Tuesday Insider

[Admin]

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Promises. Promises.

They are perhaps the most coveted and definitely the most elusive and secret commodities in the NBA Draft. Teams deny ever giving them, a handful of players every year mistakenly think they have them and come draft day, agents find out who is and isn't good to their word.

Last year JUCO star Kedrick Brown could comfortably sit out the workout process after receiving early promises from the Celtics to pick him at No. 11 and the Blazers to pick him at No. 19. Despite a slew of disappointing workouts, Gerald Wallace knew he was headed to the Kings (at No. 25) a week before the draft. And Spanish underclassman point guard Raul Lopez agreed to stay in the draft after a wink and smile from the Jazz at No. 24.

This year every prospect and his agent, from lottery picks, to international phenoms, to underclassmen on the first-round bubble, is working overtime trying to get a prearranged commitment from a team. By now you know the drill. What they want is a team to say to them, "If you're on the board when we draft, you won't slip beyond us."

This year, it looks like several lottery players have already gotten the coveted promise.

Several league sources told Insider Monday that Brazilian big man Maybyner "Nene" Hilario had received a guarantee from the Suns to draft him if he's on the board (and out of his contract with Vasco de Gama) when the team drafts at No. 9. High school star Amare Stoudemire has shut down workouts due to a top-12 commitment, the same sources told Insider. KU forward Drew Gooden has also shut down his workouts after strong showings in Golden State and Memphis. However, his agent, Bill Duffy, declined to comment on whether Gooden had received a promise from either team. Even the Chinese government has gotten into the picture, demanding assurances from the Rockets that they would take Yao Ming No. 1 and not trade him before agreeing to hammer out a deal.

Several top underclassmen are threatening to pull out of the draft without a commitment. Duke forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. has stated repeatedly that he wants a good idea of who is going to draft him before he decides whether to keep his name in this year's draft. Now that he knows that it's either Golden State or Memphis, he has to decide just how badly he wants to suit up alongside Antawn Jamison.

Marc Fleisher, agent for Nikoloz Tskitishivili, said he will pull his client's name out of the draft if he isn't guaranteed at top-10 position. While Fleisher wouldn't go so far as saying Tskitishivili had a commitment, he told Insider Monday that he was comfortable, from the information he received, that Skita would be a top-10 pick and would leave his client's name in the draft barring something unforeseen.

Stanford's Casey Jacobsen is working out for teams up to the very last minute in an effort to secure some indication that he'll be a first-round pick. Jacobsen has not hired an agent and plans to return to school for his senior season if he can't get the assurances he's looking for.

That also goes for international underclassmen Mladen Sekularac, Boris Diaw, Zaur Pachulia and Nenad Kristic. If they're in the draft Thursday morning, you can bet that a team has given them a promise in the first round. A discussion with various league sources Monday revealed that Sekularac, Diaw and Pachulia are all likely to get a guarantee after a series of strong workouts. Even Kristic, who wasn't able to come to the U.S. because of national team commitments, is expected to get a first-round promise.

We'll know for sure Wednesday, the NBA deadline for underclassmen to pull out of the draft.

Why do teams give these commitments? It depends on the situation. For players like Brown last year, or Stoudemire this year, it's to keep them from working out for rival teams that may not have as good a feel for the prospects. Sometimes it's to keep a coveted international underclassman from pulling out of the draft, as the Jazz did with Lopez in 2001 and Andrei Kirilenko in 1999. Still, other times, as was the case with Mark Madsen going at pick No. 29 to the Lakers in 2000, it is an agent calling in a favor.

"It doesn't happen as often as agents like to believe it does," one league executive told Insider. "But occasionally you find a gem and you want to keep him away from other teams or you just want to keep him in the draft. Some agents, because of their client list and relationships with teams, are obviously better at securing them than others."

The strategy also comes with its risks. Teams giving a commitment understand that they must honor it, even if a player they covet unexpectedly slips into their laps.

"Unless you're willing to poison your relationships with just about everyone, you have to stick to your word," another league executive told Insider. "Having a guy slip to you is a tough scenario, but you factor it into your decision making before you make the promise. Most teams stick to their word, no matter what."

Of course, they don't always do it. Last year an unnamed team burned SFX, the largest sports agency in the NBA.

