Monday Insider........sorry its so late

[Admin]

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The good news is that the Los Angeles Lakers are putting the New Jersey Nets out of their misery quickly.

The bad news for the other 28 teams in the NBA is that the Lakers brain trust, fresh off the defection of Jerry West, is quietly laying the groundwork to inject the team with a vital shot of athleticism and youth. While the Lakers beat the Nets senseless in East Rutherford this week, Lakers brass will cross the river to conduct a secret workout for community college phenom Qyntel Woods.

Woods told ESPN Insider this weekend that he'll fly to New York and conduct a private workout with the Lakers on Thursday. The Lakers' workout will come on the heels of a big workout for Woods in Denver early this week against other top prospects like Drew Gooden, Caron Butler and Jared Jeffries.

Who is Woods, you ask? Some people in the NBA feel he might be the next Tracy McGrady. He's a 6-foot-9, 230-pound scoring maniac who handles like a guard. He averaged more than 30 points a game and can jump out of the gym. Scouts say he's an excellent passer, has a killer jumper and a certain "knack" that just can't be taught. That's just what Laker-haters everywhere wanted to hear.

"He (Woods) can do some things with the ball at 6-foot-9 that most 6-foot point guards can't," one veteran scout told Insider. "He can hit the NBA 3, no question. He's got a great feel for the game. I don't think the comparisons to a young Tracy McGrady are that far off. He's not there now. But he has that potential."

While the Lakers are still undeniably the kings of the NBA, the team is concerned about its depth and its age. One of their brightest young players, Devean George, is an unrestricted free agent this summer and there are rumblings he's looking for a team that will allow him to better showcase his skills.

The Lakers began ordering tapes of Woods more than a month ago, and according to Woods, finally convinced him to come in for a workout last week. Woods had refused earlier requests because of the Lakers' draft position. However, the Lakers finally convinced Woods after revealing their plan to move up in the draft.

For a realistic shot at getting Woods, L.A. will likely have to move up into the top seven or eight choices. With Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant basically untouchable, the Lakers would likely have to offer a player like Robert Horry or Rick Fox to get that high in the draft. Both the Clippers, who draft No. 8 and the Bucks, who draft No. 13, are interested in moving their picks.

Rumors flying around the league about Woods' marijuana use as a teenager have caused his stock to slip a bit. However, Woods addressed those issues again Saturday and claimed it is no longer an issue.

"It's in the past," Woods told Insider. "Everybody makes mistakes or has things they wish they could go back and change. I'm a good kid. I've never been in trouble with the law or anything like that. There are a lot of kids in this draft who have done worse things than me."

Northeast Mississippi Community College coach Mike Lewis said scouts have asked him "in a round-about way" about Woods' drug use.

"I just tell them that I never had a problem," he told the Memphis Commercial Appeal recently. "We have random tests, and Qyn passed them all. And I never thought that way of him anyway."

"It's really not an issue," one league executive who interviewed Woods told Insider on condition of anonymity. "We did our homework, talked to the kid and don't think it will be a problem. Given all of the problems some of these kids face, it wasn't an issue."

Woods already has worked out for the Rockets, Suns, Bucks, Wizards and Knicks and still has workouts scheduled with the Nuggets, Knicks (for a second visit), Cavs, Clippers and Warriors. Clearly, he isn't putting all of his eggs in one basket.

His early workouts have gone well. Teams are learning that what he lacks in experience he makes up in ability and drive. During a game last season against Holmes Community College, football players in the stands began taunting Woods, chanting "overrated" as he struggled to score 12 points in the first half. By halftime, Woods was determined to prove them wrong. He went out and scored 40 points in the second half.

"They made me aspire to go after it," Woods said. "After the game those same football players wanted my autograph."

Did he give it to them? "Hell no."

If the Lakers were to make the move, it would be their first major draft deal since 1996 when the Lakers sent Vlade Divac to the Hornets in exchange for a high school kid named Kobe Bryant.

Heaven help the NBA.

Insider Mock Draft II

With annual NBA trade rumor and second-round draft pick convention in Chicago finally over, it's time to revisit Insider's mock draft.

Mike Dunleavy is still the wild card that throws a severe wrench in everything. If the Rockets continue to experience trouble with Yao, Dunleavy understands that there's a good liklihood that he could be the No. 1 pick in the draft. That's something that's impossible next year thanks to LeBron James.

