Eric GordonESPN’s Chad Ford was at the Orlando pre-draft camp when the big dogs showed up on Friday. Here’s how they fared…
* Mike Beasley - Just because Derrick Rose was outstanding during the latter parts of the universally-watched tournament, people are quick to forget Beasley’s unbelievable skill set. Ford was wowed by Beasley’s jumper:
While other workouts were going on, we all watched in awe as Beasley drained NBA 3-pointer after NBA 3-pointer. That continued in the workouts, in which Beasley shot as well as any prospect here.
Oh, and he touched the 11-foot, 9-inch mark on a vertical jump, giving him a 35-inch leap.
* Derrick Rose - He’s not the greatest jumpshooter, so that part of the workouts won’t win scouts over. But he’s still an athletic freak.
* O.J. Mayo - Mayo looked “as smooth and comfortable as anyone in the gym,” according to Ford. And interestingly, every time he was on the floor, he had the undivided attention of the Miami Heat brass:
It was interesting to watch one front-office team — from the Heat — zero in on Mayo. Many times, NBA executives and scouts spend as much time talking as they do watching the action. When Mayo was on the floor, he had the undivided attention of Pat Riley and GM Randy Pfund.
* Anthony Randolph - Is Randolph built in the mold of a Shawn Marion/Andrei Kirilenko/Tayshaun Prince? Or does his athleticism cover up for a serious lack of skill? In Orlando, he helped his cause with a consistent jumper and a couple more pounds than people might remember. Ford calls him one of the “top five prospects in this draft.”
* Eric Gordon - Sometimes he was air-balling three’s. Sometimes he makes it rain. But he’s a big, strong combo guard all of the time. Question remain as to whether he’s officially lottery-status.
* Russell Westbrook - Westbrook and D.J. Augustin have been running neck-and-neck to this point as the best option at point guard after Mayo and Jerryd Bayless. But Russell’s superior quickness and explosiveness drew ooh’s and aah’s, and he shot the ball extremely well in these workouts. “If you compared Westbrook and Augustin head-to-head in just the drills, Westbrook would win hands down.”
* Kevin Love - Continuing to impress with his jumper and trimmed down body. Plus, he’s an ox - he put up the 185 lbs. bench press 18 times. That’s pretty impressive, but not as good as Joe Alexander’s 24 reps. Joe Deliverance also posted a 40-inch vert.
* John Riek - The 7-2 center was a real disappointment, showing up to camp still hurt, having “no business playing here,” according to Ford. “He really needs to drop out of the draft, get healthy, find a good coach and start figuring out how to be a basketball player. He has a lot of physical gifts, but he’s light-years from being an NBA contributor.”
Read the rest of Ford’s breakdown HERE.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 9:30 am
shake&bake says:
I can’t imagine Mayo being taken over Beasley or Rose. Wonder if Riley is looking to trade down.
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:45 am
MoxWestCoastRep says:
OJ Mayo: Stephon Marbury 2.0
pass.
Other than Beasley and Rose, I think Bayless Love and Alexander are gonna be the 3 best pros. Also CDR is gonna be nice.
This is a good class tho- watch out for Javale McGee in 4 or 5 years. Could be another Zo
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:47 am
Joe says:
Seriously - so desperate for posts that you are actually straight-out copying news from an article by Chad Ford??
June 2nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
SayItAintSo says:
Well, I for one appreciate the post…they site the article here and god knows I wouldn’t have been on the ESPN website to find this article. I’d rather have DIME pick out the interesting ish for my lazzy@$$
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 am
Jimmy says:
I have to agree with Joe. I notice he’s been blasting Dime for a while now and what he says does make some sense - what is the point of articles that just point to articles written by others, as is becoming routine for Dime now?
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:14 am
Soopa says:
I think you two (Joe and Jimmy) need to figure out what this website is. If you want new basketball articals, which are deep and brilliant with an edge, buy Dime Mag. If you want a generel sourse of bball news, this blog (which is what this site is) is the place to go.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
Myrie says:
OJ Mayo as the #2 pick?
I am not sure wha Miami is thinking here if they go that route. It would be kinda like ATL passing on Deron Williams, Raymond Felton and Chris Paul when they knew damn well they needed a point guard.
Why would Miami pass up Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley?…for OJ Mayo?…are they friggin serious?!!?
This most be a BS ploy the way Rick Pitino did in Boston when he downplayed the skills of Ron Mercer. Pitino said he needed lots of work to be an NBA caliber player; Pitino coached Mercer in college at Kentucky.
Rick Pition and the Boston Celtics selected Ron Mercer with the #6 pick in the draft that year.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:44 am
dukesman2000 says:
Riek…OUCH!!!!!!
Kwame Brown made it really bad for bums who’re trying to cheat their way into the league.
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:47 am
Big Freeze says:
Yo Joe, quit hating and try to understand that this is a blog. Quit being a dumbass. I agree w SayitAintSo in that i’m too lazy to find these interesting articles, so i’m glad Dime Mag finds them for me and adds an element of humor that is lacking at other basketball sites.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Celts Fan says:
EXACTLY.
I’d assume a team like Minnesota or Seattle would trade up to get Beasley, so Miami, if they REALLY don’t want Beasley (which is insane, but beyond the point) should just move down, pick up a #2 or future #1 and grab OJ Mayo there.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Chuck...Haters come in all fashions and forms so bear arms says:
@Joe
man what’s up wit you lame characters coming on the site to shoot it down. Drink some of Kobe’s DNA and sit in a tub of R.kelley juice homo.
June 2nd, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Kudabeen says:
Mayo is a more skilled player that Rose, so taking him to stroke it up as Wade carves up defenses isn’t a horrible pick. I don’t know what Mayo did or didn’t do to get hated on (Marbury 2.0? That’s silly), but basketball wise he is the second best player in the draft. I like Mayo’s level-headedness and skill-set. They are reporting that his PG/distribution skills are highly underrated. I can’t wait to see the summer leagues this year.
Sleeper = Joe Alexander. He is gaining steam and showing that he has the strength to bang. He is my 3rd favorite talent in the draft so far.
There is an article about Beasily where his former coaches describe things that he do, that are just buffoonish. Someone was making the Dwight Howard comparisons, but Dwight is more goofy than buffoonish. Writing your name all over public property and people’s cars? check out the Truehoops article. Some people have the patience for that.
I will say on the court it’s nothing buffoonish about his game. Shoots with range, rebounds well, above average athletics , and endurance… Can’t be mad at that. I’m just hoping he don’t turn out to be more like a JR Smith. To damn silly to play to his capabilities. The comparisons of Beasley and Derrick Coleman are very interesting.
June 2nd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
Big Freeze says:
@ post 12
“I’m just hoping he don’t turn out to be more like a JR Smith.”
I doubt Beasley will turn into JR Smith and start jacking up 32 footers with 20 seconds remaining on the shot clock. He’ll be more like Reshard Lewis but with a bigger body and better rebounding skills
June 2nd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Smitty313 says:
Sleep on Mayo if you want to. I think he will be a beast in the NBA.
June 3rd, 2008 at 7:16 am
Dave says:
“Smitty313 says:
Sleep on Mayo if you want to. I think he will be a beast in the NBA. ”
Co-sign. What has this kid done to bring on the hate he’s getting? He’s going to be one of the best guards in the league for a long time.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Illmatic says:
@Dave
I think people pay way too much attention to the allegations of him accepting improper payments and gifts. I say, “Who cares?” He’s been destined to make millions anyways, everybody already knew college was just a stepping stone for him.