[kaceyParticipant]

Unlike previous NBA drafts, this year’s draft class is deep and full of talented players, freakish athletic players, smart players, and players that currently possess more potential than skill, which is something alot of GMs love. With so many prospects being tossed around as a “potential” first round pick, many will be disappointed to hear their name being called by NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, aka the bald guy who calls out the 2nd round picks, instead of David Stern.

So lets break this down. There will be 30 picks made in the first round and there are 20 guys that we can all guarantee will be a first round pick. This group of players consists:

Wall, Turner, Cousins, Favors, Wes Johnson, Aminu, Monroe, Patterson, Udoh, Gordon Hayward, Ed Davis, Paul George, Babbitt, Daniel Orton, Hassan Whiteside, Avery Bradley, Aldrich, Xavier Henry, James Anderson, Damien James

This leaves 10 first round picks that are up for grabs. There are 20 more players that have a solid chance of being one of those picks and 7 more are long shots to sneak into the first round.

Lets break down these players current situations and where they could land.

Dominique Jones: Has been on a NBA tour since his collegiate career came to an end. Having already participated in 11 workouts, and with many more still on the way, he is out to prove he is a first round pick. With the exception of the Knicks’ workout, he has worked out for teams with a first round pick. A rumor was even swirling around that the Bulls may selected him with the 17th pick. However, he has yet to shut down any further workouts, usually the first sign of a player receiving a first round promise.

Eric Bledsoe: Definitely athletic enough to be in the NBA, with his biggest weakness being the lack of true PG skills. Has reportedly worked out for the Pacers, Bulls, and Heat and reportedly Bledsoe was outplayed by Avery Bradley when showcasing for the Pacers. Bledsoe has been linked to a couple of teams, mainly the Grizzlies, whom own three first round picks.

Elliot Williams: An injury kept him out of the Chicago combine, but no articles have surfaced stating his workout schedule. His former college coach said the injury wasn’t serious. One of his latest tweets states he is in LA working out. He had previous workouts with the Rockets and Spurs (where he suffered the injury). Looks like someone has a first round promise.
Update: It is very likely Elliot has received a promise. He has turned down three invitations to workout for NBA teams.

Terrico White: Tested out to be the most athletic at the Combine and has seen a rise in his stock. Great combo guard. Has been invited to more workouts with all teams owning a first round pick.

Solomon Alabi: His stock had been fluctuating lately, but seems to be settling down. Fortunately for him, it seems to be settling down with his name being in the first round. Scored well on a IQ test given by the Boston Celtics, supposedly it was the highest score ever recorded. If the Celtics want him, he should be there at 19. Has worked out with the Heat as well.

Quincy Pondexter: Similar to Elliot Williams being that he was injured and did not attend the combine. It was rumored the Heat gave him a promise, but unlike Elliot Williams, he has worked out for a couple of late first round, early second round picking teams (Nets and Wizards). He should have more workouts coming.

Jordan Crawford: He seems to possess first round talent, but could fall into the second round. In his workouts so far, he has proven to be a great scorer. He was able to get in two workouts (Celtics and Nets) before the withdrawal deadline and reportedly was given positive feedback. However, he has since worked out for the Kings (5th, 33rd pick, more likely he would be at 33), the Knicks (no first round pick, picks at 38 and 39), Bucks (15th, and 37th picks, unlikely he goes at 15), and the Pacers (10th and 40th picks). Based on the players performing at these workouts with him, his agent seems to be aiming for late, late first round, or an early second round pick. It is always likely a team could trade for him in the late first round with the Thunder and Grizz holding multiple selections in the first round.

Craig Brackins: Another first round talent that is being projected into the second round. His return to Iowa State hurt his value, but if you ask him it was the best decision he could have made. Many of you all know that his teammates weren’t on the same level as Brackins, which led to double and triple teams every game. The only workouts I have him scheduled for was a date with the Knicks, Bucks, and the Minnesota group workout. Same as Crawford, in the sense he has only worked out for teams that are aiming to nab him in the second round. I haven’t heard of any workouts since his NY one on May 28th, and it is very likely a team could fall in love with his outside touch and give him a promise.

