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djsunyc
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Brown lights up Chicago
posted: Thursday, May 18, 2006 | Feedback
Michigan State guard Shannon Brown worked out for roughly 15 NBA teams in Chicago Thursday and lit up the gym according to NBA sources inside the gym.
One NBA GM and two NBA scouts told Insider that Brown was "phenomenal."
"His athleticism is off the charts," one scout told Insider. "He has that rare combination of athleticism and power that's usually only reserved for power forwards like Amare Stoudemire. He was amazing."
The NBA people Insider spoke with said Brown, who worked out along with Arizona's Mustafa Shakur, Illinois' James Augustine and Wyoming's Justin Williams also shot the ball extremely well.
One scout said he was impressed with another physical feature of Brown's. When he shook hands with Brown after the workout, he was stunned with how big his hands were.
"They were like catcher's mitts," the scout said. "I'm not sure I've ever seen bigger hands on a guard his size. That will help him tremendously in the league."
Scouts also said Brown impressed with his energy on both ends of the floor.
"Every drill he ran had a zip to it," the GM said. "As a team evaluating a player for the draft, that's exactly the type of effort you want to see from a kid. He laid it all out there. There's no question about what type of worker he is."
Everyone agreed that the workout should significantly help Brown's draft stock, with one scout and GM saying that the late lottery is not out of the question. The other scout said he'd rank him in the middle of the first round.
Brown is still keeping his options open for returning to school by not hiring an agent, but word from Chicago is that Brown may officially enter soon based on the positive feedback he's hearing from teams.
Brown wasn't the only one who was impressive. Scouts like what they saw from Augustine. He's long, athletic and showed a nice midrange jumper in the workout. While they all complained that he didn't spend enough time in the post against Williams, all of them walked away with a positive impression and said he'd definitely get a team workout from them.
There were three other workouts that went down in Chicago with less-heralded prospects.
In the first, scouts had some positive words for Maryland's Nik Caner-Medley.
"He's a little more athletic than I thought," one scout said. "It looks like he's trimmed down a bit, which has helped with his quickness. I think he's definitely a guy who could make a roster."
In the third session, UConn's Denham Brown, Bradley's Marcellus Sommerville, Louisville's Taquan Dean and Iowa State's Will Blalock went at it.
Scouts said that surprisingly, it was Sommerville who stood out the most. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward was a power forward in college and is making the transition to the small forward in the pros. Scouts loved his body and defense in the workout.
Scouts also thought that Denham Brown had good size and showed his ability to score, and Blalock was explosive.
In the final workout, UConn's Josh Boone and Robert Morris' Reggie George squared off. According to the three NBA people we spoke with, all were unimpressed. While Boone shot the ball OK, the workout was mostly a series of scripted jumpers. There was very little one-on-one action and one scout said that Boone "sleepwalked" through the workout.
Boone has been contemplating leaving UConn for good, however the lackluster feedback he got from scouts may make him reconsider. He may be better off returning to UConn for his senior season and showing scouts that he still has the desire to be a dominant player. No one questions his talent or athleticism, but his lack of drive and consistency have been troubling.
Draft: Rondo coming back around
posted: Monday, May 22, 2006 | Feedback
It looks like Rajon Rondo is back.
Rondo started the season ranked as the No. 5 prospect in our Top 100 and saw his stock slide throughout the season when he couldn't hit a shot, got benched by his coach and watched Kentucky's season fall apart.
By the end of the season he had slipped all the way to No. 20 on our board.
Since then, he's been working out with Tim Grover in Chicago, trying to regain the confidence he once lost and working on his jump shot
Last week, the Rockets and Suns got a look at the new and improved Rondo.
The results were impressive.
Sources in both Houston and Phoenix told Insider this weekend that Rondo really stood out in workouts.
On Friday, Rondo worked out in Houston with Randy Foye, Darius Washington and Daniel Gibson.
On Saturday he worked out in Phoenix with Guillermo Diaz, Hassan Adams and Daniel Horton.
