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[Jaims]

Workout buzz, trade rumors

. For Chad Ford's breakdown of who's hot and who's not after the second day 
of games at the Orlando predraft camp, click here.
The action at the Orlando predraft camp might not be hot, but the stars of 
this year's draft are coming out to shine in other places.
A number of private team workouts were going down in various locations 
throughout the Orlando area on Thursday. Here's a look at who worked out for 
whom:
. LSU forward Tyrus Thomas worked out for the Raptors and Blazers on 
Thursday afternoon. Thomas had trainer Randy Livingston take him through a 
workout similar to the one that I saw him go through last Friday.
While both team sources were a little tight-lipped about what they saw, 
Livingston told me that evening that Thomas shot the ball well, hitting 
15-of-25 from NBA 3-point range.
Thomas will begin individual workouts shortly after the predraft camp ends. 
He'll first go to Chicago on June 15, then Toronto on June 17 and then 
Portland on June 20, according to one of his agents, Michael Siegal. Siegal 
also said that Thomas was in the process of scheduling a workout with the 
Bobcats but hadn't set a date yet.
. The Magic had the mother of all swingman workouts on Thursday afternoon at 
their practice facility, bringing in six of the top shooting guards and 
small forwards in the draft. Villanova's Randy Foye, Arkansas' Ronnie 
Brewer, Memphis' Rodney Carney, Temple's Mardy Collins, Rutgers' Quincy 
Douby and Arizona's Hassan Adams worked out for roughly two hours against 
each other.
What was the verdict? A Magic spy said the workout was very competitive, but 
Foye, Brewer and Carney shined the most.
It's unlikely that Foye will be on the board when the Magic pick. However, 
Brewer and Carney (along with Duke's J.J. Redick) likely will be in serious 
consideration for Orlando's No. 11 pick.
Orlando needs an athletic swingman to put in the backcourt with Jameer 
Nelson. Either Brewer or Carney would be an excellent addition.
However, the player the Magic really covet is Washington's Brandon Roy. The 
Magic have been working for several weeks to move up in the draft, but they 
face a practical problem: How high do you have to move up to get Roy?
Conventional wisdom says No. 4 or No. 5 in the draft. But the Bulls are 
seriously considering him at No. 2. The Magic probably don't have the 
ammunition it's going to take to get that high in the draft. Dwight Howard, 
Darko Milicic and Jameer Nelson are untouchable. It's doubtful a team would 
take a player like Carlos Arroyo or Hedo Turkoglu for a high lottery pick.
. Florida State forward Alexander Johnson, Miami guard Guillermo Diaz, UCLA 
center Ryan Hollins and Tennessee-Martin guard Jeremy Kelly worked out for 
roughly 15 NBA executives in nearby Celebration, Fla., on Thursday 
afternoon.
The workout was intense, leading one scout to proclaim that it was one of 
the best workouts he's seen in years. The guys play in two-on-two games 
against each other, and the competition was fierce.
"I learned more in an hour at this workout than I had in all of the games 
that I'd seen at the predraft camp," one GM said.
Four NBA executives who attended the workout said Johnson had an amazing 
workout against Hollins. One said, "He was attacking the kid and dunking on 
him on almost every possession. Then he couldn't miss from the outside. I 
thought he was fantastic. If you're going to work out in front of NBA teams, 
that's how you do it."
All four executives thought Johnson was a lock for the late teens or early 
20s of the first round. If the Bulls decide to go ahead and take Brandon Roy 
at No. 2, don't be surprised if they draft Johnson with their 16th pick.
Diaz also drew high praise for how well he shot the ball and for his energy 
in the workout. Will be be a first-round pick? The same executives said it 
will be a close call, but he could catch someone's eye with his combination 
of quickness, toughness and athleticism.
"He shot the ball better than I thought he could," one NBA GM told Insider. 
"What was impressive was that he could shoot like that after being so 
fatigued."
Hollins, a 7-footer, got props from scouts for his athleticism and showed 
some skills. But the fact that he was dominated by the more physical but 
shorter Johnson (6-10) doesn't bode well.
