Thursday, June 17, 2004
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the draft is at 5 p.m. EST today.
Most of the top American underclassmen -- Emeka Okafor, Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, Josh Childress, Luol Deng, Josh Smith, Devin Harris, Shaun Livingston, Ben Gordon, Kirk Snyder, J.R. Smith, Kris Humphries, Robert Swift, Donta Smith, Sebastian Telfair, Trevor Ariza, Randy Orr and Jackie Butler -- have already hired agents, ending their college eligibility.
Several other top underclassmen, including Al Jefferson, Dorrell Wright, Kevin Martin, Brandon Bass and Delonte West, were still on the fence as of Wednesday night. However, all five are said to be leaning toward staying in the draft.
A few prominent underclassmen, including LaMarcus Aldridge, Ryan Gomes, Nate Robinson, Dijon Thompson, Odartey Blankson, Martin Iti, Roger Powell and Marco Kilingsworth, have already said that they'll return to school.
More difficult to project are the international underclassmen who can withdraw without penalty. Insider made a flurry of phone calls on Wednesday trying to track down the status of the top international underclassmen.
Here is what we have confirmed. As we get definitive answers on the on-the-fence guys throughout the day, we'll update the list.
IN
Andris Biedrins, PF, Latvia
Ha Seung Jin, C, Korea
Segey Monya, SG, Russia
Pavel Podkolzine, C, Russia
Peter John Ramos, C, Puerto Rico
Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil
ON THE FENCE
Marcelo Huertas, PG, Brazil
Erazem Lorbek, PF, Slovenia
Miguel Marriaga, PF, Venezula
Drago Pasalic, PF, Croatia
Peja Samardziski, C, Macedonia
Roko Ukic, PG, Croatia
Aleksandar Vujacic, Slovenia
OUT
Martynas Andriuskevicius, C, Lithuania
Luka Bogdanovic, SF, Serbia
Ivan Chiriaev, SF, Russia
Marcin Gortat, C, Poland
Mile Ilic, C, Serbia
Ivan Koljevic, PG, Serbia
Damir Omerhodzic, SF, Croatia
Kosta Perovic, C, Serbia
Johan Petro, C, France
Dusan Sakota, SF, Greece
Armands Skele, SG, Poland
Uros Slokar, PF, Slovenia
Marko Tomas, SG, Croatia
A couple of things stand out here. The fact that Splitter has decided to stay in the draft is a bit surprising. Splitter's agent, Herb Rudoy, told Insider Wednesday night that Splitter was getting good feedback from teams and that he felt there was a chance that he could end up in the late lottery. Splitter doesn't have a promise. However, his agent may be taking the risk because the buyout he negotiated with his club in Spain disappears after this year's draft.
There was a rampant rumor running through the league late Wednesday night that Ramos might pull out of the draft. His agent hasn't been able to secure a promise for Ramos, and there was some thinking that he might pull out with an eye toward being a top-10 pick next year. However, his agent, Andrew Vye, told Insider early Thursday morning that Ramos was in the draft. He has a workout in Seattle today along with Podkolzine and Samardziski, and then workouts almost every day leading up to the draft.
Peja Samardziski is running out of time to get the first-round promise he's looking for.
A few of the fence guys are a little surprising. Samardziski is the most prominent name on that list. He worked out for Utah on Wednesday (against Pavel) and is in Seattle today. Samardziski needs a late-lottery to mid-first-round promise to stay in the draft. Several teams are flirting with him, but as of late Wednesday night his agent, Mark Cornstein, was still unsure whether he was leaving Samardziski in.
SFX agent David Bauman told Insider that Vujacic is 90 percent in. He's been working to secure a promise in the late first round for his client. Even without a promise, Vujacic is a likely late-first-round pick. Bauman's other clients, Ukic, Lorbek and Pasalic, were all listed at 50 percent by Bauman. Ukic and Lorbek are going to require first-round promises -- something Bauman has yet to procure. Pasalic might stay in as long as he got a promise high enough in the second round.
Huertas will likely go back to Europe.
Four prominent international players pulled their names out of the draft. Andriuskevicius was expected for some time. His agent, Rudoy, was asking for a top-five promise and wanted Martynas to remain in Lithuania next year. That was a pretty big pill for any team to swallow. If he continues to develop, Andriuskevicius should be a lock for the top five next year.
Perovic had a buyout issue with his team, Partizan, that clouded his picture. His agent, Bill Duffy, told Insider on Wednesday that feedback he was getting from teams also factored into the decision. "The feedback that we got from teams was that he could improve his stock by playing another year at Partizan without Nenad Kristic," Duffy told Insider. "There were a lot of teams that were interested, but the consensus was that if he played well next year, he had the chance to be a top-five pick."
