Orlando Pre-Draft Camp Day 4: Who Sucked

[GMJ]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"> It was interesting to see DeAndre Jordan working out alongside DeVon Hardin, as the two look shockingly similar in terms of their physical tools and all-around skill-level, but are projected around 20 spots apart on most mock drafts. Considering that only two years separates them age-wise, you have to wonder whether Jordan would still be considered a better prospect than Hardin if we fast-forwarded things two years ahead, as there is really not that much separating them at this point. Jordan showed questionable ball-handling skills and shooting ability and didn’t seem to get out of the third gear for much of his workout, leaving a fairly lukewarm impression. Still, you can’t ignore the physical tools and upside he brings to the table.

Speaking of lukewarm impressions, Brook Lopez didn’t do a whole lot to ease the concerns NBA people have about him, not moving all that well up and down the floor and showing a very average skill-level in most of the drills. The same can be said about Anthony Randolph, who showed up with a long undershirt intended to hide just how incredibly skinny he still is at the moment. He looked great dunking the ball in the transition drills and handling the ball fluidly in the open floor, but was completely unable to hit a mid-range or long-range jumper in any of the drills, not even coming up close on many of his attempts.

If a player was able to hurt himself here (a pretty questionable concept considering the setting), it probably would have been JaVale McGee for what he showed. He came out looking like a deer in the headlights, air-balling shots from the perimeter, blowing wide open layups and being stuffed repeatedly by the rim, appearing extremely unconfident and getting down on himself very quickly. This wouldn’t be that much of a concern if these things weren’t already a very big concern considering the way he projects long-term, although you always have to go back to his age, immaturity and overall rawness to begin to explain things. He seems to have added weight to his frame and is incredibly impressive with just how long he is, looking good finishing around the basket when he was able to convert his moves.</div>

Draft Express
</span>

 

[ghoti]

Wow!

Jordan and McGee are raw, Lopez is slow and Randolph is skinny.

What have we learned from this report? Nothing.

 

[Kid Chocolate]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ghoti @ May 31 2008, 12:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Wow!

Jordan and McGee are raw, Lopez is slow and Randolph is skinny.

What have we learned from this report? Nothing.</div>


LOL.

The A-10 is reppin hard at the camp. Brian Roberts, Gary Forbes, Big Patrick, Mark Tyndale, Josh Duncan are all having good reviews. Haven't heard much about how Shawn James or Stan Burrell are doing, though.

 

[SportsTicker]

Chad Ford has a different take, particularly on Randolph.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- After three days of watching second-round players in pickup games, all eyes turned Friday to the top 15 American prospects in the NBA draft.


While the camp participants battled in front of a sparse crowd, most of the top NBA executives and coaches crowded into the corner of the gym to watch the players who chose to skip the camp go through some shooting, ballhandling and athletic drills.


Here's a quick hit at how they looked:

<u>Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State</u>

Beasley was the first player on the floor but the last to go through the workout. While other workouts were going on, we all watched in awe as Beasley drained NBA 3-pointer after NBA 3-pointer. That continued in the workouts, in which Beasley shot as well as any prospect here. Deep or midrange, Beasley can shoot the lights out.


I also caught a sneak peek of Beasley's vertical jump test. He touched the 11-foot-9 mark on his running jump. Assuming he has a standing reach of about 8-foot-10, that's a 35-inch vertical. Not off the charts, but not too shabby, either.

<u>Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis </u>

Rose won't look especially great in these drills. His jump shot is his weakness, though it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. He hit a respectable number of shots in the workouts and showed his value with his speed, leaping ability and ballhandling.

<u>O.J. Mayo, SG, USC </u>


Mayo's fundamentals really showed here. He looked as smooth and as comfortable as any of the prospects in the gym. His shot was falling from everywhere, and he showed great poise.


It was interesting to watch one front-office team -- from the Heat -- zero in on Mayo. Many times, NBA executives and scouts spend as much time talking as they do watching the action. When Mayo was on the floor, he had the undivided attention of Pat Riley and GM Randy Pfund.


<u>Jerryd Bayless, PG, Arizona</u>


Bayless also looked good in workouts. He ran the floor well, shot the ball well and looked like an all-around good prospect. He's slighter than most of the players he's competing against in the draft, but his skill really showed.


