Talking the talk: as players jockey for position in Chicago and elsewhere, the predraft buzz is getting louder for some players and softer for others

Sporting News, The, June 24, 2005 by Sean Deveney

An old-fashioned kind of guy

Every year, people around the NBA decry the lack of top players showing up at the predraft camp in Chicago. Agents know that players who have established themselves in workouts or with past playing experience can only hurt their stock. "It's an uncontrolled environment," one prominent agent says. "It comes with a lot of risk."

But Florida power forward David Lee played--and played well--in Chicago, showing versatility and athleticism.

"I felt like I had nothing to hide," Lee says, "and I am willing to try to get into the first round the old-fashioned way--by playing my way in."

Conversations with scouts and general managers reveal that Lee, a fringe first-round pick, helped himself. "The fact that he had the (guts) to get out there and play, that says a lot," one G.M. says.

Trade talk I

By all accounts, the Hawks are targeting North Carolina's Marvin Williams with the No. 2 overall pick. But Atlanta already has small forwards Josh Smith and Josh Childress and last year traded for an undersized power forward, Al Harrington. That takes care of the two positions Williams can play. But the Hawks think enough of Williams to consider trading Smith, Childress or, most likely, Harrington.

Trade talk II

Portland (No. 3), New Orleans (4) and Utah (6) reportedly are interested in trading down because the perception is there is better depth than elite talent in this draft. Conversely, the Bobcats (5 and 13) would like to move up for a shot at Marvin Williams or Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul.

Stock's up

Antoine Wright, SF, Texas A&M. Sharp shooting likely has earned him a top 10 spot.

Hakim Warrick, PF, Syracuse. He and New Mexico's Danny Granger had a solid workout against each other.

Luther Head, SG, Illinois. Red-hot shooting in Chicago gave him a needed boost.

Wayne Simien, PF, Kansas. Put the injuries aside, and he's a top 20 pick.

John Gilchrist, PG, Maryland. He showed skill as a passer and scorer in Chicago.

Stock's down

Martynas Andriuskevicius, C, Lithuania. He's incredibly thin and should pull out.

Keith Langford, SG, Kansas. He struggled with his shot in Chicago.

Louis Williams, SG, South Gwinnett (Ga.) H.S. He had a rough showing in a workout against N.C. State's Julius Hodge in Detroit.

Chris Taft, PF, Pittsburgh. His workouts haven't been great, but he still is a top 20 pick.

International intrigue

Marko Lekic, PF, Serbia-Montenegro. He had a brilliant workout in New York and is capturing the attention of several teams lower in the first round, especially the Jazz (No. 27) and the Knicks (30). A 6-11 power forward who can shoot, Lekic, 20, is playing for a small club (Atlas) that hasn't been able to help him develop quickly.

Ersan Ilyasova, F, Turkey. Ilyasova, 18, impressed scouts with his size (6-9), reach and versatility. He had a productive workout in Chicago but remains a risk because of an injured ankle.

Rudy Fernandez, G, Spain. Rumor is he has risen to the top 20 in the draft. He's very athletic, and he can be a dynamic scorer. There are concerns about his work ethic, however.

The workout that wasn't

Illinois point guard Deron Williams, apparently at the prodding of his agent, backed out of a head-to-head workout with North Carolina's Raymond Felton last week in New Orleans. That probably was a smart thing. "Felton would kill (Williams) in a one-on-one workout setting;' one scout says. "He's got so much quickness on him. I wouldn't have allowed that, either."

Instead, Williams worked out after Felton, who says, "I am not afraid to work out against anyone."

Bogus Bogut bashing

Rick Majerus, who coached Andrew Bogut at Utah for 20 games of the 2003-04 season before resigning because of health concerns, lobbied the Bucks not to use the No. 1 overall pick on Bogut, claiming he has an eye problem. That was met with a shrug by Bogut.

"If every person who wears a contact lens in the United States has a degenerative eye disorder, I think you'd have a lot of sick people," he says. "I'm not going to go blind in two years, mate."

Sleepers

Travis Diener, PG, Marquette. In Chicago, he handled the ball well, shot with confidence and was a defensive pest. He will be a second-round pick and have a good chance to make a roster.

Mike Bell, F, Florida Atlantic. Big and athletic, he has shown steady improvement since the Portsmouth draft camp. He is 6-9 and can shoot but still is working on his inside game.

Omar Thomas, SG, UTER He followed a 7-for-13 shooting performance with a 7-for-11 game. He's a bit one-dimensional, but when that one dimension is scoring, it's worth a look.