The Quest for Tony's Eyebrows: the 2012 NBA Draft

Doesn't bode well for any team that stuffs him full of money and expects him to act like a man.

― Aimless, Tuesday, June 26, 2012 3:14 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

people said this about dwight howard & amare stoudemire, too

so can someone tell me about damian lillard?

here is chad ford

Over the weekend, I made visits to three California gyms to watch workouts -- one in Santa Monica, another in Reseda and a third in Oakland on Saturday.

The three workouts were all different. Over 80 general managers and NBA scouts attended a group workout for the Wasserman group on Friday morning. The workout was headlined by Terrence Jones, Fab Melo and Tony Wroten Jr. The workout was drill-oriented and didn't involve any actual competition.

On Friday afternoon, I was in the 360 gym to watch trainer Joe Abunassar work out his clients -- Terrence Ross, Arnett Moultrie, Jet Chang and Terrell Stoglin. After the workout, I was able to see the top prospects compete in some competitive four-on-four action alongside and against NBA players Austin Daye and Rasual Butler.

On Saturday, Aaron Goodwin invited me to Oakland to watch a grueling private workout for Damian Lillard.

Here's what I learned:

• If the draft plays out the way we expect it to, nine of the top 10 players in the draft will come from five of the biggest programs in college basketball -- Kentucky, UConn, North Carolina, Kansas and Baylor.

The 10th will be from lowly Weber State. The Big Sky school is located 30 minutes north of Salt Lake City and isn't known for producing draft picks (its best player was Willard Sojourner, a second-round pick of the Chicago Bulls in 1971) -- let alone lottery picks. So pardon Lillard if he thinks that his sudden thrust into the limelight is a bit surreal.

Yes, he was the second-best scorer in college basketball last season at 24.5 ppg. Yes, he ranked with the lowest turnovers per possession (one turnover every 8.9 possesion) for any point guard in the country. Yes, he ranked No. 2 in John Hollinger's college PER at 33.58 behind only Anthony Davis. And yes, that efficiency ranking was especially impressive because Lillard used 25 percent of his team's possessions while Davis used just 15 percent.

Nevertheless, juniors from Weber State who were lightly recruited out of high school and missed almost their entire sophomore seasons with injuries aren't supposed to be lottery picks.

"I was surprised," Lillard said when I asked him how he reacted when we pegged him as a lottery pick in Feb. 21. "I was hearing second round. Maybe late first round. When you come from a school like Weber State, that's the most you can hope for. But lottery? Don't get me wrong, I think I belong. I just didn't think anyone else did."

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AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Lillard owns a solid jump shot and showed that again during workouts.
Three months later, virtually everyone else does. The majority of scouts and GMs I spoke with this weekend had Lillard in the lottery. Many had him in the top 10. Most believe he'll be the first point guard taken on draft night. Once they see him in workouts, the few teams that are holding out are likely to come into the fold.

Lillard put on one of the most impressive workouts I've seen in a while. The grueling 1½-hour session had Lillard going full speed for the entire workout. He ran the length of the floor repeatedly, shuffled side to side with medicine balls, shot jumpers with a huge tether around his waist and, as the sweat poured down his face, he just kept hitting shot after shot after shot.

There are very few holes in Lillard's game. He's got a terrific jump shot with excellent range. While some scouts have questioned just how athletic he is, his agent, Aaron Goodwin, told me that he's consistently measuring out with a 40-inch vertical. On Saturday he was still exploding off the floor for emphatic dunks, even at the end of the workout. Lillard is quick with the ball and has a tight handle. While we didn't get to see this in the workout, he's a willing passer who is comfortable finding the open man.

Above it all, everyone who knows him says that the most impressive thing about Lillard is his work ethic. He is constantly trying to improve his game, and it's hard to get him out of the gym. He looked like he was incredible shape and has clearly been putting in the work to make sure teams know how good is.

It's tough to blame him.

Lillard was a late bloomer who didn't get much attention from scouting services or high-major recruiters (he was ranked as the No. 48 point guard in his class by ESPNU). He played AAU ball for the Oakland Rebels, not the elite Oakland Soldiers club. When Weber State came calling, Lillard was happy. After a terrific senior year in high school, a few major programs started to show interest, but Lillard felt like Weber State would be the best fit.

