Those of you who have been talking about the possibility of drafting Badiane will not like this article. No way this is a smokescreen. - Joe
Walton Shines, Badiane Shows Potential
By Dustin Krugel, Suns.com
Posted: June 18, 2003
Two draft prospects whose stock is reportedly on the rise left two different impressions on the Suns during a private workout Wednesday morning.
Fresh off an impressive showing at the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp (June 3-6), University of Arizona forward Luke Walton continued to impress in a tryout in front of the Suns’ brass. Walton, who was projected to be a mid-second round pick, at best, only one month ago, could move up into the first round of next Thursday’s draft.
“I said coming back from Chicago, I think he has perhaps played his way into the late first round,” Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. “If not, there are several teams that are looking at him as a second round pick, and he has a good shot at making a team.”
Malick Badiane, a native of Senegal, also supposedly shot up most draft boards after an individual workout in front of several NBA teams in Chicago, according to a recent ESPN.com article. However, some Suns’ insiders questioned whether the skinny 6-11 power forward is making the right decision to enter the draft at the age of 19.
“At 19 years old, he’s not ready to play yet,” admitted Suns’ Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Dick Van Arsdale. “Tremendous reach and some athleticism for a big guy, but he’s a guy who, in my opinion, is not ready to make a transition to the NBA yet. But he has a lot of potential.”
While some draft experts still question what position Walton will ultimately play in the pros, having played mostly inside for the Wildcats, Van Arsdale believes Walton’s intangibles will help him out in the long run.
“Luke is intriguing because he’s such a smart player,” Van Arsdale said of Walton, who is the son of Hall of Famer Bill Walton. “Great footwork. He knows how to play the game. He plays it the way it’s supposed to be played. He doesn’t have great athleticism so he compensates by knowing how to use his body when he plays.”
Although the 23-year-old doesn’t have his father’s size, Van Arsdale said Luke has a little old school in him.
“I’ve never been good comparing players, (but) I would call him a throwback,” Van Arsdale said when asked to make a comparison. “He’s from an older time, back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and I mean that as a compliment. His dad wasn’t any good (laughs), but I mean that as a compliment because he knows how to play. I think fundamentally the players were better in the ‘60s and ‘70s.”
Oddly, Walton, an Honorable Mention All-America selection by the Associated Press following his junior and senior seasons, is considered one of the draft’s best passers despite playing in the frontcourt.
“I think that’s nothing but an asset for him, because you’re always looking for guys who can make the other players better and he does that,” Van Arsdale added.
The 6-8 forward ranks fourth in school history with 582 assists and is one of just three players in Pac-10 history to total 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, joining former NBA players Ron Lee (Oregon) and Pooh Richardson (UCLA). Lee was a Suns’ first round selection in 1976 and played three seasons (1976-79) in the Valley of the Sun.
While Walton had the luxury of being a fifth-year senior at the U of A and was exposed to basketball at a very young age because of his famous father, Badiane didn’t start playing until five years ago at the age of 14.
In his first season playing in Germany’s second division for Langen in 2002-03, Badiane was among the leading rebounders (8.9) despite playing only 23.4 minutes per game. The African also averaged 11.7 points a game, and although the league does not publish a total of blocked shots for the season, a review of most box scores suggests he averaged about two per game.
“He’s an interesting player and I think that someone in the draft is going to take a shot with him, because he is extremely long,” Colangelo noted. “He can block some shots and he’s an interesting player that way. He’s going to be a factor defensively because of his length.”
Van Arsdale scoffed at an ESPN.com report that quoted an unnamed NBA scout that said, “I hate comparisons, but how different is (Badiane) from (2002-03 NBA Rookie of the Year) Amaré Stoudemire in terms of strength and desire? I don’t think there’s a that big a gap.”
“To me that shows what ESPN knows about evaluating players,” Van Arsdale responded. “There’s one guy last year that said Amaré’s a role player, so I don’t put much credence in that stuff. There isn’t any comparison to Amaré in my opinion. (Badiane) is a lot taller, but that’s really a stretch to compare those two guys, even in the long run.”
The Suns also worked out Polish forward Szymon Szewczyk and Penn State forward Koko Archibong on Wednesday, and have scheduled two more workouts (Thursday and Saturday) before the June 26 draft. Phoenix owns the 17th overall selection in the first round.
