"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[MarkGrace]

Are the Jazz looking to deal draft picks?
By Tim Buckley

Published: Saturday, June 19, 2010 2:23 p.m. MDT

SALT LAKE CITY — If what University of South Florida combo guard Dominique Jones says is true, the Jazz could be trying to trade for a second first-round draft choice.

Jones doesn't expect to be taken as early as No. 9, when Utah makes its first pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. But he doesn't expect to be around when they make their second selection, either, at No. 55 overall in the draft's second round.

Why, then, did Jones join nine others — including Fresno State swingman Paul George and Alabama-Birmingham swingman Elijah Millsap — in working out this morning for the Jazz?

"I heard a rumor they might be getting around a 20-some pick," Jones said.
So are the Jazz really looking to deal?

"We, as a staff, try to be prepared for everything," Jazz player personnel vice president Walt Perrin said when asked about Jones' comment.

"If come draft day somebody says 'We'll give you another pick' or you can buy another pick or you can trade for another pick, move down or whatever," Perrin added, "we have to be prepared for that."

Perrin neither confirmed nor denied that Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor is aggressively pursuing acquisition of a pick in the 20s.

"Is he talking to everybody? Yes. I mean, that's what everybody in the league (does). They talk to every other GM, and toss out scenarios," Perrin said. "As I've always said, you know, the winner in this time of year is Ma Bell, because everybody's on the phone and everybody's talking.

"Most of the stuff," he added, "never gets done. But it's talked about."

Two teams, Minnesota and Memphis, currently own three first-round picks. Minnesota's third is in the 20s, No. 23. Two of Memphis' are in the 20s, Nos. 25 and 28.

New Jersey has two picks, including No. 27. Oklahoma City also has two, Nos. 21 and 26.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...l?s_cid=rss-43

[MarkGrace]

Every time I put up a new mock draft (Mock Draft 5.0 came out Wednesday), I get a lot of feedback from readers who wonder how I put it together and how it differs from the Top 100 rankings.

This is how it works: Both pieces are reported pieces. In other words, I talk with NBA scouts and executives to get a sense of:

(A) Which teams like which players (mock draft).

(B) What the consensus is among all 30 NBA teams about who the best players in the draft are (Top 100).

I use the word "consensus" lightly. Often, even GMs and scouts employed by the same team can't agree on rankings of players.

"I fight with my scouts constantly," one prominent GM told me. "Everyone has their own ideas, their own preferences, their own methodology. There really is no consensus, and, I hate to say it, I'm not sure there's even any real right or wrong."

Obviously, both pieces are imperfect because the draft is an inexact science. NBA teams do more than watch prospects play games. They work out players, give them psychological tests, do background checks and conduct personal interviews. All of these things influence the process and can change opinions.

Factor in the ranking wars with another age-old debate -- do you draft for need or for the best player available -- and it's no surprise the draft can be so volatile. Many teams take into account holes at certain positions (i.e., the team has no small forward) or coaching/system preferences (i.e., the Jazz draft players who can fit into coach Jerry Sloan's system) when making their decisions.

To make sense of disparate rankings and debates over team needs, the past few years I've chronicled a draft ranking system employed by several teams that have been very successful in the draft, what I call a tier system. Instead of developing an exact order from 1 to 60 of the best players in the draft, these teams group players, based on overall talent, into tiers. Then, the teams rank the players in each tier based on need.

This system allows teams to draft not only the best player available, but also the player who best fits a team's individual needs.

So what do the tiers look like this year? After talking to several GMs and scouts whose teams employ this system, I put together the following groupings. (Because the teams do not want to divulge their draft rankings publicly, the teams will remain anonymous.)

Players are listed alphabetically in each tier.

Tier 1

John Wall

Note: Wall is the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft, but unlike last year with Blake Griffin, he's not miles ahead of Evan Turner or Derrick Favors. Still, when all 30 GMs agree you are No. 1, you get your own category.