"I didn't want to be someone's backup plan," Lillard said. "I wanted to go to a team that wanted me to play an important role. I felt like Weber State would give me the chance to start over and become who I believed I could become. It was a great decision."

Lillard came in and was an instant impact player for the Wildcats. He averaged 11.5 ppg as a freshman and earned Big Sky freshman of the Year honors. As a sophomore, he averaged 19.9 ppg, shot 43 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3 -- earning him first-team, all-Big Sky honors and getting him an honorable mention on the AP All-America team. As a junior, he broke his foot 10 games into the season and was given a medical redshirt by the NCAA.

Lillard spent the time off lifting weights and watching game film. He watched all 71 games the Wildcats had played in his time there and returned with both a stronger body and a higher basketball IQ.

Lillard was special as a junior and by midseason a number of scouts were predicting he could be the top point guard off the board on draft night. Lillard is now in competition with North Carolina's Kendall Marshall and Syracuse's Dion Waiters to be the first point guard off the board.

With several teams, including the Blazers, Raptors, Hornets and Suns (and possibly the Jazz if the Warriors fall to eighth in the lottery), on the prowl for a point guard, he could go as high as No. 6 and it's likely that he doesn't slip past 13 on draft night.

I don't really get how Royce White fits in Boston. Seems too much like a low post version of Rondo. Not a great shot, needs the ball in his hand, great vision/passing. Maybe they're just looking for a playmaker for when Rondo sits? Seems like they'd be more interested in replacing Ray.

Probably shouldn't question Ainge's drafting or Doc's ability to utilize him..... Mostly just wish he'd slide a little further so my team could grab him. Great value in the 20s.

― Moreno, Tuesday, June 26, 2012 12:49 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yah im sure ainge just thinks hell be a steal and isnt really worrying abt fit

and pruiti

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/30610/2012-nba-draft-evaluating-the-point-guards

thanks!

so can someone tell me about damian lillard?

― @cavsdan (Clay), Tuesday, 26 June 2012 21:50 (12 minutes ago) Permalink

if he went to a bigger school I think he'd be going number 2.

I'm watching the Nike hoops summit, the tall kid from massachusetts w/the hair is in it

4. Andre Drummond, C, UConn

Selected by: Daniel Gibson

"He's a young, athletic 7-footer with great potential," says Cavs guard Gibson about Drummond, who ranked in the top 30 in both offensive rebound and block percentage. "And, as they say, you just can't teach height." (Drummond averaged 10 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 2.7 bpg in just over 28 minutes per game.)

Has this been posted?

www.cbssports.com/nba/draft/gm-ratings/

Rates all current GMs draft performance. Guess whose at the bottom

feel like it needs to be related to draft position - Pat Riley and Donnie Nelson have (for the most part) been picking in the teens and twenties as GMs, they haven't had the freebies of a Lebron/Durant/etc.

feel like it needs to be related to draft position - Pat Riley and Donnie Nelson have (for the most part) been picking in the teens and twenties as GMs, they haven't had the freebies of a Lebron/Durant/etc.

Yeah that's factored in there

Also all the Royce white/Anthony Mason comparisons reminded me of Anthony Mason's awesomeness

Guess whose at the bottom

Guess who's in second place ... Geoff Petrie! And then Billy King at 3!

Scrap the whole thing and start over imo

Yeah forming a coherent team out of those draft picks clearly isn't a factor. Nor is who you passed on

i've always loved this feature http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8100861/ford-vs-simmons

also chad ford SAVAGES austin rivers

SAVAGES might be too kind. He all but calls him the homeless man's Tyreke.

this is the strongest i've ever heard chad ford speak against a prospect

FORD: Look, Lillard was a late bloomer. He wasn't lightly recruited until his senior season. You may be right that Rivers would've put up better numbers as a freshman. However, here's my knock on Rivers. He thinks he's Kobe. He's not. He doesn't have the length, the height, nor the athletic ability. Take those things away from Kobe, and he's Ricky Davis — an irritating ball hog no one wants to play with and who isn't good enough to warrant the diva act.

