Read in middle where Tafts agent talks about Diogu.
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Agent still expects Taft to be lottery pick
By
Joe Starkey
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, June 6, 2005
Amid reports that Chris Taft's draft stock is dropping faster than a pebble from the Empire State Building, Taft's agent rose to his defense.
"Like I told one GM, 'you're going to have a hard time convincing me that if you're looking for a power forward in this draft, there's one who can make the immediate impact of Chris, based on physical make-up and ability,' " said New York-based agent Billy Ceisler, who also represents Chicago Bulls star Ben Gordon, among others. "And as far as potential, he's probably 10 percent of the player he could be."
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound Taft left Pitt after an underachieving sophomore season and was widely believed to be a sure-fire lottery pick, meaning he would be selected among the top 14 in the NBA Draft on June 28.
However, recent reports have cast doubt on Taft's lottery prospects. The reports -- some based on first-hand observation, some citing NBA team personnel -- claim that Taft's individual workouts in New York and group workouts for various teams were undistinguished, at best.
"There's a good chance Taft will be sliding down to the bottom of the first round and maybe even out of it, according to one NBA director of player personnel who claims his team has Taft ranked as the 10th-best power forward in the draft," wrote ESPN.com draft insider Chad Ford, who still has Taft pegged to go eighth overall to the New York Knicks.
After Taft's recent workout in Toronto, the Globe and Mail asked Raptors general manager Rob Babcock about Taft's desire.
"That's the toughest thing to measure," said Babcock, whose team picks seventh. "Even the mind's easier to measure than the heart. It's very difficult."
Babcock added, "I think Chris is still very raw, and he would certainly be better served by going back to school."
That can't happen, because Taft, 20, has an agent. Ceisler admitted Taft's workout in Toronto was below par, but said it also was Taft's first NBA audition.
"It was like a first job interview," said Ceisler, who still expects Taft to be a lottery pick.
The agent claims Taft has turned in three consecutive "lights-out" workouts, for the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Boston Celtics.
"With the Clippers, Chris dominated (Final Four MVP) Sean May in every facet of the game," Ceisler said.
NBA teams are permitted to work out prospects for 1 1/2 hours, Ceisler said. Some teams emphasize individual skills, others stress one-on-one and two-on-two matchups. No more than four players can take the floor simultaneously.
Ceisler said the two-on-two games cater to Taft's abilities, while the individual-skills workouts -- which most teams favor -- don't.
Taft is expected to work out for several more teams before the draft, including non-lottery teams. Ford, on ESPN.com, said this represents a shift in Ceisler's approach, because Taft originally was going to work out only for teams in the lottery.
Ceisler said he merely is covering his bases, and that Taft always was going to work out for non-lottery teams in case one moves up.
Draftcity.com, a popular Web site, quoted a source as saying Arizona State's 6-foot-8 Ike Diogu dominated Taft at a workout for Golden State. The Web site's manager, Jonathan Givony, posted an interview with Diogu and asked Diogu whether he "took (Taft) to school."
Diogu's response: "(Laughs) Wow. You know, I don't really have any comment on that."
Ceisler said Taft, in fact, dominated the matchup.
Everyone seems to agree that Taft's performance last season at Pitt didn't help him. He averaged 13.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and on occasion rode the bench during key stretches. He was fourth on the team in minutes per game.
"He struggled the whole year to find his way," Ceisler said. "They all struggled to get him involved more. I mean, he was ranked in the top five, maybe the top pick, and he averaged only eight shots a game (actually, 9.5)."
Ceisler will be surprised if Taft isn't a lottery pick but says it might not be a bad thing to go 15th -- one spot out of the lottery -- to New Jersey. "You'd have one of the best point guards (Jason Kidd) and two other guys (Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson) who will be double-teamed," Ceisler said. "The (power forward) will get a lot of easy dunks and good looks. So, if somebody said, 'You weren't in the lottery,' I'd say, 'Hey, I wasn't a lottery pick, but I might have a better chance to win Rookie of the Year.' "
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