J.R. Smith wows scouts at McDonalds
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford
Friday, April 2
So how weird was it watching NBA greats like Larry Bird and Pat Riley hanging out at a high school all-star game in Oklahoma City on Wednesday?
High school guard J.R. Smith is now on NBA scouts' radar screens
It was inevitable that someone was going to blow up at the McDonald's All-American Game on Wednesday, but few would've predicted that J.R. Smith was going to be that guy. As many as 10 of the players playing in the game were seriously thinking about going pro. Only two -- Smith and Dwight Howard -- looked ready based on Wednesday's game.
The funny thing is, Smith isn't one of the guys who's been flirting with the draft. He's been serious about playing at North Carolina all year. Based on his scintillating performance on Wednesday, do we have to add a 13th player to the NBA mix (two more players, Dorell Wright and Juan Diego Palacios, didn't play at the McDonald's game)?
Here's the skinny on Smith. He's a 6-foot-6 two guard with a 44-inch vertical and one of the deepest shots I've ever seen at the high school level. In other words, he's got Vince Carter hops with Steve Kerr range. How did scouts miss the boat on that guy?
"We've know about him," one scout said, "but with so many kids saying they were coming out, you tend not to focus on the ones who say that they'll stay in school. With that said, that kid has as much upside as anyone here. The NBA needs shooters and they love great athletes. This kid has both."
Another scout claimed that Smith's performance was so impressive because you couldn't just write it off on the bad defense played at all-star games. "He was shooting 30 foot jumpers with a hand in his face every time," another scout said. "The up and down game most of these kids love doesn't translate into the NBA. Most teams just don't get up and down the floor. The shooting, on the other hand, always translates. Especially with the way that kid gets lift on his shot . . . he could come in and play right now."
Will he join the throng? ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported on Wednesday that Smith had been offered a shoe deal worth more than $20 million a year. Combine that with talk among scouts that Smith would be a surefire lottery pick if he comes out. Our guess is that he's in.
What happened with the rest of these guys? Remember that many NBA scouts and GMs only stick around for the practice. That means that the game is only half the battle.
Among the other players who helped or hurt themselves at the McDonald's practices and game:
Howard won the co-MVP award along with Smith and looked very good. He ran the floor, crashed the boards and generally showed why he's competing against Emeka Okafor for the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Telfair
The much-hyped match-up between Sebastian Telfair and Shaun Livingston was a bust. Telfair played good defense and handed out a few assists, but the jumper was ugly. Scouts claim that he looked very good in practices, however. Livingston made some unbelievable passes and generally looked in control, but he scored one point and ended with just three assists.
Josh Smith got mixed reviews. He showed off his unbelievable athleticism at his size and had the most spectacular block of the game. However, those airballs he was shooting didn't do much to help stop the rumors that he's a Darius Miles clone.
Marvin Williams didn't do much in the game, but scouts were still buzzing about him in practice. It sounds like he may have moved himself right onto the lottery bubble.
Another guy who looked impressive in practice was Prentiss' Al Jefferson. Scouts say that he's a little more polished and athletic than they had thought.
I thought, for the second straight game, that Robert Swift outplayed the more hyped Randolph Morris.
After LaMarcus Aldridge's so-so performance, he said it's 60-40 that he goes to college next season.
Hoop Summit next
Many of these kids are now off to San Antonio for the Nike Hoop Summit on Sunday. Because the hoop summit is affiliated with USA Basketball, the game does not count as a postseason all-dtar game and won't affect the eligibility of players still mulling over college.
The American squad includes NBA draft prospects Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Sebastian Telfair, LaMarcus Aldridge, J.R. Smith, Rudy Gay and Al Jefferson along with other top high school ballers Jordan Famer, Malik Hairston, and Mike Williams.
The international squad has been weakened by visa issues and other commitments. The three top 2004 draft prospects, Pavel Podkolzine, Andris Biedrins and Ivan Chiriaev, have pulled out of the tournament.
The only real prospects left are Roko Leni Ukic (Croatia), Luka Bogdanovic (Serbia) and Juan Diego Palacios (Columbia). Yi Jian Lian of China will also play. He is widely considered the top prospect in the 2005 draft.
The other international hoop summit participants are Wojciech Barycz (Poland); Andrea Bargnani (Italy); Churchill Odia (Nigeria); Marcus Vinicius Vieira De Souza (Brazil); Sergio Rodriguez (Spain); and Michael Schroeder (Germany).
Insider will be there to give you an in-depth report of who's getting the buzz from scouts.
Who's else is hot?
High school all-star games aren't the only things going on around the league. The NCAA Final Four is this weekend and the Euros are still playing over seas. Here's the skinny on several other guys who appear to be helping their stock.
Duhon
Watch Duke point guard Chris Duhon closely. Over the past month he's been slowly gaining support from NBA scouts who feel that they may have judged him too harshly after a lackluster senior season. Duhon, who was considered a surefire lottery pick during his first three seasons, fell off the map this year. However, his stellar play in the tournament has generated a significant amount of buzz. His 4.8 ppg and 5.3 apg may not blow you away, but scouts love the toughness he's shown in leading Duke to the Final Four.
