Six draft prospects to watch at the Reebok Eurocamp

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Six draft prospects to watch at the Reebok Eurocamp
 
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By Chad Ford
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TREVISO, Italy -- NBA GMs and scouts were complaining  incessantly about 
Orlando last week. The weather was too hot, the seating  in the gym wasn't right, 
the hotels were too spread apart and ... oh yeah,  the talent level at the 
camp was ridiculously low.  
In Italy at the 2006 Reebok Eurocamp? Suddenly everything  is sunny. The 
weather? Perfect. The atmosphere? Amazing. The food? Out of  this world. The 
talent? While we've seen better from the camp in the past,  there's still more 
first-round-caliber NBA talent here this year than  there was in Orlando.  
I've now watched the players for two days and here's a  look at six 
draft-eligible players who have a good shot of getting  selected this year. On 
Wednesday, we'll break down a number of interesting  2007 NBA Draft prospects playing 
here. (Note: All heights and weights are  the official measurements at the 
Reebok Eurocamp.) 
1. _Marcus Vinicius_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18948)   ("Marquinos"), F, 6-10, 232, Brazil
The  Brazilian has been generating a significant amount of buzz throughout 
the  league this year. He put on 25 pounds of muscle, improved his jump shot  
and dominated in the Brazilian league before heading over to the U.S. this  
spring to begin preparing for the draft. Former Cavs assistant coach Bob  Donewald 
coached him in Brazil to get him familiar with NBA sets and then  has helped 
oversee his progress here in the states. 
Here's the upside: Marquinos is 6-10 small forward who can  handle the ball, 
shoot the 3 and attack the basket. He's got good  athleticism, a burgeoning 
body and great speed. In drills he's impressed  with the elevation he gets on 
his jumper and his ability to cut and change  directions so quickly.  
In games it's been more up-and-down. His shot has been  streaky, and his 
decision-making with the basketball has been questionable  at times.  
There's no question that athletically, the kid has what it  takes to be a 
pro. He's got excellent size for his position and has a nice  combination of 
strength and explosiveness. He also has a scorer's  mentality offensively and can 
shut people down on the defensive end  because of his length and physical 
play.  
But from what I can see, he still looks like a bit of a  project. He's not 
used to playing at a real high level of basketball and  needs experience.  
I don't think that knock, or this camp, will do much to  hurt his draft 
stock. He drew a lot of praise from the Hornets after a  workout in New Orleans and 
could go as high as No. 15. The Bulls at No.  16, the Knicks at No. 20, the 
Suns at No. 21, the Lakers at No. 26 and the  Mavs at No. 28 are all options as 
well. I don't see him slipping out of  the first round.  
2. _Joel Freeland_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=19010) , F, 6-10, 225,  England
Who says there aren't any secrets in  scouting anymore? Freeland is 
definitely the sleeper of the camp -- maybe  of the draft. Freeland's name wasn't even 
on the NBA's early entry list  when it was released a few weeks ago. 
Apparently Freeland applied after  the deadline, but was able to show the NBA that he 
intended to apply in  time, so they granted an exception to his agent, Arn 
Tellem. Not sure  exactly what that means, but that's the NBA's story.  
What makes Freeland interesting is that almost everyone  here believes the 
reason he snuck into the draft was because he's gotten a  second-round promise. 
But from whom? Speculation centers on the Clippers,  the Timberwolves and the 
Blazers. The Clips have two first-round picks and  have been listening closely 
to their international scout Fabricio Besnati  the past few years. The Wolves 
also have two first-round picks, and Reebok  Eurocamp director Pete Philo 
also happens to be on the staff. The Blazers  have picks No. 30 and No. 31 and 
are also said to be fans.  
Why? The kid can play. I couldn't find more than one NBA  scout who knew 
about him when I added him to our Top 100 three weeks ago.  Now? They are all in 
love.  
The 19-year-old, slender 6-10 forward from Aldershot,  England played in the 
Spanish "B" league this year for Gran Canaria. He  averaged 14.8 ppg and 7.8 
rpg in 26 mpg this season.  
Freeland reminds me a lot of the Knicks' _David Lee_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18729) . He's 
actually a  little taller and a little longer but plays with the same energy and  
athleticism. He flies up and down the court and has excellent hops. He's  very 
active defensively and has great shot-blocking timing.  
Offensively he has skills. He's got a nice 12-foot jumper,  and in drills, he 
was even sinking the international 3, though not  consistently. He's got a 
pretty good handle and will put the ball on the  floor and take his man off the 
dribble. He gets great elevation on his  jump shot, though the form still 
needs a little work.  
But a team is going to draft him for his motor, defense  and athleticism. 
While most of the talk about him centers on the second  round, I wouldn't be 
shocked to see him slip into the late first. A team  could draft him and leave him 
overseas for a year or two to develop. A  little more muscle and a little 
more polish and he could be a big  prospect.  