<u>Anthony Randolph, PF, LSU </u>


I thought Randolph really helped himself in this workout. He moves incredibly well for a big man, showed great quickness and leaping ability, and shot the ball much better than expected. Randolph also looked as if he has gained some weight, which should really help his cause. I think Randolph is one of the five top prospects in this draft.


<u>Brook Lopez, C, Stanford</u>


Lopez was one of the few prospects who didn't look great. These types of drills aren't really tailor-made for big men -- especially ones who don't have elite athleticism. Lopez did show some nice touch around the basket in some big man drills, but he wasn't going to stand out here.

<u>Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana</u>


Gordon is the strongest and possibly the biggest of the combo guards vying for a lottery pick. He seemed a little more tentative than some of the other prospects and shot some air balls and some eyebrow-raising jumpers at times. However, he calmed down as the workout went on and ended with a much more solid shooting performance in the final minutes.


<u>D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas</u>


Augustin showed his ability to shoot the basketball. He doesn't get to do a lot of point guard things here … and those are Augustin's forte. He definitely looked really small out there and doesn't have the explosive quickness or athleticism that some of the other prospects had, but overall, I thought Augustin looked good.


<u>Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA </u>


Westbrook was another prospect who really helped his cause here. His quickness, explosiveness and ability to change direction were scintillating in workouts. He also shot the ball extremely well in a number of drills, answering the critics who claim he's not a good shooter. If you compared Westbrook and Augustin head-to-head in just the drills, Westbrook would win hands down. However, it's his ability to be a floor leader in the game that teams still question.

<u>Kevin Love, PF, UCLA </u>


Love also performed well here. He continues to slim down, and a number of scouts mentioned that he's in as good shape as they've ever seen him. Although Love doesn't run the floor the way some of the other top athletes do, he hustled up and down the floor and showed good athleticism.


Just as important, Love shot the ball very well in the workouts. At times, he looked like a guard out there. Love also did well in the strength training, bench-pressing the 185-pound bar 18 times.


<u>DeAndre Jordan, C, Texas A&M </u>


Jordan also has dropped some weight and looked in much better shape than we've seen him in the past. Although he runs the floor well, he struggled a bit in the skills portion of the workout. No real surprise here. He worked pretty hard … but there's no one with more questions swirling around him. Everyone loves him and hates him at the same time.

<u>Darrell Arthur, PF, Kansas </u>


I thought Arthur looked as skilled and athletic as any big man here. He exploded in some of the footwork drills, showed an excellent 15- to 18-foot jump shot and really flew up and down the floor. Arthur's ability to score, both inside and out, makes him a really intriguing choice. I think he could rise as we get closer to the draft.


<u>JaVale McGee, C, Nevada </u>


McGee came in a little bulked up. He clearly has hit the weight room. However, McGee struggled in the workouts. He looked really uncomfortable shooting the ball and looked a bit out of shape. He was breathing awfully heavy just a few minutes into the workout.


<u>Joe Alexander, SF, West Virginia </u>


Alexander showed off his elite athleticism. He drew a few oohs and ahhs from the crowd with his dunks. His jump shot was more of a mixed bag. He gets great elevation, but didn't shoot it as well as his workout partner, Love. Alexander also wowed people with his strength. He bench-pressed the 185-pound bar 24 times and, according to one source, is going to show a vertical jump of 40-plus inches.


<u>Donte Greene, SF, Syracuse</u>



Greene wasn't great in the workouts, either. He is a good athlete, but his shot wasn't falling as well as some other prospects' and he didn't do anything to stand out the way some of the others did.


The bottom line is that there isn't a lot you can learn from these workouts and they won't have much, if any, impact on their draft stock. It's just an early, brief, sneak peek of what NBA teams will see in the coming months. Players can begin team workouts Wednesday.


---------------------------------------

DeVon Hardin, F/C, Cal


Hardin's numbers won't wow you. But his size and athleticism are really impressive. In drills, he looks like a lottery pick. He also played hard. Some teams are wondering whether, with the right coaching, he can be an impact player in the league. He has all the physical tools, but does he have the mental ones? If another player from this camp cracks the first round, it likely will be Hardin.

