With virtually every NBA GM and head coach and scouting staff in attendance, a number of the top prospects in the draft went through four hours of drills in the morning.

In the afternoon, teams had a chance to sit down, one-on-one, with the prospects to interview them.

On Friday, the league will do athletic and strength testing, and Saturday players will get physicals conducted by the league.

I was in the gym for the four hours and in the Westin hotel lobby where the players were staying for most of the afternoon and evening. Here's what I learned:

The draft combine certainly isn't what it used to be. For years top prospects, hoping to improve their draft stock, played a series of five-on-five games for NBA GMs and coaches. But lately more and more top prospects refused to play, and two years ago virtually everyone on the floor was a second-rounder. The NBA changed gears last year and decided to move to a combine format. The five-on-five games were eliminated in favor of a set of non-contact drills.

The idea was to get more players to participate. Slowly, that process is becoming a farce.

Last year a whopping 14 players decided not to participate. Kentucky's John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton, Ohio State's Evan Turner, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors, Syracuse's Wesley Johnson, Kansas' Cole Aldrich, Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu, Baylor's Ekpe Udoh, Georgetown's Greg Monroe, Marshall's Hassan Whiteside and Washington's Quincy Pondexter skipped the drills portion.

This year, the exodus wasn't quite as bad, but eight players ended up skipping the Thursday drills. Duke's Kyrie Irving, Arizona's Derrick Williams, Kentucky's Brandon Knight, UConn's Kemba Walker, San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard, Texas' Tristan Thompson, Colorado's Alec Burks and Brazil's Lucas Nogueira all decided not to participate.

Two other players, Boston College's Reggie Jackson and Notre Dame's Ben Hansbrough, withdrew because of injury.

In fairness to players, most of the time the decision is made by their agents. If you watched Kemba Walker sitting on the sideline during the drills, it was pretty clear he wanted to play.

Irving, in particular, raised a few eyebrows with his agent's decision to pull him from the athletic testing Friday. Even top picks like Blake Griffin, Wall and LeBron James participated in the testing in the past.

But with Irving all but a lock to go No. 1 to the Cavs, his agent decided it would be best to minimize any risks of Irving re-injuring his foot. Given the poor participation yet again this year, league sources said there will be an attempt to make appearances by every player mandatory in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Of the players that did show, only a handful really stood out one way or the other.
The drills aren't really designed to necessarily make one player look good or bad, but a few players made impressions.

Turkey's Enes Kanter received the most buzz. Teams liked the fact that he decided to play despite his lofty draft status. "I think it shows he has confidence in his abilities," one GM told me. "That means something to us." Since most of the people in the gym had seen Kanter in person only once (if at all), all eyes were on him when he trotted out with the last group of the day. While Kanter didn't have one particular wow moment, he looked athletic, made a number of emphatic dunks and outhustled everyone else in his category. His performance here won't be enough to erase all the question marks teams had, but it was a start.

A number of teams remarked that Providence guard Marshon Brooks looked very smooth in the workouts. During one sequence he had a huge dunk over a defender and followed it with a block on the other end of the floor.

Teams loved Morehead State forward Kenneth Faried's hustle. Georgia Tech's Iman Shumpert drew some praise for shooting the ball well. Florida State's Chris Singleton played his signature tough style of defense.

Washington State's Klay Thompson had the most impressive shooting performance of the camp. UCLA's Malcolm Lee shot the ball well. Cleveland State's Norris Cole impressed with his speed. USC's Nikola Vucevic wowed with his skill around the basket.

Fredette, as expected, shot the ball very well. But teams were grumbling that Fredette seemed to be playing at warm-up speed instead of going full speed.

Some speculated he was out of shape. Others said he just wasn't taking it seriously.

I wouldn't read too much into it. If you watched Jimmer play this season, the last thing you would say is that the kid doesn't play hard.

Physical transformations are a big part of the Chicago pre-draft camp every year.
If a player loses a lot of weight or tones up his body, he can get a slight bump in his draft stock.

A number of people were impressed with Maryland's Jordan Williams. Williams has lost about 15 pounds and looks much lighter on his feet. Illinois' Demetri McCamey also showed off a trimmed-down body.