Larry Sanders: His workout schedule is starting to pick up a little bit. A 3 day workout schedule consisting of meetings with the Heat, Raptors, and then Nets would you leave you to believe he may land in bottom half of the first round. Very unlikely that the Raptors take him at 13, but they have worked out numerous players that fall into the mid-late to late first round projection area. They may be looking to acquire another pick or simply looking to move down from the 13 slot.

Devin Ebanks: Has worked out with the Raptors and Wizards. Late first round material, possibly could fall into the early 2nd round. I expect him to pick up about 5-8 more workouts before draft night.

Kevin Seraphin: Only way he will remain in the draft is if he gets a first round promise. He won’t be able to workout for any NBA prior to draft with his latest injury, which fortunate for him isn’t that serious. Most NBA teams know who he is, but I doubt he gets the promise he is hoping for. Should be a first round pick next year if he continues to make strides.

Armon Johnson: With the lack of PG’s in the draft, Armon has a good shot to be selected in the first round. Very athletic. Has worked out for the Grizz, Heat, and Kings, and also attended a group session in Minny.

Stanley Robinson: Many don’t see him as a first rounder, but all it takes is for one team to fall in love with his athleticism and nab him in the late first round. He has worked out for the Raptors, Wizards, and Heat. At this point though, it seems he will be a 2nd round pick.

Gani Lawal: Has worked out for the Bulls, Pacers, Raptors, Bucks, and the Minny group workout. Most teams are familiar with him since he went through this process last year as well. At this point it seems as though he might slip into the 2nd round.

Willie Warren: Has already had 7 workouts, with more on the way. Spurs, Rockets, group workout in Minny, Knicks, Raptors, Pacers, and the Wizards. Could sneak into the late first round. I’m sure last year’s rocky season is being brought up in every interview, but he claims to be adjusting his attitude. Definitely first round caliber player, unfortunately, it seems he may be an early second round pick.

Lance Stephenson: He has had nothing but positive reviews since the draft process has started. I only show him working out at the Minny sessions, the Pacers, and the Warriors. I’m sure he has had a couple more than that, because it is unlikely the Pacers and Warriors draft him in their current first round positions. Of course, both teams have early 2nd round picks as well, so maybe they are holding out on the possibility he slides to them. He will most definitely have more workouts on the way as he tries to work himself into the late first round.

Keith ‘Tiny’ Gallon: I’m surprised to hear him being considered as a first round pick, but it actually seems possible. In an interview when asked about his draft range, he said he has heard mid-first round to early second round. He actually has connections with the Bucks already, he was Jenning’s high school teammate. I doubt a team will risk a first round pick on him, but he will be one of the first second round picks called. Since the Minny sessions, he has worked out for the Knicks, Wizards, Bucks, and Nets.

Ryan Richards: Mr. Mystery man himself isn’t so much a mystery now. His showing at the combine definitely landed him into the 2nd round. He is making his rounds and has worked out for 7 teams so far. Before the draft, he will probably have worked out for atleast 15 teams. Out of the teams that have worked him out, most have an early second pick, except for the Spurs, Grizz, and Bulls.

Greivis Vasquez: Has worked out for about five squads so far. I have him projected as an early second round pick, but he seems to be feeling really good about his workouts. He claims “a lot of people are going to be shocked” on June 24th. I doubt he received a promise from a team since he works out for the Heat within the coming week.

Nemanja Bjelica: Hasn’t made it over to America to workout for teams just yet. He also isn’t in attendance at the Adidas Eurocamp since he is still participating in his Serbian League. He still has a lot to prove, but NBA teams will get their chance to get a closer look at him. Any time you have teams with multiple picks in the first round, you can always consider them as a destination for an overseas player.

