George O'Brien
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Regional scouting
Scouts watching the East Rutherford Regional concentrated on five players: Jameer Nelson and Delonte West of St. Joe's; Chris Paul of Wake Forest; Tony Allen of Oklahoma State and Pitt's Chris Taft. What they're saying about the five:
Some scouts have Nelson going as high as the sixth overall pick this June, while others still don't think he's any better than a mid-first rounder. "He's not big enough, not explosive enough, and not a consistent enough jump-shooter, so he might be just a solid backup, long-term," said one Eastern Conference scout.
Paul is staying at Wake for at least another season, but it's been awhile since a freshman point guard has earned such rave reviews. Already, the pros rate him high because of his scoring ability and his feel for the game. "He's like Stephon Marbury, but he's different in that he definitely wants to get his teammates involved," said one scout. "And, he's a winner."
Allen's size (6-4) is a bit of a turnoff because he's projected as a shooting guard. But he's regarded as a sleeper who could wind up going late in the late first round. "Desmond Mason (also from Oklahoma State) was bigger, but this kid shoots the ball a little better," a scout said. "He's got a good chance to make a team because he's a big-time athlete. He needs only one step and all of a sudden he's throwing down a dunk."
Scouts agree that Taft needs a lot of work, but the Big East Rookie of the Year opened eyes as a potential power forward after only one season. "He's very active, with plenty of upside," one scout noted. "He gave (Emeka) Okafor fits. That tells you something right there. This was a good learning experience. Next year, he'll be even better."
As Nelson did last spring, West is expected to apply for the draft as an early entrant and attend the pre-draft Chicago camp, but only to see where he might be taken. He'll likely return to St. Joe's for another season. "He reminds me of Cuttino Mobley," said one scout. "He's not big for a 'two,' he's a lefty and he's very quick. He has much better range than Nelson and there are times where he makes better decisions than Nelson, too."
Atlanta prep star Dwight Howard solidified his standing as a top-two pick in this June's draft during an all-star game this past week in Chicago, which was packed with NBA GMs. Howard, a 6-11 forward, is expected to go after Emeka Okafor, unless the Hawks get the No. 1 overall pick. The one other player who helped his case for making the jump right into the pros was Shaun Livingston, a slender 6-6 point guard from Peoria who will go to Duke if he doesn't enter the draft. Josh Smith, the acrobatic 6-8 forward from Oak Hill Academy, had his stock fall. Penciled in among the top five draftees and compared to Vince Carter in athleticism, Smith didn't show a lot in the way of skills. "He's closer to Stacey Augmon than Vince Carter," observed one scout.
Scouts watching the East Rutherford Regional concentrated on five players: Jameer Nelson and Delonte West of St. Joe's; Chris Paul of Wake Forest; Tony Allen of Oklahoma State and Pitt's Chris Taft. What they're saying about the five:
Some scouts have Nelson going as high as the sixth overall pick this June, while others still don't think he's any better than a mid-first rounder. "He's not big enough, not explosive enough, and not a consistent enough jump-shooter, so he might be just a solid backup, long-term," said one Eastern Conference scout.
Paul is staying at Wake for at least another season, but it's been awhile since a freshman point guard has earned such rave reviews. Already, the pros rate him high because of his scoring ability and his feel for the game. "He's like Stephon Marbury, but he's different in that he definitely wants to get his teammates involved," said one scout. "And, he's a winner."
Allen's size (6-4) is a bit of a turnoff because he's projected as a shooting guard. But he's regarded as a sleeper who could wind up going late in the late first round. "Desmond Mason (also from Oklahoma State) was bigger, but this kid shoots the ball a little better," a scout said. "He's got a good chance to make a team because he's a big-time athlete. He needs only one step and all of a sudden he's throwing down a dunk."
Scouts agree that Taft needs a lot of work, but the Big East Rookie of the Year opened eyes as a potential power forward after only one season. "He's very active, with plenty of upside," one scout noted. "He gave (Emeka) Okafor fits. That tells you something right there. This was a good learning experience. Next year, he'll be even better."
As Nelson did last spring, West is expected to apply for the draft as an early entrant and attend the pre-draft Chicago camp, but only to see where he might be taken. He'll likely return to St. Joe's for another season. "He reminds me of Cuttino Mobley," said one scout. "He's not big for a 'two,' he's a lefty and he's very quick. He has much better range than Nelson and there are times where he makes better decisions than Nelson, too."
Atlanta prep star Dwight Howard solidified his standing as a top-two pick in this June's draft during an all-star game this past week in Chicago, which was packed with NBA GMs. Howard, a 6-11 forward, is expected to go after Emeka Okafor, unless the Hawks get the No. 1 overall pick. The one other player who helped his case for making the jump right into the pros was Shaun Livingston, a slender 6-6 point guard from Peoria who will go to Duke if he doesn't enter the draft. Josh Smith, the acrobatic 6-8 forward from Oak Hill Academy, had his stock fall. Penciled in among the top five draftees and compared to Vince Carter in athleticism, Smith didn't show a lot in the way of skills. "He's closer to Stacey Augmon than Vince Carter," observed one scout.