Walton Shines, Badiane Shows Potential
By Dustin Krugel, Suns.com
Posted: June 18, 2003
Two draft prospects whose stock is reportedly on the rise left two different impressions on the Suns during a private workout Wednesday morning.
Fresh off an impressive showing at the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp (June 3-6), University of Arizona forward Luke Walton continued to impress in a tryout in front of the Suns’ brass. Walton, who was projected to be a mid-second round pick, at best, only one month ago, could move up into the first round of next Thursday’s draft.
“I said coming back from Chicago, I think he has perhaps played his way into the late first round,” Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. “If not, there are several teams that are looking at him as a second round pick, and he has a good shot at making a team.”
Malick Badiane, a native of Senegal, also supposedly shot up most draft boards after an individual workout in front of several NBA teams in Chicago, according to a recent ESPN.com article. However, some Suns’ insiders questioned whether the skinny 6-11 power forward is making the right decision to enter the draft at the age of 19.
“At 19 years old, he’s not ready to play yet,” admitted Suns’ Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Dick Van Arsdale. “Tremendous reach and some athleticism for a big guy, but he’s a guy who, in my opinion, is not ready to make a transition to the NBA yet. But he has a lot of potential.”
While some draft experts still question what position Walton will ultimately play in the pros, having played mostly inside for the Wildcats, Van Arsdale believes Walton’s intangibles will help him out in the long run.
“Luke is intriguing because he’s such a smart player,” Van Arsdale said of Walton, who is the son of Hall of Famer Bill Walton. “Great footwork. He knows how to play the game. He plays it the way it’s supposed to be played. He doesn’t have great athleticism so he compensates by knowing how to use his body when he plays.”
Although the 23-year-old doesn’t have his father’s size, Van Arsdale said Luke has a little old school in him.
“I’ve never been good comparing players, (but) I would call him a throwback,” Van Arsdale said when asked to make a comparison. “He’s from an older time, back in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and I mean that as a compliment. His dad wasn’t any good (laughs), but I mean that as a compliment because he knows how to play. I think fundamentally the players were better in the ‘60s and ‘70s.”
Oddly, Walton, an Honorable Mention All-America selection by the Associated Press following his junior and senior seasons, is considered one of the draft’s best passers despite playing in the frontcourt.
“I think that’s nothing but an asset for him, because you’re always looking for guys who can make the other players better and he does that,” Van Arsdale added.
The 6-8 forward ranks fourth in school history with 582 assists and is one of just three players in Pac-10 history to total 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, joining former NBA players Ron Lee (Oregon) and Pooh Richardson (UCLA). Lee was a Suns’ first round selection in 1976 and played three seasons (1976-79) in the Valley of the Sun.
While Walton had the luxury of being a fifth-year senior at the U of A and was exposed to basketball at a very young age because of his famous father, Badiane didn’t start playing until five years ago at the age of 14.
In his first season playing in Germany’s second division for Langen in 2002-03, Badiane was among the leading rebounders (8.9) despite playing only 23.4 minutes per game. The African also averaged 11.7 points a game, and although the league does not publish a total of blocked shots for the season, a review of most box scores suggests he averaged about two per game.
“He’s an interesting player and I think that someone in the draft is going to take a shot with him, because he is extremely long,” Colangelo noted. “He can block some shots and he’s an interesting player that way. He’s going to be a factor defensively because of his length.”
Van Arsdale scoffed at an ESPN.com report that quoted an unnamed NBA scout that said, “I hate comparisons, but how different is (Badiane) from (2002-03 NBA Rookie of the Year) Amaré Stoudemire in terms of strength and desire? I don’t think there’s a that big a gap.”
“To me that shows what ESPN knows about evaluating players,” Van Arsdale responded. “There’s one guy last year that said Amaré’s a role player, so I don’t put much credence in that stuff. There isn’t any comparison to Amaré in my opinion. (Badiane) is a lot taller, but that’s really a stretch to compare those two guys, even in the long run.”
The Suns also worked out Polish forward Szymon Szewczyk and Penn State forward Koko Archibong on Wednesday, and have scheduled two more workouts (Thursday and Saturday) before the June 26 draft. Phoenix owns the 17th overall selection in the first round.