Petro got some buzz after a few impressive workouts with Denver and Utah. However, he was unable to secure a promise from either team, meaning he'll try this again next year. If Petro gets some playing time in France next season, he could move himself into the lottery.
Omerhodzic was another disappointment. His lack of playing experience combined with a series of lackluster workouts really hurt his stock. If he starts getting minutes in Croatia, his stock will go way up next year.
Draft Rumors
Cavs GM Jim Paxson told Insider that the Cavs are exploring trading their pick. The team is trying to obtain a veteran wing who can help LeBron James and Carlos Boozer make the playoffs next season. However, so far the interest in the pick has been limited. The No. 10 pick is a tough one to gauge right now. There could be a talented guard like Ben Gordon, Devin Harris or Shaun Livingston who could slip this low, or they could all be off the board. It's a bit of a crap shoot. If the Cavs keep the pick, don't be surprised if an experienced college player like Luke Jackson or Kirk Snyder is their choice.
The Bulls and Wizards recently discussed a swap that would've sent Jarvis Hayes and the No. 5 pick to Chicago for the No. 3 pick and Chris Jefferies. The Wizards apparently like Luol Deng and are afraid that either Chicago or Charlotte will take him first. Giving up Hayes isn't a huge loss considering that he plays the same position as Deng. However, so far, nothing looks imminent.
The Bulls have also explored trading down in the draft. They like both Luke Jackson and Donta Smith and could get them much later in the lottery or first round.
One team the Bulls may want to talk to is the Sixers, who are desperately trying to move up.
"There is a guy I love in the draft and I don't know if he will be there [at No. 9]," Sixers GM Billy King said. "I have seen him work out a couple of times and have seen him play in college, and I think he will be a very good player."
Who's that? Sources claim it's Deng that King is after.
The Bobcats are trying to move up to get the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the draft. Whichever one would land them Emeka Okafor. "I really think there's a good possibility that the Clippers would (trade). I think it's something that they want to do," Bobcats GM Bernie Bickerstaff said. "... And I think Orlando is interested. I think if there was something that made sense with them, with veteran players, I think they would get it done."
A source close to high school center Robert Swift claims that he won't slip past the Celtics at No. 15. We've been hearing that off and on again for weeks, but this is the best confirmation that we've heard that Celtics are taking Swift this high.
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the draft is at 5 p.m. EST today.
Most of the top American underclassmen -- Emeka Okafor, Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, Josh Childress, Luol Deng, Josh Smith, Devin Harris, Shaun Livingston, Ben Gordon, Kirk Snyder, J.R. Smith, Kris Humphries, Robert Swift, Donta Smith, Sebastian Telfair, Trevor Ariza, Randy Orr and Jackie Butler -- have already hired agents, ending their college eligibility.
Several other top underclassmen, including Al Jefferson, Dorrell Wright, Kevin Martin, Brandon Bass and Delonte West, were still on the fence as of Wednesday night. However, all five are said to be leaning toward staying in the draft.
A few prominent underclassmen, including LaMarcus Aldridge, Ryan Gomes, Nate Robinson, Dijon Thompson, Odartey Blankson, Martin Iti, Roger Powell and Marco Kilingsworth, have already said that they'll return to school.
More difficult to project are the international underclassmen who can withdraw without penalty. Insider made a flurry of phone calls on Wednesday trying to track down the status of the top international underclassmen.
Here is what we have confirmed. As we get definitive answers on the on-the-fence guys throughout the day, we'll update the list.
IN
Andris Biedrins, PF, Latvia
Ha Seung Jin, C, Korea
Segey Monya, SG, Russia
Pavel Podkolzine, C, Russia
Peter John Ramos, C, Puerto Rico
Tiago Splitter, PF, Brazil
ON THE FENCE
Marcelo Huertas, PG, Brazil
Erazem Lorbek, PF, Slovenia
Miguel Marriaga, PF, Venezula
Drago Pasalic, PF, Croatia
Peja Samardziski, C, Macedonia
Roko Ukic, PG, Croatia
Aleksandar Vujacic, Slovenia
OUT
Martynas Andriuskevicius, C, Lithuania
Luka Bogdanovic, SF, Serbia
Ivan Chiriaev, SF, Russia
Marcin Gortat, C, Poland
Mile Ilic, C, Serbia
Ivan Koljevic, PG, Serbia
Damir Omerhodzic, SF, Croatia
Kosta Perovic, C, Serbia
Johan Petro, C, France
Dusan Sakota, SF, Greece
Armands Skele, SG, Poland
Uros Slokar, PF, Slovenia
Marko Tomas, SG, Croatia
A couple of things stand out here. The fact that Splitter has decided to stay in the draft is a bit surprising. Splitter's agent, Herb Rudoy, told Insider Wednesday night that Splitter was getting good feedback from teams and that he felt there was a chance that he could end up in the late lottery. Splitter doesn't have a promise. However, his agent may be taking the risk because the buyout he negotiated with his club in Spain disappears after this year's draft.