Tier 2

DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, Wesley Johnson, Evan Turner

Note: Turner is the consensus No. 2 pick in the draft. All but two teams listed him as the No. 2 player on their boards, regardless of need. However, one team listed Favors and another went with Cousins at No. 2, while Johnson got a handful of votes at No. 3. The thing they all have in common is that every team I've spoken with believes these players could be NBA All-Stars down the road.

Tier 3

Al-Farouq Aminu, Ed Davis, Greg Monroe

Note: This is a pretty small third tier and says something about how NBA GMs see this draft. They believe the three players above have All-Star potential, but all have significant weaknesses that could keep them from living up to it. All three players were consensus top-eight picks. Aminu and Monroe made every list. Teams were a little shakier on Davis, but in all but one case, he made the cut.

Tier 4

Cole Aldrich, Luke Babbitt, Eric Bledsoe, Avery Bradley, Gordon Hayward, Xavier Henry, Paul George, Daniel Orton, Patrick Patterson, Ekpe Udoh

Note: This is a huge tier and shows the parity in the draft. Theoretically, teams are saying you can get the same quality of player at No. 9 that you will get at No. 19. This is where the real depth of the draft is. Of this group, Udoh, Hayward and Henry each got a vote for Tier 3, and all three were unanimous selections from the other teams in Tier 4. Orton and Bledsoe were borderline between here and Tier 5.

Tier 5

Solomon Alabi, James Anderson, Craig Brackins, Jordan Crawford, Devin Ebanks, Keith Gallon, Darington Hobson, Damion James, Armon Johnson, Dominique Jones, Gani Lawal, Dexter Pittman, Tibor Pleiss, Quincy Pondexter, Stanley Robinson, Larry Sanders, Kevin Seraphin, Lance Stephenson, Jarvis Varnado, Hassan Whiteside, Elliot Williams

Note: This is what I would call the first-round bubble group and where the consensus really started to break down. A few teams had Alabi, James and Whiteside in Tier 4, but not quite enough for them to make the cut. Whiteside was an interesting case because he got one Tier 2 and one Tier 3 vote as well. In other words, teams are all over the place on him. Johnson, Lawal, Pittman, Pleiss and Varnado were borderline picks here. Every one of these players dropped out of the top 30 on at least one team's draft board.

So how does the tier system work?

A team ranks players in each tier according to need. So, in Tier 4, if a team needs a swingman, a guy like Hayward or Henry is ranked No. 1. If power forward is the biggest need, Udoh or Patterson is ranked No. 1.

The rules are pretty simple. You always draft the highest-ranked player in a given tier. Also, you never take a player from a lower tier if one from a higher tier is available. So, for example, if the Hornets are drafting No. 11 (Tier 4 territory) and Aminu (a Tier 3 player) is on the board, they take him regardless of position. If they have Aldrich ranked No. 1 in Tier 4, they still take Aminu, even though center is a more pressing need.

This system protects teams from overreaching based on team need. The Hornets won't pass on a clearly superior player like Aminu to fill a need with Aldrich. However, the system also protects a team from passing on a player who fits a need just because he might be ranked one or two spots lower overall.

Let me give you one of my all-time favorite historical examples from one of the the worst-drafting teams in the past decade, the Atlanta Hawks. Former Hawks GM Billy Knight said every year that he would take the best player on the board, regardless of team need. Then he took Marvin Williams ahead of Chris Paul and Deron Williams in 2005, and Shelden Williams ahead of guards such as Brandon Roy and Rajon Rondo in 2006.

A source formerly with Atlanta's front office told me that the Hawks had Marvin Williams ranked No. 1, Andrew Bogut ranked No. 2, Deron Williams ranked No. 3 and Paul ranked No. 4 in 2005. So on draft night, Knight took Marvin Williams with the No. 2 pick after the Bucks selected Bogut No. 1 overall.

