slated as a lottery pick by most scouting services. He has ridiculous length and athleticism, and it shows when he attacks the rim, but he's got along way to go.
No player struggled as much as JaVale McGee amongst the lottery-bound participants, and while he's a tremendous athlete,he needs to work on staying confident after he misses from the perimeter. His calling card is his jumper at this point, but he was struggling to hitanything.
Jerryd Bayless was essentially going through the motions, not trying to simulate game situations and looking generallydisinterested. He was still hitting his shots consistently, and his ability as a shooter can't be questioned.
Donte Greene went out of his way to show off his athleticism every chance he got, throwing down a number of impressive tomahawk dunks. Hisjumper looked decent, but his ballhandling still needs work.
Russell Westbrook is one of the most impressive athletes in the draft, and while he looked good in transition shootingdrills, he went from making 1 of 5 shots in his first rep of shooting coming off of cuts to making all 5 on his second rep. He's obviously got the rawtools to be great, and just needs the right situation to excel.
Darrell Arthur had a very nice showing, looking crisp in the post, and the mid-range, while managing to bank in a couple ofthree's from the top of key on consecutive reps. Brook Lopez was the other big man in Arthur's group, and isn't the smoothest postplayer, but is effective nonetheless.
Kevin Love seems to have trimmed down a bit, and looked bouncier in transition drills. He'll always excel in thissetting, given the polish he has on his game. Joe Alexander is in a similar boat, looking effortless in almost everything he does.
DJ Augustin is a heck of an offensive player, knocking down his shots with consistency and showing a very quick first step.He shot the ball well, but not as well as OJ Mayo, who looked simply incredible from the mid-range. DeAndre Jordan is longand athletic, but he's really raw, and it shows.
Michael Beasley can shoot the NBA three, which should render every team outside of the top-two worried. He looked scary goodin drills. Eric Gordon can hit the three effectively, and has tremendous footwork for a player his age.
Though these drills may not mean much, they are a useful point of departure as we move into private workouts. Measurement results from thecombine should be available soon, bringing with them even more insight into these players.
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derrick rose
beasley with some new tats.
beasley with some new tats.
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gotta love that NBA money. just dont turn into robert swift. lol
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There were a few people that expressed concern with some of his antics over the past few days.
Beasley
maturity wise, he makes gilbert arenas look like colin powell
Mayo....all business
