NBA Draft Notes

...According to Gary Woefel of the Racine Times, Joakim Noah doesn't intend to workout for the Bucks. While I'm not a big fan of Noah's, his unwillingness seems bizarre, especially since he worked out for the Timberwolves, who draft a slot below the Bucks. Is he dissing the Bucks? And if so, why? I don't think its the weather -- after all, he expressed an eagerness to play in Minneapolis, which is six hours north of here (part of the reason he said he wanted to play there is because of their Scandanavian culture, which I find humorous. What, is he going to honor his Swedish heritage by eating pregame Lutefisk?). Maybe the Bucks have told him they weren't interested. Woefel's posting doesn't make the reason(s) behind the decision clear.

...NBA.com's consensus mock draft, which is a survey of all the best mock drafts on the internet, currently has the Bucks taking PG Mike Conley with the 6th pick. While he's a nice looking prospect, he doesn't come without risk. According to DraftExpress.com, an excellent NBA Draft site, Conley put on a display of shooting at the Orlando predraft camp that would have made a cement worker proud. They say he couldn't hit a thing outside of 16 feet. That's worrisome. However, he did show up big time for the physical testing. He displayed outstanding upper body strength for a guy his size, he had the second highest standing vertical jump, and his speed was otherworldly.

...Want some more proof that Brandan Wright is a risky prospect? Check out his chicken legs. When have you seen legs that spindly on an interior player (remember, he has no perimeter game at all)? And get this: in my profile of Wright, I marveled at the fact that he was 6'10'' and somehow only carried 210 pounds. I was wrong! He only carries 200 pounds. How is that possible? This guy is a power forward prospect who has no bulk, who is devoid of upper body strength, and who has legs that look like they would break on impact with the ground. Also, even though Hoopshype.com describes him as "freakishly long", his vertical reach turns out to be less than Kevin Durant's, the same as Julian Wright's, and just an inch better than Joakim Noah's and Al Horford's. In other words, he isn't "freakishly long". So what does he offer? Oh, I hope the Bucks don't take him.

...Where did Orlando Tucker of Wisconsin get such a high opinion of his draft status? I personally view him as a borderline NBA prospect at best, but I don't think he sees it that way. Given his curious decision not to participate at all in the predraft camp, one has to assume he considers himself a first round lock. He's delusional. Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

...Speaking of delusional, where is Dominic James of Marquette getting his advice? He's making a fool of himself at the predraft camp, and he needs to pull out of this draft right now. Go back to school and develop your game.

...People are comparing SF Corey Brewer of Florida to Scottie Pippen. I think that's crazy. He's not nearly as long, and he lacks Pippen's well-rounded game. I see him, at the very best, as being another Tayshaun Prince. Or possibly the late Malik Sealy. No better than that, though. By the way, even though he looks anorexic, he's not all that weak. In fact, he bench pressed 185 pounds 11 times. Not bad, given his slight build. But still, if he doesn't put some more meat on his bones, he's going to get chewed up and spit out.

...This Spencer Hawes, the center from Washington, and a player some have compared to Andrew Bogut, sounds like a complete stiff. His body is relatively soft (he had the highest body fat percentage amongst measurees predraft physical), for his size he's not that strong (he did the same number of bench presses as Corey Brewer), he's slow as molasses, he has no quickness, and he can't jump over a village phone book. Someone will take him in the lottery, but you have to wonder why. You know he's never going to pan out. Mark my words, though, whoever picks him will justify it with the lame old saw "You can't teach size". How many draft busts have come with that inscription? Too many to count.

...A couple of posts back I made a comparison between Julian Wright and Luol Deng. Their games are pretty comparable, but I wasn't too sure of the physical similarities. But after checking DraftExpress.com's "Historical Measurements", the physical comparison is striking. Both have a vertical reach of 9'00'', Deng was slightly heavier coming out (220 vs. 210), and a bit stronger (5 reps at 185 vs. 2). Wright, on the other hand, has a superior "max" vertical (33.5 vs. 31.5), but they virtually did the same on lane agility drills (11.46 vs. 11.48).