In a tier system, however, the source conceded that all four players, in his mind at least, would have been Tier 1 players -- in other words, the Hawks thought all four had equal long-term impact potential. If the Hawks had employed a tier system, they would have ranked inside the tier based on team need and fit, rather than just ranking the prospects from 1 to 30.

In that case, the Hawks likely would have ranked either Bogut (they needed a center) or Deron Williams (they still need a point guard) No. 1. Marvin Williams actually would have been ranked No. 4 under that scenario, given their depth at forward.

Like every draft system, the tier system isn't perfect. But the teams that run it have found success. It has allowed them to get help through the draft without reaching for players. Compared to traditional top-30 lists or mock drafts, it seems like a much more precise tool of gauging which players a team should draft.

[ame="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog?name=nba_draft&id=5301543"]NBA Draft 2010: John Wall is in a draft tier all his own - ESPN[/ame]

[Jacob]

Interesting on how Ford comes up with his top 100.
So his latest has Paul George at #9 on his big board, Henry at 10, and Aldrich all the way down to 14.

How far could Aldrich fall? He's a no-brainer pick anywhere in the teens.

[Jacob]

Mike Miller says he wants to play for a winner...be in the playoffs. I wouldn't mind seeing him on the Jazz with a 3 year Korver money deal (5-6m per). I don't see him getting more than that anywhere. He's 30, so he's still right in his prime. He'd be a major upgrade over Korver.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Mike Miller says he wants to play for a winner...be in the playoffs. I wouldn't mind seeing him on the Jazz with a 3 year Korver money deal (5-6m per). I don't see him getting more than that anywhere. He's 30, so he's still right in his prime. He'd be a major upgrade over Korver.

Jazz won't have that money to give him if they end up keeping Wes around. He's going to take a nice chunk of their mid-level.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Some workout videos from the Kings:

Greg Monroe

[YOUTUBE]<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xAz2zw_5tto&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xAz2zw_5tto&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

My guess is these guys would want to really wow the teams with their athleticism, right? So they'd try to at least look somewhat impressive running and jumping? Please tell me this was at the tail end of a 2-hour workout and Monroe was spent, because he looked as stiff as Jarron Collins "sprinting" from the halfcourt line to the hoop.

Ekpe Udoh, Ryan Richards, Hassan Whiteside, Cole Aldrich

[YOUTUBE]<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mh4cMkKiAus&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mh4cMkKiAus&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

Smooth release on Whiteside's shot. His block %, age, length, and then seeing that release really makes him intriguing. There isn't a shot that Aldrich throws up that I believe is going to go in. Please no to Daniel Orton. And I wish Udoh was 2 years younger.

[Surfah]

Some workout videos from the Kings:

Greg Monroe

[YOUTUBE]<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xAz2zw_5tto&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xAz2zw_5tto&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

My guess is these guys would want to really wow the teams with their athleticism, right? So they'd try to at least look somewhat impressive running and jumping? Please tell me this was at the tail end of a 2-hour workout and Monroe was spent, because he looked as stiff as Jarron Collins "sprinting" from the halfcourt line to the hoop.

Ekpe Udoh, Ryan Richards, Hassan Whiteside, Cole Aldrich

[YOUTUBE]<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mh4cMkKiAus&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mh4cMkKiAus&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

Smooth release on Whiteside's shot. His block %, age, length, and then seeing that release really makes him intriguing. There isn't a shot that Aldrich throws up that I believe is going to go in. Please no to Daniel Orton. And I wish Udoh was 2 years younger.

Aldrich has an ugly, slow release. Agreed on Whiteside's stroke. Was that Petrie with a popped collar? LOL.

[Jacob]

Jazz won't have that money to give him if they end up keeping Wes around. He's going to take a nice chunk of their mid-level.

I don't know what they have available. But the bi-annual exception is over $2m, and I don't think Wes will cost more than 3m.

And you are right that Monroe did not look very athletic/coordinated.

