Full Court Press

Draft workouts resume tomorrow.  Here are the names of those attending.  Some bigger names (Tar Heels) so I'm stoked. Here's Friday's workout recap in case you missed it.

It was still a dead-cold layup on the left side, though, and Lee barely missed curling it in with his right hand. It was a shame Orlando squandered such a brilliant play - and the guy who missed the shot had previously missed a layup just seconds earlier.

But what was an even bigger shame is that Bryant emerged with his strut intact, even though the man he was guarding on the play was Lee.

Norsktroll wrote a very thorough survey of available information regarding which teams 1) have, 2) have not, and 3) have yet to disclose whether they tapped into financing made available by the league.  

The Blazers remain in the third category, which is unfortunate. For the sake of transparency, the Blazers should release a statement regarding whether they did or did not take financing from the league. 

Ian Thomsen with a short remembrance of Drazen Petrovic.

"He lived across the street from the gym, and even when his team practiced two times a day, he was in there before everyone else taking his 500 shots," Grant said. "Basketball was all he did. He had phenomenal scoring records back then, even though he was facing constant double teams and box-and-ones, and I remember when he was going to the NBA, he said, 'I'll be so happy to never see a box-and-one again.' "

Blazers radio color man Antonio Harvey has a new radio show and a new website to go with it.  Features include a photo gallery of Blazer Dancer Marissa, who is also a guest host on the show. 

Tone is going all out with his new show and says he will be uploading videos, like the following one with Travis Outlaw, to youtube. Here's a link to his channel. You can watch the video below or click this link to watch at youtube.

Joe Freeman looks at why the biggest name we've been able to get excited about in the draft workouts here in Portland is Omri Casspi.

The Blazers, it seems, possess too much depth for potential first-round draft picks and their representatives.

"The agents are saying, 'Where is my guy going to play for you guys? I understand you like him and you may move up (in the draft) to get him, but I don't know if I want him playing for you,'" Buchanan said. "Even though we have a history of being able to move up in the draft to get the (prospect) we like, we're having trouble bringing guys in for workouts."

Brandon Roy found himself in 17th place for this year's playoffs in one statistical measurement provided by Basketball Prospectus.

For you younger bucks and buckettes, FreeDarko is looking for research assistants for their next book. Talk about a sweet opportunity.

Must read: ClipperBlog has an all-encompassing round up of takes on Blake Griffin's semi-open workout, which didn't go exactly as planned. 

Jonathan Givony with a really interesting look at the failed high school class of 2005.  To put it in perspective: Martell Webster has a very real chance of being the second or third best player from that class.  Wow.

Draft Express with a name to keep an eye on from Reebok Eurocamp...

Australian Patrick Mills was absolutely the star of the evening's all-star game, posting an impressive 30 point performance on 8/18 shooting from the field and 12/13 from the line. Mills handled the ball on a string all game long, showing terrific quickness keeping his man off balance, and making an absolute living in the mid-range area with his deadly pull-up jumper. His ability to utilize strong hesitation moves makes him extremely difficult to stay in front of, and he did a good job not settling for tough shots from beyond the arc today, getting to the line repeatedly. He clearly thrives in up-tempo settings such as the one seen in today's all-star game, which came in stark contrast to his morning performance, where he seemed to over-dribble somewhat while trying to create in the half-court.

NBA teams we spoke to still expressed some doubt regarding his point guard skills.

That same link has news of Ron Artest possibly going to Greece.

A few updates on some of the prospects the Blazers have worked out...

• Here's a short summary of all the guys that worked out on Friday from Brian Hendrickson.
• Greivis Vasquez has still not decided whether to stay in the draft, despite an earlier report that said he was in for sure.
  
• Omri Casspi is in the draft for sure now but also considering spending next year in Europe. If that's the case maybe he becomes a good option for the Blazers if they stay at 24. I still think he is probably far enough along for someone to bring over this year. 
  
• Tasmin Mitchell, who had an entirely forgettable workout (for me... I can't remember a thing about him), is going back to LSU.
• Chris Johnson, who the Blazers have worked out twice and is seen as a potential project/2nd round pick, was apparently impressive in his workout today in Memphis.
• In the 2nd Vasquez link above, the CNNSI writer compares Wayne Ellington favorably to Courtney Lee.  So that's a name to keep an eye on tomorrow even if he doesn't fit cleanly into the Blazers roster at the moment. 

Wendell Maxey chats with a scout who sees a lack of international talent in this draft.

You've probably already seen the news that Ricky Rubio is about to get litigious up in this!!!111

BustaBucket.com writes that the MSP Boys confirmed this morning that Blake and Outlaw had their options picked up, as expected.  

BustaBucket.com also ran some sort of all-time Blazers simulation (kids and their technology).  Check out the results here.

And, last but not least, check out the juicy Sergio rumor posted on the sidebar.

As always please drop any other links in the comments.  And be sure to check the fanshots for tons of great extras.

-- Ben (benjamin.golliver@gmail.com)