Fw: Insider look at the "Secret" workouts (Great article)

["Josh Ozersky" <jozersky1@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Some of this might have been posted already,
but here's the whole article.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steven Wallace" <swallace4922@attbi.com>
Newsgroups: alt.sports.basketball.nba.boston-celtics
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2003 5:08 PM
Subject: Insider look at the "Secret" workouts (Great article)


> AUthor listed below
>
> Ebi OK, Villanueva bombs, Badiane opens eyes
> By Chad Ford
> NBA Insider
> Friday, June 6
> Updated: June 6
> 11:17 AM ET
>
>
> CHICAGO -- After one day of intense on-court scrutiny of 69 prospects at
the
> Chicago pre-draft camp Wednesday, NBA scouts and GMs turned their
attention
> to more pressing matters on Thursday -- finding the next diamond in the
> rough.
>
>
>  Thursday's Buzz
>  Of course, private workouts were only the sideshow to the main event in
> Chicago. There was plenty going on inside the NBA's pre-draft camp
Thursday,
> where Luke Walton and Troy Bell continued to impress scouts.
>
> Thursday's Buzz
>
> For the most part, the college players here are what they are. With a few
> exceptions, most of them are college seniors who have been scouted a dozen
> times. As good as the competition is, there doesn't appear to be a player
> here who can crack the top 20 in this year's NBA Draft. So the majority of
> scouts eventually get restless, and their eyes start to wander.
>
> When a few hot high school or international prospects let it leak that
> they'll be working out at an undisclosed time and location (which, of
> course, will quickly become the worst-kept secret in Chicago) it's the
> equivalent of a fire drill.
>
> The mass exodus is staggering.
>
> "We've got a herd mentality in the NBA," one assistant GM told Insider.
"If
> we see something hot or new, we stampede."
>
> Thursday's stampede headed in the direction of three intriguing prospects:
> High school stars Ndudi Ebi and Charlie Villanueva, and international
> prospect Malik Badiane. Today, the same herd will be courtside to watch
> 7-foot-4, 300 pound Russian giant Pavel Podkolzine.
>
> For months the debate has raged over which side of the Atlantic is
producing
> better young prospects. If Thursday was any indication, the international
> guys have opened up a can of whoop-ass on the Americans.
>
> Here's a look at how the day went down.
>
> 1 p.m., Hoops Gym
>
> Ndudi Ebi
> Every year one major workout takes place at Hoops, and this year roughly
200
> NBA scouts and GMs have crammed into the gym for a good look at Ebi and
> Villanueva.
>
> Ebi, a skinny, 6-foot-9 forward, went first. It really isn't the best
stage
> for his skills. Ebi was ranked as one of the top three players in the
> country based on his great defense, shot-blocking (the best in the
nation),
> hustle and ability to score inside and out. Thursday's affair was
basically
> a series of shooting drills, low post exercises and a few examples of
> running the floor.
>
> Things didn't go all that well for the youngster from Texas. Ebi wasn't
> shooting the ball particularly well. His shot form looks OK, but nothing
was
> going in on a consistent basis. He had a few nice runs, but it wasn't
> anything to write home about. Ebi is often compared to Jonathan Bender,
> because of his slight frame and ability to multi-task on the floor. But
it's
> pretty clear Ebi doesn't have the type of dead-eye range Bender showed as
a
> prospect.
>
> Ebi's best attribute in workouts is his length. His arms are long, and
he's
> able to move quickly to get to the basket. He's pretty impressive taking
the
> ball outside the 3-point line, taking one dribble and driving to the
basket.
> Several scouts that know him well say Ebi is a hard worker, plays with a
lot
> of desire and is constantly working on his game to make it better.
>
> The downside is that he's still very, very raw offensively, needs to add a
> lot of strength to his frame and he needs to find a position. None of
those
> knocks will stop someone from drafting him ... possibly as high as the
> middle of the first round.
>
> "If he stayed in college another two years," one scout told Insider, "he'd
> be a high lottery pick. I wish he'd go back to school, because I think
he's
> so raw, he's better of getting playing time. He'll get stronger quicker if
> he goes straight to the NBA, but he won't really be able to develop his
game
> instincts. With that said, if I was sitting in the late teens and early
20s
> and had a couple years to develop him, I'd take him in a heartbeat. He has
> the desire to get better and will keep working on his game until he earns
> playing time."
