Visit Scouting Reports: Part 1 for
coverage of the Top 30 Prospects
Brandon Bass
"Bass made a very bad decision entering the draft this year. He
could have been looking at averaging 20 points and 10 boards per game
for one of the best teams in the SEC next year. Instead he entered
a draft loaded with power forwards and younger, better, big men, and
finds himself down in the middle of the 2nd round. Still, Bass has
a nice 250 pound body which he was never afraid to throw around in the
college ranks, and he has a nice touch on the inside as well. With
another year of college, he could have guaranteed himself a spot in the
1st round like Randolph Morris."
Andray Blatche
"The biggest problem with Blatche is figuring out what role he'll fill
for an NBA team. He's just short of 7-0, but Blatche obviously
goes to sleep at night dreaming that he was a point guard and not a
dominant center. He's athletic and skilled, but he's not extremely
fast, nor is he extremely strong. Outside of Gerald Green, Blatche
is perhaps the most physically intriguing of the high school players,
but his game needs refinement."
Andrew Bynum
"Unlike Blatche, Bynum is a more prototypical center, the type that most
NBA teams lack. I've seen him for a few seasons now, and up until
a year or so, I never thought he'd amount to much as he was always a
step behind the other top big men. But suddenly, something
clicked, and he was looking at a scholarship from UCONN. Then
something else clicked, and he was suddenly looking at the first round
of the NBA Draft. At 250 pounds, Bynum already has a man's body, and
he's bit more of a sure thing than his counterpart big man Blatche."
Travis Diener
"How lucky did Tom Crean get with Wade and Diener coming to Marquette.
Both of these players have made a rather average college coach look like
a young coaching star. Diener was simply a one-man team for
Marquette, and while he fell off the national scene because of an injury
the latter half of the season, his stock has rose again behind strong
workouts and his performance in the Pre-Draft Camp. Diener has the
best shot of any 2nd round point-guard to stick in the league, and he
could be a surprisingly successful player."
Daniel Ewing
"Perhaps the best thing that happened to Ewing was the success of Chris
Duhon. Duhon will make teams weary of passing up another Duke
floor general, but Ewing is not near the leader that Duhon was.
Odds are Ewing will never be anything but a potential 10-day contract
guy, as he's more of a hybrid scorer than leader, but 6-3 scorers aren't
needed in the NBA."
John Gilchrist
"Coming off a season in which he shot just 42% and averaged only 13.9
per game, Gilchrist probably didn't pick the best time to go pro.
Maryland was extremely disappointing last year, and Gilchrist was as big
a culprit as anyone else. Besides the obvious ball-handling
skills, and shooting range, NBA GM's are looking for point guards who
are natural winners and natural leaders, neither of which is Gilchrist's
forte."
Luther Head
"Head had a great NBA Pre-Draft Camp, and suddenly played himself into
early 2nd round consideration. It's still hard to imagine a 6-3
shooting guard who has been nothing but a 3rd option on his college team
making much of an impression in the NBA. Developing a
consistent 40% three-point shot was the best thing that ever happened to
his game, but the question is whether he can hit those shots coming off
movement, with bigger defenders in his face, while he's farther
from the basket. Unlike a Salim Stoudamire however, Head has shown
a bit more versatility in his game and better ball-handling skills."
Julius Hodge
"Hodge was CHN's Preseason Player of the Year, and he made us as the
Wolfpack got off to a very slow ACC start behind Hodge's poor shooting.
However, the team came out of nowhere to make the Sweet 16, and his
team's success reinvigorated his once wilting draft stock. The
same criticisms exist about Hodge today as they did the first day he
walked onto campus in Raleigh. His ability to handle the ball and
spell the point guard could be his ticket to NBA success, as will
proving that he can use his long arms to shut down opposing 2-guards.
Jarrett Jack
"I've never been the biggest fan of Jack, who no doubt is a solid
player, but he lacks that spark that makes you think he can be a special
player. This draft is rather thin on point guard talent beyond
Paul, Williams, and Felton, and his biggest competition for a draft spot
is Roko Leni-Ukic. While Jack projects to be a consistent back-up
point guard in the NBA, Leni-Ukic has that extra something which makes
you think he could one day develop into a starter. Jack's outside
shot has been improving each year at Georgia Tech, and his next hurdle
to overcome is cutting down on the turnovers."
Amir Johnson
"Johnson is still deciding between Louisville and the NBA. It's
pretty much a given that he won't go higher than the middle of the 2nd
round, and going pro would make little sense for the young man. At
Louisville, he could team up with Juan Palacios to form one of the best
young frontcourts in the entire country. At 6-9, he's a good
leaper and a good athlete, but his game is simply not ready for the
professional ranks yet. He's not even as good as guys like Josh
McRoberts and Keith Brumbaugh who are attending college this fall."
Linas Kleiza
"Kleiza improved tremendously from his freshman season, showing the
ability to take over games at times. However, he can be
frustratingly streaky at times, and his production jumped all over the
place for the Tigers. While he's been working on improving his
long-range stroke, Kleiza is most effective when he attacks the basket
and gets himself to the free-throw line. For my money, Kleiza is
as good a prospect as the guys who will go in the 25-30 range, and he
could be one one of the most productive guys to get picked in the 2nd
round along with Gonzaga's Turiaf."
CJ Miles
"Miles is rather unknown for a high school player projected to go in the
1st draft. He doesn't have the wow skills of a Green or Webster,
nor the height of a Bynum and Blatche. What Miles does bring to
the table is the least raw, and most developed game of the high school
crop, and a solid 6-6 frame for a wing player. He doesn't have the
sick hops and athleticism of a Josh Smith or JR Smith, so don't expect
him to walk in from day one and put up 10 ppg."
Randolph Morris
"Morris hasn't officially decided at this point whether he'll return to
Kentucky or go pro. Right now, he projects to be an early 2nd
round pick, but in next year's draft, Morris would be looking at top
20-25 easily. Unlike most big men, Morris impresses because he
actually stays down in the pivot, and doesn't try to impress you with
finesse. The Wildcats lost a lot of talent in the off-season, and
if he returned to college, he'd probably be a lock for 14-15 points and
8 rebounds per game. He's not quick or explosiveness or even
strong enough to make an imprint in the NBA at this point, and another
year or two of Tubby seasoning would certainly help his game."
Salim Stoudamire
"It's hard to imagine a guy can shoot 50% from three and 50% from the
floor and be as overlooked as Stoudamire. Perhaps its because he's
out on the West Coast, or perhaps it's because Dickie V won't shut up
about JJ Redick. Yes, Stoudamire is short, especially for a
shooting guard, and he has virtually no interior game to speak of, but
if he can manage to prove to scouts that he can hit the NBA three at a
40% clip, then he'll squeeze onto the back end of some team's roster one
day."
Matt Walsh
"Walsh joins Anthony Roberson as Gators who are leaving early.
He's come on late in the Draft workout process to become somewhat of a
hot commodity. But, for all his natural talent, Walsh never scored
more than 16 pg or 5pg for a season, and he has almost as many turnovers
as assists for his college career. He'll probably move up into the
early to mid second round by impressing a team with his versatile
offensive ability, but his game is more suited for highlight reels then
the prime time. However, Walsh should be one of the few second
round picks who makes a squad from the get-go, and ends up averaging a
handful of points per game for his career."
Visit Scouting Reports: Part 1 for
coverage of the Top 30 Prospects
