Updated: June 8, 2006, 1:34 PM ET
Who's hot, who's not in Orlando
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
ORLANDO -- Day 1 of the Orlando pre-draft camp games came and went without any one player really standing out.
The consensus of more than a dozen NBA GMs Insider spoke with on Wednesday was that no one did anything to propel himself into consideration for the first round of the June 28 NBA draft.
It doesn't mean that there weren't some solid performances. Here's a look, based on feedback from NBA executives and scouts, on who's hot and who's not in Orlando.
HOT
Darius Washington, G, Memphis: Washington played well in the marquee matchup of the day against UCLA's Jordan Farmar.
NBA teams already know he's quick and he can score. What they wanted to see here was Washington controlling the tempo, limiting his turnovers and playing solid defense. He delivered. Washington played well on both ends of the floor, ending with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting, three rebounds, one assist, two steals and one turnover. His assist total wasn't great but he'd have had a few more if his teammates had converted some clever passes.
However, while his performance was good, it wasn't good enough to get him much first-round love. Of the six NBA GMs I spoke with about Washington, none had him as a first-rounder, even after watching him take it to Farmar.
James Augustine, F, Illinois: The guy is anything but flashy, but he hustles on both ends of the floor and does the little things that matter in the NBA.
His final box score wasn't gaudy -- 11 points and 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. But it was the only double double in the first day … and something we've come to expect from Augustine over the years. Augustine once again showed that he's reluctant to use the offensive weapons he has, which is troubling. Still, given the dearth of athletic big men in the draft, Augustine is one of the few campers here with a chance to rise.
Nik Caner-Medley, F, Maryland: Medley was the only guy in the camp to score 20 points in a game. He shot 8-for-12 from the field and added five rebounds to the cause. He turned the ball over a little too much, but his aggressiveness stood out in the camp.
Caner-Medley has dropped down to 225 for the camp and looks much quicker and more athletic than he did at Maryland. Combine that with his shooting and he really could help himself here. He needs to, too. Caner-Medley told me a week ago that he was still waiting for his first individual workout. My guess is that his agent's phone finally will start ringing.
Kenny Adeleke, F, Hartford: Adeleke isn't the most skilled big guy here, but he might play harder than anyone else. His energy was infectious in the scrimmages on Tuesday night and carried over to his first game. Adeleke ended with nine points and 14 rebounds. If he measures out at a legit 6-9, he could be a sleeper in a Ben Wallace-type of way.
Gerry McNamara, PG, Syracuse: McNamara is healthy again and showed why he was considered one of the best point guards in college basketball. He wasn't amazing when running the team, but he shot the lights out, going 4-for-6 from 3-point land and ending with 16 points. I'm not sure he convinced NBA executives that he's anything more than a niche player in the NBA, but everyone remarked how great he looked.
NOT
Paul Millsap, F, Lousiana Tech: The NCAA's leading rebounder the last three years came into camp looking overweight and out of shape. He struggled offensively, shooting just 1-for-6 from the field, and he looked overwhelmed by the very physical play of Wake Forest's Eric Williams and Frans Steyn. He did manage to grab six rebounds in the game, but for someone with his reputation on the boards, the whole experience was a disappointment.
Will Blalock, PG, Iowa State: Many NBA executives thought Blalock was one of the players here in Orlando who had a shot of working his way into the first round. He's off to a rocky start. Blalock struggled against Arizona's Mustafa Shakur and ended the game with just one assist and six turnovers. His defense was much better than his offense, but getting outplayed by Shakur, who's ranked considerably below him, had to hurt.
Chris Quinn, PG, Notre Dame: If Quinn is going to make a living in the NBA, it's going to be as a jump shooter. He's a smallish point guard with average athleticism, but the kid can shoot. Unfortunately, nothing was dropping for him on Wednesday. Quinn ended the game shooting 0-for-8 from the field.
THE REST
UNLV's Louis Amundson is getting lots of love from NBA executives and scouts. His box score wasn't amazing today (six points, eight rebounds), but his energy and athleticism set him apart whenever he's on the floor.
Iowa State's Curtis Stinson dished out six assists for his team -- the same as Blalock, McNamara and Taquan Dean (the other three point guards on his team) combined.
Arizona's Shakur got praise for his excellent defense on Blalock and his ability to create his own shot off the dribble. He ended the game with 13 points and five assists. But, man, is his jump shot ugly.
Villanova's Allan Ray had a solid game, scoring 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting. But his zero rebounds and three turnovers make you question again whether he's anything more than a 6-2 scoring guard who has to come off the bench.
Marquette's Steve Novak might be the best shooter in the building. He was shooting lights out in drills and scored 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting in the game.
UConn's Denham Brown picked up where he left off, scoring an efficient 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Oklahoma's Taj Gray played with a lot of energy on both ends of the floor. He ended with a modest 10 points and two rebounds, but his effort looked better than the box score showed.
Ditto for Australia's Brad Newley. He ended the game with three points and two assists, but he was the most active player on the floor for his team. He was able to drive by his defenders, Coby Karl and Morris Almond, at will and then create for his teammates when the defense collapsed. His shot wasn't falling today, but he was one of the most interesting players on the floor.
The warrior award goes to San Diego State's Marcus Slaughter, who played through a clearly painful ankle injury and still managed to score 11 points, grab six boards and collect four steals in 19 minutes of play.