ESPN Insider talked to Dunleavy Saturday and it was pretty clear that the chance that he could be the No. 1 overall pick and the risk of injury were what were pushing him to declare.

James suffered his broken wrist after we talked, but you have to believe that the incident will have an impact. There are no guarantees in basketball.

"I know everything can change tomorrow," Dunleavy said. "An injury, a disappointing season and my stock plummets. You can't help but think about it. . ."

Click here for our second mock draft. To quote Dunleavy, everything can change tomorrow.

Chicago Pre-Draft Camp Wrap

CHICAGO -- Day 3 of the predraft camp here at Moody Bible College featured a few strong performances by the likes of Tennessee's Vincent Yarbrough and Shaw's Ronald Murray. The question is whether it was too little too late.

A few players, like Arkansas State's Jason Jennings were able to redeem themselves but several others, such as Oregon's Freddie Jones, saw their stock slip into the second round.

Since the NBA won't do it, here are ESPN Insider's "All Chicago" first and second teams.

Recaps and Boxscores | Rosters

FIRST TEAM

Ryan Humphrey, F, Notre Dame -- He didn't put up the numbers he did in Day 1, but his opening day performance combined with a decent showing Thursday (12 points, 8 rebounds) and Friday (8 points, 8 rebounds) created enough buzz to push Humphrey into the first-round picture. If he was two inches taller, he'd be a lock.

Tito Maddox, G, Fresno State -- Maddox scored in double figures all three games and showed excellent court vision, passing skills and an ability to get to the basket. He scored 13 points and dished out 5 assists on Friday and several teams were buzzing that he could slip into the late first round.

Lubos Barton, F, Valpo -- He was the best shooter in the building and word that he would be willing to play in Europe for a year or two if he was drafted helped his stock. Barton's ball handlings and ability to play the point forward position also boost his stock. He runs the floor well, but isn't the quickest or most athletic player out there. Another international player, Hawaii's Predrag Savovic, can also shoot but Barton has size (he measured 6-foot-7 3/4) and is a few years younger than Savovic. He's a first round long shot, but he might just be able to ride the Eurowave into the first round.

Ronald Murray, G, Shaw -- The ultimate sleeper, Murray played Division 2 ball. Murray looked in over his head at times during the NBA's first draft camp two months ago in Portsmouth. But this time around he played with poise and showed he belonged.

What made the difference? After Portsmouth, Murray flew to L.A. and began working out with the likes of Yarbrough, Frank Williams and Carlos Boozer. His goal was to begin competing against top talent now, so he was prepared to take on the top talent in Chicago.

Murray's 19-point performance on 6-for-9 shooting had teams buzzing and he could be a second-round sleeper at point guard. "He's still a little raw, but because he played Division 2 ball, you give him a little leeway," one league executive said. "You give him a little coaching, get him on an NBA weight training program and he could turn into something. It will just take a little time."

Corsley Edwards, F, Central Connecticut State -- Edwards, who was a last-minute invite to Portsmouth a few months ago, continues to amaze teams with his tough physical play down low. He's registered several dominating performances over more highly regarded prospects. Thursday night, Edwards scored 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds. Friday he scored 21 points on 6-for-10 shooting, got the line 14 times and pulled down nine rebounds, including five on the offensive end.

While he's a long shot to get any consideration in the first round due to his height (6-foot-8), Edwards has played his way from a USBL lifer to a solid second-round pick.

SECOND TEAM

Lonny Baxter, F, Maryland -- Baxter is still trying to convince teams that he has the size (he measured only 6-foot-7 3/4) and enough inside presence to make up for his glaring lack of athleticism or outside game. He did a great job. Baxter ended the three-day camp with 55 points and 28 rebounds. That should be enough to get him some love in the second round.

Steve Logan, G, Cincinnati -- Logan is also fighting the size police. While he can't be happy with his 5-foot-11 measurement here, he's a lot taller than that 5-foot-9 kid everyone claimed he was. Logan had a dominating game Thursday, scoring 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting, dishing out an amazing 11 assists and picking up three steals for good measure. After Thursday's performance he pulled out with a sprained ankle, but probably did enough to get an early nod in the second round.

Lee Benson, F, Brown Mackie -- He didn't do anything spectacular, but he ran the floor, crashed the boards and showed teams that he had the character and work ethic to succeed in the league. This is a kid who knows how to score, has a body that can withstand the rigors of the NBA, and has the motivation to never let up. He won't get a first round nod because of his age, but someone will take a gamble on him in the second round.

