Updated: June 20, 2005, 1:51 PM ET
Blazers talking trade with three teams
Chad Ford
It's crunch time. Just eight days until the NBA draft and everything still is in utter commotion.
Picks two through seven are for sale. Workouts are going full steam. The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the draft is Tuesday.
Check back with Insider Tuesday for a full breakdown of who's in and who's out of the 2005 NBA draft. And on Wednesday, look for our latest mock draft.
Here's the latest on what's going on:
Blazers heating up the phone lines?
Bobcats GM Bernie Bickerstaff has called the Blazers' No. 3 pick the key pick in the draft.Why? Because the Blazers are more than willing to trade it and a number of teams, including the Lakers, Bobcats and Jazz, are willing to offer a lot to get their hands on it.
With Phil Jackson now running the show in Los Angeles, you can expect the Lakers to be pretty active over the next few weeks, retooling the team to Jackson's liking.
That's led to whispers that the Lakers are talking to the Blazers about a deal that would give them the No. 3 pick in the draft and Ruben Patterson for Caron Butler, Chucky Atkins and the No. 10. There's also talk that the Lakers have been trying to resurrect talks with the Jazz for Carlos Boozer.
If the Lakers do move up in the draft, who are they targeting?
For months GM Mitch Kupchak has been hot on the trail of high school phenom Gerald Green. Green worked out for the Lakers and Jackson on Thursday. The workout raised more than a few eyebrows because Green isn't expected to slip past the Raptors (who are also very high on him) at No. 7.
Meanwhile, Green and the Blazers continue to fight over his refusal to work out for the team in a group setting. Factor in that Portland just brought in another high school two-guard, Martell Webster, for a workout, and the dots are there, ready for someone to connect. Webster wouldn't be drafted as high as No. 3, but he would be draftable as the 10th overall pick.
However, don't hold your breath just yet, Laker fans. This is just one of a number of different trade scenarios the Blazers apparently are working on. The ideal trade is to convince the Bobcats to swap Nos. 5 and 13 for No. 3 – a deal that GM Bernie Bickerstaff admits is on the table but says he isn't interested in.
The Blazers are also talking to the Jazz about a deal that would swap No. 3 for the No. 6 and No. 27 picks. That deal could also include some players. Sources claim that Gordan Giricek and Kirk Snyder could be sent to Portland with Ruben Patterson and the draft rights to Russian 2-guard Sergei Monia headed back to the Jazz. The Jazz, who desperately need a point guard, would select Chris Paul or Deron Williams with the No. 3 pick.
If the Lakers stay at No. 10, folks in the camp of high school big man Andrew Bynum are suggesting, pretty loudly, that the Lakers are leaning toward drafting him.
Bucks work out Williams
Bucks GM Larry Harris continues to assert that he still hasn't decided whether the Bucks will select Andrew Bogut or Marvin Williams with the No. 1 pick.While most in the league have assumed the Bucks will eventually choose Bogut over Williams, Harris gave his first real hint Sunday that Williams is truly in the running for the pick.
Williams worked out with the Bucks on Sunday, and Harris and head coach Terry Porter came away raving about his post skills.
"Early on, I see him more as a power forward and a guy who can play some three [small forward] as well," Harris told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the workout. "His post-up game is a lot further along than people have seen.
"Eventually, he's going to grow some more, so he's going to get bigger. He has the bulk to him to play the four, and it's going to be a very easy transition for him. He's definitely strong and solid in the post."
Those statements are significant because on lottery night, when the Bucks got the top pick, Harris told Insider that what his team really needs is a power forward. Joe Smith plays the bulk of Milwaukee's minutes at power forward, with mixed results. Desmond Mason plays small forward, and a combination of Dan Gadzuric and Zaza Pachulia plays center.
It's been assumed that Bogut is the pick because he's a big upgrade over Gadzuric and Pachulia in the middle, while Williams would duplicate a position played well by Mason. However, if the Bucks really believe that he'll be a power forward, Williams might have a much better chance at being the No. 1 pick than people are giving him.
Bogut is scheduled to work out for the Bucks today.