"One team that promised us a guarantee flat out lied and then lied again in the second round," SFX agent David Bauman told ESPN.com last year after the draft. "Apparently in the end, their word is not their bond . . . and we will never deal with them again."

Promises. Promises.

Bremer, Nene, Wilcox draft's top athletes

Although athletic potential alone doesn't indicate whether a top draft prospect will turn into an NBA star (paging Harold Miner), it certainly doesn't hurt a player's stock.

Insider has obtained the results from the Chicago pre-draft physical testing of 83 prospects, including most of the players projected as lottery picks.

The test revealed that St. Bonaventure point guard J.R. Bremer, who can reportedly bench press 350 pounds despite being just 6-foot-2, was ranked by the NBA as the top athlete tested.

Bremer set a Chicago pre-draft record when he bench pressed 185 pounds 24 times during the physical. He also recorded a 35.5 inch vertical jump and had high scores in 3/4 court sprint and lane agility drills.

Other top performers included Maybyner Nene Hilario (ranked No. 2), Maryland's Chris Wilcox (No. 5), Duke's Jay Williams (No. 7) and Amare Stoudemire (No. 12).

Second-round prospects Tamar Slay (No. 3), Matt Barnes (No. 8) and Shaw's Ronald Murray (No. 10) also tested well.

Hilario finished fourth in the lane agility drills with a 10.73 seconds time; eighth in the bench press drill (16 reps of 185 pounds); 13th in the 3/4 court sprints with a 3.19 seconds time; and 25th in the vertical jump with a 34 inch vertical.

Wilcox finished fourth in the bench press drill (20 reps of 185 pounds); 10th in the 3/4 court sprints with a 3.16 seconds time; and 22nd in the vertical jump with a 34.5 inch vertical. He tested only average in the lane agility drils with a 11.43 time.

Williams finished first in the lane agility drills with a 10.34 seconds time; third in the 3/4 court spring with a 3.09 seconds time; and 13th in the vertical jump with a 36 inch vertical. He completed 10 reps of 185 pounds in the bench press drill.

Several lottery prospects, including Stanford's Curtis Borchardt (No. 74 overall), UConn's Caron Butler (No. 68) and Indiana's Jared Jeffries (No. 63) were ranked at the bottom of the prospects tested.

Other top prospects like Cincinnati's Steve Logan (No. 75), Fresno State's Melvin Ely (No. 70) and Illinois Frank Williams (No. 64) also fared poorly.

Borchardt finished last on the 3/4 court sprint with a 3.63 seconds time; and third to last with a 27 inch vertical jump. Butler could manage only two reps of 185 pounds in the bench press drill and finished poorly in the 3/4 court sprints and lane agility drills. Jeffries had a very poor showing in the 3/4 court sprints and was just average on every other event.

For a look at how all of the top prospects fared in each event, click here.

Draft Rumors: Rockets get ready for Yao

Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said that lead counsel Michael Goldberg has done everything he could do to help Yao receive the recommendations in China needed for the FIBA to grant the letter of clearance necessary for Yao to be drafted. The remaining talks were between Yao and his representative, Erick Zhang, and Chinese officials to reach an agreement on the payments Yao would make to the Shanghai Sharks and China Basketball Association.

"We're still waiting," Dawson told the Houston Chronicle. "Michael said he thinks we had a great week, as we all do. He has done all he could, so he's heading home."

There's good news and bad news for teams wanting to get a good look at Bostjan Nachbar and Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Their team, Benetton Treviso, won the Italian Cup Saturday, meaning that both players are free to travel to the U.S. and participate in workouts.

Nachbar will arrive in the U.S. today, take a physical Wednesday and hold a group workout for interested teams Friday in D.C. He also has a private workout scheduled with the Wizards Monday. The Wizards are among a handful of teams from 11 to 19 with strong interest in the 6-foot-9 sharp-shooting small forward.

Tskitishvili, on the other hand, is unlikely to make it to the U.S. before the draft. Tskitishvili's agent, Marc Fleisher, told Insider that Skita (a native of the country of Georgia) is having problems getting a U.S. visa and may not be able to secure one in time to get over here and work out. Nevertheless almost every NBA team has traveled to Treviso to work Tskitishvili out and it isn't seen as a major obstacle.

