Spurs may simply not like how Pruitt's worked out, which is fine, but if they select Koponen over him just because he's foreign and can stay and develop, I'll do this:
Granted the rumors around draft time are often baseless hearsay, but at least two media outlets reported that the Spurs gave a promise to Pruitt at either #28 or #33. He is also one of the few PG prospects we mentioned that has reportedly worked out for the team.
I would think, and hope, there is definite interest.
Suns notebook: USC’s Pruitt, Finnish guard to get 2nd looks
Mike Tulumello, Tribune
The Suns probably will invite Gabe Pruitt and Finland’s Petteri Koponen, among others, for second looks in preparation for next week’s NBA draft.
“Gabe Pruitt is someone who worked out well his first day,” Suns vice president David Griffin said of the USC point guard. Of Koponen, another point guard prospect, Griffin said, “He was really, really good here.”
The Suns may put together one more group of first-time prospects, but mostly they’re starting to zero in on players for second tryouts, he said.
“We like the guys we’ve had in quite a bit,” Griffin said. “And this is a really deep draft.”
The club has yet to decide whether they will try to package their Nos. 24 and 29 picks to move up in the draft.
I was under the assumption that Pruitt had not shut down his workouts though. That indicates to me that no promise has been made to him.
Pruitt isn't my number 1 choice, but hes definitely one of the better possible selections at 28 and I wouldn't cry a second if we hear his name on draft night. But I want the Spurs to really want the guy and play him if they're going to draft him. I don't want him riding the bench and not playing. If thats what is going to happen then I hope they just take Koponen instead.
well, if I'm a player and I get a promise to be picked at 33 (or also at 28), I also wouldn't stop to try to work myself up the board.
Generally that is the stipulation of the promise though.
Nobody gives something unless they will get something in return. For a player like Koponen or Belinelli that something they give in return would be staying in the draft. For the player like Pruitt that is committed already the only thing he has to offer in return for a promise is that he will shut down workouts.
In essence, its a give and take. The player locks in where he will be taken. He no longer has to fear of sliding on draft day, but he also gives up the ability to rise up the draft boards.
My take. Koponene has gotten guarantee of a first round pick. If he's going back to the Suns for a second look that means he's trying to work his way up higher than the guarantee. Suns have 24 and 29. Philadelphia has 30. Is Phillythe guarantee for 30 he's trying to move up from or is it somebody between 24 and 30?
So the Spurs have promised to both Koponen AND Pruitt?
For general reference, hoopsanalyst is starting his annual prospects review - starting with centers : http://www.hoopsanalyst.com/0607ew10.htm
This guy is usually a reasonable talent evaluator, and offers some useful insights...
Perhaps the Spurs didn't issue a "promise" per say, but did let him know that they liked him enough to select him in the first round if he happened to slide to them...essentially making him confident that he wouldn't slide out of the first.
But Pruitt has heard his name all over the mid-late first round and I'm sure he is just exploring the opportunity of being drafted higher with the comfort that he doesn't slide. Maybe it wasn't a promise...more of a "we like you enough to take you at #28 or #33".
See it's different from a guy like Wilson Chandler, who has reportedly received a promise from the Knicks @ #23. Chandler wasn't mentioned as going any higher than that pick, so it was an easy decision to shut down workouts as a sign of good will to the team that will supposedly be drafting him.
If Pruitt did indeed get a promise from the Spurs, he might have hurt his good will with the team by continuing workouts, but he can be more confident as he has a good chance to go before the Spurs pick at #28.
We'll see...it should be interesting.
If the Spurs do indeed draft Pruitt, I think it will be a clear sign that a) they like him, and b) they have enough confidence in him to join the team right away and be a contributor (which also means Beno is history).
Conversely, if the Spurs are okay with re-signing Vaughn (or veteran FA) to back up Tony and keeping Beno as a third-string guy, I think you'll see them go for Koponen.
Either way, I'm not sure they lose....
Thanks for the link. After skimming through it, I'm hoping that the Spurs try to nab Stanko if available in the late second round.
Agreed, at 58, any man named Stanko cannot be bad...
The other interesting guy is Fesenko. Both he and Stanko have entered earlier than neccesary. I think they have promises from someone, but maybe not in the 1st round. I would be happy with Fesenko at #33 or Stanko at #58.
I don't understand the motivation of accepting a promise from a players point of view. If a team offers you a promise, you know they want you at that pick and that they fear a higher-positioned team taking you. I think if a team offered me a promise the first thing I'd do is try to schedule workouts with the next 5 teams drafting before them.
Promises are usually for guys earlier than where they'd normally be taken, like Shelden Williams at #5 last year. A special case was our promise to Mahinmi, who wouldn't have come out that year otherwise. I'm not totally clear on the wisdom of it - you'd think a team wants to keep its options open instead of locking themselves into a position. There have been cases of a promised player not being picked - I think Boobie was promised last year by the Cavs, then was picked anyway by them in the second round.
This tidbit was referenced a couple pages back about Stanko staying in the draft. It appears that Detriot (#27), SA (#28, 33) and Mavs (#34) all have indicated interest.
