Insider Nov 21, Continued & peep show
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Draft Cards
Two games do not a college season make, especially when you're playing games against Yale and Nevada, but scouts are still smiling at Emeka Okafor's numbers. His 17 ppg, 13.5 rpg and all at or exceeding career highs.
Meanwhile, teammate Ben Gordon has more than picked it up from his end. His 25 ppg, 4 rpg and 4.5 apg on 53 percent shooting aren't surprising anyone. While some scouts believe Gordon would be better off toning down the scoring and upping the assists, one scout tried to put Gordon's scoring abilities into perspective.
"Just because he's a point guard and he scores doesn't mean he can't play the point in the NBA," he said. "Everyone wants their point guards to be able to score. If they can't, they become Jamaal Tinsley or Jacque Vaughn. The question is whether the player can adjust and run an offense and find his open teammates if the coach asks him to. I think that with Gordon, the answer is yes. I think he's going to be really good."
How good? Almost every scout Insider has talked to the last few weeks has Gordon penciled into the lottery if he decides to bolt for the NBA with Okafor this summer.
Is Utes freshman Andrew Bogut for real? He got a lot of hype this summer after taking home MVP honors at the Junior World Championships in Greece. And if his first game vs. Minnesota is any indication, he'll be playing in the NBA next season. Bogut's 19 points and 18 boards against the Gophers and a 15-point, 16-rebound effort against Georgia State had scouts drooling.
Some scouts have wondered whether Bogut really will make the jump to the pros this summer given that he turned down millions from several European clubs to play at Utah. Bogut, however, seemed to clear up any misconception about where his future lies on Wednesday.
"I don't know how long I will stay there," Bogut told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I could stay for one year, I could stay for four years. It's entirely up to me. ... If I have an excellent year, I might throw my name in the NBA Draft and see how the media gives attention to my name. I can pull out three days before the draft and still be at college, or I could declare fully, stay in, and get drafted. And I could always go to Europe.
"But the NBA, that's the main goal for my career, and that's why I'm going to college in America, because you're there, right there, under the noses of the scouts."
Speaking of freshman, Minnesota's Kris Humphries is off to a hot start, too. The former McDonald's All-American is averaging 23 ppg and 12.5 rpg in his first two for the Gophers.
Humphries, a 6-foot-8 forward from Minnesota, flirted with declaring for the NBA Draft last spring before ultimately deciding to play for the Gophers.
Agent Marc Cornstein, who represented three international first rounders this summer -- Darko Milicic, Alexsandar Pavlovic and Zoran Planinic -- looks like he's got at least three more first round prospects for the 2004 draft.
Cornstein's top clients this year look like Macedonia's Predrag Samardziski (Partizan), Bosnia's Damir Omerhodzic (Cibona) and Serbian point guard Ivan Koljevic.
Samardziski is considered by many international scouts to be the top European prospect in the draft. He's a 7-footer with the full range of skills. He can handle, shoot the three and go into the paint and score in the post. He also has a nice frame that can handle more weight and muscle. Samardziski is just 17 years old right now and is still on Partizan's junior team, but those who've seen him play say he's the real deal.
Omerhodzic is playing in Croatia for Cibona. The 6-10 small forward is another young, versatile player who can do some of everything. He is a swing forward, who pops jumpers, is a good athlete and knows how to put it on the floor. In other words, he's the prototypical European forward. Of course, that also means that he doesn't play great defense and needs to get more physical. Scouts also claim he has a bit of a wild streak in him. Like Samardziski, he isn't getting much playing time right now. But scouts were impressed with his performance in the junior World Championships.
Koljevic dominated at the Global Games in Dallas this year. Unlike the other two, he gets major playing time for Buducnost, another Euroleague team. So far this season Koljevic is averaging 18.8 ppg on 66 percent shooting from the field. He's also shooting 41 percent from 3-point range and handing out 2.3 assists. He's doing all of this in just under 23 minutes per game. Koljevic is an explosive scorer and an excellent athlete. The only knock on him is his size. He's just 6-foot-2 and has yet to show the court vision scouts think he'll have to have to be a point guard in the league.
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Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, November 21
Updated: November 21
9:41 AM ET
OdomMiami Heat: Just to make sure his new superstar doesn't get lost out there on the court, Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy wants to keep Lamar Odom busy by keeping the ball in his hands. "I don't know if it's something he wanted, but I know it's something he is handling very well and accepting very well and seems to not be shying away from it all," Van Gundy said in the Miami Herald. "In fact, I think it's made him more aggressive. You have to play through him, it seems to me. When he's sort of out there on his own if you're not running stuff for him, or at least through him, you can lose him in a game, and we don't want to do that. So we're trying to get the ball in his hands as much as we can."