Speaking of international players, the early reviews of 6-foot-9 guard Mladen Sekularac and 6-foot-11 power forward Zaur Pachulia have been phenomenal. Both players have flown under teams' radar screens for most of the year but are having solid workouts.

Sekularac had a group workout in D.C. on the 12th and has had individual workouts with the Pacers, Lakers and Kings. He's in Los Angeles today for a group workout that will include representatives from the Blazers, Grizzlies, Clippers, Warriors, Nuggets and Clippers. He'll also workout with Chris Wilcox Thursday in Phoenix.

One league source told Insider that Sekularac was "absolutely first round material." He has an NBA body, a lethal outside jumper and has the ability to play two guard.

Pachulia, who is only 18-years-old, is much rawer, but has been equally impressive. He has the size (he measured a full 7-feet with one team), power and low post moves that teams covet in a kid his size and age. He also showed surprising range on his jumper.

While Sekularac should be able to come to the NBA and contribute right away, Pachulia is still a couple of years away from being able to play over here. Still, a team that wouldn't mind stashing him in Europe for a few seasons probably couldn't go wrong. Expect both players to keep their names in the draft.

Is today the day of reckoning for Casey Jacobsen? The Stanford two guard is in New Jersey today working out for the Nets. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Jacobsen will announce his decision from New Jersey later today.

The Rockets exercised their option to switch second-round draft picks with the Heat, completing the transactions from the Hakeem Olajuwon sign-and-trade deal with Toronto. The move will give the Rockets the ninth pick of the second round, 37th overall, and give the Heat the 53rd pick in the draft.

Rockets still awaiting clearance on Yao

Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle

Warriors may opt for sub

Brad Weinstein / San Francisco Chronicle

Jacobsen appears draft bound

Jake Curtis / San Francisco Chronicle

Jazz still waiting on Stockton

The Jazz would love to know John Stockton's plans before the draft. But that looks like it isn't going to happen.

Owner Larry Miller originally asked Stockton for some indication of which way he is leaning by the middle of this month, but later backed off after discussing it with the future Hall of Famer. "It's his decision, and I want him to go through the processes he goes through every year to come to what's right for him," Miller told the Salt Lake Tribune. "We realized that we don't have to know right now, and there's no reason to push for a decision."

Added GM Kevin O'Connor, "If we felt like this was going to affect us negatively, we would have expressed that to John. He would not want to hurt the team. . . . But that's not the case, so we want him to make a decision he's comfortable with. If he comes back, we're in pretty good shape at that position, I'd say."

If Stockton were to retire, the Jazz would be left without a point guard to run the team. John Crotty is a free agent and last years No. 1 pick, Raul Lopez, has yet to work out a buyout with his team, Real Madrid.

Does that mean the team will look at a point guard, possibly Dan Dickau or Frank Williams, with the No. 19 pick in the draft?

"We're looking at finding the best player we can get to help us . . . at whatever position," O'Connor said. "We'll get the best player and then sort everything out."

The Jazz shouldn't be too worried. Early indications are that Stockton will return for another season. Lopez's agent, David Bauman, told Insider early last week that his client is close to finalizing a buyout that would allow him to come to the Jazz this summer.

Jazz's Draft Plans to Stay Unchanged

Phil Miller / Salt Lake Tribune

Peep Show

Warriors: It looks like the team is ready to let guard Larry Hughes walk. According to the Contra Costa Times, the Warriors are not expected to tender Hughes a qualifying offer by the June 30 deadline, which means he will become an unrestricted free agent July 1. According to the report, the Warriors are dangerously close to the luxury tax and cannot afford to keep Hughes.

Lakers: Samaki Walker told GM Mitch Kupchak that he would exercise his option -- at $1.54 million -- to return to the Lakers next season. "He wants to be here," Kupchak told the L.A. Times. "He came to us for lesser money than he could have gotten. My guess is, it's tough to judge what the market will be this summer. But this is where he wanted to be. He feels this is a place where he can flourish." Kupchak also spoke briefly Monday with guard Lindsey Hunter, who may opt out of his contract that's due to pay him about $8 million over the next two seasons. He said Hunter hadn't yet decided, but that he would by the weekend.