Magic focusing on May
In Insider's previous two mock drafts, we've had the Magic taking Webster with the 11th pick in the draft. Expect that to change when we release our third mock draft Wednesday. Sources in Orlando told Insider this past weekend that if North Carolina power forward Sean May is on the board when the Magic draft, they're leaning strongly toward taking him. Why would the Magic draft May when they took Dwight Howard at the same position last year?
"I think they're such different players that you play them together on the front line," the Magic source told Insider. "Howard has the size, athleticism and defense and May has the bulk and skills scoring in the low post. [Tony] Battie and [[Kelvin] Cato are role players. I think those two guys would fit great together."
We'll see. This is the time of year when some NBA teams start to throw out misleading information to mess with other teams drafting below them. It could be a smokescreen to convince a team drafting a few picks behind the Magic to give up something in a trade to get May.
Vazquez working out on Sunday
Spanish stud Fran Vazquez is coming to New York on Friday and has scheduled a general NBA workout on Sunday and an NBA physical on Monday. Vazquez is widely regarded as the top international player in the draft and a likely top-10 pick. His team recently was ousted from the playoffs, where Vazquez put up solid numbers of 12.1 ppg and 7.8 rpg.
Vazquez was scheduled to come over and do a handful of individual workouts with the Hornets, Jazz, Raptors and Bobcats; however, he's opted instead to do just one group workout. That news didn't please everyone. According to one team that was scheduled to work him out, the news isn't good.
"He was seriously in the mix," the GM told Insider. "I'm not sure that we'd still consider him without a private workout."
Marc Cornstein, Vazquez's agent, defends the decision. "He had a tremendous year in Spain," Cornstein told Insider. "Virtually every team in the league has scouted him extensively. I don't know how big of an issue it really is."
Draft Cards
• Among the top players, it sounds like the following early-entry guys are staying in the draft: Jarrett Jack, Andrew Bynum, Yaroslav Korolev, Ersan Ilyasova, Roko Ukic, Johan Petro, Louis Williams, C.J. Miles, Dwayne Jones, Von Wafer, Carl Krauser, Anthony Roberson, Drago Pasalic and Deji Akindele.Meanwhile, it sounds like these early-entry guys are withdrawing: Tiago Splitter, Nemanja Aleksandrov, Marko Tomas, Peja Samardziski, Dee Brown, Kevin Pittsnogle, Brandon Bowman, Torin Francis, James White, Olu Famitimi, Juan Jose Barea, Ivan Chiriaev, Paulius Jankunas, Miguel Marriaga, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Dusan Sakota.
Among those still on the fence: Ike Diogu, Randolph Morris, Martynas Andriuskevicius, Rudy Fernandez, Mile Ilic, Kosta Perovic, Marko Lekic, Marcin Gortat, Linas Kleiza, Eric Williams, Steven Smith, Brandon Rush and Amir Johnson.
• Croatian point guard Roko Ukic must have made quite an impression at the Reebok Eurocamp. After dominating in competition there, Ukic flew to the United States and worked out for the Raptors on Friday and the Celtics on Saturday. Raptors GM Rob Babcock and Celtics vice president Danny Ainge were both in Treviso at the camp and were impressed. They'll seriously consider him with the 16th and 18th picks, respectively.
• Slovenian big man Uros Slokar has surprised a number of teams with strong workouts. Sources with the Pistons, Clippers and Sonics all claim that he was impressive when they had him in.
"The report that we had on him from Europe was that he was a little on the soft side," one scout told Insider. "He actually looks much tougher than we expected. He could be an interesting second-round pick for someone."
Slokar has been a well-regarded prospect for years but never developed for Benetton. This year, with Andrea Bargnani taking his playing time, Slokar was loaned to a smaller team in Italy and began to put up impressive numbers.
• Arizona's Channing Frye refused to work out with the Charlotte Bobcats, fueling the fire that the Knicks have given him a promise at No. 8.
• There are a couple of great workouts scheduled on Monday to keep an eye on:
The Bobcats have Deron Williams, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, Julius Hodge and Monta Ellis coming in. Look for Williams to work out individually while the other four all go at it. Williams has been refusing to work out against anyone other than Chris Paul.
The Nets also have a sweet big man workout planned with Hakim Warrick, Charlie Villanueva and Wayne Simien all scheduled. Whoever performs well there could be the No. 15 selection in the draft.