 

[Real]

Randolph looks like the type of prospect that would move up from that 10 range to top 6 or 7, especially if he added some weight.

 

[Universe]

All I know is we got stuck being bad in an iffy draft class.

 

[o.iatlhawksfan]

Well Lopez has never been an elite athlete, but a good one. you combine size, and above average to good athletecism and you got a good center to build around.

Wow @ Deandre jordan, getting owned my Hardin.

 

[Kid Chocolate]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (o.iatlhawksfan @ May 31 2008, 04:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Wow @ Deandre jordan, getting owned my Hardin.</div>

What the hell are you talking about? Nowhere did it say anything about Hardin "owning" Jordan, Jordan only did invidual drills.

Stop talking out of your ass.

 

[o.iatlhawksfan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>It was interesting to see DeAndre Jordan working out alongside DeVon Hardin, as the two look shockingly similar in terms of their physical tools and all-around skill-level, but are projected around 20 spots apart on most mock drafts. Considering that only two years separates them age-wise, you have to wonder whether Jordan would still be considered a better prospect than Hardin if we fast-forwarded things two years ahead, as there is really not that much separating them at this point. Jordan showed questionable ball-handling skills and shooting ability and didn’t seem to get out of the third gear for much of his workout, leaving a fairly lukewarm impression. Still, you can’t ignore the physical tools and upside he brings to the table.</div>

DeAndre Jordan is projected as a lottery pick, mostly because of his athleticism, yet some one who is projected to go probably in the 2nd round, match-up equally against him in the workout

 

[kdub]

I'd rather have Hardin than Jordan. From what I've seen, Hardin looks more atheletic.

 

[JfizzleBlazer]

Jordan is one of those prospects that everyone is like OMG look at his potential! He COULD be a beast!

Then they pick him and 2 years later realize, oh shit this guy sucks balls.

 

[pegs]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JFizzleRaider @ May 31 2008, 05:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Jordan is one of those prospects that everyone is like OMG look at his potential! He COULD be a beast!

Then they pick him and 2 years later realize, oh shit this guy sucks balls.</div>

Another Kwame Brown-style disappointment, possibly?

 

[ghoti]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JFizzleRaider @ May 31 2008, 05:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Jordan is one of those prospects that everyone is like OMG look at his potential! He COULD be a beast!

Then they pick him and 2 years later realize, oh shit this guy sucks balls.</div>

Isn't it possible someone could have posted this exact same thing about Andrew Bynum or even Dwight Howard?

 

[cpawfan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ghoti @ May 31 2008, 06:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JFizzleRaider @ May 31 2008, 05:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Jordan is one of those prospects that everyone is like OMG look at his potential! He COULD be a beast!

Then they pick him and 2 years later realize, oh shit this guy sucks balls.</div>

Isn't it possible someone could have posted this exact same thing about Andrew Bynum or even Dwight Howard?
</div>

Well in Dwight's case, there was already a documented work ethic so that wasn't a risk.

Bynum definitely had huge work ethic questions, but he managed, prior to this injury, to change that about himself.

Jordan is a different story. There were questions about his work ethic before going to Texas A&M and then he proceeded to go there and not improve one bit.

 

[ghoti]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan @ May 31 2008, 06:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ghoti @ May 31 2008, 06:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JFizzleRaider @ May 31 2008, 05:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Jordan is one of those prospects that everyone is like OMG look at his potential! He COULD be a beast!

Then they pick him and 2 years later realize, oh shit this guy sucks balls.</div>

Isn't it possible someone could have posted this exact same thing about Andrew Bynum or even Dwight Howard?
</div>

Well in Dwight's case, there was already a documented work ethic so that wasn't a risk.

Bynum definitely had huge work ethic questions, but he managed, prior to this injury, to change that about himself.

Jordan is a different story. There were questions about his work ethic before going to Texas A&M and then he proceeded to go there and not improve one bit.
</div>

Sure there are various factors at play here, but it certainly isn't impossible for that statement to have been made about the others.

These are immature children and a lot of them don't even like basketball. They are obligated to play. Some of them grow into it and some don't.

 

[J-HoAgZ]

Did the measurements come out yet?