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Bill Walker: A couple of injuries early on changed the dynamics of the workout early, including a very unfortunate setback to Bill Walker at seemingly the worst moment possible. Walker hurt his knee during the three man weave early on and was unable to make it past stretching, forcing him to pull out. An MRI conducted later (which is now circulating amongst teams) concluded that he has a partial tear in his meniscus, which will force him to sit for at least three weeks and not allow him to work out for any more NBA teams from now until the draft. There is reportedly no structural damage to the knee, but concerns could very well still linger considering that the 20-year old freshman already suffered two separate ACL tears in his short career, making teams possibly even more nervous about what the future may hold in store for him.
Walker declined to participate in the NBA pre-draft camp in late May and decided to pull out of two workouts with Houston and New Orleans last week. Up until now, he has only managed to visit the Toronto Raptors (where he looked extremely nervous and was tentative, but checked out just fine on his physical) and Detroit Pistons (where he was reportedly outstanding), meaning NBA teams will have much less information to go off on draft night than they would likely prefer.
Ironically, the injury was suffered just 48 hours prior to the deadline for underclassmen to withdraw their names from the draft. Walker, who has yet to hire an agent for this exact reason, will take the decision down to the absolute last minute, and as of right now could still return to school. He will likely be looking for assurances that he will be taken by the Detroit Pistons (where he fills a legitimate need and is likely the best SF on the board), because otherwise, he will almost certainly fall into the second round. (DraftExpress)
Richard Hendrix: Hendrix did everything he possibly could to help himself reportedly, blocking shots, rebounding well, scoring points both inside and outside, running the floor and playing strong defense. This is not the first strong report we’ve received from a workout he’s been in-- others have mentioned how much better he’s shooting free throws and mid-range jumpers, as well as the confidence he exudes and how impressive he is off the court as well. As we’ve discussed before, Hendrix’s numbers and overall profile compares favorably with Carlos Boozer’s at the same age, and even though we might not ever become an all-star like Boozer, he could develop into a Paul Millsap type steal if he falls into the second round. (DraftExpress)
Courtney Lee: The reports on Courtney Lee indicated that he looked “good enough to play in the NBA right now,” as he was “explosive, very polished, made good decisions, excellent defensively, jumped right over guys, and was terrific from mid-range.” Lee has reportedly been working out well almost everywhere he’s gone recently, and looks to be making a strong push to be drafted at 22 by the Orlando Magic, who had him in last week for a workout, and sent GM Otis Smith to Golden State to see him again. (DraftExpress)
Comments: Lee has been seen as a second round pick for the most part, so for him to possibly get drafted as high as 22 by Orlando is a credit to him and his game. This also means that Chris Douglas-Roberts is almost guaranteed to drop to the lower end of the first round since Orlando was one of the teams looking to draft him. The latest mock draft at NBADraft.net has Douglas-Roberts going to the Hornets at # 27. I think that would be a good place for him to go and be productive with Chris Paul running the point.
Brandon Rush: Brandon Rush also drew some extremely high praise, as his size, length and skill-level were mentioned as big pluses, as was the fact that he can play two positions and looks to be in terrific shape athletically. He played strong defense, shot the ball well from outside, and even showed some nice craftiness with a few hook shots inside. Most executives we spoke with have Rush going either at 15 (Phoenix) or 17 (Toronto) in their personal mock drafts, but there is a chance that a team like Seattle or Cleveland for example could jump up ahead of them and take him at 13th if they can strike a deal with Portland (whose pick is clearly on the block). (DraftExpress)
Comments: To me Rush is the perfect role type of player for a playoff team. He will never be an elite player in the league, but he would be great as a 3rd or 4th option starter on a championship caliber team. I could see him being in the mold of a Robert Horry, Rick Fox, James Posey, Shane Battier, or Bruce Bowen in terms of the impact he could make on a championship team. He is probably more talented than those guys on the offensive end of the floor though.