Jason Jennings, C, Arkansas State -- Jennings continued to redeem himself after a Day 1 debacle when he fouled out in 14 minutes. Jennings scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds. While his play may have been just average, teams were impressed with his performance in several drills.

"He's more athletic than I thought he'd be," one GM said. "At the end of the day, I think he's one of two or three guys from this camp that makes his way into the first round. He's not the best player here, but his size makes up for a lot of his weaknesses. With Chris Marcus now out of the draft, teams who need big man may be willing to take a chance that he'll develop."

Aaron McGhee, F, Oklahoma The best news of the camp for McGhee was that he measured 6-foot-8 here with shoes. He's shown the toughness, scoring acumen down low and is pretty good on the boards. He won't slip out of Round 2.

THE ALL "OOPS" TEAM

Freddie Jones, G, Oregon -- Jones fought his way through a right shoulder rotator cuff strain all week and could never get it going from the perimeter. While teams are wowed by his athleticism going to the basket, Jones knew he didn't give them everything they wanted.

"I didn't play well. I'm real disappointed. I don't want to use the shoulder as an excuse. I know teams wanted to come and see my overall game, and I didn't deliver. But I'm not discouraged.," Jones said after scoring eight points on 3-for-10 shooting. "I'm going to rest my shoulder a bit and then I'll hit the individual workouts hard again. I know what I can do, it's just a matter of doing it in front of the guys working me out."

But was Jones's performance enough to know him out of the first round? No one really knows.

"I saw him work out before Chicago and he played much better," one league executive said. "So I think we understand that his shoulder was the problem. For teams that didn't get to see him before Chicago, I'm sure they're disappointed. But even if he shot 0-for-20, you can't deny he was the most athletic player on the court."

John Salmons, G, Miami -- There was a lot of buzz surrounding Salmons coming into the camp, but it was mostly silence after the camp was over. Teams love his size at point guard, but he doesn't have a jumper and seems to blend in more than lead. If a team wants to groom him into a point, he'll take a lot of work.

Lenny Cooke, G, High School -- Cooke sat out the first two games after injuring his big toe in Wednesday's opening drills, finally played Friday. However, he was clearly bothered by his sore toe and scored just six points in 16 minutes. While he didn't play terribly, several teams told Insider he'll likely go undrafted.

Kei Madison, F, JUCO -- This is a guy teams wanted to love, but the early indications are that he'll be a big project. He has nice size for the position he plays, but doesn't have the scoring knack that other players in the draft do. Still he has the athleticism and size to get a look somewhere in the second round.

Marcus Taylor, G, Michigan State Go back to school before you embarrass yourself.

Yarbrough, Murray and Edwards impress Day 3

Chad Ford / ESPN.com

Oregon's Jones takes a gamble

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Value is in eye of the beholder

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Draft Rumors: Are the Mavs trying to steal Yao?

The Rockets' Carroll Dawson and Rudy Tomjanovich are in China trying to lure Yao away.

"Yesterday upon our arrival, we had a very pleasant exchange with [shanghai Sharks GM] Li Yaomin, and we're looking forward to beginning discussions later today," Rockets spokesman Nelson Luis told the Houston Chronicle. "The fact he picked us up at the airport and had a good meeting with Michael [Goldberg, team general counsel] was obviously a good sign. Things are going well.

"We plan to tour a museum today and get acquainted with one another over dinner. We look forward to learning about the Chinese culture and developing a relationship with the Shanghai Sharks."

Chicago Tribune writer Sam Smith wonders if the whole Wang Zhi Zhi defection is an elaborate plot by Mark Cuban and the Mavs to weasel their way in for Yao.

Will the Bulls screw up and miss out on Duke point guard Jay Williams. He sure hopes not.

"Chicago would be a great situation for me," Williams told Insider. "I heard it's been raining here and then I come and it's sunny. Maybe that's a good sign."

Williams, who is in town for a two day workout with the Bulls said he'll do some house hunting. He told Insider he isn't intimidated by Michael Jordan's legacy.

"First of all, I'm not Michael Jordan," Williams said. "Everyone should know that."

Stanford's Curtis Borchardt will participate in six workouts before he has to make his decision on whether to stay in the draft or return to school. He starts with a workout for the Bucks on the 12th. From there he'll work out for the Knicks, Heat, Nuggets, Clippers and Warriors.

