Chicago report: Brown wows again
posted: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 |
CHICAGO -- I spent Memorial Day weekend in Chicago watching prospects work out with Tim Grover at A.T.T.A.C.K. Athletics and at the gym formerly known as Hoops.Here's a look at four interesting prospects I checked out this weekend.
Shannon Brown, Michigan State: Brown was considered a bubble first-round prospect when he entered the draft, but a series of stellar workouts have boosted his stock considerably.
Brown wowed GMs and scouts from 18 NBA teams in a group workout in Chicago several weeks ago, and he's since garnered strong reviews in his workouts with the Pacers, Celtics and Nets. This week he'll be working out with the Knicks, 76ers and Bulls.
The response has been so encouraging that Brown is leaning strongly toward staying in the draft. He told me on Monday that he wouldn't be playing in the pre-draft camp in Orlando this year, a sign that he believes he doesn't need to prove himself in Orlando.
Why are teams suddenly so high on Brown?
It wasn't hard to see why in his workouts on Monday. He is very strong for a guard, and his athleticism, big hands (even bigger than Rajon Rondo's) and intensity are other qualities that set him apart.
Brown measured 6-3 in shoes with a 6-8½ wingspan. While that's a little undersized for a two guard, his long arms and athleticism make up the gap.
On the court Brown does everything at full speed. Every drill, every move, every dunk is a total commitment.
His shot has really improved over the past yeat. He improved his 3-point percentage to 39 percent last season, and he shot a career-high 47 percent from the field and an impressive 83 percent from the line.
Sources in Chicago and Boston were impressed with his shooting in previous workouts, and he continued that streak on Monday. Both his midrange shot and his 3-pointer were falling with regularity.
Brown has excellent shot mechanics and gets a lot of lift on his jumper. In a drill Grover runs where players must shoot over huge foam dummies with nine-foot reaches, Brown was able to elevate and see over the "defender" to hit his jump shot. Few guards his size can duplicate that feat.
His most impressive quality is his explosive athleticism. On full-court drills, Brown finished every downcourt sprint with a spectacular high flying dunk. He gets off the floor very quickly, has great hangtime and finishes with power.
His handle is probably his biggest weakness right now. While his ball-handling isn't awful, he bobbles the ball a lot, which is surprising for a guy that has enormous hands.
That could pose some problems for Brown at the next level. Not only could it prevent him from playing the point, it could also hinder him from penetrating to the basket.
I spoke with Shannon and his father a little after the workout and was impressed with both of them. Shannon's father is a police officer in suburban Chicago. He's been paying for all of Shannon's workouts out of his own pocket to protect his son's college eligibility -- an impressive feat given how little police officers are compensated.
"I've always said that if Shannon put in the work, I'd make sure he had every opportunity," his father said. "Shannon's lived up to his end of the bargain, so I'm living up to mine."
Brown said it wasn't easy growing up with a cop for a father. He had to live a disciplined life and his friends didn't always trust him. But Brown said it's paid off in the long run.
"My father taught me that you got to sacrifice for what you love," Brown said. "I love basketball. Honest to goodness. I don't care where I play as long as I get a chance to play. I just love the game and want to get better. I've been working my whole life to get to this spot and I'm just excited to be here."
Brown has an impressive set of tools that should make him an excellent NBA player. Given the new defensive rules that limit hand-checking, a player like Brown should be difficult to contain. If he can continue to hone his jump shot, he could become a big scorer in the league. His draft range right now is No. 14 to No. 26, but he's the type of player who will probably turn out better than the five to 10 guys taken immediately ahead of him in the draft.
To put it another way: If he were two inches taller, he'd be a lock for the top 10.
Paul Davis, Michigan State: Brown's Spartan teammate Paul Davis is also working out with Grover in Chicago.
Davis has earned a little buzz from both the Raptors and Rockets after individual workouts. He played against Duke's Shelden Williams, UConn's Hilton Armstrong and UCLA's Ryan Collins.
I saw Davis work out with Grover on Saturday. In his drills, he showed some impressive footwork in the paint and excellent range on his jump shot. Davis stepped back to the NBA 3-point line and drained roughly half of his shots -- not bad for a 6-10 guy.
Scouts have worried a bit about Davis' lack of athleticism and explosiveness around the basket. But he was a little better than advertised. He moved well up and down the court and showed that he can get off the floor. Grover's conditioning and explosiveness training may have had something to do with Davis' improved showing.
More troubling will be his overall size measurements. While Davis looks like he probably measure out as a legit 6-10 in shoes, he has fairly short arms, which will create problems for him in the paint.
Davis said that the feedback he's gotten in workouts is that teams are looking at him as a pick-and-pop four and have focused workouts on his 18-foot jump shot.