. Pittsburgh center Aaron Gray worked out against former Oklahoma State 
center Frans Steyn on Thursday afternoon.
It's not the best environment for Gray, and the workout didn't go well for 
him. He's not very athletic and doesn't show well in drills. While Gray did 
demonstrate some nice footwork in the paint against Steyn, every scout I 
spoke to (in lieu of NBA execs, who didn't show up for the most part) said 
Gray needs to return to school.
"He's still raw and he needs to get more athletic," one NBA scout said. "He 
could really use another year of college ball."
. The first trade since the trade deadline went down Thursday when the 
Raptors sent Rafael Araujo to the Jazz for Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley. 
That will draw yawns from about everyone except fans of BYU, which is where 
Araujo went to school.
But everyone expects there eventually will be a big trade involving some of 
the teams at the top of the draft.
Lots of rumors are swirling, and you can guarantee that most of them are 
bogus.
The latest Raptors rumor buzzing around the gym has the Raptors talking with 
the Bucks about a deal that would bring Toronto native Jamaal Magloire and 
Maurice Williams to Toronto for Charlie Villanueva or the No. 1 pick (the 
Raptors can make this deal because they'll be under the cap).
That trade would allow the Raptors to take care of their needs at center and 
the point and still retain either Villanueva or the No. 1 pick. If they were 
to keep Villanueva or draft Andrea Bargnani to play the three, Toronto would 
be set at essentially every position. The long-term risk is that both 
Magloire and Williams hit free agency next summer and might cost the Raptors 
too much money to re-sign.
For the Bucks, the deal would free up room in the middle for Andrew Bogut to 
start and give them a young power forward (either Villanueva or someone like 
Tyrus Thomas or LaMarcus Aldridge) to pair with him in the frontcourt.

O'Bryant worthy of No. 1 pick?

. For Chad Ford's breakdown of who's hot and who's not after the first day 
of games at the Orlando predraft camp, click here.
On Monday, I sat in a gym in Sarasota, Fla., watching Bradley center Patrick 
O'Bryant work out. O'Bryant was flying up and down the floor, taking off 
from almost the free-throw line for dunks, then hitting sky hook after sky 
hook in post drills. I wrote that I wondered why he wasn't getting more buzz 
as a potential No. 1 pick.
On Wednesday, O'Bryant had a larger coming-out party at a private workout in 
front of 150 NBA executives and scouts here in Orlando. Although the media 
were banned from the workout, Insider found a way to get an exception and 
stayed in the gym for the workout.
O'Bryant worked out with Yemi Nicholson, Rashad Anderson and Darius 
Washington in a workout nearly identical to the one I saw at IMG on Monday.
The verdict? Although O'Bryant looked a little nervous and stiffer than he 
did Monday, he still impressed with his athleticism and skills in the post. 
Afterward, I talked with a number of NBA team executives to get their take.
"I think he's the No. 1 pick," one GM said. "Everyone at the top of the 
draft is about upside. Tyrus Thomas, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andrea Bargnani, 
Rudy Gay; they all have a ways to go. But none of them are 7-footers who 
will be centers in the pros. I think when in doubt, you go with the center."
A number of GMs agreed that O'Bryant should be in the mix, claiming that his 
size, skill, athleticism and production (he played pretty well in the NCAA 
Tournament this year) put him on par with the other top players in the 
draft.
However, there were dissenting voices in the crowd.
"I think Patrick is an interesting prospect," another GM said. "But he's a 
late lottery prospect, not a high lottery one. I've followed him all year. I 
think he has a long ways to go. It's going to require a lot of hard work for 
a kid like that to make it in this league. From what I've seen and heard, 
I'm not sure he's going to put in the effort it takes to become great. Why 
would you risk it with the No. 1 pick? He's the type of kid, like Kwame 
Brown or Michael Olowokandi, who can get you fired. You see the size and 
talent, and you fall in love. But kids like this can break your heart."
After the predraft camp ends, O'Bryant will be working out with several of 
the top teams in the draft, including the Raptors and Bulls.
. Villanova's Kyle Lowry, North Carolina State's Cedric Simmons, Notre 
Dame's Torin Francis and Keydren Clark of St. Peter's worked out after 
O'Bryant's group left the floor.