This year's combine Man of Mystery was Jeremy Tyler.
Tyler is infamous for his decision to drop out of high school after his junior year to turn pro. He had a disastrous stretch in Israel before finally finding his stride a little bit in Japan. He impressed a lot of teams Thursday with his athleticism, motor and midrange shooting ability.

"If Tyler had gone the more traditional route, I think he would've been a lottery pick," one GM said. "He does some things that are pretty impressive. We're doing a lot of homework on him and we think he's a good kid who got some really bad advice. But as far as basketball talent goes, he has the chance to be really, really good."

Virtually every GM in the league will tell you that the most important parts of the process for them are the interviews and medical evaluations.
Teams spent up to four hours a day on Wednesday and Thursday doing sit-downs with individual players. A number of players, including Tristan Thompson, Fredette, Walker, Jordan Hamilton and Josh Selby, had great interviews according to team sources.

But not all of them went well. One NBA team told me of an interview with a prospect that was a bit rockier. They asked him if he had any friends in the NBA. He said he did. They asked him what his friends had told him about making it in the league. He said, "They told me it's going to be easy. The NBA is the easy life." Ummm ... not what the team wanted to hear.

Measurables

ESPN.com obtained a copy of the NBA pre-draft camp anthropometric measurements Friday morning. There weren't a lot of huge revelations in the measurements (you can check out the full list here), but there were some interesting highlights:

• Projected No. 1 pick Irving measured well. Irving was 6-foot-1.75 in socks and 6-3.5 in shoes with a 6-4 wingspan. That's good size for an NBA point guard.

• Arizona's Williams measured pretty well too. He was 6-7.25 in socks and 6-8.75 in shoes. That's a tad undersized for a power forward, but he had a 7-1.25 wingspan and a 9-foot standing reach. Both good numbers for a 4 and great numbers if he's a 3.

• Turkey's Kanter posted good measurables: 6-9.75 in socks and 6-11.25 in shoes with a good 7-1.5 wing and a 9-1.5 standing reach.

• Tyler measured with the biggest wingspan -- a whopping 7-5. He also had the largest standing reach at 9-4.5.

• Providence's Brooks had the biggest wingspan among guards with a crazy 7-1 span. He's longer than twins Marcus and Markieff Morris.

CHICAGO -- The 2011 NBA draft combine kept going over the weekend with drills, measurements, athletic testing and team interviews on Friday, followed by medical examinations on Saturday and Sunday.

With virtually every GM and head coach and scouting staff in attendance, the event was a perfect opportunity to talk to teams, interview players and get a sense of how they stacked up against one another.

While the drills they went through on the court may have been, in and of themselves, meaningless, they did offer a rare opportunity to see all of the players in the draft up close on the same floor.

ESPN had exclusive access to the gym for the eight hours of the combine and I was in the hotel lobby talking to teams, players and agents for most of the afternoon and evening.

Based on the information I gathered, here's some quick hits on what I'm hearing about a number of top prospects in the draft. You can also check out our updated Top 100 to get a feel for where players now stand after the pre-draft combine.

• Is Kyrie Irving a lock for the No. 1 pick? No, but it's close. All the hand wringing about Irving not participating in the combine is much ado about nothing. It will have zero bearing on the Cavs' decision. Irving is planning to do just one workout and it's with the Cavs. While Cleveland has yet to commit to Irving with their No. 1 pick and will bring in a number of prospects, sources close to the Cavs say that it's very likely they'll select Irving. Not only are they enamored with him as a player, but they also feel he's the type of player who Cavs fans can get behind in Cleveland. "He's a really great kid," one Cavs source said. "He'll get out into the community and I think he can help us rebuild our relationship with the fans. The only way I see us not taking him is if there's a problem with the medical."

• Arizona's Derrick Williams boldly asserted that he should be the No. 1 pick on Thursday. It's unlikely he'll persuade the Cavs to pull the trigger at one, but he did have a good weekend. NBA scouts have been wondering for months whether Williams was big enough to play the 4 in the NBA and have been trying to project him as an NBA 3. Williams' measurements strongly helped his cause as an NBA power forward. He measured nearly 6-foot-9, with an impressive 7-1 wingspan and 9-foot standing reach. Those wingspan and standing-reach measurements (the two measurements NBA teams really care about) put him on par with Greg Monroe and Ed Davis. He's actually taller and longer than both Blake Griffin and Kevin Love, two NBA All-Star power forwards. While Williams may be trying to sell himself as a 3, the truth is he's more valuable to most NBA teams as a 4 who can also stretch the floor and take his man off the dribble.

