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[Jaims]

pardon me if these stuff were already posted...

Final views from Orlando camp

ORLANDO, Fla. -- It's finished. The question now is whether the Orlando 
predraft camp might be finished too.
Most NBA executives and scouts left Orlando Thursday night or Friday 
morning. By Friday's last game, the place was nearly empty. Clearly NBA 
executives have voted with their feet in this camp.
For the first time in years, it appears that no one has done enough here to 
work himself into the first round.
"I didn't see anyone here that I thought was worthy of a first-round pick," 
one GM said before heading out the door at noon for 18 holes of golf. "There 
were some second rounders here that I liked. But overall, it's been a 
serious disappointment. I thought a few guys here had a chance to prove 
something, but they didn't play well."
Look for changes to come in the near future. On one end, NBA executives are 
calling for the banning of all team workouts to create a more NFL-like 
combine atmosphere here. On the other, different executives are calling for 
the elimination of the camps and the lifting of scouting restrictions --  
essentially an every-man-for-himself approach.
However, a middle ground might be reached. One NBA league executive told 
Insider on Friday that the league might consider banning NBA teams from 
doing individual workouts before the Orlando camp. That would limit the 
number of workouts prospects could attend, and likely push many more of the 
top players into the camp. If a prospect can only work out for 8 to 10 teams 
before the draft, they may feel compelled to show off for the other 20 in 
Orlando. As it stands, many of the draft prospects have already had 10-to-12 
workouts before they get here.
They also talked about banning all players not ranked in the Top 10 or 15 
from working out individually for teams if they refuse to play in Orlando. 
Of course, who decides who the top 15 are?
Despite the sour notes being played by NBA team personnel, there were a few 
surprises and revelations here in Orlando this week. Here's a look, based on 
feedback from NBA executives and scouts, on the Top 10 players in Orlando 
this week.
1. Darius Washington, PG, Memphis: Washington was the best point guard in 
the camp, an impressive achievement considering that two players ranked 
ahead of him, Jordan Farmar and Will Blalock, also played here. Washington 
played under control, shot the ball extremely well and was a team player for 
the most part. No one I talked to thought the performance moved him into the 
first round, but it looks like he's a definite second-round prospect now. 
Before the camp, many thought he could slip out of the draft altogether.
2. Kenny Adeleke, PF, Hartford: Adeleke is a bruiser who never seems to tire 
on either end of the court. He's got an NBA body and athleticism, and will 
fill up space in the paint. Offensively, he needs a lot of polish, but he 
does look to put the ball in the basket. It's hard to believe that he'll 
slip out of the first round after his performance here.
3. Louis Amundson, F, UNLV: Amundson is another energy guy that impressed 
scouts with his explosiveness, strength and scoring ability. He had already 
been getting some buzz during his individual workouts, and his performance 
in the camp has only amplified it. He's a cross between Mark Madsen and 
Chris Andersen. Before the camp he was barely on the radar. I expect that 
someone will now take him in the second round.
4. Taj Gray, PF, Oklahoma: The theme of this column seems to be energy. 
Players who played with it got positive reviews. Gray was very active 
offensively. Teams knew that he had a great body and the ability to score a 
lot of points, but it was Gray's heart that made him stand out here. Of the 
players on the list, he's probably got the best shot of sneaking into the 
first round & however, for now he's still a second-round prospect.
5. Curtis Stinson, G, Iowa State: Scouts came into the camp with his 
backcourt mate, Blalock, rated higher but it will be hard for them to keep 
that opinion based on Stinson's performance here. Despite having three other 
"truer" point guards on his team, he ended up leading his team in assists 
for the camp. He also showed, more than anyone else here, the ability to 
break his man down off the dribble and get to the rim. Given how the NBA has 
changed over the past two years, his stock should get a boost. I couldn't 
find a NBA executive who thought Stinson is going to be a first rounder, but 
his stock in the second round now looks pretty solid.
6. Justin Williams, PF, Wyoming: He's was one of the best shot blockers in 
college basketball this year, and Williams really showed off that ability 
again in the camp. His play over the last two days was stellar and he 
finished the camp with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks on the last day. 
While he's a little undersized and his offensive game is raw, I wonder if a 
team won't take a chance on him because of the swats. He's long, athletic 
and has impeccable timing.
7. Morris Almond, G/F, Rice: Almond only had one truly great game, but it 
was enough to create some buzz for him in the draft. His ability to score 
off the dribble and from the perimeter combined with his athleticism was 
intriguing. However, it's not going to be convincing enough to guarantee him 
a draft spot in the top 60. Another year of school with positive reviews 
from Orlando will boost his profile, his confidence and his draft stock.
8. Renaldo Balkman, F, South Carolina: Balkman is another college 
underclassmen who should seriously think about returning to school. Scouts 
were impressed with his wiry strength, speed and tenaciousness in the paint. 
However, he has the body and the size of a NBA small forward and needs to 
develop some sort of perimeter game. Another year at South Carolina could 
help him move way up in the draft.
9. Marcus Slaughter, F, San Diego State: Slaughter hurt his ankle the first 
day and was gimpy for most of the camp. However it didn't stop him from 
putting up three very solid performances here. His Friday game, where he 
scored 12 points and grabbed 8 boards, was his best. He should have stayed 
in college for his senior year, but made a mistake and hired an agent, 
ending his eligibility. It's not a lock that he'll be drafted, but if I had 
a pick in the late 50s, I'd have to seriously consider him.
10. Denham Brown, G/F, UConn: Brown continued to show why he's one of the 
most advanced scorers in the draft. He finds multiple ways to kill you. His 
mid-range game is excellent and he also knows how to get to the basket. 
Combine that with his solid defense and he's got to be considered in the 
second round. He may never be a star, but he could be a good spark coming 
off the bench for a team.
And here's a look at few guys whose stock didn't rise they way they'd hoped.
Jordan Farmar, PG, UCLA: Farmar didn't have a bad camp. But he was clearly 
the top prospect here and didn't play like it. He had good energy, made some 
shots, and did a good job running his team. However, if you didn't know 
previous reputations, you'd likely place him in the middle of the pack. Of 
course, he does have a stellar reputation and probably didn't hurt his 
chances of being drafted late in the first round if he stays in the draft. 
>From what we're hearing on Friday, it looks like he's more likely to return 
to UCLA for his junior year.
James Augustine, F, Illinois: Augustine didn't have a bad camp either. A 
number of scouts and executives like him and have him on the radar screen in 
the second round. But a stellar performance at the camp could've sky 
rocketed him into the first round. As it stands now, it's looking more and 
more likely that the second round will be his final destination.
Bobby Brown, PG, Cal-State Fullerton: Brown couldn't hit a shot the last two 
days going 5-for-25 from the field. He did manage to hand out 13 assists in 
those two games, but he didn't look anything like the first-round pick some 
had touted him to be. He too needs to go back and spend another year in 
college trying to figure it out.
Paul Millsap, PF, Lousiana Tech: Millsap recovered from a terrible first day 
to have two solid performances in the last two days. Unfortunately, his 
conditioning issues combined with his average play likely lessened any 
chance he had of cracking the first round. He's an interesting guy in the 
second round because of his rebounding ability, but he didn't show much else 
here.
Matt Haryasz, PF, Stanford: He really disappeared from this camp and, in the 
process, disappeared from the minds of most NBA scouts. He went from a 
possible second rounder to looking for a European Union passport.