July 7th, 2005

ABCD Camp Day Two: Players A to H

180 - Cole Aldrich (2007) - Bloomington, MN - 6’11 - 240 - 76ers

Aldrich is one of two players from Minnesota in camp (along with fellow 76ers teammate Blake Hoffarber.) For a kid with his size, he runs extremely well and looks very comfortable out there. Aldrich always seems to be around the basket, and isn’t trying to impress scouts with ridiculous jumpers like other big men out there. But, like some of the other younger big men in camp, he doesn’t get the ball very often so you don’t really know what he can do on the offensive end.

116 - Orlando Allen (2007) - Cincinnati, OH - 6’10 - 238 - Cavs

From a physical standpoint, Allen looks like a smaller version of Syracuse forward Darryl Watkins. He likes showing of his jumper, but unfortunately it’s yet to go in that I’ve seen. It comes off his hand very inconsistently, and particularly flat. Today was not Allen’s best game.

159 - Olu Ashalou (2008) - Brampton, ON - 6’7 - 215 - Magic

Let’s just be frank here. This kid is a star. Yes, he was occasionally out of control today, especially trying to do to much on the fast break, but he’s a beast. He plays with reckless abandon, and his coach in camp did a real good job force-feeding him the ball. He showed a little bit of everything today, turnaround jumpers, dunks, offensive boards, put back lay ins, and much more. A future star.

24 - Keegan Bell (2007) - Madison, AL - 6’1 - 177 - Magic

Bell wasn’t terribly impressive today. He’s always looking to make the pass which leads to a basket, but despite having great intentions, he’s like one split-second behind. It would also be nice to see if he has any outside shot to speak of.

114 - Derrick Caracter - Franwood, NJ - 6’9 - 270 - Bulls

It’s amazing how Caracter’s body has come around since a few years ago when I first saw him. Of course, he still weighs a healthy 270, but his physique is much more defined. As other players have sprouted in height, Caracter has lost some of his once dominant edge, but he’s still obviously a major player. He loves to face up, but when he does so, it’s almost guaranteed that he will settle for the jumper. There’s nothing wrong with this though because when Caracter shoots, the ball always comes out with perfect forward rotation. He seemed more dominant on the defensive interior than on offense, because his size makes it so hard for opposing big men to move him around like other guys. Plus he has surprisingly quick hands which enables him to block shots even if he doesn’t have the great vertical like other top big men.

34 - Corey Chandler (2007) - Newark, NJ - 6’0 - Magic

Chandler is a solid little player, who plays somewhat similarly to his teammate in camp Trevon Hughes. He has a nice outside shot, and you’d get the sense if he was a few inches taller, he’d be content to be a two guard.

113 - Wayne Chism - Bolivar, TN - 6’8 - 200 - Rockets

Chism has a solid basketball body, very mature. You like how when he gets the ball in the post, he moves with conviction, not showing any hesitancy. Still, for a kid who many consider to be one of the top 10 in the class, his performance wasn’t particularly exciting.

36 - Scott Christopher son (2007) - Melrose, WI - 6’2 - 175 - Wizards

I’ve yet to see this kid do much of anything. He’s there, but he basically just stands on the perimeter and if he gets the ball, he just passes it to the first open guy he sees. Perhaps he’ll become more assertive in the camp’s final days.

138 - Earl Clark - Rahway, NJ - 6’8 - 210 - Cavs

Clark was simply great today, after a rather pedestrian performance (for his standards) when I saw him yesterday. Clark always manages to maneuver his body into the lane, and frequently ends up on the foul line. He looked pretty comfortable when he was occasionally used to bring the ball up the court, though he needs to get his head off the floor when he does so.

77 - Daequan Cook - Dayton, OH - 6’5 - 210 - Sonics

Cook was quiet once again today, looking rather disinterested. It didn’t help matters that he was guarded in the game I saw by star athlete Paul Harris.

151 - Jabari Edwards (2007) - Brooklyn, NY - 6’10 - 195 - Magic

Even though 195 pounds seems very weak for a guy his size, he doesn’t play as weakly as some of the other big sticks in camp. Edwards is much more willing to box out and mix it up inside, as compared to a similarly sized player like Kellen Lee.

102 - Keenan Ellis (2007) - Cincinnati, OH - 6’11 - 200 - 76ers

I wasn’t really watching Ellis today, but he did get my attention by picking up a very rare ABCD Camp technical foul. It was for hanging on the rim, but it was really an unnecessary and petty call by the ref.

184 - Jenard Fleming - Richmond, VA - 6’5 - 190 - Celtics

Fleming is listed as a two guard, but his body type looks like a small forwards. Besides his quality size, I was also impressed by his ability to handle the ball with ease from the point guard position.

