High risers Johnson, Diaz impress
posted: Tuesday, June 6, 2006 | Feedback

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Patrick O'Bryant, Cedric Simmons, Kyle Lowry and Thabo Sefolosha are high-level sleepers in the draft, as discussed in an earlier blog. O'Bryant, in fact, might merit consideration as the No. 1 pick.

The pair of prospects I saw later on Monday are also moving up in the draft -- in this case, from the second round to potentially the first round.

On Monday in Clearwater, Miami's Guillermo Diaz and Florida State's Alexander Johnson went through a pretty grueling workout with personal coach David Thorpe of the Pro Training Center.

Diaz and Johnson entered the draft as second-round picks. But after their stellar workouts all over the country, both now have an excellent shot at landing in the first round, according to NBA GMs.

Both players skipped the Orlando pre-draft camp, a sign that their agent, Jason Levian, is confident they'll be selected in the first round.

Of the two prospects, Johnson is the more intriguing. He's a 6-foot-9 power forward who's been measured in workouts with a 39-to-40 inch vertical leap.

Johnson wasn't much of a prospect at Florida State after his first two years, in large part because of his weight. After his sophomore season, he sought out Thorpe, who had done an amazing job sculpting Udonis Haslem, and asked for help.

Thorpe put him on a strict diet and training regimen, and the results were astonishing.

Johnson came into Florida State at a chiseled 225 pounds this season and looked like a completely different player.

"It was so hard," Johnson said. "I'm from the South. I grew up my whole life eating fried foods. Catfish, chicken, collard greens. Coach showed me what I should be eating. I was like, what, no collard greens?"

Johnson salivates with each word. Clearly he loves his food. But his dedication to his game and his body overcame that.

What amazed Thorpe was how completely Johnson dove into the new lifestyle.

"I spoke with him on a Friday about diet. What he should be eating and what he should avoid," Thorpe remembers. "It was a very preliminary conversation. But a few hours later, Alexander called me on the phone and said, 'Coach Thorpe, I'm at Quizno's and I want to know if I can get cheese on this sandwich.' It was at that point I knew the kid had a chance."

Johnson's weight loss has improved his perimeter game remarkably. He is much quicker, runs up and down the floor, can cut to the basket and really gets off the floor now.

His game, in many ways, now resembles that of Denver's Kenyon Martin. While Johnson doesn't have Martin's attitude, it doesn't mean that he's not tough. The kid loves to get physical and can bang.

Johnson also demonstrated a very solid jump shot for a big guy -- he showed some NBA 3-point range, and was excellent from 12-to-15 feet. He ran many of the same drills that the smaller Diaz did and showed that he can shoot off the dribble or spotting up.

He also proved to be in excellent shape. His coach ran the most grueling workout I've seen this spring, and Johnson looked like he could've gone for more.

It's not hard to see why teams are intrigued. While it's clear that Johnson still needs more polish offensively and may need to add another five to 10 pounds to play in the post in the NBA, he's one of the few athletic big men that will be available in the second half of the first round -- and he's more NBA-ready than most of the other players in the draft.

Where could he go on draft night?

The Chicago Bulls had him in for a workout and came away very impressed. They need a player like Johnson at the four and could grab him with the 16th pick if they were to opt for Brandon Roy instead of Tyrus Thomas with the second pick.

The New Jersey Nets, picking No. 22 and No. 23, might be interested in Johnson, too. They have been looking for a Martin replacement ever since he left, and Johnson looks like he'd be great in their up-tempo offense. The Cavs at No. 25 and the Suns at No. 27 are also options.

Diaz is just as impressive on the floor. He's an elite athlete who has been said to have had a 50-inch vertical in high school.

Diaz says it isn't true. "But it was close," he says with a smile.

Diaz was once one of the best young volleyball players in the world, but he switched to basketball his senior year of high school.

In the short span of three years, he's proven to be an explosive scorer at Miami. Now he's trying to prove to NBA scouts that he's got what it takes to make the next big transition -- to point guard.

As I've written before, it's very difficult to show point guard skills in a workout. Diaz showed good ball-handling and excellent quickness in the workout. When he gets to the hoop, he really flies to the basket.

More impressive in a way is his jump shot. Diaz hasn't been pegged as a great shooter in college, in large part because of a questionable shooting percentage.

His workout made clear that Diaz is a much better shooter than previously thought, and feedback from a number of NBA workouts has backed that up. The problem for Diaz at Miami was shot selection rather than shooting form. His shooting ability shouldn't be an issue at the next level.

Diaz is in fantastic shape and seems to have shed a few pounds as well. At Miami, he played on rehabbed knee all year and didn't show some of the explosiveness everyone expected. However, that problem appears to be a thing of the past. He looks like the old Diaz again.

"He's a very quiet guy, but he's the straw that stirs the drink," Thorpe said. "He's the guy who settles everything. He's got a great rapport with the other players. He's a motivator. He tries to make everyone better. He's always resolving conflicts. He's a leader. He's breathing spirit into the hearts and minds of others."

The two big issues for Diaz are position and experience. It's going to be difficult to prove to teams that he's a point guard -- a position he never played in college -- in workouts. Given that he's measuring about 6-1 in shoes, he's small for a combo guard.

Diaz was planning on playing at the pre-draft camp in Orlando to show off his handle. However, he couldn't get a promise from the pre-draft camp administrators that he would get a chance to play the point.

He might not need to.

"In our league these days, you need guys who can get to the basket, and either score a bucket or get to the foul line," one NBA GM told Insider. "You also need a kid who can step back and hit an open jumper. I think the league has evolved. Guys like Diaz couldn't have played in the league six or seven years ago. Today, I think teams need guys like Diaz."

Scouts also worry about his basketball IQ. It's not that Diaz lacks smarts, it's just that he's behind on basketball development. He's played top-level hoops for only three years.

He sometimes gets confused by complex defenses. He hasn't learned some small things, like keeping his head up when he ball-fakes and getting the ball into his shooting hand before he rises for a jumper off the dribble. Such problems can be fixed, but Diaz is less ready to contribute now than some other players in the draft.

Right now Diaz has earned very positive buzz from workouts in Phoenix, Sacramento, Minnesota and Houston. The Lakers are also fans. He's got a number of chances to land in the first round. If he slips into the second round, he's probably one of the first players off the board.