Chris Douglas-Roberts: Chris Douglas-Roberts was reportedly “just OK” in the workout, which is similar feedback to what we’ve heard consistently over the past few weeks from different cities he’s been to. As we’ve discussed in the past, he’s not proven to be a great workout player, which might be pushing his terrific season with Memphis a little further out of teams’ minds. (DraftExpress)
Gary Forbes: Gary Forbes reportedly looked very poor, being outplayed athletically by both Brandon Rush and Courtney Lee, as he was unable to get past them and could not just bully them around the way he did to lesser prospects a few weeks back in Orlando. (DraftExpress)
Darrell Arthur: A few teams we spoke with this weekend were wondering about the whereabouts of Darrell Arthur. The Kansas power forward reportedly canceled workouts with the Clippers (#7), Philadelphia (#16), Toronto (#17) and Indiana (#11) after working out for Seattle (#4, 24) and Sacramento (#12). Arthur has not hired an agent and is reportedly conducting all his business through his mother and AAU coach, although he will surely stay in the draft. One NBA team we spoke to had a hard time figuring out where he was and whether or not he’ll be showing up for their workout, as he did not bother to cancel or notify anyone of his plans. There were talks of a potential back and/or hamstring injury, leading some to question if anything funny is going on. He was reportedly 100% healthy when he worked out for Sacramento on Friday. Arthur’s camp could not be reached for comment. (DraftExpress)
Comments: Most mock drafts have had Darrell Arthur going to the Kings all along, so it would not surprise me if they gave him a guarantee they would pick him and that is the reason that all this "funny stuff" is going on.
O.J Mayo: O.J. Mayo will conduct another workout on Saturday for select NBA teams in Chicago. Those who are invited according to one report we received are only the four big market teams in the top 7—Chicago, Miami, New York and Los Angeles. Mayo continues to snub teams ranked three through five-- Minnesota, Seattle and Memphis, it appears. (DraftExpress)
Kevin Love: Speaking of Memphis, Kevin Love reportedly had a very strong workout there this past week. He looks like a solid candidate to be drafted fifth overall at this point. (DraftExpress)
Comments: If Russell Westbrook ends up going to Clippers at # 7, then it will be interesting to see where Eric Gordon gets drafted. I believe that whoever gets Gordon will be drafting a guy who will be a big time player down the line. I think his wrist caused him to struggle last year and now that he is healed, his shooting stroke will be back to normal.
Roy Hibbert: Hibbert on the other hand has gotten some strong reviews from teams who have seen him so far, as he appears to be in excellent shape and is reminding people why he was considered a lock for the lottery just a year ago, running the floor well (better than his peers), finishing with either hand around the basket, and shooting the ball better than expected from outside. Not surprisingly, the 21-year old Georgetown product has been extremely impressive off the court as well—which is an underrated element in this process. (DraftExpress)
Who's Reportedly In: Danilo Gallinari, Richard Hendrix, Bill Walker, Ryan Anderson, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Mario Chalmers, Chris Douglas-Roberts
Who's Reportedly Out: Robert Vaden, Ron Steele, Robert Dozier, AJ Abrams, Ty Lawson, Lester Hudson, Chase Budinger, Wayne Ellington, Jeremy Pargo
Comments: Suprising that Ty Lawson is rumored to be going back to school after there had been rumors that he had a guarantee from a team that he would get picked in the first round. You have to wonder if Lawson being pulled over for a DUI has anything to do with him pulling out of the draft.
You can see the complete in and out list here.
Here are some NBA Draft sleepers courtesy of Basketball Prospectus:
Jason Thompson (6'11" SR, PF, Rider)
Thompson is a likely mid- to late- first round pick, but he has lottery talent. Thompson posted an offensive rating of 110.9, 23rd in the nation among high-usage players. He shot 57.8 percent from the field on two-point shots. Most impressive, he blocked 8.6 percent of opponents' two-point attempts while he was on the floor, the 46th-best qualifying rate in the country. Thompson combines those numbers with some of the physical attributes that scouts love--great leaping ability, speed and explosiveness in the open floor. Thompson sprouted four inches while in college so he's a late bloomer. His jump shot is a work in progress (just 34 three-point attempts as a senior) but he does seem to have an affinity for playing a face-up game, a necessity because of his slender build. It's a wonder Thompson doesn't project higher in mock drafts. He's going to be a better pro than similarly-sized Donte Greene of Syracuse.
