10 to watch at the Orlando NBA pre-draft camp
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Thu Jun 8 10:15:27 CDT 2006
10 to watch at the Orlando NBA pre-draft camp
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By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
ORLANDO, Fla. -- The first-ever Orlando pre-draft camp opened on Tuesday to
a chorus of boos from NBA executives.
Many at the Milkhouse here at Disney's Wide World of Sports called it the
worst pre-draft camp ever.
Why the dour faces?
Moving the event from GM-friendly Chicago to kid-friendly Orlando was a
major topic of conversation. But what really bothered them was a perceived lack
of talent here.
Of the 62 players here, only one, UCLA's _Jordan Farmar_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18858) , is
rated as a first-rounder in _Insider's Mock Draft_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2006/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=MockDraft-050623) .
And 15 players ranked No. 31 or lower in _Insider's Top 100_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/rank?draftyear=2006) chose not to play.
Two players, Texas' _Daniel Gibson_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18835) and Cal's _Leon Powe_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=188
71) , pulled out of the camp on Tuesday.
Thirteen other players not currently ranked by Insider as first-rounders
also took a pass. They include Pittsburgh's _Aaron Gray_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18961) , Colorado's
_Richard Roby_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18887) , UConn's _Josh Boone_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18848) , Cincinnati's
_James White_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18947) , Michigan State's _Paul Davis_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18873) , West
Virginia's _Mike Gansey_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18968) , Illinois' _Dee Brown_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18864) ,
Nevada's _Nick Fazekas_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18882) , Arizona's _Hassan Adams_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18867) , UCLA's
_Arron Afflalo_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18954) , UCLA's _Ryan Hollins_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18982) and West
Virginia's _Kevin Pittsnogle_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18908) .
Another, Texas' _P.J. Tucker_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18975) , was unable to play because of
injury. Add in a number of international players who are elsewhere because of
team commitments or visa issues, along with the 30 players ranked in the first
round, and there are roughly 50 draft-eligible players who aren't playing in
Orlando.
That leaves about 10 draft spots for the 62 players who are here.
The lack of talent at the camp led to some frank dialogue among executives
at the league's competition meeting here on Monday. Several executives told
Insider that there was discussion about potentially dumping the draft camps
altogether because of the number of top players who refuse to play in them.
Other executives argued that NBA teams should do away with individual
workouts, forcing prospects to play in front of everyone if they want to be
drafted. Others argued for the elimination of private workouts, meaning that any
team that has a workout must notify and invite every other team in the league to
attend.
"The system is broken," one NBA GM told Insider. "We've got to do something.
No decisions were made because, frankly, no one can agree how to fix it. The
only thing we agree on is that the system as it stands is broken."
Don't buy into all of the pessimism, however. There are a number of players
here who could make a NBA roster.
It speaks to the depth of this year's draft that, even with 50 players not
here, I could easily come up with 10 players who could work their way up the
draft charts with a great camp and another 20 who could be second rounders.
Who will NBA GMs be watching? Insider polled a dozen executives to get the
names of the players they're most interested in.
Jordan Farmar, PG, UCLA
Not only is Farmar the best prospect in the camp, he's the best one to play
in a pre-draft camp in a while.
Farmar is a pure point guard who led UCLA to the NCAA championship game.
He's ranked by many NBA teams as the second- or third-best point guard in the
draft.
So why is he here? Because he's still unsure whether he's staying in the
draft and wants to get all the information he can. If he plays well (scouts want
to see him shoot the ball better and defend), he could move himself up the
draft board. If he stinks, he'll be able to return to UCLA and work on his
game. Either way, Farmar wins.
_James Augustine_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18932) , PF, Illinois
In a draft devoid of athletic bigs outside of the lottery, Augustine will be
watched closely by executives. His numbers were never impressive at
Illinois, but he always was overshadowed by Illinois' fantastic guards. The same
thing could happen here in Orlando -- big men rarely fare well here because the
guards dominate the ball. However, if he can show a little offense to go along
with his nonstop motor and excellent athleticism, he could rise.
_Will Blalock_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18964) , PG, Iowa State
I've been slowly warming to Blalock all year, but it wasn't until last week
at a workout in Chicago that I came away convinced that he could be an NBA
player. Blalock has the right combination of court vision, athleticism,
offensive skills and length to be a good point guard in the pros. And he really can
defend. He could have a Luther Head-type rise if he plays well.