Who's hot, who's not in Orlando
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
ORLANDO -- Day 1 of the Orlando pre-draft camp games came and went without any one player really standing out.
The consensus of more than a dozen NBA GMs Insider spoke with on Wednesday was that no one did anything to propel himself into consideration for the first round of the June 28 NBA draft.
It doesn't mean that there weren't some solid performances. Here's a look, based on feedback from NBA executives and scouts, on who's hot and who's not in Orlando.
HOT
Darius Washington, G, Memphis: Washington played well in the marquee matchup of the day against UCLA's Jordan Farmar.
NBA teams already know he's quick and he can score. What they wanted to see here was Washington controlling the tempo, limiting his turnovers and playing solid defense. He delivered. Washington played well on both ends of the floor, ending with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting, three rebounds, one assist, two steals and one turnover. His assist total wasn't great but he'd have had a few more if his teammates had converted some clever passes.
However, while his performance was good, it wasn't good enough to get him much first-round love. Of the six NBA GMs I spoke with about Washington, none had him as a first-rounder, even after watching him take it to Farmar.
James Augustine, F, Illinois: The guy is anything but flashy, but he hustles on both ends of the floor and does the little things that matter in the NBA.
His final box score wasn't gaudy -- 11 points and 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. But it was the only double double in the first day … and something we've come to expect from Augustine over the years. Augustine once again showed that he's reluctant to use the offensive weapons he has, which is troubling. Still, given the dearth of athletic big men in the draft, Augustine is one of the few campers here with a chance to rise.
Nik Caner-Medley, F, Maryland: Medley was the only guy in the camp to score 20 points in a game. He shot 8-for-12 from the field and added five rebounds to the cause. He turned the ball over a little too much, but his aggressiveness stood out in the camp.
Caner-Medley has dropped down to 225 for the camp and looks much quicker and more athletic than he did at Maryland. Combine that with his shooting and he really could help himself here. He needs to, too. Caner-Medley told me a week ago that he was still waiting for his first individual workout. My guess is that his agent's phone finally will start ringing.
Kenny Adeleke, F, Hartford: Adeleke isn't the most skilled big guy here, but he might play harder than anyone else. His energy was infectious in the scrimmages on Tuesday night and carried over to his first game. Adeleke ended with nine points and 14 rebounds. If he measures out at a legit 6-9, he could be a sleeper in a Ben Wallace-type of way.
Gerry McNamara, PG, Syracuse: McNamara is healthy again and showed why he was considered one of the best point guards in college basketball. He wasn't amazing when running the team, but he shot the lights out, going 4-for-6 from 3-point land and ending with 16 points. I'm not sure he convinced NBA executives that he's anything more than a niche player in the NBA, but everyone remarked how great he looked.
NOT
Paul Millsap, F, Lousiana Tech: The NCAA's leading rebounder the last three years came into camp looking overweight and out of shape. He struggled offensively, shooting just 1-for-6 from the field, and he looked overwhelmed by the very physical play of Wake Forest's Eric Williams and Frans Steyn. He did manage to grab six rebounds in the game, but for someone with his reputation on the boards, the whole experience was a disappointment.
Will Blalock, PG, Iowa State: Many NBA executives thought Blalock was one of the players here in Orlando who had a shot of working his way into the first round. He's off to a rocky start. Blalock struggled against Arizona's Mustafa Shakur and ended the game with just one assist and six turnovers. His defense was much better than his offense, but getting outplayed by Shakur, who's ranked considerably below him, had to hurt.
Chris Quinn, PG, Notre Dame: If Quinn is going to make a living in the NBA, it's going to be as a jump shooter. He's a smallish point guard with average athleticism, but the kid can shoot. Unfortunately, nothing was dropping for him on Wednesday. Quinn ended the game shooting 0-for-8 from the field.
THE REST
UNLV's Louis Amundson is getting lots of love from NBA executives and scouts. His box score wasn't amazing today (six points, eight rebounds), but his energy and athleticism set him apart whenever he's on the floor.
Iowa State's Curtis Stinson dished out six assists for his team -- the same as Blalock, McNamara and Taquan Dean (the other three point guards on his team) combined.
Arizona's Shakur got praise for his excellent defense on Blalock and his ability to create his own shot off the dribble. He ended the game with 13 points and five assists. But, man, is his jump shot ugly.
Villanova's Allan Ray had a solid game, scoring 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting. But his zero rebounds and three turnovers make you question again whether he's anything more than a 6-2 scoring guard who has to come off the bench.
Marquette's Steve Novak might be the best shooter in the building. He was shooting lights out in drills and scored 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting in the game.
UConn's Denham Brown picked up where he left off, scoring an efficient 12 points on 6-for-10 shooting.
Oklahoma's Taj Gray played with a lot of energy on both ends of the floor. He ended with a modest 10 points and two rebounds, but his effort looked better than the box score showed.
Ditto for Australia's Brad Newley. He ended the game with three points and two assists, but he was the most active player on the floor for his team. He was able to drive by his defenders, Coby Karl and Morris Almond, at will and then create for his teammates when the defense collapsed. His shot wasn't falling today, but he was one of the most interesting players on the floor.
The warrior award goes to San Diego State's Marcus Slaughter, who played through a clearly painful ankle injury and still managed to score 11 points, grab six boards and collect four steals in 19 minutes of play.