SIMMONS: Wow, you just waved two middle fingers at Doc Rivers — you compared his son to his least favorite player to have ever coached. Why didn't you just throw a Dominique Wilkins barb in there while you were at it?

FORD: Lillard is a willing passer. Rivers isn't and will never be. Lillard made dramatic improvements from year to year. I thought Rivers was the exact player in college that he was in high school. Lillard is a team player. He was the second most efficient player in college basketball DESPITE being the only decent player on his entire roster; teams game planned to stop him and him alone every night. I just don't see Rivers ever being anywhere near as unselfish or efficient. I think Rivers will be shocked at the athleticism and length at his position. He'll try to do the same things at which he excelled in high school, spend a lot of time on the bench, get into it with his coach and teammates, get traded in a year or two to a desperate team, put up huge numbers for a cellar-dweller for a year or two, make some money, and eventually, teams will realize he can't be the alpha dog on a winning team.

SIMMONS: Other than that, you're a huge Austin Rivers fan.

FORD: I honestly think Rivers is the one guy I wouldn't touch in the lottery. Too toxic for team chemistry, doesn't have the same physical tools to make it worth it.

‏@Chris_Broussard
G State is eyeing several SFs via trade: Rudy Gay, Iguodala, Marvin Williams, in addition to Wil Chandler, sources say. Nothing imminent.

Marvin Williams, yikes

hahahahahahahahaha

smh

curry-thompson-ACTUALLY GOOD SF X-lee-bogut

that's a decent team! as long as "actually good SF X" isn't marvin williams

Marvin Williams isn't actually any good so doesn't change your equation.

Pablo S. Torre ‏@SIPabloTorre

Royce, on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: "I don't like that kid. He's too hyped up. He's not as good as they think he is. He's a kid. I'm a man."

Asked Royce what he told Drummond, who'd downplayed ISU frontcourt, in ISU-UConn: "'You f----- up. You talked too much.'

also chad ford SAVAGES austin rivers

― J0rdan S., Wednesday, June 27, 2012 2:31 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ya ive been v surprised at how much love rivers has gotten, chad ford otm

Beckley Mason ‏@BeckleyMason
Important report from the draft: loooooots of staring at reporters trying to match faces to Twitter profile pictures

i've been low on austin rivers since he was in high school

oh man, ford has the nuggets taking royce white in that thing. PLEASE

i can't decide whether i want the nuggets to take a stretch 4 or a back up point guard. i'm giddy at the thought of either.

"he's roy tarpley before the drugs"

this draft is gonna be fun. does NBA tv do live coverage? has to be better than ESPN's right?

espn's nba draft coverage is amazing in its wall-to-wall spectacle of ineptitude.

it's kind of nuts that TNT once had the draft. i would pay an embarrassing sum of money for that to happen tomorrow night.

srsly

omg it's today

please don't fuck it up gms (esp. blazers)

@ESPNStatsInfo: Since 1999, Spurs have made 27 picks, 15 have been international players. That is the most int'l players drafted by a team since then

dispite all the darko/grainy video/workout wonder bashing the spurs of course know whats up

the nba today podcast from this morning with ryan rueselio & chad ford was very good

of those drafted, offhand:
Parker
ginobili
splitter
Scola
dragic
barbosa (I think?)

that's not a bad starting 5 tbh
god why couldn't we have had Scola

xpost cause bron wont have a ring

Chad Ford ‏@chadfordinsider
Just going up on ESPN with @ESPNSteinLine: Celtics pessimistic they can get high enough in draft No. 1 target Austin Rivers

o jesus

doc over compensating for being a horrible father

hahaha
doc yelling at Austin
FUCK U DAD
AUSTIN YOURE GROUNDED
ESPN reports the team has suspended Austin Rivers for his potty mouth

austin rivers has been send to bed w/o dunks

o my god they cannot be serious

Austin you get to shoot 4 more three pointers before bed because you earned 4 downtown bucks on your star chart

this has to be some thing where doc sat danny down and was like "look let's leak to the press that we tried to get austin so he doesn't hold any resentment but don't actually try and draft him"

docs the only one who can salvage austins career that hes dooming via his selfish style of play which he developed in a desperate attempt to get his coach father to pay attention to him

aw