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Blazers talking trade with three teams
Chad Ford
It's crunch time. Just eight days until the NBA draft and everything still is in utter commotion.
Picks two through seven are for sale. Workouts are going full steam. The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw from the draft is Tuesday.
Check back with Insider Tuesday for a full breakdown of who's in and who's out of the 2005 NBA draft. And on Wednesday, look for our latest mock draft.
Here's the latest on what's going on:
Blazers heating up the phone lines?
Bobcats GM Bernie Bickerstaff has called the Blazers' No. 3 pick the key pick in the draft.Why? Because the Blazers are more than willing to trade it and a number of teams, including the Lakers, Bobcats and Jazz, are willing to offer a lot to get their hands on it.
With Phil Jackson now running the show in Los Angeles, you can expect the Lakers to be pretty active over the next few weeks, retooling the team to Jackson's liking.
That's led to whispers that the Lakers are talking to the Blazers about a deal that would give them the No. 3 pick in the draft and Ruben Patterson for Caron Butler, Chucky Atkins and the No. 10. There's also talk that the Lakers have been trying to resurrect talks with the Jazz for Carlos Boozer.
If the Lakers do move up in the draft, who are they targeting?
For months GM Mitch Kupchak has been hot on the trail of high school phenom Gerald Green. Green worked out for the Lakers and Jackson on Thursday. The workout raised more than a few eyebrows because Green isn't expected to slip past the Raptors (who are also very high on him) at No. 7.
Meanwhile, Green and the Blazers continue to fight over his refusal to work out for the team in a group setting. Factor in that Portland just brought in another high school two-guard, Martell Webster, for a workout, and the dots are there, ready for someone to connect. Webster wouldn't be drafted as high as No. 3, but he would be draftable as the 10th overall pick.
However, don't hold your breath just yet, Laker fans. This is just one of a number of different trade scenarios the Blazers apparently are working on. The ideal trade is to convince the Bobcats to swap Nos. 5 and 13 for No. 3 – a deal that GM Bernie Bickerstaff admits is on the table but says he isn't interested in.
The Blazers are also talking to the Jazz about a deal that would swap No. 3 for the No. 6 and No. 27 picks. That deal could also include some players. Sources claim that Gordan Giricek and Kirk Snyder could be sent to Portland with Ruben Patterson and the draft rights to Russian 2-guard Sergei Monia headed back to the Jazz. The Jazz, who desperately need a point guard, would select Chris Paul or Deron Williams with the No. 3 pick.
If the Lakers stay at No. 10, folks in the camp of high school big man Andrew Bynum are suggesting, pretty loudly, that the Lakers are leaning toward drafting him.
Bucks work out Williams
Bucks GM Larry Harris continues to assert that he still hasn't decided whether the Bucks will select Andrew Bogut or Marvin Williams with the No. 1 pick.While most in the league have assumed the Bucks will eventually choose Bogut over Williams, Harris gave his first real hint Sunday that Williams is truly in the running for the pick.
Williams worked out with the Bucks on Sunday, and Harris and head coach Terry Porter came away raving about his post skills.
"Early on, I see him more as a power forward and a guy who can play some three [small forward] as well," Harris told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the workout. "His post-up game is a lot further along than people have seen.
"Eventually, he's going to grow some more, so he's going to get bigger. He has the bulk to him to play the four, and it's going to be a very easy transition for him. He's definitely strong and solid in the post."
Those statements are significant because on lottery night, when the Bucks got the top pick, Harris told Insider that what his team really needs is a power forward. Joe Smith plays the bulk of Milwaukee's minutes at power forward, with mixed results. Desmond Mason plays small forward, and a combination of Dan Gadzuric and Zaza Pachulia plays center.
It's been assumed that Bogut is the pick because he's a big upgrade over Gadzuric and Pachulia in the middle, while Williams would duplicate a position played well by Mason. However, if the Bucks really believe that he'll be a power forward, Williams might have a much better chance at being the No. 1 pick than people are giving him.
Bogut is scheduled to work out for the Bucks today.