The question is, who will draft him at No. 2? As I reported Tuesday, the Wolves are very open to trading the pick if they can get some veteran help. They won't be giving the pick away, but given the youth on the team and the log jam at both forward positions, this pick is a great asset to trade for veteran help. Look for the Cavs, Jazz, Wizards, Kings, Pistons, Bobcats, Bucks, Rockets, Pacers, Sixers to all get in the mix for him in the coming weeks.

• Turkey's Enes Kanter was the real star of the draft combine. Many of the NBA executives in attendance had never seen him play before (with the possible exception of a Kentucky practice) and the rest had only seen him at the Nike Hoop Summit. Kanter didn't do anything spectacular, but he was in good shape, played hard, showed some skills offensively and was very good in interviews with teams. He also measured well at 6-11, 260 pounds with a 7-1 wingspan and a 9-1 standing reach. That gives him very good size at the power forward position and makes him a passable (albeit slightly undersized) center as well.

A lot was made on Friday about Kanter's decision to cancel a scheduled interview with the Jazz. Don't read too much into it. Sources in both Utah and Kanter's camp said it was mutually agreed that the Jazz would fly to Chicago on June 2 and see Kanter work out in Chicago. The Jazz will get their interview then. Kanter did meet with the Cavs, Wizards and Wolves this week and will likely work out there. It's no secret Kanter would like to play in Washington with John Wall. I'm not confident he'll last until the sixth pick.

• NBA execs seem to be leaning toward Brandon Knight over Kemba Walker when asked which point guard they prefer. I spoke to dozens of scouts and executives over the weekend and the majority of them had Knight ranked slightly higher because of his size, shooting ability and upside. Neither player worked out in the drills on Thursday or Friday. NBA teams liked Walker's personality in interviews. "He's charismatic," one GM said. "I think he could emerge as a leader in the locker room." Walker measured a little bigger than expected (6-1 in shoes) which should help his stock, too.

Teams said Knight was considerably more reserved than Walker, but they came away impressed with his maturity. The Jazz should be the first team on the board to give them a look. The Raptors, Kings and Bobcats are also in the mix. If the Jazz pick a point guard, I think Knight is slightly ahead on their board. Sources said if Knight slips to No. 5, the Raptors are likely to snag him there and there's no way he slides past the Kings at No. 7, I'm told. Walker's stock is still a bit more fluid. He'll get a look at Utah, Toronto and Sacramento, but I'm told none of those teams are all the way on board with him yet.

• BYU's Jimmer Fredette was a hot topic at the camp. He didn't really stand out in the drills on Thursday or Friday, but he was a major hit in interviews. A number of teams told me Fredette was the best interview they had and came away convinced that all of his celebrity had not gone to his head. "He's a humble, hard-working kid. You can't help but like him," one NBA executive said. "After the interview, I wanted to go up and hug him," another scout said. While nothing in Chicago helped quell the furious debate about what sort of NBA player he'll be, he made an impression. Fredette's first workout will be with the Knicks in early June. He's also got workouts planned with the Jazz, Suns, Rockets, Pacers and Blazers. It's still too early to get a read on where he'll ultimately land … but if Utah takes a big with its first pick (No. 3) he'll be seriously in the mix when they pick again at No. 12.

• Texas forward Tristan Thompson quieted some critics with his measurements on Friday. He, much like Williams, was seen as an undersized power forward. His measurements (nearly 6-9 in shoes, 7-1 wingspan and 9-foot standing reach) were nearly identical to that of Derrick Williams. He also nailed the interview process, according to several NBA team sources. His window starts with the Raptors at No. 5. The Pistons, Bobcats, Bucks, Jazz and Pacers are also all seriously interested. He looks like he's a lock for the lottery.

• San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard skipped the drills on Thursday and Friday, but decided on Friday morning to put on a shooting show for NBA executives as they walked in the gym. As I reported last week, Leonard has been working on his jump shot and was shooting very well in Vegas. He also shot the ball well in the brief 15 minutes or so before the combine began and had quite a crowd of NBA GMs and execs watching closely. His measurements (7-3 wingspan and 8-10 standing reach) were good enough as well to make him a plausible (though slightly undersized) NBA power forward. He measured bigger than Blake Griffin and on par with Kevin Love. So even if the shooting thing doesn't work out, his rebounding prowess and motor might allow him to make a living at the 4.

