2008 NBA Predraft Camp: Day ThreeBy:

By Borko Popic
5/30/08

Game #4

Team Four (2-0) 77 – Team Five (0-2) 74

One of the first day’s top performers, Ty Lawson sat out today for what was cited as a hip pointer. Is it possible that he felt his performance last night was enough to solidify his position in the 1st round and that by sitting out, he will be able to keep his stock high? It will be interesting to see if he gives it a go on the last day.

His teammate Wayne Ellington (17pts, 7-13fg) was a different story, many felt he would go with the injury card and pull himself out of fear of digging himself a further hole after a subpar performance. However, he showed some character and decided to fight it out in order to gain his reputation back. In the early going he was on fire from the outside, hitting shots off the dribble, running off screens and spotting up.

Unfortunately, he fell victim to the awkward substitution patterns that leave players sitting for as much as 20 minutes straight of game time, plus all the breaks.

Throughout the week, it has happened with regularity where a player puts up a nice performance in the first half, but after sitting for an extended amount of time, he struggles to find his stroke in the 2nd part of the game. It seems that it would make more sense to play guys in 5 minute shifts (instead of 10), that way they can go hard (instead of pacing themselves) but still keep their rhythm because they haven’t sat for too long.

Another impressive game was had by Joe Crawford (15pts, 6-11fg), who despite his size, has been able to show his ability to score in a variety of ways.

Brian Roberts (17pts) had a good outing, but he seemed to be more focused on getting points instead of setting teammates up. His odds of ever playing in the NBA will depend on his ability to run a team and if his sole focus is on getting his, then his chances will decrease significantly.

Malik Hairston (12pts, 8rebs) was much more aggressive today, looking to mix it up in the paint on his way to 6 offensive rebounds and 6 free throw attempts (although he only made 2).

Sonny Weems (11pts, 4rebs) continues to showcase his improved skill and better feel for the game. Although he does have a very nice midrange pull-up, it would be nice to see him use his athleticism to get to the hoop more.

Darnell Jackson (8pts, 6rebs) is proving that his workhorse mentality is something to be expected from the former Jayhawk. For the 2nd day in a row the Portsmouth MVP Jamar Butler has missed the action with a hamstring injury.

Game #5

Team Five (1-1) 101 – Team Two (1-1) 93

If there was to be a player of the day award, then without a doubt it would have to be given to Gary Forbes (30pts, 15-16ft, 2stl). Even though his team lost, it was no fault of Forbes, who almost singlehandedly brought his team back from a large deficit. In the early going Forbes looked to set his teammates up, yet when he realized they weren’t capitalizing, he took it upon himself to put points on the board.

He may have forced the issue too much at times, looking a bit selfish, but nobody can argue with his effectiveness and results. He scored in a variety of ways: hitting tough shots right out of the triple threat, showing his touch with soft floaters and even some athleticism by getting to the hoop and absorbing contact and still having enough body control to give the ball a chance to go in.

Although he was very impressive scoring, he may have been just as good on the defensive end, where he chased Richard Roby (3-9fg) off screens and forced him to put the ball on the floor and settle for difficult shots. He can get overaggressive and get cheap fouls sometimes as he does lack great lateral speed, but one has to respect the effort he put in on this end.

A solid game was had by the ever fundamental Josh Duncan (20pts, 6rebs, 9-10ft) who was able to score inside as well as step out to the top of the key and convert on a reliable spot up jumper.

Bryce Taylor (11pts, 4-9fg) didn’t put up the most impressive stat line, but he showed some nice scoring ability and quickness of the dribble. He is a bit undersized to play on the wing, but it is obvious that he has much more value as a scorer rather than a playmaker.

Richard Hendrix (11pts, 8rebs, 3stl) has had a bit off a disappointing week thus far, as he has yet to show any reliable back to basket post moves. He did convert on a mini right hook, but aside from that most of his points came strictly of scramble plays and offensive rebounds. He is a very effective rebounder, but one has to be troubled by his stiffness and the slow manner in which he runs the floor.

Jeremy Pargo (11pts, 5ast, 6reb) stepped up today and showed that he can do some good things on the floor. He has a nice build and he is able to use it to body people and get into the lane. One of the concerns is his PG efficiency as his decision making at times was questionable en route to 5 TOs.

A pleasant surprise this week has been the play of Drew Nitzel (11pts, 4ast), who has continued to show his touch from the outside, but has also been able to get into the lane and finish or find the open man. He was patient, waiting for his turn, but when he found his grove he was able to make some nice moves in transition to get by people and also some crafty no-look passes.

John Reik did not play again and it is safe to say that he should withdraw his name from the draft as he is a long way off from being able to compete at this level.

Game #6

Team Six (2-0) 99 – Team Three (0-2) 78

One of our early sleeper choices seems to be the talk of the camp and there is absolutely no doubt that Mike Taylor (24pts, 8-12fg, 2-5 3fg) has played himself into serious draft contention.

Considered to be undersized and not a natural point guard, Taylor more than makes up for it with his length, quickness, open court speed and tremendous leaping ability. He goes a hundred miles per hour and as a result gets out of control at times, but today his handle looked very smooth and he only committed 1 turnover.

He showed that his range can go well out to the NBA 3 and even though he does hang in the air a bit too long before releasing the ball, his great elevation allows him to still shoot the long ball effectively.

The fear with Taylor could be his somewhat troubled past and inconsistent play that he showed this season in the D-league. As a result these great performances may have to be taken with a grain of salt in fear that they are not just a flash in the pan.