This guy might be a reach at #27, but the Pistons were looking at a "big" in Hardin before he pulled out, and this guy is compared to Memo Okur, who played well for them and who I'm sure they regretted losing (though his $50M salary was a BIT too much).
My point is...it looks like there's interest for him at bottom of 1st and top of 2nd round. I'm not sure he stayed in because he was assured that he'd be taken at the bottom of the second round...so I doubt he's there at #58.
The Spurs have a Fin, they don't need a Finn.So the Spurs have promised to both Koponen AND Pruitt?
Hasn't Carl Landry worked out for the Spurs?
True enough, but all I'm saying is that while I wouldn't spend #33 for just the name, I would spend #58 solely for having a player called STANKO!
I like Landry, but do the Spurs need a guy that plays his position? I know its just a work out, but...
Put some STANK-On it!
Dude would have to shorten his name to "Stan" just to live a normal life in the States...
I just hope the Spurs don't become so intrigued with one of these bigs that they use up one of their first two picks to get him. They already have lots of options for the front court, especially if they bring over Ian and/or Scola. Plus, they need youth in the back court and wings, not the 4 and 5.
.
Below is Chad Ford's latest regarding workouts and buzz for draft prospects.
Of specific note...
Shaun Williams climbing the draft boards with the Amare comparison and realization that some GMs don't put as much weight on character concerns (i.e. Villanueva going #7 to Raps two years ago).
Big Baby Davis climbing the draft boards as a svelt 6'9 290lb F/C (
And finally...the positive feedback on Dudley and Afflalo being solid role players and proving their worth. Of specific note is that Afflalo came in at 6'6 225lb () with a 6'9 wingspan. One conflicting note is that it didn't have him working out for the Spurs...I will investigate further.
Read below for more detail....
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog...name=ford_chad
Teams that have visited Houston during the past few weeks to take a look at Boston College center Sean Williams are coming back with a positive impression.
Williams has decided not to travel to teams and instead to hold his workouts in Houston -- kind of like Yi Jianlian in Los Angeles.
Several NBA executives came away from the workouts saying that Williams reminded them a little of Amare Stoudemire.
"He's pretty raw offensively," one executive said. "But he's got a great body, is super-athletic, and he's the best shot-blocker in the draft. At what point does the reward outweigh the risk? That's what we're all trying to figure out. But on talent, he's a top-10 pick. Maybe higher."
According to one executive who personally interviewed Williams, the player was candid about his dismissal from the Boston College team for smoking marijuana.
"He said he was immature and he understood why teams had doubts about him," the executive said. "But the thing that struck me was that he said the experience of watching his team struggle without him made him realize that it was a mistake that can't happen again."
We've been talking about Williams' range starting at No. 17 with the Nets (who desperately need a player like him) and ending in the late first round. But maybe we're being naive. A significant number of players in the NBA smoke marijuana. Most NBA executives don't believe it's a serious issue. Given Williams' talent, they may be willing to take the PR hit now to have a significant contributor down the road.
• Glen "Big Baby" Davis continues to be a hot name in the draft.
Davis has measured a legit 6-foot-9 in shoes, and though he weighs in at around 290, he has only about 11 percent body fat.
"I know this sounds really weird to say about a kid this big, but he's light on his feet," one GM told me. "And he can really shoot the basketball. From a skills standpoint, I think he's one of the three or four best big guys in the draft."
The question is obvious: Will Davis stay in shape after he gets a big deal? His agent, John Hamilton, says that everyone Davis has interviewed with has asked him the same question at every workout. His response, according to Hamilton: "I just was uneducated. I didn't understand how to eat properly."
Hamilton sent me a DVD of Davis' workouts in Houston with John Lucas. He looks to be in good shape, is moving well and is very skilled. He could be a real draft sleeper.
Davis has worked out for the 76ers, Nets, Bulls, Wolves, Rockets, Sonics and Wizards. He'll be in Golden State on Wednesday.
• At this time of the year, potential often trumps production. So it's nice when a few college basketball staples hold their own in individual workouts.
Boston College's Jared Dudley and UCLA's Arron Afflalo are drawing praise in individual workouts.
Sources say Dudley has been red-hot shooting the ball in workouts. He's worked out for the Rockets, Nets, Knicks, Heat, Sixers, Bulls, Bobcats, Sonics and Suns. He could end up a sleeper for a team like the Sixers, Bobcats or Suns in the late 20s.
Afflalo also has done well in workouts. He measured 6-foot-6 in socks, had a 6-foot-9 wingspan and is a muscular 225.
"He's was a man among boys in our workout," one GM told Insider. "He's been really well-coached, shoots it well and does a lot of little things. You don't draft him to be a star, but he can fill a role for you defensively and he'll hit some big shots."
Afflalo worked out for about a dozen teams in the Rockets' workouts in Orlando. He's also done individual workouts with the Lakers, Suns, Sixers and Jazz. He could go late in the first: No. 25 to Utah, No. 29 to the Suns or No. 30 to the Jazz.
any chance at that Thaddeus Young falls to the Spurs?
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