<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">CHICAGO - When Richard Katz became Jason Maxiell's agent after the University of Cincinnati basketball season ended in March, Katz heard a familiar refrain from NBA teams. "Early on, the talk was Jason may not be drafted or he might be a solid free agent or maybe a late second-round pick," Katz said. After all, what NBA team wants to draft a 6-foot-6 power forward with limited offensive range and a significant size disadvantage around the basket? Apparently, plenty are interested. Through more than a dozen individual workouts with teams and a surprising performance at the Portsmouth Invitational camp in April, Maxiell has forced teams to rethink his ability to produce as a big man in the NBA. In two months, his status has gone from undraftable to a likely second-round pick in the June 28 draft, according to multiple NBA scouts and general managers. In two days here at the NBA predraft camp at Moody Bible Institute, Maxiell tried to reinforce the notion that he can succeed against taller - and not necessarily stronger - power forwards. Maxiell left the camp after Wednesday, forgoing the final two days for personal reasons. Katz said Maxiell wants to attend UC graduation ceremonies today in Cincinnati and has personal matters to attend to in his home state of Texas. "I think he's going to get drafted," said a Western Conference scout. "He works as hard as anybody out there, and there's a lot of teams that really like him." That's true, said an Eastern Conference scout, but probably not so much that they would draft him in the first round, when draftees receive guaranteed three-year contracts. "He's probably a second-round pick because of the size issue," the scout said, adding that Maxiell's stock has risen since Maxiell turned in a ferocious showing at Portsmouth, rebounding, dunking and blocking shots better than any other big man in attendance. "Portsmouth didn't really change anything for me except the way outsiders looked at me," Maxiell said. "I'm playing harder than everyone else because I'm smaller. I'm showing off my length and playing hard. That way my work ethic balances out my size."</div> Source