Marcelus Kemp (14pts, 7-10fg) had a nice game, coming back well from a tough shooting game the previous night. He looks much more comfortable and has found his shooting stroke converting on some nice midrange shots. His strong body gives him a nice advantage when getting to the hoop as he can take contact well.

A player that cannot say the same is the fairly soft Davon Jefferson (7pts, 3-5fg), who for the most part was satisfied with settling for 17 foot jumpers and completely shying away from contact on the few drives that he did attempt.

Sean Singletary (15pts, 8ast, 3 rebs) had a good game running his team, showing that his subpar performance in game 1 was just an off night and a question of comfort. He has fairly good form on his jumpshot, but it seems that his inability to hit from the outside consistently may hold him back some because it allows people to play off of him.

His size also hurts his effectives on the offensive end, but it does not seem to be an issue on defense, as he was able to stay in front of Lester Hudson (13pts, 4stls) for the most part. Hudson came into camp with some hype, but a lot of his weaknesses have been exposed as he has trouble getting by people with his subpar quickness and only decent ball handling. With his size he must play PG at the next level, but the necessary skill and savvy to man that position is lacking from Hudson’s package.

A very good stat-line was had by DeMarcus Nelson (22pts, 8-14fg, 5rebs) who was able to do some nice things offensively and be his usual aggressive self on the defensive end.

Marty Leunen (11 pts, 9rebs) did not make any flashy plays, but he picked his spots well and was able to put together a nice game.

Participant List

Ramel Bradley 6-1 179 PG Kentucky Sr.
Tyrone Brazelton 6-2 180 PG W.Kentucky Sr.
Takais Brown 6-8 250 PF Georgia Sr.
Keith Brumbaugh 6-8 210 SG/SF HCC So.
Stanley Burrell 6-2 200 PG/SG Xavier Sr.
Brian Butch 6-11 255 PF/C Wisconsin Sr.
Jamar Butler 6-1 195 PG Ohio State Sr.
Pat Calathes 6-10 210 SF St. Joseph’s Sr.
Joe Crawford 6-4 205 SG Kentucky Sr.
Chris Daniels 7-0 260 C Texas A&M CC Sr.
Joey Dorsey 6-9 260 PF/C Memphis Sr.
Marcus Dove 6-8 220 SF Oklahoma St. Sr.
Josh Duncan 6-8 225 PF Xavier Sr.
Frank Elegar 6-8 230 PF Drexel Sr.
Wayne Ellington 6-4 195 SG UNC So.
Patrick Ewing Jr. 6-8 238 Georgetown Sr.
Gary Forbes 6-6 201 SG Massachusetts Sr.
Shan Foster 6-6 190 SG Vanderbilt Sr.
JR Giddens 6-5 205 SG New Mexico Sr.
James Gist 6-8 223 SF/PF Maryland Sr.
Vladimir Golubovic 7-1 250 C Ser. 1986
Kentrell Gransberry 6-9 270 PF S.Florida Sr.
Danny Green 6-6 210 SF North Carolina Jr.
Malik Hairston 6-6 215 SG Oregon Sr.
DeVon Hardin 6-10 240 PF California Sr.
Richard Hendrix 6-8 260 PF Alabama Jr.
George Hill 6-1 180 PG IUPUI Jr.
Kyle Hines 6-6 240 PF NC Greensboro Jr.
Jiri Hubalek 6-11 225 PF Iowa St. Sr.
Lester Hudson 6-3 190 PG UT-Martin Jr.
Othello Hunter 6-9 225 PF Ohio St. Sr.
Darnell Jackson 6-8 240 PF Kansas Sr.
Shawn James 6-8 225 PF Duquesne Jr.
Davon Jefferson 6-8 210 SF USC Fr.
Joseph Jones 6-9 250 PF Texas A&M Sr.
Sasha Kaun 6-11 246 C Kansas Sr.
Marcelus Kemp 6-5 210 SG Nevada Sr.
Ty Lawson 5-11 193 PG UNC So.
Maarty Leunen 6-9 220 SF/PF Oregon Sr.
Longar Longar 6-11 228 PF/C Oklahoma Sr.
Aleks Maric 6-11 270 C Nebraska Sr.
James Mays 6-8 235 PF Clemson Sr.
L.R. Mbah a Moute 6-7 230 SF UCLA Jr.
Drew Neitzel 6-0 180 PG Michigan State Sr.
DeMarcus Nelson 6-3 195 SG Duke Sr.
David Padgett 6-11 250 C Louisville Sr.
Jeremy Pargo 6-2 219 PG Gonzaga Jr.
Trent Plaisted 6-10 245 PF/C BYU Jr.
Quan Prowell 6-8 210 SF/PF Auburn Sr.
Shaun Pruitt 6-10 255 PF/C Illinois Sr.
Charles Rhodes 6-8 240 PF Miss.St. Sr.
John Riek 7-2 230 C Sudan HSSr.
Brian Roberts 6-2 180 PG Dayton Sr.
Russell Robinson 6-1 196 PG Kansas Sr.
Richard Roby 6-6 205 SG Colorado Sr.
Sean Singletary 5-11 175 PG Virginia Sr.
Ronald Steele 6-2 185 PG Alabama Jr.
Bryce Taylor 6-4 205 SG Oregon Sr.
Mike Taylor 6-2 205 SG Idaho Stampede Sr.
Mark Tyndale 6-5 210 SG Temple Sr.
Robert Vaden 6-5 224 SG UAB Jr.
Deron Washington 6-7 205 SF Va. Tech Sr.
Sonny Weems 6-6 201 SG Arkansas Sr.
Reggie Williams 6-6 185 SG VMI Sr.