Camp generating little buzz
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
CHICAGO -- By day three of the Chicago pre-draft camp, the eyes were beginning to glaze over, the crowds were thinning and the biggest topic of discussion as the night wore on was where everyone is going to eat dinner.
<LI>
Gibson's and Morton's steakhouses are more popular in Chicago than anyone who is playing at the Chicago pre-draft camp these days.
How bad has it gotten? On Thursday morning, six NBA teams took their entire staffs and skipped the morning games to go watch private workouts.
Why is it so bad this year? After two days of games, no one has emerged as a likely first-round pick from the camp. No one. Every year there's at least one or two players who get enough buzz to move up. This year there's nothing.
So when we use the term who's hot and who's not -- take it with a grain of salt. Lukewarm is more like it.
Who's hot
Robinson
Nate Robinson, SG, Washington
He's the buzz guy in camp, in part, because he's different. He's the littlest guy on the floor, but plays with more passion, athleticism and skill than anyone else here. He scored just seven points on Thursday and he was still the guy everyone wanted to talk about at the end of the day. I still think there's no way he goes in the first round, but the second round is becoming a real possibility for him.
Andre Emmett, SG, Texas Tech
He didn't shoot the ball as well on Thursday, but he got to the line 10 times and made all 10 free throws. He's one of he few pure scorers in the camp, which is makes him stand out. The rest of the players in camp look like they'd be more at home on the Pistons.
Beno Udrih, PG, Slovenia
Udrih might be the one guy who could push his stock all the way into the late first round. He dished out seven assists on Thursday and has impressed teams with his poise and size at the position. NBA teams love foreigners and big point guards.
Drago Pasalic, PF, Croatia
Pasalic had the best game of the day on Thursday, scoring 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting and grabbing 13 rebounds. Several veteran American NBA scouts came up to me after the game looking for a scouting report on Pasalic. He's a big-time shooter at his size and really knows how to score, but the rebounding and inside play are an abberation, I think. He doesn't like contact or to mix it up in the paint in Europe. What do you think he'll do when he gets to the NBA?
Ricky Minard, SG, Morehead State
Scouts like him a little bit. He can handle the ball and he knows how to score. On Thursday, he had 20 points and four assists. That's enough to make him an all-star here.
Who's not
Gomes
Ryan Gomes, PF, Providence
Go back to school. Gomes did a nice job transitioning to small forward this year at Providence, but he did it within a pretty structured system. In Chicago, in a more free-flowing environment, he looks lost. His 1-for-5 shooting isn't going to get him that first-round guarantee he's looking for.
Trevor Ariza, SF, UCLA
Several scouts predicted that he'd be a lottery pick if he stayed in school a few more years. But it's painfully obvious that he just isn't ready right now. After a solid first day, the wheels came off on Thursday. His 1-for-8 performance killed any momentum he might have gained.
Lawrence Roberts, PF, Mississippi State
Ten points and six rebounds on 2-for-6 shooting are the calling cards of a guy who needs to go back to school.
Martin Iti, C, Charlotte
Another guy who needs to go to school and stay there another two or three years.
Delonte West, SG, St. Joseph's
First he measures 6-foot-1. Then he sprains his ankle. Any promise West showed on the court is being diluted by everything else. He knows he needs to be a point guard to be relavant in the draft. He hasn't shown here that he can play the point at a high level. He should go back to St. Joseph's, play the point next year, and prove it to NBA teams. Tim Pickett, SG, Florida State
Pickett's experiment playing the point has been a disaster. He needs to be coming off screens and hitting 3s, not trying to run a basketball team. His stock has probably dipped here.
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
CHICAGO -- By day three of the Chicago pre-draft camp, the eyes were beginning to glaze over, the crowds were thinning and the biggest topic of discussion as the night wore on was where everyone is going to eat dinner.
<LI>
Gibson's and Morton's steakhouses are more popular in Chicago than anyone who is playing at the Chicago pre-draft camp these days.
How bad has it gotten? On Thursday morning, six NBA teams took their entire staffs and skipped the morning games to go watch private workouts.
Why is it so bad this year? After two days of games, no one has emerged as a likely first-round pick from the camp. No one. Every year there's at least one or two players who get enough buzz to move up. This year there's nothing.
So when we use the term who's hot and who's not -- take it with a grain of salt. Lukewarm is more like it.
Who's hot
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Robinson
He's the buzz guy in camp, in part, because he's different. He's the littlest guy on the floor, but plays with more passion, athleticism and skill than anyone else here. He scored just seven points on Thursday and he was still the guy everyone wanted to talk about at the end of the day. I still think there's no way he goes in the first round, but the second round is becoming a real possibility for him.
Andre Emmett, SG, Texas Tech
He didn't shoot the ball as well on Thursday, but he got to the line 10 times and made all 10 free throws. He's one of he few pure scorers in the camp, which is makes him stand out. The rest of the players in camp look like they'd be more at home on the Pistons.
Beno Udrih, PG, Slovenia
Udrih might be the one guy who could push his stock all the way into the late first round. He dished out seven assists on Thursday and has impressed teams with his poise and size at the position. NBA teams love foreigners and big point guards.
Drago Pasalic, PF, Croatia
Pasalic had the best game of the day on Thursday, scoring 21 points on 10-for-15 shooting and grabbing 13 rebounds. Several veteran American NBA scouts came up to me after the game looking for a scouting report on Pasalic. He's a big-time shooter at his size and really knows how to score, but the rebounding and inside play are an abberation, I think. He doesn't like contact or to mix it up in the paint in Europe. What do you think he'll do when he gets to the NBA?
Ricky Minard, SG, Morehead State
Scouts like him a little bit. He can handle the ball and he knows how to score. On Thursday, he had 20 points and four assists. That's enough to make him an all-star here.
Who's not
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Gomes
Go back to school. Gomes did a nice job transitioning to small forward this year at Providence, but he did it within a pretty structured system. In Chicago, in a more free-flowing environment, he looks lost. His 1-for-5 shooting isn't going to get him that first-round guarantee he's looking for.
Trevor Ariza, SF, UCLA
Several scouts predicted that he'd be a lottery pick if he stayed in school a few more years. But it's painfully obvious that he just isn't ready right now. After a solid first day, the wheels came off on Thursday. His 1-for-8 performance killed any momentum he might have gained.
Lawrence Roberts, PF, Mississippi State
Ten points and six rebounds on 2-for-6 shooting are the calling cards of a guy who needs to go back to school.
Martin Iti, C, Charlotte
Another guy who needs to go to school and stay there another two or three years.
Delonte West, SG, St. Joseph's
First he measures 6-foot-1. Then he sprains his ankle. Any promise West showed on the court is being diluted by everything else. He knows he needs to be a point guard to be relavant in the draft. He hasn't shown here that he can play the point at a high level. He should go back to St. Joseph's, play the point next year, and prove it to NBA teams. Tim Pickett, SG, Florida State
Pickett's experiment playing the point has been a disaster. He needs to be coming off screens and hitting 3s, not trying to run a basketball team. His stock has probably dipped here.