[Donuthole]

Aldrich's J is a lot like Boozer's, only without the funky leg action. Ugly J aside, he looks so much more fluid than Monroe, it's unbelievable. I've been on the "Monroe is a stiff" bandwagon for a few months now, but all the while his stock has continued to soar. From what little film i've seen of him, he seems like the classic big dude who can't dunk in traffic, and will end up settling for a lot of layups and baby hooks.

A stark contrast to Udoh, who has far fewer moves around the basket, but will dunk anything even remotely close.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Aldrich's J is a lot like Boozer's, only without the funky leg action. Ugly J aside, he looks so much more fluid than Monroe, it's unbelievable. I've been on the "Monroe is a stiff" bandwagon for a few months now, but all the while his stock has continued to soar. From what little film i've seen of him, he seems like the classic big dude who can't dunk in traffic, and will end up settling for a lot of layups and baby hooks.

A stark contrast to Udoh, who has far fewer moves around the basket, but will dunk anything even remotely close.

He looked like he was in slow motion in parts of that video. Surely that was at the end and he was gassed, right? Because even though we all know he's not going to impress with his athleticism, he hasn't ever looked that bad to me.

[Surfah]

He looked like he was in slow motion in parts of that video. Surely that was at the end and he was gassed, right? Because even though we all know he's not going to impress with his athleticism, he hasn't ever looked that bad to me.

Gassed or not, he should have been throwing it down every time instead of some layups. He was showing off a credit card vertical there. Ouch.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Interesting bit in Ford'a latest rumor section, a mock draft through 20 picks from an NBA GM.

I don't know the ins and outs of posting the article properly on here...so I guess I'll wait for MG to take care of it. It has Davis going to Utah, Udoh to Indiana.

[MarkGrace]

With the 17th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls...

Will probably try not to use the 17th pick in the draft. That’s my sense for now, because if they don’t have the 17th pick, that means they probably traded it—and a player or two—for additional salary cap space to make a run at two top free agents.

This draft coming Thursday is going to be unusual, since, at least the Bulls at No. 17 and Miami at No. 18, are the most likely among others to try to move picks to keep from having to add that guaranteed first round salary and try to use the pick to get a team to also take one of their players to make themselves more attractive to free agents.

http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_100621.html

Maybe the Jazz land another pick.

[MarkGrace]

The draft is now just three days away and things are beginning to get a little bit clearer. I spent the weekend on the phone talking with various NBA executives and agents trying to get a handle on what's happening in the draft.

Here's the latest:

The Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings made the first big trade of the offseason last Thursday, swapping Samuel Dalembert for Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes. While the deal made sense for both teams (the Kings needed a shot blocker and the Sixers needed to get under the luxury tax), will there be larger ramifications in the draft?

Sources in both Philly and Sacramento said the trade won't affect their draft plans despite the fact that both teams seemed to fill needs and create new holes in the trade.

The Sixers have been strongly leaning toward taking Evan Turner with the No. 2 pick. However, the addition of Nocioni and the loss of Dalembert leaves them loaded at the wing and pretty bare on the front line. On the surface, it appears that Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins would be better fits.

For the Kings, the team had been looking at both Cousins and Greg Monroe. With the addition of Dalembert as a starting center and the loss of Nocioni, it now appears that their biggest need is at the 3, unless the Kings believe Omri Casspi or Donte Greene is ready to step in and be the starter on a winning team.

However, it looks like both teams are still locked in on their original targets.

More trade talk

The Sixers-Kings deal should be the first of many as we get closer to the draft. The Washington Wizards, Sixers, New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves are all sending strong signals that they're keeping their picks. After that, it starts to get a little messier.

I've heard that the Kings, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets have all been talking about moving picks. The Kings, Pacers, Hornets and Bucks would like to trade down, while the Pistons, Grizzlies, Raptors, Rockets, Spurs, Thunder, Blazers and Nuggets would like to move up. And if the Pacers and Hornets can't move down, they, along with the Bulls, might look to get out of the draft completely.