Magic focusing on May
In Insider's previous two mock drafts, we've had the Magic taking Webster with the 11th pick in the draft. Expect that to change when we release our third mock draft Wednesday. Sources in Orlando told Insider this past weekend that if North Carolina power forward Sean May is on the board when the Magic draft, they're leaning strongly toward taking him. Why would the Magic draft May when they took Dwight Howard at the same position last year?
"I think they're such different players that you play them together on the front line," the Magic source told Insider. "Howard has the size, athleticism and defense and May has the bulk and skills scoring in the low post. [Tony] Battie and [[Kelvin] Cato are role players. I think those two guys would fit great together."
We'll see. This is the time of year when some NBA teams start to throw out misleading information to mess with other teams drafting below them. It could be a smokescreen to convince a team drafting a few picks behind the Magic to give up something in a trade to get May.
Vazquez working out on Sunday
Spanish stud Fran Vazquez is coming to New York on Friday and has scheduled a general NBA workout on Sunday and an NBA physical on Monday. Vazquez is widely regarded as the top international player in the draft and a likely top-10 pick. His team recently was ousted from the playoffs, where Vazquez put up solid numbers of 12.1 ppg and 7.8 rpg.
Vazquez was scheduled to come over and do a handful of individual workouts with the Hornets, Jazz, Raptors and Bobcats; however, he's opted instead to do just one group workout. That news didn't please everyone. According to one team that was scheduled to work him out, the news isn't good.
"He was seriously in the mix," the GM told Insider. "I'm not sure that we'd still consider him without a private workout."
Marc Cornstein, Vazquez's agent, defends the decision. "He had a tremendous year in Spain," Cornstein told Insider. "Virtually every team in the league has scouted him extensively. I don't know how big of an issue it really is."
Draft Cards
• Among the top players, it sounds like the following early-entry guys are staying in the draft: Jarrett Jack, Andrew Bynum, Yaroslav Korolev, Ersan Ilyasova, Roko Ukic, Johan Petro, Louis Williams, C.J. Miles, Dwayne Jones, Von Wafer, Carl Krauser, Anthony Roberson, Drago Pasalic and Deji Akindele.Meanwhile, it sounds like these early-entry guys are withdrawing: Tiago Splitter, Nemanja Aleksandrov, Marko Tomas, Peja Samardziski, Dee Brown, Kevin Pittsnogle, Brandon Bowman, Torin Francis, James White, Olu Famitimi, Juan Jose Barea, Ivan Chiriaev, Paulius Jankunas, Miguel Marriaga, Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Dusan Sakota.
Among those still on the fence: Ike Diogu, Randolph Morris, Martynas Andriuskevicius, Rudy Fernandez, Mile Ilic, Kosta Perovic, Marko Lekic, Marcin Gortat, Linas Kleiza, Eric Williams, Steven Smith, Brandon Rush and Amir Johnson.
• Croatian point guard Roko Ukic must have made quite an impression at the Reebok Eurocamp. After dominating in competition there, Ukic flew to the United States and worked out for the Raptors on Friday and the Celtics on Saturday. Raptors GM Rob Babcock and Celtics vice president Danny Ainge were both in Treviso at the camp and were impressed. They'll seriously consider him with the 16th and 18th picks, respectively.
• Slovenian big man Uros Slokar has surprised a number of teams with strong workouts. Sources with the Pistons, Clippers and Sonics all claim that he was impressive when they had him in.
"The report that we had on him from Europe was that he was a little on the soft side," one scout told Insider. "He actually looks much tougher than we expected. He could be an interesting second-round pick for someone."
Slokar has been a well-regarded prospect for years but never developed for Benetton. This year, with Andrea Bargnani taking his playing time, Slokar was loaned to a smaller team in Italy and began to put up impressive numbers.
• Arizona's Channing Frye refused to work out with the Charlotte Bobcats, fueling the fire that the Knicks have given him a promise at No. 8.
• There are a couple of great workouts scheduled on Monday to keep an eye on:
The Bobcats have Deron Williams, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton, Julius Hodge and Monta Ellis coming in. Look for Williams to work out individually while the other four all go at it. Williams has been refusing to work out against anyone other than Chris Paul.
The Nets also have a sweet big man workout planned with Hakim Warrick, Charlie Villanueva and Wayne Simien all scheduled. Whoever performs well there could be the No. 15 selection in the draft.
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