Borchardt, who measured 7 feet 1/4 inch in Chicago, told Insider he'll wait until after those workouts to decide whether to stay in the draft. "I'm just trying to collect as much information as I can. I'm hearing good things, but I want to make sure."

Borchardt said the risk of another injury may be what pushes him into the NBA. "I'd be lying to say it doesn't influence things. You can't take your health for granted."

UConn's Caron Butler will get another chance to work out for the Grizzlies. Butler admitted that his first workout, against Oregon's Fred Jones, went poorly and he asked the Grizzlies for a second chance.

Butler told Insider that Grizzlies president Jerry West told him he could return on one condition. "Make sure you're ready."

Butler also has workouts scheduled in Denver, Cleveland, Chicago, Golden State and with the L.A. Clippers.

Maryland's Chris Wilcox said an early hamstring injury didn't give him enough time to work out for individual teams. Instead, he's schedule three general workouts starting this week in Chicago.

"I didn't want to go to any teams," Wilcox told Insider. "I don't have a lot of time and I didn't want to spread myself too thin."

Wilcox did say that he'll consider a few individual workouts after the general ones if the right teams come calling.

Rockets brass rubs elbows with Yao's crowd

Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle

AWOL Mav could cause Bulls woes

Sam Smith / Chicago Tribune

Duke guard fond of Bulls

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Knicks Look At Borchardt

Marc Berman / New York Post

NBA Draft: Size matters

Although they declined to participate in the pre-draft camps, most of the top prospects in the draft did show up in Chicago on Saturday for physicals and official measurements.

The measurements are an event that teams watch with a bit of anticipation. Colleges are notorious for inflating the heights of their players and poor measurement can really hurt a player's stock.

This year Caron Butler, Kareem Rush, Dajuan Wagner and Jay Williams all measured shorter than listed. Jared Jefferies actually measured an inch taller.

Wingspans are a big deal in the pros when measuring a prospects' defensive potential. Jason Jennings had the longest wingspan at 7-foot-7. Nene Hilario and Melvin Ely both had 7-foot-4 wingspans, which should really help their cause. A few players, like Mike Dunleavy, Yao Ming, Qyntel Woods and Williams have pretty short arms relative to their size.

Here are how the top prospects measured out on Saturday. All heights are with shoes (in most cases an inch and half taller than without shoes).

Carlos Boozer: 6' 9 1/4" | 258 lbs | 7' 2 1/4" wingspan

Curtis Borchard: 7' 1/4" | 238 lbs | 7' 2 1/2" wingspan

Caron Butler: 6' 6 1/2" | 222 lbs | 6' 11 1/2" wingspan

Mike Dunleavy: 6' 9 1/2" | 230 lbs | 6' 9" wingspan

Melvin Ely: 6' 10 | 240 lbs | 7' 4" wingspan

Drew Gooden: 6' 10" | 227 lbs | 7' 1/2" wingspan

Rod Grizzard: 6' 7 3/4" | 193 lbs | 7' wingspan

Marcus Haislip: 6' 9 3/4" | 221 lbs | 7' wingspan

Nene Hilario: 6' 10 3/4" | 253 lbs | 7' 4 1/2" wingspan

Jared Jeffries: 6' 11" | 230 lbs | 7' 1/2" wingspan

Jason Jennings: 7' 1/2" | 249 lbs | 7' 7" wingspan

Yao Ming: 7' 6 1/4" | 296 lbs | 7'4 3/4" wingspan

Kareem Rush: 6' 5 3/4" | 199 lbs | 6' 9 3/4" wingspan

Amare Stoudemire: 6' 10" | 233 lbs | 7' 1 3/4" wingspan

Dajuan Wagner: 6' 2" | 193 lbs | 6' 8 1/2" wingspan

Chris Wilcox: 6' 9 1/2" | 218 lbs | 7' 1" wingspan

Frank Williams: 6' 2 3/4" | 212 lbs | 6' 8" wingspan

Jay Williams: 6' 1 3/4" | 197 lbs | 6' 3 1/2" wingspan

Qyntel Woods: 6' 8 1/2" | 213 lbs | 6' 10" wingspan

Writers Bloc: Nets stinking up the joint

Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla writes that the Nets aren't the only thing in New Jersey stinking things up . . .

