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1st round exit.
will happen
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...draft.process/
Wizards ask Gordon Hayward for advice? Welcome to pre-draft camp Story Highlights
Front-office personnel and coaching staffs grilled prospects on all topics
Several executives said the process neither hurt nor helped top players
John Wall impressed, saying he would blend with the Wizards' Gilbert Arenas
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Gordon Hayward said the Wizards asked for his opinion on what they should do with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
AP
CHICAGO -- Given their time limitations Thursday, NBA executives said not a great deal changed in their assessments of the prospects for the June 24 draft.
Kentucky's John Wall is still No 1.
Ohio State's Evan Turner is still No. 2.
And thereafter, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Draft prospects descended on Chicago on Thursday, taking up in earnest the annual process of deciphering exactly which players will go in which order when the teams choose their players of the future.
The process has been made more difficult because the pre-draft camp is now broken up into restricted access to the players' physical skills and concentrated more on their independent interviews.
Each team was given a room in the conference section of a downtown hotel, where front-office personnel and coaching staffs grilled players on any and all topics that may help them better discern who would be the better fit for their franchise.
Players rolled their eyes as they glanced at their protracted schedules of interviews, knowing the questions, for the most part, would be the same; and executives looked at their watches as they anticipated the half hours rolling on with little to no elucidation, the answers practiced and, by the end, trite.
"The strangest question I got was from Washington," said Butler's Gordon Hayward, projected to be picked in the middle of the first round. "They asked me who I thought they should take with the No. 1 pick."
Hopefully, someone suggested, he told them they should draft Gordon Hayward. "No, I know I am not going that high. I told them they should take whichever player is a good fit," Hayward said.
Grinning, Hayward admitted, of course, that his answer was evading the actual question. But this is what these players are trained to do, both with the NBA's top brass and the assembled media: answer questions diplomatically, don't hurt your draft standing or build a faulty reputation.
One decision-maker joked that he must be the only one in the room who enjoyed an alcoholic beverage, because when each player was asked, they said they neither drank nor smoked.
Several executives said the process neither hurt nor helped anybody's case; the top five players in the draft remain Wall, Turner, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors, Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins and Syracuse's Wesley Johnson, not necessarily in that order. Johnson, for instance, could go fourth to the Timberwolves, who need help at small forward, while either Favors or Cousins could end up going third to the Nets.
Cousins has been widely criticized for his at ude and work ethic, but one front-office executive said the center acquitted himself nicely.
"I would not say he is a great kid, but his interview went far better than I was led to believe it would go," the GM said.
The workout portion of the camp is so limited that most executives will wait either until three-on-three camps hosted by Minnesota and New Jersey take place or the individual workouts conducted by each team are completed before making a final determination.
Still, they need to be here, if for no other reason than in case something dramatic and unexpected happens.
On this day, nothing did. Wall was impressive, saying he would mesh seamlessly with Washington's Gilbert Arenas, he would be honored to play in front of President Obama and that he has limited discussion with LeBron James since the Cavaliers were ousted from the playoffs. Turner made a case for himself as the top pick, citing his national player of the year award and his Brandon Roy-like versatility. And Cousins tried to persuade most that his reputation is unearned and unfair, a figment of the imagination that is conjured by those who only know him from afar.
In a little more than a month, we'll see how successfully they argued their points.
Arenas still in Wizards plans?
MSNBC on Thursday published a story citing two highly placed sources who said the Wizards are committed to getting rid of embattled guard Arenas because they don't want him negatively affecting Wall, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick. The story went on to say that the Wizards would consider a buyout of Arenas' contract if they could not trade him.
Two sources here strongly denied the story and questioned its veracity, citing the money that Ted Leonsis will pay to buy the remainder of the team from Abe Pollin as a deterrent to paying additional money to buy out Arenas' contract, which has $80 million left on it.
1st round exit.
Lots of sexing of teammates by LeBron's mom and Gilbert's baby mama.
LeBron to DC so Obama can father a child on Gloryhole James
could Obama be a good backup SG?
Wiz need to dump arenas. hard to do though
Arenas = Starburry?
Shoe Gilbert, Shoe!
Waiting for the 'White men can't jump' retort...
Oh! No takers?
white men dipped in chocolate can jump?
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