• I expect we'll be seeing Texas' Jordan Hamilton rising on boards in the next few weeks. NBA scouts have always loved his talent. They believe he's one of the few guys in this draft who could average 20 ppg in the NBA. He measured well for a small forward (6-8 with an 8-8 standing reach) and I'm told he was very good in interviews. If teams feel confident that he'll mature and quit taking crazy shots, he's a very interesting prospect who could go as high as the Kings at No. 7. The Bobcats, Warriors, Suns and Rockets also have major interest.

• Lots of debate here about Marcus and Markieff Morris. Both players measured OK. Marcus was 6-9 with an 8-10 reach. His brother was 6-9 with an 8-11 reach. Markieff clearly fits the profile of a stretch 4. Marcus is right on the borderline right now. He's been insisting in interviews that he's a 3, but not every team is buying it. It will be interesting to see how it ultimately affects his stock. The Bobcats, Bucks, Warriors, Jazz and Pacers all have interest in him.

• Washington State's Klay Thompson had one of the most impressive weeks in Chicago. There were a number of great shooters in the combine this weekend, but Thompson had the best shooting performance of any of the prospects on both days. His ability to shoot off the dribble combined with his excellent size (6-7 with a 6-9 wingspan) are going to be very intriguing for a number of teams in need of a shooter. He also handled interviews well. Two NBA teams said Thompson brought up the charges of marijuana possession early in the interview, didn't make excuses for the mistake, and said it would never happen again. While NBA teams will continue to do their due diligence to get a better feel for how big a problem it was or might be in the future, they came away encouraged. Look for the Bobcats, Bucks, Jazz, Suns, Pacers, Knicks and Wizards to all give him a long look.

• Providence's Marshon Brooks turned heads with a strong combine performance. On Friday, the drills turned more competitive and Brooks made a number of spectacular plays. With a 7-1 wingspan, huge hands and scorer's mentality, he's now garnered serious interest in the first round. Two teams to watch with Brooks are the Wolves and Bulls. The Bulls, especially, seem to be enamored with Brooks but are concerned that he won't be there when they pick. "If he was two years younger or if his team had won more games, he'd be a lottery pick," one NBA GM said. "But as far as NBA scorers go, there aren't any guards in this draft that can get his own shot at the NBA level like him."

• Kansas guard Josh Selby also drew positive reviews for his quickness and interviews. "He's rough around the edges, but interviewed much better than we expected," one NBA GM said. "I don't think most of our guards in the league can stay in front of him. He's not a point guard, but the Monta Ellis comparisons are right on." From everything I can gather, I think the Knicks are his floor right now.

• Tennessee's Tobias Harris still hasn't hired an agent. His father, Torrell, is handling all of his affairs. Harris' measurements were a disappointment. He was 6-8 in shoes with a solid 6-11 wingspan. But his standing reach was just 8-7. That's fine for a small forward, but most NBA teams project him as a power forward. His father was adamant that Harris had played the 3 his whole life and played out of position at Tennessee. "We modeled his game after George Gervin and Adrian Dantley," his father said. "He's a point forward. He's at his best on the perimeter." He's certainly one of the most skilled players in the draft, but NBA teams worry that he lacks the quickness to guard NBA wings. His father said his athletic testing numbers (which weren't available as of Monday morning) will prove he's quicker and more explosive than NBA teams think. If they are, the Shane Battier comparisons may not be far off.

• We're going to have to move USC's Nikola Vucevic into the first round of our next mock draft. Not only were teams very high on him in workouts, but he measured as the biggest player in the combine. He was a touch below 7 feet tall with a massive 7-5 wing and a 9-5 standing reach. Those are NBA center numbers all the way. In fact, based on the measurements, he may be the only true NBA center in the draft. He didn't always play like a center at USC, but if he can get stronger and more physical, he could have a bright future at the 5. A number of teams, starting with the Sixers at 16 and Knicks at 17, are interested.