To increase his chances of moving into the first round, Davis might want to think about taking his girlfriend, Diana Rosebush, along for workouts. Rosebush is a model who was recently voted the winner of FHM's monthly "Hometown Honey" pinup contest. When she walked in the gym, the reaction she received reminded me of the scene in "Rocky 3" where Apollo Creed takes Rocky into the grimy gym in East L.A. and everyone stops what they're doing and stares.
Look for Davis to land somewhere in the late first round or early second round.
James Augustine, PF, Illinois: Augustine was under the radar during his four years at Illinois. Last season was his best statistically, and he put up 19 points and 8 rebounds in his last game. But Augustine's contributions at Illinois were never measured in the stat sheet.
Augustine is a Red Bull big man who runs the floor like a small forward. He is very athletic, and explosive off the floor. He looks like he's a legit 6-10, with long arms.
He's a junk player, not the kind of guy coaches run plays for, but Augustine finds ways to get involved. He dives for loose balls and will compete against anyone.
What surprised me on Monday was his jump shot. Augustine was stroking shots from the NBA 3-point line -- and this was a guy who attempted a total of two college 3s last season.
Scouts started warming to Augustine toward the end of the season, and a solid workout in front of 18 teams in Chicago and workouts with the Raptors, Clippers, Warriors, Kings and Blazers now have him as a bubble first-rounder. He's got workouts scheduled with the Grizzlies, Cavs and Rockets this week, and then he'll play in the pre-draft camp in Orlando.
Augustine is one of those hustle guys, like Florida's David Lee last season, who could surprise people in the camp and perhaps sneak into the first round. There aren't a lot of top-quality big guys in this draft, and given Augustine's intangibles, he should be a guy coaches like.
Chris Quinn, Notre Dame: He looks like he just finished the ninth grade, but on the court Quinn has proven his looks are deceptive.
Quinn had a fantastic senior season at Notre Dame and made first-team Big East along with guys like Rudy Gay, Randy Foye and Allan Ray. That's not bad company.
Quinn is a dead-eye shooter from long range and a great ball handler, and he knows how to find a nice balance between running a team and finding his own shot.
Quinn's strong follow-up performance at the Portsmouth Invitational earned him another shot at the pre-draft camp in Orlando.
He's measuring a 6-2 in shoes, and he's a better athlete than generally thought.
While Quinn's shot was not falling with any regularity on Monday, that's the least of scouts' worries. He proved at Notre Dame he's a big-time shooter.
So what's the problem? To handle big minutes in the NBA, Quinn is going to have to get much stronger physically.
He's going to need a strong performance in Orlando to move into the second round. However, given the dearth of point guards in the draft, he's got a shot.
posted: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 |
CHICAGO -- I spent Memorial Day weekend in Chicago watching prospects work out with Tim Grover at A.T.T.A.C.K. Athletics and at the gym formerly known as Hoops.Here's a look at four interesting prospects I checked out this weekend.
Shannon Brown, Michigan State: Brown was considered a bubble first-round prospect when he entered the draft, but a series of stellar workouts have boosted his stock considerably.
Brown wowed GMs and scouts from 18 NBA teams in a group workout in Chicago several weeks ago, and he's since garnered strong reviews in his workouts with the Pacers, Celtics and Nets. This week he'll be working out with the Knicks, 76ers and Bulls.
The response has been so encouraging that Brown is leaning strongly toward staying in the draft. He told me on Monday that he wouldn't be playing in the pre-draft camp in Orlando this year, a sign that he believes he doesn't need to prove himself in Orlando.
Why are teams suddenly so high on Brown?
It wasn't hard to see why in his workouts on Monday. He is very strong for a guard, and his athleticism, big hands (even bigger than Rajon Rondo's) and intensity are other qualities that set him apart.
Brown measured 6-3 in shoes with a 6-8½ wingspan. While that's a little undersized for a two guard, his long arms and athleticism make up the gap.
On the court Brown does everything at full speed. Every drill, every move, every dunk is a total commitment.
His shot has really improved over the past yeat. He improved his 3-point percentage to 39 percent last season, and he shot a career-high 47 percent from the field and an impressive 83 percent from the line.
Sources in Chicago and Boston were impressed with his shooting in previous workouts, and he continued that streak on Monday. Both his midrange shot and his 3-pointer were falling with regularity.
Brown has excellent shot mechanics and gets a lot of lift on his jumper. In a drill Grover runs where players must shoot over huge foam dummies with nine-foot reaches, Brown was able to elevate and see over the "defender" to hit his jump shot. Few guards his size can duplicate that feat.
His most impressive quality is his explosive athleticism. On full-court drills, Brown finished every downcourt sprint with a spectacular high flying dunk. He gets off the floor very quickly, has great hangtime and finishes with power.
His handle is probably his biggest weakness right now. While his ball-handling isn't awful, he bobbles the ball a lot, which is surprising for a guy that has enormous hands.
That could pose some problems for Brown at the next level. Not only could it prevent him from playing the point, it could also hinder him from penetrating to the basket.
