Post-Orlando Notes and Links
Still waiting for official measurements and testing results to leak out of the Orlando pre-draft camp. I’ll update my own draft rankings for the #5 pick and offer additional thoughts on the #28 pick sometime soon after than information becomes available.
In the meantime, a few pertinent links I missed while out of town the past few days:
ESPN.com’s Chad Ford has an Orlando wrap-up.
He mentions the Michael Beasley shot the ball extremely well from NBA three-point range and showed a strong vertical. He also mentions Kevin Love’s impressive shooting and skill-level. (Though early word is that Love will measure under 6’9”, which would put into question his ability to be a part-time center, a serious blow to his draft value in my estimation.)
I was most interested in what Ford had to say about Anthony Randolph’s workout:
I thought Randolph really helped himself in this workout. He moves incredibly well for a big man, showed great quickness and leaping ability, and shot the ball much better than expected. Randolph also looked as if he has gained some weight, which should really help his cause. I think Randolph is one of the five top prospects in this draft.
DraftExpress.com also weighed in with a take on the top prospect workouts in Orlando.
It’s interesting how different Draft Express’ take is from Ford’s on several players: Ford says Derrick Rose didn’t really shine in the workout setting; Draft Express says his workout was the most impressive of all. Ford said Beasley was impressive; Draft Express says his demeanor during the workout was a big concern. Ford says Randolph shot the ball better than expected; Draft Express says his shooting was terrible.
One interesting note from Draft Express was the assertion that O.J. Mayo’s athleticism was a clear notch below that of Rose and Russell Westbrook.
An earlier Ford piece a couple of interesting notes:
One, that Eric Gordon’s looked like he had good size in Orlando (we’ll see how the measurements turn out) and that his stock is rising. The other is the contention that the Grizzlies, in particular, are having trouble scheduling workouts with top players. That would not be a totally unusual situation for the Grizzlies (Jordan Farmar declined to workout for the Grizzlies a couple of years ago, cementing Kyle Lowry as the team’s pick) or other small-market teams (Yi Jianlian with Milwaukee last year; the Bucks drafted him anyway). But, the Grizzlies picked 4th last season and got every player in for workouts that they needed too. I would expect the same this season.
I’m not linking to much content on the secondary players in Orlando. Most of the players there are going to be second-rounders if drafted at all, and the Grizzlies don’t have a second-round pick. There were a few players in Orlando that I think (or, in some cases, know) will be on the team’s radar. The names that stood out: Joey Dorsey, Devon Hardin, Lester Hudson, J.R. Giddens, Richard Hendrix, Sonny Weems.
Dorsey seems to have helped himself — on the court at least — in Orlando.
Finally, HoopsWorld.com has a feature up about the Grizzlies’ pursuit of Marc Gasol. Not a lot new here, but there was one bit I found interesting. After noting that Gasol was the MVP of the Spanish league this past season, the article points out that the previous four Spanish MVPs — Juan Carlos Navarro, Luis Scola, Andres Nocioni, and Walter Herrmann — are all in the NBA. And all, I would note, have been successful to one degree or another.