UConn's Ben Gordon is playing himself back into the good graces of scouts. He's gotten enough time at the point guard position in the tournament that scouts are once again starting to feel comfortable that Gordon can make that transition in the pros.
A less-heralded UConn guard, sophomore Rashad Anderson, is making a name for himself. His 18.3 ppg and his 51 percent shooting from behind the 3-point arc are making scouts take a serious look now. He's turning into one of the top shooters in college basketball.
Giddens
KU freshman guard J.R. Giddens played so well for the Jayhawks in the tournament that there's been some talk that Giddens may decide to test his draft stock. Giddens is a big-time athlete with a great stroke. Giddens averaged 16 ppg for the tournament. He's probably going to have to wait a year, but Giddens will be on the map big time for NBA scouts next season.
Xavier's Lionel Chalmers was awesome in the tournament, but he doesn't have the size or the point guard mentality to really make a huge leap in the draft. He's really a two guard in a point guard's body.
Finally, Latvia's Andris Biedrins impressed scouts in a juniors tournament in Croatia earlier this week. Biedrins posted 27 points, 17 boards and seven blocks against France's junior team led by another NBA prospect, Johan Petro.
Who's In and Out of the NBA Draft?
Stanford's Josh Childress is going to test the NBA waters. However, he won't hire an agent until he's sure he'll be a lottery pick. According to scouts, Childress will be a likely top-10 pick. Sorry Cardinal fans.
North Carolina State's Julius Hodge is mulling a jump to the NBA. Like many of the top prospects, he's been interviewing agents and trying to get a good feel on where he'll be selected. Right now he seems content as long as he goes in the first round. Hodge should be a first-round pick, but with all of the high school kids in the draft, there's a small risk he could slide.
We hear that Arizona's Andre Iguodala is seriously interviewing agents and will likely declare for the draft. That comes as almost no surprise. Iguodala will likely be a lottery pick in this year's draft.
Syracuse forward Hakim Warrick may also enter the draft and test his draft status. Warrick is all over the board right now, though scouts felt he helped himself in the tournament.
There's talk that Utah freshman Andrew Bogut may either put his name in the NBA draft or sign professionally with a team in Europe. If he hires an agent he'll be allowed to withdraw for this draft. But if he loses his college eligibility he'll automatically be in the 2005 draft (the same way Christian Drejer was forced to be in this draft). Right now Bogut has lots of potential, but he's not a surefire first-rounder at this point. He better stay in school.
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford
Friday, April 2
So how weird was it watching NBA greats like Larry Bird and Pat Riley hanging out at a high school all-star game in Oklahoma City on Wednesday?
High school guard J.R. Smith is now on NBA scouts' radar screens
It was inevitable that someone was going to blow up at the McDonald's All-American Game on Wednesday, but few would've predicted that J.R. Smith was going to be that guy. As many as 10 of the players playing in the game were seriously thinking about going pro. Only two -- Smith and Dwight Howard -- looked ready based on Wednesday's game.
The funny thing is, Smith isn't one of the guys who's been flirting with the draft. He's been serious about playing at North Carolina all year. Based on his scintillating performance on Wednesday, do we have to add a 13th player to the NBA mix (two more players, Dorell Wright and Juan Diego Palacios, didn't play at the McDonald's game)?
Here's the skinny on Smith. He's a 6-foot-6 two guard with a 44-inch vertical and one of the deepest shots I've ever seen at the high school level. In other words, he's got Vince Carter hops with Steve Kerr range. How did scouts miss the boat on that guy?
"We've know about him," one scout said, "but with so many kids saying they were coming out, you tend not to focus on the ones who say that they'll stay in school. With that said, that kid has as much upside as anyone here. The NBA needs shooters and they love great athletes. This kid has both."
Another scout claimed that Smith's performance was so impressive because you couldn't just write it off on the bad defense played at all-star games. "He was shooting 30 foot jumpers with a hand in his face every time," another scout said. "The up and down game most of these kids love doesn't translate into the NBA. Most teams just don't get up and down the floor. The shooting, on the other hand, always translates. Especially with the way that kid gets lift on his shot . . . he could come in and play right now."
Will he join the throng? ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported on Wednesday that Smith had been offered a shoe deal worth more than $20 million a year. Combine that with talk among scouts that Smith would be a surefire lottery pick if he comes out. Our guess is that he's in.
What happened with the rest of these guys? Remember that many NBA scouts and GMs only stick around for the practice. That means that the game is only half the battle.
Among the other players who helped or hurt themselves at the McDonald's practices and game:
Howard won the co-MVP award along with Smith and looked very good. He ran the floor, crashed the boards and generally showed why he's competing against Emeka Okafor for the No. 1 pick in the draft.
Telfair
The much-hyped match-up between Sebastian Telfair and Shaun Livingston was a bust. Telfair played good defense and handed out a few assists, but the jumper was ugly. Scouts claim that he looked very good in practices, however. Livingston made some unbelievable passes and generally looked in control, but he scored one point and ended with just three assists.