Both Lowry and Simmons generated a fair amount of buzz themselves.
Lowry shot the ball well enough (although not as well as on Monday) that 
several GMs said they might have to rethink their scouting report on him. 
Lowry had a rep as a bad shooter after his freshman year at Villanova. He 
improved his shot greatly last season, but scouts still seemed concerned. 
Hitting shots in a workout is a lot different from hitting shots in a game, 
but after seeing Lowry stroke it for two straight workouts, I think the 
shooting knock might be a little unfair.
Simmons showed off his length and athleticism by dunking the ball at every 
opportunity. He showed he could really get up and down the floor, as well.
However, he didn't show scouts any real skill in the post. His footwork 
still needs work, and he's going to have to learn to add a jump hook to his 
repertoire. Still, the general consensus was that Simmons would be a late 
lottery to mid-first round pick.
. We've heard very few trade rumors here at the camp. Most assume trades are 
going to happen but are short on specifics.
The best one floating around the gym Wednesday had the Bulls and Nuggets 
talking about a Tyson Chandler-for-Kenyon Martin swap. Chandler is a 
base-year player, meaning he's very difficult to trade before July 1. But 
after that, the deal would work financially.
Would the Nuggets and Bulls do it? I talked to two sources in Denver on 
Wednesday who said they'd love to pull off a deal like that. Martin is in 
George Karl's doghouse; Marcus Camby could then become another viable 
trading chip; and the Nuggets want to bring Nene back to play the four.
What about Martin's knee? One Nuggets source insisted that the knee is fine 
and that it's the relationship between Martin and Karl that's broken.
What about the Bulls? Would they do it? I asked one Bulls source who 
replied, "Are you crazy?" Yes, the Bulls need a tough, physical four who can 
score and, no, they're not still enamored with Chandler. However, the 
thought of bringing the volatile Martin, who has a history of injuries, into 
the mix and losing their best big man in the process didn't sound appealing.
Instead, don't be surprised if the Bulls make a run at Nene, who's a free 
agent this summer, with their cap room, along with another free-agent big, 
such as Joel Przybilla or Nazr Mohammed.
. Speaking of trade rumors ... I'm not a lip reader, but it was fun to see 
Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo in the halls talking with potential trade 
partners. We spotted him in conversation with interim Blazers GM Steve 
Patterson and again with Celtics president Danny Ainge.
I also spotted Patterson and assistant GM Kevin Pritchard talking with Bulls 
GM John Paxson and saw a long conversation between Sixers GM Billy King and 
Hawks GM Billy Knight.
. Spain's Sergio Rodriguez has impressed in the few workouts he has had here 
in the States. He has been good enough that a couple of NBA GMs now believe 
he could be the second or third point guard selected in the draft.
He has played to glowing reviews in Phoenix, Chicago, Boston, Sacramento and 
Memphis. The feedback has been so positive that he has pulled out of the 
Reebok Eurocamp in Italy and will focus the next couple of weeks on 
targeting other teams in the upper half of the first round that might want 
to draft him.
Rodriguez is an amazing talent who has watched his stock slip out of the 
lottery because of injuries and a so-so year. However, his stellar play in 
the Spanish playoffs and his solid workouts have him back as a solid 
first-rounder and as a guy who could continue to move up in the draft.
. This year's Reebok Eurocamp will have a couple of potential 
first-rounders -- Brazil's Marcus Vinicius and Israel's Yotam Halperin -- in 
Treviso, Italy, next week. They will be joined by several other intriguing 
draft-eligible international players, including Serbia's Nemanja 
Aleksandrov, Israel's Lior Eliyahu, England's Joel Freeland, Slovakia's 
Anton Gavel and France's Ali Traore.
Factor in one of the hottest up-and-coming young players in Europe, 
Croatia's Ante Tomic -- and the fact that top prospect Bargnani will be in 
Italian League playoff action nearby -- and the Reebok camp in Treviso 
actually is showing off more NBA first-round talent than the official 
predraft camp in Orlando this year.
As usual, I'll be in Italy next week to give you the play-by-play.