Ryan Anderson (6'10" SO, SF/PF, California)
Simply put, Anderson was one of the best offensive players in the country last season. His offensive rating of 121.1 ranked third in the NCAA among high-usage players. He's got good dimensions (6'10", 235), hit 41 percent of his 156 three-point attempts and was one of the 100 best rebounders in the college game, grabbing 11.6 percent of his own team's misses and 23.5 percent of the chances off the defensive glass. Anderson, who hasn't hired an agent and can still withdraw from the draft, posted these numbers as a sophomore in the tough Pac 10. He's the neo-Keith Van Horn.
Richard Hendrix (6'8" JR, PF, Alabama)
Hendrix may be this draft's poster child for productive players underrated because of tweener size. Hendrix made more than 60 percent of his two-point shots and his offensive rebound rate (12.9 percent of his own team's misses) was 59th in the country. He's a tireless worker, adept at getting to the foul line (52.5 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts) and--here's the kicker--had a block rate of 7.2 (82nd). That suggests that Hendrix plays bigger than his height, probably because of his long arms. He'll be a steal for somebody. He's not a star but could be this year's version of Millsap.
George Hill (6'2" JR, PG, IUPUI)
Undersized combo guards can be giant killers at NCAA tournament time, but three months later, on draft day, they are a dime a dozen. Hill's standout trait is his ability to efficiently create offense. He used 28.8 of his team's possessions and shot 58 percent on two-pointers and 45 percent from beyond the arc. In other words, Hill can flat stroke it. Beyond that, however, Hill had one of the 100 best-foul drawing rates (60.6) in the country last season--he can take it to the hoop as well. Add it all up, and Hill had the highest offensive rating (125.4) in the nation among high-usage players. His playmaking abilities are in question, though he did rank in the top 250 in assist rate (24.2 percent of teammates' field goals), as is the caliber of competition he faced at IUPUI, but Hill turned heads in Orlando last week and will likely end up as a second-round pick.
Courtney Lee (6'5" SR, SG, Western Kentucky)
Lee is a long-range gunner with no conscience on offense, taking 34.2 percent of his team's shots while on the floor last season, the 13th-highest rate in the NCAA. The rest of his game and physical attributes are pedestrian, but his shooting ability could get him a pro opportunity. Lee has a deadly midrange jumper (51.5 percent on two-pointers) and shoots a solid percentage from beyond the arc (39.7). Overall, he posted the ninth-best offensive rating in the country (116.9) last season for high-usage players. Lee is not great off the dribble, as evidenced by a low figure of 33.1 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts. In fact, with a low assist rate (15.6) thrown in, his versatility on offense is in question. What may put him over the top in the draft is his defense. Both his steal (3.5 percent of opponents' possessions) and block rates (3.0 percent of opponents' shots, outstanding for a guard) were solid. The combination of those two metrics often suggests a top-notch defender. Working against Lee will be his performance in his final college game, when he went 7-of-29 against the NBA-caliber defense of UCLA.
Will Daniels (6'8" SR, SF, Rhode Island)
Daniels improved in each of his four seasons at Rhode Island, morphing from a low-percentage player with questionable shot selection to a very efficient scorer as a senior. As a freshman, he shot 40.5 percent from the field; he upped that to 50.1 percent during his final season. His scoring averaged progressed from 6.4 to 11.0, 17.4 and 18.6 during his time with the Rams and he managed that with the only increase in court time coming between his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Daniels is something of a longshot, but he's got ideal size for a small forward and has a very nice midrange shooting touch, hitting 55.5 percent of his two-point attempts. If he can play defense, he can stick.
Gary Forbes (6'7" SR, SG, Massachusetts)
Forbes is a lunchpail swingman type who can get his own shot (29.1 usage rate) and has solid passing skills, with an assist rate of 17.8 that is nice for a player of his type. He's also a decent rebounder for his size, leading UMass by grabbing 17.3 of opponents' misses last season. Forbes could sneak his way into the league if he can guard NBA wing players. Of major concern are the low shooting percentages Forbes posted throughout his four seasons at UMass. As a senior, he shot a 45.7 eFG%, not a good sign. He's more productive than efficient, averaging 19.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3 assists per game but posting an offensive rating of just 99.8. Forbes doesn't really have that one skill that jumps out at you.
Finally, here is the latest NBA Mock Draft.
More: NBA Draft
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