NEW "BABY SHAQ",SHOW HIS STUFF(2005 DRAFT) Agile Bynum Steps Lively Shows NBA Scouts What's Afoot June 5, 2005 By JEFF GOLDBERG, Courant Staff Writer NEW YORK -- The footwork. You noticed that right away. Although 7 feet and 280 pounds, Andrew Bynum is light on his toes, his moves around the basket smooth, not altogether unlike one of his idols. "I like Tim Duncan a lot," Bynum said. "But I play more like Shaq [O'Neal] now." The NBA scouts who watched Bynum, 17, work out Saturday can only hope that's true. But where will those quick feet lead him in the next two weeks? That is the question the scouts and the UConn coaching staff can't wait to have answered. They will have to wait a while longer. Bynum held an audition of sorts for roughly two dozen NBA teams Saturday at Baruch College. The 90-minute workout gave the scouts a sample of Bynum's ability, but brought the UConn recruit no closer to a decision about his immediate future. Bynum, from Metuchen, N.J., has until June 21 to decide whether to pull out of the NBA draft and attend UConn. It is likely the decision will not come before then. If Bynum is confident he will be a lottery pick - among the first 14 selections - he expects to remain in the draft. If not, he can pull out before the deadline and attend UConn in the fall. Before Saturday, most NBA mock drafts had Bynum going anywhere between picks 22-30. Scouts from Atlanta, Portland and New Orleans - who have the second, third and fourth picks in the draft June 28 - were on hand. "I'm still out there thinking about it," Bynum said. "I'm pretty much going to go to the deadline. There are teams I'm interested in and teams interested in me. If they're in the lottery, then I'll have to sit down and make that decision whether or not I'm going." With scouts watching from the stands, notepads and pens at the ready, Bynum went through a series of half-court drills along with three other draft hopefuls - Louisville's Otis George, Wake Forest's Jamal Levy and Illinois' Jack Ingram. "I think he's going to be the next big Shaq," said Kevie Dixon, a friend of Larry Marshall, Bynum's AAU coach who directed the workout. "It's amazing what he can do with his size and skills. He was very relaxed and poised. We wanted to showcase his strengths, show the scouts what he can do." The drills focused on Bynum's low-post moves and mid-range jump shot. The inside portion showed Bynum's immense potential, with solid ball-handling and strong moves to the basket off the left block. The outside portion showed Bynum's immense room to grow. He did not shoot well, making about 33 percent from 15-18 feet, his jumper often flattening out. "This is the first time I've seen him, and he didn't do anything to hurt himself," said a scout for a Western Conference lottery team who asked not to be identified. "I would say everything he did was very positive. He showed plenty of skills. He showed good footwork. We all know he has good size. That's why everybody's here. He made some nice moves inside. Although he didn't do a lot of it, you can tell he can shoot it. The rest of it is all potential." The workout, paid for by Bynum's family, was the first opportunity for NBA scouts to evaluate Bynum. Several were disappointed the workout did not include game simulations. "I think everybody would like to see these guys play, but the rules say you can't go 5-on-5, so you didn't see any rebounding or defense," the Western scout said. Bynum said he has plans to work out individually for at least three, and possibly five, lottery teams before the deadline. "A couple of teams have mentioned some dates," Bynum said. "They want to see some actual game reactions, to see if you can play defense." Although Bynum met individually with team representatives for about an hour after the workout, his draft status was not a topic of discussion. "We never got into that," the Western scout said. "They didn't get into it and we didn't get into it. "It was just courtesy to speak to him. You come this far, you should talk to him, do your job and not leave any stone unturned. He's a nice kid with a nice support system there." Hanging over Bynum's decision is the issue of a proposed age limit . Commissioner David Stern is looking to implement a minimum age of 20 as early as the 2006 draft, if the league and players association can come to a collective bargaining agreement this summer. One scout for an Eastern Conference lottery team said Bynum would benefit from playing in college. "We would like every young player to stay in school," the scout said. "We would like them to all do four years in college and we'd like him to go to the University of Connecticut and play for one of the best coaches in the world. "But what you're looking for in a person that size is to see how quick they are. He's very long. Now the biggest thing is to project him three or four years from now. That's the trick."
Speaking of Baby Shaq...what happend to the guy on Ripleys Believe It or Not? Auri Allen or something. I remember he was 12 years old and was 6'8 280+ lbs in that episode.
speaking of Auri Allen, its kinda funny, he went to my alumni for middle school, and was "scheduled" to come to my high school but changed his mind last minute. The last time i heard anything about him or saw him, he was/is 7 foot, about 300 lbs. crazy... if he came to our school we would have taken State... o well.....
I'm warming up to the idea of the Lakers gambling and selecting Bynum with the #10 pick. As players drop out of the lottery in the next couple of weeks the talent will not be as deep, and I'm not convinced a player the Lakers get at #10 is going to be that much better than a player drafted at #20. Bynum is projected to go in the middle of the draft, so why not 6 to 7 spots earlier at #10. I don't know much about Bynum, but the fact is he's only 17 and has the size to play Center in the league. I like the fact he has great foot work, and good hands. He also plays very physical and I could careless if he can shoot from the outside. He just needs to worry about dunking on players and being a force from 3 feet in. He was also recruited by a premiere college basketball team, UConn, and played well against his peers in various h.s. basketball all-star games. The only questions I would have is... Does he have the work ethic to be dominant in the NBA? Can he make an impact on the defensive end in the NBA? Can he live with being the 2nd, 3rd or 4th option on a team?
why? <div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm warming up to the idea of the Lakers gambling and selecting Bynum with the #10 pick. As players drop out of the lottery in the next couple of weeks the talent will not be as deep, and I'm not convinced a player the Lakers get at #10 is going to be that much better than a player drafted at #20. Bynum is projected to go in the middle of the draft, so why not 6 to 7 spots earlier at #10. I don't know much about Bynum, but the fact is he's only 17 and has the size to play Center in the league. I like the fact he has great foot work, and good hands. He also plays very physical and I could careless if he can shoot from the outside. He just needs to worry about dunking on players and being a force from 3 feet in. He was also recruited by a premiere college basketball team, UConn, and played well against his peers in various h.s. basketball all-star games. The only questions I would have is... Does he have the work ethic to be dominant in the NBA? Can he make an impact on the defensive end in the NBA? Can he live with being the 2nd, 3rd or 4th option on a team?</div> personally I love Bynum as a player and hope that he goes to UConn but if you want to draft him why at number 10? You can trade down 7 or 8 picks and still be pretty confidant that you can grab him and get something else in the package.
He better not turn out to be an Oliver Miller! Any idea on how good his free throw shooting is? He could be a good player if he can draw fouls and shoot better FTs than Shaq.