Dallas Mavericks: And now starting at center for the Dallas Mavericks . . . Antoine Walker. "The question is: Can we defensively do better with our guys than they can with a mismatch? And I think we can," Mavs owner Mark Cuban said in the Dallas Morning News. "Having Antoine Walker being guarded by a 'big' like that, a center, we exploit it every time." Even opposing coaches are agreeing. "He gives them some size," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's not just that he's out there on the floor. He's inside, he's going to the offensive board, he's taking it to the hole, he's posting up. It's another dimension they didn't have. I thought he did a real good job."
LueOrlando Magic: This isn't exactly what the Doc ordered, which is why Tyronn Lue sees Johnny Davis as a healthy change. "JD is going to let us play freer, and I really think that will help guys relax," Lue said in Florida Today. "He's letting me call a few more of the plays when things break down. Johnny told me, 'You are our point guard and I want you running the offense. When stuff happens, call a play and get us in the right set.' "
Indiana Pacers: Kenny Anderson has made a lot of money at this NBA thing. But he wants something more now. "My contracts have been lovely," he said in the Indianapolis Star. "I just want to play for a ring now. I couldn't make a million dollars anywhere else. There are times you just have to look in the mirror and understand what's going on. There's no market for a big contract for me now. This is a good place for me to be. If it was up to me, I'd like to finish it out here, period." The veteran point guard is playing for his seventh team in 13 years.
Seattle SuperSonics: Like it or not, Antonio Daniels is out as the starting point guard in Seattle and rookie Luke Ridnour is in. "I have to make a decision," head coach Nate McMillan said in the Tacoma Tribune. "Not everybody is going to be happy." The change is being made despite the fact that Daniels is playing better but the team would rather identify personnel for the future and needs to give the rookie substantial minutes to evaluate him.
Utah Jazz: The Jazz may not be more talented than other teams, but coach Jerry Sloan wants to make sure they're at least tougher with a few rebuking words. "I hope it's not that we're afraid," Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune. "That's always a concern -- Are you tough enough to play at this level?" But a few of the veterans knew what he was already doing. "That's coach trying to motivate us," center Greg Ostertag said. "I don't think we were really that soft, but that's Jerry. That's the way he coaches. He expects you to go out there and be . . . more physical than the other team every night. And [Wednesday], he thought we weren't being as physical as we needed to be."
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Draft Cards
Two games do not a college season make, especially when you're playing games against Yale and Nevada, but scouts are still smiling at Emeka Okafor's numbers. His 17 ppg, 13.5 rpg and all at or exceeding career highs.
Meanwhile, teammate Ben Gordon has more than picked it up from his end. His 25 ppg, 4 rpg and 4.5 apg on 53 percent shooting aren't surprising anyone. While some scouts believe Gordon would be better off toning down the scoring and upping the assists, one scout tried to put Gordon's scoring abilities into perspective.
"Just because he's a point guard and he scores doesn't mean he can't play the point in the NBA," he said. "Everyone wants their point guards to be able to score. If they can't, they become Jamaal Tinsley or Jacque Vaughn. The question is whether the player can adjust and run an offense and find his open teammates if the coach asks him to. I think that with Gordon, the answer is yes. I think he's going to be really good."
How good? Almost every scout Insider has talked to the last few weeks has Gordon penciled into the lottery if he decides to bolt for the NBA with Okafor this summer.
Is Utes freshman Andrew Bogut for real? He got a lot of hype this summer after taking home MVP honors at the Junior World Championships in Greece. And if his first game vs. Minnesota is any indication, he'll be playing in the NBA next season. Bogut's 19 points and 18 boards against the Gophers and a 15-point, 16-rebound effort against Georgia State had scouts drooling.
Some scouts have wondered whether Bogut really will make the jump to the pros this summer given that he turned down millions from several European clubs to play at Utah. Bogut, however, seemed to clear up any misconception about where his future lies on Wednesday.
"I don't know how long I will stay there," Bogut told the Salt Lake Tribune. "I could stay for one year, I could stay for four years. It's entirely up to me. ... If I have an excellent year, I might throw my name in the NBA Draft and see how the media gives attention to my name. I can pull out three days before the draft and still be at college, or I could declare fully, stay in, and get drafted. And I could always go to Europe.
"But the NBA, that's the main goal for my career, and that's why I'm going to college in America, because you're there, right there, under the noses of the scouts."
Speaking of freshman, Minnesota's Kris Humphries is off to a hot start, too. The former McDonald's All-American is averaging 23 ppg and 12.5 rpg in his first two for the Gophers.
Humphries, a 6-foot-8 forward from Minnesota, flirted with declaring for the NBA Draft last spring before ultimately deciding to play for the Gophers.