7 longs shots that could hear their name called in the first round: Darington Hobson, Sherron Collins, Mikhail Torrance, Jarvis Varnado, Robin Benzing, Tim Ohlbrecht, Tibor Pleiss

[kaceyParticipant]

Sorry for such a long post. It is like 12 Sheltwon posts in 1 (j/k Sheltwon).

I have a list of over 400 individual player workouts, and counting, on a spreadsheet. If I can organize it a little better I might share with the NBAdraft.net community. More often than not an NBA team will draft someone they brought in for a workout. Unfortunately, it is hard to figure what teams showed up at the Minnesota group workout, but I’m pretty sure all the teams had atleast one scout there.

[magmo68Participant]

…but very informative…thanx

[OhCanada-Participant]

kaceyy can you male me that list of 400 individual team workkouts

[sheltwon3Participant]

Kacey guess what I read your whole posts and I am impressed and I hey I have no problems about the joke. Most posts have been long in the past but I am getting away from that. you get points for the joke and your posts.

It was very informative .

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

Great Post…………….. I wrote this in a earlier post about how similar so many of this year’s players are…I think the guys that will get those last 10 spots will be based on team need not best player….After Richards Memphis workout they were raving about his basketball IQ and ball handling skills for a big man and they love fact that he’s only 19..But they said he must get physical….But who really knows becuz Every year team drafts someone even so called basketball junkies have never ever heard………

[OhCanada-Participant]

Kacey could you make a post on Osiris Eldridges scouting report please and thank you.

[OrangeJuiceJonesParticipant]

kacey, that’s a great post. It looks so professional.

I don’t think Stephenson will last past the 35th pick. His combination of strength, ball-handling and shot-creating ability is something that all teams covet. After all, the majority of guards and wings who are picked in the lottery are guys who either can create their own shot or have a lot of potential; IMO, Stephenson has both. So why wouldn’t a team snatch him up in the late 1st/early 2nd round?

If Willie Warren is selected in the first round, then the team that picked him will have made a great decision. This guy was considered a lottery talent after his freshman year, but he elected to return to school. I don’t think he’ll ever be a starter, but he could easily be a guy that gets you 13+ points a game coming off the bench.

[bdoody42Participant]

If one of these guys falls like Gilbert Arenas did they could make much more bank earlier in there careers. Could be a blessing in disguise.

[sheltwon3Participant]

I agree @ bdoody

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

Robin Benzing withdrew from the NBA Draft today.

[kaceyParticipant]

It is funny you bring Osiris Eldridges up. I actually plugged him into the 2nd round of my mock. He may have received a rumor by the Pistons in the 2nd round, but he has had a couple of workouts since.

He is only 6’3″ and is more of a shooting guard, but he is pretty explosive. Has a pretty good feel on the offensive end of the floor. Played pretty well in the Portsmouth Invitational, which is what led to his workouts. Pretty aggressive on the defensive end as well. Sported a crazy mo-hawk last year, so you know he has style.

[kaceyParticipant]

You have a link for that? Only thing I can find is that he is staying in Germany another year whether he is drafted or not, and that he will sit down and make a decision after the Eurocamp.

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

Draftexpress said it on Twitter. I mean we could take it for a grain of salt.

http://www.draftexpress.com/twitter.php

[kaceyParticipant]

I hit that site up as well and that wasn’t on there. Turn of events for Pleiss, he was rumored to be pulling out. I guess we won’t know anything for sure until the deadline.

[Mr.Knick 32Participant]

I know. Now it’s a rumor Pleiss could go 26 to OKC.

[wesleymatthews23Participant]

Kacey, email me that spreadsheet you have, please. I think I have the first round figured out but I could always use some help. That spreadsheet would be great. [email protected]

[OhCanada-Participant]

Wes idk if he’s online but he is updating it and he told me he would send it a couple days before the draft actaully this is what he told me..

Hey, Remind me to send you this list a couple of days before the draft. I still need to organize it into a more reader-friendly format. Plus there might be almost twice as many workouts as there have already been between now and the draft.

Hope that helps bud..

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