Josh Smith got mixed reviews. He showed off his unbelievable athleticism at his size and had the most spectacular block of the game. However, those airballs he was shooting didn't do much to help stop the rumors that he's a Darius Miles clone.
Marvin Williams didn't do much in the game, but scouts were still buzzing about him in practice. It sounds like he may have moved himself right onto the lottery bubble.
Another guy who looked impressive in practice was Prentiss' Al Jefferson. Scouts say that he's a little more polished and athletic than they had thought.
I thought, for the second straight game, that Robert Swift outplayed the more hyped Randolph Morris.
After LaMarcus Aldridge's so-so performance, he said it's 60-40 that he goes to college next season.
Hoop Summit next
Many of these kids are now off to San Antonio for the Nike Hoop Summit on Sunday. Because the hoop summit is affiliated with USA Basketball, the game does not count as a postseason all-dtar game and won't affect the eligibility of players still mulling over college.
The American squad includes NBA draft prospects Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Sebastian Telfair, LaMarcus Aldridge, J.R. Smith, Rudy Gay and Al Jefferson along with other top high school ballers Jordan Famer, Malik Hairston, and Mike Williams.
The international squad has been weakened by visa issues and other commitments. The three top 2004 draft prospects, Pavel Podkolzine, Andris Biedrins and Ivan Chiriaev, have pulled out of the tournament.
The only real prospects left are Roko Leni Ukic (Croatia), Luka Bogdanovic (Serbia) and Juan Diego Palacios (Columbia). Yi Jian Lian of China will also play. He is widely considered the top prospect in the 2005 draft.
The other international hoop summit participants are Wojciech Barycz (Poland); Andrea Bargnani (Italy); Churchill Odia (Nigeria); Marcus Vinicius Vieira De Souza (Brazil); Sergio Rodriguez (Spain); and Michael Schroeder (Germany).
Insider will be there to give you an in-depth report of who's getting the buzz from scouts.
Who's else is hot?
High school all-star games aren't the only things going on around the league. The NCAA Final Four is this weekend and the Euros are still playing over seas. Here's the skinny on several other guys who appear to be helping their stock.
Duhon
Watch Duke point guard Chris Duhon closely. Over the past month he's been slowly gaining support from NBA scouts who feel that they may have judged him too harshly after a lackluster senior season. Duhon, who was considered a surefire lottery pick during his first three seasons, fell off the map this year. However, his stellar play in the tournament has generated a significant amount of buzz. His 4.8 ppg and 5.3 apg may not blow you away, but scouts love the toughness he's shown in leading Duke to the Final Four.
UConn's Ben Gordon is playing himself back into the good graces of scouts. He's gotten enough time at the point guard position in the tournament that scouts are once again starting to feel comfortable that Gordon can make that transition in the pros.
A less-heralded UConn guard, sophomore Rashad Anderson, is making a name for himself. His 18.3 ppg and his 51 percent shooting from behind the 3-point arc are making scouts take a serious look now. He's turning into one of the top shooters in college basketball.
Giddens
KU freshman guard J.R. Giddens played so well for the Jayhawks in the tournament that there's been some talk that Giddens may decide to test his draft stock. Giddens is a big-time athlete with a great stroke. Giddens averaged 16 ppg for the tournament. He's probably going to have to wait a year, but Giddens will be on the map big time for NBA scouts next season.
Xavier's Lionel Chalmers was awesome in the tournament, but he doesn't have the size or the point guard mentality to really make a huge leap in the draft. He's really a two guard in a point guard's body.
Finally, Latvia's Andris Biedrins impressed scouts in a juniors tournament in Croatia earlier this week. Biedrins posted 27 points, 17 boards and seven blocks against France's junior team led by another NBA prospect, Johan Petro.
Who's In and Out of the NBA Draft?
Stanford's Josh Childress is going to test the NBA waters. However, he won't hire an agent until he's sure he'll be a lottery pick. According to scouts, Childress will be a likely top-10 pick. Sorry Cardinal fans.
North Carolina State's Julius Hodge is mulling a jump to the NBA. Like many of the top prospects, he's been interviewing agents and trying to get a good feel on where he'll be selected. Right now he seems content as long as he goes in the first round. Hodge should be a first-round pick, but with all of the high school kids in the draft, there's a small risk he could slide.
We hear that Arizona's Andre Iguodala is seriously interviewing agents and will likely declare for the draft. That comes as almost no surprise. Iguodala will likely be a lottery pick in this year's draft.
Syracuse forward Hakim Warrick may also enter the draft and test his draft status. Warrick is all over the board right now, though scouts felt he helped himself in the tournament.
There's talk that Utah freshman Andrew Bogut may either put his name in the NBA draft or sign professionally with a team in Europe. If he hires an agent he'll be allowed to withdraw for this draft. But if he loses his college eligibility he'll automatically be in the 2005 draft (the same way Christian Drejer was forced to be in this draft). Right now Bogut has lots of potential, but he's not a surefire first-rounder at this point. He better stay in school.