That's a lot to digest and here's why. All of these teams are talking to each other. Some teams are looking at three or four different scenarios with the teams above. You can expect that teams will begin narrowing choices Monday to get things done in enough time before the draft.

From what I can gather, the Pacers, Hornets, Raptors, Spurs and Thunder are the most active right now.

Hot button issues

We're starting to see players fall into a bit of a pecking order right now as teams try to decide who they like best at particular positions.

Here are the four hottest debates in NBA front offices at the moment:

Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins

Favors and Cousins have now met in Sacramento and Philly, and they'll be in New Jersey together Monday. In Sacramento the two worked out on the court together but didn't actually play against each other. That changed when they went to Philly, as Favors' agent gave them the green light to bang.

Things are moving back to the Sacramento model for the N.J. workout. Apparently Favors' agent complained that the workout in Philly consisted of Cousins fouling Favors on every play, so we're back to two big guys in a gym shooting jump shots.

The stakes couldn't be higher for Favors at the moment. The general consensus in Sacramento and Philly was that Cousins was much better. That makes some sense. Cousins has 47 pounds on Favors and is much more polished on the offensive end. You would expect it to be that way.

But Favors seems to be suffering from more than that. Wolves GM David Kahn ripped Favors for his lack of conditioning and doubted that he was ready for the NBA. While that certainly could have been a David Kahn smokescreen (I haven't heard feedback he was out of shape in the other two workouts), it all contributes to the narrative that Favors is getting his butt kicked by Cousins at the moment.

Ed Davis or Ekpe Udoh

Davis came into the season with all the momentum, but a so-so year combined with injuries and an underperforming Tar Heels squad hurt his stock a bit. Meanwhile, Udoh resurrected his draft stock by vastly improving at Baylor.

The two haven't gone head-to-head because Davis is still recovering from a wrist injury, but a number of teams including the Pistons, Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz are all trying to get a feel for who they'd prefer if both were on the board.

Right now, Udoh seems to have the buzz. He is more polished, is a better offensive player and has the ability to contribute right away. Davis is a better defender, is more explosive athletically and is bigger. He impressed the Jazz and Pacers in recent workouts with his improved shooting ability, but everyone knows he's a project.

The question really comes down to this: Udoh is 23, and Davis is 21, so in two years, would Davis be as good or better than Udoh is now? If the answer is yes, then the Davis is the best pick. But sometimes it's easier to take the guy you know can get some stuff done right now.

From what I can gather, I don't think Davis will slip past the Jazz at No. 9. Udoh probably won't get past the Pacers at No. 10 if they keep their pick.

Luke Babbitt, Gordon Hayward, Xavier Henry or Paul George

These four wings have all impressed in workouts, and depending on whom you talk to, you'll get a different answer on who is the best prospect. I think the range for all of them starts at No. 8 to the Clippers. The Jazz, Pacers, Hornets, Grizzlies, Bucks and Timberwolves also look to be in the mix.

Each player offers a different skill set. Babbitt may be the best scorer of the bunch and is the most NBA-ready. Henry is the best pure shooter of the group. Hayward has all the intangibles. George has the most upside (both in terms of athleticism and skills).

Each player also has a serious flaw. Babbitt lacks the lateral quickness to guard the quicker 3s in the league. Henry appears to be a bit one-dimensional. Hayward lacks strength and needs to get his shooting back on track. George lacks a great motor.

In what order will they go? It's way too early to say. If I were to handicap it right now, the Clippers are slightly leaning toward Hayward. The Jazz prefer Babbitt, while the Pacers and Grizzlies like George and the Hornets and Bucks favor Hayward.

For teams looking for a point guard, the debate is really between Bradley and Bledsoe. Both players are freshmen and didn't have huge years. Bradley is a superior scorer and has good size for the position. Bledsoe is more of a true point guard and sees the floor better.

Both are considered raw and unproven, but they have tremendous athletic ability and upside. Both have been working out against each other in virtually every city before Bradley injured his ankle in Oklahoma City.