>
> Villanueva's workout, on the other hand, was a disaster. The minute Ebi
> ended his workout and Villanueva stepped on the floor, roughly half the
NBA
> people in the gym got up and walked out.
>
>
> Charlie Villanueva was less than impressive on Thursday.
> If that isn't a message to Villanueva to go back to school, I don't know
> what is.
>
> Ironically, Villanueva actually looked much more polished than Ebi. He
shot
> the ball well, showed nice athleticism on several drills, and, at
6-foot-11,
> he has some skills that are intriguing.
>
> But two related things poisoned the well. Villanueva worked at less than
> half speed. I'm not sure he even broke a sweat. His play, on a few
> occasions, bordered on lackadaisical. Midway through the workout, there
were
> less than 50 people left in the gym.
>
> What's the problem?
>
> "Bad attitude," one NBA GM said.
>
> "Terrible attitude," another NBA coach said.
>
> An international scout was furious that he even wasted his time. "Why come
> to a job interview and goof around?" he said. "I don't understand it.
> Neither of these kids put on a real workout today. If you want to see
> someone really work for their bread, come with me ..."
>
> With that, and with Villanueva's workout still not officially over, we
were
> out the door and on the way to see Senegal's Malick Badiane.
>
> 2:30 p.m., University Illinois Chicago
> A few wrong turns get us to the gym after Badiane's workout has begun.
>
> The difference in the atmosphere is palpable the minute we enter the room.
> Badiane is grunting and growling. His trainer, Eric Lichter, is putting
him
> through a strenuous drill. Badiane is going full speed.
>
> He's pounding the ball with every dribble. He's clawing, scratching out
> every drill. He takes the ball at the top of the key, takes one dribble
and
> throws down a huge dunk. He does it again. And again. And again.
>
> For the first time all day, I can smell the sweat in the gym.
>
> Badiane is an impressive physical specimen. He's a 19-year old, 6-foot-11,
> 234-pound power forward with a 7-foot-4= wing span and a 32=-inch vertical
> jump. His body is already ripped, and his frame suggests he could easily
> bulk up to 250 without losing any speed or agility.
>
> At one point Lichter takes a huge cord that looks like a giant rubber
band,
> ties one end around his waist and the other around Badiane's waist. He
then
> tells Badiane to attack the basket and dunk the ball. As Badiane fights to
> get there, Lichter is pulling the band in the opposite direction.
>
> Badiane is grunting with each fierce dunk.
>
> "Again!" Lichter shouts as he yanks the cord. Badiane jumps, Lichter
pulls.
> Badiane stretches toward the rim, Lichter keeps pulling.
>
> About 40 NBA scouts and GMs are in the gym. None of them are talking to
each
> other. They're all staring, jaws agape.
>
> "I told you," the international scout said. "That is an NBA workout. He
just
> earned himself a lot of bread."
>
> If Badiane had been on the court with Ebi and Villanueva, he would have
> killed them both.
>
> "Right now, the international players are hungrier," another scout
> continues. "They really want it. Over in Europe (Badiane plays for a team
in
> Germany), the conditions still aren't always great. You never know when or
> if you're getting paid. The facilities aren't that great, and the money
> isn't very good. You don't play to have seven Bentleys in your garage. You
> play because it's your passion."
>
>  " Where are you going to find that combination of power and athleticism?"
> the scout said. "I hate comparisons, but how different is he from Amare
> Stoudemire in terms of strength and desire? I don't think there's that big
a
> gap. "
>   - NBA scout on Malick Badiane of Senegal
> Two NBA scouts in the gym have followed Badiane for years. One claims he
> should be a top 15 pick in the draft. The other won't go that far but does
> insist he's a lock for the first round.
>
> "Where are you going to find that combination of power and athleticism?"
the
> scout said. "I hate comparisons, but how different is he from Amare
> Stoudemire in terms of strength and desire? I don't think there's that big
a
> gap."
>
> Another assistant GM walks up to me, smiles and sums up the last 45
minutes.
> "It looks like you've stumbled onto another goldmine."
>
> Here's the book on Badiane according to several experts in African
scouting
> who know him intimately. He's one of the strongest, most athletic big men
in
> the draft. He is an above-average defender, strong rebounder and a great
> shot blocker. He runs the floor like a guard and is an explosive leaper.
