Blazers Workouts

[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Finally, after a month of speculation about GM statuses, silence regarding ownership's future and debates over media access policies, some tangible news about basketball finally came out today. The Blazers will work out four players Tuesday, and here's what we know about them so far:

Marcus Vinicius
Brazil
Forward
Age: 22
Height/weight: 6-9, 235
The book: Vinicius is known as a natural offensive player with a strong jump shot that extends to the 3-point line. His size allows him to shoot over anyone and his long arms provide a high release point. He is strong in the fundamentals, with strong passing, dribbling, post-up, penetration and ball-handling skills. Very agile and can run the floor like a guard. Like most international players, his defense and physical strength are seen as weaknesses, but that could improve with time. Vinicius could be a solid late-first, early second-round selection, though his defensive and physical limitations could make him a project for a season or two.

Denham Brown
Connecticut
Guard
Age: 23
Height/weight: 6-5, 220
The book: Brown can be a tremendous shooter, although streaky, and his scoring ability can be lethal. He once scored 111 points in a high-school game, yet he never put together an outstanding college season and doesn't stand out in any one area outside his offensive game. Still, Brown played well in international competition with Team Canada and he is known for being unselfish, a team player and very coachable with a good attitude and strong work ethic. Those are all characteristics that Nate McMillan will appreciate, and Brown's size would be a nice addition to the Blazers' shooting guard rotation.

Corey Belser,
San Diego
Shooting guard/forward
Age: 23
Height/weight: 6-6, 210
The book: The one thing you'll hear over and over about Belser is defense. He once held former Gonzaga standout Blake Stepp to 10 points in the West Coast Conference championship game, and was named the Mid-Major Defensive Player of the Year by Collegeinsider.com while often being assigned opponents' top scorer. But while Belser may be a strong defensive player, his offensive numbers leave much to be desired. He averaged 11.5 points and 6.9 rebounds as a senior, and shot only 45 percent from the field -- not exactly numbers fans will get excited about, even from a late-first, early second-round pick. McMillan is certainly interested in players who understand how to play defense, and Belser has decent size for a swing player. But are the Blazers in a position to add a young, defensive stopper who won't add much to an offense that averaged 88.8 points per game last season?

Chris Rodgers
Arizona
Guard
Height/weight: 6-4, 205
Age: 22
The book: Rogers will be familiar with the Blazers when he arrives for his workout. The Arizona Wildcats senior previously played at Woodrow Wilson High School in Portland, where he averaged a state-best 26.6 points and 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 steals. It will be interesting to see how the Blazers view Rogers, because on paper there doesn't appear to be much to get excited about. His size for a shooting guard is on the low end, and Rogers was never overpowering at Arizona, averaging 8.9 points and shooting just 34 percent from the field last season. If the Blazers look to add a guard, it seems they would be seeking someone who can add size and perimeter shooting ability foremost. If that's the strategy, there are more compelling options available than Rogers.</div>

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[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Now that we know the Blazers are selecting fourth in the NBA Draft -- and who dared to think, with the karma surrounding this team, that they would pick higher than fourth? -- the draft prospects are rolling in. Four players visited the Blazers' practice facility Tuesday, with more to follow all week.


Of the four players who worked out Tuesday — San Diego's Corey Belser, Arizona's Chris Rodgers, Connecticut's Denham Brown and Brazilian Marcus Vinicius — only Brown and Vinicius appeared to be legitimate NBA players. Blazers coaches saw more than us, obviously, and had a better idea of what they wanted to see, but Belser and Rodgers didn't look like they would add much to an NBA roster. Brown showed perhaps the best shooting ability of the four players, draining shots regularly during drills. But Vinicius showed even more: Good mobility and ball-handling skills for a player his size, even breaking a trap against Belser and Rodgers in a defensive drill, and a jump shot that extended to 3-point range with a high release point and smooth form.