The real question for both players will come down to one spot in the lottery -- the Raptors at 13. While I've been hearing for weeks now that Bradley has the edge on Bledsoe, I had a trusted source tell me over the weekend that it may be Bledsoe who gets the nod in Toronto.

A true Insider mock draft

I'm working hard on our next Mock Draft (version 6.0) for Tuesday. But for those of you sick of hearing what I think every week, here's a pretty good alternative.

It probably doesn't surprise you to hear that most NBA teams do their own mock drafts in an effort to understand what players will be available when they are picking. They use their scouts to talk to other scouts in the league to get intel (along with reading ESPN Insider, of course) and then put a mock together.

I persuaded one of the best drafting GMs in the league to share his team's mock with me. He kindly gave me the first 20 picks. Enjoy!

1. Wizards: John Wall
2. Sixers: Evan Turner
3. Nets: Derrick Favors
4. Timberwolves: Wesley Johnson
5. Kings: DeMarcus Cousins
Note: Monroe had a terrific workout over the weekend. Sounds like Monroe and Cousins are neck and neck here.
6. Warriors: Greg Monroe
Note: Interestingly, after the positive workout, Monroe had a shaky one in Golden State on Sunday. You don't want to be outplayed by Omar Samhan when you're trying to talk a team into drafting you at No. 6. This may change.
7. Pistons: Al-Farouq Aminu
8. Clippers: Gordon Hayward
Note: If you're comparing to our Mock Draft 5.0, we have the first eight in the exact same order. From here, it changes significantly.
9. Jazz: Ed Davis
Note: I think you'll see Mock Draft 6.0 take up this suggestion. I've been hearing all week that Davis doesn't get past No. 9 if Monroe is off the board. Sorry, Luke Babbitt.
10. Pacers: Ekpe Udoh
Note: This also seems like a good bet. We've had Davis falling here for the past two weeks. But Udoh was the guy we had in Indy for our first two mock drafts.
11. Hornets: Cole Aldrich
12. Grizzlies: Luke Babbitt
13. Raptors: Eric Bledsoe
Note: That's the first major surprise I've heard so far. I've had them higher on Avery Bradley for months ... but maybe he knows something I don't.
14. Rockets: Patrick Patterson
15. Bucks: Xavier Henry
16. Timberwolves: Paul George
Note: I think this is probably too low for George. I put him here in my last mock draft but continue to hear he's strongly in the mix for the Clips, Indy and Memphis. Hard to see him sliding past all three.
17. Bulls: Damion James
18. Heat: Avery Bradley
19. Celtics: Solomon Alabi
20. Spurs: Daniel Orton
Note: The Spurs need a big man and they could rip out the heart of folks in OKC if they take Orton one pick ahead of the Thunder.

[ame="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/blog?name=nba_draft&id=5310599"]NBA Draft 2010: Pistons, Bulls, Rockets, Spurs among teams looking to trade - ESPN[/ame]

[falafel]

Some workout videos from the Kings:

Greg Monroe

[YOUTUBE]<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xAz2zw_5tto&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xAz2zw_5tto&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

My guess is these guys would want to really wow the teams with their athleticism, right? So they'd try to at least look somewhat impressive running and jumping? Please tell me this was at the tail end of a 2-hour workout and Monroe was spent, because he looked as stiff as Jarron Collins "sprinting" from the halfcourt line to the hoop.

Ekpe Udoh, Ryan Richards, Hassan Whiteside, Cole Aldrich

[YOUTUBE]<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mh4cMkKiAus&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Mh4cMkKiAus&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

Smooth release on Whiteside's shot. His block %, age, length, and then seeing that release really makes him intriguing. There isn't a shot that Aldrich throws up that I believe is going to go in. Please no to Daniel Orton. And I wish Udoh was 2 years younger.

Orton looked like he walked every time he touched the ball. And his moves in the key were right through the ghost defenders. He knows he's got to have moves to go around defenders, right?