the Interview took place wednesday and the reebok eurocamp and it focuses on Bargnani. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Ford: How long have you been following Bargnani? Colangelo: It's been about two years. Ford: What have you learned in your scouting trips the last few weeks about Bargnani? Colangelo: You see something different every time. He really benefits from playing in a great program like Benetton. He's getting great coaching. Playing at a very high level. It's an open process here. We have easy access to the player and coaches so we can gather a lot of information. He's grown and filled out. He continues to get better. He's on the right path. Ford: Sometimes teams worry that they don't have as much information on the international players and that makes them wary about drafting them high. Do you feel like you have as much information on Bargnani as you do on college kids like Tyrus Thomas or LaMarcus Aldridge? Colangelo: Actually, I think we may have more information on Bargnani. We've had more of an opportunity to see him play against top competition and more of an opportunity to be around him and see who he is as a person. Of course, that isn't always the case with international players, but it is in this situation. Ford: We've all heard and used the comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki. From what you've seen, is that fair? Colangelo: I don't think it's fair to compare any prospect to a current player. It's not fair to label them. Everyone is unique, including Bargnani. For instance, in some ways he's further along than Dirk was at this stage. In others, he's farther behind. I think the quicker you get away from pigeonholing a guy, the better. Ford: Do you think Bargnani is ready for the NBA? Colangelo: The implication in the question is that somehow international kids are less ready than college kids. I beg to differ in this case. He's playing against grown men in a very difficult environment. This gym in particular is a great example. It's been more than a year since Bologna has lost at home. It's as loud and as intense as anything a prospect would have to face. He's had the eyes of the world on him all year and he's handled it well. How can you say he's less ready than someone else? Ford: So where do you stand? You control the draft. Have you made up your mind about what you're doing? Colangelo: The draft is two weeks away. We still have a lot more work to do. It's why we're here. And it's why I'm flying back to Toronto tomorrow. We have LaMarcus Aldridge coming in on Friday. Tyrus Thomas is in on Saturday. Then we have Adam Morrison working out with Rudy Gay and Randy Foye early next week. Ford: So you're still keeping your mind open about who will be the No. 1 pick? Colangelo: You have to until you've finished all your homework. We're not finished yet. </div>
Everything he said was pretty much known by the public at this point, and I really don't think Ford should have even published this. We all knew they were very knowledgable about Bargnani, we all knew they were planning on working out other top prospects, and we all knew that Colangelo is "not finished" deciding who his pick will be. He's tight-lipped, and it seems like he might be until the day of the draft, so unless he starts to give real information, why both reporting his generic answers to us? By the way, in the future, please don't post ESPN Insider articles, especially not in full and without a link - http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index...ame%3dford_chad.