Two more players will arrive Wednesday. Here's what we know about them so far:


Ryan Hollins
UCLA
Age: 21
Height/weight: 6-11, 225
Position: Center
The book: A former track star, Hollins is quite the leaper. In fact, some of UCLA's offensive plays were simply to throw it up and let Hollins finish. He's very long and plays like a true 7-footer, and has an effective jump shot 15 feet from the basket and has nice touch for a player his size. Hollins' main problem in the NBA will be strength. At 225 pounds he's very light for a power forward, let alone a center. Can you imagine a guy that light matching up against Shaq, Nowitzki or Duncan? His quickness and length can make him an asset on defense, but he is still raw offensively and his lack of size and strength may make it difficult for him to finish around the basket or battle through contact in the air.



Justin Williams
Wyoming
Age: 22
Height/weight: 6-10, 215
Position: Forward/Center
The book: Williams has several things in common with Hollins. Both are raw offensively, and both have drawbacks due to their lack of size. But Williams' length also makes him a solid defensive presence, with natural shotblocking instincts that helped him swat 5.4 shots per game as a senior, second best in the country, to break a Wyoming record held by a familiar name: Blazers center Theo Ratliff. Williams also has a reputation for being a good team defender, playing physically and scrappy -- characteristics Blazers coach Nate McMillan will appreciate. But his biggest drawback, like Hollins, is his lack of physical size. Most NBA power forwards will be able to push around a 215-point opponent, and what were blocked shots in the Mountain West Conference could be fouls in the NBA as a result. Until Williams bulks up, that will be a serious drawback.</div>

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[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">WORKOUT REPORT
A few observations from Wednesday's workouts:

Ryan Hollins
UCLA
Position: Center
Height/weight: 6-11, 230
Hollins was often more criticized than praised during his time at UCLA, and Hollins even told the school newspaper before his junior year that he felt he'd been counted out after suffering a knee injury as a sophomore, which he struggled to recover from as a junior.

"Expectations are high coming behind Kareem ... guys like that. They don't expect anything but excellence. When I first got there I think we set records for losing. Losing, the media and everything going on, there are a lot of blames and stuff gets thrown around and you look for someone to blame. ... We had to get our chemistry together, and once we got it we were pretty good, I think."

One of the knocks on Hollins has been his lack of size. He's thin for a 7-footer at 225 pounds during the season, which has allowed stronger players to push him around in the post. Hollins said he's hit the weights to get stronger this summer.

"You always hit the weights hard in the offseason," said Hollins, who said he weighed in at around 232 pounds at the Blazers' practice facility, which he indicated was a milestone of sorts. "I can't get over 230. I always keep hitting this mark and then drop five or six pounds during the season."

It's hard to narrow down any one dominant aspect of Hollins' game. In fact, he had a tough time naming one thing he could market as his specialty.

"It's safe to say athlete," Hollins said with a laugh. "All-around athlete. Seven-feet, you know. I don't want to throw two in there, but athlete."

Justin Williams
Wyoming
Height/weight: 6-10, 215
Position: Forward/center
Williams' shot-blocking skills draw more attention than any other aspect of his game. In fact, his average of 5.4 blocks this season broke the school record set by Blazers center Theo Ratliff.

"He came out to the school earlier this year and I sat down and talked to him, kind of joking around said I was going to beat his record, you know," Williams said. "I'm just glad that I could come in and put my name with one of the greatest players to ever play with Wyoming."

Williams has always been known as a shot-blocker, though. Even in junior college Williams said he averaged about 5.1 blocks per game.

"They said 'Division I is a lot harder. You won't be able to do that. But you know somehow I managed to step my game up and do it there."

Williams said he has already worked out with Washington and Golden State in addition to Portland, and plans to work out with Denver, Memphis and Cleveland next.

THURSDAY WORKOUT PREVIEW
Here's a look at the four players working out on Thursday:

Matt Haryasz
Stanford
Age: 22
Position: Forward
Height/weight: 6-11, 230
The book on Matt: A first-team All-Pac 10 forward, Haryasz led the Cardinal in scoring last season with 16.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. He also led Stanford with 47 blocks, which is the third-highest single-season total in school history.