9 - Rahmon Fletcher (2007) - Kansas City, MO - 5’10 - 151 - Bulls

While he’s not the shortest player in camp, he’s definitely the smallest when you take into account weight and muscle. He’s very quick, and tries to use this advantage on defense by jumping out to steal every pass. If his opponents were smart, they’d just go back door to keep him honest.

37 - Darius Gabriel (2008) - Queens, NY - 6’2 - 180 - Knicks

Gabriel was impressive today. You of course have to take his age into account, and his size is all the more impressive for an ‘08 point guard. He really looks good when he simply rears back and tries to beat his man off the dribble.

39 - Derek Glasser - Marina Del Rey, CA - 6’2 - 175 - Warriors

I didn’t get to see Glasser yesterday, but he looks like a nice little player. His shot seems like his biggest strength, and when his shot hit’s the rim, the ball comes off extremely softly. He’s not terribly flashy handling the ball, and mainly utilizes change of speeds to get it done which works in the open court. However in the half-court, he doesn’t have the speed or strength yet to take it to the rack and finish.

135 - Drew Gordon (2008) - San Jose, CA - 6’8 - 220 - Bulls

Gordon’s listed as a C, but eventually he become a strong power forward. He’s extremely tough on the boards, and loves to block shots on defense. On one possession, he blocked two opposing jump shooters on shots that most players would have no chance to swat.

13 - Kalvin Grady (2007) - Ada, MI - 5’11 - 170 - Warriors

Grady was pretty exciting today, and plays like a New York bred point guard. He was very assertive, especially in the open floor, where he plays with a little flare. His highlight of the day was a solid behind the back pass on the break which led to an easy lay in.

78 - Zachary Graham (2007) - Lawrenceville, GA - 6’5 - 200 - Bulls

Graham is an impressive player who looks like he still has some room to grow. He makes his home on the left wing, and he’s always looking to drive when he gets the ball from that position. He plays with a lot of power, and if he gains a few inches, could be a major factor at the three or four in college.

79 - Daniel Hackett (2007) - Downey, CA - 6’5 - 198 - 76ers

I didn’t give Hackett any ink yesterday, but he played very well today. He showed a good inside-outside combination, hitting some outside shots, and also going to the hole strong. When Hackett takes the ball to the rim, he does so with a purpose. I love how he uses his whole body to protect the ball, ensuring that at the very least he’s going to get fouled. This is reminiscent of how a guy like Stephon Marbury cups the ball with his strong arms when he goes to the basket.

81 - Paul Harris - Niagara Falls, NY - 6’5 - 225 - Celtics

Like most of the big-time players, there’s not too much to add about Harris’ game that you haven’t already heard. It’s amazing how his range seems to stop like one foot in front of the three-point line. His shot is naturally flat (too flat), and he just can’t seem to get it locked in from behind the arc. Late in one game, he got leveled by a strong pick from Greg Oden, and I saw the Syracuse staff cringe from the corner of my eye.

109 - Taylor Harrison - San Clemente, CA - 6’9 - 235 - Suns

Harrison was much more active during today’s afternoon session than he was yesterday. Even though he looks like he would have fit in my law school rec league, he flashed some serious potential. He hit a couple of 10 foot jumpers, and had a nice touch, and showed off the nice touch on one or two close range shots as well. The problem is that against the better players, those little lay-ins with a nice touch will be swatted away, so he needs to work on finishing with more power.

167 - Tom Herzog - Linden, MI - 7’0 - 220 - Knicks

Didn’t see too much of Herzog today, but he wasn’t as sharp today as yesterday in the limited minutes I watched. Unselfishness is a good thing, but when you’re 7’0, there’s no need to be passing the ball when your one foot from the basket. Just catch the ball, go up strong, and dunk it.

56 - Blake Hoffarber (2007) - Minnetonka, MN - 6’3 - 190 - 76ers

Hoffarber’s game wasn’t quite at the same high level as it was on day one, but he was still impressive. Just watching him shoot (even when it doesn’t go in), you just have to love how he releases the ball very quickly, and from a position above his head which makes it hard to block. His highlight of the day in my eyes was taking a nice charge that prevented a lay up.

28 - Trevon Hughes - Rosedale, NY - 6’1 - 190 - Magic

You know it’s a very weak point guard crop when Hughes is considered one of the ten best in the country. No doubt he’s a solid player, and he can really shoot it from three which keeps the defense honest. I think part of my issue with Hughes, is that he seems very nonchalant out there. Perhaps he’s already decided on a school, because he plays like he’s got nothing at stake here.

..Continue to Day Two: Players J to P (Jefferson, Kemp, Meeks, Mayo, Oden, and more..)

..Continue to Day Two: Players R to Z (Rios, Stephenson, Thomas, Wallace, and more..)