• Jeremy Tyler continued to wow NBA teams on Friday with his athleticism, physical profile and defense. He measured out as the second-biggest player at the combine. He was 6-11, 260 with a huge 7-5 wing and a 9-2 standing reach. Tyler told me he believed he'll have a 40-inch vertical, which is a fantastic number for a player his size. His measurements are on par with Cole Aldrich's and just below DeAndre Jordan's. Tyler also scored very high marks from NBA teams on his interviews. His offensive game is still a work in progress and there are still some skeletons in his closet from his botched season in Israel. But on sheer physical upside, Tyler played himself into a possible first-round pick with his week here. A number of teams, including the Knicks, Nuggets, Rockets and Spurs, are giving him a look in the first.

I am intrigued by Selby, due to him being rated so high coming out of H.S., much like Tyler. I'm not sure I want a combo guard, but considering we have Melo and Stat (who both create their own shot) on this team, it's not a huge concern. Though a great pg would make them even better.

One of Tyler and Selby might slip through the cracks and be a great pickup relative to where they get selected and where they were ranked coming out of HS.

Thinking of how well we played at times with Mos here, we can't overlook Vucevic, though he is not as athletic as Mos. Damn, really wish we had Mos.

One thing is clear, we had better get at least one more pic.

BigSm00th wrote:people were talking about signing deandre to big money this offseason. if tyler is the same size as him, could he step in and play C next to amare? 6'11 260 with a 7'5 wing is pretty damn impressive. he is young too, would be a sophomore in college next yr. i'd like to see him against the USC kid in a head to head workout.

if selby is the pick at 17 (ford hints that the furthest he falls is 17 to the knicks), then toney D's days have to be numbered. not necessarily a bad thing, i think selby will be a far more capable ball-handler and scorer, and neither is a true PG. toney was supposed to be a strong defensive player but the torching at the hands of rondo didn't help his case, bum shoulder or not.

BigDaddyG wrote:

BigSm00th wrote:people were talking about signing deandre to big money this offseason. if tyler is the same size as him, could he step in and play C next to amare? 6'11 260 with a 7'5 wing is pretty damn impressive. he is young too, would be a sophomore in college next yr. i'd like to see him against the USC kid in a head to head workout.

if selby is the pick at 17 (ford hints that the furthest he falls is 17 to the knicks), then toney D's days have to be numbered. not necessarily a bad thing, i think selby will be a far more capable ball-handler and scorer, and neither is a true PG. toney was supposed to be a strong defensive player but the torching at the hands of rondo didn't help his case, bum shoulder or not.

I've read a couple of blogs, interviews etc. that said Tyler really struggles to play the center position at this point in his career. Bob Hill, Tyler's coach in Japan, said Tyler's game took off when he was moved to power forward. I don't know why, but it's not a deal breaker for me. It just means that we might have to wait on him a few more years to develop into a center or team him up with someone like Turiaf until he learns the ropes.

waiting in the wings for a few years while turiaf plays? if that's the case there is NO WAY i want him. whoever is drafted needs to contribute starting in game 1, whenever that is. turiaf only played in 62 games last yr and 42 the year before that -- he cannot be counted on to start. we saw him break down this year anytime he played major minutes. the guy needs to be a backup.

agree with killa, the best route for tyler would probably be buying a 2nd rounder and using it on him. keep his personal incentives in line with a non guaranteed contract and draft another guy in the 1st who you can count on to be a part of the rotation.

Killa4luv wrote:TYler is intriguing. BUt he is exactly the kind of player you want in the second round, because u don't want to give him guaranteed money. High risk/High reward scenario. He's big and he did look good, but damn if he doesn't have trouble written all over him. And I don't know if we have the organization to get him right. He could probably go to San Antonio of old and develop.

Maybe Amare could keep him in check. I wouldn't be mad at the pick.

I have to tell you, in other years I would agree with you, but not any more. Amare, Melo, Billups, Fields, TD. I think Shawne Williams has turned a corner and could be a constant reminder to someone going astray.

IMHO AR was just a fluke; wish he were still around, I think he would have caught on.

Trade the pick and get a solid Vet who can help now.

ATrain wrote:Alan Hahn just said on twitter that he thinks we pass on Selby if he is available because he is a score first guy and there is no need for him.

the way I read it is that was his opinion on Selby, not his opinion on what the Knicks would do.