<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">ORLANDO, Fla. ? Hassan Adams' dizzying U.S. tour stopped at the NBA's predraft camp Thursday, but he never hit the floor. Instead, having already joined an elite private workout for the Orlando Magic, Adams sprawled out in an upper-deck seat at the Milk House Gym and watched former UA teammate Mustafa Shakur play another game against mostly second-round prospects. Still considered a second-round prospect himself, Adams is hoping the strategy to skip the camp pays off. "I'm just trying to go where the competition is," Adams said. "That's what it's about. (The Magic) had five players in who are supposed to be in the lottery. This is an opportunity. I'll take every one of those I can." Certainly, in making his eighth NBA workout stop, Adams found better competition than Shakur did. Joining Adams at the Magic's practice facility Thursday afternoon were Villanova's Randy Foye, Rutgers' Quincy Douby, Memphis' Rodney Carney, Memphis' Shawne Williams, Temple's Mardy Collins and Arkansas' Ronnie Brewer. All but Williams are considered first-round selections. But NBA scouting director Marty Blake, who organized the predraft camp, said Adams would have been better off playing in real five-on-five games at Disney's Wide World of Sports. NBA teams are limited to hosting only four players on the court at one time during their private workouts, to prevent against the creation of their own private camps. "What kind of workout could you have" with four? Blake said. "Two on two? What is that going to tell you? I wouldn't go to those workouts." Still, the popular strategy among almost all solid first-round picks these days is to skip the predraft camp. Adams did so figuring he could face top prospects and prove he's worthy of joining them. The workouts have given Adams a chance to shut down guards in drills, creating a potential niche for himself as a defensive stopper off the bench. "I've been defending twos and threes, which is good for me because it shows how tough I am, what kind of defender I am," Adams said. "It's a challenge when you match up against a small guard and he's quick." Though the Magic closed their workout to the media, Orlando GM Otis Smith said Adams held his own Thursday. "What Hassan can do is defend," Smith said. "He's got a good strong body. I think his years of playing power forward for Lute (Olson) kind of helped him a little bit. He's maybe a better shooter than some people give him credit for. I think he's going to be a nice player." Smith's comments are typical of the reviews Adams has received so far this spring: a good defender with terrific athleticism and good strength, a guy who will probably make the NBA in some capacity. </div> Source