Eric Fiegi
Salem Stampede
Age: 22
Position: Forward
Height/weight: 6-9, 240
The book on Eric: A big-time scorer in the NAIA while earning First-Team All-American honors at Corban College in Salem, Ore. Led NAIA Division II in scoring (30.3 ppg) and rebounding (13.1 rpg) in the 2005-06 season before joining the Salem Stampede.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu
George Washington
Age: 22
Position: Forward
Height/weight: 6-9, 226
The book on Pops: The most recognizable player in this workout, Pops keyed George Washington's run to a 27-3 record last season, and his explosive athleticism makes him a highlight-reel regular. Pops will certainly be a slam-dunk contest participant sometime early in his career.

Paul Millsap
Louisiana Tech
Age: 21
Position: Forward
Height/weight: 6-8, 243
The book on Paul: Millsap has been one of the top rebounders in the NCAA, with long arms, explosive athleticism, good strength and quickness. May not be a difference maker, but reports say he's a hard worker who takes care of the dirty work.</div>

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[Shapecity]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">WORKOUT REPORT
Observations of note from Thursday's workout:

Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Forward, George Washington: One of the concerns surrounding Pops is the knee injury he suffered late last season. Mensah-Bonsu partially tore the meniscus cartilage in one of his knees and missed the end of the regular season and Atlantic 10 tournament. He returned to play two games in the NCAA tournament, but admitted he wasn't his normally effective self in a second-round loss to Duke.

Teams have been testing the knee in the three workouts he's participated in, running him through drills that test his athleticism and strength of his knee.

"It's fully recovered now. I think back then it was like 75 percent, so I couldn't be as effective as I wanted to. I think hopefully I proved to coach that I'm fully recovered. Becasue a lot of teams they test whether I'm back to my normal self.

"I think I'm easing their thoughts."

Eric Fiegi, Forward, Corban College: Your chances of seeing Fiegi on draft day with any team appear slim. In fact, he's already setting his goals at playing overseas. But just the fact that this local unknown was there offered enough curiosity to find out more about him. Fiegi is currently averaging 33.7 points for the Salem Stampede in the International Basketball League, including a 43 point, 16-rebound night in his first professional game. And he led NAIA Division II in scoring (30.3 ppg) and rebounding (13.1 rpg) in the 2005-06 season before joining the Stampede. They're gaudy numbers, but even Fiegi knows his chances of making an NBA roster this season aren't favorable.

"If something came up through this that would be great. But obviously I think I'm a few years away. Go overseas, be able to work on my game, play against better competition than I've seen palyign in the NAIA D-II level and the IBL. I might be a few years away, but I'm just really happy to have that opportunity to work out for the Blazers and to have that chance."

FRIDAY'S PRACTICE PREVIEW
James Augustine
Illinois
Age: 22
Height/weight: 6-10, 235
Position: Forward/center
The book on James: A lefty who is agile and runs the floor well in transition for a big-man. Also reportedly is a good player to run pick-and-rolls with, which fits in well with Nate McMillan's system.

J.P. Batista
Gonzaga
Age: 24
Height/weight: 6-9, 269
Position: Forward/center
The book on J.P: Strong post player with good hands, excellent free-throw shooting skills and a good basketball IQ. Could wind up being a "tweener," though, if teams decide he's too small to play power forward or center, and not skilled enough to play small forward.

Solomon Jones
South Florida
Age: 21
Height/weight: 6-10, 230
Position: Forward/center
The book on Solomon: Extremely athletic player with a long wingspan and explosive vertical leap that allow him to play taller than he already is.

Leon Powe
California
Age: 22
Height/weight: 6-8, 245
Position: Forward
The book on Leon: Returned last season after sitting out a year with a knee injury. His toughness, drive and determination have made him stand out on the court, according to his bio on Cal's web site.</div>

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[panfolk]

Few of the people mentioned are even first rounders.