Heat: The team will consider offering a portion of its $4.6 million exception to an unrestricted free agent small forward, the Miami Herald reported. Options include Donyell Marshall, Rodney Rogers, Bryon Russell, Devean George, Lee Nailon, Walt Williams, Tyrone Nesby and the Heat's Jim Jackson. An associate of Portland swingman Bonzi Wells, a restricted free agent, said Wells would be interested in speaking to the Heat when negotiations are allowed to begin July 1.

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[ATLien_]

I'm sorry but any man who can only bench 185 2 times is weak as hell. I was benching that much as a freshmen in high school. I'm begining to worry about Butler. This Insider doesn't make it sound like he is too good of an athlete. He is already a bit on the short side for a small forward, but I thought he could play there because he was strong and athletic.

I'm thinking he just bombed this workout so he can slip to the Heat or MJ, because I have been hearing about how big and strong he is. What do yall think?

[Traceman]

intentionally. Butler has the talent to be a top 4 selection. If he were taken #1 overall, not many would blink. There is a significant difference between the salary for #1 overall and the salary for #10 overall and considering that he won't be eligible for his first big contract for about 5 years, I think he would MUCH rather go to Houston, Chicago or one of the other higher picking teams than to drop all the way to 10.

I agree with you though that benching 185 only twice for a guy his size is beyond pathetic. The guy has probably never really worked out in his life. He will definitely have to work on his strength at the next level but there is no reason he can't make tremendous strides. I knew Dale Davis when he was in highschool and he was as weak as they come. Look at him now though!

[Guest Walter]

You never let a guy go to a workout without at least knowing what he can and can't do physically. What did they do? Just ask him if he was in shape? Look at him? The 185 Lb bench is a standard movement. It SHOULD be expected! Sit him under a bench and have him show you what he can do before you show the world. Same with vertical, etc. If he so embarrasses himself then (gulp) just don't participate. A failure to participate speaks volumes but the negative PR is NOTHING like a 235 Lb Sf not being able to lift but 80% of his body weight 3 times.

Even worse, you ALWAYS put such a guy in touch with a personal trainer (alah Glover) between the move from college to the pros if not to improve his draft status via a good workout such as this to help him survive an NBA season. Much of this responsibility falls on Butler. What an embarrassing and AVOIDABLE performance. At least he can lift a basketball over his head.

If he doesn't hire a personal trainer NOW he's crazy.

W

[ATLien_]

I agree like I said when I was a freshmen in high school 5 years ago I could bench 185 more than twice. I just don't see any logical way a guy thats 6-7 can't bench his own weight. Woods only benched it twice also. To me thats just pathetic. You can lift for a summer and probably be able to bench 185 more than twice. I am begining to question work ethic. Now I know I don't know the whole deal, but I'm just hoping he bombed it.

That wouldn't fly in nfl because if you bomb a strenght test it's good by first round.

[Admin]

I think this whole bench press thing is being overrated as far as NBA palyers are concerned. I dont think the players put near the priority on it as we think they should. I can see where big men would put emphasis on developing strength, but most basketball players dont workout to get big and strong and a very small percentage of basketball players work out like football players do. Basketball players spend all of there time in the gym playing ball and not nearly enough time lifting I dont think which is part of the reason that so many guys get injured all the time in basketball.

[Blunt91]

Trace did you go to highschool with Dale? or did you just know him while in highschool? I here Dale Davis grew up in Taccoa, GA(sp), or you from that area?

[ATLien_]

Dolfan I am not saying he should be TJ Duckett, RB by the way, and Bench 500 pounds. It doesn't seem physically possible to me that a human that is that big can't lift more than his body weight. Like I said I was a freshmen in high school benching that. Hell Jay williams did it 10 times I think that speaks volumes about Butler's strength. IMO he would have to spend 0 time in the weight room to accomplish this feat and that is not acceptable.

