6/15 - Some Links, Some News

-On Sunday, Golden State hosted a huge workout with 17 NBA teams represented and 24 players projects in the late-first to early-second round present. Jonathan Givony of Draft Express gives some great feedback from the workout. The biggest piece of news from that workout was that Bill Walker injured his right knee during the three-man weave drill and was unable to participate. Reportedly, he only suffered a partial tear of his meniscus and there was no damage to the ACL, but combined with his history of knee problems, it still may be enough to scare away teams. Walker also only worked out for Toronto (17th) and Detroit (29th), so unless he receives a guarantee from one of them, he may be returning to K-State.

Courtney Lee, Richard Hendrix, and Brandon Rush all helped their stock with excellent performances. Lee looks like he is headed to Orlando (22nd), while Pheonix (15th) really likes Rush (although it has been reported that both Seattle and Cleveland are interested in Rush and may try to move up to Portland's pick (13th). Hendrix has been working out well through out the entire process, and should be a steal if he falls to the second round.

-Yesterday I looked at all of the college guys still on the fence concerning the NBA Draft, but one player I didn't consider was Danilo Gallinari. Several sources, including Chad Ford, reported this. According to Ford

One international player could make some serious noise at the deadline on Monday. Over the weekend, several sources said Italy's Danilo Gallinari might withdraw from the draft despite his projection as a lottery pick. According to sources from two teams, Gallinari's American agent, Arn Tellem, is telling teams that if he doesn't have a guarantee by Monday from a team drafting in the top 10, he'll withdraw.

Tellem denied the rumors on Sunday evening, telling ESPN.com via text message that Gallinari is "staying in the draft."

Gallinari wants to play in one of the bigger markets and would most likely like to avoid a situation similar to Yi Jianlian last year. He also has a legitimate shot to be the first pick of the 2009 draft.

Another interesting situation in this draft is that due to the current rookie salary caps and the weak dollar, it is becoming more profitable for international players to remain overseas (i.e. Fran Velazquez in 2005 or Tiago Splitter in 2007). As a result, there is more of an incentive to wait until the second round to pick these guys so as to avoid the salary cap and pay these players an amount close to what they would receive overseas.

-A couple players are still dealing with maturity issues. Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports takes another look at the Michael Beasley saga. Beasley has never been in trouble with the law,and although he attended five high schools, many of the changes were not the result of behavioral problems. He left one school because it was made up of primarily rich, white kids. He went to Oak Hill because of their tradition as a basketball program, but left for a prep school because there were issues over the amount of high school eligibility he had remaining. Goodman spoke to just about every coach Beasley has ever played for, and every account was glowing - he is a hard worker, great listener, and very coachable, but he is just a goof ball. Is that really worse than a Ron Artest or a Stephen Jackson?

DeAndre Jordan is another guy who is trying to prove he is mentally ready for the league. Apparently it is not the work ethic or talent that is scaring some teams off, it is his emotional and mental make-up. Jordan has a tendency to get too down on himself when things are not going well, which makes him a very inconsistent performer. Thus far, his workout performance has been consistent with this season's performance - inconsistent. Some think he may have played his way out of the lottery and even showed up to his interviews in shorts and a t-shirt.

Draft Express has also reported that Jordan and JaVale McGee have been outplayed by lower-rated prospects Alexis Ajinca and Roy Hibbert.

Two players we haven’t heard great things about from their workouts so far as DeAndre Jordan and JaVale McGee. Both have reportedly been outplayed by lower rated prospects such as Alexis Ajinca (in Charlotte) and Roy Hibbert. Jordan has not impressed anyone by showing up for his job interview (what this is essentially) in a t-shirt and shorts while players such as Hibbert and Courtney Lee arrived prepared to get down to business in a suit and tie. Jordan, in the words of one scout "could drop right out of the lottery" if he isn't careful, based off the way he's been working out. Hibbert on the other hand has gotten some strong reviews from teams who have seen him so far, as he appears to be in excellent shape and is reminding people why he was considered a lock for the lottery just a year ago, running the floor well (better than his peers), finishing with either hand around the basket, and shooting the ball better than expected from outside. Not surprisingly, the 21-year old Georgetown product has been extremely impressive off the court as well—which is an underrated element in this process.