"The walls of his richly appointed office in Manhattan cannot insulate commissioner David Stern from getting a whiff of the stench wafting across the Hudson River from the swamps of Jersey. The Nets are stinking up the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers beat New Jersey 106-103 on Sunday night to put themselves one victory from a series sweep and a championship three-peat. Ho. Hum. And it smells like the whole league is in trouble."

L.A. Times columnist J.A. Adande thinks the Nets might be in trouble (ya think?). He claims that the Lakers are killers when it comes to closing teams out.

"Before they reached the formality of winning their third consecutive championship, the Lakers secured their legacy. This is as good a fourth-quarter team as you'll see. Other teams can play as well as they can. Odds are the Lakers will just be better when it matters most. When all the big chips are on the table, the Lakers have a face card showing -- and you know they're about to turn over an ace. They're more money than Citibank, more clutch than Jerry West."

Chicago Sun Times writer Jay Mariotti wants to beat the rest of us to the punch and officially declare that these Lakers aren't as good as MJ's Bulls.

"Starting to wonder? Starting to worry? Starting to see six championship banners swaying, suddenly vulnerable? Starting to see Shaquille O'Neal power-dunking over red shirts, Kobe Bryant hitting the winning shot in the lane and pointing triumphantly to his flexed biceps over a fallen Michael Jordan? Don't. It is my civic duty to reassure Chicago of a basic fact of sporting life: When in doubt, always bet on Jordan."

The NBA is in a heap of trouble

Mark Kiszla / Denver Post

Greatest Closers? The Lakers Make Their Case

J.A. Adande / Los Angeles Times

The Bulls were better than L.A.

Jay Mariotti / Chicago Sun-Times

Peep Show

Jazz: Karl Malone isn't happy with some of the things he's been hearing from Jazz managment, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. "I'm aware of what's being said," the Jazz's future Hall of Famer acknowledged, regarding speculation about his future. "I know who's saying what. Everybody else is doing a lot of talking, and I don't have much to say . . . For now." Jazz owner Larry Miller told reporters that the team isn't sure whether it will give Malone another extension. Rumors late last week had the Nets offering Keith Van Horn and others for Malone.

Nuggets: The teams still hasn't informed point guard Tim Hardaway whether they'll pick up his option this season. "We'll probably make a decision pretty close to [June 25]," GM Kiki Vandeweghe told the Denver Post. "The variables are how the draft and the coaching situation are shaking out. I like Tim. We need a doctor take a look at his injury and hope to have one see him soon."

Sixers: Derrick Coleman, the Sixers' starting power forward, will undergo knee surgery Tuesday in New York, the Philadelphia Daily News reports. It is believed that Coleman will be ready for training camp in October.

Suns: The Suns are expected to name Marc Iavaroni to the coaching staff as early as today, the Arizona Republic reports. Iavaroni, an assistant for Pat Riley in Miami the past three seasons, is expected to take over as lead assistant. The club also is believed to be pursuing Mike D'Antoni, former head coach of the Denver Nuggets, for the other assistant's position. D'Antoni is coaching Benetton Treviso in the Italian League championships.

[DJ_Money]

As if we weren't already...

But, will anybody really want to help out the Lakers? I pray they don't.

With those 3, the Lakers would really be unstoppable. They'd probably eclipse the Bulls' 72-10 mark, easily. But, you gotta wonder, how could they balance the shots? I guess Fisher would never take another shot. Not like that would be a bad thing for L.A., anyway...

[cyman3]

But suppose they do get WOODS and he doesnt play out.

Then they gave away HORRY and FISHER to get him...

and the NBA will then have a chance to compete!

[Guest]

I can't believe you guys are overating the Lakers this badly.

The only legit team they beat was Sactown and they didn't

even do that fiar.

Portland=They are to busy kicking basketballs and throwing

towels at teammates,The Spurs aren't a very talented team

and will likely win less games next year.The Nets we know

arne't legit challengers to the west.

The Lakers were good last season,but they were weaker this

season.I dobut they have the stuff to get Woods.Horry/Fisher

aren't worth alot.And I'm sure the Kings fans would love to

see Horry get traded.

[cyman3]

"And I'm sure the Kings fans would love to

see Horry get traded."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Since the lakers arent willing to deal with SHAQ and KOBE, FISHER/HORRY have the highest trade value (include FOX in here too).

Sorry, but Horry has about the same trade value as NAZR MOHAMMED.