3. _Yotam Halperin_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18938) , G, 6-5, 199,  Israel 
Halperin has the best credentials of  anyone in the camp. He started this 
year for Olimpija in the Euroleague  this season and averaged 13.9 ppg and 3.5 
apg and shot 46 percent from the  field.  
Halperin is a 6-5 combo guard. He's an excellent passer  and decision-maker 
who patiently probes the defense looking for the open  man. He's a very good 
jump shooter with NBA 3-point range, but he really  makes his living on the 
midrange jumper.  
Halperin has more experience than anyone else here, and  it's shown in his 
first two games. He stays calm, doesn't make mistakes  and is a vocal leader 
both on the floor and in the games. In his second  game on Monday, we counted 11 
assists in roughly 20 minutes of play.   
If there's a knock on him, it's that he's too conservative  at times. He 
hasn't attacked the basket at times when the defense has  given him a seam.  
Expect teams to look at Halperin starting in the late  first round. More 
likely, he'll go somewhere in the second to team like  the Hawks (No. 33), Cavs 
(No. 42), Pacers (No. 45) or Wizards (No. 48).   
4. _Ali Traore_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18998) , PF, 6-10, 247,  France
Traore has been one of the most  consistently impressive players in the camp. 
Last year he impressed with  his raw physical strength and athleticism around 
the basket, with a 7-5  wingspan (it was measured in Treviso).  
The Ivory Coast native had a good season for Roanne in  France, averaging 8.6 
ppg and 4.1 rpg on 62 percent shooting in just under  15 mpg.  
This year Traore has come back more skilled around the  basket. He's now 
finishing around the rim with both his left and his right  hand and he's working 
on a 10-foot jumper to add to his post game. Still  his game is mostly about 
power. There's no one here at camp who can deal  with how physical he is around 
the basket. He has such a strong body that  his banging in the paint usually 
sends guys flying.  
Traore turned 21 in May, and he could still use another  year to polish his 
game and try to make a run at the first round. As it  stands now, scouts have 
him projected in the second round. But given his  size and strength, it 
wouldn't be a shock if he somehow snuck into the  first.  
The Spurs surprised everyone by taking _Ian Mahinmi_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18819)  last year in 
the  late first. This year, the Suns at No. 27, the Knicks at No. 29 or the  
Blazers at No. 30 could do it again.  
5. _Lior Eliyahu_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2006&playerId=18936) , F, 6-9, 214,  Israel 
Eliyahu is coming off a great year in  Israel, averaging 16.5 ppg, 6 rpg and 
3.5 apg for Hapoel Galil. As we  discussed in _our blog last month_ 
(http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=2437638&searchName=ford_chad) , 
Eliyahu  is the type of player who has a great nose for the ball.  
He doesn't show in drills especially well. His shot is a  little awkward (he 
releases it at his forehead and kicks his feet when he  shoots) and he's not 
the most graceful guy on the floor -- more  herky-jerky than anything else. But 
he does know how to play.  
Once the ball rolls out and games begin at the camp,  Eliyahu is everywhere. 
He's in the mix for every rebound and every loose  ball and can score in a 
variety of ways -- off jumpers, drives and  offensive boards.  
He's an excellent athlete for his size and aggressive on  both ends of the 
floor.  
Scouts want to see him work on his shooting and want him  to bulk up more to 
play the four in the NBA, but they see a bright future  for Eliyahu.  
If he stays in the draft, he's a likely second-round  project that a team 
will leave over in Israel for another year or two.  However, he might choose to 
withdraw from the draft, move to a more  prominent team next year (either 
Maccabi Tel Aviv or Hapoel Jerusalem) and  show scouts he can do it at a higher 
level.  
Either way, expect him to be in the league someday.  
6. Leonardo di Pacce Dos Santos ("Morro"), PF/C, 6-11,  228, Brazil 
Morro is a sleeper who played in relative obscurity in  Brazil this season. 
However, his brief experience in front of NBA teams  has made an indelible 
impression. He had a solid workouts in Memphis and  New Jersey, giving him a 
little buzz coming into the camp.  
Morro was excellent in workouts on Sunday, showing a lot  of energy around 
the basket. He started off his first game Sunday night in  dramatic fashion. By 
our count he grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked five  shots in the first half 
before landing awkwardly and hyperextending his  knee.  
The word from doctors here is that Morro is out 7 to 10  days with the 
injury. It's too bad he won't be able to play more in the  camp. Given his size and 
length (a 7-1 wingspan), he was in a good  position to work himself into the 
second round. Now he's unlikely to  recover in enough time to have many 
workouts before the draft.  
Will what scouts saw in his brief stay in the U.S. and  here at camp be 
enough to sneak him in? We'll see.  
Others to watch: Michailas Anisimov, C, Ukraine;  Daniele Cavaliero, PG, 
Italy; Victor Sada, G, Spain; Vladen Vukosavljevic,  F, Serbia.  
_Chad Ford_ (http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/writeback?name=Chad+Ford)  
covers the NBA for ESPN  Insider.