"He was really, really good," a Phoenix source told Insider. "He's so quick, it's ridiculous. He got to the rim at will today. He didn't shoot it particularly well but did everything else that you could ask a point guard to do in a workout. And he did it extremely well."
The feedback from Houston wasn't quite as effusive, but the consensus there was that he showed everything that you'd want out of a point guard: quickness, speed, poise, defensive tenacity and good decision making. While he struggled shooting during live play, his jump shot looked good in drills and it was clear his stroke was improving.
"The blessing and problem with Rondo is his huge hands," a Houston source said. "All of the really great point guards have great hands. It gives him a great, steady handle. He can go two weeks without mishandling the ball. However, it messes up his shot. His hands are so big, they kind of cup the ball, which makes it harder to release. However, I think he can overcome that with more practice."
Both teams were blown away by his elite athleticism and the way he uses it on the court.
"There may be one or two guys in the draft who are more athletic than Rondo," the Suns source said. "But no one in the draft has incorporated their athleticism into their basketball game the way he has."
Both sources said they were impressed with Rondo as a person, which is a positive development considering some of the rumors floating around about how difficult he was to coach at Kentucky.
And both sources said they'd be willing to look beyond his shooting woes.
"He can learn how to shoot, at least enough to keep people honest," the Houston source said. "He may never be a great shooter, but he just needs to have the confidence to take shots when he has the space. If he gets that, the rest of the package is there."
What does that mean for Rondo's draft stock?
The Suns source said his club didn't think there was any way he'd be on the board when Phoenix drafts at No. 21. He felt that Rondo could go as high as No. 7 to Boston, saying he was a perfect fit for the team Ainge was trying to build.
The Rockets source indicated that Rondo was in the mix at No. 8, though he added it was still very early in the process and Houston would be looking at a number of other prospects, including our top-rated point guard, Marcus Williams of UConn, in the next few weeks.
Here's a breakdown of how other players in the workouts performed.
Randy Foye: Foye drew very positive reviews out of Houston. What stood out, I'm told, was his physical strength and power.
The comparisons to Luther Head are accurate in a lot of ways, I'm told, but Foye is much stronger and has a quicker first step.
The source in Houston felt he's probably a lock for the top 10 based on what he saw, though he might not be as great a fit in Houston because of the plethora of combo guards on the roster.
Daniel Gibson: Gibson showed great speed and shooting ability, but the consensus was that he really needs another year in school to work on his point guard skills. One source said, "He really needs to be a point guard in the pros and I think another year at Texas would help him get there. With that said, I think there's no question he'll be in the league for a long time. He's got too much talent."
Darius Washington: Washington has good power and quickness, but needs work on his point guard skills. According to a source, "He's got a lot of potential, but his game isn't really suited to running the point right now and that's a concern." Washington was told he'd be better served returning to Memphis for another year.
Guillermo Diaz: The Suns source called him the "Puerto Rican Steve Francis," a skilled combo guard who tested even better than Rondo in the athletic drills they ran. Diaz also shot the ball very well in the workouts.
He blew the Suns away with his vertical jump, touching the 12-foot mark. The source said he's seen only two Suns -- Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw -- do that. Given that Diaz is only about 6-foot-2 or 6-3, that's pretty amazing. While he measured a little small, the Suns source said they were really impressed with Diaz as a person.
I was told, "He's an unbelievable kid -- the type of kid who's going to continue to work on his game. I think he's going to get better by leaps and bounds."
Hassan Adams: He also had a good workout. He was very physical and also showed excellent athleticism.
While Adams is very raw offensively, the source said he'll find a place in the league: "He's so athletic and strong, he can shut down just about anyone on the defensive end."
Daniel Horton: He also received props from the Suns source, who said Horton played really well against the three more athletic opponents. Horton shot the ball well and played good defense.
"He doesn't do anything spectacular," the Suns source said. "But if he can prove he's a point guard, I think he's got a chance."
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5/23/2006 11:21 AM