Friday Workout Attendees Released
by Ben Golliver on Jun 4, 2009 11:06 AM PDT
in News
Email
PrintFrom the Blazers, here's the list of players scheduled to workout tomorrow (always subject to change)...
Portland Trail Blazers pre-draft workouts for Friday, June 5
Jerel McNeal, Guard (Marquette); Greivis Vasquez, Guard (Maryland); Omri Casspi, Forward (Israel); Micah Downs (Gonzaga); Chinemelu Elonu, Forward (Texas A&M); Chris Johnson, Forward (LSU)
I am excited to see Omri Casspi!
Update: I'll be there tomorrow morning so if there is someone in particular you'd like to get information about or something in particular you'd like to read -- keep in mind the limited access we have at the workouts -- please leave a note in the comments.
Update 2: Tasmin Mitchell was previously listed here and has been scratched and replaced by Micah Downs.
Update 3: Donte Green of the Kings took a break from saving people from drowning to write the following on twitter regarding two of the prospects on this list who are working out in Sacramento today.
Kid from Israel is tough. And my man Vasquez is doing his thing. Rep'n for da MD boys. LOL hit yall after.
Workout went well. Dozier finished strong. Vasquez, Rice and Adrian ran off a couple games in 3 on 3. Overall best workout for us this year.
-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)
41 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
the only thing that i’ve heard is “less than in previous years” … i was reading this list last night, kicking myself for not having the foresight to get down to sacramento: http://hoopshype.com/workouts.htm
by Ben Golliver on Jun 4, 2009 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
between tomorrow, saturday and monday they have so many interesting prospects down there.
by Ben Golliver on Jun 4, 2009 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions
Blair also has a ridiculous wingspan and standing reach
which are MUCH more important than where the top of your head ends.
There are much more group workouts to save money
Minnesota, Golden State, Sacramento, etc. all hold those with the teams in attendance sharing a part of the cost.
So does this mean we can be sure we will never see these guys in Blazers uniforms?
"Tough times don't last. Tough people do."
-Chauncey Billups
Names
Is it just me (and it really could be), but does ‘Omri Casspi’ sound like the name of a planet from the Star Wars universe? ;-)
Harangody
Luke Harangody was first team AA in 08 and second team in 09.
He led the Big East in scoring and rebounding each of the last two years.
He had the best bench at the combine.
He’s projected to go late first round or sometime during the second round – right when we have picks.
The Blazers desperately need a muscle, tough, hard-working, tenacious back up 4 who rebounds.
And we’re not bringing him in why? :beats head against desk:
it's ok
we didn’t bring in bayless last year, either, did we?
JAH
If he stays in the second round (likely) he might be interesting as a deep backup guy who can play both guard spots
He and Nando De Colo look like the most attractive ones in that regard in the second round.
Love Micah Down's Point-Forward game, but probably not an NBA athlete
He’s a great facilitator who does the little things to make his team better. He fights for rebounds, passes and hits outside shots.
I just didn’t see him having the speed or strength to play much in the NBA. If I’m wrong about the speed, he could be a good glue guy for a second unit.
He was one of the most athletic guys in college. He was in the ncaa dunk contest too. I think he’ll surprise a lot of people.
Agreed.
He’s been absolutely killing it thus far in the workouts so far. He’ll be somewhere in the NBA and will be a very good role player for a number of years. He just does too many things well to not be in the league.
It’d be great to see him stay in the Northwest.
The Slipper Still Fits - SB Nation's home for the Gonzaga Bulldogs!
At Gonzaga, Matt Bouldin was the point forward rather than Micah Downs.
Regarding Micah Downs, he seems like an underweight version of Joe Alexander. Unfortunately, that isn’t a recipe for success in the NBA.
Lastly, the Bulldogs have a more than adequate replacement for Downs ready to go in Steven Gray.
I think Downs has the potential to break into a rotation...
…thanks to his shooting. The guy is deadly from long range, and he’s tall enough to get good looks even if he’s contested.
He’s tall, long, athletic, he can shoot, and he plays smart. Over the course of his career at GU I saw him evolve into a guy who knew when to take the big shot from distance and when to pass to someone else. He has the ability to learn and get better, which is something you can’t say about other prospects.
If Sasha Pavlovic and Matt Harpring can get jobs in the NBA, Downs can too. If he adds some muscle and works on a mid-range game, he can turn into a solid role player.
The inbound to McGinnis, drives, stops, pumps, shoots, short, no good...AND THE GAME IS OVER! ~ Bill Schonely
by SandbergOnSports on Jun 4, 2009 5:16 PM PDT up reply actions
The only thing Matt Harpring and Micah Downs have in common with each other is skin color.
Aleksander Pavlovic is a so-so comparison to Downs, although “Sasha” is a superior one-on-one perimeter among the two guys. Also, I wouldn’t call Downs “deadly from long range” by any stretch of the imagination. For example, Downs’ 43.1% FG% and 38.7% 3PT% are substantially inferior to Matt Bouldin’s 49.1% FG% and 42.3% 3PT%.
I'm just saying that Pavlovic and Harpring don't really bring anything special
My point was that if guys with no significant skills can stay in the league (they don’t really stand out in one area or another), than someone like Downs, who has a niche as a shooter, can definitely stay in the league.
And 38% from long range is still pretty darn good.
The field goal percentage is a bit misleading, too. Downs’ FG% is like that because over half of his field goals attempted (246) were attempted 3-pointers (124). I’ll grant you that Bouldin did shoot better from long range (with more attempts and makes) but I’d hardly scoff at a 38% 3-point shooter.
The inbound to McGinnis, drives, stops, pumps, shoots, short, no good...AND THE GAME IS OVER! ~ Bill Schonely
by SandbergOnSports on Jun 4, 2009 6:08 PM PDT up reply actions
With Matt Bouldin, I see the long-range shooting of Kyle Korver and the ball handling ...
of Marko Jarick in the body of Coby Karl. Yes, I understand that probably seems like a crazy evaluation on my part. That’s stylistically, though, since statistically the closest comparison I can find for Bouldin is Marco Belinelli.
Let's draft the Israeli
and we’ll get 7 millions more Blazers fans
But then lose out on other fansfrom other countries.
Algeria, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, Bolivia, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Pakistan, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia. Even Zimbabwe.
The ink of a scholar is worth a thousand times more than the blood of a martyr.
chris johnson
chris johnson’s supposed to be a good athlete for his height (6’11") but he’s stick skinny, so i don’t think we need to add someone like him.
if you get a chance, can you tell him coach bobel said to go hit the weights?
JAH
PF
If we want a bruiser of a PF, why not go with someone who won’t even get drafted, the Australian Aron Baynes? That guy was a hoss. I don’t know if he’ll translate though. Thoughts?
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Days of NBA Lives: Wherein Roy Hibbert tap-dances to Maine
- Grizzlies Valentine’s Day cards are the key to love
- Kevin Love would like the NBA to take the MLB’s approach on All-Star games
- Kobe Bryant fires a few hilarious salvos at Jeremy Lin
- Brandon Jennings states the obvious regarding his 2014 free agency, everyone goes nuts
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