[Admin]

I wasnt just replying to you, but really to all of use, myself included in that last message. Like you said he would have had to put zero effort into it, and you know thats probably exactly what he did. I know too many basketball players, some NBA players included that dont give a damn about lifting weights. They spend all of their workout time hooping and not nearly enough time in the weight room. What Wagner and Williams did speaks volumes for dedicated they are to becoming everything that they can be. I think if all the players spent more time in the weight room there would be far less injuries in basketball. Also, I definitely know who TJ Duckett is being a Dolphin Fan he was one of the guys I wanted us to draft before we got the Dreaded One, and that boy is a man child as far as strength is concerned. I would hate to get by him (speaking of Duckett there, but that would apply to Ricky Williams also). If you guys (assuming you are are a Dirty Falcons fan) can get Finneran to play well and Young can have some type of impact on Vick the Falcons could definitley be a team to contend with next year because a Dunn-Duckett backfield could be scary and your defense is pretty good if I remember correctly way back to last season

[Guest]

Dolfan, why I 'm not disagreeing with you concerning the fact that more players need to hit the weight room a little bit, I think you should hedge your thoughts about more weights = fewer injuries. A BIG reason that guys in many other sports are sitting out with nick-nack injuries is that they are too focused on weights.

To a point, lifting is good, but without a great deal of proper stretching, something that many players don't want or know how to do, it really does make one more injury prone. The strain on the muscles, and particularly the tendons, can be great with the increased bulk and strength of the increased muscle mass.

On that note, what a lot of players do, esp. perimeter guys that don't bang a lot, is lift slightly lighter weights with a lot more reps. While such players don't have the sheer "strength" of those guys maxing out/ low reps, they are a lot stronger than you give them credit for, it's simply a different kind of strength.

[Admin]

I am a certified personal trainer with 24 hour fitness and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that anyone who weighs over 200 lbs, regardless of how much weight they lift or how many reps they do with it, should be able to lift their own body weight at least 4-6 teams minimum. I understand what you are saying and I totally agree that stretching is EXTREMELY important, and even doing a different type of workout, such as the type of workout you talked about which people commonly make the mistake of calling building lean muscle and not getting bulky, can be good for different people for different reasons. But the bottom line is that anyone who does any type of weight training, even if it is just push ups and pull ups using their own weight and if they weigh 200+ they should have no problems benching 185 if they have even the slightest bit of experience with the bench press.

By the way I am not disagreeing with you, but I just feel that these guys arent doing all that they could to be the best complete package player that they should be.

[Traceman]

Dale went to Stephens County High and I went to Habersham Central which is the next county over. I am a year or two younger than Dale's older brother Kevin (who was a very good ball player himself - played at GA State) but I'm 2 or 3 years older than Dale. My younger brother played high school ball against Dale and I would occasionally play ball with both Kevin and Dale at the Rec Center in Toccoa during the summer. It's funny, but back then, everyone thought Kevin was better than Dale. Kevin was a 6'5" SG/SF and one hell of an athlete. Meanwhile, Dale was about 6'10" or 6'11" but weak and uncoordinated. All he could do was dunk and block shots. But man, look at him now! It just goes to show that the old adage "You can't teach size" is true! I look at Dale now and its hard to see that beanpole that he used to be.

[Traceman]

are going to be tested on their bench press before they get to Chicago and they know that the better they perform, the higher their stock is likely to be. That alone should have been enough to have draft prospects in the gym working out like hell since their college careers ended, even if they hadn't worked out very much beforehand.

I do agree with you however that the vast majority of basketball players don't work out very hard in the weight room until they get to the NBA. I'm sure that's the reason for the relatively poor showing by most of the players. You're right that the football players workout MUCH harder than the basketball players. I'll bet that football players spend as much time in the weightroom as they do on the football field while the average basketball players dooesn't spend 10% of his practice time in the weightroom.

[Guest]

In large part due to the fact that an increase in strength does not directly correlate with an increase in ability (for basketball, not true for most positions in football). Additionally, the NCAA's rules concerning practice time per week makes it easy for many guys to NOT hit the weights. The NCAA allows only 20 hours of coach-attended practice per week. While there are many ways around this, having been involved in DI sports, I know first hand that what this generally boils down to is practice on the court with the coach expends all the observed practice time and players are encouraged (and monitored) to go lift on their own time...

the thing is, with basketball, there's much less of a "macho" fxr. driving one to the weight room. you get a big guy saying calling someone like say AI weak, and he just responds by throwing jumpers in the guy's face or running around him...and that can get you through in college, just not the pros

[Guest]

I'm not excusing them for having poor upperbody strength but someone that tall has a long way to lift a man with that kind of wingspan is less likely to put up impressive reps unless he is a regular lifter.