I spoke with Shannon and his father a little after the workout and was impressed with both of them. Shannon's father is a police officer in suburban Chicago. He's been paying for all of Shannon's workouts out of his own pocket to protect his son's college eligibility -- an impressive feat given how little police officers are compensated.
"I've always said that if Shannon put in the work, I'd make sure he had every opportunity," his father said. "Shannon's lived up to his end of the bargain, so I'm living up to mine."
Brown said it wasn't easy growing up with a cop for a father. He had to live a disciplined life and his friends didn't always trust him. But Brown said it's paid off in the long run.
"My father taught me that you got to sacrifice for what you love," Brown said. "I love basketball. Honest to goodness. I don't care where I play as long as I get a chance to play. I just love the game and want to get better. I've been working my whole life to get to this spot and I'm just excited to be here."
Brown has an impressive set of tools that should make him an excellent NBA player. Given the new defensive rules that limit hand-checking, a player like Brown should be difficult to contain. If he can continue to hone his jump shot, he could become a big scorer in the league. His draft range right now is No. 14 to No. 26, but he's the type of player who will probably turn out better than the five to 10 guys taken immediately ahead of him in the draft.
To put it another way: If he were two inches taller, he'd be a lock for the top 10.
Paul Davis, Michigan State: Brown's Spartan teammate Paul Davis is also working out with Grover in Chicago.
Davis has earned a little buzz from both the Raptors and Rockets after individual workouts. He played against Duke's Shelden Williams, UConn's Hilton Armstrong and UCLA's Ryan Collins.
I saw Davis work out with Grover on Saturday. In his drills, he showed some impressive footwork in the paint and excellent range on his jump shot. Davis stepped back to the NBA 3-point line and drained roughly half of his shots -- not bad for a 6-10 guy.
Scouts have worried a bit about Davis' lack of athleticism and explosiveness around the basket. But he was a little better than advertised. He moved well up and down the court and showed that he can get off the floor. Grover's conditioning and explosiveness training may have had something to do with Davis' improved showing.
More troubling will be his overall size measurements. While Davis looks like he probably measure out as a legit 6-10 in shoes, he has fairly short arms, which will create problems for him in the paint.
Davis said that the feedback he's gotten in workouts is that teams are looking at him as a pick-and-pop four and have focused workouts on his 18-foot jump shot.
To increase his chances of moving into the first round, Davis might want to think about taking his girlfriend, Diana Rosebush, along for workouts. Rosebush is a model who was recently voted the winner of FHM's monthly "Hometown Honey" pinup contest. When she walked in the gym, the reaction she received reminded me of the scene in "Rocky 3" where Apollo Creed takes Rocky into the grimy gym in East L.A. and everyone stops what they're doing and stares.
Look for Davis to land somewhere in the late first round or early second round.
James Augustine, PF, Illinois: Augustine was under the radar during his four years at Illinois. Last season was his best statistically, and he put up 19 points and 8 rebounds in his last game. But Augustine's contributions at Illinois were never measured in the stat sheet.
Augustine is a Red Bull big man who runs the floor like a small forward. He is very athletic, and explosive off the floor. He looks like he's a legit 6-10, with long arms.
He's a junk player, not the kind of guy coaches run plays for, but Augustine finds ways to get involved. He dives for loose balls and will compete against anyone.
What surprised me on Monday was his jump shot. Augustine was stroking shots from the NBA 3-point line -- and this was a guy who attempted a total of two college 3s last season.
Scouts started warming to Augustine toward the end of the season, and a solid workout in front of 18 teams in Chicago and workouts with the Raptors, Clippers, Warriors, Kings and Blazers now have him as a bubble first-rounder. He's got workouts scheduled with the Grizzlies, Cavs and Rockets this week, and then he'll play in the pre-draft camp in Orlando.
Augustine is one of those hustle guys, like Florida's David Lee last season, who could surprise people in the camp and perhaps sneak into the first round. There aren't a lot of top-quality big guys in this draft, and given Augustine's intangibles, he should be a guy coaches like.
Chris Quinn, Notre Dame: He looks like he just finished the ninth grade, but on the court Quinn has proven his looks are deceptive.
Quinn had a fantastic senior season at Notre Dame and made first-team Big East along with guys like Rudy Gay, Randy Foye and Allan Ray. That's not bad company.
Quinn is a dead-eye shooter from long range and a great ball handler, and he knows how to find a nice balance between running a team and finding his own shot.
Quinn's strong follow-up performance at the Portsmouth Invitational earned him another shot at the pre-draft camp in Orlando.
He's measuring a 6-2 in shoes, and he's a better athlete than generally thought.
While Quinn's shot was not falling with any regularity on Monday, that's the least of scouts' worries. He proved at Notre Dame he's a big-time shooter.
So what's the problem? To handle big minutes in the NBA, Quinn is going to have to get much stronger physically.
He's going to need a strong performance in Orlando to move into the second round. However, given the dearth of point guards in the draft, he's got a shot.