Agent Marc Cornstein, who represented three international first rounders this summer -- Darko Milicic, Alexsandar Pavlovic and Zoran Planinic -- looks like he's got at least three more first round prospects for the 2004 draft.
Cornstein's top clients this year look like Macedonia's Predrag Samardziski (Partizan), Bosnia's Damir Omerhodzic (Cibona) and Serbian point guard Ivan Koljevic.
Samardziski is considered by many international scouts to be the top European prospect in the draft. He's a 7-footer with the full range of skills. He can handle, shoot the three and go into the paint and score in the post. He also has a nice frame that can handle more weight and muscle. Samardziski is just 17 years old right now and is still on Partizan's junior team, but those who've seen him play say he's the real deal.
Omerhodzic is playing in Croatia for Cibona. The 6-10 small forward is another young, versatile player who can do some of everything. He is a swing forward, who pops jumpers, is a good athlete and knows how to put it on the floor. In other words, he's the prototypical European forward. Of course, that also means that he doesn't play great defense and needs to get more physical. Scouts also claim he has a bit of a wild streak in him. Like Samardziski, he isn't getting much playing time right now. But scouts were impressed with his performance in the junior World Championships.
Koljevic dominated at the Global Games in Dallas this year. Unlike the other two, he gets major playing time for Buducnost, another Euroleague team. So far this season Koljevic is averaging 18.8 ppg on 66 percent shooting from the field. He's also shooting 41 percent from 3-point range and handing out 2.3 assists. He's doing all of this in just under 23 minutes per game. Koljevic is an explosive scorer and an excellent athlete. The only knock on him is his size. He's just 6-foot-2 and has yet to show the court vision scouts think he'll have to have to be a point guard in the league.
----------------------------------
Peep Show
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, November 21
Updated: November 21
9:41 AM ET
OdomMiami Heat: Just to make sure his new superstar doesn't get lost out there on the court, Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy wants to keep Lamar Odom busy by keeping the ball in his hands. "I don't know if it's something he wanted, but I know it's something he is handling very well and accepting very well and seems to not be shying away from it all," Van Gundy said in the Miami Herald. "In fact, I think it's made him more aggressive. You have to play through him, it seems to me. When he's sort of out there on his own if you're not running stuff for him, or at least through him, you can lose him in a game, and we don't want to do that. So we're trying to get the ball in his hands as much as we can."
Dallas Mavericks: And now starting at center for the Dallas Mavericks . . . Antoine Walker. "The question is: Can we defensively do better with our guys than they can with a mismatch? And I think we can," Mavs owner Mark Cuban said in the Dallas Morning News. "Having Antoine Walker being guarded by a 'big' like that, a center, we exploit it every time." Even opposing coaches are agreeing. "He gives them some size," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "It's not just that he's out there on the floor. He's inside, he's going to the offensive board, he's taking it to the hole, he's posting up. It's another dimension they didn't have. I thought he did a real good job."
LueOrlando Magic: This isn't exactly what the Doc ordered, which is why Tyronn Lue sees Johnny Davis as a healthy change. "JD is going to let us play freer, and I really think that will help guys relax," Lue said in Florida Today. "He's letting me call a few more of the plays when things break down. Johnny told me, 'You are our point guard and I want you running the offense. When stuff happens, call a play and get us in the right set.' "
Indiana Pacers: Kenny Anderson has made a lot of money at this NBA thing. But he wants something more now. "My contracts have been lovely," he said in the Indianapolis Star. "I just want to play for a ring now. I couldn't make a million dollars anywhere else. There are times you just have to look in the mirror and understand what's going on. There's no market for a big contract for me now. This is a good place for me to be. If it was up to me, I'd like to finish it out here, period." The veteran point guard is playing for his seventh team in 13 years.
Seattle SuperSonics: Like it or not, Antonio Daniels is out as the starting point guard in Seattle and rookie Luke Ridnour is in. "I have to make a decision," head coach Nate McMillan said in the Tacoma Tribune. "Not everybody is going to be happy." The change is being made despite the fact that Daniels is playing better but the team would rather identify personnel for the future and needs to give the rookie substantial minutes to evaluate him.
Utah Jazz: The Jazz may not be more talented than other teams, but coach Jerry Sloan wants to make sure they're at least tougher with a few rebuking words. "I hope it's not that we're afraid," Sloan told the Salt Lake Tribune. "That's always a concern -- Are you tough enough to play at this level?" But a few of the veterans knew what he was already doing. "That's coach trying to motivate us," center Greg Ostertag said. "I don't think we were really that soft, but that's Jerry. That's the way he coaches. He expects you to go out there and be . . . more physical than the other team every night. And [Wednesday], he thought we weren't being as physical as we needed to be."