He
> has a soft shooting touch and his range extends out to 15 feet. Of all of
> the young, African prospects to come to the NBA in the last 20 years, both
> scouts claim Badiane has the most offensive potential of any since Hakeem
> Olajuwon.
>
> Lichter has another comparison that seems to fit. "He reminds me a lot of
> Nene," said Lichter, who trained Nene Hilaro last summer. "They're both as
> strong as an ox. Nene is a more talented physical prospect, but Malick is
> much more skilled around the basket than Nene was when he came over.
Badiane
> is very swift, which is kind of amazing considering how powerful his legs
> really are. He's got awesome power from his base."
>
> Lichter has helped Badiane improve on his raw ability. He has him working
in
> a sand pit in Cleveland, mimicking NBA moves in sand to increase his
> strength and explosiveness. In five weeks, Badiane has gained 17 pounds -- 
> all of it muscle.
>
> After the workout, Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe shows Badiane a few moves in
> the block. He's shaking his head and smiling widely as he walks away.
>
> Badiane is just happy to be here. "I just wanted to work hard and show the
> NBA what they would be getting if they drafted me," he told Insider. "I've
> been working very hard and I'll keep working hard if they choose to draft
> me."
>
> Badiane has plenty of experience against top competition. He played well
at
> the Global Games in Dallas last summer (and held his own against Darko
> Milicic), and he impressed people at the ABCD camp for high schoolers.
>
> When asked who is favorite NBA player is, he smiles and says Ben Wallace.
"I
> love to play defense like he does. I just want to be strong, grab every
> rebound and block every shot."
>
> He only has one caveat on that comparison. "But I will score the ball
too."
>
> Most scouts have assumed Badiane will be taken by the Mavs at No. 29. But
> based on what we saw on Thursday, Badiane probably won't be on the board
> that long.
>
> 5 p.m., Gold Coast MultiPlex
> Pavel Podkolzine, the 7-foot-4 Siberian kid who was virtually unknown six
> months ago is finally in the U.S. What does he think?
>
>
> Podkolzine
> "I love America!" he says with a huge smile. He then picks me up off the
> floor to give me a hug. "America is the best. I don't want to leave!"
>
> He's been here all of two hours.
>
> Pavel got off the seven-hour flight from Milan, took a cab to his hotel,
> unpacked and called his agent, Justin Zanick, 30 minutes later. "I'm ready
> to go to the gym. I'm sick of waiting around."
>
> Another 30 minutes later and Pavel is at the MultiPlex, dribbling a
> basketball in front of a number of stunned onlookers. You really have to
see
> him to believe him. CBA head coach Billy Bayno is at the gym, ready to
give
> Pavel a prep course for his workout Friday.
>
> Pavel picks up the ball and starts running the floor, dribbling between
his
> legs, behind his back and doing a little cross-over move. He then picks it
> up and starts firing away. His first 12 shots hit nothing but net.
>
> Over the next 30 minutes, Bayno puts Pavel through what essentially is a
> guard's workout -- perimeter shooting, ball handling, pick and pops. What
is
> he doing?
>
> "I was just trying to get a handle for what the big fella could do," he
> said. "His skills are pretty amazing, I kind of got carried away."
>
> If you're an NBA team, you don't have much to fear. Pavel won't be
chucking
> up NBA 3-pointers at today's workout. He'll spend his time on the block,
> displaying his increasingly impressive array of post moves and showing
teams
> how well he runs the floor.
>
> Bayno, for one, is impressed. "He's for real, big time. This workout could
> last for 15 minutes and I think they'll see everything they need to see."
>
> The plan is to go for 40 minutes. To get ready, Pavel works for an hour at
a
> pretty furious pace. The level of intensity for what was supposed to be a
> run-through dwarfs what Ebi and Villanueva did in the morning. Not bad for
a
> guy two hours removed from a seven-hour flight.
>
> Pavel seems to be enjoying himself. I ask him if he's nervous for
tomorrow's
> workout, and he just shrugs his shoulders and smiles. "People stare at me
> wherever I go, what's the difference? I just will try to do my best."
>
> At 7-foot-4, 300 pounds, his best won't have to be too much to get him in
> the lottery. If he works out today the same way he worked Thursday night,
it
> will be a shock if he doesn't land in the top 13.