There was a rampant rumor running through the league late Wednesday night that Ramos might pull out of the draft. His agent hasn't been able to secure a promise for Ramos, and there was some thinking that he might pull out with an eye toward being a top-10 pick next year. However, his agent, Andrew Vye, told Insider early Thursday morning that Ramos was in the draft. He has a workout in Seattle today along with Podkolzine and Samardziski, and then workouts almost every day leading up to the draft.
Peja Samardziski is running out of time to get the first-round promise he's looking for.
A few of the fence guys are a little surprising. Samardziski is the most prominent name on that list. He worked out for Utah on Wednesday (against Pavel) and is in Seattle today. Samardziski needs a late-lottery to mid-first-round promise to stay in the draft. Several teams are flirting with him, but as of late Wednesday night his agent, Mark Cornstein, was still unsure whether he was leaving Samardziski in.
SFX agent David Bauman told Insider that Vujacic is 90 percent in. He's been working to secure a promise in the late first round for his client. Even without a promise, Vujacic is a likely late-first-round pick. Bauman's other clients, Ukic, Lorbek and Pasalic, were all listed at 50 percent by Bauman. Ukic and Lorbek are going to require first-round promises -- something Bauman has yet to procure. Pasalic might stay in as long as he got a promise high enough in the second round.
Huertas will likely go back to Europe.
Four prominent international players pulled their names out of the draft. Andriuskevicius was expected for some time. His agent, Rudoy, was asking for a top-five promise and wanted Martynas to remain in Lithuania next year. That was a pretty big pill for any team to swallow. If he continues to develop, Andriuskevicius should be a lock for the top five next year.
Perovic had a buyout issue with his team, Partizan, that clouded his picture. His agent, Bill Duffy, told Insider on Wednesday that feedback he was getting from teams also factored into the decision. "The feedback that we got from teams was that he could improve his stock by playing another year at Partizan without Nenad Kristic," Duffy told Insider. "There were a lot of teams that were interested, but the consensus was that if he played well next year, he had the chance to be a top-five pick."
Petro got some buzz after a few impressive workouts with Denver and Utah. However, he was unable to secure a promise from either team, meaning he'll try this again next year. If Petro gets some playing time in France next season, he could move himself into the lottery.
Omerhodzic was another disappointment. His lack of playing experience combined with a series of lackluster workouts really hurt his stock. If he starts getting minutes in Croatia, his stock will go way up next year.
Draft Rumors
Cavs GM Jim Paxson told Insider that the Cavs are exploring trading their pick. The team is trying to obtain a veteran wing who can help LeBron James and Carlos Boozer make the playoffs next season. However, so far the interest in the pick has been limited. The No. 10 pick is a tough one to gauge right now. There could be a talented guard like Ben Gordon, Devin Harris or Shaun Livingston who could slip this low, or they could all be off the board. It's a bit of a crap shoot. If the Cavs keep the pick, don't be surprised if an experienced college player like Luke Jackson or Kirk Snyder is their choice.
The Bulls and Wizards recently discussed a swap that would've sent Jarvis Hayes and the No. 5 pick to Chicago for the No. 3 pick and Chris Jefferies. The Wizards apparently like Luol Deng and are afraid that either Chicago or Charlotte will take him first. Giving up Hayes isn't a huge loss considering that he plays the same position as Deng. However, so far, nothing looks imminent.
The Bulls have also explored trading down in the draft. They like both Luke Jackson and Donta Smith and could get them much later in the lottery or first round.
One team the Bulls may want to talk to is the Sixers, who are desperately trying to move up.
"There is a guy I love in the draft and I don't know if he will be there [at No. 9]," Sixers GM Billy King said. "I have seen him work out a couple of times and have seen him play in college, and I think he will be a very good player."
Who's that? Sources claim it's Deng that King is after.
The Bobcats are trying to move up to get the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the draft. Whichever one would land them Emeka Okafor. "I really think there's a good possibility that the Clippers would (trade). I think it's something that they want to do," Bobcats GM Bernie Bickerstaff said. "... And I think Orlando is interested. I think if there was something that made sense with them, with veteran players, I think they would get it done."
A source close to high school center Robert Swift claims that he won't slip past the Celtics at No. 15. We've been hearing that off and on again for weeks, but this is the best confirmation that we've heard that Celtics are taking Swift this high.