_Bobby Brown_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18942) , G, Cal-State Fullerton
Brown is in a similar situation to Blalock's. He is athletic, can score the
ball and should look great in these types of showcases. Several teams already
have come away impressed with his workouts. If he can show teams here that
he's a true point guard, and not just a two guard in a point guard's body, he,
too, has a shot of sneaking into the first round.
_Paul Millsap_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18870) , PF, Louisiana Tech
The guy led the NCAA in rebounding for three straight years, so why aren't
more NBA people impressed? The early reports from his workouts were that he
was not in great shape and he struggled. He also is going to measure short and
isn't the best athlete in the world.
However, when Millsap is on, he's got the chance to be, at the very least, a
Reggie Evans-type of player in the pros. All he needs to do is gather a ton
of rebounds against the better competition here in camp and the buzz will
follow.
_Allan Ray_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18928) , SG, Villanova
Next to Farmar, Ray might be the best player here. He's a very good shooter
and an excellent athlete who can score off the dribble. He's undersized to
play the two in the pros, but with the new rule changes, we're starting to see
players like Ray excel. If he can show a good handle and good shot selection
here, he'll get some buzz.
_Darius Washington_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18862) , G, Memphis
Washington was once ranked as the second-best high school point guard in the
country behind _Sebastian Telfair_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18644) . However, after two solid
seasons for Memphis, his stock actually has dropped.
Washington is strong, quick and athletic and he knows how to score. However,
scouts see him as a 6-1 shooting guard, the second coming of _Dajuan Wagner_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playe
rId=18351) . He's going to have to resist the urge to drop 25 on one of
these teams and settle for a few 10-assist games if he wants to move up.
_Brad Newley_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18977) , SG, Australia
Newley is a big-time scorer from Australia who won the NBL All-Star MVP
award his rookie year. He's a good shooter, but what will surprise some people is
his toughness and his ability to get to the basket. The big question for
Newley -- how will he adjust to the speed and athleticism in the U.S. game?
_Taj Gray_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18852) , PF, Oklahoma State
Gray was pegged as a potential first-round prospect for most of the year.
He's a good athlete who plays a coveted position.
His biggest problem? Scouts expected him to be a lot more dominant than he
ended up being this season. His numbers actually slipped a little bit from
those of his junior season.
Still, if Florida State's _Alexander Johnson_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18973) is getting
first-round buzz, why can't Gray get some? His measurements might mean a lot more
than how he plays on the floor.
_Curtis Stinson_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18879) , G, Iowa State
The guy had a great year. His scoring and assists were both impressive, but
not impressive enough to convince scouts that he's a point guard at the next
level. If he gets to play point here (unfortunately, he's been placed on the
same roster with former teammate Blalock and another hot shot point guard,
_Gerry McNamara_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18963) ), he could really help his stock. But right now,
it looks like he'll be stuck at the two. Sometimes you have to wonder what the
camp organizers are thinking. Every NBA guy in the gym wants to see Stinson
at the one.
Others to watch: _Solomon Jones_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18987) , F/C, South Florida; _Steven
Smith_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18872) , SF, LaSalle; _Marcus Slaughter_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18896) , F, San Diego
State; _Pops Mensah-Bonsu_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18894) , F, George Washington; _Steve Novak_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerI
d=18965) , F, Marquette; _David Noel_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=19005) , F, North Carolina;
_Morris Almond_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18999) , G/F, Rice; _Eric Hicks_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18986) , F, Cincinnati;
_Dwyane Mitchell_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=19012) , G, Louisiana-Lafayette; _Matt Haryasz_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=1887
8) , F, Stanford; _Renaldo Balkman_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18992) , F, South Carolina; Tedric
Hill, F, Gulf Coast CC; _Chris Quinn_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18989) , PG, Notre Dame; _Louis
Amundson_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=19013) , F, UNLV; _Bobby Jones_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18985) , F, Washington;
_Viktor Keirou_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18918) , G, Russia; _Sean Dockery_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18988) , G, Duke;
_Brandon Bowman_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18925) , F, Georgetown; _Denham Brown_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18919) , G/F,
UConn; _Rashad Anderson_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18933) , G, UConn; _Daniel Horton_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=19007) , G,
Michigan; _J.P. Batista_
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?playerId=18972&draftyear=2006) , F/C, Gonzaga
_Chad Ford_ (http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/writeback?name=Chad+Ford)
covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.
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